Health & Wellness Tips
Food Advice:
Matcha is an amazing green tea powder that has a high amount of antioxidants. Matcha is low in caffeine, but is a great way to boost your metabolism. It's a natural detoxifier (which means it targets gut health) and stabilizes blood sugar levels (which is known for appetite suppressant).
We personally love Matcha Tea and will add it to our protein shakes!
Peppermint tea has lots of benefits; including its use for cold and flu symptoms, stress reduction, digestive aid, and sinus relief. Some studies have shown that it aids in weight loss because it breaks down the amino acids in protein.
We personally find that this helps detox our body by helping our digestion and getting rid of bloating!
Bananas are an underrated fruit. Not only are bananas one of the sweetest fruits but, there benefits are limitless. They help digestion, healthy bones, anemia, hypertension, menstrual cramps, depression, and brain function.
We personally find that bananas help curb late night eating as well and perfectly hits our sweet tooth!
Blueberries. Blueberries have lots of health benefits mostly being how rich in antioxidants they are. However, they also provide healthy brain function, anxiety relief, healthy skin and digestive properties.
Personally, we love adding blueberries to our smoothies and find that they do help our digestion.
Citrus. There are so many benefits to citrus fruits- the biggest ones are: the abundance of vitamins, the high fiber content, good for lowering blood pressure and boosting heart health.
You will get more out of eating a fruit than drinking the juice.
Peanut Butter vs. Almond Butter. Nut butters are more on the fat side than protein and should be kept in mind for dietary reasons. However, Almond Butter is a monosaturated fat which is healthier, opposed to normal Peanut Butter which is usually saturated. Almond Butter also has more vitamins, minerals and fiber than peanut butter. Nutritionally, Almond Butter has more to offer than Peanut Butter however which ever you prefer will be good for you in moderation.
We personally love Almond Butter and find that Justins, Barneys, and Earth Balance are the tastiest!
Coconut Water vs. Coconut Milk. Coconut water has little to no fat or protein, and does have 6g of sugar. Whereas coconut milk has some healthy fats and no sugar. So when it coms to picking for your choice of health it really depends on what your trying to get out of either beverage.
We personally always veer towards Coconut milk because it tastes better and we use it in our coffees and smoothies.
Melon. Any type of melon is a really great snack/meal filled with vitamins, minerals and fiber. Melons can be both filling and rewarding, due to there high nutrients and low calories. Melons are also full of water which is beneficial for digestion and overall water intake. This fruit is a really great option to add to your diet.
We personally love watermelon for lunch or for a midday snack and will se it as immediate fuel for post workout!
Cold water vs. Room Temp water. Cold water is good for cooling down the body, solidifying fats from food so the body has to work harder to digest, helping water intake. Room Temperature water is good for soothing blood vessels so your better hydrated, allowing for easier digestion, help flushing kidneys and improve bowel movements and feeling full.
There isn't the biggest differences, but we prefer room temperature water on a daily basis because it allows us to feel full and keep track of hydration better.
Coffee vs. Green Tea. Obviously, both of these are high in caffeine and will do an almost equal job of waking you up. Coffee, however, contains more than 3x the amount of caffeine than green tea does, works quickly, has high antioxidants and may help heart health. Green tea, on the other hand, contains L-theanine, which can be calming, may take a bit to kick in, high in antioxidants and may reduce stroke, diabetes and depression. Whichever one works for you will do the trick and still be a healthy morning beverage.
We personally start our day with coffee and alternate with tea throughout the week. Apples. Apples are high in protein and fiber which is a great go to snack for energy pre/post workout. Apple skin also has a high level of prebiotic fiber pectin which helps your gut health.
We personally love to eat Apples before or during a long workout to help sustain us before our meal, but it's also a great post workout or in-between meals snack.
Easy to make High Protein Snack: Fruit Parfait, Hardboiled eggs, Apple with peanut butter, Almonds, and Tuna. If you have a busy lifestyle these snacks may be your best friend when it comes to nourishing your body.
We personally love hard boiled eggs and string cheese for our post workout meal.
Oat milk vs. Almond Milk. Oat milk has been blowing up as the most healthy milk to consume lately and as it does have many healthy properties, it isn't actually better than any other dairy substitute. Oat milk is made with lots of carbohydrates and simple sugars which give is 14g of carbs. Almond milk on the other hand is 3.5g of carbs and have naturally less sugar. Both are great dairy substitutes, but if watching your weight is your goal you'll want to stay on the almond milk side.
