Top Hydrating Foods

If you’ve ever had a good workout, you know how important it is to stay hydrated.

This article reviews the top hydrating foods to prevent dehydration and keep you healthy and energized – whether it’s before or after your workout!

First, let’s understand why hydration is so important. Water is an essential nutrient needed for a number of basic bodily processes, such as the removal of toxins and the digestion of food. When moving or working out, water also helps to regulate body temperature and reduce sweating.

When you sweat, you lose a number of important vitamins and minerals that are needed to sustain energy, including electrolytes. Electrolytes are organic compounds that conduct electricity, and they play an important role in how your body produces and uses energy. You’ve probably tried a sport drink that contains electrolytes for this very reason.

Although sport drinks can be effective sources of hydration, they often come with a lot of extra calories in the form of processed sugars, never mind the artificial flavors and colors. When you can, you should always go with natural hydrating options.

To understand why, let’s take a closer look at the top hydrating foods.

Top Hydrating Foods

• Cucumbers – Cucumbers are packed full of water and contain natural anti-inflammatory properties in the form of caffeic acid and Vitamin C. Pineapple has similar anti-inflammatory properties and is just as hydrating.

• Mixed Green Salad – Most types of lettuce and leafy greens contain over 90% water, which makes them extremely hydrating. They also offer the benefit of being high in electrolytes and antioxidants like Vitamin C. For daily Vitamin C support, I recommend NOW C-1000.

• Melon – These tasty fruits contain over 90% water and are loaded with replenishing vitamins and minerals. Watermelon is high in Vitamin C, while cantaloupe is high in Vitamin A.

• Pears – In addition to their high water content, pears also contain 6 grams of fiber! That’s 24 percent of the daily recommended value. Fiber is one of the best things you can eat on a diet – it will fill you up and keep your metabolism running high. If you’re looking for a good fiber supplement, try Myogenix Pro Fiber.

• Mango – Mangoes are packed full of water, fiber, and important vitamins and electrolytes, including Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 can be especially energizing, which is why I recommend getting a good Vitamin B Complex like NOW B-100. It will also improve your weight loss results!

• Yogurt – Believe it or not, yogurt is high in potassium and sodium, two key electrolytes lost when you sweat. It also has a relatively high water content and is a good source of protein, making it the perfect post-workout snack.

• Coconut Water – This is absolutely my top choice when it comes to hydrating foods. Coconut water is high in fiber and contains significant amounts of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and electrolytes. One of my favorite brands is VPX Coco Fit Coconut Water, which has even more beneficial ingredients like Vitamin D3 and additional antioxidants. This is the best natural alternative to a hydrating sport drink!

Mood Boosting Foods

Don’t underestimate the power of mood to influence your health and fitness goals. Your mood is one of the biggest daily predictors of fitness success.

It’s true. Your daily, hourly, and even momentary mood state have a huge impact on everything you do, including whether you make it to the gym, avoid sugary snacks, and feel motivated.

Of course, one of the biggest factors in your mood is stress. Reducing stress and relieving tension can further lead to better health and fitness outcomes. Why? Very simply, stress can lead to a negative mood state, and this will totally drain any motivation you may have already had.

But there’s a lot you can do to support a positive mood, avoid negative feelings, and reduce the impact of daily stress. One of the best routes to happiness, believe it or not, is diet. The foods you eat can have a huge impact on how you feel and how you handle stress.

And luckily, the foods that boost your mood also boost your metabolism, which means you’ll burn more calories and fat as well!

Here are my top 5 picks for mood boosting foods…

Top 5 Mood Boosting Foods

Salmon – Salmon is a great health promoting food choice for a number of reasons. It’s high in protein to support lean muscle growth and makes for a satisfying lunch or dinner. It’s also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to support healthy brain functioning.

In fact, research has suggested that omega-3 fatty acids may be a therapeutic treatment for depression in children and adults. With about 6 grams of the healthy monounsaturated fatty acid per piece, salmon is an easy fix for a long stressful day.

For more information on the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, including new research about heart health, read my article Omega-3 Fatty Acids: What New Research is Telling Us.

