Hi, I am Dollie Gary, from Rochelle Park. I am a housewife as well as a nutrition specialist by profession. I love to spend free time reading articles about health and fitness.
Recipe by Leandra Rouse | Photo by Samantha Emmons
This recipe is genius in the sense that it takes a commonly wasted leftover, in this case rice, and turns it into a delicious and extremely simple breakfast. Eat them together for a fun family breakfast, or store them in the fridge for easy snacking on the go. A classic pancake flavor profile goes great here—cinnamon, raisin, maple syrup. But once you feel comfortable with the recipe, you can begin to explore other dried fruits, spices, and toppings. We even love a savory twist, mixed with green onions, kimchi, and topped with a fried egg.
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups day-old rice, brown or white
3 large eggs, beaten
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup raisins
1 tablespoon canola oil
For serving
Low-fat plain Greek yogurt
Maple syrup (optional)
Butter (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a bowl, mix the day-old rice with eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and raisins. Mix well and be sure to to break up any clumps of rice and until the egg is evenly distributed and the texture is a lumpy batter.
Heat the canola oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, spoon approximately a quarter cup scoop of rice batter into round pancake shapes on the hot pan. Press them down slightly with a spatula for even thickness. Cook until the first side is golden brown, approximately 4 minutes, and then flip and repeat on the other side.
Set the cooked pancakes aside in a barely warmed oven while you cook all of the batter. Once ready to serve, put 2 to 3 rice pancakes on each plate, top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a little butter, if using.
Leftover life will never be the same.
Makes 12 medium pancakes. Serving size: 3 pancakes.
Two vital processes take place that we barely think about: breathing and heartbeat. For the longest time, medical science kept the two apart. During a routine physical a doctor checked on signs that the heart and lungs sounded healthy through his stethoscope, but that was the sum of it unless something went wrong.
Yet there was a hidden connection that was only recently discovered, and it turns out to be quite important. The kind of irregular, ragged breathing that occurs in stressful situations is directly connected to the rapid, staccato heartbeat that is also typical of stress. If you have one, you are very likely to have the other.
This matters a lot if you want to protect yourself from stress, especially the chronic, low-level stress that is common in modern life. Just below your level of awareness, your heart, and indeed your whole body, is reacting to pressures at work, excessive noise, lack of good sleep, and too little time for relaxation. Because mind and body work as one, low-level stress can lead to physical and psychological symptoms over time, opening the way for lifestyle disorders if the situation isn’t reversed.
This is where a breakthrough in self-care took place in the last decade. It is known as vagal breathing, named after the vagus nerve, one of the ten major nerves running from the brain to the rest of the body. The vagus nerve is a wanderer, making its way to many parts of the thorax, including the heart, lungs, and digestive system. The functions it controls stay beneath your normal awareness because that’s the nature of the involuntary nervous system, to keep things going while you put your mind elsewhere.
Yet the body isn’t robotic, and as everyone knows, you can voluntarily take over your breath anytime you want. But it wasn’t common knowledge that you can use breath to affect the heart. Only in the East, particularly in yoga practice, was the vital connection between breathing and the whole body an important insight.
The West is still just catching up, but thanks to the vagus nerve, you can breathe your way to a normalized heartbeat. In other words, you are using your breath to tell your heart that everything is relaxed and unstressed.
The method is quite simple: the key is to exhale more slowly than you inhale.
Sit upright with your attention on your lower ribs and belly.
Comfortably inhale until your belly feels full.
Hold for a count of four.
Slowly exhale until your belly feels empty and relaxed.
Repeat for 5 minutes, making sure that you breathe comfortably without forcing.
(In a simple variant, you can breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth.)
This is actually a mind-body exercise, because vagal breathing stimulates the brain’s relaxation response, affecting how you think, feel, and perceive the world. The element of mindfulness enters by noticing when you feel stressed during the day and immediately taking a short time out to practice vagal breathing. The immediate effect on your heart is to take it out of a stressed drumbeat rhythm into a more flexible, varied rhythm, which is the sign of a healthy heartbeat.
In medical terminology, you are restoring heart rate variability (HRV), which turns out to be one of the most important ways to care for your personal well-being. It is becoming clear that everyone concerned with self-care should pay attention to vagal breathing as part of their normal daily routine.
As a remedy for a chronic stress response, vagal breathing retrains your nervous system to recognize what is normal. In these stressful times everyone’s nervous system bears an extra burden of overload, but rest assured, the mind-body system always wants to return to a balanced state in all situations. There’s much more to say about stress, but this is a good start for everyone, no matter what your stress level happens to be right now.
Want more from Deepak? Check outDeepak Chopra’s Mindful Method for Fitbit, an exclusive new wellness collection featuring content across mindfulness, sleep, stress management, mental wellness, and the mind-body connection, available to Fitbit Premium members. Not available in all markets where Premium is available; and available in English only.
One of the hottest up-and-coming winter sports is not only more beginner-friendly than skiing or snowboarding, but it’s also an excellent workout. And it allows you to easily stay socially distanced, even if you go in a group.
We’re talking about snowshoeing. According to news reports, snowshoe sales increased 250 percent from August through October. At first glance, snowshoeing may not seem like that big of a deal. And while it’s not backcountry skiing, it’s no walk in the park. Working at a moderate effort, snowshoeing burns 360 calories per hour for a 150-pound person. If that same person works at a vigorous level, they burn 680 calories. That’s comparable to downhill skiing at the same efforts.
Plus, snowshoeing technology these days means that rather than using heavy, burdensome shoes that resemble big wooden tennis rackets, you’re more likely to use ones made from lightweight aluminum, plastic, or even EVA foam. This means you can make your snowshoe workout as hard or as easy as you’d like, says Erik Skarvan, owner and instructor at Sun Dog Athletics, an adventure sports school in Aspen.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Why Snowshoeing Is a Great Workout
Snowshoeing is a low-impact cardio activity. Naturally, it works your lower body as you lift those one-pound (or heavier) shoes with each step. And if you use poles (read more below on why you should), you also engage your upper-body muscles. With or without poles, you’ll use your core the entire time and call upon smaller stabilizing muscles in order to help you maintain your balance on the uneven surface of the snow.
As the incline or the depth of the snow increases, so too does the amount of effort you have to put in. “I call it the great outdoor stair master,” says Skarvan, because snowshoeing can be such a lower-body toner. A three-mile snowshoe hike is comparable to a regular six-mile hike because it’s twice the exertion level, he adds.
Lastly, you get the stress-busting benefits of being in nature—and to a greater degree than taking a run in the park because you rarely see others, says Skarvan, who has 35 years of local snowshoeing and racing experience.
Snowshoeing Tips
Although anyone who can walk can snowshoe, it helps to have some form tips to guide you.
Use poles. “Poles are crucial when snowshoeing because of the uneven surface. They help you keep yourself balanced,” says Sean Kristl, an expert voice in the backcountry world with Alpenglow Expeditions, which offers avalanche training and backcountry education in addition to giving guided tours around North Lake Tahoe, including those via snowshoe. They also help you push yourself up inclines.
Choose adjustable poles. That way you can lengthen them in deeper snow or going downhill, shorten them for going uphill, and have each pole the best length if you’re on a sidehill (where one side of your body is higher than the other). “Using them is like hiking or skiing with poles,” Kristl says. “As you naturally move, your body will figure out the cadence.”
Get sized. A guide can help you choose the right size snowshoes based on your weight (heavier people need more surface area than smaller people), how much gear you’re carrying (which adds more weight), and the conditions you’ll be in.
