The key is to balance

Yoga is one of my favorite exercises. It is the perfect mixture of strength, stretching, and balance. I have always been an active person, but most recently I have started working out four or five times a week. In my workouts, I focus on strength training more than cardio or anything else. It was working wonders for me, but I slowly began to realize that my joints were always hurting. I was always feeling soreness in my body and joints. My boyfriend was actually the one who explained to me just how important stretching is.



                                          


Stretching is actually super important. Stretching helps to keep your joints and muscles function in their full range of motion. It also helps prevent injuries like tears, rips, and overall soreness. It keeps your muscles young and happy :)

Yoga is by far, my favorite way to incorporate stretching into my workout routine. When I first started doing yoga, I could barely touch my toes. The workout helps you slowly and less painfully ease your muscles into a flexible state. The instructors remind you to breathe into the stretch and focus your mind on your breathing. It makes a world of a difference.

I am in college, and being a college student without a steady paycheck, I do not like to pay for my workouts. Luckily, a lot of my favorite yoga instructors that I follow on Instagram, will post full yoga workouts on Youtube. It makes me love the fitness influencers that I follow. They help me save money and still get the results that I want. I also use the P90X yoga workout for more of a strength workout, but they use social media to advertise as well.

Water: the least expensive weight loss agent on the market

I am sure that you have heard, "drinking more water can help you lose weight." But most of us think that is a hoax. Drinking water is way too easy and inexpensive. It cannot be that easy! It really is, though.

                                       

When your body is even slightly dehydrated, all of your body's processes slow down, including your metabolism. Even though it is only temporary, you could be burning more calories just by staying hydrated. Also, the act of drinking water forces your metabolism to increase, because your body has to process and place all of the water you drink. Water can make you feel fuller, more energized, It is as easy as drinking water, literally.


Dehydration can cause side effects that you wouldn't even think to attribute to a lack of water. It causes:

• Irritability
• Confusion
• Constipation
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Fast breathing
• Rapid heartbeat

(Mayo Clinic)

I think that sometimes people get caught up buying crazy teas, pills, workout cds and forget to go back to the basics. A lot of that is due to the rise in healthy lifestyle bloggers on social media. Sometimes bloggers sell products that they believe in, but sometimes they are selling products to get a paycheck. Be careful when choosing weight loss agents, because some of them can be dangerous. Do you research, but more importantly, stay hydrated!

So why not be happy, feel great, and lose weight the easiest way possible? Drink water!

Lose weight the healthy way

    Lately, I have been observing the newest crazy dieting and exercising strategies for women on social media. Social media has popularized and propelled the diet and workout industry. There are many accounts that women look to for advice, that give terrible and potentially dangerous advice on how to "lose weight fast." I find it completely mortifying how some accounts position food as the enemy, and encourage women to hardly eat. Some of these diet and workout influencers share a picture of black coffee and say how it is the perfect breakfast. I am sorry, but coffee is not a nutritious breakfast.
    Now I have done my fair share of crazy diets that restrict food intake wayyy too much, but they end up draining me and making me feel miserable. The most important thing that I have learned through my journey to be healthy and fit is that food actually is fuel. That sounds cliche, but it is the honest truth. If you do not fuel your body correctly, you can feel sad, tired, and even depressed. Also, incorrectly fueling your body makes exercising MISERABLE. Here are 5 diet and exercise myths found on social media that I hope to debunk in order to make losing weight much easier for you:

1) Do not eat less than 1200 calories a day!!
          For "quick fix" weight loss, most people think that it is all about consuming the least amount of calories that you can. And yes, you can lose weight doing that, but while you are losing weight and feeling tired and icky, your metabolism is slowing down significantly. For long term weight loss, make sure that you do not eat less than 1200 calories in a day. Also, one thing that I am currently learning is that you should net 1200 calories. That means if you workout an burn 400 calories, you should eat 1600 calories that day. That scared me for some reason at first, but honestly I can work out at a much higher intensity when I give myself the right amount of energy!

2) Carbs are not all bad!
         Most people think of carbs as a bad thing, and there are definitely some carbs that are not good for you, but it is all about eating the right carbs. Carbs should make up 45% of your daily food intake. The best explanation I have found for a carb break down is this UCCS meal planning break down pdf (http://www.uccs.edu/Documents/healthcircle/pnc/health-topics/Meal%20Planning.pdf).

3) It is expensive to eat healthy.
        When I stopped buying mostly processed and unhealthy food, I actually started saving money. First and foremost, cutting back on buying processed food cuts back on the cost of groceries significantly. The only processed food that I buy is gluten free bread. I freeze half and keep half in the refrigerator so I do not waste it. Secondly, fresh food also helps to fill you up more, so you do not need to buy as much. Lastly, ...

