I'm always looking for healthy treats that will also satisfy my sweet tooth and tonight I had a tasty one!
Here is what I did, in a blender add:
1 cup organic plain (not vanilla and/or sweetened) soymilk
Frozen Mango Chunks (I used about 10 chunks of the Trader Joe's brand)
6-8 frozen strawberries
1/2 banana
and blend it until it's smooth, simple.
This makes a smoothie that is about 1.5 cups, here is the nutrition info for it:
Calories: 230
Fat: 4.5g
Sat. Fat: .5 g
Fiber: 6.3 g
Sugar: 25g (but all natural, no refined sugar)
Protein: 8.7g
Plus it gives you about 1/3 of the daily recommended value of Vitamin A and Calcium plus 100% of Vitamin C.
That's quite a dessert, and much better than the alternative ice cream, cookies or cake! Try it yourself and enjoy.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Health is about more than just weight.
I meet so many people who are concerned with their weight when what they should be concerned with is their health...while weight can be an indicator of your overall health, a "healthy" weight does not necessarily equal a healthy person!
There are many aspects to being a healthy person, I find that what keeps me healthy, and happy, is a combination of proper nutrition, an active lifestyle, nutruring relationships and spiritual awareness, to name a few...our psychological and emotional health is just as important as our physical health, we need to nuture our minds, spirits and bodies to be truly healthy.
Let's look a little deeper into each of these things:
Proper Nutrition - When considering what food to eat there are many things that are more important than just the calories or fat content in a food! A food can be low in calories and low in fat but if it is also low in nutrition (vitamins and minerals) then it does us no good to eat it! When eating, I look for foods that are low in saturated fat (unsaturated fat is OK and needs to be a part of our diet within limits), low in processed sugar (natural sugars are OK too), high in fiber and colorful (bright colorful foods tend to be high in vitamin and mineral content).
An Active Lifestyle - This one is simple, keep moving! This does not necessarily mean the gym (but it can be if you like the gym) just move your body; we were not built to be sedentary. Go for a walk, do some yoga, play with your dog, play with your kids, go swimming, go hiking, work in the garden, clean the house, ski, surf, skateboard...you get the idea, anything to get you off your bum.
Nurturing Relationships - No man, or woman, is an island, we need the support and guidance that we get, and give, from relationships in our lives. We learn through other people and we teach other people - imagine what your life would be like if you lived it alone...so laugh with your friends, learn from your elders (and the youngsters in your life for they have a universal knowledge that so many of us lose as we age), love your family, participate in your community. Enjoy the feeling that comes from giving and receiving.
Spiritual Awareness - While this can be God, it does not have to be. For me, spirituality is the sense that we are all connected, that there is something in this world that is greater than myself. For me, it means that everything in this world is connected and so I should care for this world, and everything in it, as I would care for myself. One love :)
Keep learning, don't lose your sense of wonder and love and care for your friends, family and yourself!
A little sunshine never hurts either!
There are many aspects to being a healthy person, I find that what keeps me healthy, and happy, is a combination of proper nutrition, an active lifestyle, nutruring relationships and spiritual awareness, to name a few...our psychological and emotional health is just as important as our physical health, we need to nuture our minds, spirits and bodies to be truly healthy.
Let's look a little deeper into each of these things:
Proper Nutrition - When considering what food to eat there are many things that are more important than just the calories or fat content in a food! A food can be low in calories and low in fat but if it is also low in nutrition (vitamins and minerals) then it does us no good to eat it! When eating, I look for foods that are low in saturated fat (unsaturated fat is OK and needs to be a part of our diet within limits), low in processed sugar (natural sugars are OK too), high in fiber and colorful (bright colorful foods tend to be high in vitamin and mineral content).
An Active Lifestyle - This one is simple, keep moving! This does not necessarily mean the gym (but it can be if you like the gym) just move your body; we were not built to be sedentary. Go for a walk, do some yoga, play with your dog, play with your kids, go swimming, go hiking, work in the garden, clean the house, ski, surf, skateboard...you get the idea, anything to get you off your bum.
