PTP of Ridgefield shares some small changes that equate to big results in your overall health!
Cut out one soda a day and lose one pound a month
Eliminating one soda a day, will add up to about 4,000 calories a month, which is a little over a pound of fat! Do this for a year and you are looking at almost 14 pounds!!!
Cut out pasta to ward off depression
A recent study has linked refined carbohydrates to depression. In fact, it found that women are 30-40% more likely to be depressed when eating white bread pasta and other refined grains. Think quinoa, brown rice and sweet potatoes from now on.
Incorporate cherries and tumeric into your day to ease achy joints
Both of these foods are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Eating 45 cherries a day can reduce C-reactive protein (a major inflammatory marker in the blood) by 25%, however cherries are hard to find and are expensive when out of season but you can get the same benefit out of 1 Tablespoon of tart cherry extract or 12 ounces of cherry juice. Tumeric on the other hand contains curcumin (an anti-inflammatory herb) and can be incorporated into your cooking as well as taken in capsule form.
Have Cod for dinner and sleep better
Wild caught cod is not only a form of healthy fat, but also contains tryptophan a sleep inducing amino acid. This is a mild white flaky fish and will take on the flavor of whatever you are cooking it with, so it is tolerated and even liked by most kids!!
Sleep AT LEAST 7 hours a night to ward off high blood pressure
Research shows that chronic insomniacs (those who sleep 5 hours or less a night) have a 500% chance of developing hypertension. Just getting two extra hours can prevent you from taking blood pressure medication. I still suggest 8 hours!!!!
Surely you all have at least 30 minutes in a day to break a sweat!! A study at Duke University has linked moderate/vigorous exercise to lower LDL (bad!) levels and higher HDL (good!) levels. This means that you need to get in at least 20 miles a week. Break it up anyway you like, but GET IT DONE!!
Ditch the romaine and go for the baby spinach
This vegetable is truly a "superfood," and not a weird one from some foreign country that we can't pronounce and spend insane amounts of money on (what is a mangostene anyway!!??), but one that is in every grocery store, usually on sale, prewashed and organic. Packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin K, lipoic acid (regulates blood sugar) and the list goes on...this should be on every person's plate at least once a day.
Add a glass of water a day and get "regular"
Constipation is one of the most popular complaints that clients walk through my door with. There are more complicated reasons this may occur such as food sensitivities and mineral deficiencies, however it can also be as simple as dehydration. I can confidently say that 8 out of 10 people who walk through my door do not drink enough water. I hear all the excuses from, "it tastes bad," to "it has to make me go to the bathroom." Once you acclimate your body to drinking AT LEAST 8 glasses a day, it will WANT it everyday! So add some fresh lemon, lime or mint to change the flavor, but make it your duty (no pun intended) to get it in!!! And going to the bathroom once an hour is a GOOD thing...
Questions? Contact Lauren Cassandra ND, MS, HFS, USATL1 ~ Trainer/Nutritionist ~ Personal Training Professionals of Ridgefield