Live a Nutritious Life

Sure, what you eat plays a key role in helping you live a nutritious life - one in which you feel, look and live your best. But a Nutritious Life is about more than diet. That is why we promote a Nutritious Life Cycle as a guide to life. Eat, drink, sleep, love, relax, exercise and pamper your way to health wellness and beauty.

Fluids

Our bodies are 50-75% water. The most common reason people are sluggish in the afternoon is due to dehydration. Too Little water makes us tired and unable to properly metabolize food. It is a must to get your water in. Water also helps us feel clean, healthy and refreshed. Putting lemon in water adds an antioxidant that cleans the liver allowing it to better metabolize the food we consume. Begin every day with water and a squeeze of lemon. Take green or other tea breaks throughout the day and replace soda with seltzer and lemon juice. Keep alcoholic beverages to a minimum.

Stress

Stress increases the level of the hormone cortisol in our bodies, which in turn makes our bodies crave carbohydrates, specifically high sugar carbohydrates, and store fat around the mid-section. So, even if you don't eat more due to stress you can still gain weight! To make matters worse, stress also causes an increase in appetite... We all know what that does!

Sleep

When you are well rested you make better food choices, have more energy to go the gym, walk to work or take time for your favorite activities. When you are not well rested your defenses are down, you are more likely to overeat and make poor food choices. One more thing... Remember cortisol? Lack of sleep makes this hormone rise as well!

Exercise

Aside from burning calories exercise is important because when you exercise your body releases endorphins which make you feel good and motivate you to eat well, do your job well and simply be happy! Weight bearing exercises increase muscle mass which in turn burns more calories while you are sitting on the couch. Interval training is also important to help rev your metabolism for hours after you have left the gym. Try 30 seconds at your max followed with 2 minutes at a more relaxed pace - either on the bike or treadmill.

Personal Time

What good is all this working out, meditation and sleeping if you have no time to enjoy your good health? Remember you are a better friend, spouse, boss, employee when you are happy and feel good about you. Don't forget to treat yourself to an afternoon of shopping, a stroll through a new art gallery or an afternoon at the driving range. Your stress levels will go down and you will be more motivated to improve you!

Pamper

Remember to treat yourself to something special! With all of the hard work you're doing, it's very important to reward yourself along the way. Simple small indulgences, like a manicure, facial, or bubble bath will make you look and feel great. The time that you spend caring for yourself physically will reap huge mental rewards.

Diet

Oh yeah, diet, isn't that what this is all about...