by Heather | Jan 22, 2019 | challenges, general health, wellness |
Are you a tea drinker? There are literally hundreds of different kinds of teas you can drink – from green to black to herb and fruit concoctions – and each have their own unique benefits and flavors.
This week let’s experiment with trying new teas! I am mixing it up and going with Matcha Tea
First, a little primer about the different kinds of tea. There are two basic kinds: traditional and herbal.
Traditional teas (ex. green, black, white, and oolong) are packed with antioxidants, including ECGC, which studies show might help protect you against free radicals that can lead to cancer, heart disease and clogged arteries.
Because they contain caffeine, traditional teas help you feel mentally alert. And because they also include theanine, an amino acid that helps you relax without feeling tired, tea isn’t apt to give you the jitters the way coffee or energy drinks can.
Green tea – the least processed tea – has the most EGCG. Studies show it might improve fat burning, prevent clogging of the arteries, interfere with the growth of a wide variety of cancers, improve brain health and cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of stroke.
Black tea has the most caffeine. It’s been shown to reduce the risk of stroke and might even protect your lungs from damage caused by cigarette smoke.
White tea contains powerful anticancer properties, and oolong tea might help to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
Herbal teas haven’t been as widely studied as traditional teas but, depending on the blend you choose, they can help with everything from soothing your stomach, easing you to sleep and cutting inflammation.
Popular blends include chamomile, ginger, rooibos and ginkgo biloba.
Do you drink tea? What’s your fav? Your challenge this week (even if you’re a coffee drinker!) is to try a new tea this week! Snap a photo so we can see…. are you in!? Comment below and let me know!
by Heather | Oct 16, 2017 | challenges, general health
Get Ninja in Your Kitchen!
You read your labels, pass on the office deserts, and walk past the cookie isle at the store…..only to find that there are hidden sugars and additives lurking in your refrigerator and cabinets.
Unless you’re following a 100% whole foods diet or are super-careful reading your labels, there’s a good chance you’ve got some sugar hiding in your food.
The food industry knows just what to put in our food to keep us always wanting more…fat, salt, sugar, and additives to preserve it and make it taste better!
When these ingredients are added to packaged foods, it manipulates your taste buds to make you want them even more.
This week, I want you to go hunting in your kitchen for some guilty ingredients!
If you’ve got anything that contains any of these ingredients below, I’m challenging you to replace them with a healthier option!
• Additives like: MSG, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed protein, sodium caseinate, yeast nutrient, natural flavoring
• Trans-Fats: hydrogenated oil, partially hydrogenated oil or fractionated oil
• Artificial Sweeteners: HFCF, aspartame, saccharin, sucralose
• Preservatives: BHA, BHT
Your challenge this week is to get into those cabinets and inside your fridge and get rid of anything that contains any of the ingredients listed above.
If you want to check out a great article to find out and learn more about the damage that these ingredients can cause to your body, here’s a great article: https://draxe.com/worst-ingredients/
Are you up for the challenge of “fall cleaning” your kitchen!?
Post a picture of any items you found hiding in your cabinets before you toss it!
Are you up for the challenge? Let us know in a comment below!
Yours in good health,
Heather
Health Coach & AFAA Certified Personal Trainer
FitEffex@gmail.com
(508) 523-6143
by Heather | Sep 25, 2017 | challenges, general health, self help
10 Minutes Daily for Personal Development
Personal development used to have a stigma attached to it. People used to duck in the isles and do anything to avoid being seen in the “self-help” section of the bookstore.
SO glad that’s not the case anymore!! Personal development is IN and it’s something that EVERYONE is talking about now- and I love it.
Taking the time to invest in ourselves helps us to keep things in perspective, prioritize, focus, to better handle the good and bad that comes our way, and to help us create a path to live a happier, more successful, and more fulfilled life.
Audible, Amazon, the Internet, and your local bookstore put all of this information at our fingertips.
