Beat Stress, Fight Insomnia, Get Energized...

Clever Combos...

Are you having problems with Stress, Insomnia, and Headaches???

Well I think it's time to deal with these issues in a Clever way...

Food, yes, certain foods help to deal and or release some of these issues.

Let's begin...

First Stress, it's so HUGE now a days. Everyone is dealing with some sort of stress. It's sad that so many people are getting sick, having Anxiety, depression because of stressful situations.

Of course I will recommend exercise to deal with stress but here are a few healthy options.

Sunflower seeds: Are a great source of folate, which helps your body produce a pleasure inducing brain chemical called dopamine. Try 1 or 2 Tbsp for a snack.

Spinach: Spinach improves your body's response to stress, studies show that Spinach has magnesium.

Try adding to smoothies, salads

Blueberries: Their antioxidants counteract the effect of stress hormones like cortisol on your body.

Try 1/2 cup with your morning cereal.

Clever Combo: Make a spinach salad add your favorite greens such as cucumber, lettuce, kale. Top with blueberries and sunflower seeds...

Next Insomnia...

Yikes, I can't imagine not sleeping. I don't know about you but if I don't sleep I feel crazy.

Check this out, did you know that Yogurt, bananas, and potatoes are good for Insomnia.

Yogurt: Calcium rich boost levels of serotonin, a calming hormone that promote sleep.

Try 6 to 8 oz of yogurt before bedtime.

Bananas: The are packed with vitamin B6 a vitamin that helps keep your internal clock ticking normally, signaling when to fall asleep and when to wake up.

Try a banana everyday.

Potatoes: Research shows that high glycemic index foods like potatoes have a sedative effect.

Try half a potato 4 hours before bedtime.

Clever Combo: I love adding yogurt to my fruit. Cut into small pieces strawberries, bananas, peaches and 6 oz. of Greek yogurt. Top it with 2 tbs. of granola, Enjoy!

Get energized....

After stress people look for ways to have energy, we are living in a crazy world, where we are constantly trying to deal with stress and have energy to do what we want to do. For this I suggest balance what's wild is when you exercise you have more energy. So go for it..also try these healthy alternatives.

Almonds or Almond butter: They help stabilize energy levels thanks to a mix of protein and healthy fat.

Try a small handful of almonds or 1 tbs. almond butter.

Coffee: Studies show that a cup of coffee may be even better than a power nap for a quick shot of get-up and go. 

Try one cup 8 oz. of coffee

Clever Combo: Add 1 tbs.of almond butter to slices of apples...

Last but not least Headaches..

Ouch, I remember when I was younger I would get so many headaches. It's ugly, every noise, smell bothers you. Let's see these awesome healthy ways to combat these painful headaches.

Kale: Magnesium rich greens help you have fewer migraines by fighting inflamation.

Try 2 or more cups a few times a week.

Black Beans: Several studies have linked unstable blood sugar levels to headaches. Black beans are high in fiber and high in magnesium. 

Try 1/2 cup several times a week.

Tuna and Halibut: They have healthy omega-3's, which may help halt the inflammation that leads to migraines. 

Try one or two 4 oz. serving per week.

Clever combo: For dinner make Tuna or Halibut steaks with a Kale salad topped with black beans and avocado.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog with healthy alternatives. As always, take care of your body. Love life, help people. Live life on purpose.

To our health

Angie Castillo

Lifestyle Coaching

Why detoxing is so important?

          Detox and why is it important???

Hello world, I am so happy sharing this with you all. This weekend I spent the entire weekend watching food documentaries..and holy cow, Ouch!!! I consider myself healthy but after watching these documentaries I feel inspired to share with everyone the importance of detoxing and juicing.

     I used to consider detoxing taking a pill for 10 days, and that was it. I thought I'm clean now, nope..I still had the re-occurring headaches, fatigue, & depression. I've learned a lot.

       I continue to study, read and expand my awareness to health and fitness. One thing I realize is that juicing to detox your body is so important. Juicing will detox the  heavy metals in your body, the junk and gunk in your body. So many people ask why they can't loose weight?. Mostly because there is so much gunk in the body that needs to be cleaned out to start loosing the weight. 

There are so many diseases in our day in age, you go to a Doctor and they prescribe medication, where basically they are not curing the disease. Juicing will begin to re-boot your body. 

