So, you’ve started working out a little bit, but not really loving it. What’s your purpose for working out? Are you doing it just because the doctor said you need to lose weight? Are you doing it just to fit in some clothes for an event? Both examples are short term or temporary fixes. I actually find them to be pretty hard goals to meet in a short time or to your satisfaction. You really want longterm, obtainable goals that come with a ton of health benefits that you probably haven’t thought about. If you are looking to lose weight or just wanna be in shape it has to become a habit. Here are a few things to turn exercise into a habit.

○ Listen to your body: Being a little sore is expected, but pure agonizing pain is a sign to ease up a bit. Work different body parts to give other parts of your body a break. Don’t go all crazy starting off running 20 miles a day or lifting heavy weights when you haven’t been doing any activity in the first place. Its not a race, its an journey. Set some 2 to 3 month goals to meet and build up to more strenuous workouts.

○ Make it enjoyable: Need to get in some cardio and absolutely hate running? Then don’t run…find a more enjoyable way to get it done. Pair some of your hobbies with your workouts. You love to dance? Take a zumba class. Love being outside? Go to your favorite park for a long walk or start visiting new parks for a walk.

○ Warm up before working out: Make it a routine to warm up before your workouts. This helps with reducing muscle soreness, avoiding injuries, and will improve your workout performance. Put on some relaxing music to get in Zen mode, do some arm swings / leg kicks/ walking lunges, and get ready for the workout.

Create a routine, enjoy your workouts, see results, and start feeling good every single day. Great for relieving stress and helps you power through your day with ease.

We all have them late night cravings and want something to eat. You might not be hungry, just bored or can’t fall asleep. If its late at night and you just gotta eat, at least pick something low in calories. Most likely you will be going to sleep right after that snack. Try to keep it light with some of these combinations below.

12 Almonds (83 calories) + 7 small strawberries (16 calories) + 1 cup of dark chocolate almond milk (100 calories)= 199 calories

1 small pita pocket (74 calories) + 1 tbsp of cashew butter (94 calories) + 1/4 cup of blackberries (31 calories)= 199 calories

1 cup of apple slices (57 calories) + 1 slice of reduced fat provolone cheese (77 calories) + 0.4 oz of dark chocolate (62 calories)= 196

Overnight oats is a great healthy breakfast that you can prepare in advance and it can last all week. This makes it a great meal prep idea for Sunday night to prepare for the work week. You can heat them up (30 second intervals in the microwave), but its suppose to be eaten cold. I actually like it cold better. Make sure to pick up some small mason jars. Check out one of the peanut butter recipes below.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of sea salt
• toppings: blueberries, extra peanut butter and chopped peanuts

INSTRUCTIONS

Add oats, almond milk, yogurt, peanut butter, maple syrup, chia seeds, vanilla, sea salt into a bowl. Stir well to combine, making sure peanut butter gets evenly dispersed.

Divide oat mixture into two containers (mason jars), seal with a lid and place in the fridge overnight.

Take one container out of the fridge the next morning and stir the mixture.

Optional: Top with a drizzle of peanut butter, blueberries, and chopped peanuts.

Overnight oats will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge in a sealed container.

Health is not merely the absence of disease, but a state of complete physical, social, and mental well being. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor. A healthy person is more happy and peaceful with life in general. Some believe that wealth is everything because it can buy a new house, expensive car, and some fancy clothes. In 2020 (The Year of the Virus), health has become equivalent to the value of wealth in all societies around the world. Health is as valued as money now. Creating good food habits, daily exercise, and having a work-life balance can make a difference to your health. We all should be striving to feel better and make the necessary changes to enjoy life.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, on average, Americans consume 17 teaspoons (tsp) of added sugar each day. This adds up to 270 calories. The guidelines also say that you should limit added sugars to less than 10% of their daily calorie intake. For example, if you had a daily intake of 2,000 calories, added sugar should account for fewer than 200 calories. The World Health Organization (WHO) advised that people eat half this amount, with no more than 5% of their daily calories coming from added sugar. For a diet of 2,000 calories per day, this would amount to 100 calories, or 6 tsp, at the most.

If you are consuming too much sugar, you may feel sluggish, bloated, or even depressed. Consuming too much sugar can also contribute to long-term health problems such as tooth decay, acne, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Lower your sugar consumption by doing the following:

1. Checking food labels for sweeteners
2. Reducing foods with added sugar
3. Avoiding processed foods in general

Spinach is a green, leafy vegetable with a high nutritional value. It’s rich in vitamins A, C and K, magnesium, iron, and manganese. You can have it raw in salads, steamed, blended in a soup or sautéed with other veggies.

I personally eat bananas daily for the potassium to help with muscle cramps. Your body doesn’t produce potassium naturally. So, it’s important to consume the right balance of potassium-rich foods and beverages.

Walking for 30 minutes a day or more is a great way to improve or maintain your overall health.
Even if you can’t do 30 minutes a day, remember that even a little is good, but more is better. It can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance. It can also reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.

