There is never a need to crash diet, exercise until your muscles ache, or be stressed about those few extra pounds during bikini season. The trick to losing weight and feeling great is about committing yourself to a healthy lifestyle. It’s simple! Throw away the Doritos and dip (it’s easier to do than it sounds, promise), and try to weave these three simple steps into your daily dig.

Number 1 – Improve Your Eating Habits
I’m not saying starve yourself or cut out your most beloved foods. Just learn to eat everything in moderation. Try to eat four small meals a day and drink lots of water (especially in the heat!). You all know the saying…Eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch, and a pauper at dinner. Well, try it out! Eat lots of greens, protein, and fruits, and try to steer clear from those processed and packaged foods (even though I know it’s hard not to give in every once in a while). However, before you indulge in a snack trying drinking a giant glass of water. Sometimes we mistake thirsty for hungry.
Number 2 – Workout More Often
This is not rocket science. I know it, you know it and I know you know it. But I’ll say it again—try to exercise. There’s no need to hire a trainer or join a gym; just be more health conscious throughout your day. This could mean walking instead of driving to run errands, or choosing the stairs over the elevator at work. No matter the circumstance, there is no need to disrupt your daily routine. Be crafty! (I often lift dumbbells at my desk during long conference calls at work). If you can fit in 20-30 minutes of cardio, your heart rate will be pumping and you’ll be waving bye bye to that weight in no time.
Number 3 – Relax. Relax. Relax.
Stress directly contributes to bad health—and weight gain. When encountering stressful situations some folks choose to eat all the contents of their refrigerator while others choose to not eat at all. Neither of these options will do! Since it is summertime, give yourself a break from the anxiety. Lie on the beach, read a book, or stroll through the park. Take some downtime (or some you time) after a stressful day to kick back and leave the worry far behind.

Happy Summer!

We’ve all heard of the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet (weight loss and decreased chance of diabetes, heart attack, and stroke), but the Mediterranean diet is more than a diet, it’s a lifestyle. Not only is it about exchanging processed foods, unhealthy fats, and red meats for all natural, healthier choices, but it’s also about slowing down and taking the time to choose your food, prepare it well, and relax and enjoy it.

With the Mediterranean transformational process, there are only a few simple things to begin being mindful of. First, start by trying to always have fresh vegetables in the house. You should include fresh produce in every meal, and by having them already, you’ll have a better chance of wanting to prepare them before they go bad.

You may already have made this second change, but if you haven’t, swap out all your butter and vegetable oils for extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil has so much more flavor and is a much healthier fat that will help you feel more satisfied.

The next change you should make is to monitor how much red meat and chicken you consume. By exchanging these for fish, beans, and nuts, you’ll be cutting fat and increasing the lean protein in your body. You’ll also be diversifying your diet and getting to experiment with fun and new recipes.

The last change to make in your lifestyle is the most welcome change of all—that’s right, add a glass of red wine to your dinner. Red wine is heart healthy and helps regulate blood sugar and digest food by absorbing nutrients.

Small changes in your overall eating patterns could increase your energy levels and help with overall weight loss.

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Many cultures believe that when you eat an abundance of spicy food, you are heating up your insides, creating a faster metabolism needed for weight loss. Many chefs, artists, and even psychologists believe that when you add color and texture to a meal, you will create something more appetizing, resulting in satisfaction rather than overeating. Peppers can be spicy and colorful and make a great addition to almost any meal. There are so many varieties of peppers that range in both color and flavor that it can be hard to chose. Don’t be afraid to try something new. To help you out, here is a quick guide to picking your pepper:

Green Chile: long, light green. Flavor can vary, but they are best
diced or pureed for sauces, soups, or salads.

Sweet Banana Pepper: sweet yellow/orange peppers. Great to fry or
sauté and can even use raw in sandwiches.

Serrano Chile:  The smaller these green (eventually turn to orange as
it matures) guys are, the more spice they have.

Cayenne Pepper: It’s a popular spice, but this wrinkled, skinny red
pepper can also be chopped up to make your dish super hot.

Cheery Pepper: Looks kind of like a cherry tomato, and spice varies.
These peppers also have a certain sweetness.

Rocotillo Chile: They have black seeds and are shaped like small bell
peppers and are surprisingly fruity.

Jalapeno Pepper: They are a bright green in summer and found in many
spicy Latin dishes to give a lot of heat.

Photo Credit: Up Your Kilt

It’s March—the month where the weather begins to change. We notice buds beginning to bloom, sporadic days of beautiful weather, and of course we can finally push our clocks forward for longer days. Our bodies are noticing these changes too, and for our bodies, spring means detox. And thus, we start to notice all those pounds we packed on over those cold winter evenings eating pizza in front of the TV. During the winter when it’s freezing outside, our bodies want to hold on tight to everything we eat. Besides some extra pounds, this also means extra toxins. When spring starts to roll around, our bodies become aware that it’s time to release these toxins and maybe even shed some weight. Of course our bodies need a little help, so we need to choose the right foods that will encourage this transition to occur.

For a spring detox, there is no need to starve yourself. Of course if you’re one of those people who wants to do a juice cleanse for a few days, all the more power to you. For most of us, this is an especially difficult task. To detox naturally, the only thing you need to do is slightly alter your diet for a while. Fruits and vegetables (especially citrus fruits and green veggies) are key ingredients to your detox diet. By adding these foods in place of some of the more calorie rich meat and carbs, our bodies will begin to naturally detox and adjust to all the wonderful spring changes happening all around us.   

