Veggies

As we all know money is tight and eating healthy on a budget can sometimes be challenging. Don't let this keep you from getting all of your recommended dietary intake. Here are some helpful hints when it comes to making veggie choices.

Fresh veggies are always the best choice but can also be pretty expensive. The second best choice is, frozen veggies. Make sure to limit on frozen corn or potatoes (they tend to have more starch than anything else). If possible, stay away from canned veggies. Canned veggies are high in sodium and lack the nutrition that is needed. If you do canned veggies.....strain out the juices and rinse with water. This helps to get rid of any unwanted preservatives. Try to make canned veggies your last resort.

Remeber:
1. Fresh
2. Frozen
3. Canned and cleaned

Lettuce?
Stay away from iceberg. Try mixing your greens with spinach and romaine.

With the economy slowly falling it is important to be a good consumer. When at the grocery store, make good decisions as well as healthy. There is always a way.

Simply Yogurt

Yogurt is a great source of protein, dairy, calcium, riboflavin and vitamin B 12. It contains live cultures that are composed of microorganisms that benefit your health.

Yogurt has been around for a long time but I just recently discovered the home made parfait. All it consists of is:
1 cup of vanilla (low fat) yogurt
1 apple (Gala is the best)
1 banana
1 tbsp of granola

It is a great snack, dessert or after workout refuel. I believe in making it at home because you eliminate so many preservative that would most likely be in a pre-made parfait. Enjoy!

Resolution for Mrs. Skinner

If your best friend right now has to be a tread mill I totally understand. Snow can be depressing. My suggestion to getting a better workout from that is to... SPRINT. Set your speed to 7.5 or a pace where you are comfortably increasing your speed and run for thirty to forty seconds. This is called interval training. Find a moderate rest time ( perhaps about a min.) and jump right back on. The best thing to do is keep that bad boy going at your desired pace and jump off and then jump back on after about a minute rest. Do this 6-8 times and you will definitely feel the burn and get the work out results that you are searching for.

Fab 5

Last night when I was laying in bed, trying to fall asleep, trouble shooting my problems, which is becoming an uninvited habit, I decided to steal Margo’s Friday Faves and make a weekly Fab 5 of my own. The difference is that mine will focus more on healthy eating and healthy living. So I hope you enjoy it! And thank you Margo for the inspiration.

Fab 5

1.Yoplait’s Light ‘n Fit Yogurt-This little indulgence is a low caloric treat that can easily be used as an after workout re-feuler. My favorite is vanilla.

2.32oz Nalgene-This wonderful invention serves two purposes, the first, helps you stay hydrated and is reusable. I have found that using a water bottle keeps me on track with the amount of water that I need daily to insure that I do not get dehydrated.

3.Nike+Ipod-For those who enjoy running and would like to take it a step further, this invention capitalizes on calculations. It records your distance, pace, calories, and time. The best part is, it fits in your shoe and has a tiny adapter that connects to your iPod. If you need a little bit more motivation I would recommend investing in this baby.

4.Peanut butter and Whole wheat toast or English Muffin- I am a person who does not get sick of the “Country Man’s Breakfast”. This is full of cholesterol, carbs, cheese, starch and deliciousness that doesn’t always enhance the stimulus of the metabolism. I think going out or staying home and enjoying the so called Country Man’s Breakfast is a must, BUT Peanut butter and Whole Wheat toast is a close second and kicks the country man in the butt when it comes to healthy. The portion size is great and it provides a healthy source of protein and complex carbohydrates. And if you want to spice it up, cut a few slices of fruit, Banana would probably seal the deal.

5.Trade in your favorite TV Show for a WALK- I know that after a long day of work the only thing that is on your mind is going home, eating dinner, and sitting on the couch. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that; however I do think that you can take 30 min and take a stroll with a loved one, pet or child, or all three. Look at it as a way to break down the day so that when you go to sleep you can focus just on sleeping which in return makes for a better start to your next day.

Starting the New Year off with a Bang?

Starting off the New Year with lots of "Resolutions?" I think it is wonderful to try to make changes in your life for your overall health and wellness.....but here is where I get nervous. Setting lots of goals may become overwhelming. Life is tough as it is and the last thing you need is to set yourself up for failure. My suggestion on a New Year Resolution is to start out slow and make sure to write it down somewhere. If you start out slow and stay committed you have a better chance of introducing it into your everyday lifestyle which in the big scheme of things is why we make resolutions in the first place. For example your resolution may be to eat healthier. If this is you then I would advise to sit back and analyze what you eat and start out slow by removing an unhealthy food that you eat. It could be a simple change like cooking with Pam and not canola oil. Or put your dressing in a small bowl and dipping the lettuce.

Baby Steps. Stay confident and Positive. And if you can, write it down. Don't let a resolution be a stressor in your life. If you feel like running everyday might be too hard then mix it up. Run one day, ride your bike the second day, and go for a long walk the third day.

Good Luck. If you want any suggestions on how to keep your resolution going, let me know. Take care.

Suggestions For Courtney

Alrighty....First thing is first....Log in your miles. Keep a journal or some kind of documentation that lets you know how long you ran that day. There are several ways you can accomplish this. You can map out a course on line using google maps, you can do (boring) laps around a track, treadmill (boring again..sorry), or (my favorite) you can get a watch and average ten minute miles. This was the best option for me and has helped my training for the marathon. So now is the perfect time to start your training for the 10K.

Strength training is a great way to exercise. If you don't have access to a gym, your body can be your best friend. For example you can do body squats, lunges, push ups, and crunches. The great thing about this is you can do it all at your house. Start out with seven of each and do it in a circuit. It is a great way to strength train and it will get your heart rate going. Don't forget to stretch afterwords. Let me know if you would like anything specific and I would be happy to come up with some workouts for just Court.

My Apologies

It has been really exciting around here but my health and happiness blog has suffered. I have great visions for this blog but right now I can not donate very much time to it. So for right now I am open to answer any questions that you have about health, fitness, over all wellness....ANYTHING.

I apologize for being so consumed with other things. I am looking forward to answering any of your questions. Thank you.