How to Eat a Simply Healthy Breakfast

Breakfast seems to be the most overlooked meal of the day. I grew up eating a breakfast of sugar-filled cereal in vitamin D milk and a PopTart.

My husband either went without breakfast or would have one of those combinations of heart stopping bacon, sausage, eggs, hash browns, etc.

My sister doesn’t eat breakfast at all.

More and more studies have shown the importance to not only health but to maintaining a healthy weight.

I like to illustrate the importance of breakfast to my clients by asking going through the following: when was the last time you ate? Usually dinner is around 7pm. How long until the next meal if you skip breakfast? That is probably around 16 or 17 hours without anything to eat! What is your body using for fuel? It needs something to keep going just like our cars!

Breakfast is a necessary part of giving your body the necessary energy to face the day!

So eat breakfast!

Now comes the tricky part: what do you eat for breakfast that is actually healthy?

A Pretty Pink Sprinkled Donut? NOPE!

The majority of all food that is advertized for breakfast is not healthy and contains loads of sugar, unhealthy fats, and cholesterol.

Here are my 9 favorite Healthy (& Vegan) breakfast ideas:

• Green Fruit Smoothies
• Nondairy Yogurt with sliced fresh fruit and topped with granola
• Vegan French toast
• Fruit spread (with no high fructose corn syrup) on whole wheat toast
• Vegan muffins
• Fresh fruit topped with finely chopped nuts (or nut butter)
• Whole grain cereal with nondairy nut milk
• Non-instant oatmeal with fruit
• Green Fruit Juice

As you probably tell from this list is I tend to eat more fruit in the morning. I feel fruit is a great way to get energized for your day. To help you feel full longer, add nuts or seeds.
Now, I need your help! What is your high-nutrient breakfast favorite? Leave a comment below so I can add it to the list!

12 Quick Tips for How to Lose Weight Walking the Block

There are many women I come in contact with on a daily basis that are looking for a way to lose weight. With 70% of women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, being obese (drastically higher than in the general population where 30% of women are obese), it is no wonder that weight loss is one of the largest concerns in women!

There is good news! One of the easiest and cheapest ways to get started on your weight loss goals is to start walking on a regular basis. Walking can help you lose weight, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, increases energy levels, and makes you feel great!

Walking does not require any special equipment or a gym membership to get in a great workout. All you really need is a good pair of walking shoes and you can do this pretty much anywhere. It is especially great for those of you who travel so much!

Getting out there and walking the block in your own neighborhood for 30 minutes 4-5 times a week can make a huge difference in how you look and feel!

In order to give you the nuts and bolts of what you should know if you are going to kick off your weight loss program, I have put together a list of the 15 top tips for walking for weight loss.

Gear: First up, you will need comfortable, well-fitting shoes with great support. I encourage you to go to a sporting goods store and have them fit you with a pair of shoes that work well for your feet. Also, you will want light-colored & reflective clothing if you plan on walking in the evenings or at night. If you are only going to be walking during the day, bright or neon colors work great to make sure that traffic sees you.

Goals & Rewards: Before you even start your walking program, sit down and actually write out your goals. What do you plan to do this week and this month for walking? What is your reward if you meet these goals? Make sure your goals are small and achievable which will help you stay motivated as time goes on. Make sure your reward is something that you really want like that high-speed blender.

Music: Create a fun playlist that you can listen to on your phone, iPod, etc. while you are walking. If you would prefer to listen to a book on tape, make sure you have a few to choose from and have them loaded onto your player.

Weights: Buying hand weights that are 3 pounds or less is optional but it is a great way to increase the intensity of your workout a little more!

ID & Water bottle: Never go walking without your ID in case something happens along the way. A water bottle is a necessity if you are going to be walking to replace the water loss during exercise. Get a great water bottle that is fun and BPA-free.

Against the traffic: When you are walking along roads, a good rule of thumb is to go against the traffic. Walk on the left side of the road/sidewalk. This allows you to see drivers and for them to better see you.

Hills/Terrain: Another way you can increase the workout intensity is to change up the route. Add a few hills or a different type of terrain. In the desert, there are roads, gravel, sand, or even hiking up the mountains we have. It all makes your muscles work a little differently and are great ways to change things up.

Fast: Don’t just stroll along on your workout walk. You will not get much out of a slow walk. Pick up the pace and go as fast as you can handle. As your body gets better and better with dealing with regular workouts, you can pick up the pace or add a little more distance

Heart monitor & pedometer: These help you know if you are actually getting a good workout. You can see if your heart rate is just a little elevated that you are walking at a good pace. If you wear a pedometer, you can make sure you get at least 1,000 steps per day which is a great motivating tool in getting up more active on a daily basis.