Nurturing Relationships - No man, or woman, is an island, we need the support and guidance that we get, and give, from relationships in our lives. We learn through other people and we teach other people - imagine what your life would be like if you lived it alone...so laugh with your friends, learn from your elders (and the youngsters in your life for they have a universal knowledge that so many of us lose as we age), love your family, participate in your community. Enjoy the feeling that comes from giving and receiving.
Spiritual Awareness - While this can be God, it does not have to be. For me, spirituality is the sense that we are all connected, that there is something in this world that is greater than myself. For me, it means that everything in this world is connected and so I should care for this world, and everything in it, as I would care for myself. One love :)
Keep learning, don't lose your sense of wonder and love and care for your friends, family and yourself!
A little sunshine never hurts either!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
An exercise for Love.
This comes courtesy of Positive Psychologist, Dr. Larkin, give it a try and see how it makes you, and those around you feel. I encourage you to practice it and share it with those around you.
"Isn’t it amazing that we have so much familiarity with negative emotions and that it has not occurred to us that positive emotions are things we can grow and cultivate by using them? Here is an exercise I(Dr. Larkin) teach groups all over the world. In any language and in any culture, you can find the word for “love,” and once discovered, you can find the feeling of love. Without waiting for something to happen “to us,” we just find the feeling of love, if it’s only just a tiny bit of it, however much of a struggle it may seem for many of us. Find a tiny bit of the feeling of love and like the tiniest seed, if you nurture it, it will grow. If you can feel “love,” then “think” love, it will “become” love after a while. Trust me.
Now just pulse that feeling of love to someone you know and care about, make them a kind of target, aiming your love at them, over and over and over again. Send them your love. love, love, love, love, love, love—keep it going to a hundred times of sending a little bit of love. Then send yourself that same love, send it inside of you, send it all over you and do it all day long. Send this love to yourself every time you have a spare minute. No conditions, no thoughts, no judgments about yourself… just send the love, love, love, love.
Every time you engage in negative self-talk, every time you think about the oil spill (maybe now the earthquake in Japan), every time you’re afraid and fear that the world is not a safe place, send yourself love, love, love, love, love. Now try doing this every day for 7 days and tell me what happens to you. "
What have you got to lose? It's easier thank you think to love yourself, give it a try!
If this topic peaks your interest, check out my wellness group, Your Healthiest Life!, we will be reading Dr. Larkin's book, Growing the Positive Mind, maybe you should join us?!
yoga, vinyasa yoga, stress, corporate america, office, office yoga, corporate yoga, personal training, private yoga, orange county, long beach, huntington beach, newport beach, seal beach, lose weight, feel good
"Isn’t it amazing that we have so much familiarity with negative emotions and that it has not occurred to us that positive emotions are things we can grow and cultivate by using them? Here is an exercise I(Dr. Larkin) teach groups all over the world. In any language and in any culture, you can find the word for “love,” and once discovered, you can find the feeling of love. Without waiting for something to happen “to us,” we just find the feeling of love, if it’s only just a tiny bit of it, however much of a struggle it may seem for many of us. Find a tiny bit of the feeling of love and like the tiniest seed, if you nurture it, it will grow. If you can feel “love,” then “think” love, it will “become” love after a while. Trust me.
Now just pulse that feeling of love to someone you know and care about, make them a kind of target, aiming your love at them, over and over and over again. Send them your love. love, love, love, love, love, love—keep it going to a hundred times of sending a little bit of love. Then send yourself that same love, send it inside of you, send it all over you and do it all day long. Send this love to yourself every time you have a spare minute. No conditions, no thoughts, no judgments about yourself… just send the love, love, love, love.
Every time you engage in negative self-talk, every time you think about the oil spill (maybe now the earthquake in Japan), every time you’re afraid and fear that the world is not a safe place, send yourself love, love, love, love, love. Now try doing this every day for 7 days and tell me what happens to you. "
What have you got to lose? It's easier thank you think to love yourself, give it a try!
If this topic peaks your interest, check out my wellness group, Your Healthiest Life!, we will be reading Dr. Larkin's book, Growing the Positive Mind, maybe you should join us?!
yoga, vinyasa yoga, stress, corporate america, office, office yoga, corporate yoga, personal training, private yoga, orange county, long beach, huntington beach, newport beach, seal beach, lose weight, feel good
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