Three Healthy Habits for a Healthier You!

1) Create a nutritious habit!  At breakfast we nearly always enjoy a bowl of berries with just a table spoon each of yogurt and cottage cheese topped with three tablespoons of hempseed is an excellent way to get over 20g of protein, loads of healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, lots of anti-oxidants and even some probiotics.  You could make a similar bowl with oatmeal in place of the yogurt and cottage cheese.  Find your nutrition start whether it be avocado toast, bagel with lox, buckwheat/millet porridge etc… The ultimate goal is to kick start your day with immune boosting vitamins, heart healthy omega 3’s and muscle building / metabolism enhancing protein.

2) Make a movement habit!  Think upward facing dog.   I’m sure you’ve noticed the dramatic upward facing dog pose when your canine friend awakes from a curled-up slumber.  The upward facing dog essentially opposes the curled-up position of sleep.  When I stand up from the seated position I’m in while writing this newsletter, I will reach my hands to the ceiling to open up my chest, shoulders and tummy which were all hunched up while typing.  Then I’m going to do big lunge step and slide my hips forward to stretch out my psoas (hip-flexor) muscle that was shortened while sitting.  Finally I will bend at my hip and reach towards my toes with a neutral spine to stretch out my hamstrings.

3) Exercise habitually!  Include 20-30 minutes or more of exercise in your day.  Mix it up between aerobic exercise and strength training.  My typical week includes 3-4 days of running, three strength sessions and a couple days of biking or hiking.  When I average out my exercise volume for the week I get about 30-60 minutes a day.