Whole Grains – If you’re suffering from a bad mood, then it’s not a good time to cut down on carbohydrates. Foods rich in carbs have been shown to increase your serotonin levels. Serotonin is a key chemical responsible for supporting positive mood and fighting depression. Just make sure you go with whole grain options whenever you can!

Flaxseed – Flaxseed has been bolstered as a healthy food choice for years, and it’s for good reason. Flaxseed is high in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, folate, and vitamin B6. You need a good balance of all vitamins and minerals to support a healthy mind, but vitamin B6 has been shown to be particularly helpful in this area. It’s great for reducing the impact of stress and maintaining a positive outlook.

When it comes to vitamins and minerals, things can get a little confusing. For more information on what vitamins you should take on a daily basis, read my article on What Vitamins Should You Take.

Lentils – Lentils are high in folate, another important mood boosting ingredient. Low levels of folate have been shown to be related to higher depression and more frequent feelings of sadness. Ginger lentil soup is an easy, mood boosting meal. Cook carrots, onion, ginger lentils, and diced tomatoes in a chicken or vegetable broth. Add fresh garlic, curry powder, salt, and pepper to taste.

Dark Chocolate – Chocolate is super high in antioxidants, as you may have already heard. But it’s important that you go with dark chocolate options. Although these are still high in fat, they’re healthy fats which, like the antioxidants, support a positive mood state. Don’t overindulge, but any extra antioxidant support is better than none.

For more information on another great mood boosting, antioxidant-rich food, read my article on the Benefits of Acai Berry.

How to Eat Healthy and Lose Weight

Eating healthy and losing weight are two of the most common goals I hear from clients.

I’ll admit that it can be tough, and all the information out there can get pretty confusing. But if you keep things simple and ignore all that fad diet stuff, it’s not as hard as you might think.

This article looks at some basic rules to help you eat healthy and lose weight. And believe it or not, there are some foods that can actually speed up your metabolism and get you losing weight even faster!

Rules for Eating Healthy & Losing Weight

1. Replace bad fats with good fats. You’ll notice I’m not giving you the typical “cut out fat” statement, because it’s not quite that simple. There are a lot bad fats out there, and you should definitely be avoiding trans fats and saturated fats at all cost. This means no fried foods or junk foods.

But there are a lot of good fats out there that can actually help you lose weight and burn more calories. Fish oils are great for this, or more generally omega 3 fatty acids. If you’re not getting many in your diet, I recommend supplementing with either Health Wellness Fish Oil or NOW Ultra Omega-3. Cooking with Nutiva Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil is a great at-home option because it contains unique fats that actually boost your metabolism!

2. Get some protein in every meal. Protein is important for healthy eating because it’s a key component of lean muscle mass, which means you need it to maintain muscle. This is essential in the fight against aging. But in addition to overall health benefits, protein also keeps you feeling full for longer, which means you won’t have as many nasty cravings!

Protein is also a metabolism-boosting food. This is because protein takes longer to digest, so it keeps your metabolism going for longer, burning more calories just to break it down! I recommend getting 20 grams of protein in every meal. Supplementing with a protein shake is a great way to ensure adequate protein intake. Check out the tasty Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion.

3. Eat natural, whole foods. Whenever you can, go natural. This means a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, so eat your fruits and vegetables! If you’re concerned about your vitamin intake, a multivitamin like Optimum Opti-Men or Optimum Opti-Women can be a great supplement.

When it comes to breads and other carbs, definitely try to go with whole grains whenever possible. Whole grains are less processed and still include all of their nutritional value, including higher amounts of protein and fiber. They also don’t mess up your glycemic index, so you won’t get hit with as many sugar cravings throughout the day.

And speaking of fiber, this is another nutritional component that’s important to supplement if you’re not getting enough in your diet. Check out Myogenix Pro Fiber, a great option that will help you stay healthy and lose weight!

How to Eat Healthy and Lose Weight – Conclusion

These rules seem pretty basic, but this is how basic it gets. There’s no need to complicate things, and going on a fad diet or weight loss program is only going to leave you frustrated. Make these lifestyle changes, and you’ll be on your way to a healthier, slimmer you in no time!

