Could Your Self-Esteem Be Undermining Your Wellness Efforts?
Do you repeatedly get on track with your self-care, only to let it slip away again despite achieving good results? Your self-esteem could be the culprit, whether you realize it or not.
It can be tricky to know for sure because self-esteem isn't something you simply do or do not have; it can be stronger in some parts of your life than in others. If you are confident and accomplished at work, for example, you might not realize that you are showing some low self-esteem when you feel guilty or selfish about prioritizing your health.
Posted 10/12/2017 12:00:00 AM By: : 90 comments 57,411 views
18 Ways Anyone Over 50 Can Become More Active
As time marches on, joints that didn't use to ache suddenly ache, and things you used to do with ease are slightly more challenging. There's no denying that getting older can be a pain. But because you're a baby boomer, you're determined to make your "third act" purposeful and active. This is a generation of 'do-ers' and that doesn't stop as you age.
Whether working, traveling or learning a new skill, the challenge we face in our 50s, 60s and beyond is to stay healthy and fit so we can enjoy our lives and continue contributing to the world. But how? We see our bodies change right before our eyes, as our middles get thicker and our muscles get smaller. Joints creak, aches and pains are a near-daily occurrence, and injuries seem to pop up more often. We have bones to keep healthy and injuries and illnesses to handle.
What's a person to do? Instead of getting overwhelmed and calling it quits or overdoing it by hitting the gym for hours at a time, create what I call a "Moving Life" instead. In your Moving Life, activity is built in as a natural part of your day. If you're sedentary for most of the week or you've been a weekend warrior up to this point, incorporating some or all of these ideas for adding movement to your day could lead to improvements in your overall wellness.
Posted 9/21/2017 12:00:00 AM By: : 141 comments 79,377 views
Better Than Store-Bought: Multi-Purpose Baking Mix
Baking mix is an easy pantry staple—because it includes leavening and shortening, you can quickly transform the mix into pancakes, biscuits or quick breads by adding liquid (usually milk and/or eggs).
Did you know how simple it is to make your own? This Homemade Multi-Purpose Baking Mix incorporates whole-wheat flour and costs about the same (about 15 cents) per serving as the national brand. It has about 15% fewer calories and 70mg less sodium per serving, as well. It is sugar- and dairy-free.
Keep this Homemade Multi-Purpose Baking Mix in a plastic container or bag and refrigerate it up to 6 months. Substitute this in place of the name-brand store-bought baking mix. For example, it works well in a classic streusel-topped coffee cake.
Here's how to use your baking mix!
Posted 9/20/2017 2:00:00 PM By: : 72 comments 87,502 views
Grab a Towel for This 5-Move, Full-Body Workout
There is a rumor going around that getting fit has to cost an arm and a leg. Between expensive boutique studios, top-notch athleisure brands and new, enticing tech gear and equipment that you just have to have, you can easily spend hundreds on creating the perfect pricey workout routine—but that's not your only option.
Our ancestors survived without top-of-the-line treadmills and stationary bikes, so why can't we? Truth be told, all you really need is your own bodyweight, a towel and a little determination to make all your fitness dreams come true. Using a towel as a piece of equipment in these five moves can both increase the intensity of moves you already know and love, while effectively challenging muscle groups that you can't hit with bodyweight alone.
Posted 9/12/2017 12:00:00 AM By: : 73 comments 36,097 views
Are You Focusing on Progress or Perfection?
One of my favorite mottos, both in fitness and in life, is "progress, not perfection." But what does that really mean?
In weight loss, so often our minds focus only on the end goal. Step out of line or lose focus on that end goal, and you might as well call it quits. In this one-mile "walk and talk," you'll learn the importance of letting go the damaging all-or-nothing mentality. In gaining an understanding of the importance of the journey and focusing on what you can do and have done, you can overcome any obstacle, from binge eating to skipping workouts.
Posted 9/7/2017 12:00:00 AM By: : 125 comments 39,456 views
Could Posting ''Flaws and All'' Photos Boost Your Confidence?
