"Every pro was once an amateur. Every expert was once a beginner. So dream big and start now."
You can't become 'good' at something unless you try! You can't just say "I won't be good at it". How do you know? Why not give it a try and see? Of course, I am talking about heath and fitness, but this applies to every aspect of life. Maybe you are a little afraid to try becoming healthier because you don't know what to do and you don't want to fail. I've felt like that, and sometimes I still do! But I have learned that you have to start small and work your way up from there. So, lets get started.
Start Off Slow
When you start down the 'healthy living' road you need to make changes gradually. Start with cutting things out of your diet like soda and sugary sweets, and add in the healthier options like carbonated water, fruits and veggies and so on. This way you slowly get used to the changes and you don't miss the things you used to like. I remember when I used to love soda, but once I cut it out I never looked back. I don't remember the last time I craved a soda.
The same goes for exercise. When workout for the first time you are going to be a little sore afterwards because you body isn't used to it. Start with something easy and work your way up. It isn't 'weak' to start out slow, you are taking care of your body, that's something to be proud of!
Working Out
So, what do you do, when starting out? Well, there are several different types and areas of exercises you can try. And, you don't have to go to the gym to do them either, unless of course you want to. I don't go to a gym, I use a home gym (Treadmill, elliptical and weights) as well as just body weight work. What's body weight work? Its where you use your body as a weight instead of actual weights. An example would be push-ups, planks, squats and so on. I personally like Body Weighted workouts a lot better than weighted ones. Below I will share with you a few of my favorites and I hope you will try them!
Squats. This exercise it pretty basic, but there are plenty of variations out there. They focus on working your thigh and core area. You can find a how to on You Beauty . To start with, I would try 20 squats the first day and add 10 every day!
Plank. This exercise is a totally body move, with the focus on your arm and core area. They also have several variations but the basic one is great! You can find a how to on The Berry . To start with, try a 30 sec. plank and add 10 sec. every day!
Jumping Jacks. Now these you have more than likely done before. They are pretty straight forward, but, if you need a how to you can go to Prevention . Try starting with 30 and add 10 each day!
Push-Ups. These are a bit tougher than the others. They work and practice to get good at them, but that shouldn't stop you. I still can't do a full one, but there are several variations you can do to work your way up. To see some of those go to Greatist . I would suggest starting with the one on your knees and going from there. Do 20 to start with and add as many as you can each day!
Cleaning Up Your Diet
Now, let's talk about the food part of this. Where do you start? Like I said earlier, cut a few things out and add a few things in. Cook more at home, so that you know exactly what you are eating. Here are a few tips and tricks to kick off your healthy diet!
Cut out soda. This is so important! Soda is full of sugar and its horrible for you. Sure, it can be refreshing but there are plenty of healthier options out there! Try carbonated water, iced unsweet tea, or lemon water instead!
Add in Veggies and Fruit. Maybe you already eat a lot of fruit and veggies, that's wonderful. But are you eating enough and in the right form? Your plate should be half full of fruits and veggies, and as close to there natural state as possible. Grill some veggies, have a salad or make a fruit salad. Another tip, eat the color of the rainbow!
Water, Water, Water! I cannot stress this enough! You need water to be healthy and feel your best. Instead of reaching for a soda, have a glass of water. You should drink half your body weight in water a day, so drink up!
Limit Sugar. In our house, we try to only have sweets on the weekend, or if we want a sweet in the middle of the week we make a healthy one. We loved to use Honey instead of sugar (Make sure your recipe calls for honey, don't add honey instead of sugar to a normal recipe.) Look around for recipes using honey (I have a few on this blog!)
I hope these tips can help you in becoming healthier. I hope they inspire you to get moving and healthy. Let me know if they helped you and how!
Keep healthy and SAFE
H.Banana
Remember, don't do anything (Workouts or Food-wise) unless you are able for them. I don't want anyone getting hurt!
Daily Workouts
January 22, 2015
Getting some exercise everyday is important to maintain a healthy body. Finding time to work in physical activity can be hard though. I know how hard it can be to work in a workout between school, chores and just being busy ( and I'm not that busy!) But I feel so much better if I do fit it in!
