look a little deeper

Why exercise? For the strong body, lean muscles and tight stomach...right? Well, maybe sometimes. But you are doing a whole lot more for your body when you exercise. So let's look a little deeper!

Heart - Regular workout sessions can lower your systolic blood pressure (the top number) as much as some medications do—an average of 5 to 10 mmHg.

 

 

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Whole Body - Raising your heart rate for about an hour a day (running, cycling, walking, hiking) reduces your overall cancer risk by 16 percent.

Bones - Research shows that just 10 minutes of high-impact exercise (like plyometrics, running, jump rope) three times a week can boost women's bone strength.

 

 

 

 

 

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 Brain - Staying active cuts your risk of cognitive decline by about a third. And a 4,000-person study found that those who exercised had fewer symptoms of depression.

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Pancreas - Shedding just 5 to 7 percent of your body weight can delay and possibly prevent type 2 diabetes.

Intestines - Twenty to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity three to five times a week beats most other treatments for irritable bowel syndrome.

See all the benefits? And this is only to name a few. So do yourself a favor and get active today!

~What are some benefits you find from getting your sweat on?
~What's your favorite form of exercise? 

 

Friday’s Favorites

Another round of Friday’s Favorites! Here we go

• I love getting my greens in first thing. Check out this Mean Green Breakfast Machine Cake
• Getting ready for your run? Prepare both mentally and physically
• I made this yummy pasta salad for my family…just swapped in whole wheat pasta for the gluten free stuff!
• Eat your way to hydration…what?!
• Healthy chicken fingers? Right on!
• My family has a plethora of lemons at our house. So these lemon pistachio muffins look like a must-bake-soon in my book.

~Got any links to share? Please do! Have a great weekend!

Vary Your Greens

I’ve been on the “green smoothie” kick for a few years now.


I love it.

I crave them every day, and I love how I feel after I have one.

But I’m not very good at branching out…I pretty much put the same old spinach and fruit combo every day. So when I cam across this article on other options for greens in smoothies, I loved it. Here are some of the other options I learned about:

Swiss Chard – Similar to spinach in the texture and the way it blends. Swiss chard is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, K magnesium, manganese, potassium and iron. It has a slight salty aftertaste, but that often can’t be tasted with other fruits in the mix.
Collared Greens - Collard Greens have tough leaves that taste slightly bitter, but are easily masked by fruit in a green smoothie. They are a great source of vitamins A, C, K, folate, manganese and calcium! Know to help in detoxing and supporting the heart, lungs and immune system.
Parsley – There are two kinds of parsley…curly and Italian. Italian is less bitter and works best in smoothies. It is a great source of vitamins A, C, K and folate as well as iron and calcium.
Dandelion Greens – Looking to make a detox smoothie? Dandelion greens are where it is at! Dandelions are used to cleanse the liver and gallbladder and to help support kidney function. They may help stabilize blood sugar and lower bad cholesterol. Dandelion greens are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, E, K, calcium and iron. Since they have a slight bitter taste, be sure to add some sweet fruit like berries or bananas.
Kale – We already know kale chips are delicious. But you can also add kale to smoothies! They are a great source of calcium. Since they are a bit tougher than other greens, a quick chop before the going in the blender is a good idea.

Get blending!

~What are your favorite greens to add to your green monsters?