The best sources of vitamin B12 include beef, liver, dairy foods, eggs, and salmon.

As with most things, that depends on what you are trying to do. If you’re looking to cut calories and get some lean protein, 1 🥚 (egg white only), is 17 calories, about 3.6 grams of protein, and zero fat. If you’re looking to just up your protein and nutrients, 1 🥚 whole egg is 70 calories, 6.3 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fat, but you get all the nutrients contained in the yolk. A whole egg provides the right balance of protein, fat, and calories.

Did you know that carrots were were first grown as medicine for an assortment of ailments? The Greeks used them to cure stomach aches. Eating carrots regularly can actually reduce blood cholesterol levels. They are a rich source of the anti-oxidant beta-carotene and also contain vitamins B and C, calcium, phosphorous, iron, and magnesium.

If your stomach was hurting as a kid, what did grandma use to ask you? First, when was your last bowel movement? Followed by, “That’s your problem, you’re not getting enough roughage”. Well, she was talking about fiber. Dietary fiber includes the parts of plant foods your body can’t digest or absorb. Unlike other food components, such as fats, proteins or carbohydrates (which your body breaks down and absorbs), fiber isn’t digested by your body. Instead, it passes relatively intact through your stomach, small intestine, colon, and out of your body. Fiber has many benefits such as normalizing bowel movements, lowers cholesterol levels, and helps control blood sugar levels to name a few. Check out the video below for foods high in fiber.

Going by the scale is a tricky one when trying to lose weight. Of course you want to see that number go down, but there are so many factors that can cause it not to move…..or even go up. Weight is influenced by several things, including fluid fluctuations and how much food remains in your system. As a matter of fact, your weight can fluctuate by up to 4 lbs over the course of a day. That’s why its best to weigh yourself at the same time everyday. For example, women can have increased estrogen levels and other hormonal changes that causes water retention, causing the scale to fluctuate. You could be losing fat and holding on to water. You may be gaining muscle and losing fat. Regardless if its moving up, down, or not at all, doesn’t mean you are NOT losing the pounds. Instead, see if you clothes feel looser, especially around the waist. Get in the habit of measuring your waist with a tape measure and taking monthly pictures of yourself. You may be surprised to see that you have made some major strides. Its not uncommon to gain a few pounds and go down two pant sizes.

A plant-based diet is a diet consisting mostly or entirely of foods derived from plants, including vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits, and with few or no animal products. A plant based-diet is not necessarily vegetarian. If you are thinking about following a plant-based diet, check out https://www.forksoverknives.com/how-tos/plant-based-primer-beginners-guide-starting-plant-based-diet/#gs.5553wn

Considering the price of meat may be going up (🤔 or slim pickings) due to the latest news of meat packing plants shutting down. There are other options to getting protein through other means besides meat. Try out some of the above vegetarian protein sources for a change.

Checked out Served From Scratch for more recipes…..I’m not crazy about feta cheese, but these are delicious and convenient.

Prior to all the Covid-19 crap, we all had a daily routine we followed. I think now, everyone’s daily routine has gone out the window and replaced with the unknown. It is most definitely stressful times but will not last forever. There is still the need for a routine in order to stay on track and meet your personal goals.

Old Routine:

1. Going to the gym in the morning….(STILL CLOSED)

2. Take a shower.

3. Eat breakfast

4. Get the kids to school…..(MAYBE)

5. Go to work…..(REMOTE WORK)

Quarantined Routine:

1. Gyms are closed…YouTube has tons at home workout videos. Create your own home gym. Walk around your neighborhood or up and down your steps at home.

2. You may be stuck at home but take a shower anyway!!!! You will feel better.

3. Do not skip breakfast and try to eat at the same time you would usually eat breakfast. Besides, you just had a good workout and a shower.

4. Ummmmm…You are stuck with the kids, but they still need to be on a schedule at least during the week. Set a bedtime and wake up time. They still should be eating breakfast and brushing their teeth etc. as if they were still physically going to school. My daughter gets dressed every morning (Monday through Friday) like she is physically going to school and that was her idea.

5. Too many variables for the work situation but hang in there because some type of normal living will come out of all of this eventually. One thing for sure, if you are reading this post, then you are still alive and that is a true blessing in our current situation. Everybody be safe and take care of yourself.

Studies show that if you exercise as you get older, your muscles will stay strong and intact longer, while your blood pressure may avoid the uptick often associated with aging. Another plus is that your immune system receives a serious boost from regular exercise. So much of a boost, that at the ripe age of 80, you could fight of an infection just as good as someone half you age. Also a recent study found that men and women in their 70’s who exercise regularly have the heart, lung and muscle fitness of healthy people 30 years younger. Federal guidelines recommend at least 2 1/2 hours every week of moderate intensity exercise (or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous exercise). So in as little as 15 minutes of physical activity a day you can boost your life span by three years.

Ask Yourself, What’s Your Definition of Healthy Living?

Everybody has their own way of answering that question, but what does healthy living really mean to you? Is it concentrating on how you look? Is it eating enough fruits and vegetables? Is it working out every single day?

