Live Fast Live Fit

😍This recipe makes a healthy snack that feels like a special occasion treat.
 
Make sure you use sweet, ripe raspberries (this week’s food of the week) and good quality chocolate that’s around 70% cocoa.
 
🍯Raspberry Yogurt Chocolate Parfait 🍯
(makes 2 servings)
 
● 1 cup (125 grams) fresh raspberries
● 1 cup (285 grams) plain Greek yogurt
● 2 tsp honey
● 1 oz. 70% or higher dark chocolate, chopped
Mash half of the raspberries and mix them in a small bowl with Greek yogurt and honey. Divide this mixture in half and place each half in a serving bowl.
 
Top each bowl with half of the remaining berries. Sprinkle each with half of the chopped dark chocolate. Eat and enjoy!
 

😋Fun Fact: RASPBERRIES (along with blackberries & strawberries) are part of the rose family!
 
🌹Plus … they come in colors other than red. You can find black-, purple-, and golden-colored raspberries, although they’re less common.
 
Not only are they tender and sweet, they also are packed with good-for-you micronutrients.
 
They’re loaded with fiber and vitamin C, plus a long list of antioxidants and plant chemicals that help keep you healthy and boost your immune system.
 
They are amazing eaten on their own … but they also are tasty in salads, smoothies, in oatmeal, or added to sauces and marinades.
 
❓Are you a raspberry fan? What’s your favorite way to eat them? ⬇️⬇️⬇️
 
REFERENCES:
www.healthline.com/nutrition/raspberry-nutrition
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283018
 

🔥WEEKLY CHALLENGE! 🔥
 
It’s time for a POSTURE CHECK.
 
Your posture can have a HUGE impact on your mood and how you feel.
 
When you sit or stand with proper posture, you’ll probably notice you have more energy, fewer aches and pains ... and are even more productive.
 
PLUS … experts say bad posture is responsible for much of the back pain experienced by 80% of us at one point or another.
 
(That’s not to mention how your posture can affect how other people see you.)
 
Here’s how this challenge works:
 
✅Do a WALL CHECK every day.
 
👉How to do a wall check:
 
● Stand with your head, shoulder blades, and glutes touching a wall.
● Your feet should be under your hips & positioned about 2-4 inches from the wall.
● Slide your hand between the curve of your lower back and the wall, with your palm flat against the wall.
● Your hand should fit “just right” – without extra room.
 
If there’s TOO MUCH space, tighten your core & draw your belly toward your spine to flatten your back.
 
If there’s NOT ENOUGH space, move your back forward until your hand fits easily.
 
Now the real challenge: Walk away from the wall holding this posture and try to maintain it during the day (without walking like a robot). 🤖
 
Do this every day this week so you become more mindful of what your posture should look like!
 
Try the wall check and let us know how you do 👇👇
 
REFERENCE:
www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/multimedia/back-pain/sls-20076817?s=4
https://nypost.com/2018/09/24/experts-say-your-posture-is-terrible-and-wrecking-your-health/

💥FRIDAY WORKOUT / WEEKEND WORKOUT 💥

😎Ok, let’s do this! Where are you planning to get this done? In the gym? At home? At the cottage? Let me know! ⬇️

Repost from Live Fast Live Fit - Coach Laura Livesfit
•
🔑THURSDAY TIP

This week we’re kicking a habit … and I have a tip that can help, especially if you’ve already “messed up” this week.

Focus on progress vs. perfection!

That means having a plan in place in case you “slip.”

My two-part recommendation:

* Do not beat yourself up for having a hard time kicking a habit. If it was easy, you would have already broken it by now.
* Second, evaluate what happened, the reasons it happened, and then get back to the challenge ASAP.

💪Remember you only fail if you quit. YOU CAN DO THIS!

👩‍🍳This refreshing salad recipe is super simple ... but it does take a little time to let the veggies marinate in the dressing.
 
Don’t rush it! It will be time well-spent.
 
