8 Stretches You Can Do at Your Desk

Archives for March 2018

If you are like most, 75% of the U.S. population that is, you are sitting for hours on end every day.

Is this you? Sitting can wreak some serious havoc on your health over time!

Sitting for long periods of time is not only bad for your health but also not the best for your mind or sanity! So, I invite you to join me and do these 8 stretches you can do at your desk.

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please share this video with anyone you know who sits at a desk all day and I welcome your comments below. How many hours do you sit at a desk or in your car every day?

“Losing weight and keeping it off is easy,” said nobody, ever. Whether you’re just trying to shed a few stubborn pounds or have a lot of weight to lose, it can be a hard thing.

One of the biggest obstacles that people trying to lose weight face is the fact that a small slip up can make a big difference. It hardly seems fair.

So many other goals have room for a few mistakes, but when it comes to weight loss, a few small slips can get rid of days’ worth of progress.

Some mistakes are clear to see. Eating a big slice of chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream is a good thing to avoid doing.

But there are other weight loss mistakes that are common that you may not even know that you’re making. If you’re struggling with slimming down, check to see whether you’ve fallen into one or more of these traps.

4 Most Common Weight Loss Mistakes

1. Calling what you’re doing “Dieting”

young man thinking about diet healthy lifestyle avoid weight loss mistakesThe word “diet” automatically creates a start and a finish to your shift in eating habits.

Stop thinking of what you’re doing as something that you have to go through and get to the other side.

Instead, commit yourself to a lifestyle adjustment and changing your eating habits forever.

2. Piling Greens into a Bowl and Calling it a “Salad”

mother daughter making salad kitchen avoid weight loss mistakesDo you know what the Oxford Dictionary says that a salad is? It’s worth knowing.

It’s “A cold dish of various mixtures of raw or cooked vegetables, usually seasoned with oil, vinegar, or other dressing and sometimes accompanied by meat, fish, or other ingredients.”

If that’s not what your salad consists of, then you’re leaving yourself hungry and nutritionally deprived.

Make sure that you are including a protein, a healthy fat, and lots of crunchy vegetables, like in this yummy Chicken Fiesta salad, to hold you over ‘til your next meal.

Also, you might think skipping the dressing is a good idea but it's not.

3. Just ‘cause it’s Healthy doesn’t Mean You Should Eat a Ton of it

Ever hear the phrase “too much of a good thing?”

That applies to healthy, clean-eating staples like avocado, peanut butter, and nuts.

Eating nutritious foods is a good thing, but they still can add up and add weight if you’re not conscious of how much you’re consuming.

4. Keeping Yourself from your Favorite Foods

african woman eating chocolate cupcake avoid weight loss mistakesThere’s a huge difference between eating that previously-mentioned big slice of chocolate cake with ice cream and letting yourself have a bite or two of cake when you’re at a birthday celebration.

Even the whole slice is fine as long as it's not every week or even every month. After all, your birthday comes but once a year 🙂

When you start restricting yourself too much, you invite the risk of binging on the foods you love or creating cravings that lead to weight loss ruin.

Find a healthier way to have the same flavors, like this high fiber chocolate mousse made with avocado!

There are tons of ways to make your favorite unhealthy foods healthier.

Chocolate Avocado Mousse (Makes 3 servings)

1 avocados, peeled and cut
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
3 Tbsp… raw honey
1 Tbsp. fat-free Greek yogurt
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Chill in refrigerator.

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Pass this along to your loved ones who can relate to the struggle and I welcome your comments below. Any of these mistakes sound familiar?

How many times have you tried to release weight? How many times have you told yourself that this time it’s really going to work?

And how many times have you found yourself back where you started, or even weighing more?

young woman gain weight fail brain weight lossHowever, many times it's been, you’re not alone. Most people who try to lose weight fail.

They blame the meal plan, or stress, or not having enough time to go to the gym. In reality, the problem could be all of those and none of them at the same time.

