HIIT Strength

05/15/2025

I’m one of those people who don’t like when their food is touching.

Im in a calorie deficit right now to lose that winter weight gain. I’m outside or active all day in summer time but during the winter I tend to hermit inside for months. It’s hard to push myself to workout when my space is cold and I don’t workout as often.

Weightloss/muscle gain is not linear. This was told to me by a girl who I first started working out with and she was years ahead of me. I scoffed at her “I will always be on my fitness.” I replied.

Nope-no. She was right 😅 that was 10 years ago and I still remeber it like it was yesterday. Here are some other things she taught me and has stayed with me for years.
1. When you workout make sure you’re squeezing your muscles for maximum results.
2. She ate a lot of food but she was as light as a feather. The type of food she was eating: she used MyFitnessPal app to keep track of caloric intake.
3. She also said not to get hyperfixated on the calories but the type of food I was eating. It’s easy (and I’ve seen a lot of health nuts) fall into the habit of completely removing food that is ‘unhealthy’. Truth is our bodies are machines and a donut is not going to kill you. I see a lot of people ordering the same cob salad with extra chicken night after night. That’s not what life is about. There is too much beautiful food on this earth and our time is too short here to only eat rice cakes. Workout and treat yourself.

Another myth I’ve heard is that red meat is not as good as white meat. That’s is not true and a lot of people would argue red meat is healthier for you. It is beneficial for your teeth in many ways and our ancestors have adapted to synthesizing the protein.

Remeber the rule of thumb is: if your grandma wouldn’t recognize the ingredient on the label then DON’T EAT IT. Also seed oils are not good for you. They are a *new* processed oil that our ancestors have not used. Corn or canola oil has not been around long enough for us to even consider the health risks and what it could do to our bodies long term. Avocado oil, olive oil, butter or ghee are better alternatives.

05/01/2025

I use the European shopping method which is intentional shopping, buying fewer items more often.

Today this Is what I ate:

Spring mix- (2$ off sticker)= 4$
Avocado =2.50
Sweet potato =1.80
Mushrooms =$1.20
Sirloin Steak- (from butcher) $5.25

Total= $14.75

(I already had a frozen corn on the cob, dressing, onion, and egg at home.)

For breakfast I had leftover pizza bagel before a workout. And then I had a choclate smoothie after.

Smoothie Mix-
Vega One Mocha Protein powder with veggies.
Banana
Ice
Fa!rlife Chocolate Milk

If I get the munchies tonight I will probably have an apple with melted peanut butter dip.

This is my basic guideline for daily meals. I also take supplements for my hair skin and nails. Lately I’ve been loving a good matcha or tea with raw honey. Basic rule of thumb is something tasty before working out. Could be a protein bar. Then a shake afterwards and a big salad. Sometimes a small snack.

If you’re not working out then you don’t need as much protein. There is a hyperfixation with high protein here in the western civilization that is counterproductive as the part of the body that breaks down and synthesizes protein tends to get overworked. Your body needs protein to build muscle but if you’re not working out you really don’t need that high of a protein diet.

🍋 🥬 🍠 🌽 🧅 🥑 🍄‍🟫 🥚 🥩

12/02/2024

This $13.33 slab of Beef Ribs fed me three unique meals. Where did I get it? The butcher shoppe in Humboldt. Why people buy meat from large produce stores is beyond me. Not only is this fresh, local, and inexpensive, the taste quality is much better. There are no preservatives or dyes.

Yesterday I made some nachos when I got home. They are called trash can nachos (Recipe will be listed below). However it was Sunday and the butcher shoppe was closed. I WAS NOT buying ground beef for twice the price and half the quality. NO sir. I went home and cooked it vegetarian style, didn't make a difference.

