NATURAL NOURISHMENT

With the temperatures warm and the sun ever-present, summer is the perfect time to get outside and be active. One catch: you lose more electrolytes through sweating than you do in cooler temperatures, making it harder to exercise for long periods and at high intensities.

So if you want to pick up your workout and speed your recovery, what is a a fitness buff to do? Most sports drinks have outrageous amounts of calories and use artificial sweeteners that can do way more harm than good, so what's the point in drinking something that works against your efforts?

Well, mother nature has the answer and it's DELICIOUS! Coconut water (NOT milk) is the fluid from the inside of an unripe coconut. It tastes great, is low in calories, and has a TON of electrolytes... including more potassium than in an entire banana!

Drink one 8oz 60 calorie Zico coconut water BEFORE working out to increase you duration and overall calorie burn. Drink one after to replenish what you've lost through sweating. Limited calories, no added sugar, and everything your body needs to keep it in tip top shape. Also great for a day at the beach!

BEAT THE BLOAT

HERE is an article with 10 foods to avoid if you want to ban belly bloat!
The list (and my summaries/explanations):

NOTE: Anything with a * means that the entry is not entirely factual. I have included explanations and clarifications for any information from the article that wasn't totally accurate.

1) SALT
-water is attracted to salt, so it makes you retain excess water, especially around your middle! Hidden sources: restaurant food, canned soups.
2) Excess carbs
-8 servings a day of whole grains is ENOUGH! Any extra is stored as fuel... a type of fuel that leads to excess water storage.
3) Bulky raw foods*
-raw vegetables mainly, but this bloating is temporary! If your body isn't used to a lot of ruffage, you may see some distention in your belly. What to do? KEEP EATING RAW FOODS! Your body adjusts over time and the extra fiber helps to DECREASE tummy distention in the long run.
4) Gassy foods
-Broccoli, cauliflower, beans, cabbage... "too much of a good thing" does exist! These foods are very healthy, but in excess they can lead to bloating and gas.
5) High-acid drinks
-ALCOHOL, coffee, soda... these irritate the lining of your GI tract and can lead to swelling. They included tea on their list but this is FALSE! Green and white teas actually HELP to decrease bloating because they are diuretics, so they flush excess fluids in the body!
6) Fried foods
-The high fat content causes these foods to be digested more slowly, leading to increased uncomfortable feelings of fullness and stomach distention.
7) Spicy Foods*
-If you have gastric reflux, then yes, the extra release of stomach acid stimulated by spicy foods can lead to stomach irritation and inflammation. However, if you do NOT have GERD, these foods can actually DECREASE stomach bloating by speeding up digestion!
8) Carbonated drinks
-The carbonation in soda and other fizzy sips can lead to excess gas in the GI tract, leading to distention, stinkyness, and overall unpleasantness.
9) Chewing gum
-When you chew gum, whether you mean to or not, you naturally swallow some air. The build up of air in the GI tract leads to belly bloat, gas-y-ness, and general discomfort.

DELICIOUS DIET-FRIENDLY DESSERT

I found am amazing recipe for simple to make, vegan blackberry lime tartlets!! The photo in this post is of the finished result. Not only are they low in fat and calories, but they're bite size, so you can watch your portions!



BLACKBERRY LIME TARTLETS

24 mini phyllo shells (buy pre-made in freezer section)
1c plain soy yogurt (or regular, is you aren't vegan)
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp lime zest (scrapings from the skin of a lime)
1/4c apple juice
1/3c organic sugar
2 tsp Agar powder
6oz Blackberries

1) Bake phyllo shells for 4min at 350F (to make them just hard enough to not soak up the filling)
2) Mix soy yogurt, lime, and lime zest in a medium-sized bowl
3) Put apple juice and sugar in to a medium sized sauce pan and heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Sprinkle in the Agar powder and continuing heating until completely dissolved.
4) Add the apple juice/sugar/agar mixture to the yogurt/lime/lime zest. Stir until an even consistency.
5) Divide yogurt filling among the phyllo shells, chill in fridge for about an hour.
6) Place blackberry on each filled phyllo (or, for even more flavor, puree the blackberries and place the puree on each filled phyllo), SERVE AND ENJOY!!

***4 tarlets contain approximately 158 calories, so enjoy without regret!!

EXPLOSIVE EXERCISE!

Plyometrics, or exercise with EXPLOSIVE movements (like jumping, hopping, etc.), is not only fun, it TORCHES calories as well!

As a working woman I understand that my time is valuable and limited, especially on work days. Because of this I often nap or watch TV rather than exercise after a long day at the hospital. Plyometrics is an amazing discovery that allows you to not only exercise on work days, but to do so in a more effective and less time-taxing way.

10 minutes of plyometrics can burn 100 calories! It also helps to build muscle and increase bone density!

HERE is an article with a plyometrics workout that is perfect for before work, during your lunch break, or when you get home!

But be warned: Plyometrics utilizes intense bursts of muscle energy, so it is difficult! Think about jumping rope. Not so tough for a minute, but try jumping at a good pace for 10... it's EXHAUSTING!! The workout linked in this post is fun and easy to follow, but it is tough, so pat yourself on the back for how damn strong you are when you complete it (ESPECIALLY if you can do the rotation more than once!).

THE BENEFITS OF KEFIR

If you don't know what "Kefir" is, now is the time to learn! The health benefits it offers are too good to pass up... not to mention it's delicious!

Kefir is a lot like yogurt. It's a fermented milk product made with probiotics, but instead of utilizing traditional yogurt bacterium, it is made with Kefir grains.

Kefir grains are little balls of "good" bacteria that have been shown to improve digestion, increase immune function, decrease oxidative and mutagenic damage in the body (aka it's a STRONG antioxidant that combats free radicals and the effects of aging), aids in weight loss, can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and naturally balances the bacterial flora of the intestines.

Kefir's anti-cancer and healthy skin/hair benefits are continuing to be studied, so the list of positives attributed to Kefir will likely grow longer!

What I love about Kefir is that is has FAR MORE probiotics than regular yogurt (with added anti-fungal properties) and it's slightly thinner texture lends itself to making AMAZING smoothies: Just add 1 cup Kefir and a handful of mango (or blueberries, or another fruit) to the blender (you can add agave nectar or honey for additonal natural sweetness) and voila! You have a delicious and nutrious snack or breakfast with minimal effort :)

So, what's stopping you?! Go grab some Kefir and start seeing the health benefits today!

For more on Kefir, you can check it out HERE

THE BLOG, IT IS A-CHANGIN'!

So I recently found out that you, my wonderful blog readers and devotees, have been enthusiastic in response to my requests that you support my advertisers... so much so that my account was disabled due to "fradulent" ad clicking activity!!

I'm not such much frustrated with the google people as I am flattered by the kindness of you guys, the readers!

After a hiatus, I have decided that the blog will continue! I think the information on this blog is useful and is something that I, myself, would want to have at my reading disposal. Information on how to better you life naturally and to live sexy, healthy, and happy is information that deserves to be accessible to EVERYONE! And so the blog continues! Please don't hesitate to e-mail you questions and comments to sexyhealthyhappy@gmail.com you can also e-mail topics you wish would be covered because, after all, this blog is for YOU!

Here's to living sexy, healthy, and happy!

-Li