Bigger shoes weigh more than smaller ones, so if you’re expecting a lot of inclines, you may want smaller snowshoes. “Every pound on your foot is similar to five pounds in a backpack,” Kristl says. Women’s snowshoes also tend to be narrower than men’s.
Adjust your stride. When you’re out there, if you’re on packed snow, just take a normal stride, Skarvan says. You may have to spread your feet wider, though, depending on how big your shoes are.
Once you get past more than one inch of powder, “lead with the tail of the shoe, keeping the tips up higher,” he advises. (Picture an aircraft landing—the rear of the plane hits the ground before the front does.) “If you bury the tips, you could face-plant,” Skarvan explains.
Kristl recommends taking shorter, choppy strides rather than long, gliding steps, especially on inclines. “It helps maintain balance and demands less from your musculature, so you’re saving energy,” he says.
Be prepared for the weather. Wear layers and pack thicker layers in your backpack, as the temperature in the backcountry can swing 20 to 30 degrees, according to Skarvan.
Add in your body temperature changes as you work up a sweat climbing uphill and then cool off when you stop to rest or descend or the wind picks up, and you can see why it’s key to be able to add or take off pieces of clothing. And don’t forget sunscreen and sunglasses.
Pace yourself. If you would normally hike five miles in the summer, Kristl recommends starting with about a one- to two-mile snowshoeing trek because it’s that much harder.
Also, think about snowshoeing like any workout, Skarvan says: You have to warm up first. “If you go too hard, you will be toast in half an hour,” he adds.
Consider going with a guide. “Guides can help you pick the best trail for you,” Skarvan says. They also are aware of avalanche dangers, will set a reasonable pace so you don’t burn out too quickly, and can help you learn more in less time. “If you spend two to three hours with a professional guide, you will get two to three years ahead of where you would using trial and error or tips from friends on your own,” Skarvan says.
How to Get a Workout From Snowshoeing
You could strap on snowshoes and take a gentle walk on flat terrain. That’s great to get used to wearing snowshoes. But you want a workout, right?
It’s easy to crank up the intensity with snowshoeing. “Adding in rolling hills is a great way to start,” Kristl says. Once those feel good, you can consider:
Adding inclines. As with most activities, going uphill is harder than staying flat.
Breaking your own trail. “It’s the fresh snow where everything changes,” Kristl says. It’s a much harder workout compared to “riding on top” of a base layer of compact snow.
For active first-time moms-to-be, one of the first of a long list of questions is: Can I still work out? The short answer is yes. For the most part, with approval from a healthcare provider, a woman can continue doing her normal routine, modifying according to her comfort, energy levels, and growing belly. This movement can help decrease discomfort during pregnancy, ease delivery, and boost mood, says Aimee Nicotera, an ACSM-certified exercise physiologist and AFAA- and ACE-certified group fitness instructor.
If you’re not sure where to start, try this home workout from certified trainer Anna Victoria. “This is a great workout for the first trimester because it is a low-impact workout you can do from anywhere,” she says. “It focuses on total-body strengthening, including the posterior chain, which is essential in order to counteract a growing belly in pregnancy.” The workout consists of four supersets—exercises performed back to back—which you repeat three times each. Listen to your body and if anything doesn’t feel right, take a break.
First Trimester Total-Body Workout
Superset 1: Lower Body
Move 1: Bodyweight Good Morning. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Inhale as you hinge at the hips (imagine you’re pointing your glutes to the wall behind you) and keep your core tight and back flat as you lower your torso to be parallel with the ground. Do not lower your torso below parallel. Exhale as you return to the starting position by pushing through your feet and engaging your glutes and hamstrings. Lead with extending your hips instead of simply lifting your upper body, and keep your core tight. Do 15 reps.
Move 2: Bodyweight Squat. Keeping your core tight and your knees in line with toes, squat down as you inhale. As you do, push your knees out while keeping them in line with your ankles to prevent your knees from collapsing in. To stand from the squat, exhale as you push through your heels and squeeze your glutes while preventing your knees from caving in. Do 15 reps.
Repeat this superset three times total, resting 30 seconds to 1 minute between supersets.
Superset 2: Lower Body
Move 1: Stationary Lunge. Stand with feet staggered one in front of the other. Keeping your core tight, inhale as you lower into a lunge, dropping your back knee to right above the ground. Don’t let your front knee cave in and keep your front knee in line with your toes. Exhale back to the starting position. Do 8 reps on each side.
Move 2: Stationary Lunge Pulse. Stand with feet staggered one in front of the other. Keeping your core tight, inhale as you lower into a lunge, dropping your back knee to right above the ground. Don’t let your front knee cave in and keep your front knee in line with your toes. In this position, pulse up and down 10 times as you breathe. Return to standing and repeat on the opposite side.
Repeat this superset three times total, resting 30 seconds to 1 minute between supersets.
Superset 3: Upper Body
Move 1: Knee Push-Up. Come to kneel on your knees. Walk your hands out until your body is in a straight line from head to knees and your hands are slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your core engaged and back straight, inhale as you lower your upper body toward the floor. Go as low as you can, then exhale to push back up to the starting position. Do 5 reps.
Move 2: Modified Jumping Jack. Stand with one foot out to the side and arms above your head. Bring both feet together and arms down to your sides in a slight squat. As you return to standing, bring your opposite foot out and your arms back above your head. Do 10 total reps, breathing continuously throughout the movement.
Repeat this superset three times total, resting 30 seconds to 1 minute between supersets.
Superset 4: Upper Body
Move 1: Incline Commando. Place hands on a raised platform (such as a bench or the edge of a couch) and walk feet out until your body is in a straight line and your core is engaged. Lower your arms one at a time into a forearm plank position. Then return one hand at a time back to high plank. Keep your torso as stable as possible throughout. (Placing your feet in a widened stance will help with this core and torso stability.) Do 8 reps, breathing continuously throughout the movement.
Move 2: Modified Incline Burpee. Stand in front of a platform (such as a bench or the edge of a couch). Squat down and place your hands on the platform, then step back one foot at a time so your body is in a plank position, straight line from head to heels. One at a time, bring each foot immediately forward so you are back in a squat. Return to standing. Do 10 reps, breathing continuously throughout the move and moving as fluidly as you can.
Repeat this superset three times total, resting 30 seconds to 1 minute between supersets.
Recipe by Leandra Rouse | Photo by Samantha Emmons
Edamame, or immature soybeans, bring sophistication to a classic dip. Their subtle fresh flavor pops against the aromatics of the ginger and mint. Plus, they’re an excellent source of plant protein, antioxidants, and vitamin K. So, take this recipe to your next spring picnic or try it smeared on a veggie-packed sandwich.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups (11 oz/320 g) shelled edamame (hot or warm)
1 clove garlic
1-inch piece fresh ginger, skinned and finely chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
Juice of ½ medium lemon
½ cup safflower oil
½ cup water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add the warm edamame beans, garlic, ginger, mint, and lemon juice to a food processor. Blend until just combined maintaining a chunky consistency. In a separate bowl, mix together the safflower oil and water. Slowly add the oil and water mixture into the food processor while blending on a slow speed until combined.
If a smoother consistency is preferred, add an additional tablespoon of warm water and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve alongside rice crackers and sliced veggies, or smeared onto a sandwich.
Mindfulness, or the practice of intentional awareness of the present moment, has been proven, again and again, to hold a host of benefits for both mind and body, from reduced anxiety to improved sleep quality and heart health. And when it comes to the mind-body connection, there’s no one more knowledgeable than the pioneer of integrative medicine, Deepak Chopra. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce Deepak Chopra’s Mindful Method for Fitbit, our new partnership with the world-renowned well-being expert and founder of the Chopra Foundation, exclusively for Fitbit Premium members.
