The Stress and Diet Connection

Is stress sabotaging your healthy diet and lifestyle goals? If so, you’re not alone. Occasional stress can temporarily elevate certain hormones in the body, particularly cortisol, which is known to increase appetite. Unfortunately, that increased appetite doesn’t settle for fruits and veggies. Instead, and all to often, stress causes us to reach for foods that “comfort” us. However, those foods tend to be ones that are highly processed, loaded with sugar, high in fat and set back our goals.

Adopting healthy habits to reduce and counteract stress can go a long way in keeping us on track with our plans for a healthier, happier lifestyle.

Try some of these tips to better manage stress eating:

  1. Exercise.  The next time you find yourself mindlessly reaching into the pantry or fridge in search of an extra snack, catch yourself and try to make a habit of doing a quick 5 minute exercise or stretch instead. Squats? Pushups? Lunges? Crunches? Yoga? Get creative and give your body something it actually needs!
  2. Hydrate.  Keeping well hydrated, by drinking plenty of water throughout the day, has countless health benefits and can also help us to avoid excess snacking. Often we may mistake thirst for hunger, so next time you find yourself craving something sweet, try drinking a glass of water first to see if the craving subsides.
  3. Meditate.  Sitting quietly to clear our mind, even for a few minutes, can reduce stress and help us become more mindful of how we’re feeling. We can also learn to pay more attention to how we respond to stress and avoid emotional eating.

Share your tips to avoid stress eating!

Lauren Taylor

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Workout Nutrition [Infographic]

We’ve got the ultimate guide to workout nutrition!

Don’t undermine your efforts to get in shap with poor eating habits!

We’ve found an excellent infographic to share. So often I hear people say, “I’m exercising regularly but I can’t see anything changing!” Well, I’m sure on the inside, plenty of good things are happening, but if you can’t seem to lose the weight, then it could be your nutrition. Check out this infographic and get the skinny on workout nutrition!

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Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

It’s true! Healthy and cookie can appear in the same sentence!

Satisfy your sweet tooth with this tasty and actually healthy cookie recipe from The Skinny Fork!

You an give in to your inner cookie monster without regret. It is completely possible! I know it seems rather oxymoronic to think of cookies as healthy but it’s a fabulous thing to think of and know to be real. What it is really that makes cookies so unhealthy? Tons of sugar, oil, white flour, butter… all things that can actually be replaced!

The Skinny Fork recipe for Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies does just that: food substitution! For example, instead of butter or oil, you’ll find this recipe calls for apple sauce!

Try this recipe and add a dash of PGX Daily Singles for an even healthier treat and that extra fibre kick!

So without further ado, click to view the Skinny Fork recipe for Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (it has some chocolate in it too!).

 

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Is the Paleo Diet for You?

Everybody’s talking about it – but is this the diet for you?

Learn what following the Paleo Diet entails.

Although the paleo diet has never appealed to me (I enjoy dairy too much), it has become all the rage among many health conscious folks. Especially popular amongst those that are involved in Cross Fit training, the paleo diet emulates the diet of cavemen. What exactly does this mean, you ask? Well, the Paleo Diet, as defined by thepaleodiet.com, is “based upon eating wholesome, contemporary foods from the food groups our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have thrived on during the Paleolithic era, the time period from about 2.6 million years ago to the beginning of the agricultural revolution, about 10,000 years ago.”

So, what’s on the Paleo Menu?

  • Fresh Meat, such as beef, pork or poultry
  • Fish and other seafood
  • Fresh Fruit
  • Fresh Vegetables
  • Seeds
  • Nuts
  • Oils, such as olive oil, coconut oil or flaxseed oil

What’s excluded from the menu?

  • Dairy products
  • Cereal grains
  • Legumes
  • Refined sugars
  • Processed food

What do you think? Is this a diet you would try? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

Reference: www.thepaleodiet.com

 

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DIY Fitness Fashion Tee

DIY fashion for our dollar-savvy fans!

