If you’ve ever scrolled through Instagram or Pinterest, I can all but guarantee you’ve seen the work of Kat Tanita. As a fashion, travel, and lifestyle blogger, her gorgeous content is all over the Internet — and has inspired women’s style worldwide.
We already walked you through her flawless West Village apartment (#designgoals), but Kat Tanita is not done sharing her lifestyle advice. As an avid traveler and fitness and nutrition junkie, Kat knows a thing or two about the balance required to stay healthy on the go. Below, she shares her go-to tips and tricks for doing just that (including a recipe you can meal prep for the week).
Working from home makes it tempting to snack all day and/or skip meals (or just eat at weird times!). What are your tips for sticking to a diet and/or meal plan while working from home?
Yes, it does! I keep celery and cucumber slices in my fridge at all times — and I am also addicted to these homemade almond flour crackers from Nora’s — they only have four ingredients and are so crunchy and delicious!!! I’ll make myself a chocolate coconut collagen smoothie if I don’t have time to grab lunch or dinner or need something filling to tide me over! I am a three-square-meal type of girl and always carry a bar of 100% cacao in my purse for mid-afternoon cravings. Dip a piece in coconut butter… and you have yourself the perfect guilt-free treat.
What are your favorite foods to make yourself at home?
I love making zoodles with homemade pesto and lemon baked salmon. It’s easy, healthy, and so satisfying. I also love buying butternut squash noodles from WholeFoods and making a “pasta” with artichoke hearts, basil, spinach, and chicken broth.
What’s your workout routine? How do you stay active when working?
Lately, I’ve been leaning toward low impact workouts. I do yoga and pilates and take my dog for long walks and hikes. The best shape I’ve ever been in was when I did boxing four days a week at Gotham Gym in NYC. It was grueling and intense, but also fun.
You travel a LOT. How do you stay active while traveling?
I love to travel but I also love to feel fit and healthy — so I make an effort to walk everywhere I can (plus it’s fun to explore new areas by foot) and also do a 20-30 minute either yoga/stretching or HIIT Kayla Itsines workout in the hotel gym. I’ve done stretching in legit the tiniest hotel rooms on a shower towel. You can make anything work.
What are your best tips for sticking to a well-rounded diet while traveling?
I’ve tried just about every diet. Paleo, pescatarian, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, juice cleanses — you name it. I feel the best when I am eating mostly green veggies and fish. I limit the amount of grains, starchy veggies, sugar, and alcohol I have when I’m at home and when I’m traveling. I notice my face is less puffy when I wake up, my jeans aren’t as tight and I have more energy. Of course, when I’m in Italy I am going to eat that delicious bowl of cheesy pasta and pizza and when I’m in Paris I’m going to have a croissant. But I just make sure that the base of each of my meals is mostly a green and a protein.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in kicking up their workout routine a notch?
I always say, first look at what you’re eating. You are what you eat! Food is medicine and energy. Listen to your body and see what works for you and what doesn’t. For example, I always felt sick after eating acai bowls — but they were so tasty and such an easy item to order at breakfast and I thought they were so healthy! Turns out the ones I was ordering were loaded with sugar and they’re actually inflammatory. Once I cut out acai, I had more energy to do harder workouts. If you’re doing a ton of cardio now, I would say switch out one of those sessions to a HIIT workout so you can start building muscle and burn more calories throughout the day!
Additionally, what’s your best advice for someone interested in making healthy changes to their diet?
Read labels. You would be shocked at how much sugar is in EVERYTHING! Sauces, pasta, etc. Even foods like white rice and sweet potato are converted into sugar so be mindful of how those food groups can contribute to your overall sugar intake throughout the day.
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients
3 cups of almond flour
4 large eggs
1/2 cup of pure Grade A Maple Syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
2.5 tbsp melted ghee (can also use melted coconut oil)
1 medium apple (I used Golden Delicious)
Optional (granola, oats or chopped nuts for the muffin tops)
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease your muffin tin. Rinse, peel and dice the apple into small pieces.
In a mixing bowl whisk together almond flour, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, melted ghee. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and mix until the batter is smooth (the consistency should be thick). Add in the apple and maple syrup and stir.
Evenly scoop into the muffin tin (I use this silicone one) and bake for 30 minutes. You can also top them off with your favorite granola or nuts before baking. Move to a cooling rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
GET THE LOOK
