Baked Balsamic Tofu Cubes

Balsamic Tofu. I really can't say enough about it. Grilled, baked, fried, sautéed, whatever. A staple in my kitchen for sure. It can go on salads, as a side, on a pasta salad, in a wrap, as a snack, whatever you want. So easy to make and so many things to have it with! 

Try them, you'll be instant best friends. 

Baked Balsamic Tofu Cubes:

Organic extra firm tofu - as much as you want!

Your favorite organic balsamic dressing 

Organic Italian seasoning (optional)

First, drain the water out of the tofu... yes you have to do this. Either wrap the block of tofu in paper towels and place between to dishes, trays, whatever you want and put something on top to gently squeeze out the water (sometime I use 3 soup bowls) and let stand for about 20-30 minutes, or use a tofu press. 

Once the tofu is drained, cut into 1 inch cubes, or whatever size you're into at the moment, and toss into a baggie, cover with marinade, and marinate for 30 min or longer. I like to get all of this done the night before and let it sit overnight, but it turns out great either way!

Once you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 and place tofu on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure there is space in-between each piece of tofu. I also like to sprinkle a little extra Italian seasoning onto the pieces at this point! Bake for about 10-15 minutes or longer, until they are golden brown along the edges, watching to make sure they don't burn. Once you see the golden edges, remove and enjoy warm or cold!

I LOVE to use these to top one of my favorite pasta salads recipes:

The Healthy Life Blog is Under Construction!

Hi Everyone!

Thank you for your continued subscriptions, shares, viewership, and support. Temporarily, please excuse any missing posts or broken links to recipes on The Healthy Life blog as it undergoes some restructuring.

When I started the recipe section of this blog, my intention was to take typically unhealthy food favorites, and create healthy versions of them. All of my recipes were predominantly vegetarian/vegan as I have never been fully comfortable consuming any meat products. As I have continued to explore the world of healthy living and eating, I have become increasingly aware of the ethical implications of even vegetarian choices.

For some time now I have been phasing out these vegetarian options in my own life and it is time that my blog reflect that. Until now I had been keeping the old vegetarian recipes up and making all of my new posts vegan because the majority of views to this blog came through those older recipes. That's just not a good enough reason anymore.

Part of living a healthy lifestyle includes living a mentally healthy life as well. I have always been passionate about the environment and animal rights and tried to ensure that my everyday choices aligned with those beliefs. Choosing to follow a vegan diet is just another step. The health benefits of a plant based diet are undeniable and I have always strived to incorporate them into my life and this blog. I now feel I have the tools I need to share a fun, healthy, and realistic whole foods/plant based lifestyle with all of you as well.

Eventually all of the old links to non-vegetarian recipes (just 2), and vegetarian recipes will be restored with vegan versions of those favorite recipes. Until then, please enjoy the recipes that are live on The Healthy Life Blog and I would love to hear from you regarding any of your own food favorites you would like to see made vegan.

Thank you for your patience and I look forward to sharing many more exciting recipes with you!

Ashley

Healthy Recipes for Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving can always be a tricky time to stay on track with your health goals or your healthy lifestyle, whether you're hosting a gathering or traveling to one. Here are some
of my favorite healthy recipes that can help you have both a flavorful,
fun thanksgiving, and remain on track as well!

If you're planning on having a heavier meal, here are some light appetizers you can easily make ahead of time to serve or bring with you:

      

Warmer finger foods are always fun as well. All of these wonton recipes are fun and healthy for everyone:

     

For the two taco wonton recipes above, you absolutely can't be without this Easy Avocado Dip:

And, finally, for some heartier appetizers, you'll want to check out these:

     

     

My family has always started Thanksgiving dinner with a traditional Italian tortellini soup. However, this light vegetarian seasonal soup would be a perfect start to any Thanksgiving meal. It's smooth and packed with flavor:

Here are some fun, healthy, and seasonal sides to include as well:

     

I hope this helps give you a few ideas as to what you can include in your Thanksgiving day, whether you swap out an older, less healthy recipe on your menu, or you simply bring along a healthier appetizer. For more recipes, you can check out the All Recipes tab, or check out my Pinboards for hundreds of different healthy recipes, especially Healthy Party Ideas.

