Healthy Food Diet: 7 Day Clean Eating Challenge

Do you feel like your diet needs a fresh start? When life happens and you abandon healthy food in favor of whatever is nearby or comes out of a packet or pouch, it's time for a "clean" break. That's why we're bringing you SHAPE's 7-Day Clean Eating Challenge. While a clean eating diet plan may seem challenging, our plan is manageable and the payoffs include skyrocketing energy, weight loss, better control over your appetite, and even better-looking skin.

Just follow these 5 simple rules and try our clean eating meal plan:

1) Eat only whole foods. That means eating oats and blueberries rather than a blueberry muffin. When you eat packaged foods, only buy brands that contain “real food” ingredients--ingredients you easily recognize, can pronounce, and would use to make a “from scratch” version in your own kitchen. If a food contains even one ingredient that makes you think “huh?” skip it, at least during the clean eating challenge.

RELATED: For a super healthy and delicious snack, watch Heidi Klum make homemade hummus and kale chips, then try the recipe yourself.

2) Keep meals simple. Delicious, healthy food doesn’t have to contain a lot of ingredients. Keep your meal ingredients to a minimum—just be sure to include a source of whole grains, lean protein and healthy fat at each meal. For example, veggies and shrimp stir fried in sesame oil over a bed of brown rice seems restaurant quality but can be whipped up faster than takeout.

3) Eat slower. Put your fork or spoon down between every bite, and focus on the flavors and textures of your food.

4) Eat on a regular schedule. Try not to let more than about 4 hours go by between meals or snacks. Steady meal timing helps regulate your digestive system, blood sugar and insulin levels, and appetite.

RELATED: When you do your food shopping for the week, be sure to avoid these grocery store fat traps that can make you gain weight.

5) Listen to your body. Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full, meaning satisfied, not stuffed. The recipes here intentionally don’t provide amounts. That’s so you get used to relying on your hunger and fullness cues to tell you when to stop and start eating

Each day eat three clean eating meals and one snack.

DAY ONE SAMPLE DIET:

THREE CLEAN EATING MEALS AND ONE SNACK

BREAKFAST

Cook old fashioned quick cooking oats using organic skim or soy milk. Top with a sliced apple and garnish with chopped walnuts.

RELATED: For more morning meal ideas, try these 8 "dinner foods" you should eat for breakfast.

CLEAN EATING LUNCH IDEA

Toss baby spinach with balsamic vinegar and salt-free dried Italian herbs. Top with a scoop of chilled red quinoa and cannellini beans (canned, drained and rinsed beans are OK) and sliced avocado.

CLEAN EATING SNACK IDEA

Drizzle a little honey into a container of nonfat Greek yogurt, fold in a sliced mini banana and garnish with sliced almonds.

DAY ONE CLEAN EATING DINNER IDEA 

Saute onion, halved grape tomatoes and chopped green bell pepper in extra virgin olive oil until slightly tender. Add chicken breast or organic tofu to heat through. Serve over whole wheat penne.

DAY TWO CLEAN EATING DINNER IDEA

Lentils and quinoa with mint and lemon saute chopped red onion, minced garlic, celery and red bell pepper in extra virgin olive oil until tender. Add lentils (vacuum sealed or canned, rinsed and drained are both OK) to heat through. Serve over a small scoop of cooked quinoa and garnish with fresh mint and juice from a fresh lemon wedge.

RELATED: Have a healthy meatless dinner on the table in no time by making one of these 10-minute vegetarian meals.

DAY THREE CLEAN EATING DINNER IDEA

Tuna Lettuce Wraps with Basil Pesto and Couscous

Fill large outer romaine lettuce leaves with a mixture of drained chunk light tuna canned in water tossed with basil pesto, minced sundried tomatoes and whole-wheat couscous.

RELATED: When you don't have time to hit the grocery store, whip up one of these healthy and delicious meals you can pull from your pantry.

