How Exercise Makes You Happier

    

 

We all love to be happy, right? Some times, when life gets crazy, stressful or unfamiliar we can lose some of that happiness. How can we get it back? How can we be happy no matter what is going on in our life? One answer is simple, exercise!

 

Rise and Shine: Morning Rountine

         Good Morning! Rise and Shine! Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed! Up and At 'Em!

Everyone has a morning routine, even if you don't realize it. We build habits for getting ready for bed, and that becomes are routine.

 

 Building and having a healthy morning routine will set you up for a healthier and better day! Getting up and starting your day with a healthy habit will help you stay on track and motivated the rest of the
day!
Here are a few habits that I have in my Morning Routine!

Morning Walk: I like to get up around 5:30-45 and go on a hour long walk around our neighborhood!
Large Glass of Lemon Water: I pour myself a big glass of water and add lemon juice to it. This helps jump start the metabolism for the day!
Coffee!: I have to have my coffee after my lemon water. I take it strong and black!
Wake Up: Funny this comes at the bottom of the list! I love to sit and wake up slowly after I come in from my walk and drink my water and coffee!

So there you are! These are a few things that I do just about every morning! But, there are several habits that are great to have to maintain a healthy body, that I haven't manages to build yet! I am working on a few, but here are a few Healthy Morning Habits that we can all try to build!

Morning Exercise
Getting up and moving at the start of your day gets you awake, blood flowing, and energy levels up for the rest of the day! I like to take a brisk walk, but some yoga, stretches or simple exercises work just fine!

Lemon Water
Lemon water, as I said before, helps boost your metabolism for the day. Make you have this as the first thing you drink/eat in the day. Its great over ice in the summer and perfect warm in the winter!

Make a List
This is one I find helpful, I just don't do it enough! Making a list in the morning, of everything you need to get done in the day, helps get it off your chest and you don't have to worry about forgetting anything! Also, checking those things off the list throughout the day is a great feeling!

Lotion Up!
Moisturizing your body at the beginning of the day helps it stay hydrated throughout the day. I like to use a lotion with SPF on my face to protect my skin from the sun's rays. Apply lotion all over the body to keep it healthy, bright and beautiful!

Breakfast
We've heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and its true! Breakfast should be the biggest meal of your day, and it should be packed full of protein, fiber, vitamins and plenty of fruit and veggies!

Fill a Glass up With Water
Get a large glass, water bottle or cup and fill it with water. Set it on your counter or in your purse/car. Every time you see it, take a sip. You'll be surprised how much water you drink throughout the day by filling up the glass and drinking out of it every time you see it!

Think Happy Thoughts!
Starting the day with happy thoughts will boost your mood and keep you happy the rest of the day! I like to find a motivational quote or inspiration Bible verse to read and think about through the day!

Well, those are just a few of some Healthy Morning Habits that help build a healthy morning routine! If you found this helpful, please let me know and share it with friends and family!

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Keep healthy and safe!
H.Banana

 

21 Day Cleanse

Three weeks ago my sister and I decided to go on a 21 day cleanse. I had been wanting to do one for a while, and I was glad my sister wanted to join me! At first I thought 21 days was a long time, but as we got going with the cleanse, time flew by!

The Plan
So, how did we chose, out of tons of programs, which cleanse we were going to go on? I decided to combine a few of the programs I found, into one suited to our needs. The most inspiration came from the book Clean by Dr. Junger. I had done a shorter version of this cleanse before, so I was familiar with the program.
To sum it up, we cut out all processed foods, refined sugars, wheat, dairy products, soy products, corn products(all but a little fresh corn), deli meats, condiments, and stuck to a very fruit and vegetable based diet. We had at least two liquid meals a day, drank a lot of water, and practiced portion control.

Week 1
We started the cleanse on a Monday and by that next Thursday I was already seeing and feeling the effects! One of the first things I noticed was I wasn't bloated at all! I never realized how bloated I had been until then. My skin also started to clear and I was sleeping better at night.
There were, of course, struggles too. I couldn't have cream, so if I wanted coffee I had to drink it black. This has since become my preferred way to drink coffee. I also had to watch my family eat things I couldn't eat(but wanted to!). I was glad to have my sister there so we could keep each other on track!

Week 2
By week two I was feeling great and surprised at how fast the time had flown by! By this time we had had a birthday in the family as well as it being Easter Sunday, so we had 'cheated' a few times because of that. But, for the most part, we had stayed on track. I had already lost some weight and was feeling 'cleaner' (if that makes sense!)
Over Easter I made a few healthy things to keep my sister and I on track. First I made some healthy Carrot Cupcakes when my family had regular Carrot Cupcakes, and second I made my Honey Roasted Carrots which were amazing! I have to say, it wasn't as hard as I thought with healthy options  to chose over the 'unhealthy' ones!

Week 3
By this time we were counting the days to the end. When we could go back to a still healthy, but more normal diet! I have to say that by this last week by weight-loss stopped, but that's fairly normal for people who don't have a ton to lose anyway! My sister(who doesn't drink coffee black) was craving some coffee! We had another birthday in our family so we had to 'cheat' a little for that. Sadly the result of that was a stomach ache!
I was still feeling great and energized and 'clean' even if I didn't lose weight in the last week.

Results
The results of the cleanse were visual as well as nonvisual. I did lose weight, not a whole lot, but enough. In total I lost 5 pounds but, because of the strength training I added to my workout schedule ,I gained some muscle weight. Losing weight wasn't even half of it though! I felt so much better, my skin was clearer, I wasn't bloated, I slept better at night, and I had the satisfaction of knowing my body was healthier! Would I do it again? YES! I am already thinking of doing one later this summer, but let me enjoy my cheese, chocolate and biscuits first!

Main Diet
We had a few things that we ate a lot! Fruits and veggies had a place in every meal(which is something I will continue to do),  we made a lot of salads some with meat( normally grilled chicken) and some without and we got really creative with our smoothies. Thankfully we fixed a lot of 'cleanse approved' meals as a family.  A few things I learned to love were, black coffee, avocado( I put it in everything from smoothie to salad!), nuts(by themselves for a snack or in a smoothie.) and steamed broccoli!

I hope this post as given you a few ideas on what to expect, should you go on a cleanse yourself. This, of course, was my personally experience, and every one is different so your experience will more than likely be different that mine!
Please make sure that you are in a position health-wise to complete a cleanse, if you should chose to do a cleanse.

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Keep healthy and SAFE
H.Banana