Buddy: Find a walking buddy. It is easier to get yourself motivated when you are going walking with a friend. For example, I would never go hiking by myself, but a group of us women from work plan at least once or twice a week to meet at a trail for our hiking adventure. When you have a friend or group of friends to go with, it is more fun and you are more likely to stick with it!

Charity walk: There seem to always be charity walk/runs going on. See about signing up for one to walk in. This is a great motivator to improve your fitness level so you are ready for the event and a great way to support a charity of your choosing.

Cool down/stretching: Every workout, including walking, needs a cool down. This can be 3-5 minutes long and can consist of your walking at your beloved stroll pace and some stretching. This is very important because it is what helps bring your body back to its normal state and will help prevent injuries.

Don’t forget that while walking can be a big part of your weight loss program, you still should have fun!

Make walking fun and do what you enjoy. I prefer to choose places to go hike that have lots of interesting things in nature to see. Figure out what works for you that will help you enjoy your time of getting healthy

Name the easiest tip from the top 12 that you could add to your weight loss program. Leave your answer in a comment below.

15 Ways to De-Stress your Nest for a Happy, Healthy Home

Creating a comfortable and inviting home can have a large impact in your overall health. If you do create this environment, you can encourage healthier behaviors. You may be surprised how easy it is for you to focus on matters that are important to your health and your family when your home is uncluttered and appealing.

Your home is where is all comes together!

Now ladies, don’t misinterpret what I am trying to say here. I am not saying that your home must be clean, orderly, and look like it came out of a designer magazine. The key to a healthy home environment centers on making your home a place you can relax, rejuvenate, and recharge so you can better deal with the world around you.

Take a look around your home and ask yourself how you feel when you are in that space. Does it make you feel stressed or does it help you feel comfortable and relax? Your home does not have to be perfect. It just must be a place that feels inviting and warm to you!

When your home feels warm and inviting to you, you can spend your time focusing on your health. A healthy home can help encourage and promote healthy behaviors in other areas of your life.

Here is a list of my top 15 favorite small changes you can make to your home today to make it a haven for you and your family and promote health and de-stressing for your whole family.

1. Create your relaxation zone. Make one place in your home a comfortable place you can escape to in order to relax. This can be a simple chair and lamp in the corner of your bedroom that makes you feel comfortable and stress free.
2. De-clutter your home room by room. When you have less clutter around the home, you are able to think more clearly and feel more comfortable and relaxed. Take it one room at a time and clear the extra clutter.
3. Bring fresh flowers inside to help brighten the mood and atmosphere. There is nothing more relaxing than dealing with nature and beautiful flowers.
4. Create an organization station for papers. Do you find a counter in your kitchen seems to be the catch all for papers? Create and area or a wall station where you can organize everything and take away the stress from seeing a mess of papers in the kitchen.
5. Hang a large family calendar next to the organization station so that you can easily keep track of your family’s activities. This creates less stress in home trying to remember what exactly you had going on tonight.
6. Set out big bowls of fruit and vegetables in your kitchen for décor. This creates a great smell in your home and promotes healthy eating from the whole family.
7. Make sure you have plenty of natural light coming into your home. Get rid of heavy and dark drapes. Natural light will lift your mood and promote relaxation.
8. Turn off the TV and facebook. Start working on a hobby of yours.
9. Choose natural paint colors for a more relaxing atmosphere. Bold colors can promote stress.
10. Laugh often.
11. Get social. Go out and have fun with friends. Research has shown that people who spend more time being social are happier and have less stress.
12. Create a family game night. In our world today, families are so busy they hardly even get to eat together any more. Mark off one day on your calendar and label it family game night. Spend time together as a family playing board games or whatever games are interesting to you. This will help your family be happier and closer overall.
13. In addition to game night, make sure your family sits down and eats together as a  family, old fashioned style. This will help build stronger family relationships and give the parents and kids time to
    talk about what is going on in their world and what they may be struggling with.
14. Put the computer in the office and limit time spent mindlessly on it. It is more important for your comfortable, inviting, and healthy home that you spend less time on the computer and more time as a family or working on hobbies you enjoy.
15. Last but not least, make your bathroom into an oasis. There is not better place to relax than in the bathroom. Make it inviting and a great place for you to de-stress.

By focusing on creating a home that is comfortable and inviting, you are setting it up to promote healthy behaviors and create a happy and healthy family.