DAY FOUR CLEAN EATING DINNER IDEA

Mexican Salad with Corn, Avocado, Beans, and Lime

Mix mashed avocado with minced onion, tomato, fresh lime juice and cilantro. Toss with torn romaine to coat leaves. Top with a small scoop each of frozen, thawed corn and black beans (canned, drained and rinsed are OK).

RELATED: Keep homemade salads low-cal by skipping the bottle and making your owngreen goddess dressing.

DAY FIVE CLEAN EATING DINNER IDEA

Seared Shrimp in Coconut Oil

On the stovetop, sear fresh shrimp in coconut oil and season with fresh grated ginger and scallions. Serve over a bed of mixed field greens and top with fresh pear slices.

DAY SIX CLEAN EATING DINNER IDEA

Spaghetti Squash with Garlic, Mushrooms, Tomato and Feta

Saute chopped onions, minced garlic, sliced mushrooms and a small, diced plum tomato in extra virgin olive oil. Reduce to low heat to keep warm. Slice a small spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds, place face down in a glass dish with a few tablespoons of water. Cover with wax paper and microwave on high for 7 to 8 minutes. Rake out strands, toss with sautéed veggies and garnish with crumbled feta cheese.

DAY SEVEN CLEAN EATING

Pineapple Chicken with a Twist

Stir fry sliced red and green bell peppers and a dash of crushed red pepper in sesame oil. Add diced, cooked chicken breast and pineapple chunks to heat through. Serve over a scoop of cooked wild rice.

Link  http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/cooking-ideas/healthy-food-diet-7-day-clean-eating-challenge/

A little insight to me

Now.. if anyone is wondering why am I adding recipes?

Well.. I have been thinking.. 

A healthy life style is also about the way you eat

I mean you have to be wise about fats and fruit

Same reason I shared about Zumba

And yes it does work

But also, I realized not all can do that

So I shared exercises for someone who has limited mobility issues

Who may have difficulty doing exercises

My blog is about advice

Not know it all

And the best way to advice, not only others, 

But also myself

Is with knowledge

I want to learn and do things right

A healthy lifestyle

means being active, means eating right

But also the right mindset

So I give attention on that also

What the mood is like

I dont always smile

So I realize that

After all, knowledge is power 

So here is to hoping it helps

Not only me, but also others

7 tips for a healthy lifestyle

7 tips for a healthy lifestyle

Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean hours of training at the gym and eating only salad leaves. It’s about making easy-to-manage healthy choices in your day-to-day living.

 

Shutterstock

Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean hours of training at the gym and eating only salad leaves. It’s about making easy-to-manage healthy choices in your day-to-day living.

Says Dr Craig Nossel, head of Wellness at Discovery Vitality: "The trick to making your lifestyle healthier is to make small healthy changes every day, such as taking the stairs instead of the lifts, increasing your fruit by one, drinking one extra glass of water or quitting smoking."

So let’s start with the fundamental basics of healthy living: regular exercise, healthy eatingand healthy lifestyle choices:

I like to move it, move it!

Do as King Julian does and move your body. Not just once now-and-then – but every day whenever you can. Although a set exercise session is great to work into your daily routine, you can burn kilojoules in other small ways, such as:

• Walking to someone else’s desk rather than sending an e-mail,
• Parking furthest from the building and walking in, or
• Taking the stairs more often.
• Doing house cleaning or gardening
• Taking the dog for a walk or cycling with the kids instead of watching TV

We all stand together

We spend our lives sitting – at our desks, in front of the TV, in a meeting or on the phone. New research is emerging highlighting the potential risk to health from all our sitting behaviour. So break your sitting time by standing for five minutes and reap the health benefits.

Every little bit counts and it all adds up to burning more calories.

If you’re overweight, making small changes in your daily exercise routine can benefit your health. In fact one study has found that just a 10% drop in weight helped overweight people to reduce their blood pressure, cholesterol and improve their wellbeing.

