Physical Activity

Physical activity simply means movement of the body that uses energy. Walking, gardening, briskly pushing a baby stroller, climbing the stairs, playing soccer, or dancing the night away are all good examples of being active. For health benefits, physical activity should be moderate or vigorous intensity.

Moderate physical activities include:

• businessman on bike
• Walking briskly (about 3½ miles per hour)
• Bicycling (less than 10 miles per hour)
• General gardening (raking, trimming shrubs)
• Dancing
• Golf (walking and carrying clubs)
• Water aerobics
• Canoeing
• Tennis (doubles)

Vigorous physical activities include: 

• Running/jogging (5 miles per hour)
• Walking very fast (4½ miles per hour)
• Bicycling (more than 10 miles per hour)
• Heavy yard work, such as chopping wood
• Swimming (freestyle laps)
• Aerobics
• Basketball (competitive)
• Tennis (singles)

You can choose moderate or vigorous intensity activities, or a mix of both each week. Activities can be considered vigorous, moderate, or light in intensity. This depends on the extent to which they make you breathe harder and your heart beat faster.

Only moderate and vigorous intensity activities count toward meeting your physical activity needs. With vigorous activities, you get similar health benefits in half the time it takes you with moderate ones. You can replace some or all of your moderate activity with vigorous activity. Although you are moving, light intensity activities do not increase your heart rate, so you should not count these towards meeting the physical activity recommendations. These activities include walking at a casual pace, such as while grocery shopping, and doing light household chores.

Source: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/physical-activity-what-is

Benefit of Physical Activity

The benefits of exercise go far beyond weight management. They also include:

• A lower risk of anxiety and depression
• Better sleep, and a boost to your energy, mental sharpness, and creativity
• Lower risks for hypertension, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and breast and colon cancer
• Greater muscle mass and bone density, fat reduction, and an improved body image
• Reduce risk of cardiovascular disease
• Strengthens bones and muscles
• Improve your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls, if you’re an older adult
• Increase your chances of living longer

Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you haven’t exercised for a while or if you have chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, or arthritis. If you want a personalized plan, your primary care provider can help get you started.

Vegan Shepherd Pie

What I love about this recipe is that it gives nutrition details! Check it out here.

Ingredients

• 600 g Maris Piper potatoes
• 600 g sweet potatoes
• 40 g dairy-free margarine
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 sticks of celery
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• olive oil
• ½ a bunch of fresh thyme
• 350 g chestnut mushrooms
• 12 sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• vegan red wine
• 100 ml organic vegetable stock
• 1 x 400 g tin of lentils
• 1 x 400 g tin of chickpeas
• 5 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 lemon
• 30 g fresh breadcrumbs

• Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
  2. Peel and chop all the potatoes into rough 2cm chunks. Place the Maris Pipers into a large pan of cold salted water over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, adding the sweet potatoes after 5 minutes.
  3. Drain and leave to steam dry, then return to the pan with the margarine and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Mash until smooth, then set aside.
  4. Peel and finely slice the onion, carrots and 2 garlic cloves, then trim and finely slice the celery.
  5. Bash the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar until fine, then add it all to a medium pan over a medium heat with a good splash of oil. Pick in the thyme leaves, then cook for around 10 minutes, or until softened.
  6. Meanwhile, roughly chop the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, then add to the pan along with the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the sun-dried tomato oil from the jar.
  7. Cook for a further 10 minutes, then add a splash of wine, turn up the heat, and allow it to bubble away. Stir in the stock, lentils and chickpeas (juice and all), then leave it to tick away for 5 to 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened and reduced.
  8. Pick and roughly chop the parsley leaves, then stir into the pan. Season to taste, then transfer to a baking dish (roughly 25cm x 30cm).
  9. Spread the mash over the top, scuffing it up with the back of a spoon.
  10. Finely slice the remaining garlic clove, then place into a bowl with the rosemary leaves, lemon zest, breadcrumbs and 1 tablespoon of oil. Mix well, sprinkle over the mash, then place in the hot oven for around 10 minutes, or until piping hot through.
  11. Place under the grill for a further 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden, then serve with seasonal greens.

Avocado Pasta

We are going to be sharing some healthy, vegan recipes for you to try!

Avocado pasta will be our first, it's delicious! Click HERE

Target Heart Rate

Calories Burned During Physical Activity

Being Physically Active

Easy Chinese Chicken

Check out this Easy Chinese Chicken recipe! See the recipe HERE

Intuitive Eating - Honor your Health --Gentle Nutrition

Honor Your Health--Gentle Nutrition

Make food choices that honor your health and taste buds while making you feel well. Remember that you don't have to eat a perfect diet to be healthy. You will not suddenly get a nutrient deficiency or gain weight from one snack, one meal, or one day of eating. It's what you eat consistently over time that matters, progress not perfection is what counts.

Pulled Pork in a Crock Pot

This recipe is awesome and is so good you won't need to add your sugary sauces!! 

Intuitive Eating - Exercise - Feel the Difference

Exercise--Feel the Difference

Forget militant exercise. Just get active and feel the difference. Shift your focus to how it feels to move your body, rather than the calorie burning effect of exercise. If you focus on how you feel from working out, such as energized, it can make the difference between rolling out of bed for a brisk morning walk or hitting the snooze alarm. If your only goal is to lose weight, it's usually not a motivating factor in that moment of time.

Intuitive Eating - Respect Your Body

Respect Your Body

Accept your genetic blueprint. Just as a person with a shoe size of eight would not expect to realistically squeeze into a size six, it is equally as futile (and uncomfortable) to have the same expectation with body size. But mostly, respect your body, so you can feel better about who you are. It's hard to reject the diet mentality if you are unrealistic and overly critical about your body shape.

