Healthy Revelations Blog | Healthy Revelations Tips

Winter Motivation Tips

December 13, 2018 by Suzanne Costa Leave a Comment

When the weather outside is frightful, it’s easy to get lazy and to lack the motivation to even get out of bed some days. So how do you stay motivated when everything is keeping you down? Try some of these tips:

Set goals and document them. By keeping a list, you will see this daily and you will feel more inclined to want to check things off this list.
Set clear dates of when you need to complete things by, whether they are long term or short-term goals. By giving yourself a deadline, you will work harder to keep them.
Reward yourself for meeting your deadlines and reaching your goals. Whether you allow yourself to buy something nice or a day of pampering at the spa, you will work harder to do things when you know there is a reward at the end.
Listen to motivational tapes and/or read motivational books to help gain some inspiration to keep going.
Learn to breathe correctly. You will feel more relaxed and when you are more relaxed you will also be more apt to stay motivated than when you are stressed.
Keep a positive attitude. Even though it is easy to be depressed when the long, cold winter months drag on, try to remain positive and you will notice that motivation comes along with being happy.
Remind yourself that progress is what is important and not perfection. This is especially important when you are looking at your long-term goals, as they may seem like the most unreachable. Remember all of the short-term goals that you have met, and you will be more successful.
Build a support system of friends and family members that are typically motivated. By keeping like-minded people close to you, you will become motivated by just being in their presence.

Spotlight on: Salmon

December 5, 2018 by Suzanne Costa Leave a Comment

Besides being an excellent source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, salmon is also full of high-quality proteins and low in saturated fat.
Salmon has nearly a third of the saturated fat of lean ground beef and 50 percent less saturated fat than chicken, making it one of the healthiest items that you could eat.
Salmon is also low in calories. One serving contains approximately 183 calories, making it one of the lowest in calories among other fish.

Recipe: Smoked Salmon Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish, drained
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 oz. smoked salmon, minced

Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, horseradish, salt and pepper, and mix. Add the smoked salmon and mix well. Chill and serve with crudités or crackers.

Recipe: Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon

1 scallion, minced
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1-pound center-cut salmon fillet, skinned and cut into four portions
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Whisk scallion, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and ginger in a medium bowl until the honey is dissolved. Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag, add 3 tablespoons of the sauce and refrigerate; let marinate for 15 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce. Preheat broiler. Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Transfer the salmon to the pan, skinned-side down. (Discard the marinade.) Broil the salmon 4 to 6 inches from the heat source until cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

Holiday Stress 101: Stock Up on Superfoods

December 5, 2018 by Suzanne Costa Leave a Comment

It’s the holiday season and for many people that also means it’s the stressful season. Instead of sweating every little thing this year, try fighting off your holiday stress with these amazing, stress-fighting superfoods.

Avocado – they give you a burst of vitamin B, which will help to keep you alert and awake, while reducing anxiety.
Bananas – help to keep you energized and reduce your blood pressure.
Brown rice – complex carbohydrates (like those in rice) help to raise your body’s serotonin levels, without the carb crash that is typically associated with eating carbohydrates.
Dark chocolate – also increases the levels of serotonin in the body, giving you those feelings of joy and happiness.
Fish – the omega-3 fatty acids in fish help to lower adrenaline levels in the body, which can result in a calming effect in your mind and body.

Fight the Flu and Load up on Vitamin C

November 28, 2018 by Suzanne Costa Leave a Comment

Sniffling, sneezing, coughing, hacking… the sounds of cold and flu season are upon us. If you are one of those people that start chugging O.J. as soon as you hear these familiar sounds, then you are already ahead of the cold and flu fighting game. While vitamin C cannot prevent a cold, it can shorten the length of time you battle a cold or lessen the severity of your cold.

While people typically turn to oranges and their juice to get their daily dose of vitamin C, the 69.7 mg of vitamin C in a medium size orange is less than many other common fruits and veggies. If you are looking for an alternative to get your daily dose of vitamin C and help curb the symptoms of the cold and flu season, check out these other options.

