Silvana Taffo has always had a penchant for staying fit and eating healthy. She played soccer competitively growing up – but taking an aerobics class at 17 years old prompted her true love of exercise. It led her to study fitness in college and pursue a career as a personal trainer, which she’s done for more than 30 years now.
Throughout the week, the 53-year-old starts her day at Taf Force Fitness, her personal-training business, at 5:30 a.m. and sometimes sees her last client at 9 p.m. She gets in her own workout in between clients, and finds time for her husband, four kids and the family’s latest addition: her seven-month-old grandchild.
With her demanding schedule and energy-taxing job, Taffo says she needs to choose foods that will keep her energy levels high and be quick to prepare between clients. Each meal needs to balance her macronutrient needs with high protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Her secret to keeping her meals healthy – instead of relying on ready-made foods high in sodium – is marinating her meats, cutting up vegetables and washing fruit every Sunday to use throughout the week.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – Terra Delyssa organic extra-virgin olive oil, two packs of one-litre bottles – $30.89: I use olive oil for everything. I cook with it, use it for salad dressings and drizzle it fresh on my dishes for a bit of an exotic taste. It has a lot of monounsaturated fat, which is heart-healthy.I eat oats probably every morning. I make overnight oats almost every night, with some fresh fruit, some Greek yogurt and some liquid, and it keeps me full while I’m with my first couple of clients. I also mix my liquid collagen in the oats; it just makes me feel healthier to have my supplements.