Mary Teunis

Nutrition + Fitness

Flexible Dieting

Nutrition Blueprint to kick start the New Year!

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Nutrition Blueprint to kick start the New Year!

It’s 2022 and it’s safe to say that fad diets are overrated and are not sustainable over a long period. I can understand wanting to see fast results, whether that’s weight loss, improved blood work, lowered blood pressure, increased muscle mass, or running faster, it’s fun and rewarding to see improvements right away.

What if instead we switched our mindset and found a nutrition plan that would help keep results over a long period instead of seeing results and then watching them fade away after a few weeks or months. Why completely deprive yourself of the foods you love when you can both fuel your body with whole, nutrients foods and your indulgent treats.

Looking for a sustainable nutrition blueprint to kick start the new year? Follow the simple starter guide below.

Daily intake for Moderately active Females
4-6 palms of protein-dense foods
4-6 fists of non-starchy veggies
4-6 cupped handfuls of complex carb-dense foods
4-6 thumbs of healthy fat-dense foods

This provides roughly
1400-2100 calories, 115-170 grams of protein, 125-185 grams of carbs, 50-80 grams of fat

Daily intake for Moderately active Males
6-8 palms of protein-dense foods
6-8 fists of non-starchy veggies
6-8 cupped handfuls of complex carb-dense foods
6-8 thumbs of healthy fat-dense foods

This provides roughly
2300-3100 calories, 180-245 grams of protein, 205-245 grams of carbs, 85-115 grams of fat If you are looking for accountability with nutrition, please email Mary at maryteunisnutrition@gmail.com

Stress and Obsession with Food and Exercise

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Stress and Obsession with Food and Exercise

Constant stress and obsession over food and exercise can absolutely prevent you from ever getting to where you want to be.

When humans want something, they are going to do whatever it takes to achieve what they are looking for. Take health and fitness, for example, if you set your mind on a goal, say lose 10 lbs. or develop the strength for your first pull up, do you neglect other areas in your life including your mental and physical wellbeing? Do you become stressed and obsessed with this one area of your life?  If so, what do these achievements mean if the quality of your life is poor? Will the amount of weight you lose and will your strength matter if you are consumed by the thoughts of food and exercise and are stressed to the point that you cannot even enjoy life?

One initial thought may have been “If I lose 10 lbs., then I will be happy” “Once I get that first pull up, then I will consider myself strong” Yes, determination and dedication to reaching a goal, is a wonderful thing. When we carve out a goal and get after it, it is rewarding, and we receive praise. The problem happens, when we focus on too much in one area of our life and neglect other important areas, including mental health, spiritual health, relationships, work, play, sleep, and recovery. When we do this, we don’t really achieve what we were originally looking for, happiness, and fulfillment.

Preventing the all-or-nothing mindset is challenging, for us humans. We let doubt, fear, and insecurity get in our way. Unfortunately, we just do not trust ourselves and, often that is because time and time again, we have failed, so we may think the only way to reach a goal is to go all in. But ultimately, we get to make that choice!

We can fall for the doubt and believe that to reach our goals, we must go all in, count every calorie, weigh, and measure all meals, eat on a perfect schedule, plan out everything we put in our body, never eat a meal out, exercise 7 days a week and “burn off” all calories consumed or we can choose not to obsesses and overconsume life with food and exercise. Instead of obsession, we can focus on small manageable, and consistent changes including committing to exercise 3-4 days a week, taking 30 minutes out of your week to plan meals in advance, eating mostly whole, nutrient-dense foods, planning dinners out, and swapping processed snacks, with fruit, veggies, or another healthy alternative.

Simply, be mindful of how you treat both your body and mind. Make healthy changes when necessary and you will get where you want to be. 

Identity and the Female athlete

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Identity and the Female athlete

Growing up as an athlete my hobbies were…. gymnastics. Seriously, I woke up, went to school, and then my mom drove me 30 minutes to my 4 ½ hour gymnastics practice. I did this 4 – 5 days a week so there was not much time for any other hobbies. That was fine with me. I was a dedicated athlete.

Then I was not the “gymnast” anymore. I had all this free time that I did not know what to do with. I thought I would be happy with living the “free” life, not being a competitive gymnast anymore. I was eager that I could try out for the cheerleading team, hang out with school friends, and experience all the “normal” people things. But after developing an eating disorder and getting in a severe car accident, I was no longer the “gymnast” I lost my identity completely. I had no idea who I was without the world telling me who to be.

After gymnastics, I tried cheerleading. I was on my high school cheerleading team and then on the college cheer team at FSU. My new identity was the “flyer”. Yep, you guessed it I was the girl who they threw up in the air. Just like gymnastics, cheerleading gave me a sense of identity that I was longing for.

I also tried pole vaulting and sprinting. Track was different than gymnastics, I liked it and enjoyed the challenge, but it did not light my soul on fire like gymnastics and cheerleading.