If you want to lose weight, you need to stop focusing on the food or the workout, and instead put your emphasis on changing your brain.

Studies have shown that one of the biggest obstacles to losing weight is tied to willpower.

You may think you have a lot of willpower, but scientists say that our brain has only a finite amount of energy to spend on it within a given period of time.

No matter how much you want to devote it to your weight loss goal, it also gets tapped by other stressors in your life – work, family, the world around you. That means you need to find a better way.

So, what’s the better way?

Take away the need to make a choice. Willpower is a matter of choosing the right thing in the moment, and that’s where we get into trouble.

Giving yourself too many choices when you are tired or stressed and you’re going to pick what is fastest, easiest, and gives you the most comfort.

The same part of your brain that tells you to tie your shoelaces can be trained to value healthy eating. How do you do that?

3 Ways to Rewire Your Brain to Help You Lose Weight

1. Plan Your Meals Ahead of Time

 businesswoman write meal plan notebook brain weight loss hackThe less you give yourself a choice – or a reason to make a choice – the more successful you will be. Write down your meals for the week on Sunday and do the food shopping for it to make sure you have everything on hand.

Make your breakfast the night before and pack your lunches for the week. The more systematic you make your meals, the easier it will be to stick to your plan. And the easier and less stressed your life will be too.

2. Make Eating Healthy Food the Focus of your Goals

As great and important as exercise is, it can hurt your ability to succeed if you give it too much emphasis.

How many times have you worked out and then told yourself you could eat something unhealthy after? Exercise will not compensate for bad food habits.  It can also take time away from meal prep.

Focus on exercise as a means of self-care and stress relief rather than as a way to lose weight. You can even use getting a glowing complexion or a sharper mind as a good motivator to workout.

3. Give Yourself Some Love

middle aged woman in bed drinking juice reading magazine brain weight lossMeditation and things that make you feel good, or good about yourself, are important to your self-esteem and can go a long way towards retraining your brain. I recommend something as simple as creating a morning ritual for yourself. Your sanity is worth a few extra minutes in the morning, isn't it?

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. I encourage you to share this helpful info with your friends and I always love to read your comments below. Have you found little hacks that help you stay on track?

Trying to live a healthier life sounds like a simple thing, but it can be a lot of work at first!

You have to learn new ways to do things and get rid of bad habits that have been with you for a long time.

When it comes to improving your diet, don’t make the mistake of trying to do too much at once. Just as you wouldn’t start a fitness routine by taking on a ten-mile run, changing your food habits a step at a time is more likely to bring success.

Food swaps are one of the best ways to do this. By finding things you’re eating now and swapping them for healthier versions, you can make a big difference. Here are a few to get you started.

7 Small Food Swaps that Give Big Results

1. Swap vegetable fats to healthier fats

jar of ghee oil healthier subsituteYou may think you’ve been doing well by using vegetable oil instead of butter when you cook. The truth is that there are healthier fats you can switch to.

Try coconut oil or ghee instead. Ghee is made from butter and contains a lot of vitamins.

And for the record, grass-fed butter is fine. You just want to eat all fats in moderation.

2. Toss the Sugary Cereal in Favor of Oatmeal

Cereal may be a fast and easy breakfast, but eating it means you’re taking in tons of sugar.

Most breakfast cereals give you a quick burst of energy that fades fast and leaves you more likely to binge on unhealthy foods later.

Instead, choose healthy oatmeal, and add some berries for sweetness.

If you’re worried about time, you can make a big batch and freeze it in small portions to defrost quickly.  Or try making overnight oats the night before using this yummy overnight oats recipe.

3. Replace Wheat bread with Ezekiel Bread

food swap ezekiel bread loaf healthy alternativeYou may love bread, but wheat has a high glycemic index. Swap for a delicious sprouted grain bread like Ezekiel bread. You can find it in the freezer case of almost every grocery store.

