One Pimple is One Too Many - Health Tips

Hey Everyone!

I hope you're feeling happy & healthy!
Here a 10 tips to help you feel just that!

1. Start everyday with breakfast.
I know you hear it all the time but it's true -- nothing can help you better and improve your growth than eating a hearty and healthy breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day for a reason. A snack bar and a glass of juice on your way out to the bus will not cut it. Take the time to eat a bowl of cereal (the healthy kind -- not the ones filled with sugar), eat an orange (it's packed with Vitamin C) and a glass of water (good for your body and your skin!). 


2. Get moving!
Exercise keeps your body strong and healthy. If you're like me and not an exercise nut -- look at exercise differently than just burning carbs at the gym. Crank up the tunes and start dancing. Walk the dog. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Take the parking spot farthest away. Use those muscles! 


3. Snack Smart
Snacks are an important part of your everyday meals -- just as important as breakfast, lunch and dinner! Instead of filling your body with sugary or salty treats, grab an apple instead! Try celery sticks with peanut butter (Delicious!!) and if you need an energy boost and it's still early in the day, drink a glass of milk and eat a banana.


4. Cardio!
While low-intense workouts like walking the dog and taking the stairs are great fat-burners, nothing can take away from a super high-intense workout! Instead of just dancing for fun, consider taking a dance class -- maybe in hip hop or big band swing. 


5. Don't eat too much of one thing!
Eating healthy isn't about only eating "nasty" foods -- it's about eating things in moderation. Put more variety in the food you eat!


6. Get fit with friends and family!
Tired of exercising by yourself? Get your friends and family into it! If you or a friend has the Wii, play the Wii Fit game! Organize a game of touch football or a day at the park. Exercise doesn't have to be a chore, make it fun!


7. Eat more veggies!
Vegetables are one thing that you can never eat too much of. So snack up!!


8. Join sports at school!
Whether it be an organize sport such as soccer or volleyball or something fun like ultimate frisbee -- get involved! Not only will you get your exercise in but you'll be making friends and getting connected with your school!


9. Remember: foods are neither good nor bad.
As I said before, everything in moderation. Chew your food slowly when you eat and remember to sit up tall! You're less likely to eat more when you're more aware of what you're eating.


10. Make it fun!
Instead of looking at it like a something you HAVE to do, look at exercise as something fun!


A word of note: all of these tips are just suggestions. Be sure to talk to your doctor before you start any kind of diet and/or exercise plan. Your goal should be healthy -- NOT "skinny". You are beautiful just the way you are. :)


Hope you have a great week!
Ariel

New Year's Resolution #4: Get Healthy!

Hi Everyone!

Hope everybody's doing well and looking forward to a dreary February... spent getting healthy?

After my New Year's resolution posts on charity giving, studying, and organization, I am now on my last post for this "series". Ironically, this is the post in which I have decided to cover by far the most popular resolution last.

It may seem a bit strange that going online can help out your health, especially considering the only things that can really improve your health are eating right and excersise, but there are online tools that truly can help you get healthy, including:

BMI calculator (http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/dieting/bmi.html)- BMI stands for body mass index and can help you determine if you are the right weight for your height and age. It's important when calculating the BMI of a teen to use a calculator made especially for teens who are still growing, like this one.

Gimme 20 (http://www.gimme20.com/fitnesstools)- This site has online fitness tools, including a workout builder and measurement tracker.Goal Setting courtesy of

Justin Sachs (http://www.justinsachsonline.com/Landing_Pages/A_New_You.html)- This is a teleseminar about goal setting, courtesy of Justin Sachs, one of dekoposh's DAPL.

Gyminee (http://www.gyminee.com/)- This site also features a workout builder and can also help you calculate your fitness progress. Nutritional info and a food dairy are available as well. The basic account is free.

Nutrition Data (http://www.nutritiondata.com/)- I love this site! It gives you a complete nutritional analysis of almost every food you can think of and allows you to calculate the nutritional info of your favorite recipes. While these numbers aren't exact (don't obsess), they can help give you an idea of the nutrients in what you're eating.

And last but not least, there is also my website, http://www.aurelieshealthycuisine.com (see http://www.aurelieshealthycuisine.com/articles for healthy eating articles).

Stay tuned for a nice, long, fun-orientated post next week!

Aurelie
Author of The Healthaliciously Good Cookbook and Co founder of Aurelie's Healthy Cuisine Inc.
aurelie@aurelieshealthycuisine.com
http://www.aurelieshealthycuisine.com