Morning Workouts
The past few days I have been getting up really early (6 a.m) and working out. This was hard to do at first but it soon became almost a habit. At first all I wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep or have a cup of coffee (I have been getting up at 6:15 a.m for a while) but I made myself get dressed and workout. I like to do my cardio in the morning because it helps get me nice and awake and ready to go. Working out in the morning will also help to energize you for the rest of the day! Plus, you won't have to worry about fitting in a workout during your day!
'During the day' Workouts
Even though I do cardio in the morning, I try and fit in a strength training session some time during the day. The reason I don't do it all at once is because I don't have and hour- hour and a half to workout at one time. So I split it up. But, if you aren't a fan of waking up early and working out you can of course do it at once in the middle of the day. If I am going to do that I usually try and workout about a hour after lunch (You should wait at least 45 mins to a hour after eating to workout to avoid cramping) I usually do 20-30 mins of cardio and then 15-20 mins of strength training. You also can of course combine the two in to a full-body-cardio strength workout. Look around on YOUTUBE or Pinterest for inspiration!
Shaking it up a bit
When you workout every day or so your body will slowly get used to what you are putting it through. Because of this, its important to shake your workouts up and change it every week or so. A little while ago I was doing the elliptical every day on a fast, light-weight setting. This week I changed it to a slower, heavier weight setting. I also added in the weight-strength training.
Let me know what kind of workouts you do or would like to have time to do!
Keep it healthy and SAFE!
H.Banana
Morning Workouts
The past few days I have been getting up really early (6 a.m) and working out. This was hard to do at first but it soon became almost a habit. At first all I wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep or have a cup of coffee (I have been getting up at 6:15 a.m for a while) but I made myself get dressed and workout. I like to do my cardio in the morning because it helps get me nice and awake and ready to go. Working out in the morning will also help to energize you for the rest of the day! Plus, you won't have to worry about fitting in a workout during your day!
'During the day' Workouts
Even though I do cardio in the morning, I try and fit in a strength training session some time during the day. The reason I don't do it all at once is because I don't have and hour- hour and a half to workout at one time. So I split it up. But, if you aren't a fan of waking up early and working out you can of course do it at once in the middle of the day. If I am going to do that I usually try and workout about a hour after lunch (You should wait at least 45 mins to a hour after eating to workout to avoid cramping) I usually do 20-30 mins of cardio and then 15-20 mins of strength training. You also can of course combine the two in to a full-body-cardio strength workout. Look around on YOUTUBE or Pinterest for inspiration!
Shaking it up a bit
When you workout every day or so your body will slowly get used to what you are putting it through. Because of this, its important to shake your workouts up and change it every week or so. A little while ago I was doing the elliptical every day on a fast, light-weight setting. This week I changed it to a slower, heavier weight setting. I also added in the weight-strength training.
Let me know what kind of workouts you do or would like to have time to do!
Keep it healthy and SAFE!
H.Banana
Lentil Soup Recipe
January 15, 2015
This is one of the soups we had on our Cleanse and is by far one of our favorites. I know several family members (Including me!) went back for seconds!
This is super easy to make and is totally delicious!
Ingredients:
6-8 cups of Chicken Broth (We used homemade)
4 stacks of celery
1 1/2 cup of Red Lentils
2 cups carrots
2 TBS minced garlic
2 TBS dried parsley
2 TBS olive oil
1 TSP white wine vinegar
2 TSP onion powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
(Optional) 2 cups water. (Add this if the soup is too thick for your preference.)
Begin with washing and chopping the celery stacks and carrots.
This is super easy to make and is totally delicious!
Ingredients:
6-8 cups of Chicken Broth (We used homemade)
4 stacks of celery
1 1/2 cup of Red Lentils
2 cups carrots
2 TBS minced garlic
2 TBS dried parsley
2 TBS olive oil
1 TSP white wine vinegar
2 TSP onion powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
(Optional) 2 cups water. (Add this if the soup is too thick for your preference.)
Begin with washing and chopping the celery stacks and carrots.
Chop the celery in to little chunks.
Do the same with the carrots.
Bring the chicken broth(and water, if you are using it) to a soft boil.
Add celery, carrots and lentils to the pot and stir to combine.
Next, add olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic, onion powder, dried parsley, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Let this cook on medium heat for 25-30 minutes. Serve hot with some whole grain bread!
