• Walking
• Hikes (easy)
• Easy yoga
• Extended stretching (30-45 minutes of stretches)
• Cycling
• Frisbee
• Sex
• Massages
• Hanging with friends
• Crafts
• Shopping

1. Cancer Protection - Chicken is rich in niacin (vitamin B3), a vitamin that is essential for cancer protection. One small serving of chicken can meet your niacin requirements for the entire day. The selenium in chicken is also believed to be protective against cancer.
2. Brain Health - The niacin in chicken is also essential for brain health and may have protective effects against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
3. Heart Health - The vitamin B6 in chicken keeps the heart healthy by keeping homocysteine levels low. High homocysteine levels cause damage to the walls of the blood vessels.
4. Thyroid Health - The selenium in chicken helps to keep thyroid function normal. One study found that selenium deficiency may lead to thyroid problems such as low T3 levels.
5. Weight Loss - Chicken is a great food to eat if you’re trying to lose weight because it's lower in fat and calories that other meats such as beef and pork, while also being higher in protein.
6. Energy Booster - Chicken boosts your energy thanks to vitamins B6 and B3, both of which are important in the body’s If you are starting to feel a little tired or worn out, try eating some chicken to give your body a boost of nutrients, lean protein, and calories that will boost your energy levels.

• Warm up your clothes: Pop your sports bra, shirts, pants, and even your socks in the dryer for a couple minutes. Slipping on warm gear is sure to get rid of that chill you have when looking out your window into the cold.

• Warm up yourself: Take a quick shower allowing the hot water to envelope your skin, being careful not to get your hair wet. It'll warm your body and get your muscles ready to move.

• Warm up inside: Once you're dressed properly for a cold-weather workout, do your warm-up inside rather than outside. Run up and down the stairs, do jumping jacks or a round of push-ups, or whatever you need to do to get your heart rate up without getting sweaty. You'll feel warm and loosened up when you step out the door, and you can start running right away to stay warm. Here are warm-up ideas that can be done indoors (even in a small apartment space!).

• Blast a tune that speaks to you: Whether it's Beyoncé, Adele, or Pitbull that lights a fire inside you, use your favorite upbeat song to get you psyched for a run. You can dance and scream lyrics as you slip on your sports bra and sneaks. This is a great technique when you're really not feeling a run because it can instantly flip a switch and help you head out the door fast. Continue the musical motivation by listening to a newly crafted running mix.

• Go for a change of scenery: Running the same neighborhood loop every week? No wonder you're not excited to run. Mix up your running route every few workouts for some inspiration.

• Schedule a date with a fitness buddy: Having trouble motivating yourself? Then use a friend to help. If you make a date to meet outside for a run, you can't make excuses and back down.

• Shop for new gear: Whether you go big and buy a new merino wool shirt or just splurge on a new pair of warm running socks, the idea of slipping on new gear is sure to inspire you to get outside. New gear will not only give you the kick in the pants you need, but it'll also make your runs more comfortable, which will help motivate tomorrow's workout. 

