Most people enjoy the holidays, because it’s generally a festive and fun time of the year! It’s also one of the busiest! There are lots of parties to attend, social events to plan, family get-togethers, shopping to be done, and cookies to be baked. Add seasonal weather to the mix, finances, cold and flu season and a super long “to-do” list and this time of year can also take a big toll on our health. With all the fun and celebrating it’s easy to forget ourselves sometimes, but it’s so important to remember to take good care of yourself and remain heart healthy during these stressful and busy weeks!

Here are some easy tips to lessen the stress, strengthen your heart and be heart healthy this holiday season.

1. Don’t sweat the small stuff (or the big stuff)

No doubt, all of us have long to-do lists this time of year. Sometimes you can plan way ahead and still not have things work out like you planned. It’s ok! Learn to be gentle on yourself, and when things get overwhelming, force yourself to simplify. Scale back your to-do list. Delegate some errands to your partner, children or friends. Space out your shopping and baking, and don’t overbook your schedule with events and social gatherings. Take deliberate time out of your day to relax and regroup. Force yourself to take a nap! What’s important is that you aren’t stressing yourself out needlessly. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that less is more!

2. Sneak in some exercise

Just because you’re “busy” doesn’t mean you’re staying active. Sometimes the cold weather keeps us from our regular exercise routines, and the stress of the holidays can also cause us to overeat and hibernate on the couch a little too long! Park a little farther when you’re out shopping to add some steps to your day. Walk around the mall a little longer than you have to. Dance in the kitchen to Christmas songs on the radio while doing the dishes. Stressful day? Pull out the yoga mat and do some deep breathing and stretching in the evening. Just be sure that you are mindful about moving your body through the Winter months. Your heart will thank you!

3. Be wise about portion control

We are literally surrounded this time of year by rich food and alcohol. Sometimes it’s easy to justify a little gluttony when you’re “celebrating”, but when you’ve been celebrating for 2 months, you can come out the other side 15 pounds heavier and with a higher cholesterol count if you’re not careful! Treating yourself is ok, but always make sure the bulk of your calories are coming from real, unprocessed foods. Fill up on the healthy stuff first, and you’ll feel less inclined to eat a sample of every dessert.

4. Make sure you’re getting enough rest

Insomnia and sleepless nights can take their toll on our bodies when we constantly have lists of things we need to do going through our brains. Sometimes it feels impossible to shut it off. One good tip is writing down everything you need to do the next day. If you have it on paper, sometimes it’s easier for the brain to let it go. Take time to relax each evening with a good book, a warm bath or a warm drink. Try to stay away from electronics in the late evening, and make sure you’re room isn’t too warm. These are helpful for a good night’s sleep. No matter how busy you are, always aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night. A well rested body is a healthy body and helps keep the heart healthy! According to Dr. Mercola, there are definitely consequences of not getting enough sleep!

5. A joyful heart is a happy heart

There’s a lot to be said about having a positive outlook and being of good cheer. Not only can a good attitude benefit those around us, but it can keep our blood pressure from rising and keep stress away too! There’s a direct correlation between mental and physical health, so keep your mind positive. Look for ways to serve others, and look for the good in every situation and your whole body will thank you!
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Did you know? Jigsaw puzzles help you exercise both the right and left side of the brain. Working a jigsaw puzzle helps keep your brain young!
Your left brain thinks logically and follows sequence while the right brain is creative, intuitive and emotional. When working a jigsaw puzzle, you harness both sides of the brain.
Jigsaw puzzles engage the brain to retain information on shapes and colors in order to choose pieces that will fit together properly.This hunt for pieces requires your brain to memorize what each piece looks like or should look like and what kinds of pieces you are searching for in order to complete the picture. Doing this repeatedly reinforces short-term memory.
This engaging activity:

1. Works to exercise the brain cells and thereby activates them and increases their efficiency and capacity.
2. Makes you alert, increases concentration, and expands creativity.
3. Helps you practice visualization because you are constantly looking at the images.
4. Affects your physical health by lowering your breath rate and reducing heart rate and blood pressure.
5. Builds up a base of useful individual skills.
6. Transfers individual skills to other situations where they can be applied to solve new problems.

Interesting facts about jigsaw puzzles!They were first created by an English mapmaker by the name of John Spilsbury in the late 1760’s. He made a puzzle by gluing a map of the world on a piece of wood and cut out the countries. Children would put the pieces together to learn to identify individual countries and their relation to one another. This was much like our puzzles of the United States that we all worked on when we were growing up.
Thus, jigsaw puzzles were originally invented for education instead of entertainment. Jigsaw puzzles are now loved by people of all ages. Jigsaw puzzles became a form of daily amusement and activity for adults in the early 1900’s. However, they were quite expensive ($5 for a 500-piece puzzle in 1908). By the time of the Great Depression in the early 1930’s, they became more reasonable in price. In fact, 10 million puzzles were sold per week during this time in history. This was an escape from the troubles of the Depression years.

1) Canteloupe – One serving has just 46 calories and nearly a day’s worth of vitamins A & C. It’s also a very good source of potassium. Eating it raw or making a fruit salad with a little feta and mint makes a delicious summer lunch.

2) Zucchini – Wow, only 29 calories in one cup and is high in fiber, vitamins A, C and K and also potassium. It also adds bulk and substance to your diet. Zucchini is versatile in that it can be grilled, eaten raw, stuffed, made into chips or used to replace noodles in homemade lasagna.
3) Eggplant – This purple beauty is a good source of vitamins B6 & K as well as being a very good source of fiber. It is also low in calories and contains antioxidants that fight disease. The purple color is a cue that it will benefit the heart and memory. Prepare it sautéed, grilled or cubed in a stir fry or on a sandwich.
4) Blackberries – Blackberries are a good source of potassium and vitamins E, C, K & manganese. They are also loaded with fiber and antioxidants. Other benefits include protecting the heart and lowering blood pressure. They add a nice taste to a glass of ice water or seltzer or add them to salads. Blackberries are popular in baked goods as well.
5) Yellow Summer Squash – This is also known as “crookneck or straightneck” squash. It is rich in fiber, vitamins C, K, and potassium and has very few calories. Prepare it grilled, in a summer soup or be creative and use it as a pizza topping.
A culinary tip: A grilling basket or tray is a very easy way to prepare veggies alongside your main meal on the grill. It makes for easy clean up and no mess in the kitchen!
Let us know which summer super foods are your favorite…Comment Below
Read more here: Super Foods

Eat Plenty of Summer Super Foods for a Healthier Diet!

​A local blogger recently made a list of 101 ways to live a happier life on her blog, and every single one of them resonated with us.  They are things many of us already do, and some of them we plan on implementing moving forward. Our hope in sharing the first 25 items of ways to live a happier life is that it will inspire others to choose happiness despite the stress of the world around us!