You need colors in your juice for nutrition.

It's so important to add variety, also adding aloe vera, chia seeds, seaweed, parsley, cilantro to your juices will make a big difference.

Aloe Vera:

Aloe helps in Detoxification

Aloe Vera is a gelatinous plant food, just like seaweeds and chia. The main benefit to consuming gelatinous plant foods in your diet is that these gels move through the intestinal tract absorbing toxins along the way and get eliminated through the colon. This will help the proper elimination of waste from your body and help the detoxification of your body.

Chia Seed:

Help weight loss. Chia seeds are popular for weight loss. They reduce food cravings by preventing some of the food that you eat from getting absorbed into your system. This blockage of calorie absorption makes them a great diet helper. You feel fuller faster, reduce blood pressure. They are the richest plant source of Omega-3.

Seaweed:

Seaweed's best-known benefit is that it is an extraordinary source of a nutrient missing in almost every other food: Iodine. Consuming healthy levels of iodine is critically important to maintaining a healthy thyroid, a gland in your neck which helps produce and regulate hormones. A malfunctioning thyroid can result in a wide range  of symptoms such as fatigue, muscle weakness and high cholesterol.

Parsley:                                                                 Cilantro:

                                                          

        I'm adding a few recipes for juicing, for more information on juicing, please feel free to add your name to the right, workshops soon to be scheduled...Also please check the following movies...
"Food Inc.", "Fat, sick & nearly dead", "Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue", "Vegucated".
There are many food documentaries, but just watching these your world can change. 

 

Remember stay healthy, stay fit and live a good life....

 Angie Castillo

Lifestyle Coaching

Living a fabulous fit life....

It's time to chill with Magnesium...

Why is Magnesium called the Chill Pill???  

 It's a way to combat stress and  the most powerful relaxation mineral available, and it can help improve your sleep.

              

              What really does Magnesium do for you?                                                   Well let's take a look. 

 Studies show that if you are lacking Magnesium it can create great stress on our bodies. Magnesium is a mineral that's crucial to the body's function. Magnesium helps keep blood pressure normal, bones strong, and the heart rhythm steady. Studies say that many people in the U.S. aren't eating enough foods with magnesium. Adults who consume less than the recommended amount of magnesium are more likely to have elevated inflammation markers. Inflammation, in turn, has been associated with major health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.  

There's some evidence that eating foods high in magnesium and other minerals can help prevent high blood pressure in people and so many more illnesses.  

Can you get magnesium naturally from foods? Yes, you can..

Some food sources of magnesium include:

• Green, leafy vegetables, like spinach
• Nuts,Beans, peas, and soybeans and
• Whole-grain cereals

Eating whole foods is always best. Magnesium can be lost during refinement and processing. Please ask a your doctor or nutritinist for the recommended dosage for you.

Feed Your Body Magnesium

 Limit coffee, colas, salt, sugar, and alcohol; learn how to practice meditation; check with your doctor if you need Magnesium.

                                         Eat Foods High in Magnesium their good for you

Include the following in your diet as often as you can:

Kelp, wheat bran, wheat germ, almonds, cashews, buckwheat, millet, pecans, walnuts, rye, tofu, soy beans, brown rice, figs, dates, collard greens, shrimp, avocado, parsley, beans, barley, dandelion greens, and garlic. 

Enjoy fresh foods instead of pills. I am a believer in the keeping it fresh mentality, Nuts go a long way, stock up and load up on yumminess...

                      BONUS Today, yippy!!!

Total body workout...

Dumbbell Front Squat, Target Body Part: Back, Butt/Hips, Legs - Thighs, Full Body/Integrated Equipment Needed: Dumbbells

Step 1.  Starting Position: Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width, turned slightly outward. Hold a dumbbell each hand by your sides, with your palms facing inward. Pull your shoulder blades down and back.

Step 2. Engage your core and abdominal muscles ("bracing") to stabilize your spine. Curl the dumbbells to a position where they rest on the front edge of your shoulders or just in front of your shoulders. Keep your chest up lifted and your chin parallel to the ground or slightly lifted. Shift your weight into your heels.

