Enjoying a Healthy Diet

                Finding healthy foods that you actually enjoy eating is vital to living a healthy life. If every time you go to eat you dread it, it is unlikely that you will stick with a healthy diet. This is why it’s important to do several things in order to ensure your enjoyment of the food on your plate.

1. Explore different spices and toppings: A bowl of oatmeal without toppings is quite bland and utterly disgusting in my opinion, but add some cinnamon, peanut butter, fruit or any other form of topping and it can be delicious. Different seasonings or marinades with chicken can make the same thing taste completely different every time you try it. Experiment with Juice, Barbeque, vinegar, oils and other liquid marinades. Add seasonings or rubs you find at your local grocery stores. You will be surprised at how different something can taste with a little sprinkle of this or that.
2. Find healthy snacks for on the go that you actually enjoy: This can be daunting at first because so many bars or trail mixes are absolutely disgusting for some people but delectable for others. Don’t give up! Keep trying new things until you find something you love. I recommend Laura bars, string cheese, hummus (with carrots or banana chips), and Kind bars as healthy, delicious snacks for on the go.
3. Know what unhealthy foods you enjoy and try to find healthy alternatives: Though the healthier choices may never satisfy you in the same way junk can, they can get pretty darn close. Some common examples of this are swapping ice cream for frozen yogurt or fruit bars (ice pops), roasted nuts with chips, nectars and honey for syrup (I enjoy agave), healthy fat oils such as coconut oils for butter (maybe add some seasonings to the oil to make a breakfast spread), or Peanut butter or avocado instead of other morning spreads.
4. Don’t feel bad for treating yourself every once in a while: The trick to an extended healthy lifestyle is moderation. Maybe you want to live on a percentage basis, 85% healthy 15% naughty, maybe you want to have a cheat meal or 2 a week. You must find what works best for you in this situation. As long as you don’t go overboard, having treats here or there won’t hurt you.
5. Swap out all drinks for water or smoothies: Sodas and sugary teas contain ridiculous amounts of carbs and artificial colors, cut them out IMEDIATELY! If you crave something sweet, try a healthy smoothie, make sure that if you buy one out of the house that it’s not jam-packed with sugar. Homemade or natural juices with nothing artificial added can also be healthy as long as they are in moderation.

It is possible to eat healthy and to enjoy your foods, in fact it’s vital to a healthy life. Make sure to keep experimenting with foods and spices; if you have any advice please share it with me, I’m always looking for diet tips! Happy eating, and enjoy the journey!

Mental Health

                As important as physical health is it’s virtually impossible to live a truly healthy and happy life if you neglect your mental health. A lot of people don’t actually have a solid idea of what it means to be mentally healthy and I feel like this is a very important thing to be so let’s talk about it.

                Mental health, according to google is “a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being”, but once again, what exactly does this mean? In my opinion, mental health is any one person’s level of immunity to mental distress or mental illness, ability to keep themselves focused, ability to keep themselves optimistic, and even ability to keep themselves happy. Mental health affects physical health, mood, and personality in general, as well as may other aspects of life so it is very important to be aware of how your psyche functions so that you can recognize good and bad habits in order to keep your mental health in check.

Mental health can be affected by sleep levels, diet, exercise habits, and your perspective on how life affects you emotionally. Think about that for a second; your outlook on life affects your mental health. I used to believe that mental health determined your outlook on life, that it was a direct cause-effect relationship with no room to move, but recent studies have shown that if you change your mindset, your outlook on the world, your mental health becomes better.

Moral of the story, mental health is important, do not neglect it or you could suffer some serious physical and mental conditions alike. Try and keep healthy exercise and diet habits as well as an optimistic outlook on life to keep your mental health in check. Good luck, and enjoy your journey!