There are so many books in each category! You’ll find books teaching you how to:
• Create more self-awareness
• Find your sense of direction and purpose
• Develop better focus on concentration
• Find your inner motivation and drive
• Develop more resilience and inner strength
• Create more fulfilling relationships
• Improve your communication skills
• Kick habits
• Improve memory
• Overcome fears and phobias
• And the list goes ON!
Your challenge this week is to make the commitment, spend the time, and invest in yourself.
Focus on the life you want to CREATE and the areas in your life that if you shifted just one single degree up, would have a big improvement in the quality of your life!
Your challenge this week is to watch a video, listen to an audio book, or read an article or book that addresses one of these areas in your life that you want to develop. I’ve just started a book called “The Book of Forgiving” … so far so good!
You up for the challenge and want to join me!?
Let us know in a comment below if you’ll be setting aside at least 10 minutes each day just for YOU!
by Heather | Jul 31, 2017 | challenges, general health
Chew, Chew, Chew
Have you ever sat down to eat with someone and 30 seconds later they managed to eat their entire meal?
Or…have YOU ever been guilty of that!? Gasp!
Chewing your food not only allows you to appreciate and savor the taste of that delicious food, but it also plays a very important role in your digestion.
Chewing breaks down your food from large pieces into smaller, more manageable pieces in order to be easily digested.
It also makes it easier for your intestines to absorb the nutrients and energy from the food as it passes through your body.
If you’re like most people, you chew just enough naturally to where you can comfortably swallow your food – and you do it without even thinking about it.
However this week, I’m challenging you to chew your food even LONGER than that.
How much longer?! How about trying at least 15-20 chews per bite!
That should slow things down enough for you to see some real improvements:
1. The smaller the food particles are, the easier it is for your body to digest…so you’ll be able to absorb more nutrients and energy from your food!
2. Salivary amylase actually starts breaking down carbohydrates in your mouth…so you’re getting a head start on digestion.
3. You’ll eat LESS food. People eat about 10% less when they eat more slowly.
4. It’s good for your teeth and gums.
5. You’ll enjoy your food a lot more!
Your challenge this week is to be more aware of how much chewing and how slowly you’re eating your food.
Take a bite and ENJOY it!!
You up for the “Chewing Challenge?”
Let us know below!
Yours in good health,
Heather
Health Coach & AFAA Certified Personal Trainer
FitEffex@gmail.com
(508) 523-6143
by Heather | Mar 8, 2017 | challenges, general health
Hold the Sugar!!!
Do you know how much sugar you eat during the day? Have you ever checked?
There is an easy way to do that: write down everything you eat during the day (be honest!), and then use ingredient labels or simply Google how many grams of sugar each food has and count.
The World Health Organization recommends about 25g (or less!) added sugar per day.
This is because excess sugar intake can spike your blood sugar levels, cause you to feel more hungry, have mood swings, store excess fat, and worse… can cause diabetes and a whole host of other issues.
Think you may be consuming too much sugar? Here are a few ways you can reduce your daily sugar consumption:
- Be more aware of what’s in the food you’re eating by reading the labels.
- Drink more water, especially when you feel like snacking (because cravings could be a sign of dehydration!)
- Try using coconut sugar instead of regular table sugar (which won’t raise blood sugar nearly as fast).
- Have healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner (so you’ll be less hungry afterwards and won’t go around hunting for snacks.)
- Try preparing your meals at home instead of eating out, because that’s one of the surest ways to control what you are eating.
So let’s kick this inflammation-causing fire-starter to the curb and not invite it into your body in the first place.
This week’s challenge is to keep added sugars to UNDER 25 grams per day, each day this week! Sugar that is naturally occurring in the whole foods that you’re eating is ok.
But this means that any recipe that has “sugar” in it should get shuffled to the back of the box! This also means you need to limit the sugar in your coffee and check EVERY label of everything you’re eating this week!
Are you in for this not-so-sweet challenge this week!? Let me know in a comment below!
Yours in good health,
Heather
Health Coach & AFAA Certified Personal Trainer
FitEffex@gmail.com
(508) 523-6143