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Peloton Instructor Kendall Toole Calls This Her 'Electric Jolt' Smoothie

Photo credit: Christine Giordano

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Peloton instructor Kendall Toole has a "never say never" mentality when it comes to what she eats. She just has one rule: She wants to be able to pronounce everything in the ingredients list.

“Food is one of the most beautiful forms of self-care we can give ourselves,” Kendall tells Women’s Health. But that doesn't mean skipping out on foods you love. She says that eating has been villainized, making women feel like they have to live up to a certain set of standards to be validated, and that can affect eating habits.

But there was a time when Kendall couldn’t eat everything she wanted. Before her first year at college, she developed an autoimmune response that caused her body to reject certain kinds of foods. Her body reacted badly to ingredients such as gluten, dairy, soy, yeast, shellfish, pork, red grapes, strawberries, and tomatoes. So she removed them from her diet.

That’s when she fell in love with cooking, particularly seafood and Japanese cuisine. She also learned about alternative flours and switched to a mostly plant-based diet.

“It became this exploration and kind of what started my interest in food, wellness, and nutrition, as well as fitness, because I was so frustrated,” says Kendall, who recently launched a partnership with the clean fragrance brand Good Kind Pure.

“Frankly, I was hangry for so much of my first two years of college that I got to the point where I was like, ‘Let me just work out. I'm pissed off and stressed out.’”

After two years of living like that, she said “screw it” and had what she calls her Eat, Pray, Love moment when she studied abroad in Italy. (“I'm Italian. When I bleed, I probably bleed tomato sauce," she jokes.)

While in Italy, Kendall had all of the things that were supposed to make her sick, but surprisingly had no issues. She found that Europe doesn’t process foods like the U.S. Does, since Europe has higher standards for its products.

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“What you're going to find is something that you would find in the healthier potato chip aisle of Whole Foods, but it's not marked up,” Kendall says. To this day, her doctors are still trying to figure out exactly what caused her body to initially reject certain foods. Looking back, Kendall acknowledges that it may have likely been part stress-induced and part diet-induced.

For now, she sticks to eating a mostly plant-based diet while practicing intuitive eating, a form of eating that focuses on internal cues, like hunger and satisfaction to inform eating choices. She also likes getting as close to the source as possible, which means shopping local and supporting farmers.

She embraces foods that make her happy. “[Eating] is never something that we need to label as good or bad. I hate the concept of ‘clean eating’ and ‘dirty,’” she says. “It's not one or the other. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a mozzarella stick. I love me a frickin’ mozzarella stick.”

Kendall takes that mentality with her throughout her day when it comes to what she eats. Here's what her daily menu looks like:

Breakfast

When Kendall is gearing up for a morning of leading workout classes, she opts for a smoothie that she makes herself. It often includes orange juice (freshly squeezed, if there’s time), banana, coconut water, frozen pineapple, and greens.

If she needs an immune boost, she’ll add ginger, but her secret ingredient is microgreens. “I grow them at home and they're so nutrient-dense,” Kendall says. “They're like little baby powerhouses. I throw them in anything, since they have like five times the nutrient density of the mature actual vegetable.”

If she has time for a proper sit-down breakfast and isn’t teaching a class, Kendall makes her own hash browns in the oven, and some eggs, and then pairs that with sausage or another type of protein to get her prepared for the day.

“I want to have everything,” Kendall adds. “I want to have my protein. I want to have my healthy fat. I want to have my carbs because I know I have a big day ahead.”

Mid-Morning Snack and Hydration

After classes, Kendall reaches for an Aloha protein shake or bar to replenish the nutrients she depleted while working out. Her favorite flavor is vanilla.

Kendall reaches for X2 Performance energy drinks. It’s made with real cane sugar and green tea caffeine, so “it lifts you up, but you don't ever get the crash,” Kendall says.

When it comes to hydration, Kendall is always on top of it. She always has three drinks with her at all times. She of course drinks lots of water, but also has a “sick iced tea obsession.” Girl, same.

Lunch

Kendall’s go-to lunch is an Asian chicken salad. When she doesn't throw in reg chicken, she'll add in some air-fried paleo chicken nuggets to it. Then she mixes in some greens, scallions, and edamame.