It’s an exclusive wellness collection—created and curated for Fitbit, and led by Deepak Chopra—featuring content across mindfulness, sleep, stress management, mental wellness, and the mind-body connection. Mindful Method will be available to Fitbit Premium¹ members beginning February 23, with fresh content being added regularly over the coming months.
So what can you expect from the series? Keep reading to find out.
Deepak Chopra’s Mindful Method for Fitbit
Mindful Method will launch with a collection of ten sessions, including guided meditations, sessions to prepare for restful sleep, and techniques to help you cultivate a sense of happiness and optimism whenever you need.
Sessions to look forward to:
Bring Harmony & Peace to Your Day
Resting in Awareness
Mindful Centering for Stressful Days
Fall Asleep with Deepak Chopra’s Guided Beach Visualization
Prepare for Sleep with Progressive Relaxation
Cultivate Happiness & Positivity
Cultivate an Abundance Mindset
How to Let Go
Mindful Breathing
Managing Stress at All Times
Additional new and exclusive sessions will roll out on Premium over the coming months, with new content added every couple of weeks through the beginning of June. These sessions will focus on mindfulness for total well-being, incorporating mindfulness throughout your day, and using it as a tool to find awareness, manage stress and emotions, and build concentration.
These will include:
Mindfulness for Total Well-Being: A four-part series focused on the benefits of meditation for Deepak’s four pillars of well-being—mind, body, emotions, and spirit
A Day with Deepak Chopra: Four guided meditation sessions that can easily be integrated throughout the day. Topics include a morning meditation, to set the tone of the day; managing stress at work or at home; resetting your bad mood, no matter where you are; and preparation for restful sleep
Four single sessions focused on the power of mindful awareness for various situations. These include Mindful Awareness Cultivated through the 5 Senses, Mindfulness of Thought to Decrease Stress, Mindfulness of Emotions to Manage Stress, and Mindful Focus to Build Concentration
What’s different about Mindful Method on Fitbit Premium?
In today’s world, we’re more stressed than ever—and we have good reason to be. But we’re also often told that we need to “take control” of our stress. What does that mean, exactly, and how can we do that? “You can definitely take control of your stress,” Deepak shares. “I think if somebody says to me that they don’t have time for meditation even once a day, that tells me that they need it twice a day. And stress is defined as the perception of physical, emotional, or psychological threat.”
“So right now there are many reasons we stress—the pandemic, the financial crisis, there is all this ideological conflict, so if somebody is not stressed they’re lying,” he continues. “And they’re probably more stressed than everybody else. So everyone right now needs help in real-time and we can offer people the tools they need.”
In more than 40 countries worldwide, Fitbit Premium helps you move more, manage stress, sleep better, and eat well with guided programs, advanced analytics, personal insights, and a 30-day view of your important health metrics. Plus, there are hundreds of workouts, motivating games, challenges, and more—and they’re all in one place to help you achieve your goals.²
“Mindfulness can start with simple, everyday actions. My Premium content will offer guided meditation and techniques that focus on the four pillars of wellbeing: mind, body, emotions, and spirit,” says Deepak. “My content draws inspiration from my own mindfulness techniques, which will help encourage you to evaluate and analyze your own state by answering the same questions and following the same thought process that I ask myself daily: Who am I? What do I want? What’s my purpose? What am I grateful for?”
He continues, “Mindful Method simplifies these practices to help you build a more conscious mindfulness practice and implement it into your daily lives and activities in a way that works best for you.”
Together, Deepak Chopra and Fitbit are offering even more guidance and support to help you manage stress and bring mindfulness to your day as an important part of your overall health and well-being, at a time when that is more important than ever.
His deep expertise in mindfulness, combined with our shared belief in the meaningful impact that mindfulness can have on our overall health and wellbeing, make our partnership a natural fit—and we can’t wait to share. Calm your nerves, create clarity in stressful times, cultivate positivity, and uncover your best you by discovering Deepak Chopra’s Mindful Method for Fitbit.
¹ Not available in all markets where Premium is available and available in English only. Free 90-day trial is available to new and returning Premium members only. Must activate trial within 60-days of device activation (requires valid payment method). Cancel before end of trial to avoid recurring fees. Content and features may change. See here for more details. Ts&Cs apply.
² Content and features may vary and subject to change.
Though some may be hit harder than others by the winter blues, many of us still experience the seasons slump to some degree. So now that we’re in the thick of the season, you may want to consider a mental and emotional well-being check. Ask yourself—how do I feel? Am I experiencing extra stress or feeling lethargic? Do I feel unmotivated to exercise or do daily activities? If the answers are yes, it may be because you’re feeling the strain of the cold weather and darker days.
“There are a number of risk factors associated with lower mood in the winter months,” says Jorge Palacios, MD, PhD, Digital Health Scientist at SilverCloud Health. “Diminished amounts of light received on a daily basis can lead to changes in mood and affect, and there is an increased likelihood of being less physically active than in warmer months.”
Not to mention that this year has an added layer of complexity as we continue to deal with the uncertainty of COVID-19, on top of spending more time indoors and less in social settings.
It’s no doubt that the wintertime makes it difficult for us to feel good, which begs the question—are there ways to overcome these challenges? You bet. Read on to learn five steps you can take to ward off the winter blues and keep your mental health on the rise this season.
Follow a schedule. As our bodies and brains typically function on a 24-hour (circadian) cycle, it’s beneficial to establish a daily routine as much as possible. Incorporating organization into your life with better time management will help you feel less overwhelmed.
Try this simple routine to start:
Wake up at least an hour before work to stretch and get prepared for the day ahead.
Try to incorporate some sort of sunlight into your morning, either by getting outside or sitting by a window.
Plan a consistent time for exercise.
Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at consistent times.
If you’re working from home, create a calendar and try to follow a work schedule that feels similar every day.
Get into bed at the same time every night.
Be mindful of screen time. Spending most of the day inside because of the earlier nights and cold temps is usually a recipe for more screen time. Too much screen time can affect your sleep, can cause vision problems, or even anxiety, stress, and depression.
In addition to you using a computer for work or school, many of us are spending a lot of our down time scrolling through social media, texting late at night, and/or binge watching television during the winter.
”The amount of time spent in front of screens has also been shown to negatively impact sleep, which in turn can affect mental wellbeing.” says Dr. Palacios. “It is therefore important to monitor how much time is spent in front of screens, especially reducing this time just before going to sleep.”
Of course there are benefits of technology, such as using video calls to check in on family and friends during the pandemic, but unfortunately hours can add up and be detrimental to our health. So, how do we find a healthy balance between using technology as a resource instead of a crutch? Setting screen time limits, finding alternatives such as getting outside instead of scrolling through your social apps, and keeping your phone on the other side of the room when you get into bed are all great ways to start.
Keep moving. We all know that exercise is good for us, but during the winter months it can be essential to keeping our mental health in a good place. Though the cold weather may discourage you to exercise outside, there are steps you can take to make your experience more enjoyable—click here to learn how.
Be good to your body. Self-care is important year-round, but during the winter it can be an especially helpful remedy to unwanted emotions like stress or anxiety. Making sure to get the recommended 6 to8 hours of sleep each night, eating healthily, and getting enough Vitamin D are all key self-care actions you should remember to take.
“Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet aids individuals in attaining energy and motivation,” says Dr. Leela R. Magavi, M.D. “In addition, individuals with low levels of Vitamin D may experience fatigue, and thus, Vitamin D repletion may improve an individual’s energy level.”
Developing good sleep hygiene habits is also crucial. Dr. Palacios suggests to “have regular sleep and wake times, minimize blue light from screens, maintain comfortable room temperature, avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime, and wake up with a light instead of an alarm to simulate dawn.”
