Fit and Nutritious

5 Ways to Go Green and Save

1. Save Energy. Turn off your lifts. Unplug your appliances. Open your windows at night to let the cool air in and close your windows and drapes during the day to keep the heat out.
2. Save Water. Take shorter showers, water your plants when it’s the coolest outside so the water doesn’t evaporate as quickly, wash dishes by hand by filling up one side of the sink instead of letting the water run, and buy a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water (this will help reduce waste as well.)
3. Save Gas. Walk to work. Take the bus. Ride your bike. Carpool. By conserving gas, you’ll not only be saving the environment, you’ll be saving money.
4. Buy Smart. If you don’t need it, don’t buy it. If you can borrow it, do it. Not only will you be producing less waste, but you’ll be saving money while you’re at it.
5. Support companies who are making an effort to “Go Green”. Whether it is your local car dealership, your grocery store, or your favorite catering company advertising “green catering” support these companies in their efforts to help save the environment.

Life is full of everyday stresses–some good and some bad. But when your body experiences constant stress, it leaves its mark. While some stresses in life are necessary (job, family, and even some money issues), many can be eliminated and leave you with a healthier and happier mind and body.  One of the biggest stresses that most people deal with every day is their home mortgage loan. As common as it is, most people don’t realize that they don’t have to bear it as long as they do.  A money merge account is relatively new. It has an organized way to pay off an average 30 year mortgage in about 7-14 years. Just imagine all the money you will save–money that you can put to other uses.

Just like you would wear a bee hat while working out in the garden to protect yourself, you should be protecting your body with exercise and healthy food. We only get one body to work with, so we might want to take a little better care of it.  Just take a look at some of these alarming health statistics.

•  In 1962, 13% of the American population were considered obese.In 2000, the percentage is now at 31% and rising.
• 63% of Americans are overweight.
• 300,000 people a year die from consequences of obesity.

Whatever the reason for such numbers–whether inactivity, genetics, or poor food choices–it is incredibly dangerous. Let’s all commit to leading a healthier, happier, healthier, and more a more active and fulfilling life.

Summer is here and so are some of the freshest and most delicious fruits and vegetables.  I talked to a few Utah caterers and they stressed how important it is to buy fruits and vegetables when they are in season because not only will they taste better, but you’ll pay less for them.  The following are some great recipes for making the most out of the produce of the summer season. 

• Watermelon Gazpacho
• Grilled Salmon
• Guacamole
• Grilled Pears, Pineapple, Peaches
• Fresh tomato and basil bruschetta
• Strawberry pie
• Peach cobbler
• Grilled peppers, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini

Getting the right nutrients every day is crucial to obtaining and maintaining optimal health. We’ve mentioned before the benefits of Code Nutrition’s customized vitamins–which are completely and solely based on your DNA. So you can be sure that you are getting the best nutrients for your body and genetics.

Code Nutrition basically works like this:

1. They send you an at-home DNA test kit. All you have to do is swab your cheek and send it back to them in their prepaid envelope.
2.  As soon as Code Nutrition gets your DNA kit back, they will begin analyzing your genetic makeup to find out if you are prone to any vitamin deficiencies.
3. Soon after, you will begin receiving your monthly installments of exactly what your body needs as well as your in-depth DNA analysis.

And that’s it!

We hear tip after tip about how to lose the weight, get rid of those inches, and feel great. These are great, but what happens after? Well, once you hit your fitness and health goals (little goals and larger goals), you need to reward yourself. And this can be big or small depending on the size and difficulty of the achieved goal. So here a few ideas on how to pat yourself on the back for all your dedication and hard work:

• Friends’ night out: Get together with some friends and just enjoy yourself!

• New Wardrobe: Many people wait until they lose all the weight before buying new clothes. But the truth is that you should feel great about yourself the whole time you are achieving that goal.

• Weekend Trip: A short getaway will help you relax and enjoy your new found fitness.

• Remodeling: Treat yourself to new bath furniture or just remodel a room. Now that you’ve had a “makeover”, you just might notice that your house needs on too.

• Spa: Go to the spa and let others wait on you. Breathe, relax, and enjoy!

Summer is one of the best times for parties - BBQs, Weddings, Cocktail Parties - you name it, they all sing out DELICIOUS food! But just because it’s delicious , doesn’t mean the food has to be loaded with calories. Just last weekend I went to a beautiful cocktail party at my best friend’s home, catered by a prestigious SLC caterer. The food was absolutely amazing and incredibly healthy. Hors d’oeuvres consisted of bruschetta with fresh tomato and basil and a table of fresh fruit and cheese that looked like a masterpiece in and of itself. For dinner we had the most delicious salad with fresh apples, walnuts and bleu cheese with balsamic vinaigrette and for the main course we had grilled chicken with a fresh mango salsa. AND for dessert, we had deliciously light vanilla ice cream topped with fresh summer berries.

It seems like the bane of my existence, but I am always trying to burn some calories–trying to stay active. I just found out that you can burn about 200 calories an hour from river rafting. Sounds good to me! This month I am going to try to go Utah river rafting for a few hours. Not only will I be burning all those calories, but it won’t even feel like a workout. I am leaving the treadmill behind this month and finding new, exciting ways to burn off those calories.