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Thanks for visiting my site! In this section, you will find previous issues of my Inspiration & Wellness Newsletters. In each issue, I shed light on important habits to cultivate to be your best self! Whether it be diet, exercise, sleep habits, stress reducers, positive psychology or goal setting, I'll keep it simple and inspire you to make changes one small step at a time! You can have a healthy lifestyle and feel more purposeful. May you be inspired to become your best self!
- Choose Connection
- Managing Your Body's Insulin
- How Balanced Are You?
- 5 Basics for Optimal Health
- Plant the Seed
- Nutrition 101
- Developing Positive Thinking Habits
- The 10 Minute Workout
- The Power of Living in the Present Moment
- Mindful Eating
- Coaching: Modeling Healthy Relationship
- "Ab"solutely Best Ab Exercises
Other Wellness Articles
Andrea's Healthy Food Choices - "Clean Eating"
BASIC PRINCIPLES
- Eat protein every meal (lean proteins = chicken, fish, pork tenderloin, wild game, lean beef - and: eggs, low fat dairy, nuts)
- 9 servings of fruit & vegetables daily
- Eat every 2-3 hours (combo of meals & snacks)
- Have water w/ you at all times:
Drink 1 quart for every 50 lbs. of body weight - per day (round up)
- 80/20 Rule:
80% of time you are being balanced, eating primarily protein, fruits & vegetables and drinking your water 20% of time - Enjoy what you like!
- Look at your labels! Stay away from any ingredients that include, especially in the first five ingredients:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Partially Hydrogenated Oil
- Enriched flour (look for whole wheat flour as the first ingredient)
- Aspartame
- Sugar
- Stick mainly with protein, fruit, nuts & vegetables
- Reduce grains: cereal, breads & pasta (2 pieces max/day whole grain bread)
BREAKFAST IDEAS
- Low fat cottage cheese & fruit
- Chicken (Amy's) sausage w/cottage cheese & fruit
- Veggie sausage with cottage cheese & fruit
- Fage 2% plain Greek yogurt or Okios Greek yogurt- add fruit (grapes or pineapple are my favorite) & walnuts
- Oatmeal w/ walnuts & grapes
- Scrambled eggs w/ lowfat mozzarella cheese & walnuts; or w/ onions, veggies; fruit
- Omelets w/ same as above
- 1 slice Ezekiel sprouted bread w/ natural peanut butter
- 1/2 sprouted English muffin w/ peanut butter or w/ sausage & fruit
- Leftovers from last night's dinner (protein and veggie)
SNACKS
- Apple & string cheese
- Grapes or Apple with handful of almonds (Tamari almonds are my favorite)
- 2% Fage Yogurt (add your own fruit to sweeten - grapes are easy)
- Natural peanut butter on celery, or an apple
- 1 slice sprouted bread (Ezekiel brand) cinnamon & raisin: if you like, add peanut butter/almond butter
- Cut up frozen banana w/ some nuts
- Protein fruit shake (see recipe below)
- Raw veggies (cut up in advance) dipped in lowfat ranch or hummus
- Hummus & carrots / snap peas / celery, cauliflower / broccoli
- Handful of nuts (raw or dry roasted w/o salt is best) w/ fruit - Tamari almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pistachios, raw almonds from the freezer are good
- Natural peanut butter on 1/2 of a whole wheat tortilla (warmed in microwave for 8 sec)
LUNCH
- Salad w/ roasted chicken (buy a rotisserie chicken just for you for the week) - add avocado, crumbled cheese, cut up grapes, walnuts and vinegar & oil dressing (see recipe below)
- 1/2 sandwich on whole wheat; nitrate-free lunchmeat (or other lean protein: chicken, fish, lean pork or beef), low fat cheese; lettuce, tomato using 1 slice whole wheat bread; load up on the lettuce
- Cole slaw (raw) in a bag - makes quick salad with feta, avocado, walnuts, lean protein & vinaigrette dressing
- Lunchmeat rolled up; lowfat cheese rolled or string cheese; with a veggie you like
- Turkey/ham wrap in a whole wheat tortilla - add sprouts, romaine or other veggies you like
- Sushi with a salad
- Out for lunch? A green salad with a lean protein, with vinaigrette dressing
- Spinach salad w/ feta, toasted pine nuts, tomatoes w/ balsamic vinaigrette
- Protein fruit shake
DINNER (ideally before 7pm)
- Grilled chicken & grilled asparagus w/ green salad and homemade vinaigrette
- Grilled fish w/ grilled onions and a salad
- Green salad w/ grilled chicken/steak/fish w/ gorgonzola, walnuts & avocado (or use veggies patties, chicken sausages or frozen meatballs for your protein)
- Lean protein w/ green salad made w/ pear, walnuts & gorgonzola
- Andrea's Tacos - sauté lean ground beef or ground turkey, add taco seasonings - serve on long leafs of romaine with avocado, low fat sour cream, mozzarella cheese and salsa
- Stir fry w/ veggies (garlic, onion, peapods, red pepper) - add flavored chicken sausages w/ 1/2 cup serving of brown rice
- Great summer appetizer: Tomato, mozzarella, avocado - Alternate them in rows, then sprinkle w/ fresh chopped basil & red onions; pour on Good Seasons Italian dressing (make from dry mix) - it's the only time I used store bought dressings!
