Healthy Life Habits

I need this for my fridge.

(via fitandhealthyforlifee)

evepostapple:

The Sacred Sun Salutation - Surya Namaskar A

For those of you who are unfamiliar with yoga, the Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskar as it is referred to in Sanskrit, is traditionally a worship of the Sun deity giving thanks and gratitude for the warmth, light and prana (life force) that it graciously provides.

The Sun Salutation is a moving meditation linked with breath. Each pose or movement begins with an inhale or exhale and remains succinct in a 12 pose flow sequence as shown in the diagram.

The sun salutation is a beautiful way to greet your day as it stimulates the chakra energy centers of the body and heightens awareness and connection with oneself and the divine energy.  It is normally practiced first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and serves to warm and release any tension in the body, energizes the mind and offers spiritual upliftment.

I have practiced this daily for as long as I can remember and it has a profound effect on my psyche each day. During dark days when I am feeling especially emotional or vulnerable or even through days of overcoming addiction, this practice helped me to engage in mindfulness and supported me in ways that nothing else could.  

I would encourage you, whether you are ‘into’ yoga or not, to try this beautiful yet, simple, ancient practice as it will help you to cultivate your own sense of devotion to whatever it is speaks to your heart. If you are in a moment of darkness, practice a few rounds of Sun Salutation and your feelings will most certainly pass or you will gain greater clarity and less attachment to the feelings.

Step By Step:

(info from yogajournal.com)

1. To begin, stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Distribute your weight evenly over both feet. Establish a slow, steady rhythm for your breath. Find your center.

2. Next, inhale and stretch your arms out to the side and overhead into Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute). Reach your heart and arms to the heavens, sending your greeting to the sun.

3. As you exhale, hollow out your belly and fold into Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), connecting down into the earth. Keep your legs firmly engaged.

4. Inhale and lengthen your spine forward into Ardha Uttanasana (Half Standing Forward Bend). In this pose, the gaze is lifted, the spine is extended, and the fingertips can stay on the floor or rise to the shins.

5. Exhale and step or lightly hop your feet back behind you into Plank Pose. Your wrists should be flat on the floor, shoulder-distance apart, and your feet should be at hip distance. Take a full breath in as you lengthen through your spine.

6. Exhale and lower into Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose), keeping your legs straight and pushing back into your heels or bringing your knees to the floor. Build heat in the center of your body as you hold this challenging posture.

7. Inhale and carve your chest forward into Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog), directing that energy out from your heart. Pull your shoulders back and open your collarbones. Engage your legs but relax your gluteal muscles.

8. Exhale and roll over the toes, coming into Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose). Ground down through your hands and feet as you lengthen your spine. Remain here for five breaths.

9. On your fifth exhale, bend your knees and look between your hands. Then inhale and step or lightly hop your feet between your hands, returning to Ardha Uttanasana.

10. Exhale back to Uttanasana, surrendering into the fold.

11. Inhale, reaching your arms out wide to your sides and coming to stand through a flat back. Feel a renewed sense of energy as you draw your arms overhead into Urdhva Hastasana.

12. Exhale and return to Tadasana, your home base. Remain here for a few breaths, feeling the movement of energy through your body, or continue on to your next salute. 

(via curvecreation)

(via fitnessdiaries)

tatyfit:

berryhealthy:

if you have any sort of list like this, you’re probably losing weight for the wrong reasons and you need to change your priorities. weight loss should be for you.
1. who the hell is stopping you from wearing whatever? OH YEAH, YOU.
2. if you like someone and they don’t like you back, they’re probably just not into you. don’t blame it on your weight. if a guy doesn’t like you because of your weight, do you really want to be with a guy like that? shallow as hell? no thanks.
3. i doubt your friends consider you “the fat one” and if they do, they aren’t real friends. find some real ones.
4. newsflash if you’re a human being with skin, you’ll jiggle.
5. this always makes me face palm so hard. not everyone can achieve a thigh gap. you’re setting yourself up for failure. wide hips = thigh gap, but not always. it’s genetic too.
6. once again, you’re the only one stopping yourself from living. there’s no rules at the beaches saying “anyone over 100lbs may not sit on this sand, tan, swim, have fun~” life is for living.
7. body build, genetics, body build, genetics! not everyone can be a size 0. some people may only be able to be a size 6 and be healthy, others a size 12 is healthy for them, etc! and just because you are a size 0 doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you.
8. even victoria’s secret models have stomach rolls. it’s called being human.
9. …….goes along with the “so guys will like me.” stop blaming your weight for every problem in your life. just because you lost weight doesn’t mean he’ll want you back.

THIS SO MUCH

leanmeanworkoutmachine:

Need a nutritionist to answer questions at the supermarket? Perhaps a personal trainer for running a first-time 5K? Or surely a shrink to talk out that fear of flying? We’ve rounded up the 63 best apps* that offer these services and much, much more. Check out the list — organized by category — and download a step to living healthily, appily ever after.

*Clicking the picture will take you to the list complete with APP description. Clicking the name of each app will take you to their individual site. 

Workout Programs

• Vitogo
• CardioTrainer
• JEFIT
• Fitness Builder
• Nike BOOM
• StrongLifts 5x5
• Nike Training Club
• Sportaneous
• iFightBack 

Workout Trackers

• Fitocracy
• MyFitnessPal
• GymPact
• Workout Trainer
• GymBuddy
• Fleetly Fitness
• Alpine Replay

Running

• runtastic
• MapMyRun
• Nike+ GPS
• Couch-to-5k
• RunKeeper
• Runmeter GPS
• miCoach
• Zombies, Run!

