Aspire, Perspire, Nourish Yourself

Spring Cleaning: Four Weeks to Jump Start Your Healthy Life!

We usually don’t start to think about spring cleaning until spring hits! At that point, we’re all madly trying to shed all the extra stuff we’ve collected through the winter; that is, literally extra clothing, household items and figuratively the extra pounds we’ve added through the cold, dark winter days. Well, this year let’s get started before spring!

We’ve got 5 tasks for you to complete for the next 4 weeks to get you ready for a healthier lifestyle this spring.

Week 1 – Get Some Goals

photo by http://www.freerangestock.com

It all starts with your intentions and a plan to act on those. What is your hope for the coming season? Is it to enter a race, lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, prepare more ‘clean’ home-cooked meals? These are examples of general goals so get more specific than what we’ve listed. For example, if you want to lose weight, specify something like, “Lose 1 pound per week over 12 weeks.”

For more details and ideas on setting and achieving goals, go back to our blog Goals: Time to Rethink Yours?

Week 2 – Set your Exercise Plan

photo by http://www.freerangestock.com

Based on the goals that you set in week 1, determine the best exercise plan to achieve these goals. For example, if you plan to enter a 10K race in June, then work backwards from the date of the race and establish your training plan. If you want to lose weight, then establish an appropriate daily or weekly level and intensity of activity you need to pursue for healthy weight loss.

Decide how many days you will exercise, what type of activity you will engage in and for how long.
Sketch out your weekly exercise schedule to include cardio sessions, resistance training, and flexibility exercises.
Search for training and exercise videos and articles on reputable sites and in magazines to give you the extra motivational boost and appropriate direction.

As a refresher on scheduling workouts, see our blog post Want to get Fit? Make a Plan.

Week 3 – Set your Nutrition Plan

photo by http://www.freerangestock.com

As we’ve said in the past, nutrition is an important component of healthy living. Weight loss, athletic performance, and just simply living well cannot be accomplished without integrating fitness and nutrition.

In week 3, focus on creating a nutrition plan that helps you stick to clean eating for the long term, which may include:

Creating a 14 day menu you can modify and rotate over the long term,
Searching for clean recipes you and your family may enjoy,
Understanding your individual nutrition needs (based on your activity levels, sport, and goals),
Trying new foods,
Exchanging ideas with others about nutrition and foods.

Once you have a plan for what you will eat, preparation becomes easy!

Week 4 – Cleanse Your Body and Spring Clean your Pantry

Task 4A – Cleanse Body

Jump start your journey to a healthier and fitter lifestyle by prepping your body with a simple cleanse. You can get the benefit of higher energy and you can prime your body’s capacity for improved fitness and increased nutrient intake by:

Drinking more water,
Drinking less caffeine,
Increasing fiber intake,
Reducing and ideally eliminating refined and processed foods, starches and foods high in sugar,
Resting more.

If you decide to do a more strict detoxifying plan, please be sure to follow the directions carefully or consult your health care practitioner for advice. Read more about cleansing by going back to our blog post, Lighten Up Your Load: Cleansing with Everyday Foods.

Task 4B – Spring Clean Pantry

Now that you have a nutrition plan, you know what foods you need in your pantry and fridge. As you transition to cleaner foods, spring clean your pantry. In week 4, take a look at what is stored in your pantry and take out all the processed and refined foods, high sugar foods, and other items that don’t fit your clean eating plan. We’re not suggesting you waste these by throwing them out. You can choose to donate them to others or simply use them up and not replenish them. If you choose to eat them, then consume in moderation.

A pantry void of tempting foods makes nutritious eating a snap!

Spring is upon us

It’s time to make it happen! As spring is upon us, you can implement your plans and get a jump start on everyone else who is just now starting to think about spring cleaning their lives.

Pay it Forward

Now that you are set and in full swing, help someone else! Share your enthusiasm, knowledge and plans with others so they too can have a great spring.