It's just as satisfying as wheat bread and will keep you feeling full longer without inflaming your gut the way wheat does.

4. Switch Table Salt to Himalayan Crystal Sea Salt

You should be keeping your sodium intake low, but if you do use salt, Himalayan crystal sea salt contains minerals and gives a gourmet taste.

5. Snack on Pumpkin Seeds Instead of Peanuts

Nuts are good for you, but most peanuts are highly salted and have lots of fat.

Pumpkin seeds can be roasted and flavored with whatever your favorite spice is. They are full of protein, magnesium and zinc.

6. Switch to a Healthier Tea

Do you drink tea? By switching from black leaf tea to a healthier tea like green tea or rooibos, you give yourself a big dose of healthy antioxidants that may cut back on your appetite.

7. Switch from Cocoa or Chocolate to Raw Cacao

food swap healthier raw cacao magnesium richWhen you’re baking and you see cocoa or chocolate chips in the recipe, use cacao instead.

All chocolate starts as cacao, but it has healthy benefits cooked out at high heat.

Raw cacao is much healthier. It contains magnesium, which lowers the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.

Cacao contains flavonoids, which cut inflammation and support heart health.

Here's an infographic to recap:

Small Food Swaps Big Difference Infographics

Here are 7 more easy food swaps that make a big difference!

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please share these food swap ideas with your friends who want to live healthier and I welcome your comments below. Are any of these food swaps already in play at your house?

If you’ve ever experienced vertigo, it’s a feeling you’ll never forget. If you haven’t had it, consider yourself lucky.

You know the sensation that you get when you’ve spun around too many times, and you feel like you have to wait for the ground to catch up to you? That’s vertigo.

It's not the same as feeling dizzy. It’s more a sense that the world is moving around you, but you feel it in your head rather than under your feet.

Vertigo is a medical symptom of another problem. Sometimes it is caused by fluid in the ear, and sometimes by being dehydrated. You can get it as a side effect of taking some medications.

There are also reports of vertigo being associated with high cholesterol or blood sugar. In all these cases, fixing the problem gets rid of the symptom.

If you’re suffering from vertigo and you’re also having vision problems, headache, weakness or slurred speech, you should go to see your doctor.

But if you don’t have those other worrying symptoms, you can try curing yourself with one of these all natural remedies:

7 All Natural Ways to Treat Vertigo

1. Gingko Biloba

natural vertigo remedy gingko biloba medicine bottle capsules leaf This popular herb is usually suggested for clarity of thinking, but it also clears up ringing in the ears and vertigo. If you’re going to buy it, look for a high-quality product that contains 24% gingko.

2. Ginger Tea

One of the easiest and most delicious drinks, ginger tea has been shown to help relieve vertigo.

Just slice a few pieces of fresh ginger and let steep in boiling water for 5 minutes. Add honey to taste.

3. Almonds and Milk

natural vertigo remedy almond seeds bottle of milk on tableMore than just a tasty snack, almonds contain both Vitamin B and Vitamin E, which are a vertigo cure. Soak a few almonds in water, then grind them into a paste.

Stir into a glass of warm milk, which contains Vitamin D, which has been shown to help vertigo too. I avoid cow's milk as a general rule, but hey, if I had vertigo and thought a glass of cow's milk would help, I'd give it a go!

4. Foods High in Vitamin C

Vertigo is often part of Meniere’s Disease, a condition that responds well to fruits and vegetables that are high in Vitamin C.

Load up on oranges, strawberries, red peppers, cabbage, and kiwi.

5. Get More Sleep

Make sure you’re getting at least 7 ½ hours of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation can lead to vertigo.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar

This cure-all has been shown to increase blood flow to the brain.

Mix a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with two teaspoons of honey and drink twice a day.

7. Sesame Oil and Garlic Drops

daughter drips oil drops middle aged grandmother natural vertigo remedyIf you want to try a home remedy that directly involves your ears, try this method that has been used for centuries.

Take two cloves of fresh garlic and crush them. Put them in a small saucepan with two teaspoons of sesame oil and cook over low heat until the garlic turns golden brown. Strain and allow to cool.

Tilt head and put two or three drops into one ear. Allow to sit for one minute, then allow to drain. Repeat with the other ear.

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please share this with your loved ones who are dealing with vertigo and I invite you to comment below. Have you ever experienced vertigo?

You’ve probably heard of superfoods, but do you know what they are?

Superfood is a term that’s used to describe foods that are high in important nutrients. It seems like every year there are new foods that are being talked about as superfoods, or which suddenly start appearing on restaurant menus and health food store shelves.

Kale and cauliflower have had their turn, and though they are still considered superfoods, they aren’t the ones getting this year’s buzz.

So, which are the hot foods that are getting all the attention this year?

Read on to learn about 2018’s star foods.

1. Maca Root Powder

bowl of maca root powder superfoods 2018Maca is a plant that grows in the Andes in Peru. A powder made from the plant’s roots is one of this year’s most talked about supplements.

It’s said to boost sexual desire and male fertility, as well as to stop mood swings that come from menopause. Maybe most important, it is said to boost athletic performance.

2. Dates

This cousin of raisins and plums is a sweet treat that is also a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.

3. Sorghum

Sorghum is a grain that is high in riboflavin, vitamin B6, thiamin and other minerals. It is also a good source of fiber.

Though it ranks as the fifth most important cereal in the world it has not been widely used in the U.S. until now. Part of its popularity has come from the fact that it is gluten-free.

4. Broccoli Stalks

broccoli stalk superfood 2018If you’ve been eating broccoli stalks all along then you were ahead of the curve.

Most people only eat the dark green broccoli florets, but now it’s become clear that means wasting a whole lot of healthy food.

The stalks can be used in soups and salads. You can chop them up and mix them with rice or put big chunks on skewers and grill them. They're high in Vitamin K and Vitamin C, as well as fiber and potassium.

5. Reishi Mushrooms

If you love the taste of mushrooms, you may wonder why you haven’t heard of the Reishi.

These fungi are health warriors, boosting energy, lowering blood pressure, and even said to cut the risk of cancer.

Unfortunately, they do not have the flavor we have come to expect from mushrooms, so it's a good idea to get your Reishi boost from pills or capsules that contain a powdered version.

6. Oat Milk

Just as rice milk, almond milk and soy milk have made a splash as dairy alternatives, it’s time for oat milk to shine.

Oat milk has folic acid and vitamin E. It's said to boost the immune system and cardiovascular health, as well as vision.

Best of all, you can make it yourself. Just soak one part oats in two parts water overnight, then blend and strain.

7. Moringa

moringa leaf powder mortar and pestle Moringa is a green plant that can be broken down into different nutritious parts.

Its leaves are high in vitamins B, C, A and K, and can be eaten like spinach. The plant’s seed pods, which are known as drumsticks, are high in vitamin C, and so are the seeds, which can be roasted and eaten like nuts.

Even the roots are shredded, dried, and used as a spice that is high in polyphenol. As you can see, I'm a little ahead of the curve on loving moringa!

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. I hope you will share this with your friends who like to stay ahead of the curve on health trends and I welcome your comments below. What's the newest craze for superfood in your kitchen this year?

What do you picture when you think of old-school weight loss? A lot depends on your age or what movies you’ve seen.

For some people, it’s the image of the old “fat jiggling” machines. For others, it's diet pills, a rebranded Instant Breakfast drink called “Slender”, or Metrecal.

Most of these fads and oddities were nothing but marketing ploys, designed to take advantage of people who were desperate to shed some pounds.

But a few of the old-fashioned weight loss methods were based on science, and still work to this day.

6 Old-School Weight Loss Fads (that actually work)

1. Group Fitness

group people aerobics exercise together workoutIn the 50s girls would Hula Hoop or do “calisthenics” together. In the 80s it was aerobics classes. And today it’s Zumba, or Barre, or P90X.