Look after your mind. It’s easy for our minds to wander when we’re feeling unmotivated, bored, or stressed. Whether you’re experiencing anxiety about the past, present, or future, meditation and mindfulness sessions can help. Putting daily time aside to unplug and release tension is one of the best ways to ward off unnecessary stress.
“Fun activities and bonding time also help alleviate overall stress,” says Dr. Magavi. “Listing positive affirmations in the morning can help start your day on a positive note. I also advise individuals to take deep, diaphragmatic breaths and stretch with their loved ones at the beginning of each day. Winter blues could lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which affects individuals’ functionality and overall wellness.”
Congratulations on your pregnancy! Whether this is your first, second, or last it’s a great time to reflect on your overall health and the health of your baby. And with vast amounts of ever changing information on the internet, it can be hard to know what’s most important. Fortunately, we’ve taken the time to narrow the focus to our four main pillars that could lead to a healthy pregnancy. As always, check with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your health plan.
Nutrition
Pregnancy is a great time to refocus on the basics of healthy eating. Eating a wide variety of whole foods from all food groups is important in order for both you and your baby to get the nutrients you need. Taking a prenatal vitamin is also important to ensure you are meeting all of your nutritional needs but is not a substitute for a healthy diet.
Using the Fitbit Balanced Plate Guide is a great place to start to ensure that you’re getting foods from all groups and creating balanced meals. Here are some other special considerations for nutrition during pregnancy.
Calorie needs. For a singleton pregnancy, calorie needs are the same as pre-pregnancy during the first trimester and are increased by 340 calories per day in the second trimester, and 450 calories per day in the third.
Protein. A woman’s baseline protein requirement during pregnancy is 1.1g/kg of body weight per day (which is increased from a baseline of 0.8g/gk/day for non-pregnant women). This would be 75g of protein for a 150lb woman (use pre-pregnancy weight). Broken up into three meals with 25g protein each it would be just 3 oz. chicken breast, about 4.5 oz salmon, 1 cup greek yogurt, or 1 cup lentils.
Carbohydrates. Carbohydrate needs during pregnancy are the same as outside of pregnancy and should make up 45-65 percent of your calories for the day. Focus on getting your carbs from high fiber complex carbohydrate sources like whole grains, starchy vegetables, beans/legumes, and fruit. See the Balanced Plate Guide for ideas!
Fats. Just as before pregnancy, fats should make up 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories. Getting healthy fats in your diet can be as simple as cooking with olive or avocado oil, spreading almond butter on some whole grain toast as a snack, or adding avocado to your salad or tacos. Healthy fats, like omega-3s found in fish, are important for fetal brain development. There is also evidence that omega-3 fatty acids may decrease the risk of maternal depression.
Folate. Folate is a B vitamin and it plays an important role in preventing neural tube defects in a fetus. Your prenatal vitamin will contain folic acid, a synthetic form of folate, and you can get additional folate in your diet from foods like dark leafy greens, beans/legumes, and whole grains.
Iron. Pregnant women experience a large increase in blood volume. Eating iron rich foods can help to build blood and prevent anemia. Pairing foods that contain iron, such as beef, fish, poultry, and leafy greens, with a source of vitamin C (like oranges, bell peppers, broccoli, or strawberries) can help your body absorb the iron it needs.
Calcium. Calcium is important for your baby’s development. If a pregnant mother’s calcium is inadequate, it can be pulled from her bones in order to meet the baby’s needs, so it’s important to consume at least 3 servings per day of calcium-rich foods such as milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, fortified non-dairy milks, and dark leafy greens.
Activity
It’s important to consult your doctor about your exercise routine while pregnant and with any concerns that you may have, but it is healthy and encouraged for most women to stay active during pregnancy. If you continue to feel comfortable doing the types of exercise you were doing before becoming pregnant it’s usually okay to continue your routine. However, some women may find that their activity needs and preferences change over the course of their pregnancy.
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week during pregnancy. Ideally, this activity should be spread throughout the week. For example, 5 sessions of 30 minutes. Regular exercise during pregnancy has many benefits:
Improving digestion and regularity
Reducing risk of gestational diabetes
Promoting healthy weight gain
Preparing your body for childbirth and recovery
Here are some tips for exercising while pregnant.
Stay hydrated.Fluid needs are higher during pregnancy (at least 8 to 10 glasses per day) so be sure to drink lots of water before and during activity to prevent dehydration.
Consider abelly support belt. You could also consider supportive clothing later in pregnancy if you experience discomfort while exercising.
Avoid overheating. If you start feeling dizzy, faint, or overheated stop and rest, drink water, and cool down.
Meeting your sleep needs while pregnant can be a challenging and frustrating experience. Many women feel especially tired during the first and third trimesters and yet have a lot of difficulty getting good quality sleep. Here are some common sleep disruptors during pregnancy and tips for overcoming them.
Getting comfortable. Pregnancy often comes with lots of aches and pains. Sore back and hips can make it tough to sleep. Try using multiple pillows to support your back and bump or even a special pregnancy pillow to get comfortable.
Heartburn. Acid reflux is common during pregnancy and is often worse when you are laying down for the night. Try eating small, frequent meals and staying upright after eating. Avoid eating right before bedtime so that your body has time to digest before you lay down.
Refine your sleep routine. Having a healthy and consistent sleep routine can be especially helpful for pregnant women. Creating a calming bedtime routine, having a cool and dark environment, and minimizing screen time are all great strategies for improving sleep quality. Read more on this topic here.
Consistent exercise. As described above, a regular exercise routine can also improve sleep.
Mindfulness
Pregnancy can be both an incredibly joyful and stressful experience. Even though you may be excited and grateful to be pregnant it’s completely normal to feel anxious, stressed, or fearful during this time. Creating or strengthening your mindfulness practice can help you stay present and reduce stress. Try out guided meditation or one of Fitbit’s many other mindfulness resources.
Focus on self-care. Find the practices and activities that fill your cup and make time for them. Self-care could mean bubble baths and candles but it may also be going for a walk in nature, making time to catch up with a friend, spending time away from screens and devices, or connecting with a community of other pregnant women.
Keep tabs on your mental health. Though most healthcare providers now screen for postpartum depression and anxiety, this topic may not come up with your provider during pregnancy. Women experience dramatic hormonal changes during pregnancy and postpartum which may impact brain chemistry and lead to symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The effects of these hormonal shifts can be exacerbated by other factors such as lack of a strong support system, financial difficulties, challenging relationships, or a history of mood disorders. Up to 20 percent of women experience mood or anxiety disorders during pregnancy. If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression, don’t hesitate to reach out to your healthcare provider.
For some women, seeing your body completely change during pregnancy can be difficult. It’s okay if it feels challenging to accept these changes. Give yourself time and compassion as you adjust to your changing body. If seeing your weight gain on the scale is triggering for you consider asking your healthcare provider to not tell you your weight at appointments.
There is so much to think about when you are expecting a new baby. Many pregnant mothers feel pressure to have the perfect diet, exercise routine, and more, and that can be stressful. Remember that no one is perfect and it’s impossible to do it all. Just do your best and don’t forget to take time to rest, give yourself grace, and reflect on the parts of your pregnancy that bring you joy. Bringing a new life into the world is hard work! Go easy on yourself and ask for support from your partner, family, or friends when you need to.
Need assistance in this new journey? Connect with a certified Fitbit health coach? Click here to take advantage of the health coaching program and enroll in the free trial today.
If you’ve been feeling a little more blah or blue than usual these days, you may want to try making some improvements to your diet to see if those changes could put you in a better mood.