Recipe of the Week: Turkey & Asparagus Pasta Toss

Monthly Food Feature: Kale

Do you find yourself adding kale into many of your favorite dishes? If so, that’s great because kale is an ubër healthy vegetable, which has been identified as high in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer nutrients.

Kale is a funny looking vegetable, especially the curly kind, so we find that we’ve had to “sneak” it into more of our traditional dishes to make it palatable for our families. A big bowl of kale salad is awesome in our view, but our kids don’t quite understand the enthusiasm. A few leaves of kale disguised in a regular mixed salad and some steamed kale added to a pasta dish are two great ways to get your family started on this vegetable.

What is Kale?

Ornamental Kale

Kale comes from the wild cabbage family like broccoli, collards, and cauliflower and is said to have originated in Asia Minor. There are many varieties such as curly, dinosaur (also called Lacinato or Tuscan), and ornamental kale (also known as salad savoy). The most common type sold in North American grocery stores is the curly kind. Each variety has a slightly different texture, color and taste. Some are sweeter than others, although the sweetness is related more to whether it is in season. Although kale is available throughout the year, the growing season is from the middle of winter to early spring.

Kale is nutrient dense, which means that it has lots of vitamins and minerals and very few calories. One cup of cooked kale is only about 36 calories! If you’re looking for a way to fill up while watching your waistline, kale might be your answer.

Nutritional Profile and Health Benefits

As we mentioned, kale is an ubër vegetable. It is high in:

Vitamin K, A, and C
Manganese and copper

These vitamins and minerals are all important in bone and tissue building, vision, cell growth, regulating blood sugar levels and generally maintaining a healthy immune system.

It is also a very good source of the vitamins and minerals listed below, which may help with heart functioning, cholesterol, PMS, energy levels, and hair and nail health.

Vitamin B6, B2, and E
Fiber
Calcium
Potassium

The largest number of studies conducted with kale relate to cancer, and in particular bladder, breast, colon, ovarian and prostate cancer. “As a group, these studies [related to intake of cruciferous vegetables] definitely show cancer preventive benefits from kale intake, and in some cases, treatment benefits as well.” (1). The high concentrations of carotenoids and flavonoids contained in kale are said to be the link to cancer prevention. As antioxidants, they help our bodies combat oxidative stress. In addition, glucosinolates contained in kale may help the body create cancer-preventing ITC compounds.

Other studies suggesting kale leads to health benefits focus on cardiovascular support related to kale’s fiber content and ability to lower cholesterol. The high sulfur-based content of kale is also helpful for detoxification of cells.

To read more about its health benefits, please see the references quoted at the end of this blog.

On a cautionary note, both WebMD and the World’s Healthiest Foods state that some people may experience problems with kale when over-consumed. People on anticoagulant drugs should avoid getting too much Vitamin K (of which kale is very high) as it may interfere with the drugs. Also, kale has naturally occurring oxalates, which can cause problems if they are too highly concentrated in body fluids. People with kidney or gallbladder issues should avoid kale. If you have concerns, please speak to your health care practitioner before adding kale to your regular diet.

Easy Recipes

The following are tips on storing and preparing this great vegetable, along with two easy recipes to try.

Storage and Preparation

Kale stores well in cool temperatures and, in fact can grow in cooler climates where light frost can help make its leaves taste sweeter. You can place kale in a plastic bag with air removed out of bag and keep it in the fridge for about 5 days. Wash the kale just before cooking or eating it as the water can cause the kale to spoil more quickly.

It is recommended that kale be cooked lightly such as steaming. Overcooking will cause more of its nutrients to be lost. For a simple method, 5 minutes of steaming does the trick. If it’s cooked longer it will change to a brownish color and release a smell like rotten eggs. “This is a sign that magnesium has been lost. This is when it starts to release hydrogen sulfide, the cause of the ‘rotten egg smell’.” (1)