Are You Feeling Stressed?

By Stephanie of Infinite Life Fitness

Are you feeling stressed? Bummed out all the time because of all the crazy things going on in your life? Are you feeling like some days are getting crazier and harder to handle? Well I may have a suggestion that may help you start to handle some of the stress that has been accumulating in your life.

It is that time of year!

I know that I personally know a lot of people who are stressed out with work…with school…with life in general!

There are not only physical benefits to working out! Working out has been proven to have positive emotional effects as well. Yes you may be stressed because you have a lot on your plate or your day is jammed packed with activities already. But the truth is that you need to de-clutter your life and start putting your time management skills to work! Implementing a workout is only 4% of your day!!! That means the other 96% you can spend sleeping…cooking…working…or being busy with all the other things you have going on. If you actively use that 4% of your time in a positive way I can assure you that your overall mood can be drastically improved and those busy hectic days will start to seem less and less stressful!

Looking at the Mayo Clinic ...

Exercise can help diminish your anxiety or depression! This is done by:

• Releasing feel-good brain chemicals that may ease depression (neurotransmitters and endorphins)
• Reducing immune system chemicals that can worsen depression
• Increasing body temperature, which may have calming effects

According to the Association of Applied Sports Psychology (AASP) ...

Here are some PROVEN facts about the positive psychological benefits of exercise:

• Improved mood
• Reduced stress as well as an improved ability to cope with stress
• Improved self-esteem
• Pride in physical accomplishments
• Increased satisfaction with oneself
• Improved body image
• Increased feelings of energy
• Improved in confidence in your physical abilities
• Decreased symptoms associated with depression

It is so important to try to find the correct balance in our lives to help make the days go more smoothly. If you are a happy healthy person, it is suggested that you will be able to get the most out of your days! If you are happy you will see most things in a positive light and if you are healthy you will be able to be active and get more out of your days.

It is suggested to work out about 3 times a week (and if you can find the time you are more than welcome to work out more than 3 times a day!) If you are able to keep up a routine for a long period of time, this will make it easier for you to keep your health and fitness routines and they will become a part of your daily schedule on a long term basis. And you do not have to run 10 miles a day nor do some intense aerobics class for it to be called “exercise”. You can do a wide range of things that will get your heart beat up and gets your blood flowing! You can swim, ride a bike, jog, play sports, brisk walks, or anything that gets you up and moving for about 30 minutes!

So why not try to improve your mood and your health! Try to incorporate a health and fitness routine into your day and see if it is beneficial to you in the end.

This is Stephanie from Infinite Life Fitness. Please feel free to stop by my site for more health and fitness tips!

Mixology || Soothing Summer Body Spray

Are you a fan of body sprays but not a fan of the chemicals?  Do you want to mix your own natural version?  Well here is a recipe for a soothing summer body spray:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon witch hazel
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon cucumber extract
1 cup water

Directions:
For a refreshing cool feeling, make an after shower spray by combining all the ingredients. Place in a pump spray bottle.

FOR MORE: 250 Bath Body Recipes

You can now find HHB on Facebook. Share with your friends:

http://www.facebook.com/healthyhairandbody.

Free Consultation and 3-Month Hair Care Plan

All who are natural, relaxed/texlaxed, or transitioning are welcome to join.

Are you having setback after setback?  Are you struggling to reach your hair goals?  Are you having difficulty determining the right hair care regimen for you?

Well, I may have a solution for you.

I have been on each side of the triangle (relaxed, transitioning, and natural now for some years) and would like to use what I have experienced and learned to help others reach their goals.  Of course, this blog was designed to be an avenue for sharing some of that information, but I would like to have one-on-one interaction with you to help you even more.  That being said, I am offering the following services for free (that's right, FREE) to four committed women:

* A healthy hair care regimen tailored for your hair
* Product recommendations tailored for your hair
* A personalized PDF booklet containing length retention tips and other relevant info from the blog
* Three Skype OR phone sessions to discuss the status of your hair care journey
* Hair care resources (e.g., videos and articles from hair care gurus) tailored for you
* Discount codes or access to product sales if available or relevant to your needs

This program will last for 3 months and the idea is that at the end of the program, you will have a better understanding of your hair and be closer to reaching your goals.

Now the question is how do you become one of those four women?  Well, I need you to leave a comment below AND use the Contact Me form, if you are interested.  In the comment section below, describe why you should be one of those five women.  In the Contact Me form, just type "HHB Consultation" in the Subject line and include a short message.  I will then reply to your message with further details, which will include a request for your hair type, photos of your hair, etc.  The four women will be chosen on June 22, 2012.

Giveaway || $150 Worth Of BeeMine Products

Protective Style Lookbook || Flat Twist with "Twist Rings"

By popular demand, this is a series showcasing various protective hair styles.  Protective styling does not have to be boring. :o)

Model: CharyJay

Style description: Side flat twists into twist rings.  (Can be done on short hair as well.)

Difficulty level: 4/5

Beginner's Guide: video tutorial on flat twisting; video tutorial on this style (also included below)

You can now find HHB on Facebook. Share with your friends:

http://www.facebook.com/healthyhairandbody.

Food Substitutions

By Stephanie of Infinite Life Fitness

Everyone has that one favorite recipe that their mom or grandma created. Naturally that recipe is jam packed with some unhealthy things but it is your favorite dish and you cannot resist making that dish to help ease those homesick feelings.

