Healthy Tidbits to live by: Part 2

1. Stay Hydrated:
• Bring a water bottle with you and sip throughout the day. I usually bring no less than 24 oz. If you're walking around at school, that's a easy size to carry and you can refill a fill station, or water fountain. However, if you don't want to fill up at a water fountain (which can sometimes be not the best water), go for some like 34 oz or more. 
• Concerned if the water is filtered or not? bobble water bottles filter your water
2. Have a sweet tooth? 
• If you've got as sweet tooth, or just enjoy your treats, go for it. Just don't indulge everyday. Find something healthy, like a small square of dark chocolate (70% or higher). Lindt is my ultimate favorite, smooth, chocolatey, and the darker the chocolate, the yummier it gets! 

Lindt has a 60-piece Dark Chocolate Sea Salt for $21.
 It'll last you two months if you eat one a day!  Photo: screenshot

• Don't be afraid to indulge everyone once in a while, just figure out how your body works. If you indulge on, say, a piece of cake, or two (or three) cupcakes, you may have to fit in more exercise the next few days. Don't beat yourself up about it though. 

Healthy tidbits to live by: part 1

Whether it's winter, summer, spring or fall, there is always something you can do to make your routine a bit better than the day before.

Let's start with a couple of ideas:

PopSugar Fitness provides great 10-minute workouts that whip you into
 shape quick.
photo: Screenshot

1. Make exercise part of your daily routine.
• Morning, noon or night, whatever works best for you, get that workout in. Don't push yourself so hard because then you'll end up doing more harm than good. If it's been a while since you've last worked out, start off easy. Lower the amount of weights you lift, lessen the amount of time you do cardio. Gently work up to it. When you start feeling like your workout is getting too easy and you can breath regularly without huffing and puffing, it's time to kick it up a notch. 
• Plus, if you're eating healthy and working out, you'll hop back in shape pretty dark quickly.
2. Eating healthy, for your body.
• I don't like saying "diet," because most think that it's eating less, but that isn't always the case. Sometimes it's just changing the way you eat. Cut out sugars, soda and fast food.  Eating sometimes can feel like a science, especially when you start reading what is actually in the foods you consume. 
• Don't freak, it's easy to do that, just take it easy. Don't beat yourself up if you slip up and have a cupcake or two, just accept it and move on. Add 10 more minutes on to your next days workout if it'll help ease your mind.

The holidays have officially arrived.

You're in luck.

Baked these  Chocolate Chip Pumpkin cupcakes
for Thanksgiving w/ butter cream frosting
 (using grass-fed butter). 

It's not too hard to keep the pounds away and still enjoy your holiday festivities.

First of all, don't be so hard on yourself that when you eat that last pumpkin cupcake you regret it for three days. Just try to enjoy it. You don't do this ALL year long.

• Use coconut or almond flour. Both are kind of tricky to deal with, but you'll get the hang of it pretty fast. 

• And, another option is to make your own cupcakes out of different ingredients. Whole Foods and or a local health store in your neighborhood sells gluten free flour. Try Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour. 
• The thing about this gluten free baking flour is, if you have a hard time baking with coconut flour or almond flour (both take some getting used to, they're both have a thicker texture when you eat it) is that you don't have a hint of coconut taste and it's the same texture and consistency of flour with gluten in it. At least it tastes and feels like it. 

•  Substitute ingredients. If you don't want to cook with sunflower oil, you can simply look up a conversion chart online, and find out how much butter (or quality olive oil, if you must) equals our to the requested amount of sunflower oil (or whatever kind of oil the original recipe requires).

There are little things here and there you can do to keep your holiday flavors in the oven (or microwave) and enjoy the festivities. Dig around and see what you can find, who says you have to sya goodbye to holiday flavorfulness? 

Fuel up before your next workout

It could be easy to think that not eating before a workout might help you loose weight more, or not eating at all is the common thought that is one of the main components of losing weight.

Think about it though. If you don't fuel your body, what will it burn? Yes, there may be some sugars and fats to burn, but fats take longer to burn. Fat goes away with consistent exercise and a healthy eating style. Healthy can be defined in so many different ways. But, my point is. Fueling your body before a workout will help you go longer, harder and faster. You'll be quicker and more agile.

My mom has told me throughout my life to eat something before I work out. On many occasions I have not eaten before a workout, and let me tell you, I feel weaker and don't workout as effectively.

Exercising on an empty stomach increasing the hormone, cortisol, which is a natural stress response your body gives off. Anyway, this can lead to some muscle tissue breakdown...Don't want that happening because of a workout right? Build that muscle! Tone up!

Get a good snack or small meal before your workout. Throw some protein in that meal or snack. Let your food digest to make sure that fuel is available to your muscles. It's ok to have some sugars and carbs after your workout, but just don't go reaching for that doughnut or candy bar.