It’s Too Hot to Cook!

Suddenly it’s a heat wave!

Today I’m talking about ways to beat the summertime heat in the kitchen. When the weather is warm the last thing I want to do is turn on the stove and start cooking. Also, not eating out when it’s “too hot to cook!” is one of the best ways you can ensure you can eat well!

Here are a couple of tips to help you beat the heat:

  1. Have a Simple Meal. Just say yes to a simple meal at home when it’s too hot out. Make a salad and add some protein like hard boiled eggs or tuna. A salad is surprisingly filling too! Check out this image showing how much 400 calories occupies in the stomach!
  2. Get Grilling. If you have an outdoor area where you can safely BBQ like a patio or deck, move the party outside and get grilling! One of my all time favourite dishes is this grilled salmon on a plank! 
  3. Blend It. SatisFast combines two exceptional health and weight loss products: clinically?proven PGX (PolyGlycopleX?) and high quality, undenatured whey protein. Available in Rich Chocolate and Very Vanilla. With only 60 calories, SatisFast is a great base for your shakes or smoothies.  Plus, you’ll feel full longer, control your appetite and promote healthy blood sugar balance. My favorite smoothie packs a punch too! I load it up with a banana, 1 cup of berries, and 1/2 cup of organic soy or almond milk.

 

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Correcting Your Exercise Moves!

Here are the top 5 exercises that people often do wrong…

Save yourself injury and really make your workouts effective by learning the proper exercise postures!

When I saw this infographic, I couldn’t resist sharing it with all of our dear PGX readers. These five exercises are very popular moves to do at home and make full body workouts accessible to anyone, no gym necessary. However, they are easier said than done. As someone who guilty of making at least one (or two…fine, maybe three) of these mistakes in my earlier days of fitness exploration, I find this chart to be an excelent reminder.

For a more detailed explanation of how to do all five of these moves correctly, visit the Spark People Blog: The Top 5 Exercises You’re Doing Wrong.

 

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Make early morning exercise easier.

For the past three months I’ve been working out in the mornings. But I didn’t start out as an early morning person. At the start, morning workouts were extremely difficult. I was used to working out in the evening after work but with my schedule morning workouts just made more sense. Full disclaimer, I’m not a fitness guru that goes for a 10 km run every day. I just strive to get in three to four workouts per week to stay healthy and feel good.

So, if you’re like me and aren’t a typical morning person, here are a couple of suggestions to help with the transition from afternoon to morning workouts.

  1. Sleep in your workout clothes! Or have them ready to go the night before. No need to think about it.
  2. Take advantage of the morning sun. The light will wake you up… literally.
  3. Set the alarm clock to some music that makes you want to get moving.
  4. Stretch while you’re still in bed.
  5. Aim for a short workout. It’s better to start slowly and build up. Getting a 30 minute workout is better than talking yourself out of an 60 minute workout.

The first 2 – 3 weeks will be the most difficult but stick with it! By the 4th week you’ll start to feel it become a habit! After your workout, reward yourself with an ice-cold PGX smoothie!

 

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DIY Fitness Fashion Tee

DIY fashion for our dollar-savvy fans!

Don’t let your exercise outfits break the bank when you can create your own fabulous tee’s!

Do whatever it takes to motivate you to workout. I find cute exercise clothes are a huge help, but these cute clothes can be so expensive! On top of that expense, my closet is usually bursting with clothes that haven’t seen the light of day in a long while. Those clothes deserve to be given a second chance, some new life, don’t you think?

So here’s a fabulous little tutorial on how to breathe (or cut) new life into old t-shirts. You’ll be able to save money and the time you wold spend taking out those old clothes and finding them a new home!

Catherine of Rabbit Food for My Bunny Teeth shared her simple and fun project: DIY Workout Shirt.

Enjoy!

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Top 5 Ways to Stay Motivated

Don’t Give Up!

Our friends, our family and even our co-workers will often say to keep going. Whatever goal you’re working on be it loosing weight, training for a race, or just trying to live a bit healthier, sometimes you ask yourself, “Why?”. We all have those moments and for the record, nobody’s perfect.

