Category Archives: Body

Quick & Healthy Breakfast – Yogurt Parfait

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Happy Monday!  Here is your Meatless Monday recipe idea.  This week, it's all about breakfast.  You don't have to have bacon & eggs to get a protein-packed breakfast.  Try this delicious, quick & healthy meatless alternative!

 

Fruit-flavored yogurts have a ton of extra sugar and not much protein, so consider making this instead for a decadent breakfast with both the fiber and protein you need to make it until lunch time.

 

Instead of flavored yogurt, I use plain non-fat Greek yogurt that is high in protein and I add my own fresh fruit to avoid the unnecessary sugar.  I have paid close to $4.00 to buy something similar at Starbucks, and their version didn't even have fruit!

 

Here’s what you will need to make your own:

 

3/4 cup sliced strawberries, raspberries, or other juicy fruit

1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

8 oz non-fat Greek yogurt

1/4 cup of natural granola (Udi’s Au Naturel is my favorite!)

Wild local honey

 

 

 

How to make it:

1) Layer half of the strawberries & half of the blueberries on the bottom.  Add a drizzle of honey for extra sweetness.

 

 

greek yogurt parfait

 

2) Layer half of the yogurt on top of the berries.

 

greek yogurt parfait

 

 

3) Top with granola.

 

greek yogurt parfait

 

4) Add remaining yogurt & fruit.  Top with remaining granola & drizzle with honey.

 

greek yogurt parfait

 
ENJOY!!
 
What's your favorite kind of Greek yogurt?  Leave a comment below & let me know.  Thanks!
 

The Science of Sensation

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Wow, what an incredible week this has been for me.  I have been fortunate enough to spend the past week in Portland, Oregon training getting trained to teach the Nia Technique.  Nia is a sensory-based movement practice that leads to health, wellness, and fitness.  With much excitement for what lies ahead, I am happy to announce that I received my White Belt in Nia and am now a certified instructor.

 

One of the things that I came to appreciate this week was how important it is to use sensation to understand what my body needs.  It has always been very easy for me to do things in a mindless fashion — eat quickly (often on the go), drive from destination to destination on autopilot, even moving to music via choreography versus having something in the music itself stirring movement in me.  After this week, I have a new way to make sure that I am practicing mindfulness … to ensure that I am taking time to appreciate my experiences, both big and small.

 

The science of sensation is powerful.  I’m not talking about feelings or emotions such as happiness or sadness.  I’m talking about simply realizing how a part of your body feels and acknowledging it — your eyes after hours looking at the computer, your back after sitting in the same position all day — that kind of sensation.  If you are relaxing, you might simply sense the softness of the fluffy rug underneath you.  As an exercise in self-awareness, I encourage you to stop & sense.  Is there any pain in any part of your body?  If so, move in a subtle way until you feel that pain start to lessen.  Are you comfortable and relaxed?  Sense what that feels like and try to release even further.  

 

Did this “click” for you?  Please leave a comment below and share your experience!

 

21-Day Fitness Challenge – Are You Up for It?

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I can’t believe that it’s already March!  It feels like this year is flying by.  That being said, I am not a huge fan of winter and cold weather so BRING ON THE SPRING!!

 

I extended another 21-day fitness challenge this past week thanks to Kristi Fauth (aka Robobarbie).  The fitness challenge is all about setting a new healthy lifestyle habit.  It takes 21-days to form a new habit … let’s make it one that is good for our bodies!  Doing this with all of you guys who are participating via the Wellness Science Facebook community is awesome and extremely motivating.  I need that extra motivational boost that accountability to others gives me — don’t you find that helps?

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, I headed over to Uforia Studios to get my cardio fix Zumba-style.  The 11:45 class with Asya was filled with energy and, as promised, we had fun while we worked our butts off (literally!)  If you have not tried Zumba and you find your regular workouts boring and no longer motivating, I highly recommend you try and class or two.  Zumba is for everyone.  You don’t have to be an experienced dancer.  Just show up willing to work hard and have fun.  It is no surprise that instructor Asya has quite the following.  She adds a little something extra to class by working the room and dancing with everyone.  I’ve never seen anyone end a routine quite like she does either (think back handsprings & splits … yes, I’m serious!)  My abs and hips were still sore for two days after this class, so I must have gotten to some muscles that weren’t used to getting a workout (awesome!)  I will definitely make this part of my new healthy habit.