This works well as a side dish for just about anything you can put on your plate :-)
 
🥒Cucumber Avocado Salad 🥒
(makes 4 servings)
 
● ¼ cup (15 grams) sweet onion, sliced thin
● 1 lemon, juiced
● 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
● 1 Tbsp each thinly sliced fresh mint & basil
● ½ tsp pink Himalayan salt
● 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
● 4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
● 1 avocado, halved, pitted, and cubed
 
Toss the onion with the lemon juice in a large bowl and let soak for 10 minutes. Add the oil, herbs, and salt and whisk to combine.
 
Add the cucumber to the bowl and toss to coat well. Let stand for another 10 minutes, gently stirring every few minutes.
 
Gently stir in the tomatoes and add the avocado.
 
Transfer to a platter and serve. So delicious!
 

🥒How often do you eat CUCUMBERS?
 
✅ Fun Fact: They’re in the same plant family as watermelon. And just like watermelon … they are almost all water – nearly 95%.
 
That means they’re a good choice to help you stay hydrated, plus they are a great source of vitamins K, C, and A.
 
💧💧Cucumbers have been used for skincare for years to help reduce inflammation and alleviate sunburn.
 
You can eat them raw in salads or sandwiches.
 
🤩They’re also terrific as a side dish for spicy or highly flavored foods ... or can be turned into a quick pickle with vinegar and spices. Yum!
 
REFERENCES:
www.webmd.com/food-recipes/cucumber-health-benefits
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283006

🙊It’s theBreak a Bad Habit Challenge!
 
This week we’re going to get rid of a bad habit of YOUR choice.
 
We all have that ONE LITTLE HABIT we’re working on. This is the week we kick it to the curb for an ENTIRE week. (Hopefully longer … but at least for this week.)  
 
Some examples:
● Drinking diet soda or coffee shop drinks every day
● Nighttime snacking
● Biting your nails
● Staying up late playing video games
● Going out for lunch every day
● Something else you have been thinking of quitting
 
👉But that’s not all! We’re going to go into this challenge PREPARED to SUCCEED.
 
That means intentionally CHOOSING something that you’ll REPLACE that habit with.
 
● Drinking water instead of soda or coffee
● Activity to replace snacking or gaming
● Brown bagging a lunch vs. hitting the sandwich shop
● Etc.
 
What habit are you saying BYE to this week? I want to hear from you below! 👇
 
REFERENCE
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fixing-families/201712/how-break-bad-habits

Here’s a tip to make your Morning Cardio Challenge a little easier, especially if you’re NOT a morning person.

Give yourself a reward for getting it DONE.

A new pair of sneakers; a workout shirt; your favorite (healthy!) smoothie at the juice shop … it really can make a difference!

The key: make sure you earn that reward before you cash in on it.

How are you doing with your morning workouts so far? Let us know below! 👇

🥗This simple salad “bowl” – which includes black beans (food of the week) is packed with Tex-Mex flavor and is super easy to put together.
 
It makes a meal on its own ... but also is a tasty side dish with grilled chicken or fish.
 
⭐️Black Bean Quinoa Bowl ⭐️
(2 main dish/4 side-dish servings)
 
● ⅓ cup quinoa
● 1 cup water
● 1 tsp olive oil
● 1 lime, juiced
● ½ tsp chili powder
● 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
● 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
● 2 cups diced plum tomatoes, seeds removed
● 1 cup diced bell peppers
● 1 Tbsp minced fresh green chile
● salt and ground black pepper to taste
 
Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse under cool running water. Let drain well.
 
Bring the water to boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa, cover, and reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 10-12 minutes.
 
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
 
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the oil, lime juice, chili powder, and cilantro. Mix together well and stir in the beans, tomatoes, peppers, and chiles. Add the quinoa and combine thoroughly and add salt and pepper to taste
 
Place in the refrigerator to chill until it’s time to eat. DELICIOUS!