I would say for most people, healthy living involves being in shape, but its more than that involved. Healthy living consists of physical and mental health. Making sure they are in balance or functioning well together. If you really think about it, physical and mental health are closely linked to each other. Physically or mentally, if one goes in the wrong direction, the other is surely to follow and vice versa. Whatever way you choose to approach living a healthy lifestyle, everything must be in sync. Focus on your mental well-being. No one can mentally beat you down better than yourself. Sometimes we are our own worse enemy. Work on telling yourself you can do it and throw the word “can’t” in the garbage. Learn more about the foods that you put in your body. You will be surprised how much you learn about yourself and what foods are stopping you from your goals. Get active!!!! You got your mind right (feeling good), starting to eat healthier foods (feeling good), and now you want to add some activities, that will what?…..Make you feel good.

Now with all the above, you have to take baby steps. Start reading some self-help books, see a counselor, pastor, a best friend etc. who can help you with your negative thoughts. You want to eat healthier, research healthy recipes, try new foods, and always think variety. Do not start off telling yourself you are not going to eat this and that starting TODAY!!!! Big mistake, it just makes you want it even more. Think moderation….have a little here and there until you just do not want or need it anymore. Same with working out, do not go all out running 10 miles a day, lifting heavy weights, and whatever crazy stuff everybody is doing. Build your way up and set small goals to reach certain milestones. This will also cut down on injuries. I think the most important part of working out is choosing something that YOU LIKE to do. If its fun and you enjoy it, then you are more likely to stick with it.

Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids, which are antioxidants. Antioxidants help remove free radicals that can damage cells from the body. These nutrients can help prevent diseases and boost health and well-being. Lemons may also support heart health, weight control, and digestive health. Besides all of that, its easy to make. It’s best to use a 16-ounce water bottle so that you can sip on it throughout the day. Just grab a fresh lemon and cut it in half and squeeze. Then just fill the bottle up with water. Its best to use room temperature water to ensure the best absorption of the phytonutrients and vitamins.

I’ve made this meal several times before, using chicken breast, chicken thighs, pork, white rice, brown rice etc……Delicious and looks great too. The link to the recipe is below…..try it out!!!

https://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/teriyaki-chicken-inside-a-pineapple?utm_term=.plDEgQrb3&sub=4146060_7931509

Pineapples are tropical fruits that are rich in vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants. They may help boost the immune system, build strong bones, and aid indigestion. The vitamins and minerals in pineapple could help shorten viral and bacterial infections while also strengthening your bones. Even though pineapple is sweet, it is low in calories. Here are the nutrition facts for raw pineapple, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

Serving size: 1 cup chunks (165 g)

Amount per serving:

Calories 74

Total Fat 0 g

Cholesterol 0 mg

Sodium 2 mg

Potassium 206 mg

Total Carbohydrate 19.5 g

Sugars 13.7 g

Protein 1g

Vitamin C 28 mg

Calcium 21 mg

Once cut, you can cover pineapple and leave it out on the counter. This makes it softer and juicier but will not change its taste. Pineapple goes bad quickly, so make sure you eat it within 2 to 3 days.

Stuck at home and thinking too much about the negative things in life? Corona this, Corona that? Unplug yourself from the negative and limit your time on social media. Take a break from watching the news because you’re not going to miss anything. Your home should be your sanctuary, a place to unwind, and clear all the negative thoughts. Listen to music and choose songs that relax or revive you. If not music, listen to the sounds of nature (birds chirping, rain drops, waterfalls etc.). My go to is hopping on the treadmill, going for a run, and just zone out. Sometimes while listening to music, watching Netflix, and actually watching someone else run on YouTube (feels like you have a running partner to follow). Some people find it relaxing getting things organized while at home. Disorder can make things confusing and hard to remember. Check yourself and focus on the positive. Look for humor in your everyday life, or watch a funny video. I have a knack for pulling a joke or two about what i believe are negative situations in my own life. I laugh about it and move on. Whatever you are stressing about and you can’t fix it at that moment, then work on it the next day. Find something you like doing that you can work into your schedule. Set aside some “me time” for yourself each day. The most important thing to remember is that things don’t have to be perfect. Sometimes “good enough” is just fine.

A study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that only 3% of American adults got a perfect score on what the authors say are the four basic criteria for healthy living. Just 13.8% met three of the criteria; 34.2% met only two criteria. Women scored slightly better than men.

4 Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. Do you smoke?

2. Are you able to maintain a healthy weight or are you successfully losing weight to attain a healthy weight?

3. Do you eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily?

4. Do you exercise 30 minutes or more, 5 times a week?

Write these questions down and answer them truthfully. If you need help in some of these categories, then create small goals to accomplish them. Once you reach these goals, set more small goals to continue on improving your overall health. Remember to write down the date when you answered these questions, the small goals you want to achieve, and when you achieved them. Keep everything in one journal so that you can see your progress or if you need to change anything to help get to your goals.