“One of the first things I talk about with patients that come in experiencing stress and anxiety is the role of food in mood,” says Dr. Tiffany Caplan, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Caplan Health Institute.
One way dietary choices play a very important role in our mood is via the gut-brain connection. “We think of the gut as our second brain but really it can have more control over our mental health than our actual brain,” says Dr. Caplan.
The gut is often at the root of why someone is producing lower or abnormal amounts of the feel-good brain chemical, serotonin. “That’s because the gut is responsible for producing about 80 percent of the body’s serotonin! It does this with the help of essential amino acids—like tryptophan which is the building block for serotonin—and with the help of our microbiome, the different good bacterial species that live in our gut.” Therefore, when your gut isn’t healthy due to a poor diet and an imbalanced microbiome, your body may struggle to produce these necessary brain chemicals.
Could inflammation be causing your bad mood?
Along with producing neurotransmitters, the gut also houses the majority of our immune cells. When the gut lining is inflamed or unhealthy we may develop something called “leaky gut”, says Dr. Caplan. Leaky gut is a simplistic term used to describe increased intestinal permeability that allows for your immune system to get a higher exposure to substances it wouldn’t normally be exposed to.
When you eat, food gets digested and broken down into tiny particles that are small enough to be absorbed in the gut lining. If a gut lining is “leaky”, it means particles of food that aren’t well digested or other big particles like toxins and bacteria can move from the gut into the bloodstream. This may trigger inflammation which may contribute to chronic conditions like obesity and even mental illness. However, more human research is needed.
How to build a healthier gut and stronger immune system
“Poor gut health can lead to nutrient deficiencies which can directly impact how our immune systems are able to function,” says Dr. Caplan. One of the key “ingredients” to a healthy immune system is vitamin D.
“Having a diverse microbiome helps promote the good, beneficial species and crowds out the potential ‘bad species,’” says Dr. Caplan.
Probiotics and fermented foods can sometimes be helpful for people with depression as it can help support a better overall balance of the good bacteria in the gut, says Dr. Caplan. Eating a rich, varied diet full of variety with lots of phytonutrients and fiber from fruits and vegetables helps feed and support a healthy balance of bacteria in our guts which then help neurotransmitter production, says Dr. Caplan.
Having a diverse, healthy gut microbiome is often found in populations where people eat more high-fiber and plant-based foods compared to a typical Western diet that consists of processed and low-fiber foods. Quite a few studies have noted associations between increased fruit and vegetable consumption and reduced odds of having depressive symptoms.
If you have one takeaway from this article, it’s this—find more ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into every meal and eat more fiber-rich whole grains.
The idea of “making history” is an endless term used to commemorate individuals and events that have broken barriers in their field. While household names in sports like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Serena Williams are icons in their sport and have changed the game forever and made major history, textbooks often forget to mention those who paved the way for them.
The first Black athletes to place in the Olympics, claim world champion titles, and take the inequalities they faced in sports to the Supreme Court to fight for their rights came decades ago and sparked change throughout every major sport. In order to continue shaping a better future for athletes of any race, gender, ability, or background, we have to look back at the people who helped us get this far in the first place.
In acknowledging there is more work to be done, let’s celebrate this Black History Month by giving thanks to those that came before us, and continue to encourage the new generation of athletes like Naomi Osaka and Gabby Douglas to succeed.
Check out these eight Black athletes you might not have heard about below, and get active in their honor!
Major Taylor
Born Marshall Walter Taylor and nicknamed “Major Taylor” as a kid, he became the second African American world champion in any sport after becoming the world cycling champion in 1899. While attempting to compete in the Jim Crow Era, he faced many hardships on the path to competition. He was recorded as being the fastest cyclist in the world, and consistently advocated for his ability to be considered and dismantle “white only” rules in cycling.
William DeHart Hubbard
Hubbard was the first-ever African American to win a gold medal at the Olympic games in an individual sport. He won the running long jump at the 1924 Paris Olympics with a record jump of 24 feet and 5 1⁄8 inches.
While Hubbard accomplished this in the ’20s, we often don’t discuss the presence of Black Americans in the Olympics until the 1936 German Olympics where Jesse Owens grabbed four track and field gold medals. However, that same ‘36 Olympics actually had 17 other black athletes earn medals as well.
Ora Washington
Ora Washington has been called America’s first Black sportswoman, though she didn’t receive the recognition she deserved, even after winning nine-straight American Tennis Association singles titles and twelve-straight doubles titles, as well as eleven consecutive world titles as a center for the Philadelphia Tribunes and Germantown Hornets. Washington valued and made strides in the sports world at a time when women were looked down upon for even participating. She trained with and mentored Althea Gibson, who became the first Black player to win a Grand Slam title.
Althea Gibson
Before Arthur, there was Althea. Althea Gibson was the first black player ever to win a Grand Slam Title back in 1956 and ‘57. She was also an amazing golfer, and in the 1960s became the first black person to compete on the Women’s Professional Golf Tour.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Before Kaepernick was taking a knee on the field, Mahmoud remained seated during the Star Spangled Banner throughout games in ’95 and ’96. The then point guard for the Denver Nuggets received a single-game suspension and was made to stand but allowed to bow his head in recognition of his Islamic faith.
Surya Bonaly
Those who are fans of figure skating are probably familiar with Surya Bonaly as she’s the only figure skater to land a backflip on one skate, a move long banned in figure skating since the mid-’70s.
While Surya never received an Olympic medal, she is a three-time World Cup Silver Medalist. In Bonaly’s later career she has become an advocate for an association that aims to fight against racism, violence, and discrimination in sports in France. The only Black Olympic medalist figure skater was Debi Thomas in 1988.
Cheryl White
Cheryl White was the first Black female jockey. She participated in her first race in 1971, while she placed last, she made comebacks later in her career as she set the record for being the first female jockey to win five races in a day.
By the time she retired in 1992, she had won 750 races in total.
Curt Flood
When Flood and other teammates were traded to the Phillies, he stood up against the contracts players had to sign that minimized their rights to weighing in on trades for themselves. He didn’t feel he should have to uproot his life to move to a city with fans he considered generally racist and in 1972 Curt Flood, a center fielder for the Cardinals, went to the Supreme Court against baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn to push for what later became free agency for professional athletes.
Are you interested in learning more about the latest healthy-eating buzzword, “plant-based”—and what that even means? A plant-based diet focuses on consuming more foods that are derived from plants—which means not only fruits and veggies, but also whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. And surprisingly, while most vegetarians and vegans would probably tell you that they follow plant-based diets, going plant-based doesn’t mean you have to swear off meat (and dairy) entirely.
In fact, increasingly, people who eat some meat have also been adopting the label for their eating styles. Referring to your diet this way may inspire you to eat more healthily by making a commitment to eating those whole, plant-based foods, whether or not you consume animal products.
“Using ‘plant’ in the title of the diet would certainly keep plant consumption top of mind,” says Katie Coles, MS, RDN, an Austin, Texas-based registered dietitian. “Plants have tremendous benefits, but you don’t need to exclude meat to get those benefits.”
Plant-based diets may lead to well-rounded nutrition
The difference between vegetarian and plant-based? Just because people avoid meat, it doesn’t mean that they follow a plant-based diet; many processed foods that don’t contain much fiber—or many vitamins and minerals—qualify as vegetarian or vegan. By contrast, people who choose a plant-based lifestyle typically focus on consuming whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and more, which sets them up for better nutrition.
“Most plant-based eaters get their needed nutrients from phytonutrients, which are only found in plants,” says Katrina Pilkington, a Tampa, Florida-based NASM-certified personal trainer and wellness educator.
