It's the little things

Exercising releases endorphins. Endorphins make you feel good. If you're starting to not feel so great do a little bit of exercising. It's good for your body and mind. 

I have a lot going on in life at the moment, my cup runneth over actually. However, even when things get crazy it's important to take care of yourself and be proactive in doing good things for yourself. 

Case in point, last night I started feeling down. I didn't want to drive to a trail to go for a jog nor did I want to jog on the concrete outside my house. So, I went in the back yard with my jump rope. It was fun and quickly released endorphins which curbed the beginnings of my down mood. Then I felt like doing more so I did a lovely yoga sesh. I started to feel better within minutes and it boosted my energy. 

It's easy to let the day get away from us. Take a little time each day to do good things for yourself that you enjoy :)

Transitioning to healthier habits

I found it easier to transition to healthier eating after I began tracking what I ate. It seems simple enough, but it takes effort to encorperate something new into your routine. Tracking my intake and exercise each day really put my habits into perspective and make it easier to be more conscious about what I ate and how often I was active.

I use an application to track my food/fitness, I find it easier. The app I use is My Fitness Pal (http://www.myfitnesspal.com). You can access it on your smartphone, iPad, laptop or desktop. A small journal could just as easily be used, but an online app does more than simple track intake. I like that the app inputs your personal data, including your goals, and can give you a time frame at which your goal can be completed by.

If you want to incorporate a change into your lifestyle you must commit time to yourself to make it happen. State your goals, find your motivation and begin taking the steps to a healthier lifestyle. Change doesn't happen over night, it's something you must work at. 

Above all, love yourself.

Simple Ways To Be Positive

I guarantee you that those people who seem constantly happy-go-lucky also have their down-and-out moments as well; being positive is something we can choose and work to maintain. There is no quick fix for being positive, it is all about taking things one at a time and slowly working at changing your attitude when stressful or negative things creep up in life. I have compiled a brief list of things that one can do to try to cultivate a more positive outlook.

• Do the little things that make you happy.
• Don't have time? Well then make time. Try to incorporate more little things into your daily life that make you happy. The little things really do make the world of difference.

• Make time to breathe deeply and reflect. 
• Think about the things in your life that you're thankful for or feel lucky to have/experience. A good time for this is either first thing in the morning or in the evening before bed; a time when you know you'll have a little bit of time to yourself.

• Don't compare yourself to others.
• If you already find yourself doing this, stop it! Your life is just that, yours. We all go about living at our own pace and in our style. What works for some doesn't always work for others. Not to mention, your life is being lived in the way you are choosing to do so, if you are unsatisfied then take steps to alter your life so that you will be satisfied.

• Believe in yourself.
• If you don't already believe in yourself then start working on it. Having confidence in yourself and your capabilities is part of being positive. 

• Above all, choose to not to partake in negativity.
• Partaking in negativity only perpetuates negativity. This pertains to gossip, harboring negative feelings and other things of the like. Just let it go and try to focus on positive topics.

(photo from http://www.etsy.com/listing/159868793/a-positive-life)

How to Calculate Your Daily Caloric Needs.

Calculating your daily caloric needs is something you can easily do on your own (see link towards the bottom of this post) or you can go to the doctor and request to meet with a Dietitian. A Dietitian is an individual who has to report to national boards and is held accountable for their actions in the medical profession. They are also individuals who are required to complete at least a Bachelors of Science degree and go through rigorous internships to gain experience prior to guiding the public on healthful nutrition habits, etc. These folks know how your body chemically interacts with the things you eat and what things you can do to achieve various nutrition or fitness goals. This is the kind of person you want to consult with when if you are considering losing weight, weight gain (muscle), or maintaining weight. 

Fads come and go, but the basic formula for losing weight is a matter of doing calculations, managing intake and being active (even just a little more than normal). Fads are easy to follow because of the quick results and hype, but if you commit to a basic nutrition and exercise habit then you will reach your goals with time. Taking the time to create a healthy habit and giving yourself time to lose weight will most often keep the weight off compared to following a fad diet. Not to mention everyone is different. The best plan for you is one you create, or help create with a professional. I feel it is hard for many people because we see ourselves each day and may not notice the little changes, but there will be changes if you stick to a healthy plan.

If you are trying to reduce intake to lose weight then your personal Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR) is an important thing to know. Everyone is different in this regard. A person’s height, weight and age all need to be taken into consideration when calculating your BMR. This calculation will result in the amount of calories your individual body needs each day to keep you kicking. Even if you were to stay in bed all day long you would still need calories for your body to function. Your body’s job is to keep you alive and calories are the fuel that helps it do its job. Our heart beating, neurons communicating and internal systems running properly don't just happen without outside input. The food we eat directly contributes to our internal systems doing what they need to. 

