If you’re sitting at a desk all day like most people, you are probably adding a lot of physical stress to your body.  Here are some simple tips to help make your workstation a healthier, more productive environment.

1.  Adjust Your Chair Height Relative to Your Keyboard

When you’re sitting at your desk typing, ideally, your arms and legs should be positioned so that there are 90-degree angles at your elbows and knees.  Since most desk stations are fixed, you will probably need to adjust the height of your chair and adjust your body in relation to the keyboard height.  To do this, start by sitting with your shoulders relaxed, your body upright and your feet flat on the floor. Position your hands on your keyboard, and adjust your chair as needed.

2.  Sit on a Stability Ball

A fun way to improve your posture, core strength and balance at your desk is to replace your chair with a stability ball.  I did this about a year ago when I started to develop lower back pain from sitting in a regular office chair too long.  Now, I ALWAYS sit on a ball when I’m working at my desk.  Sitting on a ball provides a cushion for your spine and encourages movement of your spine, which helps hydrate your discs.  Make sure that you use the right size for your height.  Ideally, when sitting on your ball, your thighs should be slightly higher than parallel to the floor and your knees should be slightly greater than 90 degrees.

To learn some fun stability exercises you can do at your desk, check out my post “Getting Fit on Your Firm’s Time.”

3. Use a Foot Rest

If…

Before you reach for a sleep aid, make sure you’re not doing any of these things that keep you awake and disrupt your sleep/wake cycles.

Consume Caffeine

Did you know that caffeine has a half-life of about 6 hours?  That means if you drink a cup of coffee (a strong 8-ounce cup typically contains about 300 mg of caffeine) at 6 o’clock at night, you’ll still have 150 mg of caffeine in your blood stream at midnight, when you should be fast asleep.  Instead of being in a relaxed state when your growth and repair hormones are being released, you’ll have caffeine stimulating your adrenal glands to produce the stress hormone, cortisol.  Cortisol is an activating hormone that basically tells your body it’s time to be active and alert! 

If you want to get a good night’s sleep, ideally, you should avoid anything with caffeine after lunch--that means no coffee, tea, soda, or chocolate!

Indulge in Sweets

Sugar, like caffeine, is a stimulant that ultimately triggers the release of cortisol.  Here’s how:  Let’s say you eat some sweets right before bed.  As you’re trying to fall asleep, your blood sugar levels spike.  Your body responds to this sugar high by releasing insulin, a hormone that rapidly reduces your blood sugar le"vels, and ultimately results in a blood sugar crash or hypoglycemic state.  This nighttime hypoglycemia can happen while you’re sleeping, which can cause you to wake up suddenly. 

Your body perceives hypoglycemia as a very stressful situation and acts very quickly to get more sugar to your brain.  After all, your brain needs some sugar to function—otherwise you’d go into a coma.  In response to this emergency, your body releases stress hormones, one of them being cortisol, which…

To get the maximum fat-burning results in the least amount of time with my workouts I do circuit training.

With circuit training you rev up your metabolism and put your body in fat-blasting mode.  You not only build lean muscle with this style of training, but you boost your cardio respiratory function too. 

Here’s a sample of one of my personal circuit routines.  It consists of 5 compound exercises that are performed back-to-back with short rest periods in between each circuit.

I suggest starting with 90 seconds of rest in between circuits for the first two to three weeks of training or when you’re able to complete four circuits with perfect form.   When you’re able to go through four circuits with perfect form, reduce your rest periods to 60 seconds to continue to challenge yourself.

To prevent overtraining, take a day of rest once every three days.  Your “recovery’ days are just as important as your training days; resistance training breaks your muscles down while rest periods allow for them to get stronger!

Here are the exercise variables:

• Repetitions: 10 each
• Intensity: -2 (you’ll only do 10 reps, but the exercise should be challenging enough where you feel like you could do two more—the goal is never to train at 100% intensity, but it should be challenging for you)
• Sets: start with three and build up to four
• Tempo: Moderate (count 1-2 up, 1-2 down)
• Rest: start with 1:30 and build up to 60 seconds

Give this routine a try and let me know how you like it!  I think it’s a lot of fun—I think you will too!