Health Benefits of Melons

I don’t know about you but melons including watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew are of my favorite fruits.

Not only are melons a great refreshing snack on a hot summer’s day, but they contain vitamins, high water content and are a great source of dietary fiber.

They are superb for all sorts of health concerns and in this article we’ll dig deep to see all the benefits they can provide you…

Health Benefits of Melons

For one, you skin benefits greatly from the minerals,vitamins and the high concentration of water that melons provide.

Your body will also appreciate the fact that you are consuming melons because they help flush out toxins which cause digestive issues, breathing difficulties and nerve disruptions.

There are many different varieties and they all contain about 90% water and lots of fiber making them an excellent addition to a diet because they fill you up without all the extra calories.

Melons deliver more nutrients per calorie because of their high water content helps transport these nutrients to your cells.

Some of the most common melons are; Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew and the sprite melon which originates from Japan.

Health Benefits of Melons: Watermelon

Watermelons are only 48 calories a cup which makes them a great fat-free food with absolutely no cholesterol. They contain vitamin A, C, B6, B1, potassium and are an excellent source of magnesium.

In addition to this, the concentrated source of antioxidants prevents free radicals from causing cell damage and possibly even cancer, asthma, and even arthritis. Lycopene is just one of the antioxidants it possesses which specifically targets cancer. In addition lycopene protects the body from cellular damage which can cause build-up and clogged arteries. Furthermore, lycopene promotes heart health and allows regular breathing.

The adequate supply of B vitamins promotes a great boost of energy and also protects our brain and nerves from damage. Furthermore the benefits of watermelon span into other areas of the body as well including eradicating erectile dysfunction, improving blood sugar intolerance (diabetes) and lowering blood pressure.

Health Benefits of Melons: Cantaloupe

This orange melon also known as a cantaloupe offers 68 calories per cup. It is filled to the brim with Vitamin A, C, B3, B6, Folate, Potassium and Dietary fiber. In fact, cantaloupes have more Vitamin A than that of carrots, making it great for your eyes and preventing macular degeneration.

Since Vitamin A is fat soluble you need to ensure that you are getting the recommended daily intake of healthy fats so you are able to absorb this vitamin as well as a host of others that need fat to propagate the body.

Cantaloupe are also a great source of Vitamin C which stimulates white blood cells to kill bacteria, and disarming damaging free radicals.

Health Benefits of Melons: Honeydew

The honeydew melon may be sweet but it ranks low on the Glycemic Index, which is good news if you are on this type of diet or you are watching your blood sugars.

At 60 calories a cup honeydew offers substantial amounts of Vitamin A, C, Potassium, Zinc, digestive enzymes, Folic acid and Fiber.

The sodium free content and water of the melon all contribute to positive effects of battling bloating and banishing weight from the body.

Lastly the Honeydew is a great source of potassium and copper. Potassium prevents cramping and may be useful for PMS symptoms. Copper is an important mineral which aids in healthy skin. By regenerating and repairing damaged muscles and tissues, it can even prevent aging and smooth out skin tone.

So overall melons are powerhouses of nutrients which help our bodies in numerous ways! Next time you’re in the grocery store make sure to grab one of these superfoods!

How-To Guide to Holistic Health

You’ve probably heard the term ‘holistic health’ a lot in recent years. But what is holistic health? And what can you do to improve your own holistic health?

Holistic health essentially refers to your overall or complete health, encompassing your physical, mental, emotional, and even social and spiritual health. The term also recognizes that these different facets or aspects of your health are related and connected. When you get stressed out, for example, it affects you both physically and emotionally.

By focusing on your overall or holistic health, rather than specific components of your health, you’ll reap more benefits from your health-boosting efforts. It’s really that simple!

This article is a beginner’s how-to guide to holistic health, and includes an introduction to some basic tips and strategies for improving your health on physical, mental, and emotional levels.

Ready to get started?