Step 3. Begin this phase by hinging at the hips, shifting them back and down. Your hips and knees bend simultaneously. As you lower your hips the knees bend and will start to shift forward slowly. Try to prevent your knees from traveling too far forward past the toes. Keep the abdominals/core muscles engaged and try to keep your back flat (do not tuck the tail or arch the low back).

Step 4. Continue to lower yourself until your thighs are parallel or almost parallel to the floor. If your heels begin to lift off the floor or your torso begins to round, return to start position. Be aware of any movement that may occur at your feet, ankles and knees. Work to ensure that the feet do not move, the ankles do not collapse in or out and the knees remain lined up with the second toe.

Step 5. Lowered Position: Keep the knees aligned with the second toe and body weight evenly distributed between the balls and heels of both feet. If you can view this from the side, your shinbone should be parallel with your torso and the low back should appear flat or may be showing the beginning of some rounding.

Step 6. Upward Phase: While maintaining the position of your back, chest and head and with the abdominals engaged, exhale and return to start position by pushing your feet into the floor through your heels. The hips and torso should rise together. Keep the heels flat on the floor and knees aligned with the second toe.

Technique is very important in this lift. The tendency is to hold the shinbone too vertical which forces you to lean your torso too far forward. Using a mirror for feedback, shift your shinbones forward while keeping your heels on the floor, then bring your torso more upright, but do so from the hips and not through the low back. Squeeze your abdominals to help prevent excess arching in the back with this correction. This exercise was brought to you by. (www.acefitness.org)

Thank you for reading this weeks blog. I love sharing great ways to stay health and fit. To your health....

Angie Castillo Intuitive Life Coach/Lifestyle Coaching...www.acceessyourdreamlife.com

More goodness for your health...

Did you know Beets are good for you?

Did you know that beets have several health benefits???

Red beets are known by a whole host of names, including the garden beet, the table beet, and just the plain old beet. One of the most popularly encountered types of beet in all of the continent of North America as well as Britain, red beets are just one of the many cultivated types of beets. Most of the time, the roots of red beets are boiled and then consumed as a cooked vegetable or eaten cold as part of a salad, after you have cooked them and added vinegar and oil.

Beets have been proven to be a source rich in essential vitamins like vitamin C. Vitamin C is widely known as a potent combatant against the common cold, and while it has been shown to reduce the frequency with which people catch that illness, vitamin C.The juice from red beets, beetroot juice, has been actually shown to reduce high blood pressure, a godsend for people with hypertension and those looking to avoid cardiovascular dilemmas.

Don't Forget the Greens....

After beets are harvested, the leaves, or greens, are often removed because they pull moisture away from the beet. If you find fresh beets with the leaves still intact, cut them off when you get home and store the greens separately from the beet. Healthy leaves should be crisp, green and void of slime on the surface. Beet leaves are very perishable and won’t last more than a few days in the refrigerator. One cup of raw beet greens has 8 calories, 1.4 grams of fiber and 0.84 grams of protein. The same serving size of cooked beets has 39 calories, 4.2 grams of fiber and 3.7 grams of protein. Dark, leafy greens, including beet leaves, are the best sources of vitamin K. This vitamin is needed to make proteins that stop bleeding by clotting blood. These hearty leaves look very much like Swiss chard, and not surprisingly, they cook and taste like chard too. Better yet, they're incredibly nutritious. One cup of beets contains 220 percent of your daily allowance of vitamin A  and vitamin C.

Create a Beet smoothie

Ingredients

• handful of fresh spinach
• ¼ cup red beetroot, peeled
• 2 small apples (what’s in season), quartered
• 1 medium banana, peeled
• 1 mandarin, peeled (make sure it has no pits)
• 1 cm piece of ginger
• juice of ½ big lemon (I used Meyer)
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 TBSP chia seeds
• 1.5 to 2 cups water
• Optional: more chia seeds to serve

Instructions

1. Put all to ingredients into blender until you get a creamy, smooth consistency. Serve in glass and enjoy!

Sweet Corn with Baby Beets and Basil

The vegetables in this side dish are simply tossed in olive oil, allowing the earthy-sweet summer flavors and bright colors to shine. SERVINGS:4..Martha Stewart Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• -Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• -2 ears of corn, husked and halved
• -8 baby beets (about 1 pound), trimmed and scrubbed
• -Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• -1 to 2 tablespoons torn fresh basil
• Garnish: basil sprigs

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   Bring a medium pot of water to a boil; season with salt. Cook corn until tender, about 4 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a plate.