Whether you're a voracious newsfeed reader or the casual Instagram browser, chances are if you're on social media you've seen the "before" and "not-quite-after" photos fitness blogger post online. Here's the setup: People take two pictures within seconds, minutes or hours, changing a few things in the "after" before posting them both side by side. For instance, on the left you might see a woman posing herself in a flattering way—flexing, sucking it in, finds that perfect angle with good lighting—and voila! This woman looks amazing. She has incredible abs, muscle definition, the whole package. Then, that same woman simply changes her posture, relaxes her muscles, pulls the compression tights down a bit and voila—she has cellulite and love handles in the picture on the right. In other words, she's a real person.
Posted 8/23/2017 12:00:00 AM By: : 143 comments 35,768 views
Better Than Store-Bought: Granola Bars
Editor's Note: This is a new series about how to re-create some of your favorite healthy foods at home.
Granola bars are a healthy on-the-go snack, but some packaged versions contain high fructose corn syrup, preservatives and sweet ingredients that negate some of that nutritional benefit. This homemade granola bar recipe includes whole grains, natural sweeteners, healthy nuts and dried fruit, with protein and fiber to keep you going. Even better: The recipe is super adaptable. You can adjust the amount of brown sugar to suit your taste, and add any combination of dried fruit you like, or omit the fruit. Neither rock-hard nor super soft, this crunchy-chewy granola bar lives up to its good-for-you reputation.
Posted 8/9/2017 2:00:00 PM By: : 74 comments 90,325 views
Get a Boost With This Motivational 1-Mile Walk With Jessica Smith
Looking for a little inspiration to go along with your daily walk? Consider tossing the headphones and bumping beats aside to try this walk and talk on for size.
Using a metronome set to 140 beats per minute, you'll keep a steady walking pace throughout our chat, hitting that one-mile marker in about 14 quick minutes. In this video, I'll be discussing hte importance of staying grateful for what we have while working toward what we want. In the journey to health and fitness, we often focus only on the future, those goals and how we'll feel once we achieve them. However, taking care to be mindful of the present, the work you are putting in to reach your goals and how you feel day to day is key in enjoying and embracing the whole journey.
Posted 7/12/2017 12:00:00 AM By: : 110 comments 41,962 views
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10 New Ways to Eat Tomatoes
Tips for Best Tomato Taste
Choose unblemished ripe tomatoes from a farmers’ market or your family garden. Heirloom varieties come in different flavors and colors—for example, yellow tomatoes are generally milder and less acidic; some types remain green when fully ripe. Never store tomatoes in the refrigerator; they’ll lose flavor and get mealy. To make peeling easier, core the tomato, then scrape the blade of a small paring knife over the skin to loosen it.
Oven-Dried Tomatoes
Halve ripe tomatoes lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the sheet in the oven on the lowest temperature (150 to 170 degrees) and let the tomatoes dry for 8 hours, until they’re shrunken but still a little plump. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 6 months. Keep reading for nine more ideas!
Posted 6/27/2017 12:00:00 PM By: : 65 comments 140,292 views
13 Easy, Tasty Ways to Eat Brown Rice
Why does brown rice get such a bad rap? Sure, rice can be a little bland. And yes, the brown version does take longer to cook. But here’s the thing: In addition to being one of the healthiest foods in the human diet—rich in fiber, cholesterol-lowering fats and nutritious minerals and antioxidants—brown rice has a deep, nutty flavor and hearty texture that’s anything but boring.
White rice is highly processed brown rice that’s been stripped of its bran—and nearly all its nutrients. You’ll find short- and long-grain varieties; short-grain rice tends to be more sticky and compact when it’s cooked, while long-grain rice is fluffier. You may also be able to find quick-cooking brown rice (which is partially cooked and then dried). Brown rice is different from wild rice (which is actually a grass, not a rice), though they’re delicious together. Here are some great ways to enjoy brown rice:
Cooking brown rice.
To make 3 cups of cooked rice, bring 1 cup of brown rice, 2 1/2 cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 40 to 50 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat, leave the lid on the pan and let the rice sit for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving. (You can also make brown rice in the slow cooker.)
Oven-Baked Brown Rice.
