Happily Healthy

To me being healthy is when both your body and mind are happy. Your fitness and health are directly related to the way you feel physically and mentally for a number of reasons. Everything you put in your body, you environment, your relationships with the people around you, all are factors that affect your overall well being.

For my last post I wanted to thank everyone for reading. I hope that my posts were helpful, insightful, and maybe even inspirational for some of you. I learned a lot by researching everything so thoroughly because I wanted to be able to present the most accurate and current information as possible, and I actually ended up learning a lot about myself as well.

My main motive to be healthy has always been and always will be to have the most possible fun I can. I think that’s the most important and most effective way to motivate yourself. Getting active and eating right its something you can enjoy and I promise it will make you fell good. Like I said before attitude is everything, so whatever it may be whether its cooking or burning some calories, have fun doing it.

I understand that most people don’t have a love for running like I do. Exercising on a regular basis and eating healthy seems like such a chore for some people.  But the way I look at is “run while you can.” Threes so many different ways to be active that can be fun! You have to find something that you like to do. Go run on the beach, or play basketball at the park, walk your dog! The benefits of being active are not only good for your body but they really impact your attitude as well.

Most people go out to eat to hangout and be social, but other activities can bring you closer, and add variety, not to mention the endorphins you get while you exercise are an awesome thing to experience with your friends. And contrary to popular beliefs eating healthy doesn’t mean eating anything that doesn’t taste good. Cooking is can also be fun. You get to make food taste however you want! I think it’s all about the way you approach things. After a fun workout with you friends, walk to the grocery store and pick out some fresh ingredients for dinner. Cook up something healthy and delicious for your friends and pair it with a nice glass of antioxidant rich red wine.  

Having fun, and running around and eating good food of course are things that I have always enjoyed. I have found that recently, especially in the past couple years as I have gotten older, I have taken these interests of mine to the next level. When it comes to sports I want to be able to do the best I can do, when it comes to sleep I want to get the deepest sleep I can so I can have the best possible day I can, and when I eat I want it to taste good and make me feel good. Learning about all these new recipes and remedies in various aspects of nutrition and health has made be realize how interconnected they all are. I am intrigued by anything nutrition and fitness and it has turned into somewhat of a hobby to learn about new exercises, healthy recipes, sleep remedies, vitamins, etc, which can hopefully lead me to a career in the health or fitness industry. I am working towards a career in sports medicine or even something along the lines of a nutritionist or health educator. I have seen in myself as well as others how much physical activity, sleep, and nutrition and taking care of you inside and out truly makes peoples lives happier and achieves overall wellness.

I am always trying to find new recopies that are healthy tasty and easy to make. Back at home I always enjoyed baking but my mom and dad always did most of the cooking so I never really had a reason to try other types of cooking besides cookies and cakes. This year I moved into my own apartment so I started doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen. Being the health nut that I am, I would go to the grocery store, pick out a random culmination of fresh, high fiber, high protein, and nutritious ingredients and try to make something out of it at home. There was a lot a trial and error through out the year, but these are some of my favorites that turned out tasty!

Earlier this week I went grocery shopping at my neighborhood Safeway, as I was walking down the cereal isle a special deal on oatmeal caught my eye. Buy one box of instant oatmeal get one free. Being a college student on a budget who is trying to make healthy food choices, this seemed like a deal I couldn’t pass up! A couple days later I realized I had enough instant oatmeal to last me months, so I decided instead to use the oatmeal to make cookies. I found a recipe for instant oatmeal and added to it.

All you need is: 2 large old bananas + 3 packets of instant oatmeal. (I chose the high in fiber brands of the cinnamon and the brown sugar & maple oatmeal, these are the most nutritious and still full of flavorful.)

To prepare: Smash up the bananas. Mix in the oatmeal. You can add in extra cinnamon or sugar for more flavor. I also added in almonds for protein, you can add in choc chips, coconut or other nuts if you would like as well. Once I formed the cookies I sprinkled a little cinnamon sugar on top to treat myself. To cook them set the over at 350º for 15 minutes and they’re done. These cookies are packed with fiber and protein and perfect with your morning cup of coffee, or an after dinner treat with a cold glass of milk.

Like most kids growing up, I never used to be a big fan of vegetables. And like most moms trying to bribe and trick their kids into eating vegetables, one of my mom’s strategies worked. My mom knows cheese is one of my weaknesses and she used it against me. (Because she loves me of course) The way she manipulated me into eating veggies was with her Parmesan cheese baked zucchini this is now one of my favorite things to make, and definitely one of my roommate’s favorite things to snag bites of.

