Benefits of healthy sleep

I'm currently taking a class called Sleep and Sleep Disorders and was reading a section about sleep in terms of good health and longevity and thought I should share some important advice with you all.

While exercise and diet are extremely important for living a long and healthy life, studies have shown that sleep might actually have a greater effect on longevity than diet and exercise.

There's enough things that we as humans do to take years off of our life that we need all the sleep we can get! If you're in college and have a big exam or project coming up, don't make it a habit to always pull all-nighters.  It's best to do a little bit every day to stay in the school mode as well as get a good night's sleep!  This can be difficult sometimes during finals time, but your performance and mood will suffer if you aren't getting enough sleep.

Healthy sleep strengthens your immune system, promotes tissue growth, increases vitality and may increase longevity. Sleep deprivation leads to risk for diseases, colds, or the flu, impairs the immune system, and your mood and happiness will be directly affected.

Your body requires 1 hour of sleep for every 2 hours that you're awake.  When you are awake throughout the day, you are acquiring sleep debt.  If you were to get one less hour of sleep than you need for 8 days straight, you have now acquired 8 hours of sleep debt that your biological clock keeps track of.  This needs to be repaid or you'll be hurting your physical, emotional, and mental health and performance. 

The take away: Get a good night's sleep regularly.  Of course there are exceptions, but be sure to repay your sleep debt!!

Delicious salads

I am by all means NOT a huge huge fan of salads, but I've been on a salad kick lately and am learning to love them. 

On this post, I'll show you some great salads that are super delicious.

 Make your own chopped salads!

What to chop:

• tomatoes
• lettuce
• onions
• cucumbers
• cheese
• chicken breast

Add a little dressing and toss it up! 

Try a tomato bean salad!

What's in it:

• green beans
• grape tomatoes
• yellow tomatoes
• soy beans (edamame 
• yellow beans
• a light dressing

Chicken ceasar salad

• Lettuce
• chicken breast
• shredded parmesan cheese
• ceasar dressing 

 Also really great to put all of these ingredients into a wrap! 

Homemade spinach salad with chicken

• Baby spinach leaves
• chicken breast 
• balsamic vinnaigrette

(Similar to the salad right above this one)

Spinach, mozzarella, chicken salad

• Baby spinach leaves
• fresh mozzarella cheese (Bel Gioioso is a great brand)
• chicken breast 
• balsamic vinnaigrette 

Very fresh taste!  My boyfriend loved it when I made this salad for him and that's saying a lot since he is all about meats, pastas, etc.  

The Simple spinach salad

Just 3 ingredients + dressing!

• baby spinach leaves
• fresh mozzarella
• chopped roma tomatoes
• dressing

Tomato, chicken, Spinach salad

• baby spinach
• grillen chicken breast
• tomatoes
• dressing 

Have fun experimenting with different variations of these healthy salads that taste great! 

This salad is one of my absolute favorites and it's from a restaurant from where I work, Sophia's:

What's in it:

• Romaine lettuce
• grilled chicken breast
• roma tomatoes
• cucumbers
• onions
• almond encrusted goat cheese
• orange ginger vinnaigrette 

YUM! 

Live carefree and manage your stress (:

Stress causes premature aging and is not good on your health!  Not only can you make yourself physically sick from being too stressed, but also stress does nothing for weight loss.

Some tend to eat too much when stressed while others tend to eat too little when stressed.  Neither of these habits is good for you.  

Stress also can also cause headaches, fatigue, insomnia, and if stress is not managed it can increase your chance of having a heart attack and can contribute to diabetes, weight gain, and high blood pressure. 

Find the balance in your life.  Do what makes you happy and do it often.  Find your passions and indulge them.  Make a summer bucket list and actually set out to do those things!

Take some time off for you.  Read a book, give yourself a manicure or pedicure, take a walk, cook your favorite meal, have a Netflix marathon, spend time with those you love, go for a hike, hit up the pool, or simply sit outside and enjoy the beauty of nature.   

Living a healthy life is not just about being physically healthy, but it's about taking care of your mental and emotional health as well. 

Choose to be happy. 