Today…you are in luck!

I am going to share some ideas to help make some of your unhealthy recipes a little bit healthier. The reality is that everyone has their favorite dish that they like to make. But if you are able to make it a little bit healthier than it is ok for you to incorporate it into your weekly meal menu. Using healthy substitutes will allow you to greatly cut out the extra fat, sugar, sodium, and overall calorie count of your favorite meals. The trick is to make it a few times so you can figure out all the things you can substitute and still have the meal taste just as good!

Thanks to the Mayo Clinic, they have provided an easy to read chart for you to use (and also easy to copy and paste into a word document so you can print it off and post it in your kitchen!) {WEBSITE: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/NU00585}

Your guide to ingredient substitutions for healthy recipes
If your recipe calls for this ingredient:	Try substituting this ingredient:
Bacon	Canadian bacon, turkey bacon, smoked turkey or lean prosciutto (Italian ham)
Bread, white	Whole-grain bread
Bread crumbs, dry	Rolled oats or crushed bran cereal
Butter, margarine, shortening or oil in baked goods	Applesauce or prune puree for half of the called-for butter, shortening or oil; butter spreads or shortenings specially formulated for baking that don't have trans fats Note: To avoid dense, soggy or flat baked goods, don't substitute oil for butter or shortening. Also don't substitute diet, whipped or tub-style margarine for regular margarine.
Butter, margarine, shortening or oil to prevent sticking	Cooking spray or nonstick pans
Cream	Fat-free half-and-half, evaporated skim milk
Cream cheese, full fat	Fat-free or low-fat cream cheese, Neufchatel, or low-fat cottage cheese pureed until smooth
Eggs	Two egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute for each whole egg
Flour, all-purpose (plain)	Whole-wheat flour for half of the called-for all-purpose flour in baked goods Note: Whole-wheat pastry flour is less dense and works well in softer products like cakes and muffins.
Fruit canned in heavy syrup	Fruit canned in its own juices or in water, or fresh fruit
Ground beef	Extra-lean or lean ground beef, chicken or turkey breast (make sure no poultry skin has been added to the product)
Lettuce, iceberg	Arugula, chicory, collard greens, dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach or watercress
Mayonnaise	Reduced-calorie mayonnaise-type salad dressing or reduced-calorie, reduced-fat mayonnaise
Meat as the main ingredient	Three times as many vegetables as the meat on pizzas or in casseroles, soups and stews
Milk, evaporated	Evaporated skim milk
Milk, whole	Reduced-fat or fat-free milk
Oil-based marinades	Wine, balsamic vinegar, fruit juice or fat-free broth
Pasta, enriched (white)	Whole-wheat pasta
Rice, white	Brown rice, wild rice, bulgur or pearl barley
Salad dressing	Fat-free or reduced-calorie dressing or flavored vinegars
Seasoning salt, such as garlic salt, celery salt or onion salt	Herb-only seasonings, such as garlic powder, celery seed or onion flakes, or use finely chopped herbs or garlic, celery or onions
Soups, creamed	Fat-free milk-based soups, mashed potato flakes, or pureed carrots, potatoes or tofu for thickening agents
Soups, sauces, dressings, crackers, or canned meat, fish or vegetables	Low-sodium or reduced-sodium versions
Sour cream, full fat	Fat-free or low-fat sour cream, plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt
Soy sauce	Sweet-and-sour sauce, hot mustard sauce or low-sodium soy sauce
Sugar	In most baked goods you can reduce the amount of sugar by one-half; intensify sweetness by adding vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon
Syrup	Pureed fruit, such as applesauce, or low-calorie, sugar-free syrup
Table salt	Herbs, spices, citrus juices (lemon, lime, orange), rice vinegar, salt-free seasoning mixes or herb blends
Yogurt, fruit-flavored	Plain yogurt with fresh fruit slices

Here are some other options that were not listed above:

USE: Mini Chocolate Chips
DO NOT use: Chocolate Chip Chunks!
{Image Source}

Having the little chocolate chips means that you will still get the sweet chocolate taste with every bite, BUT with not as much chocolate in the overall dish. This will help cut out calories and you can also try to use fine dark chocolate as a substitute to help cut back the calorie count as well.

USE: Reduced-Fat Cheese
DO NOT use: Regular cheese
{Image Source}

Also make sure the cheese is low in sodium as well! This will help you cut calorie and cholesterol that is in the original recipe.

Be sure to look at your recipes before you get in the kitchen and you are ready to cook! The worst feeling is to have all but ONE ingredient that you need to cook a meal. Like stated before, substituting some of the above items with your favorite recipe will allow you to enjoy it but with less calories and it will make it a healthier option for you as well.

This is Stephanie from Infinite Life Fitness; please feel free to stop by my site for more health and fitness tips!

3in6: Starting Month #6!

For the challenge guidelines, see this post.

The 3in6 Challenge is in its last month! Wow, this challenge went by so fast.  Last month, I wore small twists for two weeks at a time.  I also kept up with my internal regimen.  This month I'll rock small twists again for two weeks at time.  I feel like my hair has retained some decent length, but I haven't measured it yet.  That'll be at the end of the challenge.

How will you style your hair this final month?  What have you gained from the challenge so far?

You can now find HHB on Facebook. Share with your friends:

http://www.facebook.com/healthyhairandbody.