I hope you like this soup as much as we did! I know I will be making it again this winter!
Please share my blog with a friend!
Keep healthy and SAFE!
H. Banana
Workout Video
January 9, 2015
Hello everyone! I hope your New Years were amazing! Mine totally were! I spent New Years eve and New Years Day on the slopes in Colorado! My sister and I tried snowboarding for the first time and we had a blast!
But now that I am back home its time to get serious again about health and fitness! My family and I are going on a week long cleanse. The cleanse we are doing is roughly taken from the book CLEAN (which you should totally check out!) by Alejandro Junger , M.D. The cleanse is a three week program but since its our first cleanse we are just going for a week. I hope to be posting some of the recipe we are using soon!
Another thing, I will be posting once a week from now on instead of every other day. I hope that this will give me more time to write more interesting post and create some new workouts and recipes!
I have been looking on Pinterest and YOUTUBE and I have noticed how many workout videos are on there! I have been looking for a good one to try and I think I have found one!
This video is by Christine Salus and her YOUTUBE channel is great! She has several other workout videos, as well as a few other things! I hope you will check her out!
This workout is 40 minutes long and super tough! It was a lot of workouts I hadn't done before, so I was challenging in that way, but also it was high intensity. HIIT stand for High Intensity Interval Training so that should tell you its tough!
Christine's workout was very easy to follow and easy to understand. I hope you will check out her videos and let me and her know what you think about them!
Please share my blog with a friend!
Keep it healthy and SAFE!
H. Banana
But now that I am back home its time to get serious again about health and fitness! My family and I are going on a week long cleanse. The cleanse we are doing is roughly taken from the book CLEAN (which you should totally check out!) by Alejandro Junger , M.D. The cleanse is a three week program but since its our first cleanse we are just going for a week. I hope to be posting some of the recipe we are using soon!
Another thing, I will be posting once a week from now on instead of every other day. I hope that this will give me more time to write more interesting post and create some new workouts and recipes!
I have been looking on Pinterest and YOUTUBE and I have noticed how many workout videos are on there! I have been looking for a good one to try and I think I have found one!
This workout is 40 minutes long and super tough! It was a lot of workouts I hadn't done before, so I was challenging in that way, but also it was high intensity. HIIT stand for High Intensity Interval Training so that should tell you its tough!
Christine's workout was very easy to follow and easy to understand. I hope you will check out her videos and let me and her know what you think about them!
Please share my blog with a friend!
Keep it healthy and SAFE!
H. Banana
Resisting Temptation
December 31, 2014
With all the holiday treats being made at my house this week it has been hard to resist just gorging myself on them! I myself have made cookies, fudge, caramels and other sweets (Yes, I know.. I'm being a hypocrite!) but that doesn't mean I have to eat it all! I allow myself to have a small portion of a treat, and I make sure that I get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day! But, I do find it hard to stop at just one cookie, one small piece of fudge or a small bite of caramel, so what do you do? How do you resist the urge to replace every meal with sugary sweets? Here are a few tips that I use and have found helpful!
#1 Portion control.
As stated before, keeping an eye on the size and amount of treats you consume is important. Its also important that you don't feel deprived from your favorite foods. Let yourself have a small bite or serving, but stop there. Your future self will thank you!
#2 Drinking Water.
I have stressed this in other post, but I will say it again! Not drinking enough water can make you feel hungry and can cause you to have a little more than you planned, food-wise. I try to have a large glass of water with every meal and one every hour or so. If you are out and about, carry water with you either in a water bottle or a cute cup!
#3 Activity!
Getting moving for at least 30 minutes a day is a must. It will keep you from eating because you are bored and it can be made fun!
#4 Healthy Foods.
Make sure there is a large variety of healthy foods for you to snack on instead of the sugary ones! I love to have fresh fruit and veggies already to enjoy any time!
#5 Enjoy
Make sure you aren't mindlessly eating your treats as you do something else. Keep your mind on the item you are eating and make sure to enjoy it so you don't have to get another one!
#6 Creativity
You can get so creative with the different healthy winter treat! I have made several cookies, treats and drinks that are healthy but delicious. Let me know what healthy winter treats you enjoy!
Well that it! I know it is similar to other post I have posted, but this is a struggle that I almost constantly have during the winter and I wanted to share with you ways that I have found of over coming it!
