Plant-based protein sources

Hello friends,

Over the past few months, I have been incorporating more plant-based protein sources into my diet and decreasing my meat intake. I came across this info-graphic, which has been very helpful.

source: pinterest

I hope you find this helpful!

Creamy White Peach Mango Smoothie

Hello friends,

I love smoothies! I'm always looking to create my own recipes. Now that its hot outside, I find myself drinking more and more smoothies throughout the day. Smoothies are so easy to make and taste great.

My first smoothie recipe was delicious, but there were too many ingredients. My advice for anyone who wants to incorporate more smoothies in their diet is to start with the fruits that you enjpy and don't feel the need to add a bunch of ingredients. All you need is your base (liquid), your choice of greens, fruit, and healthy fats (such as coconut oil, flax seeds, chia seeds). 5-6 ingredients at the most!!

This smoothie recipe is my all time favorite. It is creamy and the ripeness of the white white added the right amount of sweetness.

Creamy White Peach Mango Smoothie Recipe

2 ripe white peaches

kale leaves

1 cup of fozen mango

1.5 cups of coconut water

2 tbsps of ground flax seed

Enjoy!

I hope this helps,

Coco-Cocoa Body Butter Recipe! (Great for hot summer days)

Hello friends,

It melts like butter, (pun intended) in your hands.

I hope that everyone is doing well!

This blog post follows from my previous blogpost, Searching for that work-life balance. I don't know if I've found that balance, but in the meantime, I do have a new schedule to devote more time to my blog. That way, I get my creative ideas out there and do what I love to do.

This body butter recipe is perfect for those hot summer days, because a little goes a long way during this time. Really, you don't need a lot. 

Tip: Best used on dampened skin for added moisture.

If anyone tries this recipe, please let me know how it goes. I would love to know your thoughts!

 This healthy body butter recipe calls for:  

1/2 cup of Cocoa butter

1/2 cup of Coconut oil

2 tbsps of Vitamin E oil (after the cocoa butter+coconut oil has cooled, but not hardened)

~10 drops of lavender oil (after the cocoa butter+coconut oil has cooled, but not hardened)

 Thank you for taking the time to read!

 I hope this helps,

Searching for that Work-Life Balance!

Hello friends,

Source

Its been a while since I posted and this is why...

So, I've started working. Full time. My first 9 to 5 and I am ever so grateful for this opportunity working to conduct research. 

It's been 6 months in the new job and I am beginning to engage in conversation (mostly internal) about not being caught in the 'rat race.'  

And what is the rat race you might ask?

Think of this analogy of many rats in  a maze expending tons of energy, running around in a maze, expending tons of energy, running around aimlessly (in circles) and getting absolutely no where. Now let's transfer this to the real world.
The 'rat race' is often used in reference to full time employment (the '9 to 5'), where one works way too much, often long hours and not much of a life outside of work. Basically, the 'rat race' refers to a poor work-life balance.

Truth be told, I am getting worried that I may fall into this awful pit of long work hours, despite the fact that I may love what I do.

I miss school break and month long vacations; not having to do the same thing day in and day out. I miss he spontaneity of life as a student. 

Like I mentioned earlier, I love my job and the work that I do everyday. I am no longer a student. It seems that I miss life as a student. Since, I am so new to the '9 to 5' life I believe that I am still trying to adjust.

For those of you, who have similar work schedules as myself, how do you ensure that you don't get unhappy with your job? How to do balance work life and personal life?

I need help with this new schedule.

Thank you in advance,

A great Resource: Exercise and Muscle Directory

Hello lovely people,

I came across this great site for all things exercise. It is a great resource if you want to isolate exercises for certain muscle groups. The link is below.

