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Coach Corner: I Was Skeptical Click to hear message.
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Be blessed,
Ingrid M. Hughes,
Independent Team Beachbody Coach
Website: www.IngridInPa.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
- 5 Heart Healthy Foods
- 13 Easy Ways to Get to 10,000 Steps
- Why You Should Bother Taking The Stairs
- February Challenge Pack Savings
- Video Recipe: Swiss Oatmeal
- Recipe: Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Shake
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 5 Heart-Healthy Foods
Your heart gets a lot of attention twice a year: once at Valentine’s Day and again when you go to the doctor and they read your blood pressure, but it should get attention year 'round. After all, it’s what keeps you alive! So why not be good to it by eating the right foods?
Here are 5 heart-friendly foods that will help keep your heart going strong.
Oats
There’s a reason why you see a large heart on the Quaker Oats canisters. Scientific study after study have shown that oats help reduce the risk of heart disease. Oats, like some other whole grains, contain the fiber called beta-glucan, which has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol, improve blood pressure, and prevent a spike in blood pressure after eating.
Oats also contain polyphenols, a type of antioxidant. These are known to have anti-inflammatory properties, have been shown to protect against coronary heart disease, and can help with skin irritation. Oats also contain magnesium, a common mineral shared by all the foods on this list. Magnesium helps with nerve transmission, lowers your blood pressure, and may also help to reduce migraine headaches. It also can help ward off cardiovascular disease and hypertension.
Even better, oats can be used for oatmeal, baking, or smoothies all year long! Check out Autumn Calabrese’s video recipe for Swiss Oatmeal and an Oatmeal Cookie Shake recipe in this newsletter!
Nuts
Many nuts are high in good fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids and heart healthy monounsaturated fats. Plus, they contain vitamin E, magnesium, and zinc. They also have a high satiety factor, meaning, you don’t have to eat a lot to satisfy your appetite. And...if you keep your hunger cravings to a minimum, you’ll be less likely to engage in unhealthy eating escapades.
The healthiest nuts are considered walnuts, almonds, and peanuts, though cashews also provide similar health benefits. A standard serving size for nuts is one ounce, which is about 24 almonds, 35 peanuts, 14 walnut halves, and 18 cashews.
Spinach
Yes, the same green leafy thing you put in your smoothies, omelets, and salads also happens to be great for your heart.
Spinach contains large amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A, which can help improve your cholesterol. Plus spinach contains folic acid (a B vitamin that helps create new cells) and magnesium.
Salmon
Salmon is known for being high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help keep a regular heart rhythm and defend against coronary heart disease. Salmon also provides plenty of vitamin B6 (helps create antibodies and breaks down protein), vitamin B12 (helps create new blood cells and contributes to central nervous system function), niacin, and magnesium.
Kiwifruit
The kiwifruit or kiwi is loaded with vitamin C (1 kiwi is nearly 100 percent of your daily requirement), so like spinach, it protects against LDL cholesterol. Kiwis are also high in dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, and even have phytonutrients that help protect our DNA.
Looking for other ways to enjoy kiwi than on their own? Try using it in a salad with salmon, almonds, and spinach.
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 13 Easy Ways to Get to 10,000 Steps
With all the technology and machinery available to move us around with the least amount of effort, it’s easy to get in the “why walk?” mindset. You don’t need to pull a Forrest Gump and traverse the U.S. on foot, but you’ll be surprised at how fast you’ll hit your daily goal when you use your feet for what they were meant to do. Try squeezing some of these into your routine to sneak in more heart-healthy activity:
1. Get a dog
Nothing will get you out of the house faster than a puppy that needs to do some business. Not sure if you can commit? Check your local animal shelter or pet rescue sites for foster home programs. You’ll be doing your body and a homeless pooch a favor.
2. Take the stairs
At work, at the mall, at the train station, anywhere. If you wear a fitness tracker, you’ll score both steps and flights.
3. Take a moving break
During your lunch break, go on a 15-minute walk around the block. Not only will you get your steps in, but you may feel more focused at work. And remember to get up frequently during the day, not just at lunch.
4. Park far away
Every couple of hundred steps walking to or from your car adds up quickly. Plus, if you park at the back of the parking lot, you’ll help save your car from dings and dents.
5. Take the long way
When you’re at work and need to go to the restroom, skip the closest one and take a detour. Hit the stairs and use one on a different floor, or just take the longest route there. The same goes for doing errands (on foot) or strolling to a friend’s house.
6. Take a post-meal walk
Put your shoes on after you put down your fork. Taking a 15-minute walk after dinner can help you digest your meal faster, too.
7. Get off the bus or train one (or two) stops early
Two birds, one stone: You’ll help reduce carbon emissions and do your body good at the same time.
