Today I have little something different for you guys!  A reader named Michelle reached out to me a few weeks ago about writing a bit to celebrate National Women’s Health Week, including the importance of taking time to be healthy and finding the motivation to stay active and do what we love. Of course I was more than interested! It’s our time to shine, ladies.

Michelle is a Spa Manager in Verona, NY who believes a more focused approach on our health will result in a more balanced life.  She has provided some fabulous tips in hopes to educate others on how to lead a more motivating and less stressful life.  Michelle enjoys DIY projects, healthy recipes, exercise, and all things related to skin care. She’s is thankful and excited to have had the opportunity to share some words of wisdom on Hummusapien today!

P.S.– Don’t forget to enter my R.A.W. snacks giveaway! It’ll be open till Friday.

Take it away, Michelle!

It’s Women’s Health Week!

It’s a time for the busy, on-the-go modern woman to slow down and take a look – at yourself. This week is aimed at you, the woman who is balancing career and family, the woman running a single income household, the woman who spends time taking care of other people but can’t find time to take care of herself. President Barack Obama pointed to women last year when he said it was time occasionally to take a step back and look at their own health. He was talking to you.

So let’s do it. Hopefully you took Sunday as a day of rest, and of course to celebrate Mother’s Day, but Monday, May 13, is National Women’s Checkup Day. When did you last call your doctor to schedule a routine checkup? You probably can’t remember. A good checkup can include a mammogram, screening for heart disease or diabetes, and a test for sexually transmitted infections. Early detection for any of these problems can lead to a longer and healthier life. New healthcare regulations and insurance have made routine screenings more affordable. Don’t make money an excuse not to take care of yourself.

Most women know that it’s not always easy to focus on you. Everyday obligations and distractions take the focus away from yourself. Spouses and kids, work and school all contribute to a lack of sleep, and sometimes it’s less stressful to grab a meal from your neighborhood fast food chain than it is to prepare a nutritious meal at home. Remember that poor diet, little rest, and repeated stress can finally take a toll on your overall well being. National Women’s Health Week wants to remind you that no one benefits if you get sick … and that includes you.

It’s sometimes easy to fall into a health rut. If you feel you can’t find the time to look out for you, if you can’t find the time to exercise, if you can’t stop filing up on sweets instead of healthy foods, take a minute to create an inspiration board. Jot down your goals, such as: I want to take a yoga course, or I won’t eat chocolate for one week, or I’m going to take a half an hour a day just to sit down and read. Make the inspiration board concentrate on you.

That’s what National Women’s Health Week is all about. It concentrates on you. For all those who depend on you and for yourself, take this week to keep your mind on the goal. A healthier you, the all-everything woman, not only benefits all those around you, it benefits you. That’s a winning combination anywhere.

Getting started is always the hardest part! Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain muscle, increase your fitness, or achieve a specific fitness goal, the first step is usually the toughest. What all fitness goals require is inspiration. An inspiration board can be a constant source of that needed inspiration.

Your inspiration board could have pictures, inspirational quotations, goals, recipes, important statistics, and anything else that helps you get on track. Let’s look at some specific ideas that will help you getting and stay motivated.

Everyone has his or her own source of inspiration, but to me the outdoors is my inspiration, so I’m using this as the anchor of my motivational board.  Whenever I am out walking or golfing, it boosts my mood! The fresh air and sunshine are enough to make me want to move to Florida!  And a mood booster is what I need to improve the healthy balance in my life.

Nutrition is also something I definitely need to work on.  Eating junk and processed foods has an obvious effect on my energy levels during the day.  I’m looking for a long-term solution.  I’m looking to try healthy recipes, as well as swapping bad snacks for healthier options. I plan to cut back on those tempting sugary happy hour cocktails, and opt for a fruity-smoothie version instead.  Recently I found a great recipe for a Green Smoothie, which makes for a fun alternative to water or tea.  I may even try them as a quick-easy breakfast!

There are thousands of great healthy cooking resources out on the internet.  For example, have you ever tried a Paleo Pizza? I have not. But I found the recipe, and I can’t wait to try it.  An easy way to feel motivated is to buy some bright colored workout gear.  If you feel good wearing it, you’ll be more excited to wear it when you exercise.  I love this purple print tank from Asic running shoes.

As part of my initiative to spend more time doing activities outdoors, I’ve started to learn to golf at Atunyote, a New York golf club near my work. It’s nice to be able to spend most of the time walking. What I like about it is that it’s a leisurely sport–nothing too strenuous.

I would like to start running more as well. I’ve read from numerous resources online about a great Couch-to-5k program that would be perfect for me to start with.  It involves a mix of walking and running which is great for beginners.  Hopefully by the start of fall, I’ll be ready to sign up for my first race!

Take some time to celebrate YOU this week. Go on a long jog or whip up a green smoothie. Get outside! You deserve it.

You know how I’m kinda sorta super busy and have like a gazillion jobs?

Make that a gazillion and one.

I’m still working for the wonderful Sarah-Jane Bedwell creating blogcopy for SELF magazine’s nutrition blog and still loving every single second. Click here if you’re interested in reading the latest post. Since  I’m done with my dietetic internship and don’t start babysitting full time till the end of May, I’ve had a bit of extra free time. So naturally, when I heard about the R.A.W. (Real and Wonderful) opportunity, I jumped all over it.

I found about about R.A.W. from a mom I met through the girls I babysit. She said she was working for small company in Columbus that specializes in gluten-free, raw and vegan dehydrated snacks. HELLO! It had my name all over it. As soon as I heard the words pure maple syrup and coconut, I knew it was meant to be. I wanted to become a part of all the fun, whether that meant helping out with marketing, social media, or just helping make the fabulous products.