Some things on my Summer Bucket List so far:

Plan a float trip

Go on nature hikes through caves and cliffs at local State Parks

Go camping

Record another acoustic cover

Stay in shape

Learn how to cook more recipes

Read a more than 2 books

Spend time at the pool and the beach

Do something nice for someone

Make some crafts

Go wake boarding again 

Go boating

.

.

. 

Feel free to share any ideas for things to do this summer with everyone in the comments section! 

(=

If you're going to be on campus all day...

Pack healthy snacks or see what the best options around campus are.

 Some student centers or cafeterias have really great food options on campus.  If you are low on cash however, make a wrap or pack some snacks.

Examples of easy to make zip lock bag snacks:

• thinly sliced apple with orange and lemon squirts on the slices 
• banana with peanut butter in the middle 
• granola with raisins and coconut
• nuts (peanuts, almonds, etc.) 
• carrots or broccoli and a bit of ranch
• apples and peanut butter
• I used to do this all the time in middle school and high school
• One zip lock bag for the apple slices and one for a couple scoops of peanut butter

Other great things to pack:

• a banana
• an orange
• granola bar (Nature Valley is good or Nutrigrain) 
• a wrap

 

Orzo salad (left) and Naked smoothie drinks (right)

Shells and cheese with green beans sauteed in onions and garlic

Other great food options we have available on Mizzou's campus: sushi, salads, fruit cups, veggie salads, etc.

Pinterest has a bunch of great snack and recipe ideas which I'll be posting later on, but click here for the link to my recipes board.

^^ Note: not all the recipes and food ideas in my Recipes board are necessarily healthy and there are a lot of dessert ideas on there too, but regardless I think you guys will enjoy! 

Fat doesn't make you fat, sugar does.

So I recently watched the documentary Hungry for Change, which is on Netflix by the way (I recommend that you watch it), and it preaches what I feel about diets and dieting.  Plus, I learned quite a bit myself. I want to share with you what I learned and the truth about dieting, sugar, diet pills, and eating artificial foods. 

Diets set you up for failure.  Up to two-thirds of people gain more weight after they're off the diet than when they started the diet.  The weight loss is always temporary. 

You can consume tons of calories in a day and still be starving your cell.  Ironic huh?  Well that's because many foods we eat today have a high caloric weight that provide immediate fats and calories, but lack nutritional value.

Not supplying your body with proper nutrition will create health problems later on. While it's true many Americans are overfed, they are starving inside for nutrients.  Breads and sugars for example, trick your body into thinking that it's full and getting enough nutrients, when in actuality it is not. 

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is in most cereals, tomato-based sauce, ketchups, applesauce, spaghetti sauces, barbeque sauce, soft drinks, fruit drinks, breads, & yogurts (even organic).  Fructose corn syrup is highly addictive and will make you crave more sugar and fructose.  It can change your brain chemistry and attract you to foods that will lead you down a path to obesity. 

Eating corn is fine because it is in its natural state for consumption.  Natural fructose found in fruits, sugars, vegetables, and honey is very different from HFCS.  While these are natural sugars, HFCS is a highly concentrated form of corn syrup.  HFCS adds to glucose levels in the body and increase cholesterol levels.  While both corn syrup and HFCS are both harmful to the body, corn syrup is definitely the lesser of the two. 

I took the liberty to give you some examples of cereal that do not contain high fructose corn syrup in them because I am all about my cereal in the morning.

These do not contain high fructose corn syrup:

CEREALS

• Cheerios 
• most Kashi brand cereals 
• regular Life Cereal and Cinnamon Life cereal
• most Nature's Pride Organic
• Shredded Wheat

 CRACKERS

•  Dare Vinta Crackers
• Milton's (most)
• Nabisco Original Triscuits
• Pepperidge Farm Goldfish

BREADS

• Amana Multi Grain Bread
• Aunt Millie's Old Fashioned Butter-Top Wheat
• Brownberry's Arnold Natural Health Nut Bread
• Country Hearth 12-Grain Bread
• Dave's Killer Breads
• Earth Grains 100% Natural 7-Grain Bread
• Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat bread (other varieties do contain HFCS, but not this kind)
• Nature's Pride
• Open Nature Bread (also contains no trans fat) 
• Pepperidge Farms 100% Natural Blend
• Pepperidge Farms Whole Grain Wheat Bread
• Rudi's Organic Bakery Buns
• Sara Lee Soft and Smooth 100% Whole Wheat
• Tandoori Roti/Naan breads
• Vermont Bread Company breads
• Wheat Montana bread/rolls

OTHER

• Motts All Natural Applesauce
• Jiff peanut butter
• Hellman's Mayonnaise 
• Annie's Natural Organic Honey Mustard
• Trader Joe's Organic Maple Syrup 
• Breyer's yogurt

See more varieties of food that does not contain high fructose corn syrup--> Click here.