All you need is: A zucchini (any size depending on how hungry you are) + Parmesan cheese + spray butter. I also like to put a little serrate on my plate to dip my bites in.

To prepare: Set the oven to broil on high. Slice the zucchini either hot dog or hamburger style. (I prefer hamburger style because it’s easier and bite size) Lightly spray the butter on the slices. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top. Bake for about 5 minutes until the cheese is golden and they’re done. Zucchinis are low calorie and high in fiber, which make these baked zucchini strips perfect for an afternoon snack, appetizer, or side for dinner.

These sweet and salty snacks are healthy, cheap, and so easy to make. Do your mouth a favor, try one out and taste test them yourself! Check back soon for more recipies, I still have a few I that I want to share with you. 

I’m back as promised, with some more tips and tricks for healthy eating. Before I get started telling you about all my yummy snacks that I want you to try, I want to explain that there is a such thing as healthy snacking. There seems to be a general conception that snacking is bad for you and can lead to weight gain. This is true if your if your making regular trips to vending machines and gas stations every time you get a little hungry, but choosing nutritious foods to snack on through out the day is actually one of the best things you can do for yourself. By eating small portions every couple hours you are keeping your metabolism going. If you go too long without eating your body goes into starvation mode and you are more likely to binge eat. Keeping your tummy happy, keeps the rest of you happy! Properly feeding yourself allows you to maintain energy and positive moods. Both WebMD and Heart.org say that the trick is to make sure your choosing foods that are low calorie but will still fill you up and to aim for foods with high protein and fiber, no or low added sugars, and whole grains. Be smart enough to satisfy your hunger without satisfying your sweet tooth. Here are some of my favorite snacks that are quick to make and take with me on the go.

Make your own trail mix-

Trail mix is one of the healthier options when it comes to snacks you can eat on the go, but there’s a couple problems that I always seem to run into. I know I’m not alone when I say this; there’s always either that one ingredient that you go fishing around for until you’ve found every last one, or that one ingredient that you pick around until that’s all that’s left in the bottom of the bag. Also, being a girl that doesn’t like chocolate has sure made my trail mix experiences even more difficult! I don’t know what took me so long, but it finally dawned on me that making my own trail mix would solve all my trail mix problems, and its super easy to do. I pick out what I want from the dried fruit, nut, and cereal section at the grocery store and put it all together in Tupperware at home, and its ready for the rest of the week. Grab a handful and put it in a Ziploc bag in the morning on your way to work or school.

Suggestions for my favorite mix: Organic unsweetened dried cranberries, organic dried unsweetened cranberries, unsalted almonds, unsalted cashews, and sometimes dry cereal. (I usually have Strawberry Special K or Fiber One) 

PB & Banana-

When you don’t have a minute to spare grab some peanut butter and get a banana anywhere. Peanut butter and banana probably seems like an unlikely snack to grab and go, but it’s actually one of the easiest and one of my absolute favorites. In addition to being delicious, bananas are packed with fiber and potassium and peanut butter is loaded with protein. This classic combo is easy to enjoy for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and anywhere in between.

How I make my peanut butter portable: Jiffy has pre packaged 2 tablespoon cups just for this reason. For an even healthier option buy your own little plastic sauce cups and load up your own peanut butter. The trick is to buy the most natural peanut butter with the least ingredients possible. Ideally the only ingredient would be peanuts. There’s even almond butter, cashew butter, and sunflower-seed butter that are also great options.

Are your snacks this satisfying?!

I know this sounds crazy to mostly everyone, but I promise it really can be true. I mean attitude is everything right? I recently ran a half marathon and I have to admit it was one of the most amazing feelings ever. It has always been one of those things on my bucket list that I have always had the opportunity to do, but kept putting it off for one reason or another. Running 13.1 miles I’m sure doesn’t sound fun to anyone, but you can’t say you don’t like something if you have never tried it.  

I haven’t always loved to run, but I guess one thing led to another and I eventually did fall in love with it. I played soccer and would force myself to run around my neighborhood and up and down a few stair-cases to stay in shape but I never thought that I would find pleasure in running multiple miles at a time. The first real race I did growing up was a 5K run on Thanksgiving day called the Turkey Trot. My older sister was a runner in high school and she would do this race for fun every thanksgiving, so one year I decided to tag along. I didn’t know it at the time, but I think that was the beginning to my addiction. I kept going every year to the Turkey Trot, I even went by myself a couple years (one year in the pouring rain) because they had become so enjoyable. Sure waking up at 7a.m. was never fun, and as a 9 year old little girl the joy that I got from running was definitely not because of all the calories I was burning, so that made me realize that there was something about races and running that felt good.            

