apple a day; flu-fighting foods

so i've been fighting a cold for a week now. i'm teetering between sick and not sick, and instead of just waiting for the cold to get me, i'm thinking i'm going to do what i can to stop myself from getting sick. there's the obvious stuff, resting and drinking water, but i wanted to look at the foods that can help you fight the flu, being sick etc. i

i'm pretty sure i've said this already, but i'm a terrible terrible eater. and though it's disheartening, it's not exactly shocking that a lot of the foods that turned up in my research are foods i don't like... let me see what i could force myself to eat here.

yogurt: i already wrote about probiotics, but apparently they can help you prevent colds too! just make sure it says it on the label.

red bell peppers: so everyone knows that vitamin c can help you fight colds. but i learned today that red bell peppers have twice as much immune-enhancing vitamin c as an orange does. craaazy. but i'm thinking i could trick myself into eating it if i snuck it into an omelette or salad.
green tea: now i don't like tea of any kind, but after researching all the benefits to green tea i'm thinking about starting! having two or more cups a day can fend off viruses and keep up your immune system.

sweet potatoes: eating them can enhance your immune system. beta carotene - that stuff that makes vegatables their orange pigment- turns into vitamin a in the body. and vitamin a helps treat respiratory infections. now i LOVE sweet potato fries! but my mom says they don't really count.

other flu-fighting foods include: almonds, garlic, leafy greens, oranges, chicken soup.

i actually found a recipe that includes all these ingredients and seems a) easy enough and b) tasty enough for me to consider making! check it out at this link! if i ever have time to make it, i'll post a pic.

that's all for now!
stay healthy!
-B.

apple a day; sleep myths

(song of the day: every time you lie, demi lovato)

heyhey! i know i've said it a thousand times, but i really am having a busy summer and my sleep schedule is suffering because of it. and for some reason i like awake in my bed unable to sleep and then get really tired in the middle of the day. anyone else find summer does crazy things to their sleep schedule? i did a bit of googling, and today i'm debunking three sleep myths.

the "i'll just catch up tomorrow" myth

there's no such thing as catching up. there's no way to make up for lost sleep. but it's a good thing the human body knows how to deal. the sleep system is homeostatic – it self-regulates. if you sleep less than your body wants you’ll naturally restore balance to the system the following nights. it's best to keep a regular sleep schedule. going to bed and waking at the same time will make it easier for you to fall alseep at night.

the "i'll just lie still myth"
if you wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall asleep after 15 minutes or so, it might not be such a bad idea to get up and do something relaxing. try reading a book, or listening to soft music. once 15 minutes passes the anxiety of trying to keep yourself still can actually keep you awake for longer.

the "warmer you are, faster you'll fall asleep myth"
people always associate tons of cozy, warm blankets with the perfect conditions for falling alseep. ironically, it's easier for the human body to sleep when things are slightly cool. (probably why in the summer time i sleep in my blanket but keep the fan on.)

but that myth about drinking warm milk before bed? totally true. the seratonin in helps you sleep. that's all for me! sweet dreams everyone!

-lovelovelove.

got the photo from here.

apple a day; tree pose

(song of the day: i want you back, jackson 5)

heyhey! hope your tuesday's treating you well. mine's going okay. i spent TWO hours on my school website, but i think i've finally got things sorted out now. it's been a long time since i wrote anything health/fitness related. today we're talking yoga. i've got pretty good balance to the tree pose is one of my favourites.

one. begin standing with your feet together and arms down at your sides.

two. place the sole of your left foot as high as it will go on the inside of your right thigh, just like in the picture at left.

three. with your palms up, raise your arms above your head. hold for 5 to 10 deep breaths (30-60 seconds). focus on keeping your breaths slow and steady. easy as that!

over at self magazine, they paired this move with an appropriate calisthenic: a hybrid plié squat. check it out for a real workout and some more poses.

the picture above was also borrowed from self.

apple a day; egg white omelettes

(song of the day: better together, jack johnson)

hey there! care for an update as to how the cosmo routine is going? let me fill you in!

one. i've been drinking plenty of water and it hasn't been that hard. i did have a glass of orange juice cause my mom said i could use the vitamin c, but i don't feel bad about it cause it was 100% juice. i've been avoiding the sugary stuff.

two. avoid white grains/pasta. i'm the girl who loves muching on plain white bread between meals, or any time really. and pasta has practically become its own food group for me. so this one has not been easy. it's been hard to think of things to eat, white grains are everywhere! luckily my mom stocked up on carrots this week, those are fun to eat cause they crunch like chips. (yep, sometimes i have to pretend vegetables are junk food in order to trick myself into enjoying eating them. whatever works my mom always says.) and i'm about to share my creative breakfast solution in just a minute!

