NUTRITION TIPS FOR A HEALTHY SUMMER! Summer weekends at the beach, backyard barbecues, and outdoor dinners are finally here, but these gatherings are often loaded with high-calorie pasta salads, chips, ice cream, cocktails and beers. Enjoy your warm weather favorites while keeping your nutrition in check with the tips below. 1. Drink green tea instead of sweet tea. Green tea has a natural component that helps speed up your metabolism. Skip the box tea and opt for the brew-it-yourself with boiling water and a tea-bag-type tea. 2. Serve seafood. Summer is the ideal time to get the freshest catch from your local grocer. Grill salmon, tuna, lobster, steamer clams, and calamari for a low-calorie, protein-packed lunch or dinner. 3. Don’t skip breakfast. When you wake up in the morning, your body is running on fumes. Eating a breakfast with protein, carbs, and healthy fat kicks your metabolism into high gear and provides energy for the day. 4. Enjoy summer fruits and veggies. It’s easy to sink into a vegetable rut, eating the same boring veggies week after week, but with summer comes fresh choices. Including a mix of in-season colorful veggies in your meals gives your body a nutrient kick. 5. Snack at work. Bring snacks to work and graze throughout the day. When you eat more often—five to six times per day—you’re far less likely to overeat and more likely to stay energized. 6. Hydrate often. The summer heat makes you more susceptible to dehydration. Start off your day by drinking two glasses of water and keep drinking at eachmeal, as well as before and after your workout, to stay hydrated. Carry a water bottle with you as a reminder to stay hydrated. 7. Recover with a post-workout shake. After exercising, blend your favorite summer fruits and a scoop of whey protein into a shake to kickstart the muscle-building process, help your body recover from training, and boost your energy levels. 8. Pre-plan your meals. You plan your weekend getaways and activities for summer. Why not your meals? Make it easy by preparing all of your food on Sunday so that you have enough meals for the week. The best part: You’ll save money.
EXERCISE & MENTAL HEALTH
exercise—you’ll not only improve your physical condition faster, but you may also be able to interrupt the flow of constant worries running through your head. Exercise and PTSD and trauma. Evidence suggests that by really focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise, you can actually help your nervous systembecome “unstuck” and begin to move out of the immobilization stress response that characterizes PTSD or trauma. Instead of thinking about other things, pay close attention to the physical sensations in your joints and muscles, even your insides as your body moves. Exercises that involve cross movement and that engage both arms and legs—such as walking (especially in sand), running, swimming, weight training, or dancing—are some of your best choices. Outdoor activities like hiking, sailing, mountain biking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and skiing (downhill and cross-country) have also been shown to reduce the symptoms of PTSD. When you’re under the cloud of an emotional disorder and haven’t exercised for a long time, setting yourself extravagant goals like completing a marathon or working out for an hour every morning will only leave you more despondent if you fall short. Better to set yourself achievable goals and build up from there.
Everyone knows that regular exercise is good for the body. But exercise is also one of the most effective ways to improve your mental health. Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact ondepression, anxiety, ADHD, andmore. It also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts overall mood. And you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that modest amounts of exercise canmake a difference. No matter your age or fitness level, you can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to feel better. Exercise and depression. Maintaining an exercise schedule can prevent you from relapsing. It promotes all kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns that promote feelings of calm and well-being. It also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals in your brain that energize your spirits and make you feel good. Exercise can also serve as a distraction, allowing you to find some quiet time to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression. Exercise and anxiety. Anything that gets you moving can help, but you’ll get a bigger benefit if you pay attention instead of zoning out. By adding thismindfulness element—really focusing on your body and how it feels as you
H E A L T H Y R E C I P E
FRUIT ENERGY BALLS
INGREDIENTS • 1 cup chopped almonds • 1 cup dried figs • 1 cup dried apricots • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
INSTRUCTIONS Combine almonds, figs and apricots in a foodprocessor; pulse until finely chopped. Roll the mixture into small balls and dredge in coconut. Tomake ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
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