Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Make Snacking Healthy With Delicious Hummus Spread

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If you are having a party or just sitting around watching television and want a quick snack, prepare your own hummus for a healthy treat that’s low in calories. Great as a dip or a spread, you can serve it with a variety of different vegetables, breads or crackers.

Low in fat, hummus is made from chickpeas or garbanzo beans and contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. An excellent source of protein, hummus is perfect for a vegetarian alternative to red meat. Partygoers will appreciate having a healthy snack that’s light and easily digestible. Especially if the rest of the buffet consists of food that is high in fat.

If you serve it in its natural brown color, choose a colorful dish or accent it with vegetables. Hummus has sort of a drab appearance that turns many people away, even though they’ve never tried it. That’s why it’s best to dress it up a little, at least for those who are not in the “know.”

I like to dip pita chips in hummus but I also use it as a spread on pita bread and then stuffed with cooked veggies. Of course, raw carrots, bell pepper and cauliflower are all fantastic when served with hummus, especially if you add a little pepper or hot sauce to the hummus to spice it up.

A versatile snack, you can do just about anything you want with it. The great thing about it is that it is healthy and when you make it yourself you can control the amount of sodium and olive oil that is added to it. I like to add garlic and occasionally red peppers, not only for a change in taste but the peppers give it a nice red hue for a taste tempting presentation.

For easy to follow recipes that are healthy and delicious, visit the Healthy Cooking section of the Fitness4Her website. You must be a member to get access, but it’s easy to join and it’s free. You’ll find over 100 recipes that your whole family will enjoy, exercises that will help you to get in shape, an exercise journal to track your results, and a fitness blog that covers everything from losing weight to whether or not you should exercise when you are menstruating.

Donnas Cottage Cheese Salad

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This recipe serves one and makes a great snack or lunch. My friend, Donna has made this salad a number of times and I always enjoy it. I asked her if I could add this dish to my recipes, and she was quite honored.

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 small apple, chopped
2 Tbs. mixed dried fruit or raisins
Pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg
1 lettuce leaf

In a small bowl stir together cottage cheese, apples, dried fruit bits, raisins, cinnamon
and nutmeg.
Serve immediately, or cover and chill in frig only up to 24 hours
To serve line a plate with lettuce, spoon cottage cheese mixture on lettuce leaf with some whole grain crackers

Health Benefits:
Donna serves this with celery sticks for that extra crunch that’s low in calories. Cottage cheese is an excellent food, high in protein and calcium and low in fat and cholesterol. It’s easily digestible and can be eaten with just about any fruit. It’s a great choice after a strenuous workout to restore your protein levels and give you that extra boost.

Stretching Exercises Are Fundamental To Your Overall Flexibility

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We all know that exercise is important to our overall health. Many times in an effort to get the most exercise in a short period of time, we overlook the importance of stretching before a workout. This includes resistance training and aerobics. Instead of warming up the muscles and giving them the opportunity to stretch before exercising, we compromise our overall fitness program by neglecting the importance of overall flexibility.

Flexibility is a vital element in a healthy fitness program. Keeping the muscles flexible protects against injury and increases your strength and ability. That’s why stretching exercises should be a regular part of your workout routine. Aim for 10 minutes of stretching before and after your activity.

Remember to stretch both your upper body and lower body muscles. Some upper body stretches include raising the arms above the head and slowly lowering them back to the sides of the body. Repeat for eight times.

Bend at the waist and stretch your upper body forward, straighten to a standing position and repeat eight times. Stand and stretch one arm above your head while resting the other hand on your shoulder. Reverse your arms and repeat eight times.

Sit on an exercise mat and stretch out your legs. Bend forward and try to touch your toes. Now spread your legs and stretch forward bringing both arms slowly down one leg to touch your toes. Reverse to the other leg.

Stand and lunge forward slightly, reverse sides and stretch the opposite leg. Slowly lower your body to a squatting position and slowly straighten to stand. Your muscles should begin to feel warm without too much exertion. This is really beneficial as you begin exercising.

Good flexibility is important to our health and fitness. Not only does it help with any exercise or activity it’s especially important for our overall health as we age. When joints become stiff from age and deterioration our muscles play a major role in helping to protect them from injury.