This SparkRecipes member recipe is dubbed “foolproof”; it’s baked in a foil-covered dish in the oven for an hour.
Prepared And Make-Ahead Brown Rice.
You’ll find already-cooked brown rice on your grocery shelf, and it’s a quick and easy way to enjoy this staple. Too, cooked rice freezes well, so if you plan to cook a batch of brown rice for a recipe, make double what you need and freeze the rest for up to 6 months.
Now, onto those recipes and meal ideas...
Posted 6/13/2017 6:00:00 PM By: : 81 comments 848,851 views
4 Hula Hoop Moves Your Inner Child Will Love
After gaining 80 pounds during her first pregnancy, Kristin Benton, was looking for a solution. Little did she know that the solution would lead her on a new path in life, one that would be as much about fun as it was about fitness.
As someone who had never been into "fitness for fitness sake," staying fit for Benton was more about sports and more social activities. With 80 pounds to drop, she turned to an unconventional solution: the hula hoop. Every night, she'd grab a hoop, spin it around her waist for 30 minutes and before long, she was 40 pounds lighter. Nine years later, Benton left her high profile corporate job to found FXP Hula Hoop Fitness (now FXP Fitness), which invented the world's first weighted, portable fitness hula hoop with a workout program based upon proven principles of Pilates, ballet barre and yoga.
Posted 6/13/2017 12:00:00 AM By: : 97 comments 41,130 views
What a Mystery Illness Taught One Man About Weight-Loss Success
At 20, most people are midway through college, exploring the world, discovering what it means to be on their own or starting their first "real" job. At 20, I became ill with an illness doctors could not diagnose. One night I went to sleep healthy and the next day I woke up with numbness and pain that soon led to paralysis in my right leg, overall weakness and weight problems. The onset of my illness was so quick and severe that my family and I thought we could find a cure just as quickly as it appeared.
My family and I started on a quest to find an answer, but after visits to top hospitals and institutions across the country, the mystery remained. While some offered conditions like multiple sclerosis or Lyme disease as a possible cause, the only certainty was that it was chronic and it not only affected my body, but was starting to affect my spirit, as well. Living with the illness and the uncertainty left me feeling stressed, afraid anxious and, well, fat.
Posted 5/29/2017 12:00:00 AM By: : 69 comments 31,231 views
Achieve a Better Back With 5 Spine-Strengthening Moves
Symptoms of the aging spine include the following: friends or family noting that you look "bent over," a subtle groan coming out every time you reach down to tie your show, a waistline that seems to be expanding despite your steady weight. Isn't aging lovely?
With gravity pulling you down on a daily basis, you need strength and endurance just to hold yourself up. If we relax and slump back in the desk chair or while standing in front of the stove too often, the eventual result is a sore back and a weakened, distended abdomen. While everyone deserves a good break from the stresses of daily life, prolonged sitting is now considered by many experts to be the new harbinger for many chronic diseases, including diabetes and heart disease.
Our spines change as we change over time—it has the effects of our lives written all over. Whether it's daily habits putting a strain on the 50-plus joints of the spine or accidents or illnesses that affected the spine, it's important to care for these bones as we age. With some tools, you can counteract the effects of aging on your spine, increase your sitting endurance, experience less stiffness and maybe even less groaning over time.
Posted 5/19/2017 12:00:00 AM By: : 122 comments 65,133 views
10 Easy Side Dishes to Make That Chicken Dinner a Winner
When it comes to the protein portion of a healthy diet, boneless, skinless chicken is a hero. It’s versatile, easy to prepare and naturally lower in fat and calories than many other meat options. But by itself, chicken can be, well, a little boring.
If baked, grilled or roasted chicken is a regular part of your dinner rotation, you’ll need some great side dishes to add a little spark to the plate. From lentils to slaw, these 10 side dish recipes that can help breathe new life to that chicken dinner.
Posted 5/9/2017 12:00:00 PM By: : 57 comments 1,344,164 views
10 New Uses for Zucchini
Got zucchini? Make the most of this prolific veggie, with easy and healthy main dishes, sides and yes, even dessert.
Posted 4/30/2017 12:00:00 PM By: : 112 comments 1,962,753 views
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