Share this circuit with your friends and family by clicking the “like” button.

To blasting fat with circuit…

Grocery shopping used to be one of my least favorite things to do.  Even though I love to eat, taking the time out of my busy schedule to buy food was always stressful and something I would put off as long as I could—I would often wait until I had no food in my house before I thought about what to buy next. 

Of course, when you don’t have any healthy food on hand you resort to eating from vending machines and ordering take out, and it isn't long before you gain weight, develop digestion problems and feel like crap! I know from personal experience. 

To stop this viscous cycle, and get on the track to healthy eating, I’ve made grocery shopping easier and less stressful for myself by creating a grocery list of staples to keep on hand at all times.  I keep a notepad on my refrigerator, and whenever I run out of one of my staples, I write it down so I don't forget to replace it.  That way when I’m ready to go food shopping I don’t have to spend a lot of time planning what to buy each week because my list is already done!

Make a plan to keep your cupboards stocked with good eats by creating a grocery list of healthy staples to keep in your kitchen.

Here’s a sample grocery list of foods that my kitchen is NEVER without!

1. Almond Butter

Almond butter is by far the best nut butter out there!  It’s filled with healthy fats and proteins and it tastes delicious!  I like to dip apple slices in it or eat it with celery or carrots as a snack.  I also like to put it in smoothies.  Click here for my favorite Banana Almond Smoothie recipe:  “Top 10 on-the-Go Snacks.” 

When you’re buying almond butter, make sure…

Most people tell me that they just don’t have the time and energy to make healthy meals—that it’s too much work to cook.

As a woman who not only wants to eat healthy, but is also super-busy, I’m here to tell you, it’s actually quite simple and easy!  You just need to have a plan.

I’ve developed the routine of making a handful of different meals each week and rotating them—I find having this automatic meal planning system removes the stress of having to think about what to make each day.  And when I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll make something new, but for the most part I stick to my routine.

Here’s a sample meal plan of a typical day for me.  As you can see, these are really simple recipes that require very little prep.  All you need to do is buy the ingredients at the store and you’re good to go!  Whenever possible, buy local, organic foods:)

BREAKFAST

Melissa’s Yogurt Medley

This is my signature breakfast.  Sometimes I change it up a bit by adding different fruits, nuts and seeds, but the base is always plain, organic yogurt.

Here’s what I like:

8 oz. of plain organic yogurt

1/3 cup blueberries

1 tbsp gogi berries

1 tbsp mulberries

1 tbsp cacao nibs

1 tbsp gound flax seeds

1 tbsp crushed nuts

dash of stevia (optional)

SNACK

Green Apple and Almond Butter

This is my FAVORITE snack!  And I never get tired of it.  It tastes great, and better yet, I feel great after I eat it!…

As a health and fitness professional having worked with a lot of clients over the years, I’ve found that many people have digestive issues.

Poor digestion often manifests as gas, bloating, burping, reflux, bowel irregularity and abdominal distention.  But did you know that there are also some not-so-obvious signs of digestive dysfunction that could be making you feel bad?  For example, headaches, fatigue after eating, constant hunger pangs, and pain in your muscles, joints, neck, shoulder and middle and lower back may also be your body’s way of saying that your digestion is not working efficiently.

Here are some of the most common causes of poor digestion.  Before reaching for a Tums or Maalox, I’m giving you some tips to help you reduce your digestive stress and improve the health of your digestive system naturally.

1. Not Enough H2O

In order for your body to properly break down foods during the digestive process, your body needs adequate amounts of water.  Chewing your food requires the production of saliva, as it contains digestive enzymes that help you break down foods.  If you’re dehydrated and your body can't produce enough saliva, the foods you eat will not be broken down properly for the next phases of digestion.

When your body becomes dehydrated it will pull water from wherever it can, primarily drawing water from the mucus membranes of major digestive organs like your stomach and your large and small intestines.  

When the moisture is pulled from the mucus membrane of your stomach, it leaves your stomach unprotected from hydrochloric acid (a.k.a HCL—the acid that helps you further break down foods), which may then trigger ulcers. 