Including some meat in a mostly plant-based diet may help you consume nutrients that can be difficult for vegetarians or vegans to get, including vitamin B12, which is only found in animal sources, and the omega-3 fat DHA, which is mainly found in fish.
“You’ll be consuming quality amino acids that are very bioavailable and particularly good for building and preserving muscle, B12—which is not present in plant products, vitamin D, zinc and choline, and plenty of heme iron, which is more bioavailable than what is found in most plant foods,” Coles says.
A plant-based diet may also enable you to better control your weight, if you mainly eat fruits, vegetables, and other fiber-rich, plant-based whole foods.
“Whole plant foods are very filling and tend to be lower in calories than animal products, so by going on this diet, people tend to eat less without necessarily trying,” Coles says. “They may spontaneously eat fewer high-calorie foods while also consuming more antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other components that are high in plants.”
It is important to know, though, that not all plant-based foods are created equally. Researchers have found that people who followed non-vegetarian, plant-based diets containing a high volume of healthy, plant-based whole foods—fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and whole grains, which are high in fiber, unsaturated fats, antioxidants, and other micronutrients—had a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure than people who ate higher proportions of plant-based foods that are less healthy, like refined grains, sugar, fruit juice, and potato products. So, just because something is technically derived from plants does not mean it is healthy, like the processed foods we just mentioned. Interestingly, both groups ate some animal products.
The amount of meat that plant-based eaters consume varies
There are no set rules for plant-based diets, although most people who adopt the label eat considerably more plant-based foods than animal products. Choosing this eating style gives you the freedom to create a menu for yourself that you’re comfortable with. Whether that means eating meat two or three times per week, or more or less often, is up to you.
If you identify with the plant-based lifestyle, you may be more likely to eat some meat within a stir-fry dish that’s predominantly vegetables, but the flexibility of the eating plan means that you may find a way to fit a steak into your diet periodically, if that’s what you enjoy on special occasions—similar to calling yourself a flexitarian.
“Personal preference can be the indicator of how much meat someone has,” Pilkington says. “The goal is to not be so binary on thinking when it comes to eating and solely include more phytonutrient-rich foods and nutrients from real food sources that benefit health, instead of decline it.”
If abstaining from meat entirely is the reason you are shying away from adopting a more plant-based diet, know that you can keep meat incorporated into your diet, and still identify as a plant-based eater.
In the winter, we tend to crave warm, heartier foods—and while many of those foods may be delicious, many are also not the healthiest. Luckily, there are plenty of foods that will deliver the warm-you-from-the-inside culinary experience you tend to crave in the colder months, while also supplying the nutrition you need to support your cardiovascular health.
But what, exactly, are some foods that tick both the “warm and hearty” and “heart-healthy” boxes—and what are some of the best ways to enjoy those foods in the cold winter months?
Let’s take a look at five heart-healthy foods to incorporate into your diet this winter.
“Whole grains like oats…contain soluble fiber, a type of fiber which acts like a sponge in your gut, absorbing cholesterol and sweeping it out of your body,” says Tracy Morris, Fitbit’s Lead Nutritionist.
How to incorporate oats into your diet this winter: If you want to get the most nutrition bang for your buck, top your oats with nuts (more on those in a moment!) and berries, which are rich in antioxidants and will add just the right hint of sweetness.
Nuts
Most people spend more time inside during the winter months—and all that time inside can lead to more snacking. But if you’re going to nosh between meals, one of the heart-healthiest (and most delicious!) snacks you can work into your diet this winter? Nuts.
“Nuts are a rich source of fiber, antioxidants, and cholesterol-lowering healthy fats,” says Morris. “Eating just a small handful a day has been shown to reduce the risk of developing heart disease.” In fact, a 2017 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that people who consumed nuts five or more times per week had a 14 percent lower chance of developing cardiovascular disease than those who rarely or never ate nuts.
How to incorporate nuts into your diet this winter: A handful of almonds or walnuts makes a great snack on its own—or, if you want to incorporate different flavors and textures, try sprinkling almonds on top of your yogurt or spreading a few tablespoons of nut butter on sweet potato toast.
How to incorporate coffee into your diet this winter: To get the most health-boosting benefit from your morning coffee, “avoid adding unhealthy ingredients like sugar, cream, or butter,” says Morris.
It’s also important to keep in mind that, while a cup or two of coffee a day is considered heart-healthy for many, it’s not the right choice for everyone—and should always be enjoyed in moderation. “Pregnant women and those sensitive to caffeine should drink decaffeinated,” says Morris. “And it’s wise to avoid high amounts of caffeine which may cause heart palpitations.”
Spinach
In terms of foods that are both packed with nutrients and help to support heart health, you’d be hard-pressed to find a food more effective than spinach.
“Dark green leafy veggies…[like spinach] are loaded with nutrients like soluble fiber and folate that make them particularly heart-healthy,” says Morris. Studies have consistently shown a link between the intake of leafy green vegetables (like spinach) and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Spinach also contains ALA, the plant form of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation—another major benefit to heart health.
And, as a bonus, eating more spinach can help you balance out the reduction of activity most people experience during winter. “[Spinach is] also low in calories, so [incorporating more spinach into your diet is] a great way to keep calories in check during the slightly more sedentary chilly months,” says Morris.
How to incorporate spinach into your diet this winter: Winter is the perfect time to enjoy soups, stews, and chilis—and if you want to boost the heart-healthy benefits, just add a handful of spinach to the pot when your dish is almost finished cooking.
Beans
As mentioned, adding spinach can be a great way to up the nutritional value of soups, stews, and chilis. But if you really want to take the heart-boosting benefits to the next level? Try adding beans into the mix as well.
“Beans are humble heroes that are a rich source of heart-healthy nutrients like soluble fiber [which may help to] reduce blood cholesterol and potassium, which can help to beat high blood pressure,” says Morris.
Get pumped: Fitbit’s Get in Your Zone Challenge is approaching! Turn your Charge 4, Inspire 2, or any Fitbit smartwatch to exercise mode and start striving to reach or beat your personal best Active Zone Minutes (AZMs) to win exclusive badges!
This friendly competition with yourself might be just the motivation you’ve been craving to help you hit your weekly AZM goal and the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.
So, don’t wait! Keep reading to learn more about AZMs and how to prepare for the challenge.
What is AZM?
In March we introduced Active Zone Minutes, a new, personalized, heart rate-based metric that goes beyond step activity to provide tailored activity targets for improving health and well-being. At the same time, AZMs help show the most effective types of workouts so you can work out more efficiently.
AZMs track the amount of time a user spends engaging in a heart-pumping activity. Using our 24/7 continuous PurePulse heart rate tracking, we automatically set personalized “Active Zones” based on your resting heart rate and age. AZM uses your personalized heart rate zones to track your effort for any workout that gets your heart pumping, from spin class to yoga, because moderate and vigorous activity varies depending on your fitness level. Active Zone Minutes goes beyond steps to give you credit for all the activities relevant to you.
What is the Get in Your Zone Challenge?
The Get in Your Zone Challenge is a 7 day in-app solo challenge motivating you to compete against yourself to earn exclusive badges! Here’s the breakdown:
Receive a “Silver” badge at 75 AZM.
Receive a “Gold” badge at 150 AZM.
Receive a “Diamond” badge at 300 AZM.
Once opted into the challenge, throughout the week on the gameplay screen in the Fitbit app, you’ll see your 150 AZM goal, your continued individual progress towards that goal, a countdown showing how much time you have left to hit your goal, and a celebration if you cross that goal milestone.
Don’t forget-you can access free in-app fitness content in the Discover tab or unlock more through Premium to help you reach your weekly AZMs.