BMR calculator:

• http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator

I downloaded the 'myfitnesspal' app onto my phone and used it when I lost weight earlier this year. The app does the BMR calculations for you and also helps you track your activity and food intake. You can even input your goal weight and it will tell you how long it will take you to achieve that goal given you eat X amount of calories per day and maintain some kind of activity level. I really like this tool.

If you want more information on healthy weight loss/management the CDC has information:

• http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/index.html

If you want more information on good food choices and food planning 'myplate' is a good tool: 

• http://www.choosemyplate.gov/weight-management-calories/calories.html

I decided to share a little of my story to further bring the message home that if you really assess yourself and commit to making changes you can achieve your health goals with time. 

I have lost about 27 pounds in the last six months. I had to kick my butt into high gear at the gym because I ate really healthy 80-90% of the time, but I often over ate and didn't exercise very much. For me it wasn't fast food or greasy food, it was simply eating too much healthy food. Yea, that is a thing. Crazy, huh? I had slowly been gaining weight for years. Of course I didn't notice much or care until I thought about it in terms of lifelong health. I didn't want to just slowly gain more and more weight my whole life and be limited due to weight as I got older. 

My Grandma was a very large woman and that was because she slowly gained weight over the span of her life. Unfortunately it was weight related complications that lead to her leaving us much too soon. That was a big wake up call for me. I wasn't overweight and I was still at a healthy range on the body mass index (BMI), but I was high in the healthy range of the BMI. Once I thought about how I was gaining weight slowly, yet constantly I decided to make changes. I wanted to change my habits to lose weight then maintain a more healthy weight. I wasn't fully comfortable at the gym at first, but after trying out different machines, etc, I got more comfortable and it didn't feel like a chore. I found that going to a Pilates class twice a week then doing 1-2 miles of cardio was the perfect combination for me to work my muscles and my cardiovascular system. Plus I didn't get bored. I also started jogging around my block a few days a week with the help of an app called 'Strava Run' which tracked how far I ran.

How to Start a Healthy Habit.

Creating positive lifestyle changes, for me, comes down to motivation and planning. When I am highly motivated to create a healthy habit it is easier for me to accomplish, thoughtfully plan it out and stick with it.  I have been rewiring my lifestyle slowly for years to eat more healthful foods, plan/prepare more healthful meals and be more active more often. I have found that motivation comes easiest when I think about the short and long term benefits of my lifestyle changes. Reminding myself that these lifestyle changes are for my personal benefit resonates and motivates me the most.

I also know that my head needs to be in the right frame of thought. For example, we all know there are a lot of things we should be doing differently because it is more healthful. However, the task of creating a healthy habit from this view point seems daunting and time consuming. Excuses seem to develop more easily from the perspective of 'I know I should' because it is easy to add 'but' to the end of that thought and derail yourself. I have found that adjusting my view points from 'I know I should' to 'I need to' makes it easier to follow through with the little steps it takes to develop a healthy habit. Not to mention, I am likely to add a good motivating reason after the thought 'I need to'. Developing lifestyle habits for positive reasons and making sure your head is in the right place is a wonderful place to begin a healthy habit. After that you'll want to set yourself in motion towards your healthy habit. Below are some things I have found that have helped me develop and stick to healthy lifestyle habits.

• Think about it, write it down:
•  I have found it easier to develop healthy habits if you envision and acknowledge the personal benefits. For example, "Exercising will make me feel good and keep my mind and body healthy as I get older". Writing down these things seems to, at least for me, cement positive reinforcement in my mind long before I try to think up excuses down the road.  
• Write down the reasons for beginning the path to your chosen healthy habit. Also write down the short and long term benefits. If you need help with the benefits then head to the internet, do some good old fashioned research. That being said, always keep in mind that if they are trying to sell you something chances are they don't have your best interest in mind, they have their company's best interest in mind. Try to be a critical thinker and take information with a grain of salt when on the internet.

• Start small:
• If you have a big habit goal start small. I have found that beginning with too large of goals right off the bat usually derails pretty quickly. Be realistic. If you want to run a marathon, but have never been much of a runner then give yourself time. Plan ahead and take little steps. Do research on the internet. Chances are there are many people out there who are in the same boat as you and can offer great advice from their own experience. I'll give you a personal example too. I wanted to start eating in a more healthful and balanced way so I started a few years ago with making sure I always made my lunch for days I knew I would be away from home. Slowly I added in dining out less, then planning out more healthful dinner when at home, etc. The whole time I was also searching the internet, always looking for better methods, idea, and tips from others who had done the same thing. When you are foraging a habit chances are it may be in unknown territory that requires some research and baby steps to make you comfortable with it. Being comfortable will help you stick to your goals. So take it slow. 