Eating healthily

When it comes to healthy eating, there is an overwhelming array of theories, diet books and online information about what to eat – which is often conflicting. Although the research is still ongoing and developing, what the experts all agree on is that our diets are too high in sugar, our portions are too big and we should eat a variety of whole natural foods.

Sweet enough

From sugary drinks to breakfast cereal, it’s hard to get away from sugary foods. Often the sugar is hidden in canned goods or pre-packaged foods, or even in foods we think are healthy for us, such as fruit juice. The average person takes in about 22 teaspoons of added sugar each day. According to the American Heart Association the daily target should be no more than six level teaspoons for women, and nine for men—that’s for both food and beverages combined.

The easiest way to limit your sugar intake with one small change is to cut out sugary fizzy drinks. This alone can help you to lose or maintain a healthy weight, which in turn will reduce your risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Portion distortion

Our food and drinks portion sizes have dramatically increased over the past 30 years. In the 1950’s a chip packet was 28g from a take-away restaurant - today it’s 154g – and that’s not even the supersize, which is a whopping 196g!

Portion size increases doesn’t only include the take-away portions, but packaging of goods in the supermarket, dinner plates and glasses in restaurants and even fridge sizes! Simple ways to cut your portions include:

• Eat your main meals off a smaller plate – visually the plate looks full so you will be satisfied, but technically you’ll be eating less.
• Dish up in the kitchen, rather than have the serving dishes at the dining table – it’s much easier to have seconds when it’s right in front of you.
• Eat small regular meals (at least every four hours) so that you’re never starving – if you get to this point of hunger, it’s very difficult to stop before you overeat.

Colour me beautiful

Choosing whole foods and cooking from scratch is a much healthier way to eat than buying pre-packaged or ready-meals which are high in fat and salt but very low in nutrients. To make sure you’re getting a variety of nutrients, vitamins and minerals into your body every day – a quick rule of thumb is to pick a variety of colours for your meals. Be the artist of your meals and paint a colour picture with a variety of yellow, red and green fruits and vegetables throughout the day.

Your body will wear a frown if your meal is all brown.

Choose life

There is nothing more damaging to a long, healthy life than smoking, which is estimated as the reason for death or disability in half the people who smoke. The dangers of smoking tobacco are so significant that it is the most important public health problem in the world, which ironically, is largely avoidable.

Smoking not only cuts your lifespan by affecting your internal organs, but it also ages you on the outside by causing skin damage. Tobacco smoking can give you wrinkles, create pucker lines around your mouth, stain your teeth and fingers, rob your skin of nutrients, break down youth-enhancing collagen and make your skin look grey. It makes you wonder how smoking is often marketed as glamorous and attractive.

It takes courage to quit smoking, as it’s not an easy journey – but it’s a brave and sensible choice. Some of the positive changes will happen quickly, while others will be more gradual, but all the changes will benefit your health and well-being.

- (Discovery Vitality press release, February 2013)

(Photo of running woman from Shutterstock)

Link  http://www.health24.com/Lifestyle/Woman/Your-life/7-tips-for-a-healthy-lifestyle-20130218

Best Workouts to Lose Belly Fat Quickly - Cardio, Abs and Obliques Workout

CALORIE BURN

136 to 204

MINUTES

17

DIFFICULTY

3

BODY FOCUS

UpperCoreLowerTotal

Equipment You'll Need

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Workout Details

Getting a tight and toned midsection can be difficult but it does not have to be time consuming. This 17-minute core workout is a great example of how you can get a really challenging workout in a very little amount of time.

Because getting a flat stomach is not only about working and toning your stomach we have kept this routine short and intense so you can couple it with another workout that targets the rest of the body and burns more calories like a kickboxing workout, HIIT routine, or a strength training routine. By coupling this abs routine with another workout you can drastically increase the number of calories you burn. We have also made this an ideal workout to lose belly fat by combining both abs and cardio.

Do keep in mind that just like any other muscle group in the body, you need to let your core muscles rest and recover, especially if you get them sore.

If you want to focus on quicker progress try doing this routine twice per day two to three days out of the week. If you don’t need to see quick results or you just want to maintain the tone you have, we suggest doing this workout 2 to 3 times per week just once per day. As mentioned above, this routine is intended to be coupled with other workouts to train the rest of the body and to increase your total daily calorie burn, so don’t forget to hit at least all of your major muscle groups through your upper and lower body.

If this routine’s primary focus was just the abdominal, oblique and lower back muscles, it would not burn a high number of calories per minute. We have used many full body movements to increase the calorie burn for this routine, however, as well as intervals of a simple bodyweight cardio move in between each core exercise to drastically bump up the expenditure. In this workout you can expect to burn anywhere from 8-12 calories per minute.

The following is a direct transcript of the workout in the above video with a short description of each exercise. Each exercise is done for 50 seconds straight through with a quick interval of jumping jacks between each, and only a 10 second break between each exercise to set up for the next movement.

17 Minute Abs Workout
Rolling Back Bow Toe Touch Crunch: Starting on your stomach, do a back bow then roll on to your back and do a toe touch crunch then roll back onto your stomach. Complete another back bow then roll in the opposite direction you did last time to complete another toe touch crunch ending back on your stomach in the starting position.

Alternating Side Plank Toe Touch Kick: This exercise can be done in either a full plank (from toes; harder) or a half plank (from knees; easier) This motion is similar to the previous exercise as you roll from doing a side plank on the left to a side plank on the right alternating back and forth each repetition.

Double Bird Dog Pull: From all fours (hands and knees on the ground) lift your left hand and right foot straight out parallel to the ground then pull that arm and leg in under your body crunching your abs then extend back out before letting that arm and leg drop to the ground and switching sides.

One Leg Jackknife Crunch: As with a regular jackknife crunch start from a prone position, bring your arms and legs up over your body crunching your hips and shoulders towards each other. The only difference here is that you only use one leg at a time.

V Sit Row: Start sitting on your tailbone, then lean back keeping your back perfectly flat extending your legs away from you for balance. Hold as close to a 45° angle as you can hold then in a rowing motion extend your arms out in front of your body then pull them back to your sides keeping your elbows up at shoulder height moving in a 90° angle from your chest.

Alternating Side Star Tuck: This exercise done from a side plank position starts with a side star reach followed by a hugging motion with the same arm you just had extended. Not only do you want to pull your arm underneath you but you also want to roll your shoulders down towards the ground before coming back up flipping to your other side and repeating the motion with the other arm.

Frog Leg Crunch: With the soles of your feet together and your feet up off of the ground crunch your shoulders up off of the ground extending your arms down between your legs while lifting your legs and hips up towards your shoulders.

Mt Top Russian Twist: Similar to a regular Russian Twist, you lean back to a 45° with a flat back and rotate left to right. This difference with this version is that you bring your arm high up over your head as you come back to the center and each time you rotate off to the side you drop your arms down close to the ground.

Oblique Jackknife Crunch: This exercise takes a jackknife crunch where you lay on your back and bring your arms and legs up over your body crunching your hips and shoulders together, and adds a slight rotation through the obliques. Each time your arms come up to meet your legs you want to bring your arms off to one side of your legs or the other slightly rotating your shoulders.

Seated Torso Circles: Sit back like you would for a Russian Twist, and then draw over your tail bone. You decide the difficulty on this exercise by choosing how large your range of motion is.

Link  http://www.fitnessblender.com/v/workout-detail/Best-Workouts-to-Lose-Belly-Fat-Quickly-Cardio-Abs-and-Obliques-Workout/dj/

BEST LIP COLOURS FOR YOUR SKIN TONE

BEST LIP COLOURS FOR YOUR SKIN TONE

Fleshy parts that form the upper and lower edges of the opening of your mouth are called the lips. Colouring these lips can make a huge change on your facial feature depending on the skin tone. Selecting a great colour can bring compliments to any woman’s beautiful lips.

Via: AllAboutLips

Have already been through this problem? Who didn’t? There are a huge number of lipstick colour and shades for different skin tones. To choose the perfect one for you is definitely a tough job. You have to cut down your choice for a fixed brand, colour or a type. The easiest way to select the best colour for you is to compare the shade with your skin tone. So find out your skin undertone at first and then select the nearest shade for your lips. Let’s go through the following tips to select the right colour which will flatter your complexion.

Via: SparklingGlances

1. Light Skin Tones

Going nude is the best option for this skin tone. Peach and pink coloured lip glosses will make it look better. You can create a glamorous look by going for red. Dark chocolate and burgundy are not preferable for your skin tone as they will contract with your fair skin. You can select your products from Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in Sunset Peach, Revlon Colorstay Mineral Lipglaze in Timeless Nude or MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo.

Via: EyeshadowLipstick

2. Olive Skin Tones

Olive tones skin can take almost all lip colours. From the recent hot collection, coral will be the best one for you. Shimmery bronze or warm pink will also work great. The only two colours you will need to avoid are brown and purple. Purple will give you a sallow look. Brown will look solid on your skin. Recommended products for these colours are Revlon Colorstay Mineral Lipglaze in Constantly Coral,  Revlon Colorstay Overtime in Constantly Coral and L’Oreal Colour Riche Gloss in Soft Coral.

Via: BeautyTipNTricks

3. Medium Skin Tones

Copper shades are the best selection for your skin tone. You can select among nude, orange or pink for daytime. For night-time events, you can go for brick red which will give you a very flattering look. Red will be colour which you have to avoid with your skin tone. Avoid purple and yellow because wearing them will create a sickly look. To buy the lipsticks of medium skin tones, you can check out Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Merlot, Wet n Wild MegaSlicks Lip Gloss in Bronze Berry and Almay Ideal Lipcolor in Bronze.

Via: ModelMayhem

4. Dark Skin Tones

Chocolate, deep plum or sultry red is the best selection for this skin tone. For daytime, you can select caramel or warm peach lip colours. Wine coloured shade will be the best for night-time. You can also add orange and coral if you love to try it. Avoid chalky colours with dark skin tone as they are too contrasting. You can choose your colour from these products- Estee Lauder Hydra Lustre Lipstick in Spiced Coral, MAC Tinted Lipglass in Lychee Luxe, Make Up For Ever Lipstick in Flourescent Orange 201 and Nars Lipgloss in Babe.

Via: FashionIsMyDrug

5. Pink Undertones

If you want to create a softer look, use peach tone. Use orange or red brick colour to make your lips look bold. Avoid blue-based reds as they will clash with your skin. CoverGirl Wetslicks Amazemint Lipgloss in Freedom of Peach, Benefit Silky Finish Lipstick in Sugar Cookie and MAC Lipstick in Russian Red are the most preferred ones for this skin tone.

Via: AllAboutLips

6. Asian

You already have an awesome lip with a natural coral tint. Coral lipstick with lots of lipgloss is always the best for you. You may like Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor in Coral Crush, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Lip Gloss in Coral Sand and Nars Lipstick in Casablanca for your natural skin tone.

Via: Sure

7. Native American

You have a warm tone already, try copper lip colours to make it more beautiful. Preferred products for your skin tone are Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in Copper Dust and Benefit Lip Gloss in Almost Famous.

Via: Pinterest

8. Middle Eastern

A natural bold face with long lashes is already what you have. Just wearing a nude lip colour will make you the most gorgeous ever. Try on Almay Hydracolor Lipstick in Nude or NYC Liquid Lip Shine in Cappuccino.

