Archive of ‘health’ category

Fuel up with Foods to Focus by Carina Sohaili

We all have those days where it seems impossible to focus. Here are some simple foods to add to your daily diet to improve your focus, mood and get you ready to conquer.

  1. Brilliant Blueberries. Blueberries contain specific antioxidants that have been shown to increase oxygen to the brain. Blueberries are also packed with Vitamin-C, Vitamin-E and have incredible cancer fighting benefits. Have a cup of blueberries for a mid-morning snack or throw them in your oatmeal.
  2. Sassy Salmon. Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s have been directly shown to improve your mood, increase your memory and concentration levels. These healthy fats also will reduce your anxiety and stress levels. Not to mention great for your heart health. Have a couple of cut salmon rolls with brown rice for lunch, or go for a delicious steamed salmon entrée.
  3. Wonderful Walnuts. Walnuts have protein, essential fats and B6 – a vitamin that has been shown to increase energy levels. Walnuts also have been shown to increase Serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical in the brain which helps you react to stress better. Don’t go too crazy with these nuts; ¼ of a cup is a perfect snack size. They can be a great addition to a salad, or sprinkle some on Greek yogurt for a crunchy munch.
  4. Delicious Dark Chocolate. Indulge in Dark Chocolate for a 3pm pick me up. A great snack size is ¼ of a bar (2-3 small squares.) Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants, and stimulates the release of ‘feel good’ hormones in your brain. The caffeine in dark chocolate will keep you alert without the crash later on.
  5. Cha-Cha Chia it up. Chia seeds are tiny, powerful and nutrient dense. Add a scoop to your AM shake or make a delicious chia seed drink in the afternoon with some almond milk and stevia.

Be selfish and make yourself a priority. Nourish your brain. Once you start fueling your body with the proper nutrition, your focus, concentration and overall productivity will change. Pick one food, incorporate it continuously for a few weeks and see how you feel.

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Start Spring with Simple Steps to Change by Carina Sohaili

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Most people know how to make the right choices, but have trouble implementing that change. What is holding you back from being the best version of yourself? Habits are a comfort. It is very easy to get stuck in a routine and pattern – especially if you have been doing it over and over again for years. If you are ready to change here are some steps to help:

  1. Write down your bad habits, how they make you feel, why you want to change and then put it on your mirror or fridge.
  2. If you give into your habit, write down how it makes you feel afterwards. The next time you are tempted to give into your unproductive pattern force yourself to read the note first.
  3. Be realistic and do not try to do everything all at once. Change is very hard, especially when patterns are deeply engrained. Choose one small goal to focus on that seems manageable.
  4. Be consistent and slowly you will see that everything will get easier the more you stick to your goal. Whether it’s having a goal to go to the market on Sunday so you have healthy food for the week, or having three cups of coffee instead of four. All change is positive – be proud of your work! Everything counts.
  5. It’s okay to stumble and frankly you should at first. No one is perfect, and perfection is not realistic. It is important to not give up every time you make a mistake or give into an old habit. At least you are being proactive and trying to make a change. That should be your focus. You are human, not a robot who can automatically change with the hit of a switch.

We all have bad habits. We all have an urge to give into quick fix solutions to satisfy immediate needs. This is human nature. Recognize your bad habits, why they are holding you back and replace them with positive ones. From over doing it on coffee, to ordering takeout every day at lunch and hitting snooze instead of waking up thirty minutes early to get a sweat session in. Taking care of your health is the best tool for success. The more you practice healthy habits, the easier they will get. Soon planning a healthy lunch will be like brushing your teeth, exercise will be something you look forward to, and ignoring the donut for a healthier snack will be something that you love

You can find more of my simple tips in the Huffington Post here. Everything boils down to daily patterns, habits and small, consistent changes over time.

Remember to have compassion for yourself, always.

More information about my Custom Programs can be found here.

Love,

Carina

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Snacking Secrets: Curb Cravings and Increase Energy

Tips For A Healthy Relationship With Food By Carina Sohaili

I have clients who know how to eat right but find it very hard to learn balance. Here are some tips I give them to help them establish a healthy relationship with food.

Be in tune with your cravings. Indulge in a balanced way and never deprive yourself. Depriving your body will only lead to a damaging cycle of binging and then more deprivation. Your body craves certain foods for a reason. Be in tune with what your body wants and eat a moderate portion consistently so it is not considered a forbidden food.

Eat mindfully, slowly and enjoy the process. Everyone is always on the go and has a million things to do. Make an effort to take time and chew each bite of your meal consciously while enjoying the food you put into your body. Learn to savor the few minutes you have to nourish yourself while taking a break from your crazy day.

Don’t extreme diet. Live an overall healthy balanced lifestyle. Extreme dieting is a recipe for disaster. Not only does it harm your body physically but emotionally it will take a toll on your true hunger levels. Diets do more damage than good – make gradual changes over time.

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The Perfect Pumpkin Patch Munch: Pumpkin Seeds by Carina Sohaili

It’s Halloween time! While you are spending your day at the pumpkin patch munch on some pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are a great healthy snack. ¼ of a cup (a good snack size) contains 7g of protein, 230mg of potassium and heart healthy monounsaturated fat. Not to mention a variety of other minerals such as calcium, zinc and magnesium. The combination of protein and healthy fat will give you energy until your next meal without spiking your blood sugar levels. Pumpkin seeds also are an energy powerhouse containing a variety of different B-vitamins such as B12 and B6. If you are carving pumpkin save the pumpkin seeds and roast them later for a healthy Halloween treat. Don’t be afraid to spice up your seeds with some delicious metabolism boosting spices like cinnamon, cayenne pepper or garlic.

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Ways to Fight The Flu Through Food By Carina Sohaili

Nobody likes being sick. Start building up your immune system by incorporating these foods into your diet so you can be strong and vibrant through the holidays.

Vitamin-C boosting foods: red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, citrus fruits, dark leafy greens and strawberries.

Get your minerals, especially zinc. Some foods high in Zinc are peanuts, pumpkin seeds, squash, garbanzo beans, sesame seeds, dark chocolate and garlic. Go for some dark chocolate on Halloween since it is right around the corner.

Carotene rich foods help support the thymus gland (which supports your immune system). Colored vegetables such as carrots and squash are great choices as well as dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale.

Clean out your digestive track with live cultures of bacteria found in yogurt or kefir. FAGE Greek yogurt is my personal favorite.

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Metabolism: How To Speed It Up

What is metabolism? Metabolism is the amount of energy (calories) your body burns to maintain itself. Regardless of what you are doing (eating, drinking, sleeping) your body is constantly burning calories to keep you going. Everyone is different and has different metabolisms based on a variety of different factors such as your size, body composition, gender, age and genetics. Ways to increase your metabolism can be through exercise and eating more of the right types of food at the right times (smaller meals more frequently). One way to WRECK your metabolism is waiting too long between meals, skipping meals and excessive-extreme dieting. I work with clients to understand their specific body metabolism, and how to eat the right foods at the right times for their body. Everyone is different. Many clients are surprised that they can actually eat more of the right food and lose weight. Below are samples of some natural metabolism boosting spices, herbs and foods that can be easily added into your daily meals:

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*Cinnamon

*Dark Leafy Greens

*Jalapeno Pepper

*Poppy Seeds

*Garlic

*Ginger

metabolism-how-to-speed-it-up-by-carina-sohaili-3*Green Tea

*Cayenne Pepper

*Oregano

*Grapefruit

*Mint

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