4) Dieting does not necessarily mean you need to exercise.
       Dieting and exercise go hand in hand. Losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Exercise does not have to be a miserable experience either. I hate running, so I do not usually do it. There are plenty of other forms of exercise that are fun and actually can be way more effective. I love yoga (I use the P90x YogaX dvd to save money), swimming, walking at an incline, and hiking. There are plenty of other fun exercises that are affordable and fun! Just get creative.

5) Cardio is the fastest way to lose weight.
       Do not get me wrong, cardio is a super important part of being healthy, but do not focus solely on cardio. Before this year, I only did cardio ever. Cardio was sort-of effective, but I noticed the largest change to my body when I started using weights and doing circuit training. Weights scared the heck out of me, but with the proper instruction I have found it to be much more enjoyable than cardio. Now, I do weight training or circuit training four times a week, and cardio only once or twice. I have lost two pant sizes since I started doing weight/circuit training, whereas I was just maintaining my size when I only did cardio. Also, I am not bulky. A lot of people think weight training makes you bulky, but you have to try very hard to get that kind of strength.

I encourage you to do some research on your own. A lot of nutrition websites can tell you scientifically backed ways to lose weight in a healthy way.

Throw out your coffee creamer NOW!

Coffee was never an essential to my life, until college that is. Now I drink coffee every single day, multiple times a day. It was not until a month ago that I considered the health effects of coffee and what I put into my coffee. Coffee is actually known to speed up metabolism and it is not unhealthy. BUT coffee creamers are no good!

When I Googled the ingredients in Nestle original coffee creamer, this is what came up:
Water, Corn Syrup Solids, Vegetable Oil (High Oleic Soybean and/or Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed), and Less than 2% of Sodium Caseinate (a MilkDerivative)**, Mono- and Diglycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Artificial Flavor, Carrageenan

Um... excuse me... Digla-whata?? I am not drinking that!

Most people say to just throw out coffee creamers and drink black coffee. The problem is, is that I am weird and only drink black coffee during the summer. I am not sure why that is, but when it gets cold outside, I guess flavored coffee just brings joy and light into my life. Recently, I concocted my own coffee recipe that tastes amazing and does not have all of those gross and unhealthy ingredients that coffee creamers have.

My recipe:

• Coffee (always Dunkin' coffee)
• Coconut milk 
• Stevia
• Vanilla extract
• Cinnamon 

That is it! As far as measurements go, that is up to the coffee artisan. For me, personally, I always put enough coconut milk in my coffee to get that beautiful, rich caramel color. I put probably a teaspoon of stevia and a splash of vanilla. I never put more than a tiny pinch of cinnamon in! One time I put what I think was a teaspoon of cinnamon in my coffee and I had to throw it away immediately. I felt like I was competing in the cinnamon challenge.

I do not know what my attachment is to +Dunkin' Donuts  coffee, but I am obsessed with it. Actually, I think a large part of my obsession with Dunkin' is their customer service. One time me and my boyfriend went to Dunkin' as an early morning treat, and we both got caramel macchiatos (he just got whatever I was having), and they tasted like alcohol. I was so upset, because it was my last $8 for the weekend and I spent it on that. I filed a complaint on their app, and they had the manager of the store call me within two days! He apologized endlessly and he gave me a gift card to their store. It was very sweet. I guess that is why I am a devoted Dunkin' drinker now.  Also, the taste is just amazing!

I hope you enjoy this coffee recipe as much as I do!

Why You Should Splurge On Golden Milk

Golden Milk and tumeric are trending in the health world right now and I can definitely tell you why! Golden Milk, although laborious and seemingly expensive, is an everyday must! This amazing drink has so many health benefits and it tastes SO yummy!

The health benefits mainly come from the tumeric and are as followed:

• Cure heartburn and upset stomach
• Immune system booster
• Can be put on gums to help gum issues
• May ward off heart attacks
• May ward off diabetes
• May repair stem cells in the brain
• Cure joint pain
• Fight off cancer

There are many other health benefits as well, but those are just a few of my favorites! Someone commented on my last blog about coconut oil and how to ensure that you find a good coconut oil with all of the health benefits. To ensure that you get good tumeric, I would purchase it from a health food store or from Puritan's Pride. Puritan's Pride is GMP certified and usually buy 1 get 1 free!

                                                                      

The process to make Golden Milk seems difficult, but once you make the initial golden paste you can reuse it, and it will be easier to make golden milk for future times. The instructions below for making Golden Milk come from (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/09/21/golden-milk.aspx) You can also buy pre-made golden paste!

Golden Paste11 Ingredients: 1/2 cup organic turmeric powder 1 cup water 1.5 teaspoons black pepper  5 tablespoons virgin coconut oil Directions: In a stainless steel pot, cook the water, turmeric, and black pepper until it forms a thick paste, stirring and cooking for about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add virgin coconut oil, using a whisk to fully mix in the coconut oil. Transfer the Golden Paste into a glass jar with a lid, and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You will use this paste to make your Golden Milk below.