So, push aside any set backs and realize that the difference between reaching your goals or not,is about staying motivated. If you’re motivated, you won’t give up.

Peek into the future and take a look at our reasons to stay motivated!

1. You’ll build your confidence. Once you hit your goal you’ll feel a huge sense of accomplishment. Think of what else you could do!

2. Your kids will be proud. Or grandkids. Or nieces and nephews. Plus, the healthier you are, the more you’ll be able to play and be active with children.

3. OMG, It Fits! That dress you bought and thought one day I’ll be able to fit is actually here. Hey you, go buy another one. You look good!

4. You’re an inspiration! People around you are inspired to set goals of their own and start living a healthier life. You’re awesome and helping others too.

5. Reward time! You did it. You worked hard and you deserve a reward. Go ahead and treat yourself to something special.

We’d love to hear your tips for staying motivated. Let us know!

 

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Tips to Get More Zzz’s!

Sound sleep and sweet dreams!

Here are some useful tips to help you get better sleep every night…

Okay, we all know how important sleep is for rest, rejuvination, balancing appetite regulating hormones, avoiding irritating eye twitches that may frighten others around you, avoiding that unattractive selfish streak (studies show that when people don’t sleep well, selfishness can kick in more than usual and can affect their relationships), keeping the cranks away and the happy bubble unpopped… You see what I mean. But what if, try as you might to get the recommended six to eight hours of sleep everyday, you just can’t seem to get some shut eye?

Well before you go speak to a specialist about insomnia, we’ve got a couple of tips and ideas for you to try…

Turn off the gadgets. Give yourself at least one hour before bedtime of iPad, computer, cell phone and television-free time to unwind after a busy day. Why is this important? All of these electronics emit a blue light that mimics daylight, which then leads your body to produce less of sleep hormone, melatonin. Try grabbing a book or a magazine instead!

Avoid caffeine. Did you know that caffeine can linger in your system for up to 12 hours? It’s true. If you find that caffeine has a strong effect on your, make sure that you don’t have any after lunch!

Exercise regularly. Getting your daily exercise is one the best ways to destress, which is often the culprit of sleep troubles. Exercising in the morning is especially good because it gives your time to cool down and keeps you energized throughout the day (needing less caffeine to function). When you exercise, your core heats up and isn’t normally a cue to your body to drift off to dreamland. If you must exercise in he evening, the experts at Shape Magazine recommend a nice steamy shower that will heat your skin. This will help kick your body into cool down mode and help it wind down towards sleep.

Invest in your bed. We spend half of our lives sleeping, so why not spend a little money on your mattress and sheets? Mattresses usually have a lifespan of five to ten years. If your mattress is sagging in the middle, no amount of flipping it over will change the fact that it’s saying goodbye to you. Also, look for quality bed sheets made from natural materials (like cotton or silk) that will breathe. And don’t forget to make your bed in the morning! Coming home to a messy room can actually bequite stressful and affect how well you sleep.

Have a routine and bedtime. Try to follow a more regular schedule of winding down and falling asleep and waking up in the morning. Also, create a normal bedtime ritual that will help you to relax and put away the stress of the day.

If you can’t fall asleep, get out of bed. It seems rather counterintuitive but don’t stay and in bed trying to sleep. This hardly ever helps. In fact, it could create even more anxiety for you if you are constantly checking the clock and counting the minutes, wondering why you can’t sleep and how this will affect your day tomorrow. Get up and change your environment, but keep it low light.

Eat the right foods. There are certain foods that you can eat that contain more tryptophan or melatonin such as tart cherry juice, nonfat popcorn, turkey, garbanzo beans, and chamomile tea.

Lavender. The scent of lavender is really quite relaxing and studies have shown that people who smelt these purple blossoms (or an aromatic oil) slept deeper and woke up with more energy. In any case, it just smells lovely!

And there you have it! Get more great sleep tips from Shape Magazine and happy snoozing to you!

 

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Running Posts from the Past

Get inspired to run and pound the pavement!

PGX Posts from the Past! Let’s get inspired to run again…

Happy Friday everyone! I found this photo of this incredibly colourful running shoe and suddenly felt inspired to reread our running posts from the past!

