Stress and Your Weight

PGX wants you to relieve your stress!

Your health, weight and stress: a bad combination.

Have you reached a plateau in your weight loss efforts? You may be surprised just how much stress has to do with that! Stress. Even the word sounds scary.

Stress causes our body to secrete cortisol which in turn, prompts our body to release stored glucose, increasing our blood sugar. Unfortunately for our waists, all the excess sugar that we don’t use gets stored as fat! Essentially, having too much stress in your life is like eating too much dessert, not too mention the sugar rush usually leads to food cravings. It seems a cruel and revealing trick of the English language that stressed spelled backwards is desserts!

Real Simple has three quick ways that you can relieve stress and, consequently, help you stay trim.

Work, school, family obligations, meetings and appointments, housework, projects… Life can get busy and overwhelming. So, my two main tips for this sunny Monday? Don’t stress the little things and get your daily fiber!

 

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Friday Fitness Fun for Fall!

Discover the Top 10 Workouts for Fall!

Get out of the gym and into shape!

Autumn is here and with this season, comes colder weather; and with the colder weather often comes heartier appetites and occasions for comfort food. I know that I have to make even more of a conscious effort to eat well, exercise and not to become a winter couch critter! But does the chilly weather mean I have to go the gym?

Just because summer is over, doesn’t mean you have to workout indoors! It’s true that when the rain and cold weather comes, it’s not as appealing to go outside but I think these fun outdoor fitness activities might change your mind!

Fox News shares their Top 10 Fall Workouts that will help keep you in shape and having so much fun not matter how many layers you may need to put on!

My personal favourite on that list is Ultimate Frisbee. Although…I wouldn’t mind raking a huge pile of leaves and jumping in! Get outside and enjoy the fall colours and crisp air. Just remember to bundle up!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

 

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PGX & Red Carpet Fitness!

Want the secrets to looking red carpet ready?

Learn how you can get that red carpet glam from the celebrity fitness experts!

So did you watch the Oscars last week and think: how on earth do these celebrities get in such good shape that they look fabulous in those figure-hugging gowns and those svelte, slim-fit suits?! You’ll be happy to hear that their red carpet glam is not out of your reach. With a little perseverance, positivity and a place to start, you and I can definitely get that red carpet celebrity look!

So where to begin? Check out what celerities trainers are saying!

Allure Magazine talked to Harley Pasternak (trainer to stars such a Natalie Portman, Megan Fox and Orlando Bloom) and revealed his slim-down secrets.

Want more red carpet tips? Fitness expert Rick Miller dished out his top 5 tips and recommended exercises to get into Oscar shape!

Remember to supplement any exercise plan with good nutrition and keep up with your daily fiber!

 

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Tasty Tuesday : Overnight Oats for Breakfast

When it’s hot and humid outside, who really wants to cook?

Here’s a breakfast recipe that I rely on that is super easy and requires NO cooking. Summer is here and I’m melting during the nights and the last thing I really want to do is cook when I get up. Thinking about even pulling out a frying pan makes me want to run for the pool. You can whip these ingredients all together the night before and it sets overnight. The crisp and cold oats are ready and waiting for you to eat in morning.

What is also great about this recipe is you can customize it in so many ways. Add in different fresh fruit each morning and it’s a whole different breakfast meal! I like to make it into a breakfast parfait. I layer the overnight oats with fresh fruit and honey drizzled on top. My favourite tip I’ve learned is to add PGX singles. This helps me feel full long into the morning. Make sure to add the PGX into the oats right before you are going to eat them. I’ve heard others are using the PGX Satisfast (Protein Powder) in the oats just like the PGX singles I added. This gives them an extra dose of protein in their meal. Perfect for building those strong muscles and keeping you full longer! I think I’m going to try the Chocolate PGX Satisfast in my next batch.

Recipe Source: Oh She Glows

Classic Overnight Oats

Ingredients (1 serving)

?1/3 cup regular oats

?1 cup almond milk, and more if needed

?1-2 tablespoons chia seeds

?1 ripe banana, peeled and smashed

?1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Mix together all ingredients in a bowl and place in fridge overnight. In the morning, add your desired toppings and serve without heating!

Let us know how you create your breakfast meal with overnight oats in the comments below or on our Facebook Page.

 

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Salad in a Jar!

This is an easy and convenient way to make salads-to-go!

Bring your salad to have along side a sandwich at lunch, on a picnic or anywhere. You can either eat the salad from the jar or tip it out into a bowl or onto a plate. Just take it and shake it when you?re ready to eat.

The secret to jar salads is to keep the dressing on the bottom, then layer your ingredients from most hearty, such as carrots to least. Just make sure your greens are on top! Here are a couple of recipes ideas to get you started. Sprinkle with PGX Daily Singles for a great source of fiber and much more.

Balsamic Chicken Salad
Dressing: Mix balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
Layer it with: Cold, cooked chicken, chopped walnuts, apple, celery and onion. Top with leaf lettuce. For a vegetarian option, use tofu instead of chicken.

Hearty Spinach Salad??
Dressing:
Select your favorite dressing.
Layer it with: Carrots, cucumber, celery, hard-boiled egg, tomato, walnuts or almonds. Top with baby spinach.

Summer Salad
Dressing:
Mix in 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1/8 cup lemon juice and dash of salt.
Layer it with:  Cold, grilled chicken, pecans, fresh raspberries and blueberries, and crumbled goat cheese (optional). Top with arugula or Boston lettuce. For a vegetarian option, use grilled tofu instead of chicken.