1. Leave people better than you found them.  At the end of every day, seek forgiveness from those you’ve wronged, and forgive those that have wronged you.  Don’t poison your relationships by holding grudges.  “Be the one who nurtures and builds.  Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart.  One who looks for the best in people.”- Marvin J Ashton
2. Remember that family is forever.  Family is the most important aspect of life.  Who you call family doesn’t necessarily have to be related to you by blood.
3.  If you’re having a flare up of pain, keep in mind that there was a time you didn’t
   feel this way, and there will come a time
   again that you feel better.  If you suffer from chronic pain or mental illness, it’s easy to view your bad days as a sign of weakness.  But try to remember that those are the days you’re actually fighting the hardest.  You are a warrior and you are enough.
4. You are capable of change and daily improvement.  The human brain is literally wired to adapt.  “If people never changed, we’d all still be wearing diapers.”- Autum Burkett
5. “You can be as happy as you choose to
   be, even under the most horrifying circumstances.  It’s all about the story you tell yourself.” – Julie Bayron
6. Look for the beauty in inconveniences.  Welcome them as opportunities to momentarily break from the routine.  The word inconvenience is often synonymous with adventure.
7. Don’t ever, ever, EVER allow possessions and the love of materials to gain priority over your relationships, health, and divine purpose.  It really is just stuff and you can’t take it with you. Focus your energy on creating a life that feels good on the inside, and doesn’t just looks good on the outside.  The less you own, the less that owns you.
8. It isn’t what you get from this life that matters. It’s what you bring to it.
9.  No matter what happens…no matter how horrible the day was- the sun will rise
   again tomorrow. Don’t underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep and the sense of renewed hope that rises with the sun.  What a difference just 24 tiny hours can make in changing a sense of hopelessness.
10. Always say, “Please” and “Thank you.”  Even if you don’t want to.  Especially if you don’t want to!
11. Hold the door open for the people behind you.  And try not to feel contempt toward the people that don’t thank you for it.
12. More often than not, you have to just suck it up and continue in spite of it
    all.  “If you can’t fly, then run.  If you can’t run, then walk.  If you can’t walk, then crawl.  But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”  Martin Luther King Jr.
13.  “Forget yourself and find someone who needs your service, and you will discover the
    secret to a happy, fulfilled life.”
    -Ezra Taft Benson
14.  Be careful when it comes to love, sex, alcohol, food, and all the other drugs.  The abuse of any one of these things can cause mass emotional and physical destruction and potentially destroy your life.
15. Soak in hot baths.  But make the effort worthwhile.  Listen to some soothing music, light a candle, and nurture your skin with quality bath salts or bubbles.
16. Work hard.  Work hard enough each day that you don’t need sleeping pills to help you sleep at night.  I doubt anyone has ever collapsed in bed saying to themselves, “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard today.  I accomplished way too much.”   Find the intrinsic satisfaction that comes from being a hard worker.
17. Be genuinely humble.  Step back often enough to gain perspective of who you are and where your place falls in the world.  Nothing truly beautiful and worthwhile has to beg for attention.
18. Faith without works is dead.  Get on your knees and pray, and then get on your feet and work.
19. Anxiety is pointless.  Don’t get caught up in “what ifs.”  “What if I don’t have enough money?”  “What if I’m not good enough?”  Whenever I get caught up in the psychological flu of “what if’s” my best friend asks, “What if birds had machine guns?  Then we’d all be in trouble.”  Worry is useless.  Don’t run from something that isn’t actually chasing you. Worrying is like praying for something you don’t want.  Let it go.
20. Take the time to decipher between what is supposed
    to be the big stuff and what actually is the big stuff, and set your priorities accordingly.
21.  Don’t be clueless.  Learn life’s necessities- how to work, clean, garden, cook, etc.
22. Don’t be afraid or too prideful to occasionally lean on your parents or other trusted people.  Nobody ever said we had to do this alone.
23. Find the hidden strengths in your weaknesses.
24. Be a goal oriented person.
25. Have dreams.

For the complete list of the ways to live a happier life, Click Here.
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For more Healthy Living, Click Here.

3)  Rest and Mood Swings – We can’t emphasize enough the importance of getting a minimum of six or seven hours of sleep a night. Your body must have sleep to repair itself! Rest also encompasses quiet time in the form of meditation, sitting quietly sipping a warm beverage or any other method of quieting the body and mind without distractions. Our addiction to technology is a major contributor to the stress in America today!
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4)  Happiness Emphasis and Mood Swings – It is possible to elevate your mood by simple daily exercises.

• Write down something positive that happened in the past 24 hours…even if you had a “bad” day.
• Write down three things for which you are grateful every day.
• Give and share…”paying it forward” actually releases dopamine which makes both the giver and receiver feel happy!

These bonus tips will help you get started on your way to more happiness and less stress in your life:
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• Keep a food journal
• Exercise with a workout buddy
• Take a relaxing vacation…even if it’s a weekend away from home.
• Go out and thank someone for an immediate happiness boost.

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