Tag: health benefits

6 tips for your summer body!

Published on by Lee4 Comments

Hello Beauties! Now before I get started on this post I just want to note that I am not a nutritionist of any kind! This is just simple tips I’ve learned from research, trial and error. They work wonders for me and hopefully they will for you too! My weight has always been up and down since I was teenager and once I became an adult I noticed it being way more up than down. I do still diet every now and then, but these are tips to add to your lifestyle for a complete change. I honestly feel that if I did not incorporate these things in my life I would be a lot heavier. If you have any eating habits that you live by feel free to add them below. Once again, look at these tips as something to add to your lifestyle and not so much “diet tips.”

♥ WATER ONLY – Now I am a human being and I do indulge in a mimosa or two but other than that I do not drink anything but water. I started to drink less soda and no juice. I have an obsession with lemon lime ginger ale soda at my job, I only drink it when I’m at work, I need help! Started to drink coffee again but I’m planning on ending that today. The worst thing you can do is drink your calories. I personally feel that this is how weight sneaks up on a lot of people. If you are having a meal that’s 500 calories, by the time you drink two glasses of soda that’s another 500 calories you’ve added on without even noticing! Yikes! If you are consuming soda and juices all day you could be adding 1500 calories to your diet per day and that’s not even including food. The average person should consume 2,000 per day. Now I am NOT a calorie counter but I do take heed of things I put in my mouth. I’m at a point to where I know I want I can and can’t have. But I will say that only drinking water gives me a little freedom to have more “cheat meals” with actual food. So try to completely cut out all sugary beverages!

♥ CUT THE SUGAR – This one is obvious. Excess sugar is so easily turned into fat. Now while sugar is found in a lot of foods besides sweets, I’ve always felt like that slice of cake or candy bar is just waiting to add itself to my bra roll in the back. If you can, skip dessert! And if you are craving something sweet I always have a mango or a handful of grapes to fight my craving. I now stack up on fruits!

♥ WARM LEMON WATER – Every single morning, I start my day with a glass of warm lemon water. I actually got this tip years ago and even wrote about lemon water benefits on here, BeautyLeeBar.com. I am always raving about the long list of benefits a simple glass of warm water with lemon to whoever will listen lol. Now the benefits I’ve personally researched are very long so I’ll just name the three that stuck out to me.

  • First the obvious being that it helps in weight loss. Drinking the mixture first thing in the morning helps fight hunger cravings, which will lead to either losing weight or just simply not over eating.
  • The second is it also helps in digestion. Feeling bloated and stuffed is the absolute WORST. Lemon water definitely gets everything in your digestive system flowing and helps make you regular.
  • The last is it improves skin. I personally have very dry skin and everyone knows dry skin is something that causes wrinkles. Once I incorporated it in my daily routine I noticed my skin was a lot more hydrated

♥ SAVE IT FOR LATER– Now this is something that I feel was instilled in us all as children. I think we can all recall our parents forcing us to finish our food in order not to be wasteful. But this is not something I practice at all. Always get smaller portions and if you are still hungry go back for more if you would like. But overloading your plate and forcing yourself to eat is not going to help you get that summer body. We all talk about having the itis, but I personally hate feeling lethargic after I’ve eaten. Now I don’t necessarily mean be wasteful, I love a some good left overs. So wrap it up and save the rest for later! So once you get that first feeling of satisfaction, you should be done eating. Never eat until you feel stuffed or sleepy.

♥  GREEN TEA – Listen up. I LOVE GREEN TEA. I wont even go through the very long list of benefits it has but this is the one! The main benefit is that it speeds up your metabolism! Now I will be honest I don’t drink it everyday but I definitely always make sure I consume a few cups through out the week. It definitely gives me a boost of energy when I’m feeling a little sluggish. It’s something about green tea that makes me feel so zen when I drink it lol. So besides the water, green tea is definitely something I recommend you add to your diet. Here is the link to the brand I drink.

