Being Healthy Isn't Just About Food!

It's almost summer, everyone! That means...

Cute summer outfits, bonfires and long nights with friends. That all sounds fun right? Well, it isn't for everyone, unfortunately. Many people feel insecure during summer because everyone else is wearing bikinis and short-shorts.

It's important to wear what you're comfortable and confident in! What people don't understand is that everyone during this hot season is just trying to stay cool - people aren't judging you for what you're wearing!

You should love the body you are given with; never discount yourself or belittle yourself because you're comparing yourself to others.

This is a simple outfit that many people can feel comfortable in. Simple blue jeans with a flowy t-shirt! It can keep you cool, but it still looks cute!

It's very unhealthy to be so closed up and insecure every second of the day. Self love is so important because your wellbeing is one of the most important components of a healthy life.

Remember guys:

STAY POSITIVE
STAY HEALTHY
STAY CONFIDENT

3 Light Meals for Summertime!

As the days get warmer, swimsuit season approaches. How can you get that lean body? Lean meals!

Here are some easy, but filling, meals:

• Grilled Chicken Salad with Gazpacho Dressing:

This type of salad is very simple and only requires a few ingredients. If you don't know how to grill chicken, there are many tutorials on YouTube and guides on Google. 









Here are the ingredients:

⬜Cooking spray, for the pan
⬜1 pound chicken cutlets
⬜Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
⬜1 cup fresh parsley
⬜1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
⬜8 cups baby arugula (about 8 ounces)
⬜4 slices crusty bread
⬜1 clove garlic, halved
⬜2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
⬜1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
⬜1/2 seedless cucumber, diced\
⬜1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
⬜1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• Grilled Salmon with Pineapple and Avocado Dressing:

This meal is very light and very good for you. Salmon has lots of nutrients that can help aid your body to become that image you want it to become. If you're working out, salmon is a great lunch or dinner to have either before, or even after a workout!







Here are the ingredients:

⬜2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
⬜1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil, plus some sprigs, for garnish
⬜1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
⬜1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon, plus some sprigs, for garnish
⬜1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
⬜1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⬜Four 4-ounce skinless salmon fillets, each about 1-inch thick
⬜Four 1/2-inch-thick round slices (rings) of pineapple, preferably fresh

Avocado Dressing:

⬜1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
⬜2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
⬜1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
⬜1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
⬜1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon⬜1/8 teaspoon anchovy paste, optional
⬜1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
⬜1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
⬜1 small clove garlic, smashed
⬜1/2 avocado, diced

• Roasted Chicken With Spring Vegetables:

Who doesn't love yummy vegetables with seasoned chicken? It's flavorful, yet super healthy, and thanks to this easy recipe, it can be accessible to you too!









Here are the ingredients:


⬜3 1/2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken quarters
⬜Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 
⬜1 lemon, halved
⬜3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
⬜1 pound fingerling or other small potatoes
⬜2 bunches radishes
⬜1 bunch scallions
⬜1 bunch baby carrots
⬜1/4 cup chopped fresh dill


Hope you enjoy these delicious meals! 

All photos are from Food Network:

Kitchen, Food Network. "Grilled Chicken Salad with Gazpacho Dressing." Food Network. Food Network, 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

Kitchen, Food Network. "Grilled Salmon with Pineapple and Avocado Dressing." Food Network. Food Network, 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

Kitchen, Food Network. "Roast Chicken With Spring Vegetables." Food Network. Food Network, 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

How to Save on Workout Clothes!

Finding the perfect outfit to workout in is difficult. Clothes nowadays can be so expensive and out of reach for most people.

 This type of running tank top is worth $40!

Insane, right?

How about these $76 leggings?

"Nike." Nike Clothing. Nike, 2016. Web. 1 Mar. 2017.

The prices listed for these simple pieces of clothing are unreasonable and way out of line. 

SO, what are you going to do in order to workout in comfy clothes?

SAVE MONEY!

• Start going to thrift stores! They often times have great used workout clothes that people have grown out of or just don't want anymore,
• Start asking around if any of your friends or family don't wear theirs anymore and if not, could you have them?
• Ask for gift cards for your birthday! Perhaps if you really enjoy the exact fabric of expensive brands like Nike, then you can grab a pair using money someone gave you for a birthday.  

Do You Want a Secret Tip?

Most people think that people care about what you wear and what brand it is. Does it really matter, though? Why does a person's choice of clothing determine their value? It doesn't! In the grand scheme of things, nobody stares at the brand you're wearing because people are too focused on actually working out. 

So, next time you're looking for workout clothes and you really want to break the bank, remember the brand isn't what's important; it's the workout!

What's Holding Us Back?