Before walking, you can stretch your foot and calf muscles by bending your foot at the toe and pressing it against a wall, or use a towel to raise your toes up as if standing on tip toes. Sit on the floor and stretch your legs out in front and flex your toes up towards your body and then pointed away from your body to stretch your calf muscles and avoid shin injuries.

If you will take the extra ten minutes before exercise and ten minutes afterwards for stretching you will get better results in both weight loss and fitness. You will even notice the benefits in every day tasks like picking up a child, reaching for a top shelf, pulling or pushing carts, vacuums, or chairs. Even if you steer clear of manual tasks, you’ll love the way a flexible body improves your overall appearance.

With all these attributes, you’ll definitely want to set aside a little time for this important part of a healthy lifestyle.

Italian Black Beans and Rice with Mango

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This is a delicious meal that can satisfy your hunger at a very low cost. I like to make this meal a couple of times each month. I combine everything into the skillet, so the cleanup doesn’t take me long at all. From start to finish this recipe is a great way to serve nutritious food without spending hours in the kitchen.

1 large red sweet pepper (chopped )
1 medium onion (chopped )
1 package of Italian sausage (Jenny O Italian Turkey)
4 cloves minced garlic
1 15 oz. low sodium black beans drained and rinsed
3/4 cup hot cooked rice
1 medium mango (fresh optional)

Directions:

In large skillet cook sweet pepper, onion, garlic, sausage over medium-high heat for 5to 8 min, until sausage is brown, add beans, water, oregano and red sweet pepper.
Bring to boil, reduce heat cover and simmer 10 to 15 min.
To serve, spoon bean mixture over rice.
Top with fresh mango.

Health Benefits:
Low in saturated fat and high in fiber, potassium, antioxidants and vitamins. Choose turkey sausage to keep this meal low fat and you’ll love the taste. A heart healthy choice, black beans are delicious and nutritious. The rice provides the comfort food that keeps you coming back for more.

Learn The Five Big Secrets Of Motivation

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1. Don’t be a victim of your own past or proposed destiny. Don’t just assume that bad things always happen to you. When people get fixated on all of their problems, they neglect to notice all of the wonderful things that they have to be thankful for. You do have the power to change your life. That is the wonderful thing about circumstances that occur, although you rarely have a choice on what challenges come your way, you can make a difference in how they affect your life.

2. Stop condemning yourself and use all of that energy to solve problems. Finding solutions helps to set us free from our current condition. When we are unable to change a condition it can lead to desperation. If there is a problem to which there is not a viable solution at the time, move on to something that you can change. If you are feeling self-conscious about your weight before a big event and know logically you can’t magically transform into a slim svelte figure, focus on what you can change. Try a new hairstyle, a pretty dress, some knock out sexy shoes, or a fabulous bag. Sparkling jewelry is always a hit and can make you feel wonderful.

3. Choose your priorities and stick with them. Don’t let others dictate your life to you. If you don’t like the way your life is heading, then step up to the plate and make a stand. Abolish an unhealthy lifestyle, whether it’s your diet, your exercise, your financial, emotional or spiritual situation, make the changes necessary to ensure your life is healthy and happy.

4. Change anything about yourself, by changing the thoughts that go on in your mind. I’m not talking about just walking around in a cloud, believing you’ll lose weight while still sitting on the couch eating cookies and chips. I’m talking about making up your mind to make permanent, lifelong changes in your physical and mental condition. It won’t come without some hard work on your part, but you are capable of making major changes in your own life. When you take control, you free yourself from the bondage of uncertainty and hopelessness.

5. Begin saying affirmations aloud to yourself and change the negative self-talk that may have been going on for ages. Many people grow up in an environment of negativity. Sometimes this can be very hard to overcome, but it is possible to undo these messages of self-defeat. For 30 days straight, repeat these affirmations each morning. Below are a few samples depending on your circumstance.

• If you are dissatisfied with your job: I love my job because I have a paycheck that I can count on.

• When you harbor anger against your husband: I love my husband because he is always on my side.

• When you feel stressed about your children: My children are precious to me and I love them with all of my heart.

• When you feel as though all you have are problems: I am thankful for my ability to think things through and for all of the people who support me in my decisions.

• When you are dissatisfied with your body: I am thankful that I have my health both physically and mentally.