The Power of Healthy Living
Top 7 Healthy Snacks
Your mental and physical health both contribute to the driving forces behind the life you’ve always wanted to experience. If you want to live the healthy life you deserve, focus on both your mind and body. Create a physical and mental wellness plan utilizing these strategies: eat a healthy diet, exercise daily, avoid stress, get enough sleep and embrace moments of gratitude.
Small steps in the right direction can lead to incredible rewards. Experience a greater level of energy and vitality than you ever thought was possible by making your physical condition a priority. Increase your knowledge and confidence by keeping your mind sharp. Together, your physical and mental health forms the basis of a rich life worth living!
Living well and eating healthy go hand and hand. With these great snacks you can prepare and eat throughout any busy work day!
Widely recognized as a good source of potassium, bananas are also surprisingly rich in vitamin B6. A medium-sized banana provides 400 mg of potassium -11% of daily value- and contains 110 calories and 4 grams of fiber. Bananas also contain plenty of carbohydrates which are the body's main source of energy. They are also easy to digest. Convenience and nutritional value of bananas make them a good post-exercise snack.
1 Banana:
2 Broccoli:
1/2 cup of chopped, raw broccoli provides over half a full day’s supply of vitamin C. This nutrient - rich veggie offers some folate and good amount of vitamin A, too. Broccoli also has as much calcium as milk, and is therefore an important source of nutrition for those with osteoporosis or calcium deficiencies.
3 Greek Yogurt:
All yogurts are excellent sources of calcium, potassium, protein, zinc, and vitamins B6 and B12. What distinguishes Greek yogurt is its thicker, creamier texture because the liquid whey is strained out. Also, it contains probiotic cultures and is lower in lactose and has twice the protein content of regular yogurts.
4 Apple:
One of the healthiest fruits you should be eating is one you probably already are: the apple. The Iowa Women’s Health Study, which has been investigating the health habits of 34,000 women for nearly 20 years, named apples as one of only three foods (along with pears and red wine) that are most effective at reducing the risk of death from heart disease among postmenopausal women.
5 Beans:
It’s hard to imagine a more perfect food than beans. One cooked cupful can provide as much as 17 g fiber. They're also loaded with protein and dozens of key nutrients, including a few most women fall short on—calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
6 Nuts:
According to the USDA, eating 1½ ounces of tree nuts daily can reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Walnuts are rich in omega-3s. Hazelnuts contain arginine, an amino acid that may lower blood pressure. An ounce of almonds has as many heart-healthy polyphenols as a cup of green tea.
7
Blueberries:
Blueberries may very well be the most potent age-defying food—they’re jam-packed with antioxidants. Research shows a diet rich in blueberries can help with memory loss, prevent urinary tract infections, and relieve eyestrain.
Top 7 workouts to kick off your new exercise regime
1 Wall Push Ups
Place your hands shoulder-width apart on a sturdy wall in front of you, feet slightly apart, abs engaged, back and legs straight. Lift your heels to balance on your toes and lean forward slightly so most of your weight is on your arms. Inhale as you bend your elbows and lean your body farther toward the wall, maintaining a long, straight line from head to toe. Exhale as you straighten your arms to complete 1 repetition.
Target areas: Chest, shoulders, triceps and core.
4 Standing Rotation
Stand upright with your feet 6 to 12 inches apart. Cross your hands over your chest. While keeping your feet flat on the floor and hips facing forward, twist to the left until you feel tension through your lower back. Hold for 30 seconds. Breathe normally as you hold the stretch and try to twist slightly farther with each exhale. Return to the starting position, and then perform the exercise in the opposite direction.
Target area: Lower back muscles
2 Lateral Leg Lunges
Take a large step outwards and to the back with your right leg, landing on the ball of your foot. Bending the knee of the leg on the step slightly and dropping your back knee down towards the floor. Keep your chest upright looking straight ahead. Push up through the heel of the foot on the step, and land placing your right foot back on the center of the step. Repeat for the left leg.
Target areas: Inner thighs, buttocks and upper legs
5 Sit Ups
Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent. Place your hands on either side of your head and execute the exercise by raising your torso up and crunching your abs forward while trying to touch your elbows to your knees. Really focus on keeping your midsection contracted throughout the entire exercise. Slowly lower your body back to the start position and repeat.
Target areas: Abs and hip flexors
3 Lateral Side Bend
Standing with your feet two to three feet apart, bring your arms up to shoulder height and out to the sides. Exhale and raise your right arm over your head as you bend at your waist to the left. Let your left hand slide down your left leg as far as it will go without overly-pulling the muscles on your right side. Inhale and return to your start position and then repeat the side bend to the right.
Target areas: Obliques
6 Jumping Jacks
Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and let your arms hang down by your sides. Jump up just off of the ground and spread your legs, while quickly raising your arms high up over your head until your hands almost touch. Keep your hands open with your palms facing away from you during the first part of the movement. Bring your feet back to shoulder width while quickly lowering your arms back down to your sides to finish the first jumping jack repetition.
Target areas: Cardiovascular fitness
Stand in place with your feet hip-width apart. Drive your right knee toward your chest and quickly place it back on the ground. Follow immediately by driving your left knee toward your chest. Continue to alternate knees as quickly as you can.
Target areas: Glutes
7 High Knees