It may be winter..but...

Even though it's cold outside,

it doesn't mean you can't have a fruit smoothie!

Smoothies are a yummy way to get fruit servings in for the day!

Here are some delicious smoothie recipes:

Ingredients:

3/4 c. soy milk

1/4 c. rolled oats (makes it more thick)

8 strawberries

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 banana

1 tsp. honey

Place soy milk, oats, strawberries, and banana in your blender & blend.  Add the honey & vanilla extract and blend for 30 seconds or until smooth. 

(yields 12 oz., 284 calories per serving, 5g fat)
source

Ingredients:

1 c. fresh strawberries

1 banana

1 c. non-fat yogurt

1 packet sugar/or sugar substitute

1 c. ice

Blend until creamy & delicious...which won't take long!

(yields 20 oz., 291 calories, 0g fat)

source  

 

Ingredients:

1 c. frozen blueberries

1/4 c. frozen whole cranberries

1/2 c. vanilla nonfat yogurt

1/2 c. cranberry juice

Place the cranberry juice in the blender first, yogurt second and frozen fruits last. Start on a slow speed until the blades are smoothly turning and then push to high for 30 seconds or so.

(yields 16 oz., 260 calories, 1g. fat)

   Ingredients:

1 c. low-fat raspberry yogurt

1/2 c. whole milk

1 c. frozen raspberries

3/4 c. frozen strawberries

2 c. ice

(yields 2 servings @ 16 oz. each, 294 calories per serving, 3.2 g. fat)  

 source

Ingredients:

1 c. frozen blueberries

1 banana

6 oz. plain nonfat yogurt

1 tbsp. ground flax seeds 

1/2 c. ice cubes 

(yields 2 servings @ 14 oz. each, 195 calories per serving, 23 g. fat)

source 

Ingredients:

1 c. strawberries

1/4 c. water

4 ice cubes

1 tbsp. honey

(this is a non dairy recipe)

(yields 12 oz, 110 calories, 4 g. fat)

4 Secrets to Kick the Cold

Runny nose?

Clogged sinuses?

Sneezing?

Coughing?

Sore Throat?

All of the above?

Here are some tips to help you stay healthy or to help you get through your December cold:

1. Go Outside: 

staying inside puts you in close contact with other people and other germs circulating.  Going for a stroll can boost your immunity.

2. Relax:

Relaxing helps you fight off colds.  It helps your body produce disease fighting cells.

Plus, when you are more relaxed you are more likely to take care of yourself.

3. Clean those hands:

Washing hands is the best way to prevent getting sick!

Wash your hands for 20 seconds or more with soap under warm water.

4. Get your sleep!

Don't cheat your body from getting the rest it needs. 6-8 hours of sleep is much needed!

5. Vitamin C!!

Drink your O.J.!

source

Why exercise?

Here are links to two very interesting articles about the benefits of exercise. They include benefits not normally discussed. Did you know that exercise is the single best thing you can do for your brain in terms of mood, memory, and learning? It's true! Take a look!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/the-benefits-of-middle-age-fitness/

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/slideshows/7-mind-blowing-benefits-of-exercise

More Zen Den Ideas

We have loved receiving all of your Zen Den pictures!

We think they are super creative!

Here are a few:

 

 

 

 

 

and if you're still needing ideas & wish you were at the beach 

click

here

Don't forget to send in your pictures if you haven't yet! 

Are you creating your Zen Den?

The 4th quarter challenge started this past Monday! Are you coming up with ideas for your own personal Zen Den? Here are some ideas to get your mind thinking! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 

FROM 

HEALTH PROMOTION

 & MOST ESPECIALLY 

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES!!

<< yoga >>

We've all heard it....the craze for yoga that has grown over the past few years, even though the exercise/practice has been around for thousands of years!

So why is yoga so popular?  

Here are a few reasons:

"Yoga is not a religion; it is a way of living whose 'aim is a "healthy" mind in a healthy body’."

"Man is a physical, mental and spiritual being; yoga helps promote a balanced development of all the three. Other forms of physical exercises, like aerobics, assure only physical well-being. They have little to do with the development of the spiritual or astral body." source


Yoga as a strategy to 'reduce stress/anxiety' also rated highly, with 59% of respondents giving it as a reason for beginning. This increased to 77% as a reason for continuing,  source

Jillian Michaels, a famous personal trainer on the TV reality series The Biggest Loser and creator of multiple workout programs/diet plans, gives us a 35 minute modified yoga routine to do in your own home.

Looks like fun!  Give it a try to relieve stress, exercise, increase your strength/flexibility and increase your health all in one!  (beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels offered in this video)

<< Top Power Foods >>

Feeling tired throughout your day?  It could be that you aren't getting enough iron.  Here are some foods to eat to boost your iron levels!:

• Red meats, fish & poultry
• If you don't eat meat: soybeans, lentils, spinach, & fortified cereals.

 

If you find yourself feeling antsy throughout the day, your jitters could come from too many refined carbs—foods high in white flour (cookies, sugary cereals, white bread, etc.) and stripped of nutrients and fiber that normally keep your blood sugar stable. These foods can possibly help with the problem:

• lean protein
• healthy fats
• unrefined carbohydrates: brown rice, whole-grain bread/pasta, whole oats, fruits, veggies, legumes. 

 

Certain veggies and legumes can make you feel bloated.  A few of these could be beans, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.  Carbonated drinks can up the bloating.  Try this:

• Half the amount of bloat-boosting veggies you normally eat for one week.  Don't cut them out completely, because they provide crucial nutrients for you!  
• Eliminate the soda and up your water intake!  

source 

<< Partying Without the Calories >>

Can you believe...

HaLLoWeEn

is just next week?

It's hard to anticipate the holidays without knowing you might gain a pound or two.

But we have some solutions to make maintaining your weight a little easier.

If you are hosting a party, have some healthy snacks available, but make the main activity at the party something other than eating.

Like...

Decorating Pumpkins 

<< something other than the usual carving idea >>

Click HERE to find out how to glitter your pumpkins!

 

 another cute idea!

 find out how HERE 

 Halloween Games

 

 some other halloween games:

pinata

pin the stem on the pumpkin

bean bag toss

bob for apples

instead of donuts on a string,  apple slices on a string

some of these seem like games for kids, but once you get adults involved everybody will be comfortable and the laughing will never stop!

Good luck party planning!

<< Build Your Holiday Budget >>

 

Fall is the precursor to holiday spending and it’s your last chance to avoid holiday debt by forming a savings and spending strategy. According to 2011 TurboTax data:

Americans spent $516 on gifts for family, friends and co-workers, and purchased about $190 worth of decorations, holiday food and candy, greeting cards and postage last year.

Create a list of every holiday expense you foresee including:

• gift cards 
• stocking stuffers
• expenses related to holiday parties
• hostess gifts
• exchanges at work
• baking
• wrapping paper
• greeting cards
• and anything else that has historically snuck into your budget in the throes of the holiday rush.

Once you’ve arrived at a grand total, devise a personal savings plan with an end goal of early December so you can work towards it little by little. 

For example, a person with the “average” holiday spending profile above could bank the $706 by December 1st by setting aside just $23 a day, starting with Halloween.

In contrast, an unprepared holiday shopper charging that amount and making minimum payments on a “low interest credit card” (at a current annual percentage rate of 10.95%), would need more than two and half years—and an additional $115 in interest expenses to pay off the debt.

source