We personally use oat milk from time to time in our smoothies for the added calories and sweetness, but find there's too much sugar to add it to our coffees.
10 Foods that Lower Stress: Matcha, dark chocolate, hummus, peanut butter, turkey, grapes, oranges, salmon, popcorn, and nuts.
We personally love Matcha, dark chocolate and oranges and alternate between these snacks on a daily basis.
Anti-inflammatory Fruits: Peaches, Pineapple, Mangoes, Apples, Berries, Pears and Oranges.
We personally love oranges and blueberries for fruits that don't cause you bloating, but nutrition is personal to everyone.
Anti-inflammatory Vegetables: Broccoli, kale, spinach, zucchini, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and garlic.
We personally find that kale and spinach are the only vegetables that don't leave us bloated, but everybody's body is different.
Anti-inflammatory Proteins: Salmon, Chicken, Turkey, and Tempeh.
We personally love turkey and don't stray to a lot of other meats, but if your looking for a good meat substitute Tempeh is a good one.
Anti-inflammatory Herbs and Spices: Turmeric, Black Pepper, Rosemary, Basil, Cayenne Pepper, and Dill. These herbs and spices are very easy to add to your diet and finding the ones that work best for your body are important.
We personally add rosemary or basil to everything and love it.
Vitamin Tips:
Vitamin D. Vitamin D is really important for people who aren't outside often or are deficient (roughly 40% of the population is). Vitamin D is good for bone health, immune system, depression management and mortality. Other than outside exposure you can get high amounts of Vitamin D in tuna, salmon, liver, and eggs.
We personally take it as a supplement since we are deficient.
Importance of Vitamin B. Vitamin B repairs your nervous system, synthesis of neurotransmitters, brain health, energy, and inflammation. Vitamin B deficiency can include- Exhaustion, Insomnia, Loss of Appetite, Memory issues, Irritability, Anxiety, Mood Swings, Depression, Dizziness and easily getting sick. We can combat Vitamin B deficiency with a diet including- Salmon, Leafy Greens, Liver, Eggs, Milk, Beef, Oysters, Legumes, Chicken and Turkey, Yogurt, Nutritional/Brewers Yeast, Pork, and Sunflower Seeds.
We personally get a lot of Vitamin B from Super greens substitutes in our diet.
Immune System boosters. Everyone should be taking care of there immune system right now by giving it the proper nutrients to function. Citrus whether in food or liquid, apples, berries, kale, tomatoes, Peppers, Broccoli, Ginger, Green Tea, Poultry, Shellfish, Vitamin D/C, Zinc, and Elderberry.
Vitamin C. Vitamin C has lots of benefits, but the main ones are: prevent iron deficiency, boosts immune system, protects eyes, may prevent colds, may lower heart disease, helps blood pressure, protects memory, may help prevent gout attacks.
Taking Vitamin C through food is the best way to absorb it, so always aim to get your vitamins through food.
Health Tips:
Water. Water intake is so important and you should be consuming between 80-120oz per day. Water hydrates the whole body and pushed the body to work as efficiently as possible.
We love filling up our water bottles each day so we can easily keep track of how much we are drinking.
Empty calories can be big setbacks. It's important we remember when consuming our favorite drinks that it won't bring us the nutrients we need. Limiting our sugar drinks will make a big difference in the long run of optimal health.
We personally love our iced coffees, but have cut out any additional sugar teas and juices.
Lemon Water. Lemon water has many benefits a few of them being; detoxes colon, energizes the body, boosts your metabolism, boost immune system, stimulates digestion, and helps reduce inflammation.
We personally love lemon water and drink it first thing in the morning because it does give us that energy and help us feel less bloated throughout the day.
Fiber. It's important you fill up on whole grains and fiber rich fruits and veggies. Food with high fiber will be easier to digest and result in a healthy digestive track.
We personally find we are more bloated when we are eating highly processed bread products.
Probiotics. Probiotics are a friendly bacteria that can improve digestion, immune system, and proper gut health. Natural sources of probiotics include: yogurt, kefir, tempeh, and sauerkraut. There are lots of different types of probiotics so finding the right ones for your body will be your own journey.