Opt into the Challenge
To get started on February 22, you’ll see a tile on the today screen in your Fitbit app that displays “Get in Your Zone”. Tap on the tile, you will then be brought to a “Get Started” screen, from there, tap “Join”. You will then be opted into the challenge and taken to the gameplay screen.
Need more incentive? Any AZMs beyond your usual amount is a great success—and who knows, you might decide to adjust your targets going forward. Small improvements to your heart health can have bigger benefits in the long run. Good luck!
Get pumped: Fitbit’s Get in Your Zone Challenge is approaching! Turn your Charge 4, Charge 3, Inspire 2, or any Fitbit smartwatch to exercise mode and start striving to reach or beat your personal best Active Zone Minutes (AZMs) to win exclusive badges!
This friendly competition with yourself might be just the motivation you’ve been craving to help you hit your weekly AZM goal and the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.
So, don’t wait! Keep reading to learn more about AZMs and how to prepare for the challenge.
What is AZM?
In March we introduced Active Zone Minutes, a new, personalized, heart rate-based metric that goes beyond step activity to provide tailored activity targets for improving health and well-being. At the same time, AZMs help show the most effective types of workouts so you can work out more efficiently.
AZMs track the amount of time a user spends engaging in a heart-pumping activity. Using our 24/7 continuous PurePulse heart rate tracking, we automatically set personalized “Active Zones” based on your resting heart rate and age. AZM uses your personalized heart rate zones to track your effort for any workout that gets your heart pumping, from spin class to yoga, because moderate and vigorous activity varies depending on your fitness level. Active Zone Minutes goes beyond steps to give you credit for all the activities relevant to you.
What is the Get in Your Zone Challenge?
The Get in Your Zone Challenge is a 7 day in-app solo challenge motivating you to compete against yourself to earn exclusive badges! Here’s the breakdown:
Receive a “Silver” badge at 75 AZM.
Receive a “Gold” badge at 150 AZM.
Receive a “Diamond” badge at 300 AZM.
Once opted into the challenge, throughout the week on the gameplay screen in the Fitbit app, you’ll see your 150 AZM goal, your continued individual progress towards that goal, a countdown showing how much time you have left to hit your goal, and a celebration if you cross that goal milestone.
Don’t forget-you can access free in-app fitness content in the Discover tab or unlock more through Premium to help you reach your weekly AZMs.
Opt into the Challenge
To get started on February 22, you’ll see a tile on the today screen in your Fitbit app that displays “Get in Your Zone”. Tap on the tile, you will then be brought to a “Get Started” screen, from there, tap “Join”. You will then be opted into the challenge and taken to the gameplay screen.
Need more incentive? Any AZMs beyond your usual amount is a great success—and who knows, you might decide to adjust your targets going forward. Small improvements to your heart health can have bigger benefits in the long run. Good luck!
Recipe by Leandra Rouse | Photo by Samantha Emmons
Chocolate-dipped fruit is an indulgence that has been loved for decades. And it turns out it’s a simple, fun, and creative treat to make at home for special occasions. What’s especially great about the homemade version is that you can control the quality and amount of chocolate and get totally creative with the ingredients! The world is your chocolate-dipped oyster.
And the edible flowers are the perfect pick for those looking to spice up their Valentine’s Day at home with an unusual superfood. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups water
9 ounces (280 g) dark chocolate, 70 percent cocoa or higher, broken into pieces
15 nasturtiums, or other edible flower
1 grapefruit, segmented
5 pieces dried mango, unsweetened
5 pieces crystalized ginger
10 mint leaves
10 almonds, unsalted
10 dried cherries, unsweetened
1 teaspoon sea salt
Don’t be afraid to be adventurous and swap in other seasonal or local ingredients, such as figs, apple slices, fresh cherries, strawberries, or pineapple.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add 3 cups of water into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Next, set a glass baking bowl on top to create a double boiler. Add the chocolate pieces into the baking bowl and mix with a spatula until melted. Keep the heat low and watch diligently, being careful not to allow it to burn. Once the chocolate is melted, remove from heat.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Dip your fruit and flowers about halfway into the melted chocolate. Place each dipped item onto the baking sheet. Once you’ve dipped all the fruit, refrigerate for 10 minutes until chocolate has solidified.
For any small fruit or nuts, you can “dip” them in chocolate by pouring the remaining chocolate on the parchment paper, spreading evenly with a spatula and then sprinkling your small nuts, sea salt, or dried fruit on top. Once this chocolate bark is hardened it can be broken into pieces for serving.
While smoothies can be healthy, convenient breakfast and snack options, they’re not exactly the first idea that comes to mind in the winter. With produce less abundant than other warmer seasons, a lot of people might pack away their blender or food processor whenever snow hits the ground.
If that sounds like you, and you tend to ditch smoothies during the winter months, there might be some seasonal flavors you’re missing out on. Cranberry, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and blood orange are all tasty ingredients best enjoyed in your drinks right now. Discover a few health and wellness experts’ favorite smoothie recipes for the long, cold winter.
Immunity Blaster Smoothie
“During the winter, it is a good idea to stay grounded by enjoying root veggies and spices like ginger, turmeric, and maca, which all deliver immune-strengthening phytonutrients. Maca may boost your energy levels as well, so it is best to enjoy this smoothie in the morning or as an afternoon pick-me-up. You can try adding ice if you prefer your smoothies cold or drink it closer to room temperature in the chilly winter months. Serve in a tall glass with an extra pinch of cinnamon on top.”
Recipe via Megan Swan, a mindset + wellness coach who specializes in plant-based living
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups unsweetened almond or coconut milk
1 medium banana
1 handful (about 1 cup) baby spinach
1/2 cup raw zucchini, diced
1 or 2 pitted dates depending on how sweet you like your smoothie
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon pure maca powder
Makes 1 serving.
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
350 calories, 9 g protein, 7 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 62 g total carbs, 12 g fiber, 35 g total sugars, 0 g added sugars, 400 mg sodium
Gingerbread House Smoothie
“Thick and creamy with a hint of subtle spices and vanilla, this smoothie is a fantastic way to enjoy all of the gingerbread flavors without all of the unhealthy ingredients. It makes a light and refreshing breakfast. Between the banana, flaxseed, and ginger in this recipe, this smoothie is loaded with ingredients to support your digestive system and strengthen immunity. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory and can help the body fight bacterial infections. Flax seeds are high in fiber and aid digestion—most of us don’t eat nearly enough fiber—and are one of the richest plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Bananas are the real MVP: they add natural sweetness and are packed with fiber to aid digestion.”
Recipe via Kaitlin Peach, a holistic health coach and founder of Living Peachfully
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut or almond milk
1 large banana (fresh or frozen)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup ice
Makes 1 serving.
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
240 calories, 3 g protein, 12 g total fat, 7 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 34 g total carbs, 6 g fiber, 19 g total sugars, 6 g added sugars, 65 mg sodium
Spiced Cranberry Smoothie
“Cranberries are crammed full of nutrients. Not only are they a good source of fiber, but they are also rich in antioxidants and vitamin C. Adding a cup of spinach to your smoothie is a great way to get your daily dose of greens and micronutrients like iron, magnesium, potassium, folate, and vitamin A.” (Peach)
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup 100 percent cranberry juice
1/2 cup 100 percent coconut water, unsweetened
Half of a large banana (fresh or frozen)
1 tablespoon fresh cranberries
1/2 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/2 tablespoon flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Half cup ice
Makes 1 serving.
