Sleep is one of the most important assets to our health. It's when our bodies and minds rebuild to be ready for the next day. Even with proper nutrition and a solid exercise routine, progress will be slow and uncomfortable if you don't give your body sufficient time to recover. This is one of the reasons why people can fall off a program if they feel they're doing everything right.

Taking a look at quality and amount of sleep is a good idea for anyone wanting to feel and look better. When doing so, take into account the levels of sugar and alcohol in your diet, as well as the timing of when you have them. They both can have a detrimental effect on your sleep. Here's how!

First, sugar. As you probably know, sugar causes an increase in energy. This is because, when consumed, insulin is used by the body to break down sugar and transition it to a short-term energy supply. With a diet high in sugar these short-term bursts in available energy stores cause blood sugar level to zigzag...

Everybody wants to know the secret to success, that one pill or strategy that will magically change them into that fit, healthy individual they've always wanted to be. Here's the real secret: those things don't exist.

In an age of instant gratification, it's easy to want success immediately. However, if you want lasting success the only way you'll reach it is to do the right things and be patient. 

Fitness changes don't happen overnight. They accumulate over long periods of time and because of that, sometimes results don't happen when we think they should. This is what's called the plateau of latent potential. As you can see in the graph, This is one major reason most people quit after a month or two. They know they're doing the right things but don't see it on the surface, so they get discouraged (valley of disappointment). Real success happens after longer than 6-8 weeks, and it's also different for everybody. Two people doing the same exact things will most likely...

With the weather dropping and Thanksgiving right around the corner, comfort foods like soups start to become more common meals.
For a healthy, delicious recipe, try this butternut squash soup with chicken sausage!
Courtesy of Food Network Magazine
Level: Easy
Total: 40 min
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive
oil
12 ounces cooked chicken-apple sausage,
cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (1
small to medium squash)
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh sage or parsley leaves
Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a
large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the sausage and cook, stirring
occasionally, until browned, about 4
minutes. Transfer to a bowl using a
slotted spoon. Add the squash,
carrots, celery, onion, chicken broth, 2
1/2 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt
to the pot. Cover and bring to a
...

Wrists are the stabilizers of the arms, important for most every upper body movement we do. So when the wrists are weak or have chronic pain, it can be very difficult to do many tasks.
Try these exercises to strenghten your wrists and improve your quality of life!

Want to live longer and maintain a good quality of life?
Exercise!
Studies have shown consistent exercise (150-300min/week) decreases risk of death by any cause by 22% compared to the norm. This number improves, up to 31% lower risk of death, with increased levels of exercise.

Parent's dietary habits don't only affect their health, but the health of their children as well. "Various studies found a great influence of parental dietary habits on dietary behaviors of their children regardless of demographic characteristics such as gender, age, socioeconomic status and country." Habits are created in around 30-60 days (depending on what the habit is), so in 18 years living as a dependent of parents can create and solidify any number of habits. Children also tend to follow and mirror their parents, so it would make sense that they also mirror their dietary habits. If you want to give your children the best chance at living a healthy lifestyle full of nutritious food and good dietary choices, these steps are a great start to help you create an environment in your household that promotes those habits. 

"Try this new pill and you'll shed the weight almost instantly!"

This new challenge will make you drop 30lbs in 30 days!"

Sound familiar?

Fad diets, "heatlh gurus", and crazy program challenges are everywhere in the fitness world these days. While they differ in their approach, they all have on thing in common: they promise a shortcut to that healthy life you've always wanted. While this may sound tempting, these "shortcuts" are actually making your road to success much, much longer.

Take the fad diets and "30lbs in 30 days" challenges for example. These are both extreme methods of losing weight. While I don't doubt that you may lose a ton of weight in a short time with them, it's not sustainable. Can you eat under 800 calories/day the rest of your life, or exercise twice a day forever? It's just not realistic. The most likely outcome of one of these options is that you do really, really well for a month or two, don't feel great, stop doing it, and then end up losing all your...

"Mind over matter" may be a saying that's overused, but that doesn't mean it isn't true.

We've seen it time and time again, our bodies are capable of much more than we believe. When you're getting to your last few reps in an exercise and feel like you can't move your arms, just try! I'd be willing to bet that if you really give it your best effort, you can get another rep or two. 

Similarly, even if you're doing everything right exercise-wise but have poor nutritional habits, you probably won't do as well as you want. For example if you want to quit sugar, you're probably going to struggle right away. Your body won't feel great, because you're depriving it of something it has become accustomed to using for energy. You'll feel slow, sluggish, maybe some headaches, and you'll definitely have a lot of cravings. But, if you make it throught that initial rough patch staying mentally strong and avoiding that sugar, you'll come out far stronger. Your body will be fine, it can adjust...

Ingredients
Ingredients scaled to: 1 serving
3/16 cup, sliced Onions (Diced) (19.2 grams)
1 1/3 oz Ground turkey (38 grams)
3 1/3 tbsp Chicken broth (50 grams)
2 2/3 tbsp Brown rice (10-minute rice) (30.8 grams)
2 2/3 tbsp Pace, Picante Sauce (1 cup) (42.7 grams)
3/16 cup, chopped or sliced Tomatoes (Diced) (37.5 grams)
1/3 tsp Dry taco seasoning mix (0.29 grams)
1/8 cup Corn (17.4 grams)
5/16 cup Canned black beans (75.8 grams)
1/16 tsp Salt (Or sea) (0.25 grams)
1/16 tsp Pepper (0.087 grams)
2/3 oz Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese (18.9 grams)
2/3 tbsp chopped Chives (2 grams)
Directions
Directions are based on the original recipe of 6 servings
1. Over medium heat, in a skillet, cook the onion and ground turkey, until turkey is no longer pink. Drain
off any fat, then push the turkey to one side of the skillet. Add the rice and toast for about 1 minute.
2. Add the broth, rice, 1 cup salsa, 1 cup diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, corn, and the beans. Bring to a
boil then lower the heat and simmer for about...

What does "later" mean?
Sometimes it means the same day. Sometimes it means next week. Sometimes, we look up and "later" has become years.

2 things to always make sure to ask yourself if you're going to put something off until later. 

1. Why can't you do it now? Sometimes, things are unavoidable and we have to move our exercise to accomodate that. However, catching the latest episode of your favorite show is not one of those. Neither is "not feeling like it". Odds are, if you don't want to exercise when you have the time, you'll rarely find a time that you do want to. Sometimes it can be incredibly difficult, but just getting out of the chair and getting the work done is a huge accomplishment. You don't have to do your hardest workout ever or set a new personal record, but as the common saying goes, "showing up is half the battle". Take the time to get the workout in, and you'll be proud of yourself, your mood will improve, you'll physically feel great, and it will lead to more...