We personally love Garden of Life probiotics and find its easier to absorb our food that way.
Sleep. Sleep is an overlooked health tool that I think most people don't consider. Lack of sleep builds up stress in the body and impacts how you move through daily life. Making time for your brain to calm down and take a break is necessary for your body to naturally detox and rejuvenate itself; as well as give your head a break from thinking and stressing itself out.
We personally sleep seven hours minimum per night, but on good sleep nights it peaks to about ten hours.
Hunger Zone. Most people aren't Intune with there hunger signals from build up time of either under eating, over eating or both. These signals are important to connect your body and mind with what you need and what you want. You should be feeling between slightly hungry and partially satiated between meals. This is a nice indication that your both feeding yourself enough and not overdoing it to the point of pain or excessive bloating.
We love to snack so spreading out snacks throughout the day is something we do a lot to avoid being overly hungry at night.
Most people exist within two food categories. You either crave salt (sodium) or sugar (glucose). When your mindful enough to understand which one you crave more you can start making your diet satiate more needs so your not feeling restricted.
We crave sugar in the beginning of our days so our first meal is a sweet protein shake and we find that very filling.
Diets. Most diets are advertised to fix you or your healthy habits and whether they work or not, they won't help you in the long run. Most fad diets are a quick fix to immediate weight loss or eliminating water retention. Embracing a healthy lifestyle takes a more ling term approach. Small changes a week at a time will be more beneficial in the long run of health. The best example of this is cutting out eating past a certain time or portioning out your dessert before hand.
When we started our fitness journey the first thing we changed was our water consumption. Now we drink up to three refillable bottles a day.
Mindless Snacking. This is the most common problem people have with weight gain. Mindless snacking usually stems from boredom so when you feel those habits rising its very important you identify this habit and work on substituting it with other habits. This could be taking a short walk, meditation, talking to a friend, or social media distraction.
For us we've noticed we mindlessly eat more at night, not necessarily out of boredom, but habit and reading has been a nice substitute to this.
Importance of Fat. Fat is essential for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. This is important for feelings of fullness.
Our favorite fat is Avocado and we find that it does make us feel full for awhile.
Over restriction. You should not be on a diet consuming less than1200 calories unless directed by a doctor.
Meals. In the fitness industry its recommended that you consume 4-6 meals throughout the day to control hunger. This way you minimize blood sugar fluctuations and boost energy.
For us, we find that even a small piece of fruit in between meals will help contain hunger at night.
CARBS. Carbohydrates are very important in the body and though many diets will reject carbs they are a very natural human need the body has. Carbs have nutrients that protein and fat do not and is the first fuel used when you engage in any activity. Carbs keep your glycogen stores full, maintain fluid balance and spares protein from being used so it can help muscle recovery.
Carbs are not your enemy, overconsumption is.
Belly Fat. There are two types of belly fat which is Visceral (fat around organs) and Subcutaneous (fat under the skin). We usually hold belly fat because we are overweight, stressed, lack of exercise, bad sleep and overeating carbohydrates. Belly fat isn't going to go away without overall fat loss. Core specific exercises are not going to shrink your stomach fat- Only a calorie deficit and overall fat loss will get rid of belly fat!
Our biggest tip with this one is pay attention to foods you eat that cause bloating and don't focus on your core as much as your overall health.
Good and Bad food. Labeling food as 'good' or 'bad' helps perpetuate a dieters mindset which will not help you in the long term of your health journey. Once you label a food as 'bad' the guilt around eating it will set in and that only prolongs binge eating and food anxiety. A food is only bad for you when your overeating, when your in a calorie deficit you can make room for your favorite foods.
We love chocolate and have chocolate every single day and making it work into our meals is something we naturally do now.
Weight loss. Weight loss is a roller coaster of a journey and most people enter into this goal with the wrong mindset and unrealistic expectations. Weight loss is an umbrella and everything you should be focusing on in underneath the umbrella. Things like food intake, water intake, type of activity and duration, and rest days.
We personally love doing activities were we make small goals towards strength per activity and its easier to gage your progress this way.
Fasting. Also known as selectively picking a time period to not eat has grown very popular in the industry due to the Intermittent Fasting trend. When you fast, human growth hormone levels go up and insulin levels go down; ideally body cells also change the expression of genes and initiate important cellular repair processes. Why is this useful? This technique may help boost your metabolism and help regulate your sugar levels. Many use this as a tool to help weight loss, but everyone's body is different and this may not help everyone.