Don’t let your exercise outfits break the bank when you can create your own fabulous tee’s!

Do whatever it takes to motivate you to workout. I find cute exercise clothes are a huge help, but these cute clothes can be so expensive! On top of that expense, my closet is usually bursting with clothes that haven’t seen the light of day in a long while. Those clothes deserve to be given a second chance, some new life, don’t you think?

So here’s a fabulous little tutorial on how to breathe (or cut) new life into old t-shirts. You’ll be able to save money and the time you wold spend taking out those old clothes and finding them a new home!

Catherine of Rabbit Food for My Bunny Teeth shared her simple and fun project: DIY Workout Shirt.

Enjoy!

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Tips to Get More Zzz’s!

Sound sleep and sweet dreams!

Here are some useful tips to help you get better sleep every night…

Okay, we all know how important sleep is for rest, rejuvination, balancing appetite regulating hormones, avoiding irritating eye twitches that may frighten others around you, avoiding that unattractive selfish streak (studies show that when people don’t sleep well, selfishness can kick in more than usual and can affect their relationships), keeping the cranks away and the happy bubble unpopped… You see what I mean. But what if, try as you might to get the recommended six to eight hours of sleep everyday, you just can’t seem to get some shut eye?

Well before you go speak to a specialist about insomnia, we’ve got a couple of tips and ideas for you to try…

Turn off the gadgets. Give yourself at least one hour before bedtime of iPad, computer, cell phone and television-free time to unwind after a busy day. Why is this important? All of these electronics emit a blue light that mimics daylight, which then leads your body to produce less of sleep hormone, melatonin. Try grabbing a book or a magazine instead!

Avoid caffeine. Did you know that caffeine can linger in your system for up to 12 hours? It’s true. If you find that caffeine has a strong effect on your, make sure that you don’t have any after lunch!

Exercise regularly. Getting your daily exercise is one the best ways to destress, which is often the culprit of sleep troubles. Exercising in the morning is especially good because it gives your time to cool down and keeps you energized throughout the day (needing less caffeine to function). When you exercise, your core heats up and isn’t normally a cue to your body to drift off to dreamland. If you must exercise in he evening, the experts at Shape Magazine recommend a nice steamy shower that will heat your skin. This will help kick your body into cool down mode and help it wind down towards sleep.

Invest in your bed. We spend half of our lives sleeping, so why not spend a little money on your mattress and sheets? Mattresses usually have a lifespan of five to ten years. If your mattress is sagging in the middle, no amount of flipping it over will change the fact that it’s saying goodbye to you. Also, look for quality bed sheets made from natural materials (like cotton or silk) that will breathe. And don’t forget to make your bed in the morning! Coming home to a messy room can actually bequite stressful and affect how well you sleep.

Have a routine and bedtime. Try to follow a more regular schedule of winding down and falling asleep and waking up in the morning. Also, create a normal bedtime ritual that will help you to relax and put away the stress of the day.

If you can’t fall asleep, get out of bed. It seems rather counterintuitive but don’t stay and in bed trying to sleep. This hardly ever helps. In fact, it could create even more anxiety for you if you are constantly checking the clock and counting the minutes, wondering why you can’t sleep and how this will affect your day tomorrow. Get up and change your environment, but keep it low light.

Eat the right foods. There are certain foods that you can eat that contain more tryptophan or melatonin such as tart cherry juice, nonfat popcorn, turkey, garbanzo beans, and chamomile tea.

Lavender. The scent of lavender is really quite relaxing and studies have shown that people who smelt these purple blossoms (or an aromatic oil) slept deeper and woke up with more energy. In any case, it just smells lovely!

And there you have it! Get more great sleep tips from Shape Magazine and happy snoozing to you!

 

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You Said It: “Cholesterol has Dropped”

We Love to Hear From You!

We get letters and email telling us how you use PGX and what you’re using it for but every once in a while we get a letter like this that makes us especially happy. We hope you enjoy this message from L.S. in Abbotsford, BC.

