Living a healthy life can seem daunting, boring or just downright unachievable for many people. But it doesn’t have to be any of these things! But what do healthy people have in common that we can learn from? Actually, they are pretty basic things. While it may take some adjustment to the way you currently…
The Benefits of Gratitude
The effects that stress can have on our bodies has been well documented. Stress can wreak havoc on our weight and cause weight gain or weight loss (read about the effects of stress on your weight here). While eliminating stress can be easier said than done in many cases, practicing gratitude can be a really…
8 Health and Fitness Stocking Stuffers
**Thanks to Kiqplan for sponsoring this conversation and encouraging health and fitness this season.** One of the most loving and thoughtful gifts you can give someone this Christmas is the gift of health. Whether you are buying for a fitness fanatic or someone who wants to make permanent changes to their lifestyle, you can give…
5 Tips to Transforming Stress
Our lives are filled with stress. It is all around us, everywhere we look. There are deadlines to meet, unexpected traffic jams, overloaded schedules, and difficult people. The negative effects of stress have been well documented over time. They include high blood pressure, insomnia, irritability, and various other chronic conditions that are having a significant affect on society. While…
50 Reasons to Exercise
Looking for reasons to exercise? I think by now we all know that we should be exercising because it makes us healthier, which makes us live longer. But that’s kind of a generic statement, don’t you think? So generic, in fact, that it’s not enough to motivate people to get moving. You don’t have…
Superfood: Sweet Potato
I had never really eaten sweet potatoes before other than at Thanksgiving and that was with a layer of burnt marshmallows on top. And to be really honest, I just liked the marshmallow part. After reading about the benefits of sweet potatoes and how beneficial they are to runners, I thought I would give them…
The Best Real Foods for Runners
I’ve been eating a mostly clean diet for several months and have felt considerably better and healthier. As a distance runner, I have been looking at ways to further clean up my diet and hopefully improve my running performance. While these foods are excellent choices for anyone to eat as part of a healthy, real…
Thankful for that hour every day
As we celebrate the week of Thanksgiving, I have paused to think about what I am really thankful for. My 19 year old daughter came home from college yesterday and we were all able to sit down to our regular family dinner. It was just like she had never left….we talked about school, what was…
What makes avocados so healthy?
Avocados are considered to be a “superfood”, meaning that it’s one of the healthiest foods around and completely natural. Superfoods are nutrient dense and give you more “bang for the buck” nutrition-wise. But what makes it so special? Many things! Avocados are packed with nutrients and pretty tasty too! What is an avocado and where…
Quinoa and Sauteed Veggies
I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but quinoa is one of my favorite foods! If you missed my post about quinoa and aren’t sure what the heck it is, you can read about it here. This is one of my favorite meals and can be prepared with a variety of different ingredients with whatever veggies you…