Mark Twain said “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” This applies to any goal we want to achieve in life. Sometimes though life happens, we get stuck, and our motivation is nowhere to be found. This is when we need to whip out our toolbox and dig into the tools to get us back on track. One of the important areas where we need to stay motivated is getting some exercise and movement. Health expert Tana Amen has some excellent suggestions on how we can keep the fire going when it comes to exercise.

Make a list of the benefits you get from being physically active.
I’m a big fan of making lists of pros and cons, and doing this for exercise can help motivate you to get moving. Sure, decades of research show that exercise is a wonder drug…without the side effects. It improves moods, reduces stress, and boosts brain health. But I want you to create a personalized list. How does being active make you feel? More energized? Better focus? Brighter moods? On your list, also be sure to ...

Ingredients:

12 cage free or organic hard boiled eggs, peeled and cooled

2 ripe avocados, cut in half, pit scooped out

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 Tablespoon Italian flat parsley, minced

2 tablespoons green onions, minced (reserve 1 teaspoon green part for garnish)

2 Julienned pieces of nitrate and nitrite-free prosciutto (optional)

Directions:

1. Slice each egg in half lengthwise taking care not to tear egg whites, and scoop egg yolks into a medium bowl.
2. Scoop avocado flesh out of skin and add to bowl, with lemon juice, dry mustard, garlic powder, smoked paprika, white pepper and sea salt.
3. Place mixture in a food processor and pulse until creamy; add a few drops of water if more liquid is needed.
4. Add minced chives to mixture and spoon into halved egg whites. For a beautiful presentation, place egg and avocado mixture into a pastry bag and pipe into each half using a d
...

The past two weeks we shared an article series about habits that will help you live a better and happier life. We’re wrapping it up with a list of habits that you can do on a regular basis. Let’s begin. 

Give back
If you find that giving daily compliments provides a needed boost to your mood, consider making a monthly routine of giving back on a larger scale. Maybe that’s helping out at a food bank on the third weekend of every month or offering to watch your friend’s kids one night per month.

Take yourself out
No one to go out with? Well, what rule says you can’t go out alone? Consider going to your favorite restaurant, taking in a movie, or going on that trip you’ve always dreamed of. Even if you’re a social butterfly, spending some deliberate time alone can help you reconnect with the activities that truly make you happy.

Create a thought list
You arrive for an appointment with 10 minutes to spare. What do you do with that time? Pick up your cell phone to scroll through social med...

Here’s part two of the article on habits to help you live a happier life. Part one talked about daily habits you can start working on. You can read it here.

Declutter
Decluttering sounds like a big project, but setting aside just 20 minutes a week can have a big impact. What can you do in 20 minutes? Lots.

Set a timer on your phone and take 15 minutes to tidy up a specific area of one room — say, your closet or that out-of-control junk drawer. Put everything in its place and toss or give away any extra clutter that’s not serving you anymore. Keep a designated box for giveaways to make things a little easier (and avoid creating more clutter). Use the remaining 5 minutes to do a quick walk through your living space, putting away whatever stray items end up in your path. You can do this trick once a week, once a day, or anytime you feel like your space is getting out of control.

See friends
Humans are largely considered social beings, and while the research is mixed on how exactly soci...

Ingredients:

Noodles & Veggies

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 9 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, trimmed of excess fat and cut into cubes
• 1 cup white onion, finely diced
• 1 ½ cups cooking liquid such as bone broth or water
• 1 cup canned coconut milk
• 1 bunch asparagus, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
• 4 large zucchini, spiralized into noodles or ribboned with a peeler
• ⅓ chili pepper, thinly sliced (optional - I used a fresno chili)
• 6 ounces buckwheat soba noodles

Pesto

• 3 ounces basil leaves
• 5 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup nuts, such as almonds or walnuts
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ¼ cup olive oil

Optional Garnish

• Sprinkle of sliced raw almonds

Directions:

We know about our bad habits. Sometimes these habits can be firmly established and will take time to unlearn. However, our values and good habits are also deeply rooted in us and nurturing them or building new good ones can certainly help us live happier. At Healthline, they came up with a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly list of positive habits to choose from and start working on. This week we’ll focus on the daily list. Choose one or two habits that you feel you can improve daily and see how this week goes for you. Ready? Set. Go.

1. Smile

You tend to smile when you’re happy. But it’s actually a two-way street. We smile because we’re happy, and smiling causes the brain to release dopamine, which makes us happier. While not completely foolproof, researchers have found that the link between smiling and happiness could be attributed to the “facial feedback hypothesis,” where facial expressions may have a modest influence on emotions.

That does not mean you have to go around with a...

Ingredients:

• 1 cup diced cucumber peeled
• 2 diced tomato
• 1/2 cup mango
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients, except for the olive oil, into the blending container and secure the lid.
2. Blend on high for 2 minutes.
3. Add the olive oil while your ingredients are blending for another 20 seconds. Enjoy and serve!

This recipe is by Chef Jenny Ross. For more of her recipes click here.

We all know that exercise has many benefits. However, there is one benefit that is truly fascinating and that is how exercise profoundly impacts our brain and nervous system. Neuroscience news has recently featured an article about this and we’re eager to share it with you! Here are our takeaways from the article:

1. Exercise helps create new neurons.
Exercise stimulates neurogenesis which basically means the creation of new neurons in the brain. This happens primarily in the hippocampus. It influences memory and learning while increasing key mood-regulating neurotransmitters. It also enhances brain plasticity, essential for recovery from injury and aging, and improves cognitive functions such as attention and memory.

2. Exercise improves memory and brain function.
Regular aerobic exercise can increase the size of the hippocampus and preserve vital brain matter, therefore improving spatial memory and cognitive function. But wait, what does spatial memory mean? Spatial memory allows ...

Ingredients:

• 1 package Miyokos cultured vegan butter
• 6 figs sliced
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1 cup basil
• 4 cloves garlic

Directions:

1. Soften butter by leaving to sit out for 1 hour before use.
2. Press out butter over wooden cutting board or plate evenly.
3. In the Personal Blender, pulse the basil and the garlic. Add this mix throughout the board. 
4. Layer on pomegranate seeds and figs. 
5. Enjoy with a fresh gluten-free bread like Carbonaut, grain-free crackers, or your favorite dippable square.

This recipe is by Chef Jenny Ross. Check out her blog here.

These days, no matter what stage of life you’re at or what season you’re in, it’s crucial to always have hope. According to Psychology Today, hope is much more than wishful thinking. It’s a powerful tool in the life toolbox that’s built on strategies for strengthening well-being, resilience, and accomplishment. Hope can empower you to create and sustain a more positive future in many areas of your life—at work, at school, and at home. It can strengthen your emotional health and happiness, augment your stress reduction skills, and amplify your ability to achieve goals. Furthermore, clinical neuroscientist Dr. Caroline Leaf said, “Hope leads to expectation, which creates peace, excitement, and health in our minds, thus increasing brain and body health.”

So how do we harness the power of hope in our lives? An organization called Hopeful Minds came up with the acronym SHINE as five keys to create hope.

S - Stress Skills
You can strengthen your resilience by learning and practicing str...