            Something got into me my junior year of high school and I impulsively tried out for the cross-country team one day over summer. Before I knew it I had gotten myself into a sport that consisted of 100% running. We had 8 a.m. practices six days a week all summer and I kept wondering why I voluntarily signed myself up for that. I never thought I would see that day, but when race season started cross-country actually became fun!

            The reason why I wanted to share all of this is because I wanted to show you that I was not born with some exclusive gene that gave me a love for running, its something that I found happiness in over time and I feel that everyone could learn to enjoy it for the same reasons that I did. My main motivators; to be fit and in shape, to get that awesome feeling of accomplishment at the end of a run, and the most amazing rush of endorphins otherwise known as a runners high. This still may all seem crazy to some of you, but it’s one of those things that you’ll never know until you try it.  

Get motivated

1) Set a goal date & sign up! Setting a goal for yourself whether it be ambitious or a first little baby step will give you that little push to start training.

2) Pick somewhere you like. There are runs all over the country so whether you like the beach or the wilderness there’s a race somewhere for you.

            3) Find a good cause. A lot of big races are usually are fundraisers for a cause or charity, so find something that’s meaningful to you and run for them.

            Things that keep you going before, during, a race

1) Working out and training gets you on a good sleep and eating schedule that you wont want to mess up.

2) Training for a race entails dedicating time to go on runs. This is a great time to explore, listen to music, and clear your head.

3) You are surrounded with positive energy. In every race whether it be competitive or not, everyone is so motivated and supportive, and it’s contagious.

4) The sense of accomplishment at the end of a race is felt through out your whole mind and body.

Before I beguin this blog I want to remind everyone that I am a student and all my information I have gotten through books and online sources. Please consult your health professional before taking any of the supplements I discuss in this blog.

As our technology and knowledge in the medical world advances, more and more drugs are being created in labs.  With all these new pills and supplements there’s no telling how effective they actually are and how they might be affecting our bodies long term.  In order to be the healthiest we can be, we need to keep our bodies pure by eating nutritious food and taking the right supplements.  There are so many natural ways we can improve our health and our bodies.  Here are a few vitamins, herbs, and other natural supplements that I have found helpful in various aspects of health.

Biotin.  Builds strong nails and promotes healthy hair.  Biotin can be found in grocery stores and pharmacies as isolated biotin, biocytin, or biotin complex. It prevents hair from getting dried out and increases the elasticity which helps prevent breakage. To promote stronger nails and healthy hair the typical dosage range is 1,000 to 3,000 (grams, milligrams, micrograms?).  Biotin is extremely safe and is not known to have negative side effects or create risk for an overdose.

Ginseng.  Used to ease fatigue, can enhance athletic and physical performance, and reduce stress levels.  Ginseng stimulates the central nervous system, and has been found to improve both physical and mental performance.  It also may decrease fatigue during exercise.  Ginseng has been used to help stress reduction. “Ginseng has also been studied as a way to improve mood and boost endurance as well as treat cancer, heart disease, fatigue, erectile dysfunction, hepatitis C, high blood pressure, menopausal symptoms, and other conditions.” There are many different forms of Ginseng; therefore, the recommended dosage can vary. The average dose for capsules is 100-milligram to 200-milligram capsules once or twice a day. Ginseg can be bought at most vitamin or grocery stores.

Cayenne Pepper.  Helps with weight loss.  Adding cayenne pepper to your meals can curb your appetite and help burn fat. “Scientists at the Laval University in Quebec found that participants who took cayenne pepper for breakfast were found to have less appetite, leading to less caloric intake throughout the day. Cayenne is also a great metabolic-booster, aiding the body in burning excess amounts of fats.” Cayenne pepper is available in the spice section in grocery stores.

Valerian.  Used to help with insomnia.  Valerian has helped people with problems sleeping by improving their sleep quality and aiding the transition into deep sleep.  It is available in various forms such as capsules, tablets, and extracts. Dosage can vary, however a commpon recommended amount is 400 milligrams and 900 milligrams of valerian about two hours before bed.

