Whole Foods Living: health

Showing posts with label health. Show all posts

Cupcakes and Yoga Pants is Coming Soon

Well, it's official -- the new blog will be called Cupcakes and Yoga Pants.

It's the perfect way to sum up my life. I hit the gym five days a week, but have no regrets (well, maybe a few) when I eat cookies and cupcakes.

This new lifestyle blog will go far beyond foodie topics.

I plan to write about fitness, nutrition, health, recipes, gardening, food information, DIY, crafts, volunteering, photography, the environment, fashion, beauty, Pinterest fails, pets and pretty much anything else that fits into my healthy (but, totally not perfect) lifestyle.

Want to be the first to know when Cupcakes and Yoga Pants goes live? I'll send you an email.

You can sign up for an email notification HERE.

Or, send me an email with a message to angela.tague@yahoo.com.

I'm excited to share tips, ideas, reviews and random musings on this new blog.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Help Me Name My New Website

For awhile now, I've wanted to expand Whole Foods Living.

Living a healthy life goes so far beyond food. It includes fitness, mental health and finding joy in your daily life. Being healthy means learning how to love yourself, be happy and make time for the things that make you smile.

I'm planning on moving Whole Foods Living to a new web host this summer, and with that move, comes the opportunity to change the name of my blog.

So, I'm asking for your help. What should I call the new blog that will encompass these many facets of health and wellness?

I think it should be catchy, two to four words and easy to spell. Have ideas? Please comment below or send an email to angela.tague@yahoo.com.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Healthy Hoo Hoo for Healthy Women

Photo Credit: SXC

Living a healthy lifestyle means taking care of various facets of health.

We try to eat wholesome foods to nourish our bodies, exercise our muscles to get stronger and keep our minds active for mental clarity.

And ladies, we also need to take care of our hoohoos. You know, down there. I try to keep this blog family friendly, so pardon my creative wording. Although it seems a little funny to talk about, it's not a good idea to lather up in the shower and use body wash, um, everywhere.

According to Healthy Hoohoo, it's important to keep your body balanced, which means avoiding perfumed sprays, bubble baths, douching, baby powder and soaps on your hoohoo. That's why Healthy Hoohoo developed a line of gentle feminine care products including a wash, foaming cleanser and wipes.

These products fit into a Whole Foods Living lifestyle because they are all:

paraben-free
fragrance-free
pH balanced
gluten free

After my morning workout, I gave the Healthy Hoohoo Tidy Up Wipes a try. They're made of durable, soft cloth that reminds me of baby wipes. Each wipe was thoroughly saturated with the cleanser. During use, the wipes foam a little making it easy to tell where you've already cleaned. Although the product is fragrance-free, there is a mild lingering fresh scent.

After using Healthy Hoohoo, I felt refreshed. Sometimes you simply don't have time to shower right after a light workout, so this is a great way to remove sweat quickly, reduce bacteria build-up and get on your way.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Disclosure: The Healthy Hoohoo products mentioned in this blog post were provided free of charge from Healthy Hoohoo for review purposes. No monetary compensation was sought or awarded in exchange for the review. All thoughts expressed on Whole Foods Living are solely my own. ~Angela

The Magic of B-12 Supplements

I'm a huge advocate of absorbing essential vitamins and minerals from food. Taking powdered nutrition shakes and vitamins in pill form always seemed like an excuse to avoid eating your fruits and vegetables, in my opinion.

I love having the energy to go hiking with my pups!

But, little did I know starting a regimen of B-12 supplements would make me feel so much healthier.

I'm a vegetarian, which means I only get B-12 from plant sources and fortified grains, such as cereal. When my doctor recommended I start taking B-12 supplements I assured him I'm a "good vegetarian" who eats a balanced diet. Well, I still wasn't getting enough B-12.

After taking a B-12 supplement for over a year, I decided I had more energy, strength and productive days. So, I stopped taking the pills. I didn't think I needed them any longer. Within a few weeks I was lethargic, fatigued and in a general state of exhaustion more often than not.

Those darn B-12 supplements make my life much better. I take them daily now.

A few weeks ago I was asked to review B-12 supplements from Puritan's Pride. I was happy to find out this company's formula is vegetarian. It's also free of fish, soy, milk, sugar, wheat, gluten and sodium.

If you're vegan, vegetarian or simply don't eat animal products often, talk with your physician about adding B-12 to your daily routine. The formula from Puritan's Pride is also free of artificial colors, flavoring or preservatives, making it the perfect addition to your whole foods living lifestyle.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Disclosure: The Puritan's Pride B-12 supplements mentioned in this blog post were provided free of charge from Puritan's Pride for review purposes. No monetary compensation was sought or awarded in exchange for the review. All thoughts expressed on Whole Foods Living are solely my own. ~Angela

Sustainable Wellness by Matt Mumber, MD and Heather Reed

There's no reason to overhaul your eating habits if you don't make sustainable choices.

Going on a diet is temporary.

Drinking fitness shakes is temporary.