I won't be posting anymore for a few days because I am on vacation! Yay! So don't expect a post for a little bit (Not too long though)
Keep it healthy and safe!
H.Banana
#1 Portion control.
As stated before, keeping an eye on the size and amount of treats you consume is important. Its also important that you don't feel deprived from your favorite foods. Let yourself have a small bite or serving, but stop there. Your future self will thank you!
#2 Drinking Water.
I have stressed this in other post, but I will say it again! Not drinking enough water can make you feel hungry and can cause you to have a little more than you planned, food-wise. I try to have a large glass of water with every meal and one every hour or so. If you are out and about, carry water with you either in a water bottle or a cute cup!
#3 Activity!
Getting moving for at least 30 minutes a day is a must. It will keep you from eating because you are bored and it can be made fun!
#4 Healthy Foods.
Make sure there is a large variety of healthy foods for you to snack on instead of the sugary ones! I love to have fresh fruit and veggies already to enjoy any time!
#5 Enjoy
Make sure you aren't mindlessly eating your treats as you do something else. Keep your mind on the item you are eating and make sure to enjoy it so you don't have to get another one!
#6 Creativity
You can get so creative with the different healthy winter treat! I have made several cookies, treats and drinks that are healthy but delicious. Let me know what healthy winter treats you enjoy!
Well that it! I know it is similar to other post I have posted, but this is a struggle that I almost constantly have during the winter and I wanted to share with you ways that I have found of over coming it!
I won't be posting anymore for a few days because I am on vacation! Yay! So don't expect a post for a little bit (Not too long though)
Keep it healthy and safe!
H.Banana
More Motivation
December 30, 2014
I've done a motivational post before, and I wanted to do another one! Motivation is key (I can't stress that enough!) and it can be found several places! I like to read motivation quotes and I want to share a few of my favorites with you!
Losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Pick your hard.
Suck is up so one day you don't have to suck it in.
It is not about 'having' time, it is about making time
It's not always easy, but it's always worth it
Workout like your life depends on it......because it does.
These came from Pinterest, which is my favorite place to get motivation of all kinds. Remember, motivation isn't something you do here and there, but its an every day thing that you need to succeed in anything!
Keep healthy and SAFE!
H.Banana
Losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Pick your hard.
Suck is up so one day you don't have to suck it in.
It is not about 'having' time, it is about making time
It's not always easy, but it's always worth it
Workout like your life depends on it......because it does.
These came from Pinterest, which is my favorite place to get motivation of all kinds. Remember, motivation isn't something you do here and there, but its an every day thing that you need to succeed in anything!
Keep healthy and SAFE!
H.Banana
Chia Seeds
December 28, 2014
Chia seeds have so many health benefits! You can get half the amount of fiber you need in a day in just one ounce of Chia seeds! They also will give you an energy boost, help control your food cravings, lose excess weight, lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar levels, improves digestion, reduces inflammation, improves hydration, lower blood pressure, improves sleep, lower risk of heart attack and much more! ( Info from Chia Seeds Health ) .
With all those benefits, adding them to our diets is a must! But, how do you do that? Its not all that pleasant to just have a spoon full of Chia seeds in the morning. Here are a few ways to add Chia seeds into your diet!
Mix them into oatmeal, yogurt and granola or cereal. You can hardly tell they are there!
I add them to my smoothies and shakes! They blend right up and you can't even see them!
Add to soup to thicken the broth.
You can even use them as an egg substitute! 1 tablespoon Chia seeds to 1/4 cup of water for 1 egg.
Sprinkle on a salad. Rodale News suggest toasting the Chia seeds to give them a nutter flavor!
With all those benefits, adding them to our diets is a must! But, how do you do that? Its not all that pleasant to just have a spoon full of Chia seeds in the morning. Here are a few ways to add Chia seeds into your diet!
Mix them into oatmeal, yogurt and granola or cereal. You can hardly tell they are there!
I add them to my smoothies and shakes! They blend right up and you can't even see them!
Add to soup to thicken the broth.
You can even use them as an egg substitute! 1 tablespoon Chia seeds to 1/4 cup of water for 1 egg.
Sprinkle on a salad. Rodale News suggest toasting the Chia seeds to give them a nutter flavor!
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