WHAT have we done?!

This week I am posting a spectacular video that made me think about everything we've done and all that we can still change in our planet. 

Hope you like it ...

What can I do if I have Hypertension?, And how I can avoid it?

 This time we have invited the expert in nutrition and cardiovascular disease, María del Carmen González.  With more than 8 years of experience, she will give us some tips to prevent this disease and if you already suffer it, know what changes in your lifestyle can help you to improve your blood pressure:

Did you know that overweight and obesity are conditions that increase the risk of high blood pressure?  This disease does not respect social status, religion or nationality, therefore we must take urgent actions to prevent and treat it.  

In most people with high blood pressure the causes are unknown. What we do know is that this disease is more common in overweight and obese people, those who do not exercise, people who have parents or siblings with high blood pressure, those who eat a lot of salt and those who have an unhealthy diet.

In the early twentieth century, scientific studies were published in which it was discovered that people with this disease can reduce their blood pressure by consuming less salt in their diet.  Some people improved so much it was as if they were taking medication.

Because our lifestyle has a great effect on this disease, it is important to maintain a healthy weight, exercising and eating healthy. In order to do this in the coming weeks, we will help you with some easy recommendations and hope you achieve a better control your blood pressure.

See you!

Why TRY to eat better and exercise if you don’t see the results YOU WANT?

 For those who didn’t read last week, Atena Lara, nutrition and training expert, describes some "little things" that can make the difference between success and failure of our efforts to eat better...

DRESSING:

This subject is classic! You can be eating very healthy and low in calories but if you add guacamole to your chicken, “light cream” or olive oil to the salad you are adding many extra calories.

I'm not saying eat tasteless, just be careful about how you add flavor to the food: homemade sauces without oil, lemon, vinegar, soy, and chili powder in reasonable quantities, do not change the quality of your diet.

BEVERAGES:

We are so careful about our food that we forget to check what we drink!  Juices are NOT the best breakfast (whole fruit is the best choice), the cappuccino is not free of calories and you don’t necessarily need Gatorade to train.  It's best to drink clear water: put slices of lemon, strawberry or a tea bag in your water bottle, it gives some flavor and doesn’t affect your diet! 

ON AND OFF

Follow your objectives 5 days and stop for 2.  Ten intensive days and 3 lazydays are the WORST thing you can do.

First, your metabolism will never accelerate, as it does not receive a constant stimulus. Second, you lose time and money without getting anywhere!  Chances are in a few months, you will be in the exact same point where you started.  Third, the worst part is that you get tired and your mind is generating a sense of failure over and over again. 

As a tip, if you are not ready to start it’s OK. Take the time you need to convince yourself that you will do this and you're willing to pay the price, and once you decide CONTINUE until you are happy with the results. 

The name of the game is TENACITY.

For further information about this subject write to:

InspiringFitnessNow@gmail.com

3 reasons why you don’t see improvements...

 This time we have invited an expert in nutrition and fitness, Atenea Lara, with 6 years of experience.  She will share some secrets to success. 
Hope you like it:

Why don’t we see results when we really try to eat better and exercise more? Actually there are many factors that may be affecting the speed of your progress ... however there are some “small details” that when we put them together make a BIG difference.

It’s not fair that your efforts to eat better and exercise don’t give any results due to “small“ or “harmless mistakes”. I share them here for you to pay attention and observe yourself!

HAVING HEALTHY FOOD AS SNACKS:

Eating a stick of celery, cucumber, one little plum, an apple, etc. The fact that something is healthy does not mean it contains no calories! You need to pay close attention to distinguish whether you are eating out of hunger or anxiety.

If it’s hunger, it's best to have an earlier mealtime and if it’s anxiety, try to do small activities to keep you distracted and away from food.

SKIPPING MEALS:

When you skip meals you will NOT lose weight faster, but your metabolism will slow down. Removing food groups from your diet (such as "carbohydrates" or "proteins") will change the way you process food and can cause vitamin or mineral deficiency affecting your health.

FILLERS:

Chewing gum all day, using artificial sweeteners in excess and drinking light soda at each meal affects your results! While these tools are useful in times of anxiety, they can become enemies when trying to create order in our eating habits.

These “harmless” products are made from chemicals, many of which are SO processed that our body discards them as they enter, but that does NOT mean they do not cause damage ranging from cancer to water retention.

I recommend you use less than 2 packets of artificial sweeteners, less than 3 sugarless gums a day and a diet soda only every 3rd day.

Next week will talk about 3 more "small" mistakes that hinder our efforts.

See you!

An amazing gift for your children!

As elsewhere in the world, children have always been associated with sweet treats, candies and desserts.

During the first years of life of our children, we are responsible for teaching them what to eat, hoping that when they grow up they will choose healthy options that will keep them healthy so they will be able to fulfill all their dreams.

I am convinced that the way we feed our children in the early years will have a lifelong impact. The food that we give them will create habits that will define their eating preferences as adults.

With a healthy menu you will be protecting them against diseases such as obesity, diabetes or hypertension.

So today we will give our children the best gift: a full day of healthy food!

BREAKFAST

Hotcakes: prepare the mixture and add pieces of fruit such as banana, apple or pear inside. You can use vegetable colors to make them look funny and you can cut them with cookie cutters to make different shapes.

LUNCH (at school)

Make a salad with pieces of cucumber and carrot and add some sweet & sour candy that your kid likes. This way they will eat vegetables with a more appealing flavor.

Prepare a sandwich with bread, ham, cheese and add sliced tomato, cucumber or lettuce to make it look more fun. You can cut it and make the shape of a face using olive pieces for the eyes.

You can also add some colorful chopped fruit or dried fruit such as apple, pear or apricot, to add some vitamins.

 

LUNCH and DINNER

Ask your kid to help you prepare the food.  When kids feel included in the task, they tend to be more willing to eat.

Always try to offer salad on the table, use vegetables with different colors and try using vinegar based dressings.

If you make soup, do not forget to add vegetables.  If you cut them into very small pieces, it’s easier for the kids to eat them.

Remember not to mix many flavors in the dishes, kids like to taste the individual flavors before enjoying mixtures.

Don't forget to change soda for fruit water or natural water.

I hope this gift will remain for long in the lives of your children.

See you next week!

How to sweeten your life without sugar

This time I want to give you some ideas to remove sugar from your daily diet, without sacrificing the taste of your food.  Remember that if your family eats less sugar, they will reduce their risk for obesity, diabetes and heart diseases. So let’s begin:

• For this warm summer, you can make fun popsicles with stevia: Mix 1lt of water with the juice of 3-4 limes, add stevia until is sweet enough.  Put several pieces of fruit in the popsicle form and fill them with the lemon-stevia mix. Choose fruits of different colors and forms for a funny looking dessert.

• If you like fresh fruit desserts but think they are sometimes too sour, sprinkle stevia and it will improve the flavor.

• If you like clear water with a little flavor, add stevia to a liter of water and add slices of fruit such as lemon, orange, tangerine or watermelon.  Then add a lot of ice and enjoy!

• Make fresh fruit water blending your favorite fruit (lemon, orange, watermelon, cantaloupe, guava) and adding some stevia to sweeten.

• If your kids like chocolate milk, mix a glass of skim milk with a little stevia and a teaspoon or two of cocoa, so you will eliminate sugar completely and your children will still enjoy the drink.

• Make delicious smoothies by blending yogurt or skim milk, seasonal fruit and stevia.

• If you like baking and desserts, visit our page: postresano.com.mx and you will find low calorie recipes, prepared with stevia.

See you next week!