How often to workout?

We all have busy lifestyles, so sometimes hitting the gym 5 days a week for an hour is just not going to work. I say strive for at least 3, but go hard if thats all you can get. Also, make sure you are walking every opportunity you can, such as, on your lunch or to the park. Run around with your kids and race them, they will love this. Mines do!
Be mindful that you should never be content with where you fitness level is. Reach a level and then more on to the next. Always strive for more. I was reading a book by Bob Greene (Oprah's Trainer) that talked about always increasing or intensifying your workout. If you workout 3 days, shoot for 4 days soon. Shoot for longer workouts. Start new physical activities in addition to your workout days, such as dancing or running marathons. Have fun with it and make it apart of your lifestyle!

Weight -Loss Commitment

New challenge! I am looking for people to participate in a weight-loss challenge. For everyone who joins, I will run an extra mile a week. Lets get me up to at least 10 miles! When you sign up, I will give you more details on the challenge, so comment below if you are interested!

Healthy Choices

I was recently reading a magazine that talked about turning down temptation. They suggested that if you did not initially crave into your temptation, that it would make you stronger to overcome it. So if you were at work, and someone offered you chocolate, you would look at it and say "no thank you", instead of saying "ohh, I really shouldn't have this, but oh well." You have to start somewhere. The magazine said a good exercise would be to put something you like near you, such as on your work desk, and see it, but not partake in it. This would help you to build resistance. Making one healthy choice can lead to making others, but as soon as you make that unhealthy choice, you are actually prone to stay that way, no matter how much you convenienced yourself that it would just be "this one time."

Healthy Planet

Today is Earth Day, so I can't post without talking about being "green." So in honor of this day, I want to share with you some facts that were emailed to me recently. The email said, if we were to all (330ish million Americans)  to walk or ride our bikes to places like work or school, and do this for our recommended 30 min a day, we would lose 27-30lbs a year. Also, with waits comes tons of health benefits. But to make it even better, we would save enough on oil (from not driving) that we would not be dependent on other countries, and be more environmentally friendly. Hows that for going green. Feel free to leave other "Green" tips, facts or advice in the comments.

A Healthier, Resturant Style Meal to Make at Home

Chicken-Zucchini Alfredo

Recipe courtesy Ellie Kreiger for Food Network Magazine

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (43)

• Filed under: Pasta, Poultry, Chicken, Vegetables, Zucchini,
  more

  • Dish : Alfredo
  • Cuisine : European , Italian
  • Technique : Boiling , Simmer , Saute
  • Herbs & Spices : Garlic
  • Who's Dining : For a Family

• RECIPE
• RATINGS & REVIEWS(43)

• Cook Time:

  11 min

• Level:

  Easy

• Yield:

  4 servings

Close

Times:

Prep

19 min

Inactive Prep

--

Cook

11 min

Total:

30 min

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Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 zucchini, thinly sliced into half-moons
• 4 4-ounce thin skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Freshly ground pepper
• 12 ounces fettuccine (preferably whole wheat)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cold low-fat milk (1%)
• 1/2 cup evaporated nonfat milk
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 clove garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the zucchini, cover and cook until tender, stirring, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Heat another tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Cook the pasta in the boiling water as the label directs. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water; return the pasta to the pot.
Meanwhile, whisk the flour and low-fat milk in a bowl. Place the remaining 1 clove garlic and 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, 30 seconds. Add the flour-milk mixture and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the evaporated milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the cheese; stir to melt, 1 minute.
Cut the chicken into strips. Toss with the pasta, sauce, zucchini and parsley, adding the reserved pasta water to loosen.
Per serving: Calories 680; Fat 18 g (Saturated 5 g); Cholesterol 85 mg; Sodium 820 mg; Carbohydrate 79 g; F

Stress

I was once told, by a women who counsels adults of many different backgrounds and emotional problems, that exercise is the best and cheapest anti-depressant. She said she always recommends things such as walking, before any pills. Exercise releases endorphins in the body. Exercise makes you feel good, and you can gain a sense of support when doing group exercises or buddy exercises. So get out their and walk that stress off!

Can't lose anymore weight?

I know this is going to sound crazy, but it is true. I had to use this on myself, when I reached a point in my weight-loss goal and could not lose anymore weight.  A plateau can be very frustrating, but try this simple process and watch the results. The reason why you are no longer losing weight is because your body is very smart and has adjusted to what you have been doing to it (exercising, eating better, eating less). So you need to trick it! Pick a day, I prefer a weekend day, to eat whatever you want. Try not to go too crazy, like 20 snicker bars or anything like that, but you could get some items in on this day that you may not normally eat otherwise. Eat more than you normally do. Only do it on this one day. Keep your exercise plan, and eat well all other days. You will see results. The other thing you can do is kick up your work out plan.  Let me know what your doing currently and we can work on something together!

Family health requires you to spend time, not just money on them. Your kids may not remember what you bought them, but they will remember playing and laughing.

Relationship Health

Do you ever notice how we are so quick to tell our loved ones what to do or how to do it, but tend to forget to thank them? For every 5 demands, we should have at least one "I love you" or "I appreciate you."  Try this out with anyone, friends, children or spouse and let me know how it goes.

Emotional Health

Have you ever thought about how emotionally intelligent you are?  Most people don't.  Have you ever sat and thought about your past, any hurts or pains that may be determining what your present life looks like?  Probably not.  This week, I challenge you to begin to think about what is really going on in your life.  Start to question yourself, like the way you respond to certain things.
     Why did I get upset when he/she said that to me?
     Why do I get sad when ....
     Why does food/sweets make me happy?
     How do I respond to situations?

Effects Of Kissing--- For your heath?