Soreness

Two days ago I had an awesome workout! I pushed myself to my limits and lifted heavy… to the point that my legs barely passed as functional the next day. Soreness is something that I take as a sign that I got in a good workout and if the soreness only lasts 24-48 hours that is exactly what the soreness is signaling. If the soreness lasts more than 2 days, and you’ve been working out regularly for a month or so, your body is very likely telling you that you have an injury and you need to take a break; you should ice, massage and see a doctor if the pain persists. Though soreness could be illustrative of a larger issue most of the time a little pain is just your muscles getting stronger. After all, building strength is quite literally a process in which you work yourself to the point of tearing your muscles just to regrow them stronger so obviously, a little pain does actually mean gain. If the pain is annoying or interfering in your life there are a few tips and tricks for reducing soreness if you’re not a freak like me who actually enjoys the pain: Icing is a great way to reduce swelling but a lesser known solution is BCAA (branched-chain amino acids).

                BCAAs are a great way to increase performance, decrease soreness and build muscle because taking them after or during a workout fuels your muscles and helps them operate at their highest level. Think about your muscles like an engine, food is your fuel and supplements like BCAAs are your oil changes, your light performance and your tire performance; your car could operate without peak condition elements, but with them it operates at an even greater level. I highly suggest drinking a scoop or two of BCAAs during or after workouts, you’ll work and even feel better for it. Stay safe and enjoy your journey!

 

Other methods to reduce soreness:

• Stretch regularly- this could break up knots which contribute to soreness
• Dynamic stretching is better after a quick warm up
• Eat protein rich foods 30 minutes after a workout
• Foam roll/massage your legs (then ice)
• Make sure to warm up and cool down during workouts

 

Different needs and Habits

 

The most important needs of my health may be very different from yours  and yours may be different from a friend’s because we are all actually very different, physically and psychologically. I require a very different diet from say a swimmer or a ballerina because my main goals are different. I lift and the most important goal to me is to get stronger- that goal requires a high protein and carb intake. Because of this, my diet will probably consist of more meat, vegetables and grains than someone who really dislikes the meat industry due of animal cruelty; their health goal may be a mental one that requires particularity in their diets to cut out meat in order to resist something they view as evil. My point is you as a person must identify the things you view as important in your health and prioritize them. You must ask yourself questions: Is stress a big problem in my life? Am I happy with my physical capabilities? My appearance? My work ethic? What do I need to do to change the things I dislike in my life? Well as Aristotle once said: "We are what we repeatedly do, excellence therefore, is not an act, but a habit". I suggest making a list of ten habits you would like to start or maybe to end. Maybe you're a nail-biter like me because of stress in your life, maybe you want to drink 8 cups of water a day, and maybe you want to start making your bed every morning. Post this list somewhere you go every morning- maybe your bathroom mirror- so that you see them in the beginning of your day. Habit tracking apps are also very helpful when trying to change practices in your life- my favorite is Habitica, it's free on the app store; I highly recommend. The first step on a journey to self-betterment must be establishing goals and the second is making a small effort to hit these goals- but not with 100% accuracy. Be easy on yourself, if you are 10% better this week than you were last week that is a success, therefore you must set small checkpoints and have a loose plan. Good luck and let me know what you think of this and some habits you'd like to break/ start. Enjoy the journey! 

 

 

Ideas for Habit goals:

• call your family once a month
• organize something everyday
• make sure to include 30 minutes of relax time in your day
• workout 3 times a week
• study 30 minutes a day
• watch 10 minutes less of TV a week
• write 5-10 sentences about how you feel after every day
• read for 20 minutes a day
• eat whole foods for breakfast every morning
• pack lunch instead of spending money at work/school
• do something that makes you genuinely happy everyday 
• do a nice thing for someone else everyday (this can be as small as a compliment)
• take a walk every morning
• buy more whole foods and less processed food

