Bethany’s Secret Sauce

No one prepares you for the part when you’re creeping into your 40s while you simultaneously try to build muscle, keep fat low, protect your joints,keep hormones balanced, eat enough protein, and remember why you walked to the other room.

But here we are….thriving-ish!🤣

3 things I have almost every client start with before we change anything else:

1. 30g of protein at breakfast
2. A 10 minute walk after dinner
3. Lights out 30 minutes earlier

Simple. Powerful. Try it this week!

Sunday Soup Supper 😋

Tortellini soup

INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage (mild or hot - your preference!)
1 white onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups low-sodium chicken bone broth
1 (9 ounce) package cheese tortellini
4 cups fresh spinach
salt and pepper
Parmesan, for serving
crushed red pepper flakes, optional, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy bottomed stock pot.
Add Italian sausage (remove casings if necessary), onion, and carrots. Cook, breaking up the meat, until sausage is cooked and vegetables have softened.
Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds, until garlic is fragrant.
Stir in chicken broth and raise heat to high.
Add tortellini once boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook according to package instructions. Fresh tortellini will only take 2 - 3 minutes but frozen will take up to 10.

Once tortellini is cooked, stir in fresh spinach. It will cook almost immediately.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve hot with Parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes on top.

Rough macro breakdown (about 6 servings):
P35g
C 19g
F 20g (sub chicken for way less fat)

What's in your gym bag that you can't live without?

Tip Tuesday 💤

Ever notice you are way hungrier after a bad night of sleep? That is not in your head. When you sleep less than about 7 hours, your body makes more ghrelin (the hormone that tells you you're hungry) and less leptin (the hormone that tells you you're full). Cortisol also runs higher, which pushes cravings toward sugar and salty, quick energy foods. On top of that, a tired brain has a harder time saying no, so the snacks that are easy to pass on when you are rested suddenly feel impossible to ignore. This matters because a lot of "willpower" problems are really sleep problems. If you are fighting cravings every afternoon, it may not be your meal plan that needs fixing, it may be your bedtime.

This week, pick a set bedtime that gives you 7 to 8 hours and put your phone away 30 minutes before it. Keep your room cool and dark, and cut off caffeine by early afternoon so it is out of your system by lights out. BETTER SLEEP MAKES EVERY OTHER PART OF YOUR PLAN EASIER!

How many hours are you sleeping on a typical night right now? Drop your number below 👇