Healthy Chocolate Fix Smoothie

I hope everyone had a splendid weekend.  Im currently getting over a bit of a head cold that I caught from Kevin, which he probably got from the school he works at.  Im happy to have Monday and Tuesday off this week, and I will be starting a new job hopefully on Wednesday or Thursday!  Yay!

Ill give you a "quick" breakdown of how my life has been changing over the past few weeks:

I have been working as an Administrative Assistant at Tradesmen International since July, but in the beginning of January I had had a meeting with my boss that would change everything.  Since it was the beginning of the year, I thought long and hard about where I want to be in a year professionally, and I decided that I wanted to start pursuing careers in the field I graduated in, Environmental Science.  I have always been an honest person and appreciate when others are honest with me, so I sat down with my boss and discussed taking Thursday afternoons off so that I could have some time to start looking for environmental jobs.  Since I got all of my work done by noon most Thursdays, this was no problem, and he understood that I was going to be with them temporarily from the beginning.  I told him that it would probably take me months to find the right job that I was looking for, and that I would of course give him my two weeks.  He was very understanding and supportive that I wanted to go after something in my field.

Well... about three weeks late I had a few leads on some jobs I had been looking into, and even an interview.  However, I also found out that I was being "laid-off" and would be worked through the end of the week and replaced by "someone who is wanting to be with us long-term."  Damn-it!  This will definitely teach me to be honest when it comes to things like this.  It turns out that the person they gave the job to replace me was my bosss brothers friend/girlfriend.  They kind of got what was coming to them in the end though: when I went to pick up my final check, I learned that the computer I had been working on and had all of my documents and spreadsheets I had created to do my job efficiently had crashed.  All I can say is karma is a bitch!

So, I have been out of work for two weeks, but Im happy to announce that Ive taken another job as an Administrative Assistant/Project Coordinator at a well known engineering firm that has wonderful connections and gateways to environmental positions I hope to get to someday.  Did I mention that I work about 20 hours less a week than my previous job and that I get paid about the same?  I think thats a fair trade-off.  In the end, Im a firm believer in thinking that everything happens for a reason.  Im just happy that this led me to something bigger and better.

Now, on to my recipe.... I, like most women, get that time of the month when chocolate seems to find its way into my mouth one way or another.  I thought I would try making something that would hopefully be more forgiving than a candy bar.  All I can say about it is... it is supposed to make two servings, but if you end up having the whole thing over an afternoon snack, dinner, and evening snack... Im not going to judge you ;).

Ingredients:

• 2 cups non-dairy milk
• 2 frozen bananas
• 6 ice cubes
• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 2-4 dates
• 1 large kale leaf
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients into a high powered blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
2. Serve cold immediately, store leftovers in an airtight container for up to one day... but it wont last that long.

Amys Notes:

• I used homemade almond milk for my smoothie, but any type of non-dairy milk will work.  If your milk is unsweetened, you may want up to 4 dates, but start with two and work your way till you find your desired sweetness.
• I used 1 large kale leaf, which equaled out to about 2 cups of greens, but feel free to add as little or as much of any type of dark green that you have on hand.

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Easy Diet Tips For Healthy Weight Loss

Here are some easy diet suggestions so that you can easily start out a healthy diet plan and lose weight. The below tips should really enable you to if you truly care about balanced weight loss.

Easy Diet Tip #1
First of all, drink lot of water while dieting. This is because in several crash diets, you will lose a lot of water instead of fat. Now this isnt the ideal weight loss solution.
You should lose body fat rather than water. So drinking lots of water during the day would help you find out whether what youre losing is water weight or fat.
There are other benefits of ingesting water. Water is said to help increase 1s metabolism. Metabolism is the pace at which the body burns unhealthy calories. So if you drink water it can help your metabolism price which can thus help in weight reduction.
Moreover drinking water can also help with digestion as well as breaking the food down. If digestion is proper, there are also less chances of you getting extra fat.
Some obese people might actually have more water retention. Drinking lot of water will actually make your body memory less water.
If you do not drink enough water your body may panic and start out storing water as it fears will not have sufficient supply of water in future. So drinking more measure will prevent it from storing water.

