A 5min read
Communities play an important role in every aspect of our lives. We have communities in our friends, our families, our jobs, our neighborhoods, and in so many other places.  Having a sense of community unites us; it can make us feel as though we are a part of something greater than ourselves. It can give us opportunities to connect with people, to reach for our goals, and makes us feel safe and secure. Our PLT Community, is especially warm, inviting and nurturing and that is because of each and every one of them; their presence is everything to us
 
Life trips up each and every one of us sometimes, and when that happens we need people to remind us of our true potential, what we are capable of. We each have a gift that we’re meant to share and finding people to remind us of that makes life a little easier. Encouragement is something I see in the PLT Community daily and it’s beautiful to me.
 
Life happens, the good, the bad, and the unthinkable. It’s important to have people around to help carry you through all of the emotions. A community should challenge you to become a better person. Whether you need a new outlook on life, or a support team to help you rise from a difficult, challenging place. Sometimes we need tough love and raw honesty to show us that the biggest obstacle in life might just be ourselves. Sometimes we simply need to know we are not alone. 
 
Perhaps the biggest benefit of a community is the opportunity for you to give back. The self-fulfillment you feel when you give more than you receive is priceless. Helping and supporting others feeds your soul in a way that nothing else can. A community gives you reasons to celebrate the small things in life and people to be thankful for. And we all know we can never have too much gratitude in our lives.
 
Our community of like-minded people is growing daily and the more it grows the more diverse it becomes and support is available. No matter if you’re an introvert or an extrovert, no matter if you share or simply observe, you will benefit from being there and we welcome you with open arms. 
 
Have a beautiful Sunday everyone and thank you💛
tks
Patti

To further benefit all our PLT Nutrition & Fitness clients, PLT are now including with all our Nutrition Coaching plans

A FREE 20 recipe eBook

Since creating PLT, I have always believed in giving as much away for FREE as we possibly can
I don’t believe the materials we share with you, our clients, are intellectual property and we have always been open to sharing and making them publicly available.
Many clients purchase Nutrition coaching and ask about tasty recipes that can meet their goals and add variety to their weeks.
The eBook is something many of you have requested. With Coach Patti we have a true food guru, who can create food masterpieces low in calories & adaptable to suit everyones goals.
We hope you utilize this eBook and we encourage you to share it in Facebook groups, with friends & colleagues. The more people that can benefit from this FREE eBook the happier PLT becomes.
Tks
Paul
Continuous Effort 💛

A 4 minute read

As we approach the holiday season many of you are probably thinking about a lot of eating related things, such as how will you get to January 1 having not gained 5-10lbs, and how will you survive the endless holiday events while sticking to the plan that you are following.
Statistics show that the number one reason for weight gain over the course of the year is holiday and vacation eating. If you feel have experienced this in the past, why not make this the year you change?!
 
The PLT ABC’s are the building blocks of our nutrition plan and can be applied to specific situations giving you a guideline to help you stay focused and working hard despite special occasions like holidays!

Accountability:

• Have a plan in place before the holiday season begins
• Talk to your coach, if you’re working with one, about any specific concerns you might have
• Ensure you have your regular foods prepped and ready in addition to the ‘holiday’ foods so that your eating remains on track 
• Prepare a menu that includes foods that you enjoy and you might want to indulge in moderately
• Decide what you will track and what you won’t (no need to track Thanksgiving dinner, but the eating that follows, including leftovers should be tracked) 

Balance:

• Look at the holiday week and decide how you will balance your days; you may have 4 parties & 2 big family meals that you will need to plan your day to ensure that you remain on track
• Ensure you're getting your regular exercise in and remaining active
• Be present within yourself each day and be mindful of your intentions and your goals
• Plan to eat a high protein, low fat & carb breakfast, possibly delaying breakfast, on party days. Before heading out, eat a little something, maybe a salad with a little protein so that you are not showing up hungry!
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
• Limit alcohol to 1-2 drinks if at all; sparkling water w/lime is your friend
• Pie & whipped cream OR dinner rolls & butter; plan to choose wisely so you feel satisfied and happy

 Consistency:

• Your plan doesn’t end on Thanksgiving eve and restart on New Year’s Day; stay focused throughout the season 
• Stick to your normal routine except when your routine changes
• A holiday event on Friday evening does not mean the entire week is a blowout
• Exercise daily
• Communicate with your coach, a friend, a family member when feeling stressed
• Track as usual, except special holiday meals
• Check in with your coach as scheduled.

The 3 basic approaches to holiday eating:

• Eat the entire table and drink all the alcohol! Start early, like Thanksgiving Eve (if you didn’t start on Halloween) and go through New Year’s Day! Eat with wild abandon, you’ll start that diet soon and be fine (Let's not do this please!)
• Choose one day out of the week like Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day or Eve to allow yourself the freedom to eat at will. BUT being mindful that you’d rather not wake up feeling terrible the next day maybe limit alcohol to 1-3 drinks that don’t have 300cal each. Eat less stuffing if you know you want pie; eat raw veggies rather than all the deliciousness on the charcuterie board. Relax, be conversational, enjoy a lovely meal with family and friends knowing that the next day you will get right back on track (Let's do this please!)
• Track your holiday meal as you would any other meal. This is not strongly suggested as it’s not necessary but if you are more comfortable doing so then you absolutely should. In some cases we are attending a holiday event that doesn’t really mean much to us but it’s a commitment we have and we’d just as soon consider it like any other day. Do what works best for you.

 
 Tips & Tricks:

• If you are hosting you are golden! Make everyone’s favorite foods including the things you love that will ensure you don't completely over indulge (veggie platter, fresh fruit to snack on instead of charcuterie yummies)
• Make those same things to take with you if you are invited to someone’s home
• Eat a light but protein focused breakfast
• Hydrate well all day
• Mingle with a water or seltzer in your hand and when you look at the appetizers navigate towards raw veggies and stay away from the cheese etc.
• Talk! A lot! It keeps your mouth busy!
• ‘No thank you’ is all you need to say when Uncle Jim wants to pour you another mug of spiced cider
• Fill your dinner plate with veggies first, then load up on protein and take small servings of starchy carbs
• Eat slowly and relax and enjoy the moment
• Washing dishes is NEAT! (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis) Pitch in and increase your movement after eating instead of hitting the couch!

 
Above all else, smile, have fun, love your family, cherish your friends but remember your goals. We wish you a healthy and happy holiday season and we wish you an epic scale reading on 1/1/20!
​
Thanks
Patti