Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves coming up with a SIMPLE way to help your teen athlete eat healthier. This message will NOT self-destruct in 5 seconds

As a parent, that IS your mission—whether or not you accept it. And it might seem to be, everything, but simple.

Between the junk food that always seems to be present, the fast-paced lifestyle that many teens choose, and the conflicting information on what healthy eating REALLY looks like, it can seem like MISSION IMPOSSIBLE.

One way to bring clarity to this challenge is to understand the definition of nutrient-dense foods.

They are real foods—not chemically processed. Generally, very rich in necessary vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and healthy fats.

Choosing foods that are HIGH in nutrient-density is a similar notion to “getting the most bang for your buck.” It’s all about consuming foods that give you the most amount of health benefits, with the least amount of caloric intake.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at 5 nutrient-dense foods, what they offer, and easy ways to incorporate them into your teen’s weekly snacks and meals.

1) Berries—Nature’s Candy

Getting your athlete to eat more berries, is probably not THAT difficult because these colourful fruits satisfy the need for something sweet—and most teens are regularly reaching for sweet.

But don’t underestimate the power of nature’s answer to candy. Thanks to a large dose of phytochemicals called anthocyanins, berries can boost athletic health in these ways:

● Quicker recovery due to anti-inflammatory properties

● Help keep blood sugar levels more balanced, so there is no “crashing” during practice

● Improved memory

Besides packing them as a snack, you could try this “fun breakfast,” to start the day off right.

Overnight Oats

Mix equal parts of Greek yogurt, almond milk, and oats in a clear jar or container of your choice. Set in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, there is no need to cook. Just add fresh berries and honey to taste.

2) Egg Yolk

It’s time to “right the wrong” that has been done to the egg.

Science now shows that eggs are NOT responsible for causing high cholesterol. And taking it one step further, many of the significant health advantages are in the part of the egg that has often been tossed out—the yolk.

Include eggs in your athlete’s diet for these reasons:

● Improves brain health thanks to the choline in eggs

● Loaded with high-quality protein, which is essential for endurance and strength

● Full of healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals for proper development and recovery

Hard Boiled on Hand

At the start of each week, make sure you have a dozen hard boiled eggs on hand. With a bit of salt and pepper, they make a filling and healthy snack.

Kids are more likely to choose them if they are readily available.

3) Raw Garlic

It’s not really a secret that garlic has many health benefits—it appears on most of the “superfood” lists out there.

This is because it is chock-full of vitamins B & C. It also boasts high levels of calcium, potassium, copper, manganese, and selenium.

But it is the active ingredient, Allicin— produced when it is minced or crushed—that provides powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits that every athlete needs.

Also, fresh garlic:

● Promotes heart health needed for intense efforts

● Kills pathogens and bacteria, keeping colds at bay

● Is good for bone health, which adds protection from injury

Protective Cold Remedy

Want to boost your athlete’s immune system?

Peel and crush 6-10 garlic cloves and simmer in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. Strain and then add the water to the juice of one lemon. Add honey, to taste.

Give this to your athlete at the start of a cold or when feeling run down.

4) Sprouts

Look past the salad-like quality of alfalfa sprouts because this flowering plant means business when it comes to health benefits.

A super-high concentration of vitamins and minerals translates into these valuable benefits:

● Reduces inflammation – thanks to high levels of vitamins C and B as well as calcium

● Improves digestion – because of the high dietary fibre content

● Protects the heart – thanks to high iron and potassium

Forget the Salad—Go For This Smoothie

Mix these ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. Serve for breakfast or as a healthy, power-packed snack.

1 ½ cup of frozen mango

1 cup almond milk (or water)

½ cup of alfalfa sprouts

½ avocado (optional)

1 Tbs. honey or agave

1 Tbs. lime juice

5) Dark Chocolate

You probably won’t have any trouble convincing your athlete to partake in this treat.

Dark chocolate has high amounts of fibre and an abundant supply of iron, manganese, copper, and magnesium. Also, it is plentiful in antioxidants which combat the free radicals that can result from intense training.

Additionally, the cocoa in dark chocolate gives you these benefits:

● Lowers risk of heart disease

● Supports brain function

● Reduces blood pressure

A Square a Day…

Keep chocolate limited to one square a day to receive the benefits without adding too much sugar to your athlete’s diet.

Purchase chocolate with at least 70% cocoa for the best benefits.

There is Power in the Foods You Choose

In between the pizzas, late nights studying, french fries, ice cream, and hard-core training sessions, it IS POSSIBLE to deliver the kinds of nutrients that set your athlete up for success.

Look for power foods that are nutrient-dense to make a difference in their nutrition.

Now it’s your turn. Are there any crafty ways that you use to get your athletes eating better? Share in the comments.