Another dangerous combination is caffeine and aspartame.  This combo kills brain cells.  Diet Cola is a product that utilizes this chemical combination that causes an immediate feeling of fulfillment and that it's the most fulfilling thing you've ever had.

Foods that contain aspartame:

• breath mints
• diet Soda
• most yogurts
• many cereals
• flavored water
• powdered drinks
• sweeteners
• chewing gum

Artificial sweeteners are not as good as you think they are.  These unnatural sweeteners cause carbohydrate cravings and weight gain. "Fluffy" carbohydrates turn into sugar and everyone needs to expand their definition of what is a sugar.  Examples of these fluffy carbohydrates: rice, pasta, waffles, pancakes, breads.  Again, check the labels.

Yes, I know all of the above foods are very hard to avoid, but eating less of them and more of the good stuff will make all the difference! One main thing that Hungry for Change harps on is adding more of the good stuff into your diet versus avoiding all of these foods.  One reason for this is so when you reintroduce some of these foods, your body will gain weight back, but by eating healthy and in moderation while adding more of the good stuff, you'll begin to crave more and more of the healthy stuff.  It will become a lifestyle that you are willing to make.

The take-away advice: 

So don't treat creating a healthy lifestyle like a diet where you only eat certain foods, eat less, and cut out main food groups completely.  Instead, add more fresh vegetables (filled with tons of chlorophyll that helps cleanse your body) and eat more fruits, lean meats, and watch out for eating too many foods containing HFCS and artificial sweeteners.   

Squat challenge... Anyone up for doing it with me?

Starting today or whichever day you read this will be day 1 for you.

Here's the plan.  Do sets of squats for three days then take a day of rest.  For the first day, do 50 and each day after that add 5 more squats.  Make sure to not let your knees pass your toes when squatting and keep hydrated!


The breakdown:

Day 1-50 squats
Day 2-55 squats
Day 3-60 squats
Day 4-Rest
Day 5-70 squats
Day 6-75 squats
Day 7-80 squats
Day 8-Rest
Day 9-100 squats
Day 10-105 squats
Day 11-110 squats
Day 12-Rest
Day 13-130 squats
Day 14-135 squats
Day 15- 140 squats
Day 16-Rest
Day 17-150 squats
Day 18- 155 squats
Day 19- 160 squats
Day 20-Rest
Day 21- 180 squats
Day 22- 185 squats
Day 23- 190 squats
Day 24-Rest
Day 25- 220 squats
Day 26- 225 squats
Day 27- 230 squats
Day 28-Rest
Day 29- 240 squats
Day 30- 250 squats

Let's get our booty's in shape for bikini weather! Who's with me?? Feel free to comment below!

All-fruit smoothies

Smoothies are a great snack to make that is filling, delicious, and gives you that extra boost of energy! For my smoothies, I use all fruit and that's it! Adding a bit of plain yogurt will give it a creamier texture if you prefer and will still make for a healthy smoothie.

MY FAVES:

Strawberry Banana

You can use 1 banana and 5-6 regular sized strawberries.

Strawberry, Banana, Pineapple

• Use 2 bananas
• 4-5 strawberries
• 3-4 square cuts of the pineapple (they're strong so be careful not to put too many in there)

This will make about a cup (:

+ Mangoes

 

Mango Strawberry or Mango Banana are other combinations that are awesome as well!

• Use fairly equal amounts of mangoes and strawberries, and mangoes and bananas.

+ Raspberries 

Try Strawberry, Banana, Raspberry also!

• Use 1 banana, 4-5 strawberries, and a handful of raspberries.