Via: WomenHair&BeautyPics

9. Indian

You have a skin tone where you can try any colour! For making it neutral, you can go for orange. Daytime can hold the colour of pink shade. Brick red is the most preferred colour for the evening. You may like MAC Lipstick in Meltdown, Nars Lipstick in Shanghai Express and Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Mango as your best colours.

Via: BeautyTrend

Link  http://www.stylishboard.com/best-lip-colours-for-your-skin-tone/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=mgid&utm_campaign=stylishboard.com&utm_term=8339&utm_content=1062780

Sparkling, Beautiful Eyes

Eyes are the “Mirror of the soul” - clichéd but true! You would want your eyes – the main feature of your face to sparkle with good health and happiness.

Dull, lifeless and bloodshot eyes are the result of many factors – illness, fatigue, inadequate diet and dryness. The whites appear pinkish or greenish yellow at times due to lack of sleep, too much alcohol or a weak liver.

Reading in inadequate lighting or keeping the book or paper too close causes the eyes to squint and redden. Reading material should be kept at least 10 inches away from the eyes.

Wearing make-up or lenses will be a stopgap arrangement for sparkling eyes- in fact using too much make up will harm the delicate skin around the eyes.

To be absolutely confident of shining sparkling eyes would be to work on your system internally – begin with the most basic method – drink enough water, a minimum of 2 liters a day.

Eat adequate quantities of vitamin A and vitamin C; fill up on carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and spinach for vitamin A and guavas, bell peppers, citrus fruits and papayas for vitamin C. After a bout of illness or fatigue take supplements till you find a difference.



You can take Omega 3 supplements after consulting your medical practitioner – take 4 capsules a day – 2 after lunch and 2 after dinner.

When your liver is sluggish it will be a good idea to detoxify your system with half a cup of beetroot juice, first thing in the morning.

A very simple method to relax eyes and add sparkle to them is by rubbing the palms of your hands together till they become warm before placing them on closed eyes for a few minutes – the eyes feel rested and fresh.

Rinse your eyes well, after removing make-up with a remover. Wash well and pat the eyes gently with a soft towel to dry them.

Keeping a bowl of hot water ready – first rub a piece of ice gently over eyelids in a circular movement, immediately follow this with applying cotton dipped in hot water or splash it on the eyes, repeat this hot and cold procedure 7-8 times. Not only do the eyes feel rested they definitely sparkle.

Prepare a strong, black tea decoction by adding 1 teaspoonful tea leaves to 1/4th cup of boiling water and steep it for 5-6 minutes. Keep this tea to cool in the fridge, soak cotton wool pads in the decoction and place on closed eyelids while lying down. Warm tea may be used if you can’t use cold tea. Leave it on for 15 -20 minutes for best results.

Shut your eyes tightly and squeeze them hard, now open them suddenly as wide as possible, Repeat this exercise till eyes begin to water, the eyes look and feel fresh and bright.

Soak a teaspoon full of Indian gooseberry powder in a glass of water overnight, strain the water through a muslin cloth and splash eyes with this – you might find a slight sting but the eyes will sparkle. You can also soak cotton pads in this liquid and add a drop of castor oil on the pad and place on closed eyes.

Apple juice has proved to be beneficial to some people. Grate fresh apples and squeeze the juice through a muslin cloth, soak cotton pads in the juice and place on closed eyes. Relax for 15 – 20 minutes, repeat as required.

The basic and all time favorite remedy of cucumber juice applied on cotton pads will add freshness, as will a splash of organic chilled rose water.

Remember to wear sunglasses to protect eyes from the glare of sunlight or strong, dusty winds.

Always clean off eye makeup before going to bed. Cup handfuls of water and use as an eye cup – wash your eyes by keeping them open.

Try to relax with a bit of meditation, or yoga or deep breathing along with a positive attitude – your eyes will reflect inner peace.

Link  http://www.medindia.net/beauty/sparkling-eyes.asp