If you can get away with making it vegetarian, do it! If you're opting for a hearty meal with meat- get it at your local butcher shoppe😉

@ Modern Meat & Abattoir in Humboldt SK

Trash Can Nachos Recipe

Multigrain Tostitos
Low Fat Cheese
Fried Mushrooms
Re-Fried Beans
Onions
Tomatoes
Corn
Jalapeños
Olives

*Alternatively you can add ground beef, chicken, or pulled pork. Or all three!! Which I did when I used to order this. I got this recipe from a place I worked at (Elk Ridge in SK). Served with salsa, guac, and sour cream. Yum!!

12/01/2024

Keto.

I covered a whole chapter of this while I was going for my certification. I don't hear too much about it nowadays but five or six years ago everyone and their grandma was on the ketogenic diet.

Fats and Carbohydrates are the bodies main source of fuel. Your body primarily uses carbs before it starts to burn fat. That is because we mostly eat a high carbohydrate diet. When you're on the ketogenic diet, you are only eating foods that are high in natural fats. "Tricking" your body into using fats as a primary source of energy. Do I recommend it? No. It believe it is unnecessary. I don't recommend working out AND being on this diet. However people that are restricted from working out (unable to because of a physical ability) this might be useful to you. If you're eating natural foods, even those that are high in fat, you're still going to lose weight. You're still going to improve your health by not eating processed foods. Simple as that. So if you want to go on the ketogenic diet go ahead! However I would recommend a lower calorie diet and a fitness schedule centered around healthy carbs!

As most trainers would I think.

12/01/2024

Sorry I haven't been posting that lately but I like to bring up health issues whenever the conversation arises. What was supposed to be a workout corner in my newly renovated basement became a detective wall for a book I'm writing. More on that later! For now I wanted to bring up a few things that people keep mentioning.

Fasting and Keto.

Intermittent fasting has become popular lately because more people are understanding the benefits. And it's fairly easy to do, people are always looking for a quick fix. From my understanding, old fat cells lay dormant in your body, the more you feed them the harder it is for them to go away. New fat cells do not get burned off first. The only way to burn the old fat cells is to "starve them" intermittently. So that tricky belly fat that just wont go away is effectively burned with fasting.

Fasting has been used since at least the early 5th century. Greek physicians recommended abstinence from food or drink for patients who exhibited certain symptoms of illness. Nowadays when you go to the doctor they still recommend the same thing. What I am referring to the calorie restriction based in a window of time (to achieve weight loss.) In my experience, working out 3 to 5 times a week usually gives you the results you want without fasting. Especially with a nutrient dense diet. However there are certain "plateau" points through your fitness journey that I do recommend fasting as part of your regime.

I don't think it's a black or white situation at all. There's a lot of grey area. I recommend it and don't recommend it, depending on where you are in your health journey. And if you want to try fasting at any point in your life it's a good way to try self discipline. I think it's unnecessary to do all the time- just at certain points in your life.

I will do a second post on my thoughts on Keto.

10/08/2024

I normally don’t have time to eat as a busy house cleaner. I am constantly on my feet and have little time to rest during the day as I don’t want to lose momentum. Don’t worry, I train for this! I resistance and endurance train almost every day so I can reach my highest V02 max level.

I have a bowl of lIFE cereal here with fairl!fe milk. I also brought some vegan protein and greens for my milk. It keeps me going during the day without weighing me down!

Remember to fuel your body while you work 🫶🏼

10/07/2024

Ladies and gentlemen my bible. The book I refer to several times a day. I’ve read this thing from cover to cover countless times so you don’t have to! This has taught me everything I know about personal training.

🏋️‍♀️

10/04/2024

To be honest I was feeling a little sick today: so, I prescribed myself a bowl of natures best medicine🥗

I make a Buddha bowl for myself after every workout. Sometimes I get real crazy with it: If I’m eating a salad I like to put whatever I like on it: I took photos of all of them and will be adding them to my page periodically with recipes. It’s time to pay more attention to this fb.