Do you have some healthy home tips you would like to add? Leave me a comment below and let me know: what is your favorite way to create a comfortable home?

Ask Amber: Can I exercise during Pregnancy?

For today’s post I am going to my “mailbag” and answering a question from one of my readers! The question for today is all about exercising during pregnancy!

Question:
My mother and aunt told me to stop exercising now that I am pregnant because pregnant women are supposed to take it easy and shouldn’t exercise, but my doctor recommended that I keep active. So, is it okay to exercise during pregnancy?
~ Melanie C, Michigan.

Amber’s Answer:
This is a very common question that I get. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, doctors told pregnant women they should walk no more than 1 mile per day and to rest for the duration of the pregnancy. I think I would go crazy being expected to sit around all day for 9 months! Doctors at that time were concerned that exercise caused birth defects and miscarriages but research has since contradicted this. Since the 1960s there has been hundreds of research studies conducted that have shown the many benefits exercise has for the pregnant woman. Thankfully we are no longer expected to lie in bed for 9 months and are able to still engage in many of the activities that we could do pre-pregnancy.

There numerous benefits of exercising during pregnancy include:

• Decrease in pain during contractions
• Decrease in pregnancy discomfort
• 75% less chance of C-Section due to complications
• 35% less need for pain medications during labor
• 55% less need for pitocin
• 75% less chance of maternal exhaustion during labor
• Decrease time in labor
• Decrease mom’s risk of complications
• Improve sleep
• Improve energy level
• Decrease stress
• Decrease risk of postpartum depression
• Increase healthy baby development during pregnancy
• Improve nutrient delivery and removal of toxins to and from baby
• Improve post pregnancy recovery
• And many more! 

I have to issue a word of caution. It is still crucial to get clearance from your doctor or midwife before exercising to make sure your pregnancy is healthy enough for exercise.

When you do get the “all clear” from your doctor or midwife, be sure to exercise in a well ventilated room and to stay hydrated. A good rule of thumb is to drink a cup (8oz) of water for every 15 minutes of exercise. Oh, it might be smart to workout in a gym, your home, or in a park where you are always close to a bathroom.

There are so many great benefits of exercise during pregnancy that you are probably ready to just get out there and get moving! These benefits are great motivating factors; that’s for sure! However, it is very important that you don’t exercise during pregnancy and talk to your doctor or midwife if you have any of the following conditions:

• Ruptured membranes
• Premature labor
• Persisitent bleeding after 12 weeks
• Poor fetal growth
• Multiple-birth pregnancy
• A history of 3 or more miscarriages
• A history of preterm labor
• Dilated cervix
• Pregnancy-induced hypertension

Finally, when you do start exercising while you are pregnant, you must watch for these danger signs and seek your healthcare provider if any of these develop:

• Pain
• Excessive fatigue
• Overheating
• Dehydration
• Contractions
• Dizziness
• Dyspnea
• Headache
• Increase in leg swelling
• Muscle weakness
• Vaginal bleeding/leaking of amniotic fluid
• You can’t feel your baby moving

In summary, you can exercise during pregnancy and there are a ton of benefits to exercising during this special time. However, it is more important than ever to have the permission of your doctor or midwife and that you listen to your body and stop exercising if you experience any discomforts. Enjoy the special time of your pregnancy!

Next Steps:

• Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think about these benefits, if you are going to exercise during pregnancy, and what type of exercising you will be doing during pregnancy.
• Share this post with your girlfriends JGet Clearance from your doctor or midwife to exercise and start working with a personal trainer who is certified in pre/postnatal exercise.
• Enjoy your healthy and fit pregnancy!

How to Get Started with Juicing!

A few weeks ago, I brought you an awesome article from Karen Knowler, the Raw Food Coach, How to Set up Your Own Smoothie Bar. As a follow up to her smoothie article, I am bringing you “How to Start Juicing at Home” so you can learn how easy and tasty juicing can be!

So why JUICING? They are quick and delicious, and deliver an instant blast of sustainable energy. I like to think of it as high-dose nutrition in a glass!

Home-made fresh juice is lacking the yucky preservatives and additives and the nutrients are easily assimilated in your body! This helps your body absorb more of the good stuff which will give you tons of energy!

Fruit and veggie juices are cleansing, have tons of antioxidants, natural sugars, and chlorophyll that will get you on the road to looking and feeling amazing!

What I have noticed the most is that I no longer have the acne breakouts (having those in your late 20s is embarrassing enough!), my complexion looks awesome, and I have more energy! The past few weeks my co-faculty members have all been affected by colds and the nasty flu. The only problem with me being healthy despite their cold/flu is that I have had to be at work every day!

