Today be irreplaceable, grateful and at peace

Today, instead of links to articles about your heart health, ways to improve your metabolism, reasons to drink more water, and more...we thought we'd let some inspiring quotes, beautiful images and pieces of information do the talking. After all, we never know it all

And because

And on this beautiful summer day, we should all be appreciating our SoCal weather (it's amazingly hot and humid so many other places today)

No matter what your goals this week

Another source providing sound advice which tells us to eat? No problem. Plus we should

After all,

What a 'perfect' day of eating looks like

If you spent the weekend enjoying burgers and pasta salad, summer treats, drinks on the patio or picnics in the sand and you're looking to hit the 'reset' button this morning, Prevention Magazine's suggestion of a 'perfect' day of eating might be one way to accomplish this.

And if today isn't your day for perfection that's okay too. Even just incorporating some of these suggestions is important. 

The 'Bees Knees' of Advice

Strength is a wonderful thing to have - in every aspect of our lives. Your strength comes in tangible and not so tangible forms. Today, we're talking about physical strength. Specifically, your knees.

So many of us experience knee pain, or discomfort, from time to time (or quite often) that this article from Prevention Magazine regarding how to keep your knees safe and avoid injury seemed of significant importance.

If you've ever taken TRX + Kettle bells, Boot camp, High Intensity Interval Training or even Kickboxing at Dynamic You Fitness, this article is for you.

Awareness of Inflammation

Sometimes, it's nice to learn about a problem in your body which is (relatively) easily fixed...especially when you discover all the negative consequences of that one thing. 

Inflammation has been associated with a number of more serious health concerns. Prevention Magazine has recently shared some ways in which to lower the inflammation in your body.

Just getting more sleep and taking time to breath throughout the day can help. Never seems too painful to fix a problem with sleep. 

The hard facts about Plastic

 

Did you know every year Americans throw away enough paper and plastic (cups, forks, etc) to circle the equator 300 times.

32 million tons of plastic waste was generated in 2011, and only eight percent of the total plastic waste generated was recycled.

These, and many more, staggering facts should be cause for concern. 

Unfortunately, these relatively small and seemingly harmless plastic cups you grab during your workouts here at Dynamic You Fitness are not helping. 

We want to step up and make a difference, and we're committed to doing more for the environment, and so we're going to eliminate them.

That means it's time to invest in a re-usable water bottle!

Our favorites are from Rubbermaid....just $3-$7 dollars and they come in a whole host of colors. You'll find them at most Pavilions and Vons stores, not to mention Target.

Filtered water will still be provided for all Dynamic You Fitness clients, but we are beginning to phase out the plastic, so be sure to grab your water bottle soon! 

Curbing the munchies with smart choices

Ever feel like this after lunch?

Whether it starts in the early afternoon or attacks you later in the day, it's pretty common to find yourself  wanting something to curb your hunger (or perhaps your boredom, your stress or your drowsiness) sometime in the afternoon. 

And there are a lot of times when there are choices to be made.

There are, of course, better choices than others. And there are a lot of great resources out there to help you find creative, tasty solutions if you're looking for an alternative to that cookie (or can of diet soda.)

The Six o'clock Scramble  has some great ideas for snacks to fill you up without making you feel lousy. You might just find some great dinner ideas there too.

And Whole Living has some great tips for snacking success as well. 

Plus keep this is mind....needing a snack is perfectly normal. And if you're truly craving something to eat, or an afternoon pick-me-up, your body probably needs fuel to get through the rest of the day. Unfortunately, while tasty, a cupcake left over from an office birthday celebration or the jar of candy always at the ready isn't going to really give you the energy you're craving. While a few minutes of a sugar rush will improve your afternoon slightly, it could actually leave you feeling more sluggish and unproductive. 

So when it comes to snack time, do your best to plan ahead and pick something healthy. 

You'll feel better, we promise.

"Frenemies" when it comes to your diet

So you've made plans to go out for brunch with some friends (or family.) You're committed to eating healthy - perhaps as a lifestyle choice; but so often (likely more often than not) your commitment is still a struggle, something you must consciously commit to daily. But you're excited and ready. You've perused the online menu, know you're all about the egg-white omelet full of veggies and the french toast won't be calling your name. 

You arrive at the selected restaurant, your conviction strongly in place as you order and the meals arrive, and within one or two bites your friends (or family) begin pressuring you to try their meal - the french toast (or another delicious, but less healthy, option) you so purposely did not order. 

Ever been in this situation? 

So have we. 

So how do you handle it? 

There's a great article over at The Whole 9 Life with not just some advice to get you through a meal, but also ways to understand the meaning behind someone seemingly attempting to sabotage the already hard-won fight against yourself.

And next week The Whole 9 Life will be sharing some advice on how to respond. 

We'll be sure to pass it along.

Taste it Tuesday - it's all about the Omelets!

There's no way around it. Breakfast is really important.

So today, we bring you many (many) options for omelets!

The best part about omelets is there are so many ways to make them. The second best part is, while always a great breakfast choice, you can eat them any time of day. Of course, in our opinion, that pretty much goes for all breakfast foods. 

So check out a variety of healthy omelet recipes from Cooking Light and get crackin'!

"Fat Torching" stops the moment you step off that treadmill

Ever heard cardiovascular exercise is the ultimate fat-torching workout? It's not a lie. It's a fat-burner, to be sure. But if running on a treadmill mindlessly (or even with true purpose and focus) is the only form of exercise you're engaging in, true fat-burning concludes when your feet step off the platform.

Ah...we seem to be back to the 'good news, bad news' situation here. 

Not to worry...that's not the case. Cardio is still important and if you do it at least three times a week there's considerable benefit.

However, if you'll add weight lifting of some kind (say, Sculpt & Tone or TRX + Kettle bell classes at Dynamic You Fitness as an example) you'll increase your reduction of body fat without decreasing your calorie intake. Check out other reasons to pick up those free weights and Kettle bells in the article link above too!

We thought you'd like that news. 

"We eat first with our eyes"

"We eat first with our eyes, and our eyes are bad judges of portions" - Cooking Light Magazine Editor

It's true. We eat first with our eyes (and probably our

nose too) thinking a certain amount will be the right portion to satisfy a craving or hunger. But in the second edition of the blog we're following on Cooking Light's Simmer & Boil series about the weight loss goals of an editor, we learn it's all about measuring.

Many of us have probably learned this....measuring isn't just about making sure a recipe is correct. It's about truly owning up to how much you're consuming.

 And portion control plays a significant role in allowing those favorite foods occasionally, but in moderation. So the old trick of receiving your order in a restaurant and immediately placing half of it in a container to take home, it seems, really does work.