Chili peppers – Just a half cup of chopped chili peppers or diced chili peppers have 107.8 mg of vitamin C. Plus capsaicin, the compound that makes chili peppers hot can also help to relieve joint and muscle pain.

Red bell peppers – At 190 mg, a cup of chopped red peppers contains nearly three times more vitamin C than an orange. They are also a great source of vitamin A, promoting healthy eyes.

Green bell peppers – Even though it isn’t as power packed as its red sister, a cup of chopped green peppers contains 120 mg of vitamin C. It’s also a great source of fiber.

Kale – A one cup serving of kale provides 80.4 mg of vitamin C, along with twice your recommended daily allowance of vitamin A and seven times the recommended amount of vitamin K. Kale also provides numerous minerals and fatty acids.

Broccoli – In just one serving, broccoli provides 132 mg of vitamin C, filling fiber and only 30 calories. Studies have shown that broccoli also has cancer-preventing properties.

Cold Weather Skin Tips

November 21, 2018 by Suzanne Costa Leave a Comment

The winter months are some of the harshest months on your delicate skin. But you can follow these tips to help protect your skin from the harshness of winter and your body will thank you for it.

Don’t forget the sunscreen. Just because the temperature drops doesn’t mean the ultraviolet rays have gone away. While the UVB rays are weaker, you shouldn’t skimp on the sunscreen during the winter months. Dermatologists suggest using a cream or moisturizer with an SPF of 30 year-round.

Turn down the thermostat … just a few degrees. Surprisingly people who spend most of their time outdoors aren’t the ones with dry, peeling skin. It is just the opposite. Those people who spend their time indoors with indoor heat constantly are those who experience parched skin the most. If you can, turn down the thermostat a few degrees and use a humidifier to put some moisture in the air. This combination will help to replace some moisture in your skin and will alleviate parched skin.

Skip the long, hot baths. While a good long soak in a hot bath sounds like just what the doctor ordered after a day out in the elements, that hot bath is a big no-no when it comes to protecting your skin in the cold. Taking a bath that is warmer than your body temperature opens your pores and releases the moisture that your body desperately needs during the winter. If you would like a bath over a shower, limit your time in the tub to about five minutes and be sure to use a creamy oil wash to give your skin that moisture back that it may lose.

Exfoliate those rough feet. While the logical cure for dry feet is to moisturize them, dermatologists suggest that exfoliating your feet should be the cure instead. A moisturizer cannot work if you continue to put it on dead skin. Once you get rid of those rough spots on your feet, then the moisturizer you use will take to your feet so much better. Try a crystal buffer while your feet are damp or a stainless-steel file while your feet are dry for the best results.

Myths About the Common Cold

November 15, 2018 by Suzanne Costa Leave a Comment

Sure, we have all heard the common wives tales about the common cold… feed a cold and starve a fever, and so on and so forth. But what tales are indeed true and which ones are myths? Here we touch on a few of those true tales and debunk some others.

Chicken Soup: So grandma always said that chicken soup is good to fight the common cold and she was half right… chicken soup has been shown to relieve inflammation.

Wet hair: Going outside with wet hair will not cause the common cold… but that doesn’t mean that you should do it either.

Feed a cold, starve a fever: This is the one that you often hear people recite when they are sick. But being sick often kills your appetite and force feeding certainly won’t help things. What you should do instead is remain hydrated and get enough calories.

Wearing a coat: Common colds and the flu are caused by viruses not by temperature. And while they do circulate more during the winter months, you are more likely to pick up a cold or the flu inside more so than outside so wearing a coat or not wearing a coat does not indicate whether you will catch a cold. Studies show that you can prevent some colds by getting physical exercise outdoors during the winter months.

Vicks Vapor Rub on Your Feet: A widely spread email last year stated that you should put Vicks Vapor Rub on your kids’ feet and put socks on them to get rid of a nagging cough. This myth was debunked, and experts suggest that you should stick to using the vapor rub on your kid’s chest and throat instead.