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!
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!
As always PGX’ers, stay healthy!
You may be surprised to learn that owning a pet is actually connected to better health! There are plenty of reasons why people have pets and now improved health can be one of them!
Studies have shown that people who own pets are less likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and feelings of loneliness. Depending on what kind of animal you keep, having pets can also increase your opportunity to get outdoors, exercise and socialize!
A study conducted in 2007 by Queen’s University Belfast found that dog owners especially are more likely to live a longer life and experience healthy weight maintenance, improved cardiovascular fitness and superior self esteem, as well as reduced blood pressure adn cholesterol!
According to the British Journal of Health Psychology, daily walks with your dog (a great way to get out and exercise) are only part of the equation. Dogs can be great stress “buffers” and have been a great source of companionship to people with injuries or disabilities. Incredibly, dogs have also been able to detect an oncoming seizure!
So even though walking is only a part of the healthy equation of pet ownership, the next time your dog comes to you with the leash in his mouth, lace up those sneakers and go for a walk!
Want to read more about the health benefits of pets? Check out these great articles…
Dog-owners ‘lead healthier lives’ BBC News
Live Like Royalty: The Many Health Benefits of Dogs, Man’s Best Friends, The Atlantic
We’ve all been there before: you’re running around doing errands, you’re at the airport waiting for your next flight, you’re at a rest stop, or you’re at the movies, and then your stomach begins to talk. What do you do when you’ve forgotten to pack a snack and there’s no way you’ll make it to your next meal without a bite of something to tide you over? What do you buy when you feel the need to munch on something at the cinema?
It’s simple to write a strict diet plan, but it’s another thing entirely to follow it to perfection. This is where a little bit of knowledge can go a long way in helping you reach your goals and avoid sabotaging your efforts to live a healthy life. If you are at the movies, a gas station, the mall, in front of a vending machine, or other such fast food stops, knowing what to avoid will help you maintain healthy eating habits.
Here on Weight Wise Wednesday we have a look at where the hidden calories sneak their way in and what are some healthy alternatives to include in your salad.
Salad Ingredients to Try to Avoid:
?Healthy Alternative Ingredients to Include in Your Salad:
Shake in bottle and store leftover dressing in the fridge.
Easy way to add a few more healthy benefits:
What are your favourite ingredients to include in your salad? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook Page. Join our healthy salad conversation.
I truly dislike the thought of dieting. But with a looming deadline to fit into a costume that doesn’t quite zip up all the way for a performance, I really have no choice but to make a conscious effort to change my eating habits.
What is it about diets that have people dreading them? Hunger? Cravings? Guess what?! You don’t need to feel hungry when you are making the change for a healthier lifestyle. And if you aren’t feeling hungry, you will most likely have fewer cravings as well! There is no need to fear healthy eating! All we need to do is learn how to make smart choices. If we look for low calorie but dense foods full of nutrients and fibre (think low-GI foods), we’ll definitely be better off! Take a look at what 400 calories of various foods look like in the stomach!
Add PGX to your food and the fibre will help you feel full and you won’t feel the “diet hunger and cravings.” Right now you you can get a free BONUS pack of PGX Singles with purchase of PGX Daily in Canadian stores! Stay healthy everyone; make smart food choices and be sure to get your daily dose of fibre!
I am not a morning person. Plain and simple. I love the quiet of the morning and the idea of waking early to watch the sunrise, but when it comes right down to actually waking up and getting out of bed, I am not a morning person. I do not just naturally wake up at 6 am, and if I do? I promptly go back to dream land.
So what can we night owls, and anyone else feeling sluggish in the morning, do to get that much needed energy boost?
Here are five fabulous tips from Real Simple to wake us up in the morning!
Looking for more ideas that will keep you energized throughout the day without the unhealthy energy drinks? You can find more great energy boosting tips in the Real Simple article, 25 Easy Instant Energy Boosters by Eleni Gage.
Pronounced “you-gee,” Vancouver-based trainer, Sara Shears developed a workout formula that combines strength, cardio and core training into a sequence of 30 exercises. It’s a short, rigourous workout of different exercises performed in one minute intervals that, combined with balanced eating and your daily fiber, can produce amazing results.
And that’s what Ugi Fit is: a 30 minute workout with only one piece of equipment and it’s making waves in the fitness communities.
So what is this essential piece of equipment? The Ugi ball. Sara Shears and her design partner, Melanie Finkelman, designed this squishy non-intimidating ball that you can stand on, kneel on, sit on, plank on, toss to a friend, or even use as a weight. It’s got the squish of a beanbag and the resistance and bounce-back of a stress ball all in one simple design.
One of the positive features of this fitness trend is that you aren’t limited to working out in a gym or in your living room. Only 15 inches in diameter, the Ugi ball is easy to store or to bring to an outdoor workout at the beach! Not only is the location of this workout flexible, the length and frequency is just as easy to adjust to your busy schedule. Got only 15 minutes? Cut down the intervals to 30 seconds each. Maybe you prefer a longer workout only hree times a week. You can turn your Ugi Fit workout into an hour by repeating your sequence of exercises.
Why Ugi? Because it’s time to be you. “Ugi. U got it. Show it off.” Visit the Ugi Fit website to learn more.
Remember everyone: eat healthy, get your fiber, stay fit and do it all for you.
It’s a busy time of year with plenty of people travelling to be with family and friends. As much fun as that is, it can be disruptive to our regular fitness routines or even just our plans to get fit! That’s why I’m loving this full body workout from the Victoria’s Secret Angels and their trainer, Justin Gelband! Yes, it’s true. These models actually workout and eat well in order to have the strength to carry those wings and look healthy!
In their fitness series, Train Like an Angel, they dedicated one week to an easy-to-follow, no-gym-necessary, workout routine that will allow you to easily stay in shape, even if you are flying all over the place this season! Check out this jet setting workout below and stay fit. You’ll be able to freely enjoy this winter’s activities and tasty eats!
Have you reached a plateau in your weight loss efforts? You may be surprised just how much stress has to do with that! Stress. Even the word sounds scary.
Stress causes our body to secrete cortisol which in turn, prompts our body to release stored glucose, increasing our blood sugar. Unfortunately for our waists, all the excess sugar that we don’t use gets stored as fat! Essentially, having too much stress in your life is like eating too much dessert, not too mention the sugar rush usually leads to food cravings. It seems a cruel and revealing trick of the English language that stressed spelled backwards is desserts!
Real Simple has three quick ways that you can relieve stress and, consequently, help you stay trim.
Work, school, family obligations, meetings and appointments, housework, projects… Life can get busy and overwhelming. So, my two main tips for this sunny Monday? Don’t stress the little things and get your daily fiber!
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