A website I always check out when I'm busy planning for a party is Raise.com. They have hundreds of different gift cards to buy and sell for a discounted rate. It's such an easy and 

quick way to add some savings to all of your 

holiday and party purchases!

https://www.raise.com/buy-gift-cards
https://www.raise.com/sell-gift-cards 

For more, check out:

     

A Look Back: Top 3 Exercise Posts of the Year

Great post that offers new ideas about how to incorporate a traditional full body exercise that can much more than just a cardio workout.

Since so much time is spent indoors, getting outside is so important. There are so many ways to exercise outside, here are 40 ideas to give you new and exciting ways to create an active lifestyle!

There are many things in life that can keep us from prioritizing exercise, such as traveling, vacations, work, holidays, a busy schedule, or simply not wanting to leave your house for the gym. Whatever they are for you, here are 5 full body exercises for you to perfect so that you are ready to fit exercise into even you toughest days.

16 Tips for Better Sleep

Sleep is absolutely critical to our physical health, weightloss efforts, mental health, and overall wellbeing (here's why). Use these 16 tips from the Nov-Dec 2013 issue of Fitness Journal to help create better sleep habits. 

• Limit caffein, particularly in the afternoon and evening. 

• Limit alcohol. Especially avoid excessive consumption before bed.

• Try to quite tobacco use; nicotine is a stimulant.

• Don't use your computer, cell phone or handheld device in the 90 minutes before bedtime. LED lighting "tells" the brain to stay awake. 

• Limit television viewing before bed. 

• Lower the temperature in the house or bedroom before and during sleep. The body likes cooler temperatures. Many sleep doctors suggest lowering body temperature 90 minutes before bedtime. 

• Take a hot bath 90-120 minutes before bed. 

• Use the bed only for sleeping, lovemaking, and perhaps reading before sleep. 

• Nap only 15-20 minutes in the early afternoon, if necessary.

• Keep a sleep diary to track patterns.

• Eat 3-4 hours before bed and avoid heavy meals during that time. 

• If possible, protect sleep from intrusions (unexpected noise); consider wearing earplugs. 

• If you don't fall asleep within 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something else until your body and mind feel tired. 

• Meditate, listen to soothing music, or create other nighttime rituals that signal it's time to sleep.

• Use blackout curtains to block light.

• Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillow. 

For more tips, check out 5 Things You Need To Do Everyday.

A Lack of Sleep Contributes to "Almost Immediate Weight Gain."

When making changes to your lifestyle and committing to new goals, you need to be performing at your best each day to help ensure you have the physical and emotional strength to stay focused on your priorities, and consistently make the right decisions. A lack of sleep negatively affects your ability to do this in several ways and "studies have shown that people who habitually sleep less than six hours per night are much more likely to have a higher than average BMI."3

"Losing just a few hours of sleep a few nights in a row 

can lead to almost immediate weight gain." 1

Too little sleep upsets the balance of hormones that control appetite, energy metabolism, and glucose processing. 3 This lack of sleep causes the body to:

Increase the amounts of the steroid hormone cortisol in the body. Cortisol is known as the "stress hormone," as it is released in the body as a response to stress to increases blood sugar, heart rate, and prepare the body to repair tissue easily. 4 While this is a temporarily useful mechanism your body relies on to protect you from a perceived threat, it has some negative side effects as well, especially when compounded over a long-term basis. Cortisol also "alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system, and growth processes."4  The "overexposure to cortisol ... can disrupt almost all of your body's processes ... [putting you at risk for] anxiety, depression, digestive problems, heart disease, weight gain, and memory and concentration impairment."4

Increase in insulin following a meal. Insulin is a hormone "that regulates the glucose processing and promotes fat storage; higher levels of insulin are associated with weight gain."3

Lower levels of leptin. Leptin is a hormone that tells brain that body that it has enough food. A lack of sleep results in leptin levels lowering in the body, signaling your brain to "make you feel hungrier than when you're well-rested."2

Increase ghrelin levels. Ghrelin is a biochemical that stimulates appetite. When ghrelin increases in the body, it sends signals to the brain telling it that you're hungry. In addition to the hormonal imbalances already affecting the body's ability to discern whether it is truly hungry or not, a lack of sleep may result in being "more likely to eat foods such as sweets that satisfy the craving for a quick energy boost [and] may leave us too tired to burn off these extra calories with exercise."3 

Perform at a lower level mentally. "Studies show that ... if you're sleep deficient, you may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling your emotions and behavior, and coping with change."2 All of these tools are critical, whether it be in your effort to begin a weight-loss program, adhere to new healthy behaviors, or maintain your healthy lifestyle on a regular basis.

Struggle to Remain Healthy. In addition to the above, your body depends on sleep tremendously to replenish systems that were depleted during the day, such as the immune system. Several days of a lowered immune system, lack of sleep, exposure to stress and pathogens greatly increases your risk of getting sick. Remaining healthy and full of energy is critical in ensuring you are able to take the steps you need to each day to reach your weight-loss and health-related goals.

Some resources for creating healthy sleep habits:

6 Tips to Start Your Own Meditation Routine

Engineering a High-Quality Restful Night

16 Tips for Better Sleep


References:
1. Parker-Pope, Tara. "Lost Sleep Can Lead to Weight Gain." New York Times. 18 March 2013. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/lost-sleep-can-lead-to-weight-gain
2. "Why is Sleep Important." National Heart, Lunch, and Blood Institute. 22 February 2012. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why.html
3. "Sleep and Disease Ricks." Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School. 18 December 2007. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-and-disease-risk
4. Mayo Clinic staff. "Chronic Stress Puts Your Health at Risk." Mayo Clinic. 11 July 2013. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001
5. Matthews, Jessica.  "When it Comes to Weight Loss, How Important is Sleep?" ACE Fit Family Health. 25 November 2009. http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/59/110/when-it-comes-to-weight-loss-how-important-is

5 Things You Need to Do Everyday.

1. Drink Plenty of Water: Everyone knows they are supposed to "drink plenty of water," but how much is enough? According to the Institute of Medicine, an adequate intake for a healthy adult male living in a temperate climate should consume 3 liters (about 13 cups) and females should consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups). Water is critical in ensuring that a wide variety of functions in the body perform properly such as lubricating your joints, helping the liver and kidney flush out toxins, cushioning vital organs, regulating body temperature, carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells, and many more. Make sure to carry a reusable water bottle around with you during the day and you'll be surprised how much more you'll drink just by having it with you.

2. Get Enough Sleep: The reasons why enough sleep is paramount to good health are endless. From brain function to physical and emotional health, it is crucial to get enough sleep each night to preform optimally each day. According to the National Institute of Health, the recommended amount of sleep for Newborns is 16-18 hours/day, Preschool-aged children is 11-12 hours/day, School-aged children is at least 10 hours/day, Teens is 9-10 hours/day, and Adults is 7-8 hours/day. Commit to creating a regular sleep schedule for yourself, and if you have trouble winding down at night, turn off electronics and media an hour before you plan to head to bed. Here are 16 Tips for Better Sleep. If this isn't enough, it would best to add some meditation in during this time. Here are some quick tips on how to start an easy mediation routine.

3. Eat Enough of the Right Things: We all know eating 3 healthy and balanced meals each day is easier said than done, and at times can feel like an unsurmountable task. You need to know that it's not, and it's much easier than you think. Here are just 2 things you'll need to make this an effortless part of everyday life. First, you'll need to know what your nutrient preferences are for a balanced daily diet, and you can get that info by checking out this easy chart. Second, you'll want to download the Loseit app to your smartphone and set up an account today. There are many tracking apps out there, and whether you're looking to lose weight or not, I suggest this one as I find it the most comprehensive, accessable, and easy to use. If you don't have a smartphone, you can always login on their website Loseit.com. From here, you'll be able to track the nutrients you eat each day, compare it to the nutrient preferences you need, and adjust accordingly. If you have questions, feel free to ask in the comment section.

4. Eat Real Food: There is nothing that disrupts the healthy functioning of your body more than artificial ingredients, stimulants (caffeine), depressants (alcohol), and medication entering your system. Avoiding this 100% of the time and eating all organic, real, whole food, is of course ideal, but not always realistic. Even with all of the planning and prepping you can do, sometimes life gets ahead of us and we are stuck making choices we'd prefer not to make. In those times here are 5 Ingredients to Unconditionally Avoid and 8 Tips to Get You Through the Supermarket. Remember to limit the amount of alcohol you consume, and don't rely on caffein for energy. Sleep, the right food, and exercise should be exactly what your body needs for the energy you need everyday.

5. Exercise: Last but certainly not least, you need to exercise. From stress reduction to heart health, exercise is an undeniably important component in your everyday life. Whether it's an intense workout, or just figuring out how to add more movement to your day, it needs to be done, and you don't need to go to the gym to do it. Here are some previous posts that can help make sure exercise happens everyday: 5 Full Body Exercises You Can Do Anywhere, 6 Ways to Jump Rope, 6 Ab Exercises You Can Do Anywhere, and 40 Ideas for Outdoor Exercise. Everyone has an ideal exercise time that is unique to them, check out the post Find Your Peak Exercise Time to determine yours.

How to Exercise on the Beach without Anyone Knowing You're Working Out.

It's that time of year again! When Cookouts, days at the beach, and crazy schedules fill our summer months it's so surprise that healthy eating and exercise often get put on the back burner. Here are some way to make sure your day at the beach includes some exercise as well!

Some easy ways to be active at the beach:

Walking

Surfing/ body surfing 

Swimming

Walking in the water knee/waist deep

Get up off your chair/ blanket often and walk down to the water

Dig a whole/ build a sand castle 

Play catch/frisbee

Volleyball/Paddleball

Picking up seashells and sea-glass 

Flying a kite

Sea kayaking

Some not-so-easy, but fun ways to keep moving:

Windsurfing

Water skiing

Paddle boarding

Some Exercises to do at the beach:

Cobra

Superman

Plank

Contralateral limb raises

Glute bridge

Calf raises

Single leg stand

For some bodyweight exercises that are less discreet, but great to do at the beach, check out   Movement is Medicine: 5 Bodyweight Exercises You Can do Anywhere.

Don't forget the sunscreen, and always stay hydrated! Check out of my favorite kind of sun protection (hypoallergenic, anti-aging, all natural, never tested on animals) here!

5 Ingredients to Unconditionally Avoid.

High Fructose Corn Syrup - Despite the fact that ALL of Europe has banned the use of HFCS, it is still in almost anything you can pick up in America, especially foods targeting children. For 5 non-debatable and comprehensive, yet brief, reasons to never eat HFCS again, check out 5 reasons HFCS will kill you. It's not as dramatic as it sounds, just useful.

Enriched/Refined/Bleached Flour - When flour is refined, all of the nutrients in the original grain are destroyed. Companies then "add" small amounts of nutrients back into the mix and are allowed to use the word "enriched" on the ingredient list. Fiber, An important components that is lost is not added back. Fiber helps to promote fullness, slow digestion, and prevent the rapid, harmful spike in blood sugar that occurs upon the consumption of enriched flour, or white bread.

Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated Oils (trans fats) - "Hydrogenation is the process of heating liquid vegetable oil and combining it with hydrogen gas. Hydrogenated fats or oils are also called trans fats, a term which refers to the changed bonding arrangement of carbon atoms. These man-made fats have no health benefits, and are known to raise cholesterol and contribute to coronary artery disease." [1] Common foods that contain hydrogenated oils are vegetable shortening, cake frosting, white breads, fast foods, frozen foods, chips, and soups.

MSG or Monosodium Glutamate - This "flavor enhancer" in used openly in lab studies to induce obesity in lab animals so that studies can be conducted on them. MSG is relied on to induce obesity. This ingredient is found in seasoned Pringles, Doritos, and used in food in almost every fast food chain in America. If you're eating whole foods rich in color, you won't need to worry about adding an obesity inducing "flavor enhancer."

Artificial Sweeteners aspartame, saccharin, Sucralose, acesulfame-K - Artificial sweeteners have been proven to promote obesity and cause cancer. Watch out for foods that tout "sugar free" or "zero calorie" claims. Check the labels of these foods and make sure they do not contain any of the above sweeteners or ingredients. Chances are they are replacing the natural calorie-containing sugars with these artificial sweeteners, and the health costs of these are far worse than the few extra calories you are "saving." Artificial sweeteners are far sweeter than natural sugars and they train our mind to prefer, and actually crave, extremely sweet, empty-calorie foods and cause us to shy away from healthier, more filling foods.

Inflammation: 9 Foods to Avoid & 5 Foods to Include

When you first hear "inflammation" you may think of the body's reaction to injury or infection where the affected area becomes swollen and red to help heal the problem. This type of inflammation is a good thing, and a response we count on to stay healthy.

Chronic inflammation - when the body's immune response to potentially harmful things does not stop - can be very harmful and lead to very serious health concerns such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer's.* Obesity, environmental factors, lifestyle choices, and the food we eat all play a role in the inflammatory responses in our bodies.

9 Inflammation Causing Foods:

Trans Fats - look for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated ingredients in the label and eliminate these options completely from your diet as they cause inflammation.

Sugar "increases advanced glycation end-products, or AGEs, resulting in damaged, cross-linked proteins."* These AGE proteins contribute to inflammation and the development of age-related chronic illnesses.

Refined Grains - more commonly known as "white carbohydrates" such as white bread, sub rolls, pizza dough, and bagels. These cause dangerous amounts of inflammation while offering no nutritional value and are best if avoided.

Red and Processed Meats - processed meats contain high levels of sodium nitrates, among other inflammatory causing ingredients, and red meats contain high amounts of arachidonic acid that can cause inflammation.

Alcohol is immediately metabolized into sugar and causes inflammation.

Omega-6 Fatty Acids - the imbalance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the body leads to inflammation. Most Americans consume more omega-6s (soy, corn, and cottonseed oils) in their diet than omega-3s and it is recommended to reduce the consumption of these ingredients and switch to olive oils, fatty fish, and walnuts.

Dairy Products, especially those high in saturated fat, cause an inflammatory response.

Artificial Additives such as MSG or monosodium glutamate should always be avoided. Not only does MSG, along with the following, cause inflammation, they are harmful to your health and should be unconditionally avoided: Aspratame, acesulfame-K, Sucralose, high fructose corn syrup, olestra, artificial colors, and artificial preservatives such as BHA, BHT, and EDTA.

Gluten - Aside from celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disease itself, gluten causes inflammation in everyone whether they suffer from celiac disease or not. Limiting gluten intake is recommended to reduce the inflammatory response in the body.

5 Inflammation Fighting Foods:

Dark Leafy Greens - Kale, swiss chard, spinach, and collards all contain powerful antioxidants that help fight inflammation.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids - To counteract the possible imbalance of omega-6s and omega-3s, it is recommended to consume foods containing omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, trout, fatty fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is rich in polyphenols which protect your body from inflammation, and the monounsaturated fats it contains are also converted into anti-inflammatory agents.

Antioxidant-Rich Foods - Eating a diet rich in color is extremely beneficial for many reasons. The more color, the better. Some fruits and veggies packed with phytochemicals are strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, squash, sweet potato, and turnip greens.*

Some Spices - Ginger, garlic, cinnamon, and turmeric all have anti-inflammatory properties and are great to include in anything from your meals to smoothies and shakes.


References and Resources:
Dulan, Mitzi. "Top 5 Foods to Fight Inflammation." U.S. News Health. 8 Nov 2012. 
Klein, Sarah. "Inflammatory Foods: 9 of the Works Picks for Inflammation." The Huffington Post. 3 Mar 2013.
Daniluk, Julie. "When Food Causes You Pain." CNN. 20 July 2012.

5 Back Stretches and Strengthening Exercises.

Here are 5 exercises and stretches that you can do anywhere to help improve your mobility and stability. Remember, it is always better to stretch after your workout. Here's why.


Cat Camel: This exercise focuses on the stability of your entire core, including your lower back, abdominal, and hip muscles.





Downward Facing Dog: This exercise helps stabilize your joints, enhance balance, and use the strength of your arms and legs to evenly stretch your spine.




90 Lat Stretch: This stretch helps to improve flexibility in the latissimus dorsi to facilitate mobility between the hips and shoulders




Glute Bridges: This exercise helps to improve hip mobility and stability, and core stability, by activating your glutes.





Spinal Twists (advanced): This works to promote trunk rotation primarily through your thoracic spine.

6 Ways to Jump Rope and 6 Reasons You Should.

Jumping rope is way more than just an activity for kids. It can be an extremely effective full-body workout that you can do almost anywhere and can save you time by combining your cardiovascular workout with toning your lower body, abs, and arms.

6 Health Benefits of Jumping Rope from Adrianne Finn's blog: 

1. Excellent form of cardiovascular exercise improving heart health.
2. Burns close to double the calories pre minute than traditional cardiovascular exercise does.
3. Helps build muscles by providing resistance for the lower body and tones the arms as they quickly circle the rope.
4. Is a plyometric exercise and helps develop muscular power. 
5. Helps prevent injury such as ACL tears.
6. Helps improve proprioception and coordination. 

6 Different Ways to Jump Rope:

Basic Jumping: Begin with the rope behind you at your heals and swing it over your head, jumping over it as it approaches your toes to allow for a consistent swinging motion to occur around your entire body. To make sure you are lessening stress on your knee joints, make sure to stay on the balls of your toes and only jump high enough to clear the rope. Focus on low, fast, jumps using your wrist to turn the rope instead of your elbow.

Reverse Jump: To alter the the basic jump and increase difficulty, reverse the direction of the rope swing so that the rope approaches your feet from your heals instead of your toes. Begin with the rope at your toes an swing it over your head in the opposite direction of the basic jump.

Criss-Cross: One of the more difficult and beneficial ways to jump rope, most commonly recognized in boxing training. While jumping rope, cross your arms as the rope swings over your head and keep them crossed until the rope passes under your feet. Start by integrating criss-cross jumping into your regular jumping while maintaining a controlled rhythm and increase the ratio of criss-crossed jumps to regular jumps to increase intensity.

Side-to-Side: While jumping rope, simply jump a few inches to each side to targets calves, quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes, and inner and outer thighs. To increase intensity, increase the distance of your jumps, but be sure to maintain balance and stability as to protect the ankles from injury.

One Leg: Jumping on one foot helps to enhance your sense of balance while strengthening your core, calves, hamstrings, and glutes. While jumping rope, bend one knee slightly so you're only utilizing one foot to jump over the rope while maintaing balance. Make sure to jump on each leg either an equal amount of repetitions, or an equal amount of time.

Front-and-Back: This is useful to target all muscles of the lower body and prevent shin splints. While jumping rope, slightly jump a few inches front to back maintaining balance. Increasing distance of jumps to increase difficulty.


Have a low ceiling or don't want the hinderance of the rope? Check out this rope-less jump rope called Airope

Try also adding these 5 Full Body Exercises You Can Do Anywhere into your jump rope routine!

Maintaining a Healthy Weight.

6 Tips from ACE for making weight management a
permanent part of your lifestyle. 

1. Weigh weekly. It's normal for body weight to fluctuate by a couple of pounds from day to day and from morning to night depending on fluid balance, meals eaten, clothes worn, medication, and health status. A weekly weigh-in allows you to track the trends without getting hung up on small fluctuations. Here's an easy-to-understand explanation for possible reasons for weight fluctuation.

2. Move as much as possible. Integrate physical activity into your daily life at every opportunity. Here are 9 Ways to Add Physical Activity to Your Day.

3. Create a healthy home environment. Set yourself up for success, only surround yourself with things that will help you reach your goal. Keep only healthy food in the house and plan your meals for the week or month to avoid last minute take-out. Also, keep your gym bad near the door and exercise equipment in plain view. Here are 5 Full-Body Exercises you can learn to and do anywhere to help you stay on-track.

4. Learn to cope effectively with stress. Times of increased stress put you at risk for backsliding to your old behaviors. Learn to change your perspective and respond mindfully to stressful situations instead of reacting. Here are some tips for Reducing Workplace Stress and how to start your own meditation routine.

5. Activate your social life. Integrating physical activity with your social life provides support for your active lifestyle and makes staying active fun and more likely. Here are 8 Ways to Get Fit and Be Social.

6. Keep a measuring tape handy.  The scale rarely tells the whole story, and reaching and maintaining a healthy "weight" is just a part of the battle. Measuring progress in other ways than the scale is an extremely important part of determining your overall level of success. Body fat composition is a great way to determine how much of your body is composed of fat, and if you don't have access to that type of testing, the next best thing is to take, and track, your measurements. Here's how to take your measurements.

Meditation for Health. Transcending Spirituality.