Discovering a company that strives to spread so much healthy goodness was such a blessing. I’ve never worked for a food manufacturer before, and I feel so lucky to be a part of something that I’m so ridiculously passionate about. I love everything about this company, from the organic superfood ingredients to the small homemade batches and friendly staff. Everyone is so warm and welcoming, all working together to create wholesome products that nourish inside and out.

R.A.W’s products are exactly that–real and wonderful. Tricia and Angela, the founders, started making these products in their own kitchens two years ago. Now they sell in more than thirty Whole Food’s across the country in addition to a variety of health food stores. Hey Clevelanders! They even sell at Heinen’s! Check out R.A.W.’s website to learn more.

So what’s the big hoopla about eating raw? Cooking food (heating it over 115 degrees) destroys some of the enzymes that help us digest food and lessens the vitamin and mineral content. Incorporating lots of fresh, raw food into the diet is known to boost energy, enhance mental clarity and help achieve a better night’s sleep. R.A.W.’s tasty snacks are dehydrated, meaning they are heated for longer periods of times at or below 115 degrees. They also soak their nuts in order to enhance enzyme activity and increase digestibility. As an added benefit, soaking results in a smoother, more buttery nut flavor since the tannins (a bitter plant compound) are released into the soaking water. Go raw!

Let’s get to the good stuff.

Superfood Nut Bar

This is one of my favorite R.A.W. products and one of their best-sellers, too. It’s literally loaded with superfoods, from organic almonds to goji berries, cocao nibs and maca powder. It’s perfectly sweet, crunchy and satisfying without any of those scary chemicals found in lots of mainstream granola bars.

“The base of these nut bars includes raw organic almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, raisins, and cranberries and is sweetened with maple syrup. The bars are also packed with superfoods like goji berries, maca powder, and cacao nibs. The maca powder gives them an incredibly distinct taste that is sure to please.”

Dark Chocolate Cherry Nut bar

The dark chocolate really gets me. It’s simply sensational, made from raw organic cocao butter and cacao. I nearly die every time I see the huge bag of cacao butter. I have to restrain myself from diving into it headfirst. “Our dark chocolate cherry nut bars are full of raw organic almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, and high-antioxidant cherries. The dark chocolate is made from scratch using raw organic cacao butter and cacao. If you like dark chocolate, you’re going to love this nut bar.”

 Vanilla and Chocolate Macaroons

These little bites of heaven, packed with wholesome almonds and cashews, are the perfect balance of sweet coconutty goodness. The chocolate flavor, made with organic cocao, is obviously my fave. I could probably eat a whole bag in one sitting. “These simple cookies with just a few ingredients are some of our most popular items. The hint of almond flavoring is sure to get you hooked. These cookies are slightly crunchy on the outside and nice and chewy on the inside.  What differentiates our macaroons is the addition of cashew flour that gives them a tremendously rich flavor.”

Red Pepper Herb Crackers

These are my favorite savory treat that R.A.W. has to offer. Traditional crackers are usually super proccessed and loaded with refined white flour and salt. These crackers, however, are made from soaked nuts and oats and flavored with sweet bell pepper and herbs. They have an amazingly addicting nutty flavor and crunchy exterior.

“These crackers are made with lots of delicious sweet red peppers and seasoned with rosemary, thyme, and oregano. This combination gives these crackers a lot of flavor, so they are great as a stand-alone snack or will go nicely with your favorite spread.”

Ingredients: Sweet red peppers, organic almonds, organic gluten-free oats, organic brown flax seeds, sea salt, organic thyme, organic rosemary, organic oregano.

Tomato Basil Crackers

These are similar to the red pepper crackers, but are packed to the brim with tomatoes and zucchini. “Zucchini and tomatoes lead the ingredient list of these crackers, along with almonds, oats, and flax seeds. A little sweetness along with the basil is added to make the flavor unique.”

Ingredients: Organic almonds, organic gluten-free oats, organic roma tomatoes, organic zucchini, organic brown flax seed, organic agave, sea salt, organic basil

Honey Nut Granola

I love this granola because it’s made with simple ingredients and not loaded with tons of sugar and oil like most brands on the market. “Our honey nut granola is made with gluten-free oats, raw organic almonds, pecans, walnuts, and sunflower seeds and is sweetened with wild honey. If you want a simple granola that’s not too sweet, our honey nut granola will make a great choice.”

Ingredients: Organic gluten-free oats, organic almonds, organic walnuts, honey, organic sunflower seeds, organic pecans, organic cinnamon, organic vanilla, sea salt.

* * *

Now for the exciting part. R.A.W. is giving away one bag of superfood nut bars and one bag of roasted red pepper crackers to one of your fabulous readers! The nut bars sell for $9.99 and the crackers sell for $7.29, so here’s your chance to try these amazing healthy products for FREE!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment each time you do one of the following:

1. Leave a comment telling me which R.A.W. product you’re most excited to try.
2. Like R.A.W. on Facebook
3. Like Hummusapien on Facebook
4. Follow R.A.W. on Twitter
5. Follow Hummusapien on Twitter

Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry (up to five entries per person). It’s open to residents of the US and Canada only. The giveaway will be end this Friday, May 17th at 11:39pm CST. Good luck!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. All views and opinions are my own.

Becca and I have one serious thing in common. Not the fact that we were both in the Foxes tribe of Indian Princess’ when we were eight or the fact that we both have older sisters named Erin. Not the … Continue reading →