Start juicing and let me know how you feel!

Step 1: Tool Time.
You don’t need a lot of equipment to start juicing. All you need is a juicer. There are a bunch of different juicers out there on the market and can range in price from around $30 to $500 or more! You can get away with spending what you can on a juicer that gets great reviews on Amazon.com.

If you are looking for a solid juicer that can do many different functions besides just juice, minimizes foam on top of your juice, and minimizes nutrients lost, I recommend…

Last spring I bought an Omega 8006 after reading tons of reviews and health information about juicers. I absolutely love it! It maintains all the awesome nutrients and enzymes and does not have as much of that gross pulp left on the top of the glass.

It is pricey, but it is one of the best investments you can make for your health. I have made it part of my healthy living toolbox.

Some more helpful kitchen tools that are not required but are worth investing in, is a good cutting board that you will only use for fresh produce, a quality chef’s knife, and a fun juice glass! J

Step 2: What to Juice?

The main things that you can juice are fruits and vegetables.

I find juicing a combination of various fruits gives you a great burst of energy. Juicing a combination of fruits and vegetables makes you feel more nourished as well as energized. Vegetable Juices are more detoxing and nourishing.

All I can say to this is to experiment with various combinations!

Step 3: Set up your Juicing Station.
Find a place in your kitchen that you can designate as your juicing station. Make it convenient to the refrigerator and kitchen sink to make it easier to grab and wash your produce. The key is to not make it difficult to set up your equipment, gather your ingredients, and juice because you will be less likely to ever juice if it is a pain to even get started! Make life simple: keep supplies close!

Step 4: How to Juice!

1. Set up all your supplies! Pull out your juicer, the fruits/veggies you are going to juice, and your juice glass (fancy & fun to drink your awesome juice in)!
2. Be sure to wash all your fruits and vegetables. I use the fit wash that can be found at most grocery stores.
3. Chop and pit and any other preparation that needs to happen to make the fruits and vegetables easier to put through the juicer.
4. In no particular order, feed your produce into the juicer!
5. Pour into your fancy and fun juice glass!
6. Enjoy! Share with family and friends!

Ready for 3 refreshing and tasty juice recipes to get you started? Check out my juice recipe post by clicking here!

Before I wrote this blog post, I had a few readers ask about what I thought about juicing and what type of juicer I recommend.  So, for those readers who were wondering what type of juicer I recommend…

The Omega 8006 and I highly encourage you to make the investment if you are serious about getting healthy!

So, Get out there and start juicing!

Leave me a comment below because I want to know: Do you have any questions about getting started juicing? If you have started, what benefits have you noticed and what is your favorite recipe for juicing?

The Top 7 Easiest Ways to De-Stress your Home

Our lives are busy. We rush around day in and day out. From full-time jobs to raising kids to all those extra activities going on, it is no wonder we are so stressed out! It seems there are always things that need to get done, bills that need to be paid, and those extra responsibilities at work that must get completed by the deadline.

What else is causing stress in your life?

Did you know stress can negatively impact your health? It can lower your immune system which can set you up for catching more colds and the flu. Chronic stress can even increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, headaches, migraines, high blood pressure, ulcers, alcohol dependency, and depression.

It is so important that we make sure to take time to relax and rejuvenate to maintain an optimal level of health.

I don’t know about you guys but I love HGTV! There are so many great ideas on there about awesome rooms for our homes that promote relaxation and healthy living. But, it wasn’t until recently that I realized how important having a home that allows you to get away from your hectic lives is! So, this post is a little different from my usual health posts but I love talking about homes as much as health so Im combining the best of both worlds today!

Today I was looking around my home and thinking how the home can be just as stressful as a job. So, I decided to put together a short list of a few things that can help you de-stress your home and create a place where you can relax.

