Often at the end of a week I find myself with a list of recipes, health tips, or timesaving tricks that I want to share with my readers. Each one doesn’t necessarily warrant a blog post of its own, but I don’t want them to go to waste – below is a list of recipes & tips that I came across this week – enjoy!
Hours of Intense Exercise Isn’t Necessary Better
This is a common misconception when it comes to exercise; people think that unless they kill themselves for an hour in a high-energy spin class that they haven’t done anything good for their bodies. Not true! I took a detox course at CSNN back in October where I heard this, and recently attended a detox seminar hosted by Jennifer Pike, RHN where this little tidbit came up again. Dr. Natasha Turner has referenced this fact many times as well on The Marilyn Denis show. I’ve heard this so many times in the past few months that I decided it’s time to share.
The fact is, when you exercise intensely for an hour or more you’re actually raising your body’s cortisol levels (cortisol is a stress hormone). This is counterintuitive to what you’re trying to accomplish at the gym because the higher the cortisol levels; the more your body hangs on to fat; specifically that stubborn belly fat.
What is the best kind of exercise? 20 to 30 minutes of moderate interval training where you’re doing weight-bearing exercises that causes your heart rate to rise & fall throughout your workout (Nike Training Club app is perfect for this!). This type of workout should happen 3x per week, and the other two days can include a 30-minute cardio workout (running, biking, swimming or fast-paced walking) and a yoga class.
Coconut Rice or Quinoa
Bored of plain old brown rice or quinoa? Next time you make it, try swapping out 1 cup of water for coconut milk and adding 1 tsp. of coconut palm sugar = AMAZING.
My New Fave Snack
Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars. Kind of like the old school Fig Newton, but better for you. They’re made with whole-wheat flour, and come in a variety of flavors like blueberry, raspberry and apple cinnamon. With two in a pack you can decide if you just need one or if you’re hungry enough for both. They make for a great snack or a healthy choice dessert. Available at Costco or health food stores.
Nutritional Yeast
If you’ve recently decided to cut meat & dairy out of your diet, and are feeling really fatigued it could be that you’re suffering from a B12 deficiency (meat & dairy are main sources of B12). Try incorporating nutritional yeast fortified with B12 into your diet. It tastes similar to cheese, is a good source of B12, and is a complete protein. You can incorporate it into pasta sauces, sprinkle on salads or add to soups & stews. And, for all you new moms or moms-to-be out there, nutritional yeast can help your milk come in and improve your milk flow! Here’s a great healthy “Mac n’ Cheese” recipe that incorporates nutritional yeast.
Think Dirty
Think Dirty is a free app that will quickly help you determine the safety of the beauty products that you use everyday. Unfortunately, most of the standard beauty products out there are full of harmful chemicals and parabens, which can raise estrogen levels in our bodies and lead to hormonal imbalance & cancer. Use this app to scan the products in your bathroom right now!
Creamy Coconut Peanut Butter Spread
On a recent trip to Costco I noticed they’re now selling a new coconut peanut butter spread by Earth Balance. I was super excited as these are some of my favorite flavors, and are even better together. Of course, I looked at the label and was disappointed to see that there is added sugar, oil and salt. I quickly got over it when I discovered that I could just make my own: pop a slice of sprouted bread in the toaster, slather on some organic extra virgin coconut oil, slather on some natural peanut butter, and voila – your own homemade creamy coconut peanut butter spread! I also added some sliced banana, a small handful of pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of honey. You’re welcome.
Avoid a Sticky Situation
Speaking of honey, I often incorporate it into homemade sauces & dressings, and have discovered a helpful little tip to avoid an annoying, sticky situation. Before you fill your tbsp. or tsp. with honey, swirl a little bit of extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil on the spoon. This prevents the honey from sticking to your spoon, and it will slide right off into your bowl.
Have you come across any tips or recipes this week that you want to share?
I’ve heard the spin tip before, but I don’t know how relevant it is. If an energy deficit is achieved and the body’s endocrine system is supported with nourishing foods, the weight will come off (speaking from an observational account – three of the girls I spin with regularly have all lost weight, including from their abdomens, and I’ve lost body fat as well.) If it was really of consequence you’d expect to see more overweight spinners/spinners unable to lose weight or body fat (who weren’t also sabotaging their efforts by overeating or consuming inappropriate foods.) I can see this being an issue for those who lead high-stress lives coupled with high-stress extra-curricular activities though – not really healthy to live in perpetual fight-or-flight mode.
I do resistance training and yoga classes too, but I LOVE the spin classes so much that I’d be hard-pressed to give them up. I would also think it would depend on the instructor and the type of class, since ours are structured more like outdoor rides than traditional spin classes.
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for the input. I totally agree with you – spinning is an amazing workout for those who support their adrenals with healthy food. That being said, with any workout it’s important to switch it up, and keep your body guessing for maximum results. Also, I think it’s important for people to know that they don’t need to do intense, hour-long workouts for maximum benefit to your health. 20 to 30 minute workouts that are less intense are just as good for you – and some would argue – better for you if your cortisol levels are high to begin with.
I just bought those fig bars at Costco too! They are tasty.
Yeah! Glad you like them 🙂
Thanks for the app tip!!!!!!!!
You’re welcome! Isn’t it great?! Kinda scary how many chemicals we are exposed to just when getting ready in the morning!