Live Healthy America- Gardening!

Today in my Live Healthy America class our lesson was on gardening! Every student said this was their favorite lesson so far this year! We learned that it is a good option to grow your own garden because it is inexpensive, easily accessible and organic!  This way you can get fresh fruits and veggies right from your yard or community garden plot and not have to buy fruits and veggies that have been on a truck for thousands of miles with chemicals and additives on them.  We learned about the different types of gardens which include a raised bed, square foot, or container garden.  There are also community gardens and backyard gardens.  Community gardens are ideal for people who have little land on their property, or live in an apartment or condo. 

The recipe that we made was a Tofu Ranch dressing.  We cut up cucumbers, carrots, peppers, and beets to put on our salad along with the dressing.  All of the students loved how colorful their salads looked and thought it had an amazing taste! Here is the recipe below.

Top 10 Fitness Tips

Looking to shape up and slim down? Good health and well-being are achieveable with a plan.  Read my top 10 fitness tips and start your plan on the road to being healthy!

1.  Set Goals: Goals should be SMART goals.  SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.  Answer these quetions to create your SMART goal:
     - What do you want to get out of your exercise routine?
     - What is the best way to measure your progress?
     - Do you have an attitude geared towards success?
     - Is your goal something you believe is possible?
     - When would you like to accomplish your goal?

2.  Track Progress:  Plan each workout and record your results each week.  It may also be helpful to record the exercises performed, repititions and how you felt before and after you exercised.

3.  Add Variety: You need a variety of veggies and fruit in your diet, and the same goes for exercise.  Set specific days for different muscle groups and change intensity.

4.  Get Moving:  Cardio excercise improves heart health, reduces stress, improves sleep, increases energy, and is great for weight management.  Aim for 20 to 25 minutes of cardio most days of the week.

5.  Strength Train:  Use free weights, weight machines or your own body weight.  This will build muscle, increase bone density and burn calories and fat.

6.  Warm up/ Cool down:  Warm-ups are designed to increase body temperature and heart rate, and to prepare the body for injury free movement.  Cool downs help stretch the body to increase flexibility and decrease muscle soreness. 

7.  Rest and Recover:  Try and get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.  Sleep gives you calorie- free energy.

8.  Have Fun:  Exercise with a buddy.  Choose fun activities like biking, hiking or dancing!

9.  Eat Healthy: In your diet be sure to include fruit, veggies, whole grains, lowfat or fat-free dairy, lean proteins and healthy fats.  This will keep energy steady through the day and will help to prevent overeating. 

10.  Stay Hydrated:  Water regulares body temperature, lubricates joints, and transports nutrients and waste throughout the body.  For intense exercise lasting more than 60 minutes, include an electrolyte replacement such as vitamin water or coconut water. 


some things referenced from healthy living naturally

10 Quick Trail Mixes!

Since there is no Live Healthy America class this week for my students because of my spring break, I figured I would share these healthy trail mix recipes with you!  Making these are great for children's lunches and a good snack if you are on the run!  My favorite is the cheese 'n apples recipe! Try these and find out which is your favorite!

Credit: Easy Meals Healthy Families