• Stay positive:
• Always stay positive. Healthful habits are not built upon negativity. We are our own worst critics; don't let yourself get in the way of doing good things for yourself. If you are having a hard time getting out of a negative rut then go do things that you know make you happy. Go pet a cute fuzzy animal, look up funny animal videos online, or watch a funny show or movie; you know what gets you out of being in a negative mood, go do it. Once you're done being a Negative Nancy then return to whatever it was you were doing. We all have those moments, try to be keenly aware of the negative moments and make note of things that help you get out of them quickly.
• Above all, do not compare yourself to others. Everyone has to start somewhere. Comparing yourself to someone who has more experience than you is not fair.

• Keep at it:
• Many people claim habits take X amount of time to develop and X amount of time to slip out of. I have found that habits always need to be worked at. Healthy habits take the most work and effort in the beginning, but you do need to tend to them and keep yourself at it over time. 
• Remind yourself often that you are doing it for good reason.

Comments and questions are always welcome!

Fruit/Veggie Smoothie Outline.

Introduction:

This is simply my skeleton outline of a fruit/veggie smoothie I make almost every morning for breakfast. Let me be clear, sometimes it turns out wonderful sometimes it is not so wonderful. The success of this smoothie also depends on each individual preference and produce at hand. Sometimes mine do not turn out well because I have produce I want to use up and it is just not a good flavor combination. It happens. If you try out a bad combination put that on your mental list of 'smoothies not to make again'. Like the title says, this is an outline. You have a lot of wiggle room with this recipe; adjust it to whatever suits your taste best. I make this often for breakfast, along with toast, to ensure I get a lot of fresh fruits/veggies and variety into my diet.

Equipment:

-Blender* 

Recipe Outline:

-1 Seasonal Medium Fruit or 1/2 Cup Seasonal Berries*

-1 Banana* 

-1 Medium Leaf Chard/Kale* or 1/2 Cup Spinach

-1 Cup Liquid*

If you are making smoothies for more than one person be aware that the recipe above makes enough to fill one large glass and a little extra, but not enough extra for another person, unless you are both drinking it from coffee sized glasses. 

*Explanations*

*Blender: I have a Ninja ProSystem 1100 which I love. It is a fabulous blender. I can blend items for a matter of seconds, even on frozen items, and it always blends everything down so there are no annoying chunks left behind. 

With that being said, if you have a blender that you know does not blend food all the way you will want to blend your smoothie concoction for longer to ensure all the bits are easy to drink. If you know your blender may not be up to the job of making you a smoothie without chunks you may want to check out your local thrift stores for a better one or start saving to buy one that blends better.

*Seasonal Fruit: The smoothie consistency comes out the best when the fruit is frozen ahead of time. I prefer buying fresh fruit and freezing it myself. I have found that a lot of the pre-frozen fruit at the grocery store doesn't give the smoothie the same depth of flavor as the fresh stuff. 

*Banana: I always add a banana because I love bananas. If you don't like bananas then add more seasonal fruit.

6/19/13 Update: This morning I was perplexed that my smoothie's fruit and liquid started to separate after sitting for a few minutes. This has never happened before! Then I realized I forgot to add banana this morning. Apparently the banana is the adhesive that hold the smoothie together. If you do not like banana try adding yogurt and see if that also acts as an adhesive for the smoothie.

*Leafy Greens: Make sure you de-stem the kale. The main stem is very tough and is easy to remove so I always remove it. You don't have to worry about this with the chard or spinach. Oh and sometimes the chard and kale at the store come with HUGE leaves. If that is the case then use half of it in your smoothie and see how you like it.

If you are not a fan of greens, but know they are good for you then try adding a little at a time to your smoothies until you find the perfect medium for your taste. Sometimes you cannot taste the greens at all other times you can, it all depends on how much you add. 

*Liquid: I always add 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk and 1/2 cup 100% juice. I even add a large spoonful of plain Greek yogurt sometimes too. I most often add pineapple or apple juice. I have found these two juices go the best with any variety of stuff I add to the smoothie. Also, make sure you are reading the labels of your juices! Some juices are packed with so much sugar it is outrageous. I try to go for the 100% juice varieties to ensure I am getting as little additives as possible.

Here are some photo examples of what I have used in the past (sorry for the low quality photos, they were taken with the camera on my phone)  :

Pictured above: One apple, some blueberries, one banana and kale. I also added apple juice and almond milk. This one turned out to be really tasty.

This one has a banana, some raspberries, a white peach, and spinach in it in addition to pineapple juice and almond milk. This one turned out really tasty too.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments :)