Tasty Tuesday Treat #67

In an effort to keep my Midnight Monster happy, I regularly stock the pantry with sweet and savory snacks.  Although anything deemed "junk food" is devoured instantaneously, my husband definitely has his favorites.  This week's big ticket item was  Coco-Peanut Butter Cereal!

Rather than settling for a boring milk coated snack, I took the leftover cereal and made these cookies to appease my husband's habit!

Mindful Monday Inspiration #67 (Early Edition)

Feelings of nostalgia aren't just found in throwback cover songs, but in moments relived with those that you love!

I'll be strolling down Memory Lane (aka 96th Street) for the week.  

See you on August 4th!

Fitness Friday Fact #67

Although crunches do aide in building a better core, they are not the only tool that should be used!  The Superman Exercise (seen above) engages the abdominal muscles and works the back.  Despite seeming counterintuitive, it is crucial to build back strength in order to have a more solid core.  

In order to properly perform the Superman Exercise, lay face down on a matt.  While engaging the core muscles, glutes and hamstrings, lift the arms and legs off of the ground.  Hold this "flying" pose for 10 seconds then release back to the ground.  Repeat this movement five times in conjunction with an abdominal strength routine.

((Photo Source:  http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20664616_17,00.html))

Thursday's Trend Alert Dirt Report #66

When did body contortions go from circus acts to weight loss tools?!  

Made popular on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, the Belly Button Challenge has participants attempting to reach their arms around their backs and touch their belly buttons.  Falling short means weight needs to be lost!  Not only is this challenge flawed (think:  short arms, inflexibility, etc), but it also detrimental to the understanding of true health where moderate fat is critical!

The critical fat is subcutaneous fat, or fat that you can see and pinch.  In 

APPROPRIATE AMOUNTS, 

it is essential for life because it warms the body in situations of extreme cold.  The not so good / dangerous fat is visceral fat.  This type of fat hides deep within the torso and wraps around key organs like the heart and liver.  Not only is visceral fat immeasurable in the Belly Button Challenge, but it is also deceiving in that "it is very possible to be thin and still have too much visceral fat!"

So rather than channeling an inner contortionist to determine a weight maintenance plan, try instituting strength training exercises into a workout routine and eating less processed foods! Both will work in decreasing the amount of visceral fat hidden deep behind the belly button.

((Photo Source:  http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Belly-Button-Challenge-37705563#photo-37705563))

Wednesday What Not #66

Did you know that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults or 18% of the population?! Although highly treatable with medicine, anxiety sufferers can also institute a holistic approach to squelching their symptoms.   This can be done through diet and exercise, according to two recent studies.  

The first study, conducted by the College of William and Mary, suggests that young adults who eat more fermented foods (i.e. yogurt, pickled vegetables, etc) have fewer social anxiety symptoms.  The second study, highlighted in a recent Hungry Girl email, points out that sitting for long periods of time, increases the risk of experiencing anxiety.

Knowing this new information, a state of calm might be just a spoonful (or jog) away ;)

((Photo Source:  https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2015/fermented-food-social-anxiety-study123.php))

Tasty Tuesday Treat #66

Walking around a farmer's market can be similar to that of navigating the halls of a high school.  In addition to having a cool canvas produce tote, being part of the in-crowd requires a solid understanding of shopkeeper slang and an ability to walk away with the "latest and greatest" fruit or vegetable.  

This past week, the cool kids were all about garlic scapes.  Garlic scapes are "soft, lime green colored stems and unopened flower buds or hard-neck garlic varieties.  Scapes have a mild garlic flavor and a slight sweetness"  which is ideal in recipes like pesto, hummus and compound butter.  

Rather than "fitting in", I decided to be a trendsetter by using my garlic scapes in a Mexican rice bake last week and in my stuffed squash dinner tonight.  Both meals were SOOOOO FETCH!  

((Photo Source:  http://amazingheartfarm.com/2011/06/))

Mindful Monday Inspiration #66

Happy 1st FULL DAY of Summer!

((Photo Source:  http://seattlestravels.com/travel-quote-phone-cases/))