We personally find that this is the only way for us to combat sugar spikes and we tend to do a reset day once a week.
Internal Hunger Measure. If your undereating you'll feel low energy, not normal digestion, not a lot of muscle tone and possible hair thinning. If your overeating you may not have a lot f muscle definition, cellulite, hard time finding motivation to move and most of your thoughts will be circling around food. Everybody has a different body so finding what works for you and your own internal compass for food is important. Too get a healthy relationship with food you really need to take the time and feel what your body needs and how it functions.
We personally have had a long battle with finding a healthy ground with food and know the trial and error stage with the body is hard ,but the pa off is well worth it in the long term.
Daily routines. Daily routines are very important for concentration and focus in your daily life. Daily routines can help train the body to keep up with your mental and physical goals the longer you stick to them.
Daily routines don't need to be extravagant, we personally drink a nice cup of tea/coffee and go for morning walks, so pick something as short or long as you'd like.
Stress. Stress isn't just a mental phase that can easily pass, sometimes stress building up overtime hurts our bodies. Stress can cause: Sleeping Problems, Panic Attacks, Chest Pains, Muscle Tension, Upset Stomach, Lack of Focus, Hair Loss, No energy, Increased Heart Rate, and Adrenal Fatigue. Those are a lot of problems that stress manifests and learning to connect with ourselves and what we need to manage that stress is important.
We personally find that making time for a nice cup of tea and a walk helps our stress levels, but in high stress weeks we also do acupuncture.
80/20 Eating. When you start your journey into a healthier lifestyle, most people cut everything cold turkey or begin new diet. These quick fixes are not going to work sustainably. For eating right and intuitively the 80/20 rule is a fairly easy one to keep in mind. You need to be clean eating foods you like 80% of the time, leaving the unhealthy snacks to 20%. Life isn't perfect and neither are you so eating what you still love is attainable in your journey. Honoring your cravings and eating right is a gentle balance and finding it is important so we can stop obsessing over the "right or wrong" foods and enjoy life!
We personally eat like this and find it's pretty on par with intuitive eating for us. Eating what you love occasionally won't reset your progress.
Herbs:
Chaga. Chaga is a mushroom that can be used in tea, as an herb and even used to be used as medicine. They are one of the highest antioxidant mushrooms that are edible and great for your immune system. Chaga also helps inflammation and brings a nice calming to the body.
We personally drink Chaga tea and collect Chaga mushrooms in the fall and love adding this into our weekly nutrition.
Dandelion. There are a lot of benefits to dandelion in your diet- Some of them include: Healthy liver function, stimulates immune system, micronutrients, anti-inflammatory, healthy skin, help eliminate water weight.
We love dandelion detox tea because we find it helps our digestion the best.
Mushrooms. Mushrooms are a great addition to your diet; they are high in potassium (especially Portobello), rich in copper, B vitamins and antioxidants, and high in fiber (especially shiitake). Most mushrooms are fat free, low sodium, low calorie, and packed with nutrients.
We personally love adding them to salads and homemade pizza.
Hemp Oil. Hemp oil is a good anti-inflammatory that helps skin health, muscle relaxation, PMS, menopause, and some sinus infections. Hemp oil is a create additive to your diet especially if you find your mental and physical state is in constant stress.
We personally add Hemp oil to our morning coffee and use hemp oil in our skin care routine.
CBD. Cannabidiol is growing popular in todays market for those who are looking for a stimulant without THC. CBD is a great extract that can help fight pain and aid relief. Our bodies have a natural cannabinoid system so when CBD is added it helps aid sleep, pain, appetite, and immune system response. CBD can be very effective as an anti-inflammatory property in your body. Other than the physical properties, it can also help anxiety and depression
We personally use CBD to combat PMS pain and find it very effective.
Liquid Chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is an important ingredient in plants that help them grow green and healthy. Ideally, Chlorophyll can boost your immune system, detoxify your blood, help digestion, and energize your body. The results of taking liquid chlorophyll drops or supplements is very mixed. Some studies say it can help skin health, odor problems, weight loss, and healthy red blood cells. However some studies also find that excess amount may hurt your stomach.