Easy Diet Tip #2
Another good diet secret is to mix moderate levels of exercise with your diet plan. See, it is very difficult to shed weight with just diets alone. You also need to ensure that you have sufficient physical exercise throughout the day so that you are able to remain fit and lean in the long run.
Walking, gardening, jogging, swimming etc. are a couple of the pleasurable exercises which are not too exhausting and can provide you with all the required amount of physical activity.
Do these or any other physical activity in moderate amounts and not overmuch, specially at the start. Later if you feel like it and cope with it, you can increase it further prefer.
Being physically active and exercising can also be good for your memory, self-respect and also helps you in dealing with stress.

Easy Diet Tip#3:
The third good diet tip My spouse and i would like to give you is to consume lots of raw fruits and greens. They are very good for your well being and they are not fattening. When youre dieting, it is very likely that you be depriving your body of essential nutrients. By eating fruits and produce you can overcome this problem in order to a certain extent.
Having a serving of fresh fruits and greens just before every meal can populate your stomach quickly so that consumed less. The fiber content in fruits and vegetables is good for digestion.

So munch on them and store them handy at all times. For case in point you can have some carrots or even apple etc. in your fridge and if you feel like having a snack, you can munch on these types of instead of eating fatty foods as well as snacks.

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Laugh laugh laugh be healthy live longer!

My joke of the day: 

My bf is hugging me and slowly starts checking out my bottom. I ask “Anything you like?” (cheeky!) Well he really surprises me then when he says “Mmmm yeah. Before I had to look for your ass, now it is right out there”.

Hmmm if you think I was pleased, you don’t know me :) I was furious… And then he had to explain for about half an hour with the puppy eyes of his that it was meant to be a compliment – of my workouts… You can’t imagine how hard I laughed after that. :)

So, I dont know if you heard, but laughter is good for you! GOOD GOOD GOOD! There is a lot of research on it too - and I mean, being a PhD student, scientific research!

R. Morgan Griffith writes:

We change physiologically when we laugh. We stretch muscles throughout our face and body, our pulse and blood pressure go up, and we breathe faster, sending more oxygen to our tissues. 

People who believe in the benefits of laughter say it can be like a mild workout -- and may offer some of the same advantages as a workout.

"The effects of laughter and exercise are very similar," says [Steve] Wilson. "Combining laughter and movement, like waving your arms, is a great way to boost your heart rate." 

One pioneer in laughter research, William Fry, claimed it took ten minutes on a rowing machine for his heart rate to reach the level it would after just one minute of hearty laughter. 

And laughter appears to burn calories, too. Maciej Buchowski, a researcher from Vanderbilt University, conducted a small study in which he measured the amount of calories expended in laughing. It turned out that 10-15 minutes of laughter burned 50 calories. 

While the results are intriguing, dont be too hasty in ditching that treadmill. One piece of chocolate has about 50 calories; at the rate of 50 calories per hour, losing one pound would require about 12 hours of concentrated laughter!

Source: Give Your Body a Boost - With Laughter. Why, for some, laughter is the bestmedicine.

But then again, it is not exactly certain whether it is just laughter, or also the general optimism and active social life which usually come along with laughter, which are more important.

Laughter, [Robert R.] Provine believes, is part of a larger picture. "Laughter is social, so any health benefits might really come from being close with friends and family, and not the laughter itself." 

In his own research, Provine has found that were thirty times more likely to laugh when were with other people than when were alone. People who laugh a lot may just have a strong connection to the people around them. That in itself might have health benefits. 

Wilson agrees there are limits to what we know about laughters benefits. 

"Laughing more could make you healthier, but we dont know," he tells WebMD. "I certainly wouldnt want people to start laughing more just to avoid dying -- because sooner or later, theyll be disappointed." 

But we all know that laughing, being with friends and family, and being happy can make us feel better and give us a boost -- even though studies may not show why.

Source: Ibid, page 2.

All in all, laughter won’t reverse the death and make us live forever. It is NOT a bad habit though, it might give some positive effects both on our physical and social health – so why not go for it?!

Some links:

• I loved this site on laughter and benefits of it: Laughter is the Best Medicine (you can also see where to start there). And one of the things that anyone can do – is smile. Smile when you workout, smile when you work, smile when you rest. It can NOT be bad for you. :)
• 8 benefits of laughter

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For Healthy Weight Loss Diet Recommendations

Were all constantly inside a fight to slim down, and lots of us wish to uncover an eating plan where we are able to slim down and slim down fast. Not searching at just how to slim down healthy. Going on a diet is an extremely hard factor to complete. Firstly you must dedicate yourself to customize the diet or current way you consume, which otherwise always easy. Statistics on going on a diet arent good, so exactly how should we look for a diet thats simple and easy , will slim down and slim down healthy.