 

I want to hear from you!  Leave me a comment below this post and tell me about the workouts that inspire you.  Have a favorite class or instructor?  Tell me about those here too.  And don’t forget to stretch … and breathe! :-)

 

 

You may also want to read:

 

How to Get Fit Doing What You Love

 

How to Hold Yourself Accountable

You Can Dance, for Inspiration

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I started dancing when I was about five years old.  First, I was enrolled in ballet class.  I still remember the sequined orange costume and frilly tutus we wore that year as “Florida Orange Blossoms” in my dance studio’s recital showcasing routines representing each of the fifty United States. 

 

I eventually added tap and jazz to my repertoire, but I quit dance classes when I became a teenager because I thought I was way too cool and way too busy doing things teenagers do like three-way-calling all of my friends to talk about boys.

 

Aside from a semester of ballet in college that I thought would be an easy ‘A,”  it was close to twenty years before I ever took a dance class again.  I was vacationing at a women-only spa in Southern California, and the program offered about a dozen exercise and yoga classes every day.  I didn’t think I had enough rhythm to join the cardio dance classes, even though they looked really fun.  I couldn’t resist on the last day since I heard that a well-known choreographer from the east coast was coming out to teach the class.  That hour was SO MUCH FUN that I stayed for the second dance class and had a ball dancing to tunes from the Grease soundtrack that I’d played about a million times as a kid.

 

Due to my job and other preoccupations, it was still a couple of years before I made dance (or any kind of exercise) part of my regular routine.  I discovered both Zumba and NIA (the acronym for Neuromuscular Integrative Action) dance at approximately the same time.  While both dance classes, the two are completely different.  In Zumba, you feel like you are in a music video.  You move non-stop, but it is so much fun the sweat and breathlessness doesn’t seem to matter.  NIA is a completely different experience.  While still a cardio workout, NIA emphasizes self-expression, body awareness, and enjoying the movement.  After my first NIA class, I remembered how much I used to love to dance.  Dance has a way of making us feel lighter in spirit, which is great for type-A’s like me who feel the need to control.  

 

Dancing for exercise isn’t a new concept, (remember those infomercials for Sweatin’ to the Oldies with Richard Simmons?) but the popularity has increased in the past couple of years making it pretty easy to find a variety of classes no matter where you live.  In addition to benefits such as a decrease in blood pressure and weight loss dance has also been shown to provide benefits such as improved mood and energy, stress reduction, and increased self-esteem.

 

A study at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York with close to 500 participants aged 70 and older measured cognitive activities such reading and doing crossword puzzles as well as physical activities like swimming, golf, and dancing to see if doing any of these activities reduced the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.  Frequent dancing reduced the risk of dementia by a whopping 76% — way more than any other activity that was studied.

 

There are plenty of dance classes/styles to choose from, so choose something appropriate for your current fitness level.  Start with beginner level class at first and move up as your confidence and skill increases.

 

Want to know how many calories you are burning?  Check out this Calorie Burn Calculator for info on calories burned while dancing and tons of other activities.

 

The most important thing?  Have fun!!

 

Prioritize Relationships That Matter Most

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Finding true balance in life doesn’t just happen because you want it to. 

There’s a lot of work to do and time to be invested. Why should you do it?

 

Because you deserve to be happy!

 

In today’s post, I’m sharing information about Relationships that is addressed in more detail in my FREE Mini “Balance Inventory” Wellness Workbook. 

 

In our very busy lives, our Relationships are just one component where we need to have the right balance in order to be happy.  Not only do your friends, family, and loved ones deserve time with you, they deserve to spend time with a happy, healthy, peaceful you – with your BEST you.

As our lifestyles and our environments change, this *right* balance will also change.  For instance, if you are young and dedicated to growing your career, you may be willing to sacrifice going out with your friends in order to put your best foot forward professionally.  

If you have been working hard for years to be better financially prepared to start a family, you will likely re-evaluate your work schedule once you start your family.  

It is only natural to move through these stages, but it is important to periodically run through a list of questions to make sure that you actually know what your current priorities are!  Believe it or not, some people find themselves SO busy that they run on autopilot and years can pass by in what seems like the blink of an eye.

To make sure you are prioritizing the relationships that matter most to you at all times throughout your life, write down the answers to the following questions.

 

1)  What are the most important relationships in your life?  

 

2)  How much quality time are you spending doing what is most important to you?

 

3)  Is there any stress or strain going on with anyone or anything you listed in #1?

 

4)  Are you happy with your job or chosen career path?  What would you change?

 

5)  Do work demands overly interfere with your family and personal relationships?  