Benefits of Ashwagandha. Ashwagandha is a evergreen shrub that is usually used in natural teas, and stress/sleep supplements. This herb is great for relaxing stress hormones, boosting energy levels, concentration, positive mood, restful sleep and healthy joints.
We personally love Ashwagandha tea and find its extremely calming.
Aloe Vera. Aloe Vera has many benefits to the human body, but for skin purposes: moisturizes dry skin, soothes irritation, fights acne, removes dark circles, helps sunburns, relives eczema and eliminates dead skin cells.
We personally love aloe Vera facemasks and find they do make our skin soft and clean.
Hormones:
Ghrelin.
The "hunger hormone"- Not the most well known hormone but it is responsible for your hunger cues when your on an empty stomach. These hunger cues usually subside after you've eaten and the ghrelin levels drop however if your body is intaking high amounts of sugar and processed foods the signal for your brain not to be hungry anymore doesn't really go away (which is how binges escalate). Combating this hunger cue is best with high protein meals or snacks to promote the feeling of satiation.
If your having a hard time finding your hunger cues, try taking a breaking from your normal eating schedule and tuning into your body's needs and cravings (this may be a long game of yo-yoing until you find what works).
Leptin.
The "Satiety Hormone"- this hormone regulates appetite. This hormone is produced by fat cells in the body. In general this hormone regulates energy use and intake and how much fat is stored on your body. If your medically obese, you could have built up a leptin resistance so the brain isn't getting the proper signals to eat less and move the body. The more weight you lose the lower your leptin levels will get which may make you feel satiated or hungry. If you are leptin resistant there are ways to help reset these hormone levels in your body, but lots of lifestyle changes and consistent eating are necessary.
Remember, eating high fiber, reduce processed food intake and keeping up with regular exercise and sleep is so important for your body.
Cortisol.
This hormone regulates fat for energy, forms sugars from fat and proteins and breaks down protein for energy. Usually we hear about this hormone having a lot to do with stress and this is very true because a normal healthy person won't have constant high cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that is supposed to spike not remain constant so when we are told we need to manage our cortisol or we are overly stressed; our cortisol is working overtime to combat our stress by signaling our adrenal glands to fight or flight. That response is not to be maintained and needs to be managed which is why high amounts of cortisol cause weight gain, High Blood Pressure, Muscle Weakness, Water Retention, and Mood swings ranging between irritability to depression. This hormone doesn't have to break you though, it can be managed with a doctor or even just making small to big lifestyle changes.
We personally combat cortisol with a lot of herbal tea and consistent night routines so we feel calm and neutral throughout the day.
Selfcare Ideas:
Acupuncture. Acupuncture is using small needles to trigger specific points on the skin to do a number of things. Acupuncture can help allergies, anxiety, osteoarthritis, chronic pain, hypertension, insomnia, PMS pain, and migraines. Most of the time when you go to an acupuncturist you are looking for something specific.
We love acupuncture. We go in for a nice digestive detox and for migraine pain and stay for about a little over an hour. We find it really works for us.
Sensory Deprivation/Float Tank. The Float tank is used at R.E.S.T therapy so it eliminates all external stimuli so it's sound proof, filled with Epsom salt nd body temperature so it runs slightly warm to body temperature. The benefits of this type of spa activity would be relaxation, helping muscle recovery, reducing anxiety and helping head tension. This type of sensory deprivation is a very meditative tool to relaxing that benefits both your mind and body.
We use the float tank monthly for an hour and a half and the glow the body gets is incredible.
Sauna. There are many benefits to using a sauna for your body including: blood circulation, muscle relaxation, release tension, and help excrete water weight. The sauna WON'T help lose weight, it will help release toxins however.
We personally like the detox feeling of using the sauna to relax and stay in about 30min-45min.
Walking. Walking is often an underrated form of exercise that's too beneficial to avoid. Walking is a great way to get your metabolism started and moving at any given time without pushing too hard and doing too little. It's so easy to just go for a walk and most people believe that if its not in the gym or any other workout it won't do anything for them. Walking for people who don't exercise is an amazing first step to a healthier lifestyle. And for people who do exercise it can really help strengthen your intentions and concentration of your day; onto of give your body that extra movement to either relax or get energized.
We walk every single day and have only felt more motivated to move through our day this way.