Tea Tree Oil.  Gets rid of acne.  Tea tree oil  is a topical antiseptic, Applying a few drops of the oil to acne is effective in reducing redness and inflammation.  Unlike many other acne treatments, it does not cause common side effects such as itchy and dry skin.

Mate. Energy booster and weight-loss aid. Mate when consumed as a beverage and contains about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. The caffanation contributes to an increased energy level and is an appetite suppressor. Mate also contains polyphenois, which has been shown to contain high amounts of antioxidants.

Something that puts a smile on a lot of American’s faces was the discovery that drinking red wine was actually good for you! In 1991 there was a segment on 60 Minutes which talked about the surprisingly low incidence of heart disease in France. The French culture is known for casually drinking red wine on a daily basis. Fortunately for them their preferred beverage is a main cause for their outstanding longevity. After this show was aired the red wine craze began. Americans were buying red wine because it became known as the healthy way to drink.

It almost seems too good to be true, drinking is a way to a happy and healthy life. Many studies have demonstrated that alcohol consumption, in moderation of course, reduces heart attacks, strokes, and overall mortality. People, who consumed one to two servings of red wine, white wine; spirits and beer on average have a thirty to fifty percent reduction on heart attacks than those who didn’t. 

The key to getting these health benefits is to make sure your not exceeding the daily-recommended intake for your gender and body. A general rule of thumb to follow is one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Once you exceed the one to two drinks per day minimum you lose all the potential health benefits and you start to do more damage than good. The calories and sugars start adding up and override the desired polyphenols and antioxidents.

            Wine contains both “an alcohol based component in the form of ethanol and a plant based component in the form of polyphenols” which have been shown to be beneficial to our health in numerous ways. Red wine contains the health benefits from the alcohol alone but the polyphenol content adds to the benefits. “Red wine, because it is fermented with its skin, has much higher lever of polyphenols than white wine. Together these compounds (reveratrol, flavoniods, proanthocyanidins , and anthocyanins) are thought to possess healing properties by acting like natural antioxidants.” The polyphenol compound that is anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic. According to research, the flavonoids in wine boosts our skin’s sun protection, which could possibly lower the risk of skin cancer. Wine’s relaxing properties also slow down premature aging.

If you are choosing red wine because you want the health benefits in general “the more bitter the better.” For your next dinner date with friends or a loved one chose Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir for a good time and good health.

Other nutrients that can be found in wine:

flouride 40% –The benefit of flouride is from topical use and prevents tooth decay.

Manganese 10% –Antioxidant beneficial to brain, liver and nervous system.

Potassium 5% –Helps keep your heart beating.

Iron 4% –Delivers oxygen to your body.

Vitamin B6 4% –Helps access energy in your the body.

Vitamin B2 3% –aka Riboflavin. Antioxidant that aids in oxygen delivery in the body.

Phosphorus 3% –Bone strength, regulate hormones, aid in digestion.

Choline 2% –Helps in memory and liver function.

Our bodies are always changing whether we are consciously trying to make changes or not. Everyone's bodies go through different stages depending on their different lifestyle changes thought their lives. Just like most everyone, middle school and high school were very formative years in many different aspects of my life. I went from playing club soccer in middle school, to high school soccer, to cross country, to track, and then off to college. Aside from the different types of sports through out these past eight years, my sleeping schedule has changed and my eating habits have been all sorts of good and bad. During these different stages of my life I have noticed the way my body has reacted differently.

Now that I am in my second year of college I am realizing why my extremely health conscious mom would make me take vitamins daily, get enough sleep, and  would never let me leave the house with-out eating a good breakfast. The most competitive person I know, my high school running coach, doesn’t seem so crazy now either for all the things he forced us to do. The sleep and food logs, the warm ups and cool downs that took almost as long as our workouts, the gym routines he carefully planned out, and the personalized cross training workouts he scheduled for us when we were injured all had a purpose. He always emphasized that every little detail would affect us come race day and he was right.

My biggest moment of realization that all the details really do make a difference was my junior year of high school when I followed my coaches nutrition, sleep, and workout program as best I could leading up to one of our races. It was the only time I actually took in every piece of advice he had and applied it and my result was unbelievable. Ever since then I have been fascinated with the body and how we can control the mind and body. Our moods, energy level, appetites, mental health, and of course our physical fitness can all be controlled.  I will share various tips, recipes, workouts, and explanations of various health and fitness aspects that will help anyone achieve a happy and healthy being.