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
200 calories, 3 g protein, 3 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 45 g total carbs, 6 g fiber, 32 g total sugars, 0 g added sugars, 45 mg sodium
Winter Citrus & Beet Smoothie
“Fresh fruit is harder to come by in the winter. I see this as a great time to embrace some of the produce that’s actually in season, like beets which we tend to overlook, and provide the same flavors and textures as more typical summer ingredients. Steaming beets brings out their inherent sweetness, adding a flavor to your smoothies that is not unlike mixed berries. Combined with ginger and wintery citrus flavors, like fresh blood orange and orange or pomegranate juice, you have yourself a bright, zippy winter smoothie with tons of immune and cardiovascular benefits.”
Recipe via John Fawkes, certified personal trainer, nutritional counselor, Managing Editor of The Unwinder
INGREDIENTS:
1–2 steamed red beets, cut into small chunks
1 blood orange or 2 clementines, peeled and segmented
1 cup of frozen raspberries
Juice from half a lemon
1/2 cup of 100 percent orange juice or pomegranate juice
Ginger, grated, to taste
Honey, to taste
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
240 calories, 5 g protein, 2 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 58 g total carbs, 13 g fiber, 36 g total sugars, 1 g added sugars, 290 mg sodium
Healthy Winter “Horchata” Smoothie Bowl
“This is one of my favorite smoothie bowl recipes, since it turns out quite thick and creamy. A sprinkle of cinnamon helps uplift your smoothie recipes by brightening its ingredients; different cultures have long used it medicinally for its believed anti-inflammatory properties and more. It’s also known for potentially having blood sugar-regulating effects (although study results are unclear).” (Fawkes)
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup frozen cauliflower
1/2 frozen banana, in slices
1 heaped scoop of 100 percent pure protein powder (like whey, soy, or pea)
2–3 Medjool dates, pits removed
1–2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups unsweetened almond or coconut milk
Toppings: Unsweetened coconut flakes and pepitas
Makes 1 serving.
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
410 calories, 29 g protein, 13 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 49 g total carbs, 8 g fiber, 28 g total sugars, 0 g added sugars, 440 mg sodium
Many people adhere to the belief of “sweating out” a cold or virus. They insist they feel better afterward. Whether it’s a placebo effect, endorphins setting in, or if working out truly helps shorten the duration of a cold is unclear.
But COVID-19 is a different beast from an upper respiratory virus. COVID-19 is still novel and, while we have seen that it can cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe and long-lasting symptoms, its effect on the body is still being evaluated. As we continue to research and understand these effects, we know that like any virus, if you catch COVID-19, the only exercise you may be interested in is moving from the bed to the couch and back again.
On the other hand, if you luck out and have only mild symptoms of COVID—something similar to what you’d experience with the everyday cold—you probably will want to keep up with your fitness routine. The question is: Should you? Is it safe to exercise if you have COVID-19?
Additionally, cardiologists worry when people work out while they have a significant infection, says Dermot M. Phelan, MD, PhD, director of cardiology with Atrium Health Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. “During flu illnesses, we see an increase in heart attacks. The elevation in inflammation that occurs during an illness is compounded by the further elevation in inflammation caused by intense exercise,” he explains.
What is clear, however, is that being moderately active on a regular basis—not necessarily while you’re sick—is beneficial for our immune defenses, Phelan says. People who consistently sweat have reduced markers of low-grade inflammation, more robust immune responses to vaccines, and reduced risk of illness.
Exercise and COVID-19: What Studies Show
Anyone who’s watched the news and heard the number of people who are in the ICU and who have died from this pandemic understands that COVID-19 can certainly be a “significant infection”. Yet in April of 2020, headlines told us that exercise may protect against a deadly complication from the virus. However, that study is not talking about exercise during acute illness, Phelan says. And it certainly didn’t indicate that you can “sweat out” COVID. (In fact, the study didn’t even look at people who had the virus.) Rather, the findings support previous evidence of long-term benefits of regular exercise on the immune system, Phelan explains.
Then the info seemed to boomerang: A study published in JAMA Cardiology in July looked at 100 adults who’d recovered from COVID. About three-fourths had structural changes to their hearts and three in five had myocarditis, a condition where the heart muscle becomes inflamed. “When this happens, it can lead to inflammation and scar in the heart muscle. Either could set up the heart to have extra beats and lead to new symptoms such as palpitations,” explains Eugene H. Chung, MD, MSc, an electrophysiologist, director of the Sports Cardiology Clinic at the University of Michigan, and chair of the American College of Cardiology Sports and Exercise Cardiology Leadership Council.
Severe cases of myocarditis can lead to heart failure, while mild or moderate cases are believed to increase the risk of dangerous arrhythmias that could lead to collapse or even sudden death—and exercise might worsen that situation.
It’s alarming to think you could be working out and have no idea your heart might give out because myocarditis doesn’t always cause symptoms. But, Chung adds, this study also has limitations, including the fact that many of the participants had other conditions that could cause changes to show up on a cardiac MRI.
Can You Exercise With COVID-19?
No wonder it’s so hard to figure out what the average exerciser should do. To clear things up, at this time, cardiologists recommend the following guidelines to determine if it’s OK for you to work out with COVID-19:
If you are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms (mild fatigue, nasal congestion, loss of smell or taste, GI symptoms, sore throat, cough but no congestion): Do not exercise for at least 10 days from testing positive or first experiencing symptoms. “The reason is, we often only see the systemic manifestations of COVID-19 in the second week of infection. So you may initially be asymptomatic but become symptomatic later, and exercise during this time can make things worse,” Phelan explains. This also aligns with quarantine guidelines of staying isolated from others.
If you have mild to moderate symptoms (fever, body aches, chills, severe fatigue, chest pain, or tightness): Do not exercise while sick and continue to rest for 10 days after symptoms resolve, Phelan says. “These symptoms are systemic and require rest,” Chung says. You also should never exercise until fever resolves.
If you have severe symptoms (in the hospital): If doctors diagnose myocarditis, limit exercise for at least three months to allow your heart time to recover and work with your cardiologist, Chung recommends. If there’s no myocarditis, do not exercise for 10 days to ensure no more recurrence of symptoms. Then consult your healthcare provider to determine if it’s OK to return to activity, Chung says.
No matter how nonexistent or severe your COVID-19 symptoms were, when you go back to exercise, don’t go straight for the hardest class or hilliest run. Ease back into things. “If you were normally active at a high level, even if you feel great, grade your return to exercise,” Chung says. He suggests going at about 25 percent of your normal exertion level for the first two days, then 50 percent for another day or two. After that, see how you feel and continue to progress. It’s especially important to slowly ramp up your exercise over the course of five to seven days if you had any significant symptoms like a prolonged fever or myalgias (a.k.a. muscle pain), Phelan says.
As you begin to work out again, listen to your body. If you notice any chest tightness or pain, shortness of breath that’s greater than expected, abnormal heartbeat or palpitations, or fainting or near fainting, stop! It may be a sign that you’re not over the infection yet, says Chung, adding that some COVID-19 patients have arrhythmias. “Their heart rate responds too fast to just a little activity or their resting heart rate is faster than usual,” he explains.
After resting, if you feel better, ease back into your workout. On the other hand, if your symptoms don’t resolve easily with rest, do not return to exercise for the day and call your doctor for an evaluation.
Overall, if you follow this advice, the outlook is positive for returning to exercise after COVID-19. “Early in the disease, we had real concerns that we would see lots and lots of people developing long-term heart damage related to COVID-19,” Phelan says. “While we do see it and it’s very serious when it occurs, it’s much rarer than anticipated. The vast majority of people, especially those who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, should be able to return to an active lifestyle without concern.”
Just don’t forget to stay socially distanced and wear a mask if you work out with others.