 

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PGX and Green Tea!

There are more ways than one to enjoy green tea!

PGX checks out new ways to enjoy green tea…

I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the health benefits of green tea: antioxidant power, cancer cell inhibitor, headache aid, weight loss benefits, harmful bacteria-killing properties… To sum it all up, green tea is good for you. But what if you don’t like the flavour? What if you aren’t really a tea drinker?

Here is a useful slideshow for those of us who aren’t fans of steeping leaves in our water. Shape Magazine shares 20 New Ways to Enjoy Green Tea.

Reap the benefits of green tea and cook with this super antioxidant power! And don’t forget to get your daily fiber!

 

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Three ways to rev up your metabolism

Not all of us are blessed with naturally fast metabolism. Add other uncontrollable factors like the fact that men tend to burn more calories than women, and that our metabolism slows down after we hit 40, and it can all seem like a cruel joke. The good news is there are ways to speed up the rate at which your body burns calories. The better news is that it can take less effort than you think.

Here are some new ideas to get your metabolism moving without trying too hard:

Stand up more at work

It?s time to start poking your head over that cubicle wall a little more. Studies have found that long periods of inactivity, such as sitting at a desk, can basically shut down an enzyme that controls your metabolism. To try and prevent this, try standing up every time you make a phone call, or walk over to a nearby co-worker to ask a question instead of emailing them.

Add some ice to your water bottle

Your body needs water to process calories, but did you know that drinking cold water can actually raise your metabolism so that you burn about 50 more calories a day? Researchers believe the increase comes from the work it takes your body to heat the water once in your system. If you drink at least six cups of cold water daily, that can equal up to five pounds lost in a year.

Fill up on more fiber

Fiber can increase your metabolism by as much as 30 percent. Recommendations vary, but aim for getting around 25 grams of fiber each day. PGX is a great source of soluble fiber that you can add to any snack or meal throughout the day. Beans, raspberries and artichokes also have high fiber content.

Now if you are willing to put in the extra effort, activities such as weight lifting and cardio workouts can also help boost your metabolism. The key is to keep increasing your intensity level so your body doesn?t get stuck in a workout rut.

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Changing the Clocks and Your Children’s Health

With the change of the clocks, daylight fades earlier in the winter months. What does this mean for your children?

It is such a gorgeous sunny day outside as I write this, it’s seems hard to believe that in just a few hours, the sun will have set! Now that the clocks have been put back, our evenings come much earlier. What does this mean for your kids?

A recent study from UK researchers suggests that not changing the clocks would keep your children active by allowing them more outdoor play. What do you think?

BBC Health News reports on this interesting idea.

 

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Find the Spa in Your Refrigerator: Easy Face Mask Recipe

Want to make your skin glow? We’ve found an easy homemade mask you can try.

Steven and Chris and Peggy Kotsopoulos share an easy, skin rejuvenating recipe for a homemade face mask.

Happy Monday afternoon folks! With the change of weather and the stress of work or school, our skin takes a pretty good beating now and then. I’ve found a super easy recipe for a homemade face mask that will help your skin feel fresh and rejuvenated again. There’s no artificial colours or ingredients that you can’t pronounce the name of in this mask! Just open your refrigerator and you’ve got a spa treatment waiting to be made!

Here’s a recipe that will make you as happy as this young lady and her avocado, and as green as the Wicked Witch of the West (in a good way though)!

Check out this video to see how it’s made.

Skin Rejuvenating Face Mask Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 banana

1/2 avocado 1 kiwi, peeled

1/4 cup buttermilk

Mix in your blender and apply to the face. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse.

Beauty bonus: Follow up the mask by moisturizing with extra-virgin olive oil.

 

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Best and worst condiments for weight loss

Do you bathe certain foods in ketchup? Skip the butter but top your baked potato with a large dollop of sour cream? Certain condiments are diet-sabotagers in disguise. Learning to identify these calorie-filled culprits and replacing them with less-fattening toppers for your salads and sandwiches could save you from excess fat and calories.

Here are the worst condiments for a dieter:

Ketchup: One tablespoon of ketchup has a full teaspoon of sugar. Skip this one entirely if you?re watching your sugar intake.

Sour cream: This taco and baked potato-topper contains between 45-60 calories per tablespoon. To cut calories, go for guacamole (as long as it?s not made with mayo) or salsa instead. Salsa only contains between10-20 calories per serving.

Mayo: This staple in the American diet contains almost 200 calories and 20 grams of fat in just two tablespoons! To dress up your sandwich, use Dijon or honey mustard instead?they are much less fattening. If you?re not a fan of mustard, then swap out mayo for Miracle Whip. It contains about half the calories and no saturated fat.

Jellies and Jams: Most spreads list sugar as their main ingredient instead of real fruit. Look for sugar-free alternatives at the store (or check out this recipe we found for sugar-free strawberry jam). You could also top your toast with mashed up blueberries or raspberries instead.

Creamy salad dressings: Ranch, Thousand Island and Caesar are often hidden sources of mayo. Top your salads with red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and a dash of heart-healthy extra-virgin olive oil instead.

Chip and vegetable dips: Most popular party dips are loaded with fat and calories. Replace the queso, spinach dip and French onion dip with hummus. It?s high in fiber but low in calories.

Small changes such as substituting fattening condiments with healthier options are what the PGX Program is all about. Sign up now and be on your way to a slimmer, healthier, happier you!

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