She likes a little crunch in her salad too, which she gets from wonton strips. “I'm a big crispy girl,” Kendall says. “I'll sometimes add a nut mix of pistachios and cashews and almonds for healthy fat in there.” When it comes to the dressing, she keeps it simple: Fresh lemon and raw olive oil.

Snacks

“I'm always snacking,” Kendall says. Whether it’s almonds and cheese or homemade hummus and pita, she always has her snack stash ready to go.

Because her diet is heavily Mediterranean-influenced, she’ll often put some feta and olive oil on sliced cucumbers. In Italy, she learned about Bresaola, which is air-dried, air-cured beef fillet. She’ll wrap that in arugula for a mini salad wrap that she calls “a win.”

Dinner

Dinner is really where Kendall gets to play in the kitchen. “I love to cook. So I go through all different things. I love trying new recipes,” she says.

One of her favorite dishes is pistachio pesto grilled chicken coupled with roasted broccolini. When she cooks, Kendall often reaches for ingredients like lemon, red pepper, pecorino, Romano cheese, and garlic.

Of course, everything goes back to Kendall’s Italian roots. Pasta is her comfort food. If she’s looking for something quick, she'll whip up some pasta con aglio e olio (pasta with garlic and oil) with almonds.

When it comes to cooking gadgets, there's one that has really upped her cooking. “Air frying changed the game," she says. She loves putting salmon and steak in the air fryer, which she pairs with her fave veggies.

Another fave: Throwing Hasselback potatoes in the air fryer with grapeseed oil, ghee, or Irish butter, fresh parsley, and salt and pepper. YUM!

Kendall's always down to experiment with different recipes. “Whether it's making shrimp skewers one night, a one-pan meal, or picking up something that's easy to kind of toss-up from the grocery store that I feel good with." For her, it just all goes back to having good ingredients.

Dessert

For dessert, Kendall takes an Aloha sea salt chocolate protein bar, drops it in a mug, and heats it up in the microwave. Then she takes a dollop of Truwhip, plops it on top, and then throws some shaved dark chocolate on it. “It's like a gourmet hot chocolate, but it's protein.”

Sometimes she’ll even just put the Truwhip in the freezer and scoop it out like ice cream. Talk about genius.

Supplements

As for her vitamins, she goes with Ritual, a female-founded company with ingredients that are as close to the source as possible. “I'm always forgetting to take multiple things at once, so it's good. It's like everything in one,” she says.

Kendall’s Electric Jolt Smoothie:

- 1.5 cup fresh squeezed orange Juice (amazon.Com, $4.99)

-1 banana (amazon.Com, $1.59)

- 1/2- 1 cup (depends on what you like) frozen pineapple cubes (amazon.Com, $2.99)

-big handful of spinach (amazon.Com, $2.29)

- 1 scoop favorite greens powder (amazon.Com, $23.99)

-1/2 teaspoon ginger (amazon.Com, $1.08)

- half fresh lemon juice (amazon.Com, $0.89)

- pinch of cayenne pepper (amazon.Com, $14.99)

-pinch of Himalayan salt (amazon.Com, $14.99)

Directions

Combine all ingredients into a blender, blend until your desired consistency, and enjoy!

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Peloton Takes Quick Ride From Pandemic Stardom To Layoff Woes

(Bloomberg) -- A year ago this week, Peloton Interactive Inc. Was the darling of the pandemic.

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The stock hit an all-time high in January 2021 -- sending its market value near $50 billion -- after stuck-at-home consumers flooded the company with orders. Peloton had recently introduced a new exercise bike and was preparing a push into more affordable treadmills. Its fitness instructors had become celebrities, pulling in annual compensation of half a million dollars in some cases.

But in the 12 months that followed, nearly everything that could go wrong did. The company botched the rollout of its lower-cost treadmill, having to recall both that model and an older version due to safety problems. The higher-end treadmill, linked to accidents and a child’s death, never went on sale again. And as lockdowns eased, many consumers embraced gyms and used their Peloton bikes less frequently.