Today I was feeling a bit more nutritious, and I’m not ashamed to say I ate the whole thing!! 😊😅 now I’m going to drink as much water as I can and rest 😤💤
I can’t keep up with my busy life if I don’t take care of myself. You got to take time to recharge and refuel!

I’m finished painting the corner in my basement, it’s time to make more workout videos, they’re coming soon!!

🏋️‍♀️

💛 Nicole

09/26/2024

The FB analytics say my HIIT strength profile is getting more views lately 👀

This would be a perfect time to drop an ad for this page 😏 I’m in the process of painting and redecorating my basement so I can make more workout videos. I also would like to start making healthy cooking videos again!

Stay tuned!

06/04/2022

These are the top 3 things that I hear when I meet new customers;

1. I don't want to get bulky or gain muscle, I just want to lose weight.
- You will lose most of your fat before you start gaining muscle. Resistance/strength training helps with this.

2. I heard _____ (natural food) has a lot of carbs in it, should I restrict it in my diet?
- If it's natural, whole and colorful then eat it. Doesn't matter the time of day. Your body is a machine and will use it appropriately.

3. What protein should I use?
You don't need to use protein powder. If I do suggest some it would be ones with creatine (helps with muscle soreness) or vegan protein. All protein we get from animals is just recycled plant protein so it's better to get it from the source.

I can answer all your questions with a FREE consultation that also comes with a FREE booklet that outlines all of this useful information. Call or text me at 306-301-5241 and I will set up a time and date to talk about your goals.

What sets me apart from other trainers: I dig deep into food science and offer healthy cooking videos for before and after a workout. Remember 25% of weight loss is training and the rest is what you put into your body. Unlike other trainers who makes you do a bunch of exercises without explaining why you're doing them, I will guide you every step of the way and make it my mission to help you understand the science behind weight loss.

05/11/2022

It's that time of year again when I start up my personal training services in the Melfort and Surrounding area

If you know anyone who needs help with;
Schedules & Meal Plans
Muscle Rehabilitation
Endurance Training
Strength Training
or
Losing Weight
Please send them my way. Consultations are 30 mins and completely free!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemerasty/

This video is a guilt-free-post-workout veggie burger tutorial. It CAN be vegan friendly by changing the turkey burger to a chickpea burger, and making the cheese and egg optional.
Let me know how it goes for you in the comments and I will be working on more workout videos in the meantime
Ingredients
1 Cup of Chickpeas
1/3 Cup of Chopped Onion
1/3 Cup of Chicken Broth (Low Sodium) or Water
1 Shaved Carrot
1 Avocado
Worcestershire Sauce
Tabasco Sauce
1 Egg (Optional)
1 Slice of Cheese (Optional) Low Fat
1 Whole Wheat Bun
Mustard
Mayo (Low Fat)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B2RcZfQDx8

04/20/2020

Hello guys! I am back again. Sorry it took so long for me to release another video but I took some time to improve on my video editing. I'm still not the best at it but I'm getting a little better each time.
As promised I was going to do my guilt-free-post-workout veggie burger tutorial because I posted of it on my Instagram a few month's ago. I decided to make it vegan friendly by changing the turkey burger to a chickpea burger, and making the cheese and egg optional.

Let me know how it goes for you in the comments and I will be working on more workout videos in the meantime

In Health!
Nicole

Ingredients
1 Cup of Chickpeas
1/3 Cup of Chopped Onion
1/3 Cup of Chicken Broth (Low Sodium) or Water
1 Shaved Carrot
1 Avocado
Worcestershire Sauce
Tabasco Sauce
1 Egg (Optional)
1 Slice of Cheese (Optional) Low Fat
1 Whole Wheat Bun
Mustard
Mayo (Low Fat)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B2RcZfQDx8

Ingredients 1 Cup of Chickpeas 1/3 Cup of Chopped Onion 1/3 Cup of Chicken Broth (Low Sodium) 1 Shaved Carrot 1 Avocado Worcestershire Sauce Tabasco Sauce 1 ...