You might just help another parent who is facing—what seems—to be Mission Impossible.

David Benzel

The post Is It Mission Impossible To Get Your Athlete to Eat Healthy Foods? appeared first on Your Better Life.

Food is meant to be enjoyed. It can be challenging to enjoy food and eat healthily. There are so many great meal plans out there, it can be hard to choose one. Start with one small change if you are not ready to make a significant shift. For example, this month, I’m going to work on incorporating more fibre into my diet. Where a friend of mine is working on decreasing the amount of sugar she consumes in a day. What is one controllable, achievable change that you can apply to your diet to make it healthier?

Kathy Watson

The post eating healthy is hard! appeared first on Your Better Life.

Energy, it’s something everyone needs at some point in the day. When I have that mid-day crash, I reach for my oils. So many essential oils have uplifting and energizing benefits. I love doing a drop of a citrus oil (wild orange) and an drop of mint oil (peppermint) into the palm of my hands. I cup my hands around my nose with my eyes shut and just take 3 deep inhales. Your senses get awakened. I then rub the back of my neck with my hands and get the cooling feeling. I find this is a great pick me up halfway through the day or even first thing in the morning!

Ryley Pinton

The post Energy appeared first on Your Better Life.

Beet hummus is a beautiful pink colour and it is delicious! Serve creamy beet hummus as a dip with your favourite corn chips or vegetables or as a spread on your favourite sandwich. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

·      1 large roasted beet – cooled and peeled (peel can be removed easily once the beet cools)

·      1 can white beans

·      Zest of 1 lemon

·      Juice of small lemon

·      ½ tsp salt

·      2 cloves of garlic minced

·      2 Tbsp nut butter

·      ¼ c extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1.     Cut beat in quarters and place in food processor. Blend well.

2.     Add remaining ingredients – except olive oil. Blend well.

3.     As mixing slowly pour in the olive oil.

4.     Taste and adjust as needed.

5.     Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

Kathy Watson

The post Veggie dip: beet hummus appeared first on Your Better Life.

Do you self-sabotage? Do you sometimes do the reverse of what you know you should be doing? Why? You know what to do, right? Neuroscience brings lights on this matter. Here are two parts of the brains that I will use to explain how it works.

THE LOGICAL MIND

We use our logical mind on the surface in our day-to-day. Your logical mind is the voice you hear in your head all the time. The one you use to make decisions. We give our logical mind lots of responsibilities and place lots of hope on the extent of its power. The logical mind can process an average of five to nine pieces of information at the same time. While you are reading this book, you are likely also able to notice an average of seven other things.

Have you ever noticed when you are driving to a new address, as you come closer and start looking at the civic numbers on doors, you need to lower the volume of the radio in your car? Somehow, your ‘five to nine’ pieces of information juggled by your logical mind get filled up very quickly. As you are driving, with the foot on the brake/accelerator, noticing the red light ahead, the child about to cross the street and the weird guy in the car next to yours, somehow, doing all of this at the same time puts ‘the music’ into the one-too-many category, as you are adding the act of ‘looking at the numbers on the houses’ to all the other actions of that moment.

In light of this fact, knowing that we are restricted to handling only a few things at once, we may be tempted to dismiss the power of our mind. However, the logical mind is just the tip of the iceberg.

According to the research of Dr Raj Rahunathan Ph.D., we generate between 12,000 and 50,000 thoughts per day. Unfortunately, up to 70% of these thoughts are negative. We wonder what is wrong with us. Why is everybody else successful except us? We tell ourselves we are probably not good enough. We think everyone is better and knows more than us. Sadly.

“Who would want to be your friend if you talked to them the same way you talk to yourself?” – Unknown

Our logic might not be that great after all, right? The good news is that the voices inside your head can be reprogrammed when you discover and start connecting with the second part of your mind.

Vince Poscente created a great analogy on the subject. Somehow, you are like an ant bringing food to its shelter. Working tirelessly, feeling that you are doing everything right, plugging away with your logical mind and yet, you don’t see the results you want. You are focused on your goal however, even if you are going steady in one direction, if you don’t realize that you are like an ant going in one direction but standing on top of an elephant that is walking the opposite way of where you want to go, you will keep getting further away from your goal with giant steps. So, do you think the ant should step off the elephant’s back? No, not at all! It should stay on the elephant and instead, it should ask the elephant: “Hey buddy, would you turn around? I would like to go in the other direction please.” By doing so, with the help of the elephant, the ant will get there exponentially faster. Otherwise, your dedicated steps towards your goal will be in vein if you only rely on your logical mind.

The next part of the brain I am about to introduce, is like the elephant, with so much more power.

THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND

While the logical mind is busy with tiny steps, working hard and also talking down to you, the unconscious mind is working efficiently and understanding everything, down in the deep structure of your Self. The unconscious mind can handle over two million pieces of information every second, (while our little logical mind was only able to manage seven, on average).

Everything you have seen, done, thought, heard and felt is organized in your deeper structure waiting for your recall. Your unconscious mind considers everything. It reads all the signs and advertising while you drive to work. It hears every conversation around you, whether you are paying attention or not. It feels all the non-verbal signs that others are communicating with you without their knowledge. It captures all the “behind the scenes” detail that the logical mind misses. It takes all the info, it deletes, distorts and filters everything to create your model of reality.

Your unconscious mind has so much information for you. You have everything you need inside yourself. You got this. The problem is that people are not trained to think with their unconscious mind.

When you send your unconscious mind on a mission, it keeps working for you in the background as you continue to live your life. It makes sure that things happen well for you. You can use your unconscious mind like you would use a personal assistant. Read the next article What if You Had a Personal Assistant 24/7? to find out how to talk to your Elephant.

Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas

The post erase bad thoughts! appeared first on Your Better Life.

Do you have trouble shutting down the hamster wheel? According to a study in the Journal of Applied Psychology, the less you detach psychologically during your off hours, the higher your emotional exhaustion in twelve months’ time. Translation: You’ll have a very cranky hamster with little desire to keep the wheel moving!

Sports psychologist Jim Loehr found that the single, key difference between elite tennis players and less successful players was not so much what they were doing on the court – it was what they were doing between points. Those players that could calm their nerves and regain focus between points tended to win more often. The same can easily be said for working effectively and productively at work – whether it’s taking rejuvenating breaks during the workday or shutting completely off during your off hours.

An overwhelming amount of research suggests that when you check e-mail and text messages at all hours of the day it creates a sense of perpetual emergency which fosters an ongoing stress response. This is why more and more companies are creating “no after-hour email” policies. And it’s why the Denver-based software company FullContact pays its employees to take their vacation and insists they don’t do any work during that time!

While you may not be able to influence your company’s policies, you can take charge of your own health:

• Break before you break: Take complete breaks by staying off the hamster-stressing technology!

• Laughter and humor helps – a lot – according to the research, so seek out simple ways to tap into your sense of humor. Watch a funny video on-line, or better still, use a  laugh-line and phone a friend who you know always makes you laugh.

• Do what so many productivity and time management coaches suggest and only check e-mail twice a day at set times.

• It’s a small thing, but speaking from personal experience I can tell you that changing the alert tone on my text messages to a gentler, less urgent sounding alert made a huge difference in ow I reacted to incoming text messages.

• Meditate. More and more companies are training employees to meditate, so take the initiative and learn to mediate on your own. Apps such as Headspace can get you started, and yes, the hamsters will thank you for it.

• Practice simple focusing exercises, for example, when you’re working on your computer, set regular times to focus on something in the distance – it can help your eyesight and help you regain your thoughts when they start to wander.

• Take charge and set your own technology “no-go” hours and commit to them. Share your rules with your family, make meals a no-go zone for technology, and consider having everyone adhere to one tech-free day during the weekend.

• Don’t check e-mails first thing in the day or at the end of the day. Instead, focus on activities that will help you clear and focus your mind.

Michael Kerr

The post Slowing Down the Master Wheels appeared first on Your Better Life.

We live in the downtown core for one reason; I love walking to places! Just 10 minutes a day has an infinite amount of benefits for all ages. Make a conscious decision to walk everyday. You’ll love yourself for it!

Daniela Butcura

The post Walk it out appeared first on Your Better Life.

Detox daily by adding a drop of lemon oil to your water each day.

Don’t put oils that you are going to ingest into plastic or styrofoam. Only ingest oils in glass or stainless steel.

Don’t waste your oils! 1 drop of peppermint oil is equivalent to 28 cups of peppermint tea!

Ryley Pinton

The post Do’s and Don’ts for essential oils appeared first on Your Better Life.

Counting down can help lead to relaxation. When you are feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, find a quiet space and take the time to count down. If you are able, try relaxing a body part for each count. You will feel more relaxed and ready to take on the task at hand.

Kathy Watson

The post Count Down appeared first on Your Better Life.

A blend of CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils Frankincense, Helichrysum, Melaleuca, Cedarwood, and Lavender is known to help assist in soothing skin irritations. This blend of essential oils is a perfect combination to use on dry skin and is an amazing lip chap for cracked lips. Keep some on hand as a multi purpose ointment that helps to soothe skin and it is also great for cuts or scrapes. If you are looking for this blend, dōTERRA’s Correct-X is your natural version of Polysporin.

Ryley Pinton

The post Essential Oil Correct-X appeared first on Your Better Life.