Tuesday's Tips: 23

Try and make small adjustments to your day to get a little extra exercise in. For instance: -If you live close enough to walk to the store and you have the time, then go for it. I love to either stick my kids in the double jogger or in the bike trailer and head out to get what I need. If I need to get a lot of stuff, then I'll go ahead and drive, but I'll park as far away from the door as I can. -If I'm not in a huge hurry, I'll take the stairs instead of the elevator when the opportunity presents itself. -If the weather is nice and your car needs a good wash down then throw on some get-wet clothes and start scrubbing. My kids LOVE helping me wash our cars, and we all get a little exercise in too. :) I'd love to hear any other examples that occur to you too. Feel free to pass them along!

Agave Nectar: Good or Bad?

I've mentioned my thoughts about Agave Nectar before but my friend just shared this article and I really like the way it is written. If you have a few minutes, take time to read this article. Agave Nectar: Good or Bad?

Tuesday's Tips: 22

Today's tip is: Try Something New!

I don't use a lot of Cow's Milk because the men in my life have big issues digesting it. I use a lot of alternatives, and honestly, when I haven't used Cow's Milk for myself for a few days, I notice that I'm less congested, and other things work better.

I use a lot of Milk alternatives like: Coconut Milk, Rice Milk, Oat Milk, Soy Milk (sparingly), Hazelnut Milk, and Almond Milk.

My friend Melissa introduced me to a recipe for making your own Almond Milk, and I can't wait to try it out!

Here's the link: How To Make Almond Milk

I think Almond Milk is delicious. Do you have something healthy and new that you're willing to try?

Tuesday's Tips: 21

I don't eat much sugar (besides fruit), but lately, due to Valentines and other celebrations, I've eaten a LOT more than I normally would. Anyway, today I ate one of the chocolates that my husband gave me for Valentines and I immediately noticed a shift in my mood; I got angry for almost no reason, and 20 minutes later I felt extremely depressed. That's when it hit me, it's true when they say that sugar can really have an effect on your attitude.

Tip: If you're prone to feeling down, avoid sugar.

(Other things that might help include: Going to sleep at the same time every night, Getting up at the same time every morning, Incorporating regular exercise, and Making healthier food choices.)

Saturday's Suggestion: Find alternatives to Fructose

The health trends in society come and go. RIght now it's all about something's 'glycemic index' levels. Since fructose has the lowest glycemic index levels, people think that that's how they should sweeten stuff. However, if you're trying to lose weight you might consider the following:

‎"The medical profession thinks fructose is better for diabetics than sugar," says Meira Field, PhD, a research chemist at United States Department of Agriculture, "but every cell in the body can metabolize glucose. However, all fructose must be metabolized in the liver. The livers of the rats on the high-fructose diet looked like the livers of alcoholics, plugged with fat and cirrhotic."[59] While a few other tissues (e.g., sperm cells[60] and some intestinal cells) do use fructose directly, fructose is almost entirely metabolized in the liver.[59]
"When fructose reaches the liver," says Dr. William J. Whelan, a biochemist at the University of Miami School of Medicine, "the liver goes bananas and stops everything else to metabolize the fructose." Eating fructose instead of glucose results in lower circulating insulin and leptin levels, and higher ghrelin levels after the meal.[61] Since leptin and insulin decrease appetite and ghrelin increases appetite, some researchers suspect that eating large amounts of fructose increases the likelihood of weight gain.[62]
"Excessive fructose consumption is also believed to contribute to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose

I think it's important that people increase their education. Never stop learning, always question what you hear. I believe that fructose in moderation as it comes naturally as part of fruit is a good thing. However, if you want to bake something sweet, and feel full and satisfied afterward, you might want to consider using something with a higher glycemic index, like old-fashioned corn syrup which contains no fructose.

Thoughts for Thursday 6

Some days it's really hard to make yourself get some exercise in. On those days I put my exercise clothes on and refuse to change out of them until I've gotten at least some sort of workout in. Since I'm not a big fan of running around in spandex, it's a great motivation. :)

Sunday Sweets: Chocolate Healthy Smoothie

I drink a lot of smoothies. It's a good way to get fresh fruits and veggies into my diet, but sometimes I want them to taste especially yummy. Today, I decided I wanted to make one chocolate-y so here's what I came up with and it's delicious!

1/2 cup Vanilla Rice Milk
1/2 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 cup Fresh Baby Spinach
1/4 cup diced Cucumber
1/4 cup Frozen Strawberries
1/4 cup Frozen Blueberries
1 Tbsp. Light Organic Agave Nectar
2 Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender on High until smooth. Enjoy!

(Optional: This smoothie is also tasty without the Agave and Cocoa Powder if you just want the berry flavor.)

P.S. I use a Vitamix, it's an amazing blender although it's pricy. Since I use it everyday and multiple times a day, it's one of my favorite kitchen investments. I also use it to grind my own whole-grain flours.

Tuesday's Tips: 20

When choosing which color of dinner plates to buy, go for white. According to 'The Doctors', some studies show that people who eat off of white plates eat less than people who eat off of plates that have color. The contrast tricks the eye into thinking you've eaten more than you have. :)

Thoughts for Thursday 5

I've been in a funk lately. The kids have been bothering me more than usual and my patience has been missing. It's really been keeping me down. However, today, I dragged myself out of bed extra early this morning and did a P90x workout called Yoga X. The difference is amazing. I realize now that because I haven't been exercising as regularly as usual my mood has been negatively affected. In order to find joy in life, I need to start my day off with the endorphins I get from a good workout. I'm recommitting to my active morning routine, and I'm working on figuring out more ways to spend quality time with my kids outside.

The thought: Starting your day off with a good workout can help you think more clearly and keep a more positive outlook!

Good-Bye and Thank you!

I'm sorry I've been so lame at posting here. Baby number 5 is on the way! I did get into a good exercise routine before getting pregnant. In fact, I was telling Travis a few months ago how much better I feel about myself. Before we moved I was really feeling lethargic and bloated. I was really unhappy that I wasn't taking better care of myself, which resulting in a downward spiral of not caring. Bonnie-Jean has been such an inspiration with her blog and her can-do attitude.

What really helped me was getting a personal trainer. I'm not saying that everyone should run out, join a gym and spend 100's of dollars on a person to tell you what to do. I'm saying that we should all find someone we are held accountable to. If they are cheering us along the way, if they are expecting you to show up, if they are pushing your self-imposed limits, if they are helping you set good habits, if they helping you realize what other areas of your life you need to change to be healthier (addictions, eating, stress), then they are personal trainers. They are your friends. And once you feel good about yourself and you're in a habit, then you know you're golden!

A habit is something you do naturally. When you want to work out, when you choose an apple over Doritos, then you have healthy habits and no weight-loss fad will ever tempt you again. I may never have a flat tummy and my love-handles may never entirely disappear, my thighs will probably always touch, but I'm happy. My heart is happy and my mind is happy. And that is all that counts.

This is the first time that I will be exercising during my pregnancy and I'm excited about that. And who knows, maybe in 6 months you'll see me resurface here again with not as much to lose and a better blogger.

Thank you Bonnie-Jean for allowing me to guest blog and for your inspiration. May good health continue to bless you and your faithful readers!