Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts

breakfast...

The one meal that is the most important but often the most forgotten. It's so easy to keep hitting the snooze button instead of getting up and starting the day. If you are like me, you like to take your time in the morning getting ready for whatever the day has ahead. I will typically get up, put my coffee on, take a relaxing shower and watch Kathie Lee and Hoda while I get dressed. If I'm not doing that I'll go to the gym.

Even though my two morning routines are very different, they have one thing in common: breakfast. I always make sure I have something to eat for breakfast, even if I'm eating it on the way to class. There really is no excuse these days not to have breakfast and no by breakfast I don't mean fresh squeezed OJ and an omelette. It by no means has to be as extravagant as that.

For a quick grab and go breakfast I'll have a granola bar, oatmeal bar, Greek yogurt or a protein shake. On days that I have more time, I'll make myself a smoothie, oatmeal with a cut up banana or banana and peanut butter. None of these things are expensive and it's all good corduroy. 

There have been so many studies done to show the benefits of having breakfast. 

1. Faster metabolism - Having breakfast will help you jump start your metabolism and help burn as many calories as possible during the day. By having breakfast it can potentially boost your metabolism by 10% a day, to ensure this try and have a healthy breakfast like oatmeal, Greek yogurt or an egg.

2. More energy - A healthy filling breakfast will help boost energy for the day. By having something that will stick to your ribs, like eggs, whole wheat toast & oatmeal, you'll have more energy for a longer period of time. The fiber and carbohydrates in breakfast will help keep you more energized through the day.

3. Better memory - By eating at the beginning of the day, you are more likely to increase short term memory.

4. Less snacking - If you don't have breakfast, hunger is likely to set in before lunch time. This will lead people to snack on high calorie and high fat foods.

5. Starts the day in a good way - By this I mean if you get up a little earlier to enjoy breakfast it can make all the difference in the day. For instance, you will feel less rushed, more relaxed and prepared to start the day. It can make all the difference in the way you approach the day.

6. Lower bad cholesterol - Breakfast eaters are more likely to have better cholesterol and less sensitivity to insulin than non-breakfast eaters.

7. Enhance immune system - You'll be putting more vitamins and minerals in your body. You will also be developing a lifelong habit that is heart and body healthy.

8. Weight control - People who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight. Especially if breakfast is the largest meal of the day, people who have breakfast as the largest meal of the day are more likely to loose or maintain weight compared to others who have the same daily calorie intake but do not use breakfast as a big meal.

9. You won't be as cranky in the office - With more food in your belly, you will be less likely to snap at those annoying co-workers first thing in the morning.

10. Healthier skin - Certain foods will help make your skin look amazing! Breakfast is the easiest way to put these foods into your daily diet. Some of these things are, fruit, Greek yogurt, and tea.

After all of those benefits doesn't it seem like it's worth it to hit that snooze button one less time in the morning? 

until next time... xoxo J

30 day green smoothie challenge...


Starting April 1, my friend Mary that lives in Southern California will be doing a 30 day green smoothie challenge by Simple Green Smoothies. Since Mary is new to the SoCal lifestyle, she and her friends are all doing the cleanse. Once a week we will post on her progress and thoughts of the cleanse. First off this cleanse she is doing is not a diet, she is not replacing any of her meals with the smoothies.

The cleanse will help boost her energy, lose weight effortlessly and make healthy eating a lifestyle choice. Mary will use the smoothie as her breakfast or a pick-me-up snack at some point during the day. Each week she is emailed a shopping list of ingredients as well as recipes. The smoothies are not only supposed to be good for you, but also taste amazing! So far many of the other spinach based smoothies that are a part of this "fad" taste horrible, the goal of 30 Day Green Smoothie, is to make the fad a tasty part of your lifestyle. I am excited to get Mary's feedback on how she and her friends are doing on the challenge. I can not wait to hear about her favorite and least favorite smoothies. Week one's smoothie recipes are for: Simple Peach, Tropical Crush, Berry Cherry Jubilee, Orange Julius and Berry Protein Bash.

Sign up for the 30 day challenge by clicking Here. Follow them on Instagram @simplegreensmoothies 
If you have any comments or questions for Mary or I about her challenge comment below.

until next time... xoxo J

fitness journey...

Senior year of college did not start off as nicely as I wanted it to. I fact I hated it at first. I came into senior year with a very unsettling feeling. I like the sense of control, and when I don't have it, I'm uncomfortable. I did not have control of how my year would be. Everyone says how amazing college is, and so far it's been pretty good. I came off of an amazing semester abroad that I will never forget, but how am I supposed to top that? But now what, what am I supposed to do when I graduate? Up until now, there has been a set path of life that I was supposed to take. Now I am at the unknown. 

tips to drop a few extra pounds...

thinspiration...
Everyone needs a little extra push to make themselves drop those extra few pounds that don't seem to want to let go. I need to shake those extra winter pounds, thankfully they have been slowly coming off but not as quickly as I would like. Here are some things I do my best to keep in mind to help myself.

my tabata workout...

why don't they like to lift...
Doing cardio at the gym is no problem for me and I don't have an issue going into the weights side if the gym and lifting either. But after talking with some of my friends they all have the same fear of going onto the "boys side" of the gym and lifting. After thinking about it, there is an intimidation factor of going and lifting where the guys are.