Hey all! Sharing my top 5 nutrition rules that I live by to maintain my weight year round while continuing to get stronger and build muscle. Here they are: 1. Prioritize Protein: Whenever I eat, whether it's a full meal or a snack, I ALWAYS prioritize protein. I aim to get 150+ grams of protein per day. My top protein sources are: - Meat (beef, chicken, fish) - Eggs - Greek Yogurt 2. Fiber Focus: Alongside protein, I aim to get some fiber every time I each. Most folks are aware of the importance of protein, but fiber is often overlooked. In my opinion, adequate fiber intakes is just as important as protein intake. I aim to get 30+ grams of fiber per day. My top fiber sources are: - Vegetables - Fruit - Oats 3. Stop eating 3+ hours before bed: This helps with sleep quality, which helps with quite literally everything related to health (more energy, better workouts, fat loss, muscle gain, stress management, mental clarity, etc.). I personally like to eat dinner around 5 pm, but many days that's not possible (i often work until 6:30/7 pm). On days when I eat dinner later, I try to eat lighter, easier to digest dinners (soup for example). 4. Regular fasting: I practice intermittent fasting most days (12 + hours without food) and do longer fasts (24 hours +) once per week. Fasting is beneficial for many things, including: recovering from sickness, clearing cellular waste, reducing toxic load, building mental discipline, staying in a calorie deficit. 5. NEVER start the day with sugar: If you have sugar as a main component of your first meal of the day, your blood sugar will spike, shoot down, and then you'll be on the blood sugar roller coaster the rest of the day. Your body will literally crave sugar because it wants that blood sugar spike again. If you are going to eat sugar, never break a fast (2+ hours of not eating) with straight sugar, but ESPECIALLY the first meal of the day. BONUS. No restriction: I don't believe in fully restricting foods unless you have an intolerance or allergy.

Sometimes, we wake up, look at our lives, and feel like we’re not doing enough. Sometimes, we watch other people succeed and wonder why our own time hasn’t come yet. Sometimes, we work so hard, pray so much, and keep pushing forward, yet it feels like nothing is changing. We start questioning ourselves, doubting our journey, and wondering if we’ll ever get to where we want to be. But sometimes, in the middle of all that worrying, we forget something important. The life you’re living today is someone else’s biggest dream. Someone is praying for the opportunity you already have. Someone wishes they could be where you are right now. Someone would give anything to have another chance at something you’ve probably stopped appreciating. This doesn’t mean you should stop dreaming or settle for less. It simply means you shouldn’t allow the things you haven’t achieved yet to make you blind to the blessings you already have. Take a moment. Look at how far you’ve come. Remember the days you thought you wouldn’t make it, the nights you cried in silence, the challenges you survived, and the moments you almost gave up but somehow found the strength to keep going. Look at you now. You’re still here. Still trying. Still learning. Still hoping for a better tomorrow. And that means something. ❤️ Maybe you’re not where you want to be yet. Maybe life is taking longer than you expected. Maybe your prayers haven’t been answered in the way you hoped. But please, don’t give up on yourself. Keep going. Keep believing. Keep doing what you can with what you have, even when nobody sees your efforts. One day, you’ll look back at this chapter of your life and thank God, not just for where you ended up, but for the strength He gave you to keep going when the journey was difficult. Be grateful for where you are, be hopeful about where you’re going, and be patient with yourself along the way. Your story is still being written. Don’t let a difficult chapter convince you that the whole story will end badly. And if nobody has reminded you lately, I’m proud of you for still trying. 🫂❤️

I am Melissa and I’m starting this new wellness journey. I live in Burnsville. Hail from the St. Croix valley. Which I will be back there someday. Hopefully in the next couple years. I’ve had 1 appointment so far and have already seen progress! I’m so excited to see what’s in store, not just because of that. But it sure helps.

Hey all! I edited the Easy Recipes for Your Vitality guide to be more reflective of how I currently eat. 24 recipes to help you make healthy foods at home :-) Check it out!! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1frcC4zoUOTqfMy4EaOEF0BOf6-CRBZcQ/view?usp=sharing