1. Steel-cut oatmeal, low-fat plain yogurt, ground flaxseed
2. Eggs, diced tomatoes and mushrooms
3. Broiled grapefruit with honey and cinnamon
4. Grilled salmon and asparagus with a poached egg on top
5. Whole-grain waffles with berries and a drizzle of maple syrup
6. Yogurt (your choice of flavor and type), fruit (mix and match with the yogurt flavor) and granola or cereal (again, any of your favorites will do)
7. Avocado, mango and Greek yogurt, pureed in a blender
8. A whole-wheat English muffin, one egg and a MorningStar maple-flavored vegetarian sausage patty
9. Steel-cut oatmeal, shredded zucchini and crumbled goat cheese
10. Plain Greek yogurt, fresh blueberries and a drizzle of real maple syrup
11. Cooked oatmeal, 1 tbsp of peanut butter, 1 sliced banana
12. Whole-wheat English muffin with egg and tomato
13. Sautéed spinach and onions sprinkled with cheese
14. Cottage cheese, cucumber and rice cakes
15. Carb Balance flour tortilla, scrambled egg and smoked salmon
16. Half a cup of black beans, half a cup of a sweet onion and 2/3 cup frozen corn sautéed together into a hash
17. Eggs scambled with 1 roma tomato & fresh spinach
18. Wheat toast, peanut butter and sliced bananas
19. Trader Joe's organic High Fiber O's, fresh blueberries and skim milk
20. Whole-wheat sourdough toast topped with smoked salmon and Greek yogurt
21. 1 cup homemade yogurt, 1 organic banana and 1/2 cup fresh organic blueberries blended into a smoothie
22. Freezer pancakes (pancakes you made over the weekend, frozen, then reheated in the microwave - that counts as one ingredient, right?) topped with frozen berries warmed in the microwave and a little butter
23. Chopped fresh baby spinach and diced red peppers sauteed in olive oil and scrambled with eggs
24. Corn tortilla scrambled together with one egg and fresh salsa
25. Quinoa with pears and vanilla
26. Honey-roasted peanut butter spread on a banana and rolled in coconut
27. Sauté chopped chard until almost wilted, make a hole in the center, crack an egg into the hole and cook. Serve with a slice of whole-wheat toast.
28. Almond butter, whole-wheat toast and raisins
29. A packet of oatmeal, one container of light yogurt and one piece of whatever fruit strikes my fancy for the day!
30. A small serving of last night's leftovers, a piece of in-season fruit and a small glass of milk
31. Black rye bread with slices of a salted avocado
32. Take one whole egg (and one egg white) and scramble with a fork in a cereal bowl. Chop one wedge of light Laughing Cow cheese and scatter it over the egg. Top with 1/4 cup fresh salsa, and then microwave until desired consistency is reached.
33. Traditional oats (uncooked), almond milk and chia seeds.
34. Chopped cantaloupe or melon, mint and plain yogurt
35. Whole-wheat waffle, natural peanut butter, sliced bananas
36. Greek yogurt, cubed Granny Smith apple, freshly toasted sliced almonds
37. Grits with soy cheese and a poached egg
38. Protein pancakes with almond butter and banana
39. Chia pudding (vanilla almond milk & chia seeds) with fresh blueberries
40. Kashi cereal, Silk soymilk and fresh fruit
41. Toasted sprouted-grain English muffin, scrambled Egg Beaters and low-fat cheese
42. Plain yogurt, granola, agave nectar.
43. Fresh fruit, whole-wheat toast and two eggs
44. Eggs, oatmeal and fruit
45. 1/2 of a Fiber One English muffin, 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese and a peach
46. Greek yogurt, fresh berries & Stevia smoothie
47. Whole-wheat flax waffle, Greek yogurt, fresh-picked raspberries
48. 9-grain toasted baguette topped, tomato slice and egg
49. 1/2 cup scrambled Egg Beaters, a slice of soy cheese and almond milk
50. Summer vegetable hash with poached eggs and toasted nori

jag bryr mig inte // det är okej att vara ledsen

We hear it all the time - 20% exercise, 80% diet. Or, wait…is it 30% exercise and 70% diet? Aren’t abs made in the kitchen, but you won’t get definition without some heavy liftin’? It’s not that these sayings are untrue so much as they’re misleading. No worries, I’m here to clear this up for you.

There is no mathematical way to break down whether exercise or diet is more important for your goals. If you want to run a marathon, changing your diet isn’t going to help you with endurance. Exercise, specifically running, will. This goes the same for any goal - gaining muscle isn’t achieved by just increasing protein consumption, it’s gained by exercise. Sure, the two go hand in hand, but is it really as simple as an 80/20 or 70/30 ratio?

So what are these numbers trying to tell us? If you’re falling short on your goals - fitness or weight loss - you need to look at your diet. If you don’t appropriately fuel your body you’re not going to get anything out of it. Additionally, if you’re trying to lose weight, falling into the “exercise your pizza away” trap will lead to a vicious cycle. Exercise should never be a compensatory tool for any meal you just ate.

The truth of the matter is that diet is very important, and much easier to tailor than exercise for weight loss. If you want to lose weight, you must create a caloric deficit (you can read about this here). Creating a calorific deficit by switching out high calorie foods with low nutrient density for low calorie foods with high nutrient density (see: trading pizza for chicken breast) is much easier and takes all of 1 minute. If you wanted to burn those calories off, you’re committing yourself to miles of running or hours at the gym. It’s easier to rein in your diet and make small changes here and there than to spend surplus time at the gym to “make up” for a bad diet.

Additionally, people tend to underestimate what they eat and overestimate what they burn. The science behind burning calories is not exact. The science behind the caloric content of your food an estimate. Watching your portions is easier, and more effective, then plugging away on the treadmill for 4 hours every morning.

Diet is important because your body requires fuel to function. It also takes less time to swap out high calorie for low calorie than exercising “off” excess calories.

