A Healthy Outlook

There's a common feeling that many of us share: being pulled in different directions. In our busy and demanding lives, one area that often suffers neglect is our health. Making healthy choices isn't always easy, and setting aside even 30 minutes a day for physical activity can often be a challenge.

To help you keep some focus on your health, we've collected several tips for staying healthy that we hope will be easy to incorporate into your schedule - even for the most hectic.

Steps you can take:

  • The first tip is to keep moving. Literally. Be physical for 30 minutes every day - even if this is just going for a short walk. Other healthy movement can include sports, dancing, yoga, running or other activities you enjoy, like gardening.

  • Eat a well-balanced, lower-fat diet loaded with fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Choose a diet that's low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and moderate in sugar, salt and total fat. In this issue of balance we've included two easy to make smoothie recipes. They'll save
    you some time and get
    you much of the
    nutrition you need.

  • Limit your exposure to the sun, especially during mid-day, when the sun's harmful rays are strongest. Remember to use a broad spectrum sunscreen that guards against both UVA and UVB rays, and don't forget about your eyes. Choose sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of the sun's rays.
  • · Keep an eye on the amount of alcohol you drink. Too much alcohol can lead to liver damage, malnutrition, and it can also have a negative impact on your relationships.

  • · Learn to recognize and manage
    stress in your life. Signs
    of stress include trouble
    sleeping, frequent
    headaches, stomach
    problems, and dramatic
    shifts in emotions.
    Note: exercise is
    proven to help
    reduce and relieve
    stress.

  • Safeguard your
    vitality and
    you'll be the
    better for it.
    Your increased
    enjoyment of life
    can be infectious
    and have a positive
    impact on those
    around you.

Simple, Delicious Smoothies

Drinking healthy smoothies can benefit your overall health and happiness. They're typically very easy to make and will help you to feel full and eat less, and can even play a role in managing weight! Not sure if smoothies are right for you? Here are some benefits that might help persuade you otherwise.

Fat Busting Smoothies
Smoothies can be an effortless way to manage and even lose weight. You don't need to use them as meal replacements if you're clever with your choice of ingredients.

When looking for the right tasty addition to a smoothie, fruits like berries are a secret weight loss weapon. This is because of flavonoids, which have been shown in studies to be one of the keys for not putting on weight. It is even suspected that blueberries can limit fat cell development.

Hydration Benefits
Drinking the recommended 6-8 glasses of water can seem daunting. With smoothies, you're already part of the way there because of their built-in hydration. We can get some of our water intake naturally from smoothies, because lots of fruits and vegetables are quite rich in water.

Tip: you can make smoothies count even more for your water intake by starting the day with a milk based or water based version. This is a lot more hydrating than coffee, and the milk gives a nice calcium boost.

Antioxidant Rich
Antioxidants are key to preventing heart disease, cancer and other diseases. Try adding one to two teaspoons of Matcha green tea powder to your smoothies and you'll get a big helping of antioxidants.

Here are two easy to assemble and delicious to drink smoothie recipes. Simply blend and enjoy:


Mango Madness

    2 cups fresh spinach, washed
    1 banana, frozen
    (I cut mine into chunks before I freeze them)
    1 cup peeled and chopped mango
    6 natural almonds
    1 cup fat free soy or rice milk
    1 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
Good Gracious
    2 apples (cored, but leave the skin on them)
    2 BIG handfuls of spinach
    1 medium cucumber
    3 sticks of chopped celery
    1/2 inch or teaspoon ginger root, peeled
    1 bunch parsley
    Juice of 1 lime
    Juice of 1/2 lemon
Blend until smooth and all fruit and vegetable chunks are gone.

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