What do most people do when they get indigestion and heartburn? …

If you're limited on time and you don't have access to a gym, here are four simple compound moves that you can do right at home.

All you need is a resistance band, stability ball and medicine ball or free weight. Make sure that you invest in quality equipment to ensure your safety. Check out our online store for affordable, professional grade balls and bands.

This workout consists of four exercises that are each performed for 12-15 repetitions back to back in a circuit. If the Stability Ball Single-Leg Dip is too challenging for you, then perform the exercise placing both feet on the ground.

Share these butt firming and core strengthening exercises with your friends by clicking the "like" button.

To a firmer butt and stronger core,

Melissa Koerner

Have you thought about what you’re going to make for Easter?  Just because it's a holiday doesn't meant that you can't make a healthy meal.  Here’s a complete Easter dinner meal plan that is filled with healthy, yummy and easy recipes.  

APPETIZER

Deviled Eggs

Makes 12

Ingredients:

6 medium eggs

½ cup organic sour cream

½ tsp Celtic sea salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

1.  Place eggs in a pan of cold water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and   

     cook for 15 minutes.

2.  Remove with a slotted spoon and chill in refrigerator. 

3.  Slice lengthwise and remove yolks carefully.

4.  Place yolks, cultured cream, salt and cayenne pepper in a food processor and      

     process until smooth.

5.  Carefully return the yolk mixture to the hollow of the egg whites.

* Source:  Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon

SIDE DISHES

Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

3 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed

1/3 cup butter, cubed

1/3 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil

4 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, patted dry and chopped

  1/4 cup minced fresh basil

Directions:

1. Place asparagus in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 in. of water.      

   Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 6-8 minutes or until crisp-tender.

2.…

Here’s a list of my personal top 10 heath tips to help you look and feel your best!  These are all really simple steps that you can start implementing right away.

1. Start Your Day with 2 Glasses of Water

Right after you get up in the morning, drink two 8-ounce glasses of water.  By drinking water first thing in the morning you detoxify your system and eliminate waste, so you can start the day with a clean body!  You’ll find that drinking water helps keep you “regular,” so there’s no need to rely of digestive aids when you hydrate properly.

2. Move Your Body for 30 Minutes EVERY Day

Movement creates energy.  When you move your body you increase your blood flow, transporting nutrients throughout your body to feed it and keep it vital.  You don’t have to go to the gym to exercise.  There’s plenty you can do in your own home and outside.  Being healthy and fit means making exercise a part of your lifestyle, and the best way to motivate yourself and make exercise a part of your daily routine is to do what you like.  When you’re choosing which kinds of exercises to do there’s really only one question you need to ask yourself:  What makes me feel good and gives me enjoyment?   If you can commit to moving your body for 30 minutes each day, you’re golden!

3. Repeat Positive Affirmations Daily

It’s so easy for negative thoughts to creep into or minds, and these thoughts can sabotage our efforts to improve our health and fitness.  By feeding your mind positive thoughts or affirmations every day, you can fend off your negative thoughts.  A great way to develop your affirmations is to become aware of your self-talk.  I have a lot of my clients do this…

Need some quick, healthy meal ideas? 

Here’s a one-day sample meal plan of some of my personal favorite recipes.  All of these recipes use whole ingredients, and they are yummy, healthy and super-easy to make!  They are sure to keep you full and feeling good!

BREAKFAST

Very, Berry Smoothie  

Blend thoroughly:

• 10-12 oz. plain, organic yogurt
• 6 strawberries
• 1/3 cup blueberries
• 1/3 cup raspberries
• 1/3 cup backberries
• 1 tbsp raw honey

SNACK

Trail Mix

• raw, organic almonds
• raw, organic walnuts
• raw organic cashews
• organic, dried cranberries
• organic mulberries
• organic goji berries
• organic golden berries
• organic, dark chocolate chips
• organic pumpkin seeds
• organic sunflower seeds

LUNCH

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

• 2 cups baby spinach
• ½ apple sliced
• 1 handful of strawberries sliced
• ¼ cups walnuts
• 4 bacon slices
• Dress with red wine vinegar and olive oil

SNACK

Almond Butter and Green Apple…