Spring is here! As the weather starts to warm up, the sun shines brighter and the days are longer… we can’t help but get excited that Summer is on its way. We have plenty of warm sunny days ahead! With warmer days on our mind many of us are looking for ways to lose a few pounds, lead healthier lives and/or feel better about ourselves. Now is the time to spring clean bad behaviors and develop new healthy habits to help you feel your best this spring and summer season. I have compiled five ways you can achieve your goals and included three of my favorite protein packed smoothie recipes for you to try.
1. Bottoms up! I always tell all of my clients, “You can not exercise to burn off a poor diet.” It just doesn’t work that way. If you are putting in the effort and time commitment to workout consistently, DO NOT ruin it in the kitchen. And more importantly, drink more water!!! It is that easy… put down the ice tea and coffee, and drink more H2O. Water is vital to all of the bodies systems and to every single cell in our body. If we don’t drink enough water, our body cannot purify our system of toxins. If our body cannot detox from the toxins, we ultimately slow down the operating systems in our body, like our metabolism. Drink more water and I guarantee you will notice healthier looking skin, higher energy levels and shed some weight. 2. Eat Breakfast There is much debate about whether of not eating breakfast is really that important. I will continue to argue that, yes, breakfast is very important and should not be skipped. Here is why… when you eat breakfast, you activate the thermogenesis process thus you stimulate your metabolism. After 6 + hours of no food while you are sleeping at night, your body goes into rest and digest mode and your metabolism will slow down so that other systems can work at recovery. Eating a meal in the morning turns on your bodies’ metabolism. You want to consume a meal that is high in protein with moderate fat and some complex carbohydrate for sustained energy and ideal fat burn. An example of this might be one of my power protein smoothies below or a bowl of organic oatmeal with ½ a banana, some berries, crushed walnuts and shredded coconut. 3. Get Moving! If you want to live well and live longer, you need to exercise! This doesn’t mean you need to run out to your local gym, buy a membership and spend an hour there everyday to achieve wellbeing. While the gym scene may appeal to some… you can get exercise done right in your living room or even outside. Going for a walk around your office building on your lunch break, cranking up your favorite music and dancing in your living room for 15 minutes, go for a hike, ride your bike, hit the gym, or even jump rope. Just get moving. Here is a plyometric workout you could complete in your home in less than 24 minutes. All you need is a space to workout, a clock and your workout shoes! Beginners: 2 rounds, 30 seconds work, 1-minute rest between exercises. Advanced: 3 rounds, 30 seconds work, and 30-second rest between exercises.
(Don’t recognize an exercise? Send me a message and I can send you a demo!) 4. Fix Nutritious Snacks Often times snack foods are considered a bag of pretzels in our pantry or a granola bar we found in our workbag. I challenge you to fix yourself more nutritious snacks. It is a great way to get more vegetables and fruits into your diet and doesn’t have to be complicated. Some of my favorite snacks are carrot sticks and almond butter, avocado toast, yogurt and raspberries with a little shredded coconut and dried fruit (apricots are my fav!) with a handful of almonds. 5. Think Small. Often the biggest deterrent to improving health is feeling overwhelmed by all the available advice and research. The magazine tabloids and the ads that overwhelm our Internet browser are constantly throwing out new health claims on how to lose 10 pounds in one week or what “super foods” will make you thin. Rather then getting caught up on the overwhelming amount of information out there, try to focus first on one small, seemingly inconsequential, unhealthy habit and turn it into a healthy, positive habit. If you’re in the habit of eating as soon as you get home at night, instead, keep walking shoes in the garage or entryway and take a quick spin around the block before going inside. If you have a can of soda at lunchtime every day, have a glass of water two days a week instead. Starting with small, painless changes helps establish the mentality that healthy change is not necessarily painful change. It’s easy to build from here by adding more healthy substitutions. Three of my Favorite Power Protein Smoothie Recipes! Chocolate Peanut Butter
Blueberry Banana Power
Strawberry Banana
What gets you motivated this time of year? Do you have a "not so healthy" habit that your looking to change? Share below, I would love to help! xoxo
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