No matter what type of exercise you’re doing, there is definitely power in working out together. You form bonds of friendship and keep each other committed to the goal.

2. Cottage Cheese

Though it's been joined by other high protein dairy foods – think Greek yogurt and Kefir – cottage cheese is still a favorite that works for weight loss.

One serving is low in fat and has 13 grams of protein. Mix it up with some fruit or spread it on some Ezekiel toast for a snack that keeps you full.

3. Cut Your Sugar

Though we don’t eat cyclamates anymore. If you remember that artificial sweetener was all the rage before the US banned it in 1969. No surprise, even today artificial sweeteners are terrible for your body.

That doesn’t mean that white sugar is any better.

One of the best things you can do to help yourself lose weight is to eliminate sugary snacks and drinks.

4. Eat Whole Foods

One thing that dieters from decades ago didn’t have to deal with was the surplus of processed foods.

Though some did exist, it wasn’t nearly as prevalent as it is today. By turning to whole foods like fresh produce, you can cut out unnecessary salt, fats, and sugars.

5. Keep a Food Journal

tap measure orange food journal writingOne of the biggest diet ideas to make it big in the 1960s was the idea of tracking your food, and it still works today.

It’s hard to understand why you’re not losing weight if you’re not keeping track of what you’re eating. Counting calories doesn’t work but writing down the things that you’re eating throughout the day will give you better insight into your triggers.

6. Cook Your Own Meals

grandma teaches young woman cooking old school weight lossToday we call it meal prep, and we think it’s something new. But back in the old days, people indulged in take-out a lot less.

They went to the market regularly and cooked their own meals. Doing that helps you manage what is going into every meal.

You can substitute healthier ingredients, control portion size, and keep things healthy. When you pack your own meals, you get rid of the temptation of the cookie by the cash register or the bag of potato chips as a side dish.

If you're tired of gimmicks and ready to get back to the basics (that really work) then check out my Fit Rise program. It does exactly that!

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Thanks for sharing this with your friends and I invite you to leave a comment below too. Which old-school diet trends stand out in your memory?

How many times do you step on the scale each week? Once? Every day? Twice a day?

What if I told you there's a much better way to track your health?

Your weight is not the most important health-related number, but it is the one you probably think of first. It’s easy to track – after all, you only need a bathroom scale. But there are other numbers that are just as easy to track which are way more important.

To be health smart, learn what these numbers are, then monitor them instead of checking your weight.

7 Health Numbers You Should Track (instead of weight)

1. How many hours do you sleep each night?

If you're getting less than 7 hours of sleep at night, or more than 9, you may be hurting your health.

The National Sleep Foundation says that adults over 18 who sleep less than 7 hours risk depression, obesity, and other serious health conditions. And if you’re sleeping more than 9 hours on a regular basis you’re also at risk.

2. How many glasses of water do you drink each day?

middle-aged woman pouring water to glass numbers track healthYou’ve been told to drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day for as long as you can remember. But do you?

Most people still ignore this advice, even though it is an important part of giving your body what it needs.

If you’re not sure whether you’re getting enough fluid each day, there’s a good way to check: take a look at your urine. If it is pale, it’s a good sign that you’re drinking enough. If it's yellow or darker, you need to drink a lot more.

There are even ways that make getting your daily water intake more fun!

3. What’s your waist measurement?

You don’t need a 26” waist to be healthy, but you do need to know if you’re storing belly fat.

Also known as visceral fat, belly fat is a risk factor for stroke, heart disease and other illnesses.

4. How much produce are you eating?

african american family eat fruits vegetables numbers track healthAn apple a day is a good start, but it’s not enough.

The number of servings of fruits and vegetables you eat each day is a very good indication of your overall health.

Try to have at least four or 5 servings a day. Mix it up by paying attention to how many colors you’re eating each day. The more deeply colored a fruit or vegetable it is, the more nutrients it contains.

