Mindset Ashley Beaver Mindset Ashley Beaver

Wide Awake: How Sleep Affects Your Health, Body Composition, and Performance Goals

It’s 2:45 AM and I’m lying in my bed listening to my husband snore. My mind is racing - thoughts like “I’m never going to fall asleep”, and “my day is going to be ruined” stream across my mind. After flipping over onto my side for what feels like the thousandth time, I accept defeat. I lost the battle. I crawl out of bed, stomp downstairs, and flop onto the couch, much to the dismay of my 4-year old Rhodesian Ridgeback…

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Mindset Ashley Beaver Mindset Ashley Beaver

Flexible Dieting: Are You Doing It Right?

I’ve cycled through lots of extremes regarding my nutrition. I’ve gone years never thinking twice about what I consumed. I’ve gone through periods of intense bingeing, only to restrict for days on end. I have also lived on the other side of the extreme…

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Recipes Ashley Beaver Recipes Ashley Beaver

What’s The Beef?

I’ve come to realize… People take their chili very seriously. If you are a chili connoisseur, I apologize if this chili with beans offends you. But it makes my mouth and stomach extremely happy, so screw the rules!

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Recipes Ashley Beaver Recipes Ashley Beaver

Chocolate Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip

Last week Krissy and I got together in Reno to create content for BIN and that always means time spent in the kitchen coming up with new recipes to share! While we were getting our grocery list ready for dinner we knew we had to add something sweet to the list for dessert. After some brainstorming, Krissy mentioned that she'd had this dessert in Iceland made with skyr, whipped cream, and jam. It sounded incredible (now have to plan a trip to Iceland to try this delicious treat) and it became the inspiration for our dessert. We made this two nights in a row, once with whipped cream and once with fat-free Cool Whip. The whipped cream version adds fat and reduces carbs so do what works best for you!

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Mindset Ashley Beaver Mindset Ashley Beaver

Can Food Be An Addiction?

I felt it was time that I wrote something more personal. I think I have avoided delving too deep because of the shame that is attached to food addiction, emotional eating, binging, etc. It wasn’t until fairly recently that I was able to pinpoint exactly how I defined my own emotional eating behavior. I once sought the help of a therapist for this very issue. Why do I eat when I’m not hungry? I was met with amateur-hour suggestions. Eat off a red plate, drink water before meals, “I’ll fill a prescription for an appetite suppressant.”

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Mindset Ashley Beaver Mindset Ashley Beaver

Is Stress Holding You Back? It's Impact On Your Health & Effective Strategies for Management

Let's talk about stress. We’re all pretty familiar with it. As adults stress becomes a part of our life. We have responsibilities and deadlines to attend to. Although we often think of stress as a bad thing, in small doses, it’s actually quite beneficial. It motivates us to meet those deadlines at work, finish a school project, stick to our diet, or get to the gym first thing in the morning. But sometimes, stress becomes overwhelming. It accumulates and eventually, we can’t take it anymore. This build-up and constant stress is the kind that’s harmful to our health. This is the type of stress we want to talk about.

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Mindset Ashley Beaver Mindset Ashley Beaver

Do you have the support you need?

Problem-solving has many layers. You’re here and I’m here because we have a problem that we’ve yet to solve on our own. We’re here because we need help. There’s nothing wrong with needing help. Everyone needs help with something in their lives at some point. As you start to outline the things you need or the actions you need to take to solve a problem, it may take a bit to get going. But at some point, it starts to build like a classic cartoon snowball rolling down a hill. Here is a sample list of things or actions you’ve likely done as you started your journey with BIN to solve this problem.

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Recipes Ashley Beaver Recipes Ashley Beaver

Sesame Teriyaki Tofu Bowl

What’s my go-to protein source? Tofu! Tofu is packed with protein, it has several health benefits and it’s extremely versatile. Here is one of my favorite ways to make tofu. This recipe is also great for anyone who wants to incorporate a meatless Monday into their week!

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Recipes Ashley Beaver Recipes Ashley Beaver

Sweet Potato, Quinoa and Mixed Berry Muffins

I get asked a lot about pre and post-workout nutrition. Nutrient timing if you will. We understand the importance of it as athletes. Eating sufficient amounts of carbohydrates before and after we workout helps with our performance and recovery. Pre and post-workout foods certainly don't need to be complicated. Carbs, carbs carbs. Okay and some protein too. But our bodies need glycogen. And since I love to bake, I decided to work on a high carb, low-fat breakfast muffin that I could grab on my way to the gym either to eat in the car or save for right after my workout. Regardless of which snack you're needing, this one should do the job!

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Recipes Ashley Beaver Recipes Ashley Beaver

Fajita Bowl

Tex-Mex and American Mexican food was not part of my childhood. My parents were not a fan of it. Weird I know. The closest thing I got to Mexican food was the pre-packaged hard shell Ortega meal kits. They had bright yellow cheese, taco seasoning packets, and this watery red salsa/hot sauce packets. It was delicious! I could easily take down 5 or 10 tacos. I was a growing boy and needed lots of fuel ok! We rarely had this treatment as it was an expensive item for our family. It took a few meal kits to provide one meal. It was a once in a while treat that I truly enjoyed. This was my entry point. I had no idea there was so much more to the cuisine.

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