Effects Of Kissing

by Jasmine Kama on Friday, April 15, 2011 at 12:30pm

♥ Long kisses are beneficial to our circulatory system. When kissing, our pulse rate is quickening up to 110 beats per minute. This is a great training for our cardiovascular system.

♥ After kissing, the lungs work harder, resulting in 60 inhales per minute compared to regular 20 inhales. Such “ventilation” is a good preventive measure against lung diseases.

♥ Some dentists believe that kissing is a preventive measure against dental caries. Indeed, kissing stimulates the flow of saliva that eliminates acid coat on the teeth.

♥ Kisses that last more than three minutes help us fight stress and its effects. Long kisses trigger the chain of biochemical reactions, which destroys stress hormones.

♥ Those who kiss their partner goodbye each morning live five years longer than those who don’t.

♥ Kissing is great for self-esteem. It makes you feel appreciated and helps your state of mind.

♥ Kissing burns calories, 2-3 calories a minute and can double your metabolic rate. Research claims that three passionate kisses a day (at least lasting 20 seconds each) will cause you to loose an entire extra pound.

♥ Kissing is a known stress-reliever. Passionate kissing relieves tension, reduces negative energy and produces a sense of well being, lowering your cortisol ‘stress’ hormone.

♥ Kissing uses 30 facial muscles and it helps keep the facial muscles tight, preventing baggy cheeks! The tension in the muscles caused by a passionate kiss helps smooth the skin and increases the circulation.

♥ Kissing is good for the heart, as it creates an adrenaline which causes your heart to pump more blood around your body. Frequent kissing has scientifically been proven to stabilize cardiovascular activity, decrease blood pressure and cholesterol.

♥ Those who kiss quite frequently are less likely to suffer from stomach, bladder and blood infections.

♥ During a kiss, natural antibiotics are secreted in the saliva. Also, the saliva contains a type of anesthetic that helps relieve pain.

♥ Kissing reduces anxiety and stops the ‘noise’ in your mind. It increases the levels of oxytocin, an extremely calming hormone that produces a feeling of peace.

Well I never knew that kissing did all of that, but now I have even more of a reason to. ♥

RE: Whats you goal? Get Moving

The following are suggestions to get moving.... please consult your doctor first, and remember that whatever you choose to do is your choice, I have no responsibility in your results.

1. Whats your favorite sport? Join a team with you job, church or any organization you belong to, even with some friends. Many local recreation centers also let you sign up as a free agent if you don't know enough people to start your own team.
2.  Join a gym or rec center. Try free passes, such as the 24hr 7 day pass or Ballys. Find as many as you can, who knows, you may get a whole month or more of exercise for free! (Not that I ever did this or anything lol)
3. Sign up with a Personal Trainer. If money is an issue, it may be cheaper to go to a local rec center or find someone who works independently online.  Make sure you do you research and be safe in either situation. Also, many trainers will let you bring a partner and split the cost.
4. Start walking/jogging. Have fun and bring friends or family along. This is the cheapest form and the easiest way to get moving. You can even bring the kids and pets along. (No babysitting needed!) All free.
5.  Exercise DVDS or even better, search your cable or Internet for free videos.  This can all be done in the comfort of your home.
6.  If your not ready for any of the above, or are looking to change it up from day to day, commit to doing daily things such as playing outside with the kids or pets, gardening, 1-2 hours of housework (yes, all this burns calories as well, I know who would have thought right?)
Let me know which one works bests for you and why..........

RE: Whats your goal? Lose Weight

Okay, so you want to lose weight?  Why?  Is it just for looks?  Yeah, thats how I started, but one day I realized that it is more just this looks (although I dont blame you, looking good is not bad lol). I remember looking up information when I came across this statistic: If you lose just 10% of your body weight, could be just 10-20lbs, you Drastically reduce your chances for tons of diseases or health issues such as:  Diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease etc. This is when I decided that my weight loss was more than just looking good. It was about making healthy choices for myself and for my family so that we could live longer, healthier lives. I want to see my children graduate from high school and I would enjoy being a grandmother one day.
So where do you start?  You hear it all the time, but you need to put it into play. Eat better, probably eat smaller portion sizes depending on what your currently eating, and start moving. You have to be physical, our bodies were not made to be sitting all day!  Comment and follow this blog if you would like more personal information, I look forward to hearing from you soon.........

Whats your goal?

Once you have determined that health is a concern for you, whats next? Do you strive to eat better? If so, write down things you want to add to your diet and things you want to take out.  Look up information for both so you know why you need the additions, and why you don't need the things you want to take out.

Do you want to lose weight? Calculate you BMI to see where you are. (FYI, not always accurate for really muscular people and some minorities) Find you daily calorie needs to lose weight.  This can be found on many online websites, such as www.freedieting.com.  Make a commitment to eat within those needs, and begin some sort of physical activity.

Are you already eating healthy but know your not in shape? Set some goals, and specific work out days and stick with it.  Get a gym membership. Start walking or running with a friend. Find a sport or other physical activity and make it a habit!
Start today, and let me know how your doing.

Where are you at?

When is the last time you thought about your fitness level? When is the last time you have been to the doctor?  Do you really think that you can eat whatever you want, not exercise and still live a healthy, disease-free lifestyle?  Lets be real.  Its time to think about you, its time to take care of yourself.  Let me know what your concerns are so we can get you going on your journey to a healthy lifestyle today!

How to lose weight?

Where do I begin? Is this journey really possible? Should I try a new diet... or do surgery?  Have you been here?  If so Id like to help.... tell me what your problem is and together we can come up with a solution.  If you have been here and overcame this, how did you do it?

Why is health important?

Why is being healthy so hard?

What do you find to be your bigges challenge?