three. do 30 minutes cardio. did you know my family had an eliptical machine?! =O i think i kind've knew but had forogtten. so that's a good way to get my cardio in. i'm still sick so i'll admit i haven't really been going at this one full throttle. but i've been working in the lunges! i'll usually hop down and do them during the commercial of whatever show i'm watching.

four. i've actually gone without a lot of sweets this week, but ice cream has been my one food sacrifice, and probably the hardest thing i've had to do so far! there's nothing better than chilling with some cartoons and chomping on some icecream. ahhhh. i'm trying not to think about it >.<

five. i've been getting in more than a half hour of sleep actually. it's weird, during the school year, i can convince myself that i'm okay to function on five hours, but eight is sooooo much better.ice cream aside, i haven't really been craving anything i've cut out. the problem is literally finding things to eat. around breakfast time i've been making a lot of eggs! my favourite way is probably the egg-white omelette. they taste a lot like regular omelettes but without the fat or cholestorol. and i've really liked making them a different way each day. plus, it really doesn't take too long, mybe like 10 minutes to prep and 5 to cook? my kind of breakfast. it's hard to put an exact recipe down cause i do so much mixing and matching.

1. seperate 3 eggs, and toss yokes aside. whisk the egg whites together with 1 teaspoon of water. here's where you add your spices. most recipes suggest salt, pepper and dill, to taste. but i have fun throwing in whatever i can find from the spice racke. i even tried chile powder once. it was a disaster for me, but my sister said it tasted good!

2. place your desired fillings in a small bowl. the most common include spinach, tomatoes and cheese, but again, you could use anything really. make sure they've been ripped/cut/shredded into tiny pieces!

3. pour your egg mixture into the pan and let it cook until the egg whites begin to set on the bottom. then, spread the filling over half of the omelette and fold it in half. cook for another to minutes.

4. then, slide the omelette onto a plate and garnish with maybe a few dill leaves, some shredded cheese or a reserved teaspoon of your filling.

and that's all to it really. i'm a big fan. as soon as this episode of justice league is done, i'm off to attempt to clean my room/do some laundry, before heading off to worship practice

-later days!

got the photo from here.

apple a day; probiotics

(song of the day: pieces of me, ashlee simpson)

heyhey! i'm just taking a second to write about "probiotics." the term's been thrown around EVERYWHERE these days, and it occured to me recently that i have no idea what it is! anyone else have this problem? it's about to be solved =)

so apparently probiotics are teeny tiny living organisms (bacteria) that can contribute to healthy immune and digestive system. it's so readily available in yogurt because there are already bacterial cultures present. but my mom made some probiotic fortified potatoes the other day.

they're becoming more and more common because they're such a good way to boost your immune system. the only catch? you only really get the effects if you continue to ingest them. i'm talking of at least a month or more.

you also have to be a little careful because the term probiotic isn't regulated. food products are able to slap the "probiotics" label whether they have a million active cultures per gram or 100 million. so the choice to eat them if up to you, but of course, it couldn't hurt! let me know if this was informative at all! =)

-xoxoxo

did a lot of my research here.

apple a day; eye twitching

haha. this is a way random topic to blog about i know. but i've always said i blog about what bothers me. and who doesn't HATE it when your eye twitches?!

and my eye has been twitching for the last TEN days. i can't take it anymore. i had to research what's up. first thing i learned? the good thing is, eye twitches are just muscle spasms, so generally there's no long term side effect.

they can be triggered by a number of different factors. sometimes environmental, physiological, and some are psychological in nature. the most common reasons include:

• over consumption of caffeine (not likely... unless sugar can do the same thing)
• physical or emotional stress (mm. maybe?)
• epilepsy (nope)
• anxiety or phobias (not that i know of?)
• brain damage or other neurological disorders (pretty sure i don't)
• it's been associated with temper tantrums ( ugh. haven't had any of these recently. or at least too recently)
• eye stress has been associated with extended viewing of the computer screen (oh dear.... we may have a winner here.)
  

i asked my mom about it (as usual) and she says that all these reason are just subsections of the real one: being tired. when your brain is exhausted it loses its abiltity to control those fine msucles that you usually have control over. the result? a twitchy eye. mom pointed out that i haven't been sleeping well lately. mom says, it's either that or a brain tumour. thanks -_-"

most of the time an eye twitch will go away on its own. anyway, a little more research probed some good cures:

• sleeping (of course)
• try to relax.
• try to eliminate stress from your life (easier said than done!)
• limit your caffeine intake
• take more frequent breaks from the computer (never!)
• apply warm compresses to the twitching eye and gently massage the eyelid with your fingers.
  

i'm defs going to try that last one in a minute. i'll let you know how it goes! i did read though that if the problem persists for more than a week you should go see your doctor. there's always a chance that it could be an indicator of a more serious neurological voice. i read if your face begins to twitch outside of the eye area (cheeks, mouth etc.) you should get it checked out asap.hope this helps!!

i always hope it's sunny where you live. i'm gonna be breaking out my first spring dress today, SANS tights! i have a feeling it's gonna be a gooder.

-later! ♥

apple a day; the half circle

(song of the day: buttons, sia)

i still can't believe i'm writing this. if i were you i'm not sure i'd be taking health advice from the girl who yesterday ate her weight in mini "Reese"-ter eggs and then had the gall to make rainbow chip cookies. i ate twelve and gave myself a tummy ache. cause i'm awesome like that. i've eaten SO much this weekend. between dinners at the keg and cheesecake factory while i was away, and then turkey dinner on sunday i couldn't even bring myself to step on the scale this morning.

but i did good today. i didn't have any chocolate/sweets whatsoever. but it was NOT easy, let me tell you. i've known for a while now that sugar is a large part of what gives me my sunny disposition. i was WAY cranky, but i know my body was grateful. i also went out in search of a new ab exercise. (cause i know that's right where my fancy dinners/easter chocolates are heading) i found one, courtesy of glamour of course!

it's called the half circle. and it's meant work the front and sides of your abdomen. and you don't need any equipment! pull up a piece of solid ground.

prop yourself up on your elbows with your palms down, as shown.

lift your legs up at a 45 degree angle, keeping them pressed together and tightening your abs.

in a fluid half circle motion, roll your legs to the right and then to the left. you've just completed one rep! do them in sets of ten!


i'm doing them now during commercials as i'm watching fringe. i can't say it's easy... or fun. but i suppose that's the point. that's all for me! have a happy tuesday!

apple a day;

hey hey. new section, AGAIN! i'm all about changing things up. (and there's one more change coming... probably somewhere around monday, please tell me you're as excited as i am!) i'm calling it apple a day, cause i'm all about keeping the doctor away! (haha. okay. lameness over.) it's time to get serious. my sister (the only one who is FORCED to read this blog) pointed out that it's a lot like a magazine except that it's got no relationship section and no health section. i know absolutely NOTHING about guys but at least health i can research! and i should too. i FEEL fat. and i know as soon as i say that a thousand people jump at me telling me i'm wrong. and i can't blame them! that's what good friends do! but no matter what i look like or what the scale says i'm a very unhealthy person. hagen dazs for breakfast isn't exactly part of a balanced diet. consider my diet today: a chocolate chip muffin, sweet potato fries, and funnel cake. and that was it for the whole day! it's awful! and on top of that, i've been sporadically keeping up with my 10 minute spurts of cardio, but not as much as i was before. i LOVE my metabolism, but it occured to me recently that it might not always be able to keep up with me. and as much as i don't want to hear it, people are right in saying that i need to start making changes now. so in this section i'll be bringing you more yoga poses and other quick exercises, random dr. questions i ask my mom, healthy snacks and much more! let me know how it goes!

to start, i want to talk about apples! fitting, no? turns out the apple a day thing isn't actually a myth. there are tons of benefits to eating apples.

apples...

* can helped you lose weight! they have fibre that allows to feel full faster and not eat as much (it regulates bowl movements too!)
* prevent heart disease because they contain flavonoids (they work like anti-oxidants)
* prevent cancers such as colon cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer in women
* can contribute to a healthy smile and fresh breath
* contain phenols that increase the good cholesterol and reduce the bad cholesterol (score!)
* lower your risk for metabolic syndrome (a bunch of risk factors that can lead to heart attacks, strokes and type 2 diabetes
* contain phytonutrients which reduce your chance for brain diseases like alzheimers and parkinsons.
* taste good!

so it's not as much of a myth as i thought! (though my mom would like to add, all fruits and vegetables are good, not just apples! and your supposed to have 5-10 a day. pah. i don't think i've EVER made 10 in one day) all this talk about apples has made me hungry again! now if only we had some in the fridge! =(

-xoxo.