 

To read more about achieving balance and get more self-assessment questions related to your Body, your Mind, and your Environment, download my FREE Workbook here.

 

Common Demotivators & Why the Excuses Aren’t Cutting It

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Do you ever notice how easy it is to talk yourself OUT of doing something healthy?  So much easier than talking yourself in to doing something good for your body?

 

Today's post is all about common demotivators, excuses, and why they are doing us harm.

Last month, I started a motivation board on Pinterest chock full of great quotes and images meant to inspire myself and others to keep working towards our goals.  

Have they been helping you?  I hope so!  

My personal favorite is the girl in the bathing suit with "Are you sure you want that cookie?" splashed across her stomach.  I have a serious cookie craving every night after dinner.  In fact, I found that picture one night right after I had eaten a cookie – LOL!

I was inspired today to write about demotivators (thanks, Paige!) because, in truth, these are what keep us from achieving our goals of losing weight, getting healthy, going to the gym, etc.

 

It's Cold Outside and/or Raining.  Winter weather is a HUGE demotivator.  I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of the cold OR the rain.  The two together … forget about it!  Winter weather can have negative effects on our mental state.  You've heard of seasonal affective disorder?  This is a condition where you have episodes of depression, usually during the winter months.  This can result in weight gain, unhappiness, social withdrawal, and other negative effects.  So it is even MORE important for us to get out & get moving during the winter months to combat these negative effects.  Remember, it is mind over matter.  Once you get to the gym and get moving, you'll be warmed up pretty fast – and you'll have that endorphin boost to propel you through the day.

 

I'm Too Busy.  Another common demotivator! Working full time, taking care of the house, kids, grocery shopping, cooking dinner and the great many other items on our plates can be overwhelming!  Who has time to work out?  You can easily talk yourself out of working out when you think about the errands you have to run.  I saw a poster the other day that read:

"There are 1,440 minutes in a day.  Use 20 of them to work out."

Hard to argue with that.  If you are like me, you have seen the latest episodes of Glee and Grey's Anatomy.  If you are willing to stay up until midnight watching TV, then "I'm too busy" is a lame excuse.  You will probably save more than 20 minutes a day by skipping the commercials thanks to TiVo.  Use them wisely and work out!!

Don't get lazy with food prep either.  Pack some healthy snacks to take to work so you don't head to the vending machine or find yourself lingering outside of conference rooms looking for cookies.  You can make a couple of days worth of servings of things like brown rice & veggies to keep on hand for the week.  Don't feel like chopping veggies?  I can't remember the last time I went to the grocery store and didn't see an array of ready-to-eat washed & cut veggies.  Just grab a few containers & roast away!

 

I was good for a month.  That's enough until next year.  WRONG!  Taking care of yourself is more than a once a year gig.  If you do nothing else, walking in your neighborhood 3 times a week for 30 minutes will do wondrous things for your body and your mental state.  If you found something else that you love (like I did with Zumba & NIA) – keep doing it!  

As far as healthy eating goes … did you give up caffeine or sugar or something that you were having way too much of?  How did you feel?  Wouldn't you like to feel good all year instead of just one month?  Remember that!

 

So next time you begin to talk yourself OUT of exercising or eating right, remember why it is the easy way out.  Stick to your new healthy eating patterns & workout routines and by next January, you won't be dieting.  You'll be adjusted to a whole new way of life, loving how you look and feel!  If you need help, don't be afraid to ask for it.  You deserve to be healthy & happy.  I'd love to work with you to meet your goals — check out my 90-day Personalized Wellness Plan.  

Leave me a comment below and tell me some of your own demotivators !

 

 

 

 

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful

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I’ve been reading a lot online lately about motivation over the past couple of months. During that time I have encountered many cool, interesting, and extremely motivating blogs written by fabulous women of all ages from all over the world.

One thing that has been really disturbing to me is the number of young women out there who have so much self-hate and dissatisfaction with their bodies … many to the point of having an eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, orbinge eating.

Most of us have looked in the mirror and not liked what we saw there. To this day, every time I try on clothes, I still see myselfas the overweight 12-year-old girl that I once was. It can be a huge challenge to look in the mirror and not be critical, but I promise you, this is the MOST IMPORTANT relationship that you will ever have.