A How-To Guide to Holistic Health: 4 Tips for Beginners

1. Never Do Diet or Exercise Alone – My first tip is one that I’ve stressed to my clients for years. When you try to lose weight or get fit by focusing on diet or exercise alone, it’s going to take twice as long to see the same results.

The best approach to getting fit and losing weight is to adopt a healthy diet and start a regular exercise plan that’s composed of both weight training and cardio. This approach will make you healthier on both the inside and out! In line with this thinking, increasing your protein intake can help you on both fronts. A high quality protein supplement like Optimum 100% Natural Whey will not only help support lean muscle growth after a hard workout, it will also prevent cravings and boost your metabolism. This is just one way that exercise and diet work together.

2. Think About Your Mental Health – Another common problem is that people focus only on the physical aspects of their health. When it comes to diet and exercise, for example, it’s important to recognize that both also have an effect on your mental well-being.

Many foods are great at relieving stress and improving your overall mental health, including foods high in antioxidants like NOW Vitamin C-1000 and healthy fats like those in Optimum Fish Oil Softgels. Adopting an exercise plan that takes into account stress relief is another great way to improve your overall health. Hit the gym right after work to unwind after a stressful day, or jumpstart your day with a 20-minute cardio workout.

3. Get a Good Night’s Sleep – Improving the quality of your sleep is one of the best holistic health strategies. Sleep has a huge impact on your mood, your energy, and your overall mental and physical functioning. It also plays a major role in how you handle stress on a daily basis. If you’re having a hard time sleeping, consider a natural sleep aid like Natrol Melatonin to get you back on track.

4. Get Energized – I don’t need to tell you how important energy is for your overall health. When it comes to feeling good on both the inside and out, energy is everything! One way to improve your overall energy is to drink Magic Matcha Green Tea. This super food is packed full of antioxidants to prevent aging, caffeine to keep you moving, and calming properties to help you relax and fight stress. It’s the perfect holistic food!

How-To Guide to Holistic Health – More to Come

Stay tuned for more holistic health tips aimed at improving your health and wellness on a number of levels! Remember, your physical, mental, and emotional health are all connected – approach your goals with this in mind and you can’t go wrong!

How-To Guide to Holistic Health, Part 2

If you’re not thinking about your health on a holistic level, you need to start today.

Holistic health simply refers to your overall or complete health, integrating factors on a number of levels, including physical, mental, and emotional.

In my previous article, How-To Guide to Holistic Health, I reviewed 4 beginner tips to get you thinking about your holistic health. Check them out here – How-To Guide to Holistic Health, Part 1.

Now that you’ve integrated some simple holistic practices for maintaining your, I thought I would advance things a bit and focus on two major components of your holistic health –the mental and emotional. By addressing these aspects of your life, you will improve your overall sense of wellbeing.

Remember, stress impacts all aspects of your health, and over time, it can really have a toll on your body and mind. Learning how to deal with stress and can help improve your health on all levels.

Let’s take a look at these more advanced holistic health tips…

A How-To Guide to Holistic Health, Part 2: Dealing with Stress

1. Minimize the Impact of Stress

First, there are a few preventative measures you can take to minimize the impact (both short term and long term) of stress on your body and mind. Here are a few:

• Exercise is a critical part of stress prevention. While it’s great to end a stressful day with a hard workout, exercising in the morning can help make your day seem less stressful in the first place.

• Many foods actually help you deal with stress better, like MRM Grape Seed Extract. Not only does it help boost your immune system and prevent a number of illnesses, it also improves your mental functioning and your body’s ability to handle stress.

• Journaling or keeping a diary is another simple and effective stress prevention strategy. Writing has been shown to be extremely therapeutic! On a regular basis, it can reduce your overall level of stress and help you better cope with your daily hassles.

2. Learn to Relax

Although you can minimize stress, you can’t eliminate it altogether. Stress is one of those annoying facts of life, which is why it’s so important to learn how to relax. Let’s look at 2 general methods of relaxation:

• First, if your response to stress typically involves over excitement (such as yelling or wanting to punch a wall), then you’ll likely benefit most from relaxation techniques that calm you down. These may include meditation, deep breathing or guided imagery.