Image via Pinterest

The link: http://exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

 

I hope this helps,

Using Liquid Nutrition to Combat Health Disparities

Hello friends,

                          Using Liquid Nutrition to Combat Health Disparities

I’m sure you’ve heard all about green smoothies and/or green juices. Green smoothies and juices are quick and easy to make. Most importantly, they are delicious and highly nutritious, because they flood our bodies with much needed fiber, nutrients, antioxidants, enzymes, and chlorophyll. I think they are an excellent way for us to engage in healthier behaviors, give our bodies the nutrients it needs, and do our part to eliminate heath disparities in our communities. 

www.liliashealthbook.blogspot.com

Minorities have the worse health conditions in the United States, with African Americans leading the pack. For example, obesity is one of the fastest growing epidemics in the United States, but even more so for Black women. For example, according to the Office of Minority Health, African American women are 70% more likely to be obese than Non-Hispanic White women. I think, we as Black women can reverse or even eliminate these statistics by incorporating more fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies in our diets. Here are two reasons why I think so.  

1.  Juicing has shown excellent promise in weight loss. How? Well vegetables and fruits are naturally low in calories and fat. So, replacing as many foods as you can that are higher in calories with fruits and vegetables in the form of a juice or smoothie would be wise to do for anyone who’s trying to lose weight. Moreover, fruits and vegetable juices and smoothies provide our bodies with large amounts of nutrients that are quickly absorbed by the body to help in the elimination of any nutritional deficiencies.

2.  Green smoothies are full of fiber, which is very important in the elimination of waste. Personally, I’ve noticed significantly more bowel movements (i.e. daily movements) since incorporating daily green smoothies. Fiber helps you feel full quicker and keeps you full longer. This is definitely ideal in anyone who’s looking to lose weight and to help build and maintain a healthy lifestyle. 

The health statistics for Black women are appalling and I for one did not want poor health to become my reality. I began incorporating green juices and smoothies in my diet as a way to increase my intake of more fruits and vegetables, because we all know that fruits and vegetables are good for us.

More information on green smoothies and juices can be found on the links below:

http://liliashealthbook.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-new-love-green-smoothie.html
http://liliashealthbook.blogspot.com/2012/06/berry-infused-coconut-smoothie.html
http://liliashealthbook.blogspot.com/2012/10/green-smoothie-recipe-3-celery-kale.html
http://liliashealthbook.blogspot.com/2012/02/green-smoothie-recipe-2-kale-spinach.html 
http://liliashealthbook.blogspot.com/2012/03/tips-on-eating-healthier.html
http://liliashealthbook.blogspot.com/2012/02/eating-healthy-is-sexy-fruit-vegetable.html

I hope this helps,

 

Positive Fitspiration: keeping the mind, body & soul in good health

I am very excited to bring to this guest post by Claudine. Claudine is a great writer and is passionate about overall health like myself. If you would like to see more information like that which is presented below, please let Claudine know in the comment section below.

Eating well and exercising are very beneficial for being healthy and staying fit, however if the internal being within us is not well we are robbing our selves of true health. In today's world many things can dampen our minds, our bodies and our spirits. We all fall in one or more categories of having stressors which can disturb the mind.

 Some common stressors being lack of jobs, debt, relationship or marital problems (just to name a few common areas) can cause major mental and emotional problems in our lives. This is why from time to time self evaluation is neccessary for our inner bodies to cleanse. We should make it our duty to ask ourselves questions such as: 

What is causing the problems in our lives? 

Why are we being subjected to them? 

What can we do to change this problems?

Who are we allowing into our lives or what are we allowing into our lives to dampen our spirits,to bring unrest,to unsettle our emotions?

 Many times bitterness, anger, jealousy, pain and so many other negative emotions over cloud our bodies. These emotions when inhaled can cause illnesses in our bodies such as high blood pressure, internal cancers, mood disorders which we develop such as bipolarism, schizophrenia, anxiety, nervous breakdowns, depression etc. An unsettled inner body leads to an unsettled outer body. 

Often times we drown ourselves in liquor, wine, smoking and other detrimental habits in order to drown our pain thus destroying our bodies more. We should know when its time to make changes. 

I encourage you to surround your world with positive energy, positive people, to love and respect yourself and your body enough to let go of whatever is hindering your growth. Pray. Meditate. Exercises such as yoga and  kickboxing are ways to get rid of some of the internal anger and bitterness which can destroy our bodies. Take care of your temple and it will function the right way. This has been Fitspiration! Be happy, be blessed, give yourself the gift of inner and outer health.

This post has been brought to you by Claudine. 

All images via Pinterest.
 
I hope this helps,