Golden Milk13 Ingredients: 1 teaspoon Golden Paste 2 cups coconut milk 1/8 teaspoon vanilla (optional) Raw honey [or stevia] to taste (optional) Pinch cinnamon (optional) Directions: In a stainless steel pot, gently heat, but do not boil, 2 cups of milk with 1 teaspoon of golden paste. A whisk is helpful to fully mix the paste into the milk. Add optional vanilla, honey [or stevia], and/or cinnamon.

OR: you could just buy it pre-made. My favorite is from +REBBL , which if you are from Athens, they sell at Earthfare!

                                          

Without Twitter, I would not know anything about Golden Milk. I have been seeing it all over the place. I love the ability that Twitter gives bloggers to constantly share, teach, and learn with short blurbs of information. It is perfect for those with short attention spans (me). 

Coconut Oil: A Versatile, Must-Have Product

Coconut oil is the most versatile natural product that everyone needs to have in their homes. I honestly did not hear about coconut oil until a couple of years ago. At the time, I was having terrible issues with my gums. I had already had surgery on my gums twice, because they were receding terribly, and I was only 20! My gums were receding at an impossible speed. It was painful and scary experience. I tried everything to get them back to normal. I switched to an all natural tooth paste, I rubbed probiotics on my gums, I changed my eating habits, but nothing worked. My brother told me to try oil pulling.

Oil pulling is basically swishing around coconut oil in your mouth for a set period of time, to kill bacteria. It seemed crazy to me, but I was desperate. The first time I ever went through the process of oil pulling, I gagged from the taste. After a couple of times, I got used to it. I did it every night for 10 minutes, and I noticed that my gums stopped receding. I also noticed that my teeth were whiter! Coconut oil is miraculous!

                                                            

Another time when coconut oil saved my life, was when my eczema flared up horribly. I was told by my mother to use coconut oil instead of my eczema fighting lotion that I bought from target. The coconut oil helped my eczema flare up go down a little bit, but it did not go away completely. It did, however, help more than the Up&Up eczema lotion.

Coconut oil has many uses spanning from lotion to teeth whitener. I even found an article from a blogger, on Twitter, that claimed there were 107 ways to use it. This article even claimed that coconut oil could be used as leather polish (http://everydayroots.com/coconut-oil-uses)!

My one word of caution is to research some of the more "out-there" ways to use coconut oil. It is super easy to trust bloggers based on their word, but it is important that you do your own research! Some natural remedies/ trends have not been studied extensively and should not be used until further studies are done. For example: I bought activated charcoal to whiten my teeth because of the advice from a blogger, but the long-term effects of scrubbing activated charcoal on your teeth have not been studied. Luckily coconut oil is, for the most part, harmless and no where near as foreign to a regular consumer as activated charcoal.

The best uses of coconut oil that I found from this article:

• Lotion
• Soothe bug bites
• SPF lip balm
• Shaving cream
• Deodorant (mixed with arrowroot)
• Butter replacement
• Under-eye bag remover
• Soothing your puppy's dry nose

                                         

Goodful

      Today I am going to talk about one of my favorite social media accounts, Goodful. Goodful is a social media account dedicated to cooking and healthy lifestyle tips. Never have I ever been more inclined to cook in my life! Not only do they have amazing healthy recipes, but the account also shows tips to organize your life and stay healthy.  I even saw a video titled "Simple Techniques to Ease Self Doubt."
       One of the best healthy dishes I have ever made, Lemon Chicken & Spaghetti Squash, came from Goodful. I am not the best cook, but watching a step by step instructional video is pretty much fool proof. This dish is amazing and beyond healthy. Also, spaghetti squash is super trendy right now due to all of its' amazing health benefits. Spaghetti squash can improve skin health, sight, your immune system, reduce insomnia, and so much more! Plus, the taste is on par with regular spaghetti noodles. (Check out https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/squash.html for more fun squash facts).

                                           

        Watching video clips like this can be addicting. I find myself watching them for extended periods of time. Also, when I find one that I want to try, I have this crazy, immediate sense of urgency to make the dish right at that very moment. I am not sure if it is because the video makes me hungry, or if Goodful just makes cooking look easy. Being raised in a time before most digital media, I also appreciate the ease of the step by step instruction. Cookbooks, in comparison, are much more difficult  to follow and are not as helpful as cooking videos or Cookvids as I like to call them.
         I love every recipe and life tip that I have tried on Goodful. I urge you to follow +Goodful 's account and give some of the healthy meals a try. To me, Goodful makes life seem just a little bit easier.