2. STEP 2

   Add beets to water, and simmer, partially covered, until tender when pierced with a knife, 30 to 35 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a plate. Let cool slightly. Peel, and cut beets into halves or quarters.

3. STEP 3

   Carefully cut kernels from corncobs using a sharp knife, and transfer to a large shallow bowl. Add beets, and drizzle with oil. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in torn basil. Garnish with basil sprigs.

I hope that the information I've shared helps you to include beets into your diet. As always Enjoy. To your health and happiness.

Angie Castillo....Intuitive Life Coach, Life Style Coaching....www.accessyourdreamlife.com

Why am I not loosing the weight??!

Why am I not loosing the weight?

The struggle of losing weight can become a nightmare, What's worse is not knowing how to.

We all think let's go on a diet, go to the gym, Zumba...Weight Watchers, detox, cleanse, eat lettuce, do the Cayenne liquid drink. EAT CHICKEN!!!
                                                                              Ahhhhhhh, nightmare right!
God, if I had a dollar for every time I heard a woman attempt to lose weight only to not succeed I would be a Millionaire right now.
 It saddens me to see this phenomenon of weight loss. So I am going to get brutally honest. Are you ready? Good, now I do have to tell you that I am not a Nutritionist and what I state is based only on what I have experienced in myself and clients. 
Now to begin, Adrenal Fatigue? Huh is right.! What is it? How does it affect loosing weight?
How does it affect cortisol levels? 

     In 2009 I was working as a Personal Trainer, the recession hit gyms first and I was down to a few clients holding on to the very few I had left. I was tired and stressed.  My father died late that year causing my stress to go through the roof. For the first time in my life I was starting to get Fat on my body. I had been a gym rat and previously skinny. So fat on my body was NO bueno...
Soon I left the gym to find better income, the stress was still high and became worse, as I struggled to find work, my body went into overload causing my adrenals to shoot sky high. I wasn't sleeping well, moody, emotional, a train wreck to say the least. I couldn't figure out what was going on..
On a sunny Summer day, a friend I had not heard of for a while calls me. As I shared what was happening with me, she mentions to be, "Sounds like your Adrenals are out of wack". Know what?
 I soon looked into getting myself some help. 
In the first month I dropped 10 pounds. After 2 years of not being able to figure out why I was not dropping weight.
In the first two weeks I began to notice  I felt better, sleeped better and had more energy. Yes I also added  multi vitamin. 
Exercise was a part of my life already. I'm grateful today for that phone call from my friend. 
Like I said I am not a Doctor, but if you are having trouble loosing weight look into having your Adrenalins checked .  





Here is some information on Adrenal Glands: 

The adrenal glands sit over the kidneys, where they play a significant role in the body, secreting more than 50 hormones necessary for life, including epinephrine (adrenaline), cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), progesterone and testosterone. Since they produce so many essential hormones, the adrenal glands are responsible for many of the functions we need to stay alive and healthy, including:
         
   -Energy production -- carbohydrate, protein and fat conversion to blood glucose for energy
                                                      - Fluid and electrolyte balance
                                                                  -Fat storage

Unfortunately, the adrenal glands' are the "glands of stress," but are also the first glands to fail during prolonged or intense periods of stress. The problem with stressors is that they are "cumulative," in the sense that their impact tends to add up in the body over time until your adrenal glands (and probably your mental state) just can't take anymore.

Treating adrenal fatigue is as easy as:

Laughing

Exercising

Minimizing stress

Taking negative people out of your life

Eating regular meals

Doing something fun each day

Combining unrefined carbohydrates with protein and oils

Avoiding junk food

Eating five to six servings of vegetables each day

Taking calcium and magnesium supplements

Adding Sea Salt to your diet

Taking 2,000 to 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C each day

Taking B-complex supplements that are high in B6 and pentatonic acid

Adding licorice root extract to your dietary supplement regimen

I hope this helps, please feel free to email me for questions. 

Thank you, many blessings to your health and healing.

Angie Castillo

Life Style Coaching

www.accessyourdreamlife.com

accessyourdreamlife@gmail.com