One of the best things about my job is that I get to have so many interesting health and fitness conversations; I am constantly discovering new yummy recipes, kick-ass workouts, and motivational tips and tricks.

I share everything I learn with my clients, but I realized today that I should also be sharing everything with all of you!

So, my new mission is to regularly post my current favourite recipes, foods, products, tidbits of knowledge, mantras, and exercises! Look for a new list every four to six weeks.

1. Favourite breakfast: Hi – Lo cereal with berries, almond milk, and a few frozen PC cherries.

I don’t love most cereals; they tend to be high in sugar and fairly processed. That said, sometimes convenience is paramount, and cereals are convenient. Historically when I needed a convenient breakfast I would eat bran with Greek yogurt and frozen berries. I would let the concoction gel overnight so the berries thawed; this tuned the dish into a wonderful graham-cracker-like concoction with gooey raspberries.

I thought bran was my best cereal option. I was recently (very happily) proven wrong. I found “Hi-Lo” from Nutritious Living. Bran has 7 g of sugar. Hi/Low has 3 g. Bran has 5 g of protein. Hi/Low has 12 g. Bran has 190 mg of sodium. Hi/Low has 95 mg. Amazing stats, right?

I still eat bran once in a while, but my new favorite concoction is almond milk, Hi-Lo cereal, berries, and a few frozen cherries. Amazing!

2. Favourite question to ask myself when I feel myself falling off of my health horse:What would the morning Kathleen want me to do?

The hardest time for me to stay on my fitness horse is after 10 pm — I start thinking “Wouldn’t a snack be yummy?” I start work at 6 a.m. so I really should just get ready for bed, BUT I don’t want to sleep. I want to relax, have a snack, and have some time to myself. The problem is, if I eat too late at night I know I will feel sick the next day, and if I don’t sleep enough I know I will be exhausted.

So, I ask myself “What would the morning Kathleen want me to do?” Then I try to live by her rules. If I am legitimately hungry (verses tired or sad) I have a small nutritious snack. If I am not actually tired I relax by reading or meditating, and then head to bed.

Basically, I am staying on track by aiming to make the health choices at 10 pm that the future Kathleen would be proud of!

3. Favourite easy meal: Egg “pizza.”

Dr Penny Kendlel taught me this “pizza” recipe and I love it.

First, put egg whites and/or a few full eggs in a pan. Bake until firm – that is your “pizza” crust! Then add pizza toppings and bake until the topping are cooked. I usually put mushrooms, spinach, and salsa on top — I adore salsa. Make it with whatever toppings you love — cheese, veggies, meat — mixing it up is part of the fun. Sure, you won’t be able to hold it like you would a real pizza crust, but trust me, it is tasty, and the firm cooked egg is a perfect vehicle for pizza toppings. Channel a classy person eating pizza — eat it with a knife and fork!

4. Favourite mantra: “Kathleen, if your soup is cold you can say it’s cold; just don’t pout, cry, yell, or punch someone in the face.”

Anytime I get frustrated about anything — from not getting to do my planned workout to a friend letting me down — I give myself a stern talking to. I say, “Kathleen, if your soup is cold you can say it’s cold; just don’t pout, cry, yell, or punch someone in the face.”

Basically, have proportional responses. Don’t ignore bad things and bottle up your feelings, but don’t act irrationally. Acknowledge that your soup is cold (i.e., acknowledge your problem) without letting the cold soup (problem) become a symbol of everything else in life that has gone wrong. It is just cold soup — warm it up.

Give every feeling, experience, problem, or situation its due — but no more and no less than is necessary!

5. Favourite exercise: The three-step standing calf series.

Make sure you try this series if you are a runner; it literally transformed my lower legs! I love to run which historically caused my feet and calves to be chronically tight. Then Margot from Body Harmonics taught me this series and my calves went from stiff to mobile virtually overnight. I try to do the series multiple times a day. I challenge you to do it daily for a month and see how you feel.

Start standing with your forearms against a wall. Back leg straight. Front knee bent.

A. “Pump” your back heel up and down 20 times. Keep the back leg straight. Concentrate on the downward motion of the heel; think that you are only lifting the heel up so that you can push it down. Repeat 20 times.

B. Keep your back heel down and front knee still as you slightly bend and straighten your back knee. Repeat 10 times.

C. Keep your back leg straight and heel grounded as you push slightly into your front knee. Repeat 10 times.

Share your favourite things with me. Send me a FB message, leave a comment, or send me a tweet. I love learning about anything health and fitness related! You never know — what you send me could make it onto my next list!

Originally published at HUFFPOST