Although weight loss is what motivates many people to begin to exercise and eat right, there are so many other benefits of healthy living!
Lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, preventing diabetes, boosting energy, improving mood, preventing cancer, boosting the immune system, preventing osteoporosis and keeping the brain sharp are just some of the known benefits.
Let us know what benefits you've personally experienced. Click on "comments" and then tell us your story.
Aaaaahhh!
Breathing fresh air. Cuddling with a loved one. Laughing at a funny joke.
We all need to find a few moments each day, a few days each month and a few weeks each year to refresh & rejuvenate ourselves.
The stress of our daily grind can wear us out unless we take the time to step away occasionally and re-energize our body, mind & spirit.
Of course, our intention with All About You! Wellness BootCamp is to create a fun and supportive environment for you to rejuvenate yourself each day with 60-90 minutes of exercise. We also encourage you to refresh your body daily with healthy food, clean water & adequate sleep.
But, we know that sometimes we need more to recharge our batteries. Here are some of the things we like to do to refresh ourselves: - Call a good friend who lives far away.
- Invite friends over for a "game night" (chess, cards, charades, board games, etc.)
- Take a day trip to the beach or the mountains.
- Visit an elderly relative or friend and have them tell you stories about their youth.
- Meditate or pray.
- Write poetry, or write your thoughts in a journal.
- Read a good novel or book of poetry
- Take a vacation to a place you've never visited.
Now it's your turn. Share some of your ideas about what we can do to refresh ourselves.
The best way to ensure that you are eating a healthy, low-calorie lunch is to make it yourself. Here are some of the benefits of bringing your lunch to work:
FLEXIBILITY: If you're buried in work at your desk, you can eat right there and then take a walk afterward. Brown-bagging also allows you to run errands at lunch. You can eat your lunch at work and still have time to run an important errand in the middle of the day.
VARIETY: Breaking up your work week and taking your lunch even a few days a week will add variety to your days. And if you can work in even a 10-minute walk, you'll enjoy variety, burn a few extra calories, and possibly relieve some stress at the same time.
SAVING TIME: At first you may think, "I don't have time to pack a lunch." Just try it for a couple weeks and see how much time you save in the long run. If your lunch is packed and waiting for you when lunchtime rolls around, you don't have to take the time to decide where to eat, walk or drive to the restaurant, place your order, eat and get back to work.
SAVING MONEY: By packing a lunch each day, you probably save at least $4 per day, which is more than $1,000 a year!
SAVING CALORIES: No matter how careful you are about what you order at restaurants, you will almost always consume more calories when you eat out than you will with your own homemade food.
ITEMS YOU CAN INCLUDE IN A BROWN-BAG LUNCH:
*Left-overs from dinner the night before
*Sandwich (we like turkey on Ezekiel bread with lettuce, tomato & mustard)
*A piece of fruit
*A small bag of raw veggies with hummus or peanut butter
*Yogurt or cottage cheese with a few nuts
Now it's your turn. Let us know what you like to eat for lunch!
People are often confused when we tell them to snack between meals.
"Doesn't snacking make you fat?" they ask.
Well, yes, the wrong type of snacking can contribute to weight gain. We're so used to thinking of snacks as junk food, that we've forgotten how to snack healthfully.
The right type of snacking can actually be extremely beneficial in helping you get more important nutrients into your diet (snacks should contain either fruit or vegetables), as well as helping to keep you satisfied between meals so that you don't overeat later.
Here are some of our favorite healthy snacks:
MID-MORNING SNACKS
(fruit + protein)- Lowfat cottage cheese & mixed berries
- Frozen grapes & almonds
- Nonfat yogurt, sunflower seeds & any type of fruit
- Orange slices & cashews
- Apple & peanut butter
- Homemade fruit smoothies with yogurt or whey protein powder (beware of the high-sugar, high-calorie smoothies from places like Jamba Juice)
MID-AFTERNOON SNACKS
(vegetables + protein)
- Broccoli & yogurt
- Cherry tomatoes & light string cheese
- Carrots, akmak crackers & hummus
- Lettuce leaf wrapped around a slice of turkey or chicken
- Low-sodium chicken broth with any frozen veggies & a few slivered almonds
- Egg whites with veggies
- Air popped popcorn & a few raw almonds
- Protein-rich dip & raw veggies (carrots, snap peas, celery, bell peppers, baby tomatoes) See this week's AAY! Newsletter for a cashew dip recipe and other ideas for protein-rich dips. Download the newsletter from AAYBootCamp.com
Now it's your turn. Tell us about what you like to snack on.
There is no doubt that breakfast is the most important meal of your day. Eating a well-balanced, healthy breakfast will get your day started right so that you'll have the energy and brain-power to handle anything that comes your way.
Breakfast also gets your metabolism kick-started in the morning and studies have shown that breakfast-eaters have an easier time losing weight and maintaining their weight loss than those who skip breakfast.
Your breakfast should contain a combination of healthy carbs and protein. Here are some of our favorite breakfasts:
whole grain cereal +milk (soy or dairy)
whole grain toast + peanut butter
egg white vegetable omelet+ whole grain toast
oatmeal + raw walnuts or sunflower seeds
cottage cheese with fruit
yogurt + slivered almonds + fruit
Now it's your turn. Tell us what YOU like to eat for breakfast.
