Healthy Body Healthy Lifers,
One of the habits that stuck with me after cleansing, was the idea of having a smoothie every morning for breakfast. I used to skip breakfast A LOT, thinking that I was "saving" calories and "saving" time, as I cherished my sleep more than eating! One thing to remember is that it's so important to jump start your metabolism in the morning- but it's CRITICAL to jump start it with the right kinds of foods.
Many of us may think we eat a wholesome breakfast each morning as we fill up on things such as pancakes, bacon, a glass of milk, and coffee. This type of breakfast is high in refined carbohydrates, low in fiber, high in hydrogenated oils, high in fat, and for those that put cream and sugar into their coffee...even higher in refined carbs, saturated fat, and excess sugar! All of this promotes diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and depletes the body of vital minerals and nutrients. After consuming these types of foods you might find yourself suffering from headaches or a runny nose (mostly from the dairy) and without any fiber in your morning meal, you will find yourself getting hungry again by mid morning.
One of the habits that stuck with me after cleansing, was the idea of having a smoothie every morning for breakfast. I used to skip breakfast A LOT, thinking that I was "saving" calories and "saving" time, as I cherished my sleep more than eating! One thing to remember is that it's so important to jump start your metabolism in the morning- but it's CRITICAL to jump start it with the right kinds of foods.
Many of us may think we eat a wholesome breakfast each morning as we fill up on things such as pancakes, bacon, a glass of milk, and coffee. This type of breakfast is high in refined carbohydrates, low in fiber, high in hydrogenated oils, high in fat, and for those that put cream and sugar into their coffee...even higher in refined carbs, saturated fat, and excess sugar! All of this promotes diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and depletes the body of vital minerals and nutrients. After consuming these types of foods you might find yourself suffering from headaches or a runny nose (mostly from the dairy) and without any fiber in your morning meal, you will find yourself getting hungry again by mid morning.
As a suggestion, and for those of you that developed the habit after cleansing... consider continuing with smoothies for breakfast. Why? Fruit and vegetable smoothies are actually the type of breakfast that can help you reverse obesity by losing weight, and also providing optimal nutrition that helps your digestive tract stay on task AND your immune system function at its best. A balanced smoothie can also help stabilize blood sugar levels. There are tons of different recipes to make these high fiber, nutritious, and delicious smoothies! I have three favorites depending on my mood: Yummy Green Shake, Chocolate/Banana, or a Berry Shake. They all provide you with the RIGHT types of foods to jump start your day and get you headed in the right direction.
Alabama HBHL'ers:
Weekly Workouts: To get the full benefits of the HBHL program, I'd like you to get a minimum of 4 workouts. Do not feel guilty about taking time for you!! You are worth it!! Try to work in 2 cardio events (walk/run), 1 yoga or flexibility event, and 1 Powerbodyz session (the at-home workout I provide, via this website!) Add a 5th event (extra yoga/powerbodyz or cardio class) to round out your week, 5 workouts is optimal- 4 is the minimum. Remember PBz workouts are less than 30 minutes!
Powerbodyz Workout: There is a new Powerbodyz workout this week. Again- if you are new to PBz please start with the introductory workout!
Wellness Lesson: Exercise and Detox
I wanted to share an article with you that discusses the detoxification benefits of yoga. Exercise, in and of itself, enhances the detox process- sweating through your skin (the largest organ in your body) is highly beneficial. But yoga, offers extra benefits to the body's natural detox process. Some of you may have noticed that I talk about detoxing our internal organs while performing the twisting exercises in class. A lot of people don't realize that their lymph system (which is the main system for ridding your body of toxins) has no pump. Instead it relies on body movement and a natural flow to circulate the lymph fluids throughout your system. Basically, if you aren't moving your body around, you aren't moving much lymph fluid and your immune system isn't performing optimally. Movement and exercise is great. But, exercises that have you twisting, inverting and moving your arms above your head are especially beneficial to the detoxing process. Here's the link with more specific info on yoga and detox:
Yoga and Detox
Weekly Challenge:
Yoga and Detox
Weekly Challenge:
This week, try to aim for 50% of your meals to include raw foods. This can be morning smoothies (which are all raw), salad for lunch or with dinner, and snacks such as fruit, nuts, or veggies and hummus.
If you are new to HBHL and are interested in learning more about:
Powerbodyz- reference the 8 Jan HBHL blog
The Cleanse- reference the 1 Jan HBHL blog.
Make sure you sign up for this blog as a subscriber (at the top right of the home page) and follow us on Facebook!
Have a wonderful week!
Be Educated. Be Balanced. Be Fit. Be Healthy.
Namaste,
Jannell
Jannell MacAulay, BS Biology, MS Kinesiology
Certified Yoga, Powerbodyz, Piyo and Fitness Instructor
AFAA Certified Personal Trainer
HBHL ~ Learn. Change. Grow.
www.healthybodyhealthylife.org