All my husband and I can say is what a remarkable product you have created and if anyone is doubtful we have proof that it truly does work.

For five years my husband was not only on Lipitor but also on Fenofibrate to lower his cholesterol and his triglycerides. The lowest the doctors could get them was 6.0 for his cholesterol and 3.5 for his triglycerides. Then the doctor I work for told me to tell him to go on PGX and that would also help him to lose weight. Well he hasn’t started to lose a lot of weight yet, but it’s only been two months but his cholesterol has dropped to 4.8 and his triglycerides to 1.8. His HDL and his LDL are all normal and the doctors are astonished, of course they say it can’t be the PGX. However, he has gone off his medications and is continuing with PGX, his weight has shifted and we all know that, that means the weight is getting ready to start dropping off.

He says he’d gladly be a spokesman for you and is truly amazed and excited about this product. I have started to use it as well as my cholesterol is a little high and I am going to use it in conjunction with my mulberry for my blood sugars. Keep up the good work. Hats off to an amazing product.

L.S. – Abbotsford, BC

Has PGX made a difference in your life? Let us know in the comments below or contact us !


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Tasty Tuesday: Berry Summer Salad

Enjoy this delicous berry summer salad!

What better way to enjoy fresh summer produce than with a simple, tasty recipe?!

My mouth is actually watering for a delicous, homemade salad like this one. And it’s full of healthy ingredients like spinach, avocados, mushrooms, goat cheese and, of course, berries! Lots of berries!

So what’s so great about these ingredients? Well berries are full of antioxidants, powerful substances that can help protect your cells against free radicals. Goat cheese provides some protein, riboflavin and phosphorus. Avocados are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K and dietary fibre. Spinach is also an excellent source of vitamin A, calcium, vitamin C and iron!

So what’s not to love about this recipe? Thanks to The Primitive Foodie, we have a delicious Berry Summer Salad! (click for recipe).

 

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The Eatery App & PGX

There’s an app for that! Change your eating habits for the better with help from PGX and The Eatery app.

Empower yourself with the tools you need to achieve your weight loss goals!

Now a days, there’s pretty much an app for everything. Whether it’s for Facebook, Twitter, or that awesome app that tells you the name of the song that’s playing on the radio, smart phones and their applications play a large part in how we socialize and spend our free time. So, why not start using one to help you lose weight!

Allow me to introduce (drum roll, please), The Eatery! Getting started is easy: Just take a picture of your food (don’t forget to sprinkle your PGX on top or into the mix!), rate your meal on how healthy it is, and record how much of your meal you ate. Then invite your friends to follow you for support, encouragement, or to strive for the same goals along side you. As The Eatery says, “You never have to eat alone.” Finally, The Eatery will provide you with feeback and stats on your eating habits, forcing you to see the facts on what you’ve been eating – this, maybe more than anything, will push you to eat healthier.

Why we like The Eatery:

It gives you a sense of community by allowing your friends to follow your progress, and vice versa. You can achieve your goals together, and have a buddy (or multiple!) to support and encourage you on your weight loss journey!

Have you used this app or something similar to help you achieve your weight loss goals? Let us know in the comments below.

 

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Eat Like an Olympic Athlete!

Today’s Thursday Obsession: Eating Like an Olympic Athlete!

The 2012 London Olympics are almost here! Let’s learn to eat like an Olympian!

We’re 14 days away from watching the world’s greatest athletes compete in the summer olympics and I wondered, “What do these incredible people eat to keep themselves in tip top, spit spot shape?!” Luckily for me and anyone else who was wondering, Canadian National Olympic team dietician, Kelly Anne Erdman shared her knowledge on how these and probably all other athletes are keeping healthy to prepare for the games!

Check out the fabulous article from BCLiving.com and learn how to eat and maintaina the healthy lifestyle of an Olympic athlete!

As always PGX’ers, stay healthy!

 

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