In western culture the value of meditation is too often dismissed as a foolish spiritual pursuit and a waste of time, despite the fact that countless scientific studies have proven otherwise. These studies continue to show that the benefits of meditation transcend simply achieving spiritual clarity, but they also include "stronger immune system, enhanced attention, lower blood pressure and reduced risk of heart disease, less anxiety and depression, increased feelings of compassion and empathy, fewer binge eating episodes, lower blood sugar, improved sleep, and better pain management," just to name a few.

Here are six tips from Diksha McCord on how to begin a meditation practice.

• Create a dedicated space. A small room or closet is ideal, but if this is not possible, create a quiet area in your home and return there each time you practice. 

• Set a consistent time. Choose a regular time - such as dawn, noon or dusk - and try to practice daily. 

• Ensure quiet. To sharpen your mental focus, wear headphones or earplugs if sounds are distracting. 

• Sit with good posture. Sit upright, with spine erect and body relaxed, and place your hands, palms up, on the thighs at the junction of the thighs and abdomen. 

• Be comfortable. Use pillows and cushions as necessary. Sit in a chair if it's more comfortable. Place a pillow across your thighs as needed as a place to rest your hands. Experiment with different positions (including different hand positions) to find what works for you. 

• Start gradually. Start with as little as 5 minutes and increase your sitting time in increments of 5 minutes. Work up to 30 minutes, twice daily, if possible. Let enjoyment be your guide.

Spot Reduction. A myth, and nothing but a myth.

"It is important to understand that 'spot-reduction' is not possible."

It is a common misconception that it's possible to focus on one or several areas of the body to reduce fat in just that specific area. While spot-training allows one to target specific muscles of the body, it does not target specific areas of fat deposits. It is important to note that fat tends to be lost in the reverse order in which it was gained, and there is no way to target individual parts of the body to solely reduce fat in just that location.

For more on "why is the concept of spot-reduction a myth?" click here.

Sit Less, Move More. 9 Ways to Add Physical Activity to Your Day.

Modern conveniences have eliminated many of the necessary physical activities that used to be part of everyday life, and subsequently adding them back into a daily routine requires a conscience effort. Here are nine ways to sit less and move more from the American Council on Exercise.

9 Ways to Add Physical Activity to Your Day:

• Take a quick walk around the block or your house before getting ready in the morning

• Walk 30 minutes at lunch

• Have a "walk and talk" meeting rather than sitting at a desk

• Pace when talking on the phone

• Work while standing rather than sitting at a desk with adjustable-height desks or treadmill desks

• Walk for 15 minutes right when arriving home, before getting preoccupied with home responsibilities 

• Walk with your children or spouse and talk about your day

• When parking the car, choose the space farthest from the door

• Make it a general rule to avoid all labor-saving devices (e.g., escalator, elevator, and moving walkway)

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A Healthy Balance.

Every year weight loss remains at the top of the list of New Years resolutions, and every year again beings the conversation of calorie reduction, special diets, detoxing, super foods, quick solutions and much more. What your body actually needs is not a mystery, it's a science, but quickly becomes muted in all of the hype. Depending on your goals and calorie intake level, here are some simple guidelines to make sure your "diet" is a balanced one. This is an adaptation that can be applied to the general population and some diets may have special consideration. For more details and explanations, visit the source at the Mayo Clinic.

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Have a Healthy Halloween!

Halloween kicks off the holiday season with candy and consumption and we all know this can be the beginning of a slippery slope to a big loss of control over healthy decisions until the new year arrives. What is often overlooked, is how this can also spill over onto our families choices and habits as well. Here are 5 realistic and practical ways to help your family partake in and enjoy Halloween and make it healthier as well.

Find Your Peak Exercise Time

Getting up, out, and moving can be one of the bigger challenges in maintaining a consistent exercise schedule. There actually is a time of day for everyone, based on one's typical routine, that is the most productive time to exercise. If you feel like your workout is "wearing you out instead of pumping you up," then this scientific research may be able to help. Check out this ACE Fit Fact to figure out your best time to exercise.

The Best Time to Exercise

Keep the Healthy in Your Flavor & Convenience.

Cooking quickly, healthfully, AND flavorfully can be tough to accomplish together, and subsequently that can lead to compromising one of those three things. Too often, we tend to compromise health for flavor and convenience.

Here are 10 easy ways, demonstrated in short videos, that you can utilize to easily enhance flavor and maintain the health of your foods.