If you want to see results--a trimmer waistline, a happier disposition and fewer health problems--you need to make sustainable changes to your entire lifestyle.

That's the nuts and bolts behind Sustainable Wellness: An Integrative Approach to Transform Your Mind, Body, And Spirit (2012) by Matt Mumber, MD and Heather Reed. Mumber is a trained integrative radiation oncologist. Reed is a Yoga and meditation instructor.

I'm often approached to review books and products related to a healthy lifestyle. As a quick disclaimer, yes, this book was provided at no cost for review purposes. And, no, I'm not paid to write this. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Now, let's get to the good stuff.

Creating a healthy, sustainable lifestyle means you have to work beyond the dinner plate to improve your overall health. This book takes readers on an 8-week journey with facts, ideas, questions, and small homework assignments to slowly make lifestyle improvements. The goal is to find balance in your life--and nutrition is a key component.

In addition to nutrition, the authors tackle the following chapter topics: Mindfulness, Know Thyself, Life Review and Planning, Physical Activity, Stress Management, Spirituality, Bringing It All Together.

But, let's get back to the foodie part of the book. In the nutrition chapter, Mumber and Reed discuss:

How to successfully implement dietary changes
Why making nutritious choices is important for the body and the Earth
The importance of organic foods
How to explore the process of mindful eating
The relationship between inflammation, illness and nutrition

I'm about half way through this book and can already feel a better sense of balance in my life. Making a healthy lifestyle sustainable has been one of my personal goals for years, and although I'm still on the right path, it's nice to encounter a few road signs and professional ideas to keep me moving in the right direction. For anyone looking for a little easy-to-read push to get healthier, Sustainable Wellness: An Integrative Approach to Transform Your Mind, Body, And Spirit (2012) is a great start.

Have you read any motivational books about living a healthy lifestyle lately? Please share in the comments! I'm always looking for a new book for my nightstand.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

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5 Quick Healthy Changes to Make Today

Get up and move! Photo Credit: SXC

Let's face it, if a task isn't quick and easy, we might pass it by. Healthy eating is the same way.

If it isn't simple to make a nutritious meal, why not just pick up the phone and order a pizza or swing through the fast food drive up? It only take minutes and the food is hot and ready for you. It's convenient.

Well, until you start gaining weight, get winded easily and have health problems due to your poor diet!

Here's five quick ways you can start moving in the right direction toward a healthier lifestyle TODAY. Seriously, skip some couch time and do these five things...

Open your cupboards and pantry. Remove all unopened chips, candy, processed snacks and unhealthy baking mixes. Put them in a box and donate them to the nearest food bank or shelter. If it's not in the house--you can't eat it.
Drink water. Your body needs the hydration and it's calorie free. Dump that pop can or forgo your stop at Starbucks today. You're probably drinking more calories and chemicals than you realize.
Go meatless for one meal today. Meat isn't bad for you, but when you choose processed, high fat options, you're not doing your body any favors. Instead opt for vegetable soup, a salad, steamed vegetables, rice or fruit.
Do something active today. Go for a walk. Use that gym membership. Go for a swim at the YMCA. Take the dog to the park. Dust off your mountain bike. Go bowling. Do anything but sit on your rear!
Make a batch of healthy snacks. Chop fresh veggies and fruits to keep in the fridge for go-to snacks. I like carrot chunks, bell pepper strips, strawberries and grapes. These all preserve well for several days so you always have something healthy to grab!

So, tell me what do you plan to do today to be a little bit healthier?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

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Healthy Headlines for April

Photo: SXC

Today may be a day off from the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, but I'm still staying busy! I write about health, food and nutrition daily for several publishers and brands.

Here's what's hot off the press!

Want to read more? Follow me on social media!

I'm on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Google+, Pinterest and LinkedIn!

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

PS: I'll be back on Monday with my "M" post for the A-to-Z!

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Reflections of The Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Whew! Maintaining a personal blog challenge is like running a marathon.

Last week I crossed the finish line in my first ever Blogging from A to Z Challenge--and it feels great. I kept a steady pace, didn't skip any of the 26 miles, er, letters in my path and learned a lot along the journey.

1. People genuinely do care about nutrition and question what's on their plates. My passion is not falling on deaf ears!

2. Maintaining a daily blog is more than just tapping out a few paragraphs of insights. There are comments to approve, read and reply to. There are photos to snap or find. And, of course there's research (read: cook, bake, shop!) to create informative, honest posts.

3. I learned a lot from my readers and the blogs I visited during the challenge! I have a list of new blogs to peruse, books to read and recipes to try. Thank you!

4. Blogging won't make you rich. I maintain Whole Foods Living because it's my day-to-day life speaking. I write about what I encounter during my ongoing healthy eating transition. The ad revenue from this blog challenge will probably buy me a watermelon at the farmer's market or maybe another bag of organic quinoa. Yum!

5. People will blog about anything! While visiting other blogs in the challenge I met other foodies, learned about children's books, death rituals, tourist spots in Paris, how much I need a beach vacation and the antics of young children!

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

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