♥ MONITOR YOUR BODY – I’m not saying be overly obsessive and step on the scale every 15 minutes. But I will occasionally throw on an old outfit to see whats going on. I never really monitor my body by what the scale says, its all about how I look and feel. If I notice something getting a little tight or if I do decide to step on the scale I know to tighten up my eating habits a bit. The sooner you catch it the better! Its much easier to drop 10-15 lbs over 50+. It’s hard to not let your weight get out of control but if you are person like me who does tend to gain it easily, this tip definitely helps keep it in check.

In closing I want to say that this is not a guide to make you overly obsess or feel like you need to be thin. I am no where near thin and I never will be, but through A LOT of struggle I have and I am still learning to love my body and do my best to take care of it. The older I get the harder it is to stick to a diet so I implemented these small changes and noticed such a difference. Now these tips are not going to make you lose 50 pounds in two weeks but it will give you a jump start to taking steps towards a healthier lifestyle. If you have any tips you would like to share comment below! Thanks for reading and let me know if any of these tips work for you! I’ve linked the green tea that I drink as well!

WHICH TIP HAVE YOU TRIED OR WILLING TO TRIED?

Healthy Habits: What Is Intermittent Fasting and How Does It Work?

Published on by Lee4 Comments

Intermittent fasting: It sounds like a scary term, doesn’t it? Well, would you believe me if I told you that it’s actually one of the biggest buzz phrases in the health and nutrition world right now? But before diving in, first things first…

What is intermittent fasting?

Nutritionists and health experts define intermittent fasting as a cycle of fasting (not eating) and non-fasting (eating) periods that allow your body to remove toxins, waste, damaged cells, and fat cells. There are several different ways to do it—you can fast for as short as a 6-hour window in the middle of the day, or go as long as 24 hours without food (although, we wouldn’t recommend the latter). The intermittent portion of this cycle means it is an eat-stop-eat plan that lets your body go into a fasting, fat-burning mode.

What are the benefits?

Now that I’ve gotten that behind us, let’s talk benefits (and some science, too). Health experts explains that intermittent fasting (or IMF) has been around for centuries, but has become very popular because there is a lot of great research coming out on fasted workouts and the benefits of fasting. Pioneers like Brad Pilon and Dr. Valter Longo of USC are paving the way with this research that shows how, not only can you break down fat cells for weight loss while fasting, but you can also break down unwanted immune cells for rejuvenation.

By fasting, you can experience apoptosis of immune cells, autophagy of neurons and a reduction in liver size (which is extra great for those ladies who get in the habit of a glass of wine to unwind after work), and the removal of damaged cells, toxins, and waste.

IMF is an approachable way to achieve these cleansing benefits and there are multiple methods to do so. In fact, animal studies** show that fasting is life-extending and promotes beneficial changes in genes related to longevity. Studies have shown that IMF can promote over a 300% increase in growth hormone and a significant drop in insulin levels, both of which facilitate fat burning and lean muscle gains.

How does it work?

The best way to begin an intermittent fasting phase is when you’ve already been eating clean and healthy—meaning no ice cream binges beforehand! It is much easier to enter a fast when you have balanced blood sugar or are currently in a fat adaptive or ketogenic state (a state where your body is burning heathy fat, proteins and vegetables for fuel, not sugars and carbs), she says. This can help prevent the fasting flu symptoms, like headache or nausea, you might experience from fasted cleansing. From there, the cycle involved doing a 6-hour, eat-stop-eat routine that is easier on both your appetite and your mind than an extreme 24-hour or longer fast. Here’s what that looks like:

Note: I am not recommending or condoning this cycle for everyone, but simply explaining what a day of intermittent fasting looks like based on research.

Eat: Wait to have breakfast until later in the morning, around 11:30am. This will keep the body in the fasting mode it was in during the time it were asleep. Kelly recommends smoothie with a healthy fat like almond butter or coconut oil, or a carb-free, protein and fat-rich dish like scrambled eggs with spinach and avocado.

Stop: Now it’s ideal to try not to snack or have any drinks besides tea or water between the late breakfast and early dinner. This is the 6-hour fasting phase and it’s crucial to avoid snacking in order to reap the metabolic and cleaning benefits.

Eat: Six hours later, so around 5:30pm, have a clean dinner that combines all of four ingredients (protein, greens, healthy fat, and fiber). This can be include grilled chicken and steamed broccoli, baked salmon with roasted asparagus, or a veggie-packed salad with chicken and a light salad dressing like this one.