Why Breaks Are So Important

Tuesday I took a ski trip to Hunter Mountain with a few friends and it was amazing! I returned home feeling exhausted but still ridiculously overjoyed; the scenery was beautiful, the air the cleanest and clearest I’ve ever breathed, the skiing exhilarating and challenging. Needless to say it was an experience I will not soon forget and that I hope to have again in the future. The whole trip was revitalizing to me and I woke up the next day with a new sense of optimism, though I had been dreading the next few weeks just days before. This led me to start thinking about how much breaks from the daily struggle can really pay off in the long run; life is so very stressful now-a-days and the constant tension in our everyday environment starts to take a toll on even the happiest, most optimistic people which is why the occasional change or relaxation is so important and effective. Having something to look forward to can push a person to do even better in the present and actually doing something one enjoys can exponentially increase one’s quality of life. This break can be anything from a quick cheat on a diet to a month long vacation cruise in the Caribbean. In any case, “travel is a great way to escape the stresses and commitments of everyday life”( https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-travel-can-benefit-our-mental-health/). So do yourself a favor and plan a get-a-way, spa day, cheat meal or anything else that you like and just appreciate it, you’ll thank yourself. Relax and enjoy the journey!

Habits and the Power of Repetition

The most important needs of my health may be very different from yours or someone you love because we are all actually very different. I require a very different diet from say a swimmer or a ballerina because my main goals are different. I lift and the most important goal to me is too be strong- that goal requires high protein and high carbs. Because of this my diet will probably consist of more meat, vegetables and grains that someone who really dislikes the meat industry because of animal cruelty; their health goal may be a mental one that requires particularity in their diets to cut out meat in order to resist something they view as evil. My point is you as a person must identify the things you view as important in your health and prioritize them. You must ask yourself questions: Is stress a big problem in my life? Am I happy with my physical capabilities? My appearance? My work ethic? What do I need to do to change the things I dislike in my life. Well an Aristotle once said: "We are what we repeatedly do. excellence therefore, is not an act, but a habit". I suggest making a list of ten habits you would like to start or maybe to end. Maybe you're a nail-biter like me because of stress in your life, maybe you want to drink 8 cups of water a day, maybe you want to start making your bed every morning. Post this list somewhere you go every morning- maybe your bathroom mirror- so that you see them in the beginning of your day. Habit tracking apps are also very helpful when trying to change practices in your life- my favorite is Habitica, it's free on the appstore; I highly recommend. The first step on a journey to self-betterment must be establishing goals and the second is making a small effort to hit these goals- but not with 100% accuracy. Be easy on yourself, if you are 10% better this week than you were last week, that is a success, therefore you must set small checkpoints and have a loose plan. Good luck and let me know what you think of this and some habits you'd like to break/ start. 

Ideas for Habit goals:

• call your family once a month
• organize something everyday
• make sure to include 30 minutes of relax time in your day
• workout 3 times a week
• study 30 minutes a day
• watch 10 minutes less of TV a week
• write 5-10 sentences about how you feel after every day
• read for 20 minutes a day
• eat whole foods for breakfast every morning
• pack lunch instead of spending money at work/school
• do something that makes you genuinely happy everyday 
• do a nice thing for someone else everyday (this can be as small as a compliment)
• take a walk every morning
• buy more whole foods and less processed food

Hello and welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Danielle Ferreira and for the past 18 months I’ve been on a fitness journey. I’ve tried countless different sports, apps, motivation techniques, and diets and I’ve fallen and failed but I keep coming back; during this experience I’ve discovered how difficult the trials can be and how amazing the victories. I’ve learned that physical health is no more important than mental and that there is no one set path one must take to achieve success, but I think, most importantly, I learned that you can never get anywhere without support, be it from a celebrity, a friend, a family member or even -hopefully- my blog. My hope is to create a community of people striving for success and supporting others on the way, a place for discussion, tips, recipe sharing and anything else you may need along your journey- be it mental or physical. Send me suggestions or requests on the content you would like produced and please feel free to comment; I wish you all luck on your journey and I hope you will include me in it.