Yoga

• Pocket Yoga
• All-In Yoga

Nutrition & Weight Loss

• Fooducate
• ShopWell
• Whole Foods Market Recipes
• Yumee
• Caffeine Zone
• Weight Watchers Mobile
• MealSnap
• MyPlate Calorie Tracker
• The Eatery
• Noom Weight Loss Coach
• Lose It!
• CalorieCounter
• Diet & Food Tracker 

Medical

• HealthTap Express
• MyQuitCoach
• ZocDoc
• Skeletal Systems Pro
• Epocrates
• Skin Scan
• GlucoseBuddy
• JetLag RX

Cooking

• Green Kitchen
• Cookwell
• Cook It Allergy Free
• Substitutions
• CookingLight Quick & Healthy Menu Maker
• Epicurious Recipe & Shopping List

Stress Reduction

• Stress Check
• Relax & Rest Guided Meditations
• Awareness

Sleep

• SleepCycle
• Pzizz

Boost Brainpower

• Brain Trainer
• Memory Trainer Pro

(via workingtothegoal)

blogilates:

Time to get some FLATTTTT ABSSS!!!!!!! To your fave songs.

Planning on doing this soon (although still recovering from this video)

redlightfitness:

fitter-than-a-snicker:

The horse. Oh, God, the horse.

ITS OVER NINE THOUSAAANNNNDDDD

Not a runner but it’s still hilarious :)

size10plz:

reasonstobehealthy:

When it comes to buying fruit, most people gravitate toward oranges, apples, bananas, and grapes. They often skip over the more unusual fruits. One of the fruits that are over looked is the kiwifruit. The kiwifruit is native to China. Many regions of Europe, South America, and North America have shortened the name from kiwifruit to simply kiwi. This little fruit has a brown peel which contains many hairs. Inside the peel, the fleshy part of the fruit is green, and the pulp in the center is white. The black seeds are located around the pulp and are edible. The taste of the kiwifruit is sweet and is described to be a mixture of strawberry, banana, and pineapple. The kiwifruit health benefits range from protecting against age related macular degeneration to having anti-oxidant properties that fight off aging.

Fights Diseases & Lowers Cholesterol
Kiwifruits are high in fiber, making them good for digestion. Fruits that are high in fiber help to improve diseases like diabetes. A natural occurring sugar alcohol, called inositol, is present in the kiwi. This compound might have a positive effect in the regulation of diabetes. This compound might also help with nerve conduction velocity, which is found in diabetic neuropathy.

Fiber helps to control sugar levels, and binds to toxic substances located in the colon. This helps to eliminate the toxic compounds from the colon which makes the organ function better. Diets high in fiber have also been proven to lower cholesterol levels, improve the health of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, and lower the risk of a heart attack. One of the aspects for a healthy heart is an adequate sodium to potassium ratio. This ratio is excellent in the kiwifruit. This aspect lessens the chance that a person will have hypertension.

Good For Your Eyes
The kiwifruit contains high amounts of vitamins A, C, and E which are the most typical anti-oxidant vitamins. The Archives of Ophthalmology have published a series of studies that has proven that eating three servings or more of fruit can lessen the risk of developing macular degeneration, which is an age related eye disease. The study was performed on 110,000 men and women that took place over several decades. The study showed that the people who ate fruits containing a high amount of vitamins A, C, and E had a better protection rate against macular degeneration than those who ate fewer of these fruits.

Fights Aging
Along with protecting against macular degeneration, the vitamins A, C, and E are very powerful in helping to fight off signs of aging. The high amounts of these vitamins in the kiwifruit have been proven to fight off damage done by free radicals. Free radicals can destroy the cells in the body and cause early aging signs as well as various diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Contains Minerals
Another great benefit of the kiwifruit is the fact that it is loaded with a variety of minerals, or electrolytes, that are necessary for the replenishment of these electrolytes during exercise. This electrolyte replenishment is especially important for people who live in a hot environment. The Chinese came up with a kiwi-based sports drink that was designed particularly to help boost electrolytes in athletes that trained in hot environments. They added a 5% increase of carbohydrates to this juice to help regulate and maintain glucose levels while the athletes were training.

Aids in Weight Loss
A weight loss fruit, the kiwifruit is an excellent fruit to eat when losing weight. One kiwi contains just 45 calories, 3 grams of fat, 1 gram of protein, 11 grams of carbohydrates, and 2.5 grams of fiber. This is one of the fruits that are lowest in calories. The fiber in the kiwi will help you feel fuller longer, and there’s no harm at all in eating more that one at a time. Kiwifruits are also high in potassium, in fact, they have the same amount as bananas. Potassium is great for sore muscle relief.

Other health benefits that kiwifruits can provide are the following:

• Prevents coughing and wheezing, particularly in children
• Prevents asthma
• Protects again DNA mutations
• Helps with impotence
• Boosts the immune system
• Helps with depression

As you can see, kiwifruit health benefits range all over. Next time you’re at the store, don’t just walk by these odd looking fruits. Put a few of them in your cart and try them out.

Check out the link here!

Whenever there’s kiwi’s in the house they don’t last for more than a few hours. 

Hooray! I love kiwi fruit! Now all the more reason to buy them :)