• On the other hand, if your stress response involves getting quiet and withdrawing from life, then you’ll likely benefit from relaxation techniques that energize you. These may include cardiovascular exercise, weight training, or even yoga.

• For either response, Magic Matcha Green Tea can be extremely beneficial. It is both energizing and calming, which makes it the perfect stress relieving super food.

3. Find Some Inner Peace

At the end of the day, the best thing you can do for your overall health is to find some inner peace. Whether it’s a hectic day or a major setback in life, your ability to find inner calm and serenity will mean everything.

Whether it’s 20 minutes or only 5, make sure you take some quiet time to yourself. This is a great time for a quiet meditation, some rhythmic breathing, or even some yoga. And you don’t need to sign up for expensive yoga classes. This simple Gaiam Yoga for Beginners Kit has everything you need to get started at home.

Whatever your method, it’s important to recognize that a peaceful mind will mean a more peaceful body, and vice versa. Your mental, physical, and emotional health are all connected, so make sure you nurture those connections.

10 Important Health Facts

Underlying every weight loss and fitness goal is the goal to become healthier.

Even if it’s not your focus, there’s usually some desire to improve your overall wellness. All health and fitness goals, no matter how general or specific, ultimately conspire to improve health and well-being.

And this is a good thing – because once you start focusing on your health, your commitment and motivation will increase, and success will be realized at a much faster pace.

In light of this, I’m offering up 10 important health facts – tips that I’ve learned over the years for improving health and wellness. These may either complement your current fitness goals or expand your perspective on health. But either way, you can’t go wrong!

10 Important Health Facts

Health Fact #1: Vegetables Trump Fruit – When it comes to eating right, your focus should really be on vegetables rather than ‘fruits and vegetables’ as we always here. This is actually a major limitation of basic food guides that don’t offer much distinction. Vegetables tend to be higher in nutritional content and far lower in sugar, which better supports a healthy lifestyle.

Health Fact #2: Some Fats Are Good – While harmful fats like trans fats and saturated fats are definitely bad for your health, many fats are actually good for you, improving your metabolism, relieving stress, and enhancing mental functioning. The omega-3s found in these Optimum Fish Oil Softgels are particularly good for your health.

Health Fact #3: Rest Improves Results – When it comes to weight lifting and training at the gym, rest is more important than you may think. After a good 4 or 5 days at the gym, you need to give your muscles a rest and allow them to repair. This is a key step in building muscle, and in fact most of your gains are made during repair and recovery.

Health Fact #4: Vitamin D Boosts Metabolism – Recent research has shown that when combined with a healthy diet and exercise, Vitamin D supplements like this NOW Vitamin D actually improve weight loss results by up to 50%!

Health Fact #5: B Vitamins Relieve Stress – One of the most effective, scientifically supported stress relievers is a high quality Vitamin B Complex. Try this Twinlab Stress B-Complex today.

Health Fact #6: Garlic Supports Immune Functioning – If you’re trying to avoid getting sick this season, start adding some extra garlic to your cooking. Fresh chopped garlic has natural antimicrobial properties that will keep your immune system working at its best! And that means fewer workouts missed.

Health Fact #7: Whole Grain is Better than Whole Wheat – This is a huge area of confusion when it comes to a healthy diet. Most people don’t realize that although whole wheat is better than white and bleached flour, it’s still highly processed. For the least processed, most whole food option, go with whole grain.

Health Fact #8: Water is Your Best Detox – I’m not a big supporter of fad diets and extreme detoxes. The most effective way to detoxify your body is to drink lots of water. Just ask your doctor – they’ll agree!

Health Fact #9: Weight Training is Most Effective – For the best weight loss and fitness results, your focus should be on weight training rather than cardiovascular exercise. While cardio is good for burning calories in the short term, weight training increases lean muscle mass, which directly improves your body’s ability to burn fat when at rest.

Health Fact #10: Sleep Improves Everything – Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the best things you can do for your health. In addition to giving you energy to get through your day, sleep also stabilizes your metabolism, reduces cravings, helps you handle stress, and makes you happier!