- Grilled fish or chicken w/ steamed broccoli or green beans w/ butter, 1/2 cups brown rice (can substitute tofu as protein)
- Chili made with garlic, onion, tomatoes, ground turkey or lean beef - serve w/ salad
- Spaghetti sauce served with 1/2 cup whole wheat pasta and a green salad
Protein Shake Recipe:
- 1/2 - 1 cup of ice
- 4 oz. - 6oz. Milk or Soymilk or Water
- 1 banana
- 1/2 c. - 1 cup frozen strawberries (use fresh fruit in season - frozen strawberries are just convenient)
- 2 scoops of vanilla whey protein powder (get at Whole Foods or GNC, etc)
- add Flax seed too! (good source of protein & omega 3's and 6's)
- Makes 2+ servings
Home Made Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 TBL. water
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
Are You Drinking Enough Water?
Probably not, given that 80% of people are dehydrated. If you wait until you are thirsty, you are probably already dehydrated. The body NEEDS water to function well. How much water is ideal? 1 quart for every 50 lbs. of body weight. That's 3-4 quarts of water per day for the majority of us. Always round up. Water makes up 60% of the human body. That’s 70% in the brain, 82% in the blood and 90% in the lungs. With such high ratios, the importance of drinking high quality water cannot be underestimated. Scientists report that a 2% reduction of water levels in the body can correspond to a loss of 20% in both physical and mental productivity. This is important because, the thirst reflex does not become active until the body has already reached a state of dehydration. Low energy, acne, wrinkles, fatigue, bad breath, headaches all can be signs of dehydration. Remember, don't leave the house without a bottle of water. You'll be a great model for your family & co-workers too!
What's Your Afternoon Pick-Me-Up?
Many people like to go to Starbucks for a little energy boost to carry them through until dinnertime. A plain coffee is one thing, but a vanilla soy latte or another sweet drink can lead to unnecessary weight gain. Did you know an additional 100 calories a day, leads to an extra 10 lbs. per year? An additional 300 calories a day, is an extra 30 lbs. per year! Know your nutrition! A Grande, Skim Vanilla Latte is 250 calories. A Tall Skim Mocha Frappuccino w/ whip is 280 calories!
Check out more of your favorite drinks at:
http://www.starbucks.com/retail/nutrition_beverages.asp
Keep your energy up throughout the day by eating every 2-3 hours. Have a small, healthy snacks between meals, such as nuts & fruit. This can go a long way to keep your blood sugar even & avoid that late afternoon slump.
Examples of Healthy Snacks: (think, unprocessed!)
- 1/4 c. raw nuts (cashews, almonds & walnuts) and an apple
- 2 percent Fage yogurt w/ grapes
- 1 Tbs. natural peanut butter on one slice of whole wheat toast
- Grapes or Apple & 1 serving mozzarella string cheese
- Raw veggies & hummus or string cheese
Examples of Non-Healthy Snacks:
- chips
- crackers
- candy bars
- candy
- cereal/granola
- cereal/granola bars
- fruit juice/soda/Gatorade
- muffins
- sweetened yogurt
Look at ingredients and avoid:
- Sugar
- Enriched wheat flour
- Partially hydrogenated oils
- Aspartame
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
Shop ahead of time & be prepared when you leave the house w/ a lean protein & low-fat snack. Make it part of your routine! Planning + preparation = progress!
Interval Training
Did you know interval training is one of the best ways to burn fat & improve your overall cardiovascular fitness? More studies are confirming this and athletes have know about it for decades. Short bursts of high-intensity exercise, followed by easy recovery, once or twice a week, will dramatically improve your endurance and your body's fat burning abilities. If you are a jogger, try adding 5-6, 30 second sprints on your next run. If you are a walker, try 30 seconds of super fast power walking or jogging, 5 or 6 times during your walk. Allow yourself time to catch your breath & recover before each set of intervals. After several weeks of interval training you'll end up burning more fat in your continuous cardio workouts and you'll improve your heart & lung capacity!
A Good Night's Sleep
Did you know you're at risk for weight gain if you're sleeping less than 7-8 hours a night? Sleep loss can increase hunger for more calorie dense, high carbohydrate foods. Ghrelin, Cortisol and Leptin are hormones that get disrupted from lack of sleep, and cause an increase appetite & promote fat storage. Sleep is very important to your overall health & wellness. Make it a priority to get to bed early!
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