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 It seems like people can’t talk enough about the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil, but what about the olives? It seems like olives have always taken a back seat as a garnish, lost in a salad, or as a meager part of your antipasta, but it’s about time to start giving them the attention they deserve.

The main reason that olives tend to get ignored is probably because people don’t know that much about them. Besides being an ambiguous fruit (sometimes mistaken as a vegetable), olives come in tons of varieties, have the same health benefits as found in extra virgin olive oil, and can be deliciously prepared in multiple ways.

Even though there are variances of flavors, most olives tend to pair best with either sweet dried figs, or tart, salty cheeses. Either way, because of the intense flavors, olives make a great midday snack that will keep you satisfied. They’re also a great way to change things up from the usual boring snacks.   

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Admit it. You’ve done the following a million times: You’re about to delve into a snack, but first you flip it around to check the Nutrition Facts. But, no matter what it says, you eat it anyway because IT’S THERE. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always a good idea to check those facts because you never know if your protein bar is packing more calories than a Snickers bar or if your 100-calorie “health bar” is filled with a bunch of chemicals. No matter the amount of calories, if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, you should probably drop the snack and step away.

Since most quick snacks have either too many calories or are mostly processed with poison, a great snack to eat on the go is trail mix. You can depend on it for protein and energy, it can be sweet and savory, and it will actually keep you satisfied. Word of caution, when choosing trail mix, pick the kind with only natural ingredients. To be positive that it’s all natural, you can even make your own. Picking out different nuts, dried fruit, and even dark chocolate pieces makes a delicious snack. Just remember, even if you aren’t going for a hike, trail mix needs to be rationed out because although it’s healthy, it does have a high fat content. And if trail mix does, just imagine how much fat is packed into almost every other snack you eat. 
There’s some food for thought.                                                                      

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Every slender woman you see (no matter her age) has three things going for her. The first is genetics, and ladies we all know there is nothing we can do to change that. The second is a fast metabolism. We can help to speed up our metabolism with exercise, but mostly that’s also linked to genetics. The third is important because we can help control it the most. If you haven’t already guessed, third is making sure you are routinely going to the bathroom (number two!) at least once a day.

Many Americans suffer from constipation, making them hold on to extra weight (John Wayne actually died with 60 lbs. of waste inside of him). We do NOT want that! For those of you not getting your daily fiber intake and not taking that daily trip to the girl’s room, you may want to consider an ancient ayurvedic cure called isabgol. Isabgol are natural Psyllium seed husks, a native plant from India. It can also be found in most common colon cleansers. Mixing isabgol in water or taking it in capsule form relieves your bowels naturally and can help get your system regulated, getting rid of that constipated bulge in your belly.

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When you think of witches around the cauldron mixing up a smoking green concoction, did you ever wonder what life altering elixir they were brewing? The answer is green tea. Well, maybe that wasn’t always the case, but it should have been.
 
A recent study conducted by the Journal of Nutrition took two groups of people and made them workout for only three hours a week. One group drank about six cups of green tea a day, while the other group did not. By the end of the study, the green tea group lost two times as much weight. The secret in green tea is the catechins. Catechins are antioxidants and what scientists are starting to believe is the reason green tea aids in weight loss.
 
On top of weight loss, green tea is also helpful in keeping you awake, so put down the coffee and make yourself some green tea! Six cups are a lot to drink, but remember, we are supposed to drink at least 8 cups of water a day, so really why not substitute for the tea?

Photo credit: the bolg

Wednesday—right smack dab in the middle of the five-day work work—is known as Hump Day. It’s the day in which the weekend starts to come into view—as long as you get over the hump. It holds promise that Friday and our weekend will soon be near. When we begin eating healthy, trying to change our lifestyles, the first few days can actually seem like agony. Just like a drug withdrawal, our bodies actually go through withdrawal from the food it is going without (fried foods, carbs, cheese). The good news is that after the first two or three days is over, and we get over the hump, our bodies will actually begin to renew themselves and crave healthy foods, and our healthy life is in sight.

The reason this is important is that many people feel discouraged when beginning a weight loss plan when results don’t always appear right away. I’m not saying that you can never eat the foods you love again, but making it through the hump days is a key factor to reshaping your food cravings and waistline. Next week, try taking the first few days to eat nothing but healthy, nutrient rich foods. By Thursday, you may still want a giant piece of cake, but notice your increased energy levels and decreased cravings.

You might not have shed more than a few ounces, but you can be sure that your body is beginning to change!

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We all learned about it in our middle school science class, but who knew back then the number on your p H balance would turn out to be something you should actually be aware of as a healthy adult?
For those of you were like me—too busy passing notes to the cute 6th grade boy to pay attention in class—I’ll give you a quick recap.
 
The p H scale ranges from 1 to 9, the lower end representing acidity and the higher end being more basic. As healthy humans, we should rank about a 7. Now for the scary part: almost everything we eat and drink ranks under 5! This is bad for our immune system, our skin, and even our weight! The only foods that hit about a 9 are green. This means spinach, avocados, celery, green apples…you get the picture. So, you can imagine how difficult it is to even ourselves out. Even bottled water ranks a 3! Filtering tap will get you an even 7.
 
The reason that our p H system is an important factor in keeping our bodies lean and our complexions smooth is that by evening our bodies out, we are forcing ourselves to eat more healthy food. This doesn’t mean changing your diet and eliminating everything else you love, but by adding only 30% more greens you are balancing your system out and indirectly helping yourself lose some weight. Adults who consume 30% more fruits and veggies are statistically leaner than those who don’t.    
 
So ask yourself now, what’s your number?

Photo credit: vegetarian.nutrition.info