When I left FSU, I found CrossFit. CrossFit helped me out of a deadly relapse in 2017. I fell in love with the competitive environment the CrossFit community brought. Thanks to gymnastics, I was naturally good at the sport and qualified for the 2018 CrossFit games regionals and 2019 Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge representing Team Revamped. I had the CrossFit games insight. I was ready to commit my entire life to train. I was willing to put everything on hold to train like a game’s athlete. I wanted to redeem myself. I was finally focused on what my body could do. I was the strongest I have ever been, even at my fittest in gymnastics…and I was working on getting stronger.

Then, COVID hit, and I fell deep. I was at an all-time low. My mental health was suffering, and my physical body was melting away. I just graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, I could not compete in CrossFit, I could not work with clients, I was in quarantine for three months (just like the rest of the world). I felt like I had no identity. If I could not do any of these things, then who was I?

I relapsed again…and I did not even realize it until we were finally out of quarantine. I did not realize how I was feeling was not normal.

Coming out on the other side it’s been rough. I know I often portray to the public that my life is put together but let me tell you the hard truth IT IS NOT. I try my best to put the real Mary on Social, but still, the highlights are only shared.

Today for the first time I do not identify as an athlete, personal trainer, or nutrition scientist. I am the simple Mary who ENJOYS fitness, competing in CrossFit and nutrition. Once I learned to stop identifying myself as my hobbies and career, I became free.

Why? Because these things can be taken away from us in a heartbeat. Look back at my story, every hobby was taken away from me. Every time I lost a hobby I relapsed. Why? Because I lost control of who I was, and I turned back to what I knew how to do best…destroy my body and mind.

Why did I share this with you? Because it’s a real problem in today’s culture that led me and many other athletes to poor mental health

I want to remind us that we are so much more than what the world defines us as.

Female athletes, I ask you to reflect on this question- If you could not train or compete would you be okay just, being YOU?

The truth is, at the end of the day we will be done competing, so what will you lean on for happiness and identity?

I would love to hear your response! Please email Maryteunisnutrition@gmail.com to Share!

Swap This For That! Healthy Alternatives To Your Favorite Snacks!

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Swap This For That! Healthy Alternatives To Your Favorite Snacks!

Snacking on food has developed a bad image today but healthy snacking can give you a boost in energy mid-day, help with muscle recovery post-workout, stabilize blood sugar, and keep you from overeating at mealtime. Healthy snacks don’t have to be boring! Below are 4 delicious and healthy food swaps that you will love.

1. Hooked on soda? The 20 oz bottle of Coca-Cola contains 240 calories and 65 grams of sugar. That is almost double the amount of sugar a person should consume in one day. Swap the bottle of soda for Zevia! This natural product is tasty, zero calories, and contains no sugar! You can find this product in the organic section at the local grocery store.  

2. Love salty and crunchy snacks!? Did you know one small bag of lays original potato chips contains 150 calories, 9.5 grams of fat, and 15 grams of carbs? My favorite healthy alternative that will satisfy the salty craving is Quest chips! These baked chips contain 140 calories 5 grams of fat, 5 carbohydrates, and 19 grams of protein! These chips can be found at your local vitamin store or on Amazon Prime!

3. Your favorite gummy candy may say fat-free on the bag, but did you know that one snack-size serving of Swedish fish contains 100 calories, 27 grams of carbohydrates, and 23 grams of sugar. Smart sweets developed a plant-based, healthy alternative to candy. These products are free from sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners, and added sugars. One bag of Smart sweets contains 90 calories, 3 grams of sugar, and 22 grams of fiber! These sweet treats can be found at your local vitamin store, grocery store and Amazon prime! 

4. Have you fallen for the marketing trap of consuming “Healthy drink alternatives”? Vitamin water and Gatorade are high in sugar, artificial flavors, and contains added cane sugar. One bottle of vitamin water contains 120 calories, 33 grams of carbohydrates, and 32 grams of sugar. Next time you are craving flavored water try creating your own fruit infused water by adding fruit to a glass of water.

My goal is not for you to swap all your favorite snacks for healthy alternatives. Food is for both nourishment and pleasure! Enjoy your favorite snacks in moderation, but keep in mind healthy eating does not have to be boring!

Rest Days

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Rest Days

Are rest days important when it comes to reaching your goals?

How often should you be resting?

What happens when you do not rest?

Working out is a stress on the body. For the body to recover and muscles to grow, you must rest! Trust me I know this is an extremely hard concept to come to terms with, for those of us who love fitness and have been taught “Work hard or go home”.

What if I told you that for you to start seeing results, you might need to exercise less and eat more?

Think of the human body as an overly complex car. You cannot drive your car efficiently without a charged battery and gas in the tank. Our bodies are way more precious than a physical object, like a car. So, what is stopping you from giving your body a little TLC? Why are you so afraid to rest?

In the past, and still sometimes today, I was afraid to rest because I would have to face the deep inner thoughts and feelings I was trying to avoid. Feelings of trauma and pain. Feeling of fear and insecurity. When I crushed my body in a workout, my body and mind would numb.

This led me to a loss of period, greater anxiety, isolation, and even more obsession with food and my body.

Let’s reflect-

You have two people. Those who rest too much and those who do not rest at all. The people that have found the balance between work and rest, kudos to you! You are crushing it.