Intuitive Eating - Honor Your Feelings Without Using Food

Honor Your Feelings Without Using Food

Find ways to comfort, nurture, distract, and resolve your issues without using food. Anxiety, loneliness, boredom, anger are emotions we all experience throughout life. Each has its own trigger, and each has its own appeasement. Food won't fix any of these feelings. It may comfort for the short term, distract from the pain, or even numb you into a food hangover, but food won't solve the problem. If anything, eating for an emotional hunger will only make you feel worse in the long run. You'll ultimately have to deal with the source of the emotion, as well as the discomfort of overeating.

Egg White Breakfast Bake with Sweet Potato and Spinach

My mouth is watering. Click HERE for the original recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and grated (about 3 heaping cups)
• 16 ounces liquid egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 tightly packed cups baby spinach

DIRECTIONS:

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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, spray an 8×8 pan with nonstick cooking spray, line with parchment paper and spray parchment paper with cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients. Stir to combine.
3. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until completely set in the middle.
4. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
5. Store in a covered container in the fridge.

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Tilapia

Click here for the original recipe!
Tilapia is a great way to get protein into your diet.
Try this recipe!!

Broccoli and cheese Stuffed tilapia

Ingredients:

• 4-ouncefresh or frozen skinless sole, flounder, or other fish fillets, about 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cupfrozen cut broccoli, thawed
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 8-ounce containersoft-style cream cheese with chives and onion
• 1/4 cupgrated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cupherb-seasoned stuffing mix
• 2 tablespo

• 4-ouncefresh or frozen skinless sole, flounder, or other fish fillets, about 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cupfrozen cut broccoli, thawed
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 8-ounce containersoft-style cream cheese with chives and onion
• 1/4 cupgrated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cupherb-seasoned stuffing mix
• 2 tablespoonsmilk
• 2 tablespoonsdry white wine

Instructions:

1. Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. For stuffing, drain broccoli, pressing out excess liquid. Combine egg, half of the cream cheese, and the Parmesan cheese. Stir in broccoli and stuffing mix. Spoon one-fourth of the stuffing onto an end of each fillet. Roll up, securing rolls with wooden toothpicks. Place fish in a greased 2-quart square baking dish. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork and stuffing is hot.

2. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan cook remaining cream cheese, milk, and wine until heated through, stirring often. Serve sauce over fish. Makes 4 servings.

Intuitive Eating - Discover the Satisfaction Factor

Discover the Satisfaction Factor

The Japanese have the wisdom to promote pleasure as one of their goals of healthy living. In our fury to be thin and healthy, we often overlook one of the most basic gifts of existence--the pleasure and satisfaction that can be found in the eating experience. When you eat what you really want, in an environment that is inviting and conducive, the pleasure you derive will be a powerful force in helping you feel satisfied and content. By providing this experience for yourself, you will find that it takes much less food to   decide you've had "enough."

Intuitive Eating - Respect Your Fullness

Respect Your Fullness.

Listen for the body signals that tell you that you are no longer hungry. Observe the signs that show that you're comfortably full. Pause in the middle of a meal or food and ask yourself how the food tastes, and what is your current fullness level?

Intuitive Eating - Challenge the Food Police

Challenge the Food Police

Scream "NO" to thoughts in your head that declare you're "good" for eating under 1000 calories or "bad" because you ate a piece of chocolate cake. The Food Police monitor the unreasonable rules that dieting has created . The police station is housed deep in your psyche, and its loud speaker shouts negative barbs, hopeless phrases, and guilt-provoking indictments. Chasing the Food Police away is a critical step in returning to Intuitive Eating.

CHICKEN PASTA WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND SPINACH IN A CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SAUCE

Click HERE for the original recipe:

Healthier version of a regular fettuccine Alfredo.  Low-calorie, low-fat cauliflower Alfredo sauce mixed with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, spinach in this delicious chicken fettuccine pasta recipe. 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Julia

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil , reserved from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves , minced
• 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil from the jar
• 1 lb chicken breast , thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 teaspoon paprika divided
• 3-4 cups spinach fresh
• 1 cup cauliflower Alfredo sauce
• 1 cup reserved cooked pasta water
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 8 oz fettuccine pasta (for gluten free, use gluten free brown rice pasta)

Instructions

1. Drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil and chop them into smaller bits. 
2. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar) on medium-high heat and saute garlic, chopped sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil), and thinly sliced chicken breast (lightly covered in about ½ teaspoon of paprika, for color) for 2-3 minutes until chicken is cooked through, turning it over a couple of times. Sprinkle the salt over the chicken and more paprika while cooking. 
3. Remove from heat. Immediately add fresh spinach, cover the skillet with the lid, and let everything rest off heat, until spinach wilts.
4. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water - at least 1 cup (even though you will likely not use it all). Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water (to stop cooking).
5. Add 1 cup cauliflower sauce and 1/4 cup reserved cooked pasta water to the chicken and sun-dried tomatoes. Add 1 tablespoon basil, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Mix with the sauce and add more salt and crushed red pepper if needed.
6. Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the creamy sauce, and stir to combine. 
7. At this point, you might have to add more reserved cooked pasta water because the creamy sauce will be too thick (do not add all water at once - you might need just a small mount). 
8. Again, taste and season the pasta with more basil and salt, if needed. Add more paprika if you want your sauce to have a nice red-ish color.
9. Make sure to salt the dish just enough to bring out of the flavors of basil and sun-dried tomatoes.

One Pot Coconut Curry Shrimp

Click HERE for the original recipe!