Fitness Expert Jenny Gaither Tells Us Everything She Eats In A Day
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Food
Jenny Gaither is a fitness expert who trains her clients both physically–and mentally. She prides herself on helping female entrepreneurs overcome insecurities, so that they are able to build successful companies. And her followers can’t get enough of her classes. Jenny’s all-levels, cardio hip hop dance class—Notorious Fit—is so popular, it’ll soon be featured on the Popsugar Fitness Youtube Channel. Beyond teaching fitness, Jenny also fosters communities. She has a private Facebook group for women to share and build body-positivity confidence (she invites you to join here), and also has a non-profit, Movemeant Foundation, which is hosting events in 4 major cities this year. Are you inspired yet? Below, this impressive wellness boss shares all of the healthy and delicious foods she eats in a day.
Breakfast
What I eat: Coffee with collagen, cbd oil, protein powder and almond milk. Celery juice, banana, almond butter and a ginger-tumeric shot with black pepper.
The time I eat it: 6:00 A.M. When I wake up and start my day with self-care I’m more productive and have the bandwidth to crush my goals.
How I make it or where I get it: I love hazelnut coffee in general but currently love New England Coffee’s version. I add Ancient Nutrition Protein Collagen powder as well as their Chocolate Bone Broth Powder to my coffee because their products are non-GMO, have no artificial ingredients and are paleo-friendly. I’ve had gut issues (SIBO and IBS) for over 5 years so I’m on a strictly paleo diet and avoid any artificial ingredients. Additionally, I add a few drops of ‘Plus Cbd oil’ to my coffee because it’s calming to my belly and mind.
I make celery juice in my Vitamix, which was my Christmas present to myself (best gift ever!). Celery juice is really easy to make – wash then cut up an entire stalk of celery in 2-3 inch sections, throw the chunks of celery into a blender, then blend on high speed until the consistency is smooth. Pour the juice into a nut bag to strain out the pulp, or you can drink it as is if you don’t mind the thicker texture.
I go for organic bananas and when I want to splurge I buy Once Again Crunchy Peanut Butter. It’s on the expensive side of the pb section, but it’s SO freaking delicious. I honestly haven’t had a better pb and think pb would be my last meal.
Lastly, I peel then dice ginger, throw it in my vitamix with lemon juice, black pepper and ground turmeric. Take a shot of that juice baby and you’re awake!
Snack
What I eat: Two hard-boiled eggs, a green juice from Juice Press, and a handful of unsalted roasted almonds.
The time I eat it: 9 A.M.
How I make it or where I get it: I pack my snacks before I leave the house! I love the green juices from Juice Press, preferably a juice without any fruit. ALL VEGGIES!
Lunch
What I eat: I’m a huge fan of a good ol’ stirfry. My go-to is kale, cabbage, sauerkraut, broccoli, butternut squash, onion, garlic, coconut milk or coconut cream sauteed in olive oil. I add two eggs over easy on top with avocado and Sriracha.
The time I eat it: 11:30 A.M.
How I make it or where I get it: Home-cooked!
Snack
What I eat: Mixed frozen berries (raspberries, blueberries and blackberries) in a bowl, add almonds or almond butter (or both!), pour in almond or coconut milk and top it with cacao nibs. I put it in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt the berries and peanut butter a little bit and it tastes like a dessert but it’s packed with antioxidants, superfoods, and protein.
The time I eat it: 3 P.M.
Dinner
What I eat: I’m a HUGE fan of my slow-cooker. One of my favorite dinners to make, especially in the winter, is paleo chicken soup.
The time I eat it: 6:30 P.M.
How I make it or where I get it: I add the below to my slow cooker in the morning and let it cook for 6-8 hours!
- 2-3 lbs chicken thighs, breast, or a whole chicken
- 4 cups organic chicken broth
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 3-4 cups carrots, chopped
- 2-3 cups celery, chopped
- 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp basil
- 1/2 Tbsp parsley
- 3 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1.5 tsp sea salt, more or less to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, more or less to taste
Snack
What I eat: I love warm beverages before bed and there are studies proving that turmeric helps induce sleep and helps regulate anxiety.
The time I eat it: 8 P.M.
How I make it or where I get it:
A warming Spiced Ayurvedic Sleepytime Milk:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of almond, coconut or your fav non-dairy mylk
- pinch of cardamom
- pinch of ginger
- pinch of turmeric
- raw honey *optional
Method
- Pour your favorite milk into a small pot.
- Add spices to taste and whisk to combine. Start with less and experiment with more later. I actually use 1/2 tsp of each spice which makes my mylk bright yellow and I LOVE it! However, a pinch is all you need.
- Bring milk to baby bottle temperature to keep it raw. If you don’t care about it staying raw, bring it to a light steam.
- Add a raw honey to taste & give mylk another whisking.
- Pour into your favorite mug.
Workout from that day
SoulCycle at 8 A.M. and Dance Class from 1-3 P.M. I also walk A LOT. I will walk instead of taking the subway if I can make the time for it. I try to get in 6,000-10,000 steps a day.
Overall thoughts about your day today and how you feel:
I love working and I love being busy but in order to sustain all of my practices and career paths I’ve learned to add moments of stillness throughout my day. I’m a huge napper. Even if it’s for ten minutes, I rely on those moments to shut my eyes and deep breathe to reset my brain and energy.
What are other wellness activities or habits that make you feel like your best self?
The second I wake up I do not look at my phone, instead I practice what I call a “full-body scan”. I check my emotional, mental and physical state. I ask myself questions like, “What is my mood like this morning? How are my energy levels? Where is there tension in my body? Where are my anxious thoughts running to? Where is my breath moving?… In my throat, chest or belly?
I then brain-dump for 8 pages in my journal. It’s a free-write entry where I don’t pick up my pen for eight full-pages. The goal is to dump all of the extra energy swirling around in my head so I can think clearer to then create an action plan. From the brain-dump I gain awareness of what I’m most stressed about. It’s common to avoid or procrastinate the tasks we fear most. Instead of being avoidant I time block. I mark out time in my calendar in the morning to tackle the harder, more daunting tasks so I have the brain power.
I know I perform best first thing in the morning so that’s when I get after my more challenging business. I used to try to create social media calendars, marketing campaigns, and update P&L’s in the afternoon after I taught three SoulCycle classes and coached multiple clients. This system didn’t work for me. It took me so much longer to get anything done because my brain and body was fried.
During my day if I feel overwhelmed or if I need a mental break, I turn on classical music and go for walk or light candles in my room/office and stretch. Moving my body gently helps me reconnect to how I’m feeling while easing my anxious energy.
I perform my best when I’m inspired. I’m a curious person who loves to learn, so I’m constantly looking for new books, podcasts, Ted Talks, and research articles on body-positivity, confidence, leadership and entrepreneurship.