Stop: Then, it’s time to stop again. This is the longest fasting phase during the 24-hour period, but it’s also the easiest since the body is sleeping for the majority of it. Sip on herbal tea or bubbly water during the evening when tempted to open the fridge and snack. The great part is that during a fasting phase, the body will need more rest since it’s cleansing.

What would someone expect?

During intermittent fasting, one will feel mental clarity, lose fat around their midsection and have an increase in metabolism. Basically, this process will allow the body to surge with human growth hormone and testosterone, which will help decrease insulin sensitivity. This is good for the metabolism, and good for brain fat—it hits body and mind all at once.

But before you get started…

One important note from Kelly is to take this in moderation. While IMF can be very beneficial when done correctly, it is not for everybody and you don’t want it to get out of hand. Extreme IMF dieting does have the propensity to create eating disorders, food anxiety and binge eating when it is taken too far. This is why Kelly does not recommend fasting for 12 to 24 hours, but instead tells clients to use the eat-stop-eat method. “If my clients are interested in IMF, says Kelly, “another practice I recommend is getting up and having a Fab Four Smoothie, enjoying a nice lunch and then skipping dinner instead.” It’s important to remember that IMF is used as a one-day reset when you feel your body needs to cleanse—not a lifestyle—and it is not for everybody.

As with trying any new diet or health plan, you should consult your doctor before trying intermittent fasting, especially if you have a history of hypoglycemia.

And there you have it! I know, that was a whole lot of information and a lot of science to absorb. If you have any questions, be sure to leave them in the comments below.

What other trending health topics would you like to see me cover next?

XO BLB

Sipping Pretty: Infused Water Recipes

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Aside from coming across as beautiful, drinkable works of art, infused waters have a subtly sweet taste and a cleansing effect on your body that is equal parts refreshing and healthy. From time to time, I find myself making a large pitcher of lemon cucumber mint water and drinking it for a week. And after embarking on a recent “pinge” on Pinterest, I discovered a few other infused water recipes that I was eager to try. I gave them a go and were pleased to find that they tasted as lovely as they looked. Here are the four infused water recipes I created (and couldn’t get enough of)…

  • orange + lemon + lime
  • lemon + raspberry + mint
  • lemon + cucumber + mint
  • blackberry + cherry + lime

To make any of these recipes, all you have to do is slice the fruit you want to use and drop them into your water. You can start drinking it right away, but you might not notice the flavors until it infuses for a few hours (four hours achieves the most potent flavor). I like to let my waters sit overnight in the fridge, and if I’m using a recipe that calls for lemon I will squeeze half a lemon straight into the water for a little detox boost. As long as you keep your water refrigerated, the fruit should stay fresh. If you are filling your pitcher with water throughout the week, keep in mind that it will dilute the flavor each time you refill. I would recommend drinking your water within 3-5 days and making a new batch once you notice that fruit has started to soften or turn your water cloudy. Which infused water recipe will you try first? Leave your questions and comments below! And if you liked this post, be sure to take a peek at my detox diary for all the details about my first juice cleanse. xx

Slim Suggestion: H2 Ohhh

Published on by Lee2 Comments

We all know that we’re supposed to drink lots of water everyday. Drinking 8-12 glasses of agua daily has countless health benefits. Also, your appearance benefits from drinking enough water each day. Water hydrates your skin making you look younger and it assists in weight loss. So why don’t we drink more? Because next to delicious lattes and flavored fizzy drinks water falls flat. It’s, dare we say, a little boring. So here are a few ways to jazz up your H2O…

  • Fruit – Slice it up and toss it in. Try different fruits or even different combinations of fruit. Some popular ones are cucumbers, lemons, limes, oranges, strawberries, raspberries… and the list goes on.
  • Mint – Try adding a few mint leaves to your water. It will give it a refreshing twist.
  • Ice – Fill an ice tray with your favorite all natural fruit juice and put it in the freezer. When the cubes have frozen try adding a couple to your water for a hint of flavor.

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO DRINK YOUR WATER?