The 7 Easy Ways to De-Stress your Home

1. Use calming colors throughout your home. Calming colors such as blue, green, and beige can offer a more calming effect on your life. According to psychologists, when bright and intense colors are present throughout your home, it can change your mood pretty quickly to such a mood as anger and can actually quicken your pulse and raise your blood pressure.
2. De-clutter your home. When you have tons of “stuff” all of the place, even if the room is “clean”, it can actually create more stress in your life. Make your most common living spaces free of extra clutter and save the extra little things for other rooms in your home.
3. Add lots of houseplants to your living space. Houseplants are great ways to bring the outdoors in. By using more of nature colors and by incorporating more of the outdoors, you are creating a naturally calming atmosphere. There is just something about nature that is calming. Don’t you agree?
4. Create your happy and relaxing zone in your house. Whether you designate a chair in the corner, or a lounge outside, make sure you have your place you can go to relax at home. This way when things get hectic you have your escape to rejuvenate!
5. Make your bed every day. I didn’t realize how this can actually make you feel great just by simply spending the extra 3 minutes a day making your bed. When things look put together especially in your bedroom, you don’t have to worry about it and can more effectively deal with everything else going on in your life.
6. Create a “catch all” place in your home. Designate a place in your home, whether in the kitchen, entryway, office, or wherever that you put a cubby or holder that can catch all the mail, your kids homework, or all those extra papers. This will help keep the rest of the house cleaner and allow your family to be more organized and on top of things that need to be taken care of.
7. Clean your sink before you go to bed at night. I know this sounds funny, but it really makes a difference. My husband’s aunt actually told me this one and it really works! As the woman of the house, the kitchen can easily be put on the back burner for all the time we spend in there cooking, cleaning dishes, etc and create a source of stress for us. There are so many other things to worry about that cleaning the sink with Windex at night makes sure the sink is clean and shines. You can then go to bed relaxed and be ready to start the day again in the morning.

By incorporating these 7 Simple Steps into your daily lives, you might be surprised how many little things in your home are creating more stress that YOU DO NOT NEED! All it takes is maybe an extra 5 minutes a day to have a home that can help you relax, rejuvenate, and get AWAY from stress causing agents.

What more can you accomplish in your life without the stress and health conditions that go along with too much stress? Try it out!

Let me know what you think about the above strategies and how you can de-stress your life by leaving a comment for me below! Don’t forget to share the love by sharing this post with your friends!

The No Workout Solution: Get Sporty!

In the longevity hotspots around the world, people stay healthy and fit just through the daily work they must do.
I don’t know about you, but my work puts me behind the desk most of the day.

Since I started doing this, I can definitely see how people can gain weight so easily in our culture if they don’t try to be active when they are not working!

I also have stayed active and fit by getting a little SPORTY!

We all have heard we need to be active on a regular basis at least a thousand times. I am not here to drill you into shape like on the biggest loser, because who likes working out? NOT ME!

The key to getting healthy and fit is to find an activity you enjoy that will get you up and moving!

Growing up in the US, thousands of kids participate in sports. I played basketball and softball through high school. There are a lot of professional sports out there with tons of fans too! So with so much put into sports, how come the obesity rate is steadily climbing each year?

I believe this has a lot to do with so many of us adults, when we get out into the work force, get busy and quit playing those sports of our youth and instead, become mainly fans to our kids and also to professional athletes. Where does this lead us? It leads us to a more sedentary lifestyle and the continual weight gain as we age.

We do get busy in this culture and when we think about losing weight or getting fit, we think we must workout Jillian Michaels style! Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed a few of her workout videos, but true and lasting exercise comes with activities we actually enjoy.

This does not have to come from slaving away in the gym or running forever when we hate doing these activities.

We need to get back to the sports philosophy to leading an active lifestyle by following the example not just the healthy people from those longevity hotspots, but also from our own kids!

Did you participate in any activities that made you exercise when you were younger? What are some activities that you enjoy?

I have come up with 7 different sports that you can participate in at any age! Adults don’t need to give up the FUN EXERCISE! The following are adult tested and the kid in you approved!

1. Tennis: this is a great full body workout that incorporates aerobic exercise with strength building movements for legs, arms, and abs!

2. Hiking: recently my hubby and I started hiking up some of the “mountains” here in the desert that are really rocky and is hard going. We have yet to make it to the top, but we will get there! Nothing motivates more than having a goal! All I can say about hiking is the next day my legs, abs, and glutes hurt!

3. Rock Climbing: this is a great arm and leg strengthening sport!

4. Dancing: there is a reason dancers have nice toned bodies! Dancing is a great aerobic exercise that works the entire body!

5. Swimming: this sport also works both arms and legs and is great for people who have painful joints because it isn’t weight-bearing!

6. Kayaking: my new favorite activity! You will definitely feel the ‘burn’ if you are new to using these muscles. Your arms and abs will get toned in no time!

7. Bowling: bowling? Yes! Bowling is great full body workout if you are not messing around the whole time. Stay focused but enjoy yourself and you will notice some soreness in your arms, shoulders, glutes and abs!


Question of the day:
Do you have a favorite activity that you used to participate in that you truly enjoyed? Out of the list above, what do you think you would enjoy doing to keep you active and fit? Leave your answer below as a comment…