Facts About Teens and Body Image

The National Institute on Media and the Family has posted these facts:

In a survey of girls 9 and 10 years old, 40% have tried to lose weight, according to an ongoing study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
In a study on fifth graders, 10 year old girls and boys told researchers they were dissatisfied with their own bodies after watching a music video by Britney Spears or a clip from the TV show “Friends”.
A 1996 study found that the amount of time an adolescent watches soaps, movies and music videos is associated with their degree of body dissatisfaction and desire to be thin.
One study reports that at age thirteen, 53% of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen.

The Truth About Self-Love

Most people have a little voice inside that has told them that they are “not good enough” for something. This can ruin our lives and often does ruin our relationships.

What people are really searching for out there is self-love … but they are looking for a job or a relationship to fill that void. No person or possession can fill that void. It is solely up to you.

Practicing Self-Love

It’s time to let go & start practicing. Self-love must be unconditional. You can’t only love yourself when you’ve been a “good girl” – that’s too easy. You have to also love the girl who ate the Oreo ice cream sundae or the girl who hasn’t been to the gym in three months. Like everything else … practice makes perfect. Once you have begun to love yourself in a real way, you begin to see a shift in how you prioritize your life.

“Happiness is looking in the mirror and liking what you see.” – Unknown

People who are self-loving see a whole person when they look in the mirror and not just flaws. Keep this in mind. The next time you look at yourself in the mirror, try being a little less critical of the person looking back at you. Let your new mantra be … “Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful.” Say it every time you look in the mirror. Before long, you may just start liking what you see.

How To Hold Yourself Accountable

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Last Saturday, I gave a wellness seminar to a group of women at Uforia Studios. One of the topics we discussed was Attainable Goal Setting.

One of the questions I received was, “How do I hold myself accountable?” Great question … and often easier said than done. I’ve been listening to my followers on Twitter & Facebook this week as well, and they are asking similar questions.

The first question I have for you is “Are you keeping track of your goals?” Then, “are you writing stuff down on paper?” There is something powerful about implementing that additional sense. Don’t just hold your thoughts & dreams in your head … put them down on paper!

Now, hang that piece of paper up somewhere that you can see it every day. It reminds you of what you are working towards and keeps you focused!

The second tip I have for you is straight out of my Smart Girls Guide to Getting What You Want. If you want to hold yourself accountable, give yourself very specific deliverables. Don’t just say, “I want to run a marathon” or “I want to be CEO of my company.” Figure out a plan to get to the next level from where you are now. If you want to run a marathon and you are not already running races, start by signing up for a couple of 5Ks.

If you can buddy up with a friend who has a similar goal, this will give you an extra push to meet your goals because you are also supporting someone else. If not buddying up with one friend, how about a group? If you want to run a marathon, try joining one of the many running clubs out there. You’ll be with like-minded people who likely have a set day of the week, time, and route that they run. Problem solved!

Lastly, share your goals with your group of girl friends. Update your Facebook status, tweet, and blog about it. You will undoubtably get lots of “Likes”, a few comments, and plenty of support. I will happily be your first supporter … just share your goal with me! :-)

Go out there and get started. If you need help, ask for it! Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game!!

The Science of Prevention

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The Science of Prevention
Do’s and Don’ts that Could Save Your Life!

Running, Exercising Outdoors

The key to living a healthy, balanced life is practicing prevention. Benjamin Franklin said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

If you are not already well versed in your family medical history, I can not stress the importance of having those conversations. If someone in your immediate family has a chronic illness like heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, or a history of cancer, this is something both you & your doctor should be aware of.

There are basically two types of inherited disease: single gene inheritance & multifactorial (or complex) inheritance. Examples of single gene inheritance are diseases like cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia. In those instances, there are no changes that you can make to your environment or you lifestyle to impact whether or not you will develop these diseases. Multifactorial inherited diseases are a different story. Examples of these are things like diabetes, high blood pressure, and even cancer. If you inherited a risk factor for one of these types of diseases, taking preventive steps in your life could be difference between developing the disease or not.

Having regular physicals with your health care provider & scheduling recommended preventive screenings for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, and even depression could save your life. Many of these diseases, when detected early, can be treated with medication or in some cases even with simple lifestyle changes like diet and exercise.

Other preventive measures that are important for a healthy lifestyle and in some cases could save your life include:

Not smoking
Getting to & maintaining a healthy weight
Being physically active
Consuming a healthy diet
Not drinking excessively

I’m curious … are there diseases that you know of that run in your family that you could prevent or help your children or loved ones prevent with these tips? Comment below & tell me about it.

If you can’t remember the last time you had that physical or “annual” mammogram, schedule it NOW! Then come back to this page and tell me, “I did it!”