Want to be a Successful Snacker?

In order to become a healthy snacker, we must stay away from the snack machine… chips, candy and other sweets will keep you away from your title as the “healthy snacker.”  Instead, here’s a couple of ideas I found on Realsimple.com:

1. Fix your own food. If you fix your own snacks at home, be sure to include fruits, cheese, yogurt and veggies ( I normally bring pears and baby carrots.).  This way, your calorie intake will probably  be between 100 t0 300 calories, which is excellent!
2. Eat a balanced snack.  A pear by itself won’t cut it. Add a you a piece of cheese or something; that way, it’ll take longer to break down and will keep you full until your next meal.
3. Maintain weight with snacking.  I bet you haven’t heard this before: “Snacks keep you from getting fat.” As unbelievable as it sounds, snacks can keep you from overeating during meals (because you won’t be extremely hungry). 

You can find some delicious and nutritious snacks at your St. Andrews’ local Wal- Mart.

Slenderize Your Look for the Summer

Summer is approaching quickly, which means that everyone is trying to get in shape. While I didn’t see any fitness tips, I did stumble upon some tips on how to drink lighter during the summer:

Think about your drink. Pina coladas may be popular poolside cocktails, but the high calorie content really doesn’t pair well with a bikini! Count 400 calories per 8 ounces of a pina colada, margarita or fruit daiquiri. Look for the new “skinny” mixers made with no-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose or stevia. Or for less than 100 calories per 8 ounces, choose a light beer, vodka and soda with a spritz of fruit juice, or a rum and diet cola. ~Carolyn O’Neil, AJC.com

Drinks up!

Don’t Be So Hard On Your Knees!

Sometimes a weeks worth of bending and floor exercises can take a toll on your knees. One time last month, I had to come home and apply heating pads and Icy Hot to my knees because they ached so bad. Then I finally realized that my workout regimens were focusing too much on things that were working my legs more than any other body part.

If you’re looking for other ways to workout that don’t put too much stress on the knees, try switching a couple of exercises for these:

Stationary bikes
Boxing
Elliptical trainer
Ergometers
Swimming

Also, to help protect your knees against injuries, try exercises like knee circles, hamstring curls, leg lifts, and wall sits to help strengthen their knees.

Keep Yourself Energized During the Day

Because you don’t run off batteries like the Energizer Bunny, it’s only natural that doing too much work at one time can put you in a burn-out stage fast. In order to avoid this, how about trying these three tips:

1. Take a Nap
If you work too much during the day and you’re unable to take naps, try finding another way to relax your mind. For example, on your lunch break, try massaging your temples for 5 minutes. This can relax the tense muscles in that head of yours and prepare you for the next segment of the day.

2. Meditation
Take at least 15 to 20 minutes a day to meditate by yourself. It doesn’t matter what you do during this time, just make sure you do it. For example, you can listen to a guided CD or a stress release meditation CD.
3. Schisandra
There is a berry that has been used for years to rejuvenate the senses; it contains vitamins and flavanoids that can help boost your immune system. It boosts physical and mental abilities.
So this week, take this time out for you, and when you feel you’re overdoing things, try some of these three remedies.

What do you do to rejuvenate your body?

3 Instant Stress Relievers

There are many simple things that we can do eliminate daily stress that life may bring. Three things that I have found helpful to keep stress at a minimum are:  breathe better, expect the unexpected, and try to think happy thoughts.

As you’re reading this, I would like for you to try a breathing exercise.  Try taking some deep breaths and release them slowly.  Doing this relaxes the nerves, eases tension, and gives you a chance to recollect your thoughts. 

In preparation for the unexpected, it is important to understand that sometimes things may not happen as planned, but if you prepare yourself beforehand, you’ll less likely panic.  This will save a lot of emotional stress that come with the unforeseen.

Thinking happy thoughts always gets me through tough times.  I think that’s why I watch a lot of comedy shows; getting a good laugh is good for the soul.

What are some ways that you handle daily stress?

Healthy Habits 101: Green Tea- Great for Drinking… And for De-puffing?

That’s right all you green tea fans out there– while most people recognize green tea as a great antioxidant drink that’s good for your body, what most people don’t know is that green tea works on improving the skin’s appearance, and even kicks back at wrinkles. If you buy the tea bags, there’s a secret weapon waiting to take on puffs and bags under the eyes. So after you’ve emptied your mug, squeeze out any extra liquid from the bag, and place them over your eyes to reduce the puffs. Who would have known, some of the simplest solutions to your beauty answers are right in your kitchen.

Baby Training

Do you agree with weight training for babies? The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) contends that strength training for kids is both safe and beneficial and does not cause any bone-plate (growth) disturbances, provided that the program is properly designed and competently supervised. There is this article that gives you seven tips for weight training your toddler.

Here are some tip:
Safety is your first priority. Invest in some expert advice.
Work in small groups as partner exercises are fun for kids.
All exercises should be completed in a slow and controlled manner until perfect technique is established.
Workout yourself. Kids learn best by example.

Click here to read more.

Enroll Back Into The Gym

I’m not sure if you like to workout, but I know I try to every once in awhile. It can be hard making time to workout. I want my body to look it’s best, but sometimes I feel like a gym dropout. You know what a gym drop out is. It’s like a high school dropout. You dropout before you really get a chance to reach your goals or complete your mission. There is this informational article that explains how you may be a gym dropout. It also comes with a short exercising quiz. If you feel like you are- take the quiz and get back on your feet and go back to the gym. You can do it!

Click here to take the quiz.

Change Your Socks

How many times do you change your socks during the day? I know it’s a weird question. But studies have shown that changing your socks during the day is an amazing trick for a refreshment of energy. As the day goes by your feet sweat. So changing your socks (let’s say around lunch time) will give you a fresh feeling for the rest of the day. Feeling fresh allows you to relax and feel better about yourself.

Learn more tricks here.

Light Therapy Battles Depression

Depression may be caused by a number of psychological reasons, and one of the major causes of depression, the kind that just seems to appear suddenly, is external stimulation or a change in the immediate environment surrounding someone who is suffering from a bout of depression. These stimulants can be the weather, the lack of activity or deeper psychological reasons, however, for a wide variety of depression types, light therapy has been known to alter and improve the mood of the majority of patients both in the short term and in the long run.

More on this article

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