We all know how hard it is to stay fit nowadays with the endless obstacles in life. Whether it's emails that need to be read to just being too lazy and not wanting to work out, people need to start to get up and move no matter what is going on.

The body you are sitting in right now as you read this is what's keeping you alive. In order to remain alive, you must take care of yourself and that includes keeping up with your hygiene and also staying fit and healthy. If that's not at least a little bit of an inspiration to you, well, we'll work on that. 

Something that holds many people back from exercising in the 21st century are cellphones. These contraptions are so popular and they've become such a necessity in life that wherever you go, almost every single person will have one in their hands. Basically what I'm saying here is people are too busy wasting time on their phones when they can be out on a beautiful walk in the forest and/or enjoying the fresh air outside. 

It's hard to tell people to simply "go out and exercise every 30 minutes every day." As much as this would do for your body, people tend to push that aside and try and get by without putting in a single minute of exercise at all. That's not the way to do it. Others seem to believe that you can exercise for hours on end, come home to eat junk, and still get the body they want. Vise versa is also another issue: you can eat super healthy, rarely exercise, and you'll still get that dream body. 

It's hard to know where to start. For many, a strict trainer started them off on the right track. However, for others, it may have just been cutting off every single sugary item they had and forcing themselves to go on a run until they started seeing the changes they wanted to see. 

Healthy Tips!

ON THE GO!

These type of snacks are tricky. What do I want? Do I want the apple or the cupcake? Right there is a simple, yet popular, comparison we use to define the decision process of picking out a snack to eat.

What people don't realize is that there are so many options on what to make and how to prepare them. There's also so many excuses people use to try and convince themselves why the healthier option just isn't as convenient. Yeah, that's right, I caught you red-handed. I've got some easy pick up 'n grab snacks that are just as convenient as, say, a chocolaty granola bar from a 7/11.

Here are three ways you can come up with easy snacks:

1.) Prepare them prior to your daily outing! It's a lot easier on you if you already have it made and need to leave quickly.

2.) If you don't have time for option one, just simply lay out the ingredients you want to use and make it quickly before you leave. 

3.) Lastly, if you really have no time to make anything at all, start looking into healthier substitutes for things you usually eat when you go shopping. For example, compare peanut butter and almond butter along with a fatty, high sugar granola bar to a high protein, low sugar one.

Here is a very simple recipe that I personally enjoy. It has lots of beneficial nutrients such as potassium, Vitamin A and C, Fiber, etc. 

- ½ a cup of strawberries

- ¼ cup of blueberries

- 2ish leaves of dino kale

- ½ ripe avocado

- 1 large ripe banana

- ¼ cup of Greek yogurt

- ¼- ½ of soy milk depending on the thickness

- 1 handful of ice 

This smoothie comes out to be a greenish-brown color, but that's only because of the added vegetables. To answer your question that is already developing in your head, no, you cannot taste all of the kale and avocado. Those provide many nutrients and are actually considered "super foods." Avocado provides very healthy fats and kale provides many vitamins that help clear up skin and keep the body going strong. 

That's simply one little snack you can make easily. That total process is approximately 10 minutes at most. It only gets to that point if you're totally focused on the measurements as well. 

Here is a little tip:

Keep AWAY from the "reduced fat" labels at all times. Back in the 70's, the food industry thought that the fats in food were the reason for obesity. To solve that issue, they removed a lot of the fat from foods. However, a lot of the flavor in food comes from the fat. So, "how did they maintain the flavor?" might you ask? They replaced the fat that had been removed with sugar. Yeah, that's right, sugar. 

"32 Healthy Store-Bought Snacks." Family Circle. Web. 08 Dec. 2016.

3 Ongoing Popular Food Trends from 2016!

Oatmeal

Breakfast: a difficult meal to create. 

Many people are cramped and don't have enough time to whip up a nutritional breakfast. However, there are many easy ways to create a meal that will last you throughout the day.

A healthy oatmeal:

• steel cut oats
• coconut milk
• nuts
• fruits
• chia seeds

These are only a few options to make your oatmeal fun and delicious!

Quinoa

Quinoa is a protein based rice that is very beneficial for the body. It is also a good source of iron, magnesium, vitamin E, potassium, and fiber. You can put many different kinds of foods inside of quinoa to make it a full meal. For example:

• celery
• tomato
• lean meats: chicken, salmon etc
• tofu
• carrots
• green beans

Acai Bowls

Acai bowls have been quite popular for a few years because of their healthy ingredients. They're a good meal to have throughout the entire day, no matter what time it is. 

They include:

1.) An acai berry from the Amazon is blended up with berries and bananas on the bottom

2.) Add toppings

Toppings:

• bananas
• honey
• chia seeds
• nuts
• fruits