5. How many minutes are you working out?

Physical activity is a pillar of good health.

Whether you’re tracking steps or the amount of time that you exercise each day, you need to be mindful of moving. Make 30 minutes a day your goal.

6. What's your blood pressure?

doctor measuring blood pressure numbers track healthYour blood pressure is something you can check at most pharmacies, though you may not need to. Your doctor will let you know if you are at risk, and if so you need to start paying more attention.

7. How's your cholesterol?

Your cholesterol levels are a good indication of your risk of heart disease. Make sure your doctor is checking it regularly, and if you're at risk take the proper steps (including eating this soup) to keep it at a healthy level.

Speaking of numbers, you can forget about counting calories too! Here's what to count instead.

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. Please pass this article on to anyone you know who is fixated on tracking their weight and I welcome your comments below. Have you thrown out your scale yet?

When you're trying to lose weight, it's tempting to look for quick fixes. Weight loss supplements, fat burning pills or diet pills.  They come with fancy names like “fat burners,” “metabolic boosters.”

I'm sure you've had a family member or a coworker mention or use a diet supplement at some point.

But do these diet pills work?

No, they don't. Think about it! On an intuitive level, you already know this answer!

You did not gather the body (weight) overnight, right? No, the weight gain happened over a period of time. How is it fair to hang your hat on weight loss in just a few days with a diet pill?

man's body fat measured diet pillsEvidence from hundreds of weight loss supplements reveals that they don't work. Research published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism confirms it.

The research found the following about the weight loss pills and supplements:

1. Most products did not have studies examining their effectiveness.

2. Products showed less than a two-pound weight loss effect compared to the placebo.

3. Some products have side effects that are as serious as stroke and heart problems.

4 Reasons to Just Say No to Diet Pills

1. Not Regulated

FDA does not regulate all diet pills. There's no safety check in place for over the counter diet pills.

Weight loss/diet pills do not come under the regulatory standards as prescription medicines. To hit the shelves, a manufacturer only shows limited safety and effectiveness.

Unfortunately, FDA begins watching if the products are safe after it's in the market. If the products turn out to be dangerous, they issue a ban or recall.

2. Health Risks

dizzy vomiting woman in white diet pillsStudies show diet pills cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, and anxiety. That doesn't sound fun at all!

Research also points to depression, indigestion, and sleep disturbances. Not at ALL what you had in mind!

FDA issued warnings about weight loss products containing undeclared ingredients like sibutramine. It can cause rapid heartbeat, seizures, high blood pressure, heart attack and even stroke. Another ingredient rimonabant can lead to depression and suicidal thoughts.

3. Liver Damage

If you pay attention to the labels some diet pills come with an FDA issued a warning.  

The fine print warns of potential liver damage and rare liver failure. It does list signs of liver injury, such as dark urine, yellow eyes and light-colored stools. For such symptoms, labels state to stop using the product and seek medical attention.

4. Not Effective

woman gym exercise active lifestyle diet pillsDiet pills are ineffective and come with a hefty price tag. Instead, invest in healthy alternatives such as a gym, wholesome organic meals to change your daily habits.

An active lifestyle, healthy diet and habits are safe and effective ways to weight loss. Eating food-based weight loss stimulants like fiber, healthy fats like coconut are helpful.

So next time, someone tries to talk you into a diet pill. Remember these points.

But if diet pills won't work, what SHOULD I do?

If you're tired of gimmicks and ready for real and LASTING results then you will LOVE Fit Rise

You'll get quick, easy and yummy recipes, 10-minute workout videos, meditations (because your brain is your most powerful weight loss tool) and most importantly, daily support & inspiration from myself, mentors and other members around the globe. It's easy to sign up and GET STARTED TODAY!

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette

P.S. I invite you to share this with your loved ones and I want to hear from you in the comments below too. What's the craziest thing you've tried to do to lose weight?