Motivational Monday – Be About It!

Healthy Lifestyle Challenge #19 – Are you Getting Enough?

Happy Hump Day everyone!  I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday!

TODAY’S CHALLENGE is to fill up on fiber!

Why?

Fiber is fabulous for so many reasons:

• it aids in weight loss because fiber fills you up so you eat less overall
• it helps regulate blood sugar levels and thereby decreasing your chances of developing diabetes
• it helps keep you regular
• is decreases your risk of heart disease and stroke by helping lower cholesterol levels
• it helps protect against colon cancer by helping food pass through your system faster preventing harmful substances found in foods from affecting the colon

How?

• Bite into your favourite fruits and vegetables; choose whole grain bread, cereal, or pasta; or eat some beans!

• Be sure to eat both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber helps both your cholesterol and blood glucose levels, while insoluble fiber helps food move through your digestive tract.

  

• Women should be getting between 28-32 grams of fiber daily, while men should be getting about 35-40 grams per day.

Here is a list of high fiber foods:

Don’t forget to drink your water – eating fiber without drinking water can have a negative effect on the body 😦

Have a great day!

Healthy Lifestyle Challenge #15 – Start Your Day the Right Way!

Good morning and welcome to Week 3 of the the Healthy Lifestyle Challenge!

Are you ready to add another healthy habit to your daily routine? I sure hope so!

TODAY’S CHALLENGE, which is also our WEEKLY CHALLENGE is to:

Eat breakfast everyday within one hour of waking up.

Why?

Starting your day with a healthy breakfast gets your metabolism revving and can help you make healthier choices all day long.

According to The Huffington Post, when compared to non-breakfast eaters, people who eat a healthy breakfast:

– are 4.5 times less likely to become obese

– are more likely to have good blood sugar levels

– have a decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease

– are less likely to be hungry later in the day

– feel more energized throughout the day

– have better cholesterol levels

– eat approximately 100 fewer calories each day than breakfast skippers

– have improved short term memory

– consume less fat and more nutrients

How?

Healthy breakfasts – like healthy lunches and dinners – consist of four things:
1. Protein – an egg, Greek yogurt, protein powder
2. Whole Grains – oatmeal, who,e grain cereal or toast
3. Fruits and/or Vegetables – berries, avocado, spinach, grapefruit
4. Healthy Fats – nut butters

Here are links to some of my favourite healthy breakfast choices

Eat Clean Hash Brown, Sausage and Egg Muffins

Oatmeal Pancake

Eat Clean Cottage Cheese Pancakes (scroll down)

Crockpot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Overnight Oats

There are also a TON of smoothie ideas and recipes on my blog – just click on the green smoothie challenge tag on the left.

Let me know how you make out this week. And please share your favourite healthy breakfast ideas in the comments section below.

And don’t forget to continue to drink your water and get 30 minutes of exercise each day!

Healthy Lifestyle Challenge #11 – You’re Sweet Enough!

Well, today is day 11 of our Healthy Lifestyle Challenge – how are you doing? Have you completed the 10 daily challenges and two weekly challenges so far? How did you make out? Have any of the behavours stuck? Which have been your favourite? Least favourite?

Some of my favourites have been

• Going to bed a half hour early
• Rewarding myself with a glass two glasses of wine; and
• Catching up with an old friend

TODAY’S CHALLENGE is:

Eliminate any sugar from your diet today. That means no refined sugars, no natural sweeteners and no artificial sweeteners. Naturally occuring sugars in friuts and vegetables are okay, but try to choose low sugar options.

Why?

How?

1. Avoid refined sugars – white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup.

2. Avoid any foods with added sugars. Sweets and candies are for sure out, but you might be surprised to learn all the other names you may find on ingredients lists used to describe sugar.

3. Avoid any foods with natural or artifical sweeteners and sugar alcohols– here is a list of some common ones:

Natural Sweetners	Arificial Sweetners	Sugar Alcohols
agave nectar barley malt coconut sugar date sugar fructose honey maltose maple syrup maple sugar molasses rice syrup	aspartame saccharin sucralose neotame	isomalt sorbitol malitol xylitol

4. Limit the amount of naturally occurring sugars. Berries are your best bet, bananas and grapes, not so much! For a more complete list of low, low-medium and high sugar fruits, click here.

This one is sure to be a challenge for me. I’ve got my sugar free snacks all set for the day – a hard boiled egg, 1/4 cup mixed nuts, a couple pieces of cheese and veggies with hummus! Yummo!

Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

Healthy Lifestyle Challenge #9 – Add These Foods to Your Meal Plan

Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying your weekend! Did you manage to get 30 minutes of physical activity in yesterday? It’s THIS WEEK’s CHALLENGE, so be sure to schedule it into your daily routine, and continue to drink that water!

Now, onto TODAY’S CHALLENGE:

Eat one food that is high in SELENIUM.

Why?

Selenium is an essential mineral that

• works as an antioxident, protecting your cells from damage
• helps your thyroid produce thyroid hormone
• lowers your risk of joint inflammation
• helps your immune system work properly by helping build up white blood cells that help the body fight illness and infection

Adults over the age of 19 need 55 micrograms/day, pregnant women need 60 and breastfeeding women need 70 micrograms/day.

How?

Choose from any one of the following selenium rich foods:

Be sure to check the serving size and micrograms of selenium to make sure you are getting enough.

Keep in mind – too much of a good thing can be bad. The safe upper limit for selenium is 400 micrograms a day in adults. Anything above that is considered an overdose, so watch your portion size!

Healthy Lifestyle Challenge #7 – Reward Yourself

Happy Friday Everyone!

I’m pretty sure I say this every week….but I am sooooo looking forward to the weekend it’s crazy! With the end of the school year quickly approaching things at work are getting busy! We have a bit of a busy weekend ahead of us, but I’m looking forward to Spending some quality time relaxing and re-energizing!

And with that, comes TODAYS CHALLENGE:

Reward yourself with a glass of red wine!

Why?

Not only does a glass of red wine jazz up your dinner, relax your blood vessels, lower your blood pressure and reduce your stress, but according to Prevention Magazine indulging in a glass of red wine can also help:

1. Lower your cholesterol
2. Protect your heart
3. Control blood sugar
4. Boost your brain
5. Fight off a cold
6. Stop cancer
7. Get slim

How?

With alcohol, as with pretty much everything else, moderation is key! Women should drink no more than 1 serving a day, and men no more than 1 to 2 servings per day.

Wondering what constitutes a serving?

Nope, it’s not the whole bottle 😦 It’s not even half a bottle 😦 A serving of red wine is only 4 ounces – which means there are about 6 servings in a 750ml bottle.

Here are some funny wine-related pictures I found…

Enjoy your glass of red wine and have a great weekend!
See you tomorrow!

Motivational Monday – Effort = Results!