We’ve shared a lot of great content in the history of this PGX blog and I thought, let’s take a look back in time and put whatever exercise inspiration you may have gotten from these colourful cross trainers to good use! Check out these posts for some great tips and insights and then go for a run! Forrest Gump’s got nothing on you…

PGX’s No. 1 Running Rule! Trust me, you’re going to love this one.

Get outdoors and enjoy the spring sunshine and Get Into Running Form (Infogaphic)!

Always remember to… Fuel Your Body: the Best Foods for Runners

One of the most important accessories is this colourful shoe! Not sure what type to use? Our post, Choosing the Right Runners (Inforgraphic), has got you covered!

On the flipside, maybe you are Interested in Barefoot Running? Take Baby Steps…

Happy running this gorgeous sunny weekend!

 

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You Said It: “Cholesterol has Dropped”

We Love to Hear From You!

We get letters and email telling us how you use PGX and what you’re using it for but every once in a while we get a letter like this that makes us especially happy. We hope you enjoy this message from L.S. in Abbotsford, BC.

All my husband and I can say is what a remarkable product you have created and if anyone is doubtful we have proof that it truly does work.

For five years my husband was not only on Lipitor but also on Fenofibrate to lower his cholesterol and his triglycerides. The lowest the doctors could get them was 6.0 for his cholesterol and 3.5 for his triglycerides. Then the doctor I work for told me to tell him to go on PGX and that would also help him to lose weight. Well he hasn’t started to lose a lot of weight yet, but it’s only been two months but his cholesterol has dropped to 4.8 and his triglycerides to 1.8. His HDL and his LDL are all normal and the doctors are astonished, of course they say it can’t be the PGX. However, he has gone off his medications and is continuing with PGX, his weight has shifted and we all know that, that means the weight is getting ready to start dropping off.

He says he’d gladly be a spokesman for you and is truly amazed and excited about this product. I have started to use it as well as my cholesterol is a little high and I am going to use it in conjunction with my mulberry for my blood sugars. Keep up the good work. Hats off to an amazing product.

L.S. – Abbotsford, BC

Has PGX made a difference in your life? Let us know in the comments below or contact us !


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Tasty Tuesday: Berry Summer Salad

Enjoy this delicous berry summer salad!

What better way to enjoy fresh summer produce than with a simple, tasty recipe?!

My mouth is actually watering for a delicous, homemade salad like this one. And it’s full of healthy ingredients like spinach, avocados, mushrooms, goat cheese and, of course, berries! Lots of berries!

So what’s so great about these ingredients? Well berries are full of antioxidants, powerful substances that can help protect your cells against free radicals. Goat cheese provides some protein, riboflavin and phosphorus. Avocados are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K and dietary fibre. Spinach is also an excellent source of vitamin A, calcium, vitamin C and iron!

So what’s not to love about this recipe? Thanks to The Primitive Foodie, we have a delicious Berry Summer Salad! (click for recipe).

 

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Bike to Work!

Spring is here! Hop on your bike and take advantage of it!

Get your daily exercise on your way to work and put the pedal to the metal!

The sun is shining. The weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancing feet. Well, Bob Marley had it mostly right. The sun is shining and it is sweet, but right now it makes me want to move my bike pedals!

One of my best friends used to bike to work all the time, rain or shine. Now that’s impressive! But it is equally impressive to make the effort on the sunny days! If there is ever a perfect time to consider commuting by bicycle, spring and summer is the time to do it! It’s National Bike Month in the USA and June is Canada’s National Bike to Work month. To all our Canadian friends, let’s get a pedal up on the trend and to all our American friends, May has just arrived and it’s time to put the pedal to the metal!

Biking is fun and easy way to exercise and get all your muscles working and your heart pumping. It can also be a way to save money on parking, help the environment, and skip the the traffic and hectic roads! If you’ve never biked to work and find the very thought of it daunting, then ease it into your routine. Start going for bike rides and get your muscles used to the movement. Try doing other exercises like lunges, squats and the plank to make your leg and core muscle groups strong.

Increasing your fitness activities can never hurt! Learn about more useful exercises to help you get ready for this beautiful biking weather from Alive Magazine’s Dust Off Your Wheels.

 

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