Sales slowed, and Peloton slashed its annual forecast by about $1 billion. Suddenly, the product that everyone wanted -- and no one could get -- felt like a passing fad.

It all came to a head on Thursday, starting with a report from CNBC that the company was temporarily halting production of its bikes and treadmills. Peloton confirmed later in the day that it was scrambling to reduce costs, including making cuts to jobs and operations, but pushed back on the idea that it was idling factories to save money.

In a memo to staff, Chief Executive Officer John Foley said “rumors that we are halting all production of bikes and Treads are false.” He said that out-of-context information had given the wrong impression and that the company identified the leaker. “We are moving forward with the appropriate legal action.”

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Still, the situation represents a stunning reversal from just months ago, when Peloton couldn’t build enough equipment and customers sat on long waiting lists.

The CNBC report sent the shares down 24% to $24.22 on Thursday, bringing their decline over the past 12 months to 84%. Peloton’s market valuation now stands at less than $8 billion, putting it below the airlines and cruise operators that it had eclipsed during the pandemic.

Foley’s remarks provided some solace to investors, with the stock recovering more than 9% in late trading. The company also released preliminary quarterly results that were nearly in line with analysts’ estimates.

“The decisions being made are likely the right decisions,” said BMO Capital Markets analyst Simeon Siegel. “But what that means is it’s no longer a growth story. It’s a company that’s focusing on cost cutting.”

The company recently hired McKinsey & Co. To evaluate its business and costs. Current and former Peloton personnel, who asked not to be identified, believe that store closures are looming and morale has suffered. Already, some workers from retail locations, online sales and technical-support teams have been let go.

Peloton also is delaying the opening of a $400 million U.S. Factory by a year, the New York Post reported. The facility, located in Ohio, will now open in 2024 instead of 2023, according to the newspaper. That could save $100 million to $200 million. Peloton announced the factory last year, saying it would “bring a good portion of our manufacturing to United States soil.”

The company’s image also has taken a hit. In December, it was ambushed by HBO Max’s “Sex and the City” reboot killing off a Peloton-riding character. Mr. Big, played by Chris Noth, drops dead from a heart attack following a 45-minute ride in the show’s first episode.

Investors were already so jittery that the incident hurt Peloton’s stock. Analysts said a fictional death was unlikely to affect sales, though Siegel wondered at the time if the company had “lost control over its storytelling, perhaps its greatest achievement to date.”

Peloton sought to regain the upper hand by casting Noth in a commercial with one of its fitness instructors, Jess King. But it had to quickly pull the ad after sexual-assault allegations against Noth appeared in the Hollywood Reporter.

The company is aiming to rebound from its punishing year by introducing new products, including a strength-training device called the Guide. But the expansion beyond its signature bikes may be slow going. Interest in the Guide has been lower than expected, CNBC said, citing the internal documents. The company has also been working on a rowing machine and acquired Precor in April to push into the commercial fitness equipment market.

As life begins to return to normal in many parts of the world, customers’ appetite for home fitness has waned -- and Peloton isn’t alone in suffering. Nautilus Inc. Tumbled 8.3% on Thursday as investors fretted about a broader slump.

Peloton slashed its sales forecast in November, sending the stock on its worst rout ever. It has also been facing increased competition from companies like Apple Inc., which has a Fitness+ digital workout service that has been gaining momentum.

Now, months after the forecast reduction, the outlook doesn’t look much brighter. In a presentation from Jan. 10, Peloton said its fitness equipment faced a “significant reduction” in demand globally due to shoppers being more price-sensitive and competition ramping up, according to CNBC.

That suggests a key piece of Peloton’s recent strategy -- convincing the world that it’s not just a luxury product for the elite -- hasn’t caught hold yet. The company has cut the price of its bikes, but the basic model still costs $1,500. And that doesn’t include the accompanying fees for online access to its classes and content.

Peloton’s president touted in August that it was making inroads with people under the age of 35 who make less than $50,000 a year. But the current slump suggests the bikes remain more of a niche product, especially without pandemic lockdowns.

“When the demand is faltering, it’s harder to ignore what was otherwise easily glossed over,” said Siegel, who has the equivalent of a sell rating on Peloton.

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