Healthy snacks that taste good too:)

By request from my friend... Here are some healthy snacks that are easy to make, yummy to eat and can get you on the right track with you diet and keep up your energy through the day.

First of all, the story about eating snacks. After you have breakfast (and you must eat breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day and will keep your metabolism revved), you should have something to eat every 2.5 - 3 hours after. This will also keep your metabolism going and you won't have the urge to gorge at the major meals (such as lunch and dinner). Ok, eat every 2.5-3 hours, CHECK!

Secondly, you want to aim for you snacks to have a mixture of protein, carbs, and fat. It's key to try and get protein in your snack because protein helps to keep you full and feel full.

Here we go...

* Natural Peanut butter (yes the kind you have to stir) with celery, apples, bananas. Using natural peanut butter is better for you because there are no added oils, which helps to keep it blended.

* Oatmeal (not the packaged kind with tons of sugar) with berries, bananas, chopped apples, dried raisins or cranberries. Adding cinnamon or Stevia helps to sweeten it up just a bit. Oatmeal has 5 grams of protein per half cup and is rich in soluable fiber.

* Low-fat or fat free greek yogurt or cottage cheese with berries, or any fruit that you like. Half a cup of Greek yogurt has 10 grams of protein!!! wow! and you can add so many different things in it to make it taste so good!

* Hummas with crackers, sliced veggies (carrots, celery, peppers). Hummas is made from chickpeas which are high in protein. Also, there are so many different flavors of hummas that I am sure you can find one you like:)

* Low-fat string cheese with a fruit

* Handful of almonds

So here are just a few yummy and healthy snacks that can be easily packed in your lunch box so you can eat them between meals. One more thing, please keep the sugar low. If you eat something with a lot of sugar you eventually get the "crash" that everyone talks about, and doesn't like. You want to maintain your blood sugar levels so your energy is maintained all day.

I hope this helped and please let me know if you have any questions or want advice about the snacks that you like to eat.

Smoking... what it does to your body

To everyone who smokes out there... I hope this can give you some useful information as to why you should quit the nasty habit...

Have you noticed that when you smoke, it's hard for you to get oxygen into you body too? Well this is why. In your red blood cells there is a molecule called hemoglobin, which carries around oxygen to all the parts of your body. Oxygen likes to bind to hemoglobin. But there is something that likes to bind even better... carbon monoxide! Carbon monoxide is found in cigarette smoke. That is why it's hard to breath when you are a smoker, your hemoglobin are full of toxic chemicals and your body is not getting the adequate amount of oxygen. Ponder that...

Smoking also affects your cholesterol. There are different lipoproteins found in your body that deal with cholesterol. Most of you know or have heard of LDL and HDL cholesterol. What do they do exactly? LDL is the bad cholesterol. LDL take fat from your liver and delivers it to your body. HDL on the other hand, takes the fat from around your body, brings it back to the liver so it can be disposed of. We want that don't we? YES! we want high HDL and low LDL. If you smoke, your HDL levels will decrease! NOT GOOD! that means that there is more cholesterol hanging out in your body and has the potential to cause some damage, including heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

There is some good new though. Once you stop smoking, your HDL levels rise :) also, if you quit, after one year, your chance of getting heart disease decreases almost by half, and after 15 years, your chance of getting heart disease will be the same as a non-smoker. Although the internal damage cannot be reversed, the chance of getting heart disease goes down drastically. We do not want heart disease because right now, it's the #1 killer in the US, with cancer a close second.

So please, for those who smoke, please take these notes into consideration and really think about what is important in your life. If you quit, it's all uphill from here. Please let me know if you need any guidance on how to start the quitting process. I can help:)

Sorry it's been so long...

As you may know, I am in my first semester in graduate school. And guess what? It's finals week. So naturally, I am going crazy with studying so I apologize for not having put up a post in a few days. Trust me, during my three week break, I will have plenty of time to write about awesome food and fitness topics. Don't be discouraged, keep up the good work and see you in a few days! Last final is on Thursday!

Diets don't work! Call it a Lifestyle Change

I hear tons of people all the time saying that they are "on a diet". What does that mean? That you are eating like rabbits and working out in the gym until you pass out? When I hear the word "diet" all I think of is the Yo-Yo Diet. Because this is what the majority of people do when on a "diet". When you hit your target weight, for whatever occasion you are going to, then after the event, you go back to the weight you were at before.

If a person is really committed to losing weight and eating healthier, I believe the better term to use is a "lifestyle change". This commitment that you are giving to yourself can never stop. The thing with a lifestyle change is starting slow. I know that society today is very rushed, people want results NOW! We need to realize that these changes will happen over time. We want to start a new habit in your life. These habits start with performing an activity one step at a time. At the same time, we must have a positive attitude about this change. Albert Bandura would call it "self-efficacy". You have to believe in yourself and your capabilities for you to reach your goal.

So I challenge all of you... if you have a goal that you want to accomplish, let's work together to make that happen. Whether big or small, we can break it down and over time, we will make it! Confidence in yourself is key! Bring people into your life that will help with your goal. Having a support group or person is vital in your road to meet your goal.

Let's go out there and make a lifestyle change!!!! Keep me posted....:)

25 Days til Christmas... To be or Not to be Stressed!

As this holiday season is now in full swing, many of us find ourselves stressing over many things. For students, its with finals (which I am working on now). For other people, its trying to find a parking spot at the local mall to do our holiday shopping. Along with this stress, many of us also find that we don't have the time to exercise or eat healthy because we are too busy. But is it coincidence that many of us get sick around the holdiays too?

I guarantee that stress in a major factor in this. It makes sense though. I know that if I have a huge project that is due, I will not go to the gym or maybe I will grab something easy to eat, which doesn't happen to be good for me. It's just the nature of life. Then of course, when I settle down during my break between semesters, I sometimes get sick. Eating well and exercising can help to fight off the cold!

For me, going to the gym and eating well helps me beat stress! This can work for everyone too! Let's say you are shopping at the mall. Us women, we usually carry large purses. And guess what can fit in that large purse? A HEALTHY SNACK!!! Instead of going to the food court, bring along your own food. Also, taking the stairs at the mall instead of the escalator can help burn off some calories too. And people, don't wait for the very front parking spot! Walking is a great form of exercise!

Being conscience of what you eat and how much activity you get can really help to minimize the stress that comes with the season. Saying "no" to sweets may be hard but to keep that girlish figure, you may just have to say NO! People with respect your wish.  Maybe host your own party and include healthy and delicious foods :)

Hope everyone has a great holiday season and keep up the good work!!!!