Exercise is important because without challenging your body, you’ll never see results. Lifting weights, running, swimming, etc. is how you increase muscle mass, strength, endurance or cardiovascular healthy. Diet alone cannot do that.

It’s not x% vs. x% - it’s a good balance between fueling your body and making it work hard.

With all of the banana health benefits, it is easy to see why they are such a popular fruit. In many ways, their benefits are far greater than that of other fruits. They not only have more vitamins and minerals than some other choices, they also taste great and are easy to eat.

However, having a diet that consists of only bananas as your fruit each day is not healthy and it can even be harmful to your health. Try to include several of your favorite fruits throughout the week because each of them has different advantages for your body. If you do not normally include bananas or any other fruit in your daily routine, find some ways to include fruit in your diet in order to improve your health and overall well-being.

1. Stop comparing yourself to others.

2. Stop putting yourself down, and attacking yourself with your own thoughts and words.

3. Don’t reject compliments. Instead of automatically brushing them off, recognize that what has been said is true.

4. Deliberately affirm yourself throughout the day with positive statements like “I am a valuable person; I am unique and have talents and gifts; I am likeable and loveable.”

5. Surround yourself with positive people who can see, and affirm, your worth and value. At the same time, avoid critical and negative people who get a kick out of putting others down.

6. Make a list of the goals you have achieved, and your minor and major successes in life.

7. Make a list of your top 10 traits and remind yourself of these important qualities.

8. Be true to yourself. It’s important that you live an authentic life and be the person you were meant to be. Don’t try to be a replica of anybody else. You have so much to offer – so always be yourself.

• Stress reduction. With its quiet, precise movements, yoga draws your focus away from your busy, chaotic day and toward calm as you move your body through poses that require balance and concentration.
• Increased fitness. As you learn and refine new poses, you may enjoy improved balance, flexibility, range of motion and strength. And this means you're less likely to injure yourself in other physical endeavors or in your daily activities.
• Management of chronic health conditions. Yoga might help with a variety of health conditions, such as cancer, depression, pain, anxiety and insomnia, by helping with sleep problems, fatigue and mood. Yoga also can help reduce heart rate and blood pressure.
• Weight loss. If you're overweight or have binge-eating disorder, yoga may help you make the healthy lifestyle changes necessary to gain control of your eating and drop those extra pounds.

• Oatmeal with skim milk and a banana
• Toast with cottage cheese and jam

• Chicken breast with broccoli
• Egg white omelet with salsa

After weights and cardio - you need a carb to protein ratio of 3:1.

Try:

• Protein shake with fruit
• Sweet popatoe with greek yogurt

• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Bananas
• Basil
• Broccoli
• Cherries
• Corn
• Dill
• Green beans
• Mushrooms
• Strawberries

• Aragula
• Avocados
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Grapes
• Lettuce
• Limes
• Pineapple
• Zucchini

 

4-6 days:

• Apricots
• Blueberries
• Brussels sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Grapefruit
• Leeks
• Lemons
• Oranges
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Peaches
• Pears
• Peppers
• Plums
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Watermelon

 

7+days:

• Apples
• Beets
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Celery
• Garlic
• Hard squash
• Onions
• Potatoes

• Start making your own meals from wholesome lean proteins, veggies, fruit and healthy fats. Basically, eat as close to natural as possible!
• Remember healthy food does not have to be expensive.
• Toss (or donate if you're so inclined) and avoid buying the following: soda, diet soda, fruit juice, sports drinks, cookies, chips, crackers, candy, ice cream, pudding, jell-o, flavored yogurt, condiments like mayo, ketchup, ranch and other fattening/sugary dressings and marinades, deli meats, processed meats, white breads and pastas, sugary cereals, packaged processed crap, granola bars. Most are full of sugar and processed, chemical junk! Sugar spikes insulin and promotes fat storage and has been linked to numerous, serious health conditions such as obesity, heart disease and some types of cancer.
• Recipe possibilites are virtually endless and there is no need for healthy food to be boring. Use popular search engines like Google to look for "clean eating" recipes.
• Start slow. Try swapping out one meal a day that is typically unhealthy. So for example if you usually grab a doughnut or pastry for breakfast, try making a healthier breakfast with eggs and old-fashioned oatmeal with cinnamon and stevia! It only takes 5 minutes to make and will give you tons of healthy nutrients and energy to tide you over for several hours! Each day, aim to make your choices healthier. In time it will become a habit!