You will find many healthy diet plans available today. The South Beach Diet is an extremely popular nutritious diet plan, theres the Negative Calorie Diet, which for me is another healthy method of eating. Theres also theIdiot Proof Diet Regime that is just that, and it is a proper plan.

One crucial facet of going on a diet would be to burn body fat but additionally feed muscle while you shouldnt slim down and also have a large amount of flabby skin.

Here are a few important tips about going on a diet:

1-) Never skip breakfast, your breakfast will get your metabolic process going, especially following a great nights sleep. Eat a healthy diet plan, like wholegrain cereal products, protein based meals which are lower in body fat, lowfat yogurt, etc.

2-) Stay well hydrated, for just one consuming lots of water keeps you feeling full and fewer hungry, drink less soda and occasional and certainly less alcohol as all individuals can also add significant calories for your daily intake.

3-) Make certain you be careful about your carb and calorie consumption. Make certain you keep an eye on your intake. Carbohydrates have to be stored low, in addition to eating good carbohydrates for example fruits and veggies, avoid your refined sugars, flours and processed meals.

4-) Spend some time, don’t attempt to hurry slimming down, slim down healthy means slim down slow, plus should you choose it the proper way, you will preserve the load off. Lots of people who slim down to quickly, the moment they change bad eating habits back installed the load back on rapidly in most cases much more weight compared to what they initially lost. What goes on whenever you slim down to quickly your metabolic process will decelerate, it slows lower the speed we burn energy to outlive. A resistance is made up that is known as homeostasis, for instance when the body gets hotter, we sweat, the response made to awesome lower, this really is homeostasis. Exactly the same principle occurs when you slim down, however when you slim down to quickly youll lose body fluid and muscle tissue rather than burning the body fat.

Its also wise to have a regimin of minerals and vitamins. This can improve your energy as well as your metabolic process. To slim down healthy, you have to eat good meals, not only basing them around the caloric or carb content, and you have to do some kind of exercise. Should you follow many of these weight loss tactics, you are able to slim down, slim down healthy in addition to keep your body fat off.

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Diet Tips For Healthy Eating

While there are plenty of things to consider when trying any weight loss plan, here are five important diet tips for those planning to very carefully choose their low carb foods.
In the past decade, the notion of a low carbohydrate diet option has accumulated considerable popularity. There are many various programs filled with diet tips that offer ways to use low carb foods specifically to lose weight. There are also a wide variety of myths and fallacies regarding those diet tips.
Tip 1. Learn All You Can
Every program you come across will almost certainly offer its own set of regulations and diet tips. Take a little time to read up for the various elements of a low carb food program so it is certain you are setting yourself up intended for victory while also complying with a healthy food plan. Use your brain and a little research before leaping into one thing with eyes wide shut.
Tip 2. Include a Friend
Making any kind of important variety is intimidating, and adjusting from familiar or comfortable selections to more helpful low carb foods is definitely a major change. It usually is simpler to adjust if you have a confidant going through the process together with you. This person can encourage you when youre losing motivation, and you can inspire him or her when the assistance needs to go the other way. Shopping together for low carb ingredients and sharing diet tips can add to the whole experience.
Tip 3. Become Familiar with the Right Reduced carbohydrate Foods
When taking diet tips from family, you may hear plenty of tips about what are considered low carbo foods. For example, can you consume potatoes, corn, and other starches? Youll probably find that there are more ingredients allowed than you ever expected, despite the fact that you will want to refer towards the program you are following to be sure a particular menu selection falls within the policies.
Tip 4. Have Realistic Expectations
One of the most important dieting tips refers to the biggest reason behind failure, the need for realistic targets. For example, setting almost impossible grades and then not hitting those grades, people give up. In other instances, a person may cheat one day, not focusing on low carb foods, and rather than continuing onward, he or she decides the going is too tough and gives up. It seriously isnt realistic to believe you will never veer off course again. It will be realistic to notice when you have made a mistake and move forward from there.
Tip 5. Think Ahead

If you are planning to eat out, check the restaurant menu online therefore you know which low carb foods to pick. This sets you on the correct course before you even leave your house. Using your head about these dieting tips before you eat will help you achieve your goals.

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