8. Play with your kids
Hide and seek can run up 10,000 steps alone!
9. Walk and talk
Take your business calls on the go, or skip the conference room and have walking meetings with your colleagues.
10. Don’t fast forward your DVR
The next time you binge-watch “The Walking Dead,” don’t fast forward through the commercials. Stand up and march in place or pick stuff up around the house until the zombies get walking again.
11. Drink up
You need lots of water anyway, and all of those trips to the water cooler at work—and the restroom—will make a big dent in your day’s step total.
12. Go on a walking date
It’s kind of a throwback, but there’s something charming about taking a stroll, especially a sunset one, with your significant other.
13. Take extra trips
When unloading grocery bags from the car or carrying laundry to the bedroom, it’s tempting to try to take as few trips as possible. Instead, try taking one more trip than you absolutely have to.
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 Why You Should Bother Taking the Stairs
Most people think of the stairs as an antiquated inconvenience, but guess what? Simply walking up stairs counts as exercise. And...come winter, when physical activity tends to plummet, stairs are a great way to build in quick bursts of exercise whether you’re at work, the mall, or the ballpark.
“Stair climbing and descending – the part you miss with a Stairmaster – is a great lower body and cardiovascular workout,” explains Steve Edwards, Beachbody’s Vice President and Results and Fitness Advisor. “Going up and down works the quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips, calves, feet and, to some degree, the core both concentrically and eccentrically.” On the way up, you use your quads and glutes. On the way down, your muscles, especially the calves, absorb the energy when your body makes contact with the step.
There are also psychological benefits of taking the stairs. People have seen positive changes in their mood even after just 5 minutes of moderate exercise, and there has been plenty of research to show how exercise can be a mood enhancer.
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What is a Challenge Pack? Your All-In-One Solution for Getting in the Best Shape of Your Life.
Beachbody Challenge Packs are the complete package, offering total support for achieving health and fitness goals. The formula? Fitness + Nutrition + Support = Success. With the All Access Challenge Pack, you will receive 1 year of EVERY fitness program Beachbody has ever created, including new ones that release during the year, one of five delicious Shakeology flavors or Beachbody Performance and Recover. That includes downloadable guides and future releases. Challenge Packs also include your choice of Shakeology, or Beachbody Performance Energize pre-workout and Recover post-workout supplements, or Daily Sunshine, the pediatrician-approved snack for the whole family. Plus you get me as your free fitness coach! This is all of the support you'll need to reach your fitness goals!
 February Savings! $10 off Any Challenge Pack $160 and Above!
Whether you are interested in the All Access Challenge Pack or the new 80 Day Obsession Challenge Pack, or even just an individual DVD challenge pack ($160 and above), they are all $10 off this month! Whether you are just starting out on your fitness journey or you are ready for a more advanced workout, there's a Beachbody program just right for you - from 21-Day Fix to Insanity to P90X to the intense new workout 80 Day Obsession. All of these and more are available on Beachbody on Demand (or some as individual dvds) at the link that follows. I am here as your FREE coach to help you every step of the way, including choosing the workout that best suits your needs. Send me a message if you need help getting started. |
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Video Recipe: Autumn Calabrese demonstrates how to make Swiss Oatmeal!
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 Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Shake
This Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Shakeology takes the healthy ingredients that give the cookies their name, adds a dash of cinnamon for spice, and blends them into a sweet smoothie.
Old fashioned rolled oats add thickness and texture to the shake, and give it a boost of fiber that will help you feel fuller longer. They also add a mild, but unmistakable, oat flavor (steel cut oats don’t work in this smoothie). The raisins break apart during blending, so they are distributed throughout the shake and shouldn’t get stuck in your straw.
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop Vanilla Shakeology
2 Tbsp. dry old-fashioned rolled oats
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. raisins
1 cup ice
Place almond milk, Shakeology, oats, cinnamon, raisins, and ice in blender; cover. Blend until smooth. |
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 Join My Team!
I am looking for individuals who SERIOUSLY want to change their life physically and/or financially. Our team wants to share with you how to build an in-home business from the ground up and how to make a part-time or full-time income while doing it.
We will personally mentor and train you, show you what we are doing and how we are doing it, and give you step-by-step guidance on how to get there PLUS so much MORE: weekly training calls, a training boot camp, social networking How-To’s, templates, and access to an exclusive group of other successful business owners. The training is 100% FREE once you sign up to be a Coach on our team. This is something you don’t want to miss! Oh, and did I mention Coaches get 25% off Shakeology and other Beachbody products (10% off clothes), and if you're active duty or honorably discharged from the US Armed Forces, there's an additional thank-you-for-your-service discount?!
If this sounds like a good fit for you, contact me and let's hit the ground running!
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