Category Archives: supplements

in LOVE with FALL

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fall image

Hoodies YES

Bonfires YES

Cuddling YES

… throw my snuggly UGG boots in the mix and we’ve got us a perfect situation.

BUT OH THE ALLERGIES… aka INFLAMMATION

3/4 of the people who live in under my roof suffer from seasonal allergies→ asthma.  It’s really only a problem during spring and fall.  We will experience inflammation in our lungs which make it hard to breathe – NOT COOL.  But what IS COOL … we can keep the inflammation under control through our nutrition.

SORRY ALLERGIES… WE’RE BREAKING UP

PositiveHealthandWellness.com published a great article called THE BEST FOODS FOR ANTI-INFLAMMITORY DIET and I used this as my refresher/ brush-up on FALL food/ shopping list as I change things up a bit for my family.  Here are the foods listed to help combat inflammation.

  • Omega-3 – I don’t eat fish so I get mine through Omega-3 supplements.
  • Avocado – I eat 1/2 every morning with my eggs… avocado toast is trending these days and I know why… BECAUSE IT’S GOOD!  Try it.
  • Dark green, leafy vegetables – I eat a simple spinach salad almost every day, and when I can’t/don’t want to eat my veggies, I drink them.  Check out this post for different green smoothie recipes.  If I’m being lazy or don’t have fresh greens at the house, my favorite local solution is the Juice Bar!  Check out iLOVEJuiceBar.com for locations.
  • Walnuts/Olive oil
  • Onions
  • Watermelon and Berries
  • Ginger, turmeric, oregano … I make ginger tea … simple just blend up ginger and fresh squeezed lemon, pour in ice cube tray, freeze and then add a ginger cube to hot water.
  • Whole grain foods – gluten seems to really irritate our inflammation so we cut way back in our house during high allergy seasons, but to get our grains we choose sprouted grain options (once sprouted, the gluten is released).

Head over to PositiveHealthandWellness.com  for more details on these foods.  Also read up on

  • Why inflammation occurs
  • Problems inflammation can lead to
  • How insulin is involved
  • How to combat inflammation
  • What you should avoid

 

Thanks for reading and I hope you have the HEALTHIEST HAPPIEST FALL ever!

SHOP FOR PRODUCTS LISTED IN THIS POST!

omega-3OmegaPlex 

 

 

 

 

 

JANUARY 2015 – BREAKING BAD EATING HABITS – JOIN US!

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TRUTH RIGHT THERE.  IF YOU NEED HELP WITH KITCHEN PART, JOIN OUR GROUP IN JANUARY – WE WILL BE DOING THE ADVOCARE 24 DAY CHALLENGE TO RESET A HEALTHY EATING ROUTINE.  IT HELPS KICK THE BAD HABITS TO THE CURB AND ESTABLISHES NEW GOOD EATING HABITS.  IT ALSO CLEANS OUT THE SYSTEM – MUCH LIKE AN OIL CHANGE – SO WE CAN ABSORB THOSE IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS FROM THE FOOD WE EAT AND THE SUPPLEMENTS THAT FILL IN THE GAPS.

EMAIL ashley@ashleybensonfitness.com FOR A FREE EVALUATION.

Being Good on Vacation Part 1 – SPARK SLUSH

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Well Hello!!!  
I’m home now from a month of vacationing.  Well, it wasn’t ALL vacation.  I did work some while I was gone.  As you can see, I didn’t do much blogging, but I did take lots of pictures 🙂  Now I want to share with you some ways I stayed healthy while traveling.  
 
IT’S REALLY HARD TO BE GOOD!
It’s possible, we just have to get creative.  
 
While I was in Texas, we took a weekend trip to the beach.  Port Aransas was our destination and it was a lot of fun in the sun.  And guess what???  We found the BEST SHAVED ICE place there on the island.  I’m serious… may be the best in all the earth!?!?!?
I mean, really.  
This is just one tiny part of the menu.
thePROBLEM
It’s all sugar… and I’m not eating sugar!!!  
OH, WHY ME!!!!!
 
After discovering that this was in fact the best shaved ice on planet, the kids decided to visit it as many times as possible while we were there.  I allowed myself 1 real snow cone, and I chose COFFEE WITH CREAM.  After all, I would order that at a coffee house 🙂  
After that trip I had to get creative.
Oh my it was fabulous! 
 So here’s what I did the rest of our trips to the best shaved ice place in the world…
 
I made
ADVOCARE
SPARK SHAVED ICE!
1 bottle of water
1 cup of fluffy shaved ice
1 scoop of ADVOCARE SPARK
(Spark is a vitamin energy drink
 
It was amazing and here’s how I did it
If you want to be a part of our 24 Day Challenge Group, shoot me an email and we’ll connect and get you set up on a customized 24 Day Challenge package perfect for reaching your goals! 

PRE & POST WORKOUT NUTRITION

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 We work hard during our workout sessions, but this is only the beginning of the process in reaching our goals.  Our body works around the clock – especially while we sleep – building and repairing muscle after a workout.  I want to make sure we take FULL advantage of our workouts by feeding our body appropriate pre- and post workout foods!  Eating smart before and after the workout can give the body what it needs to burn fat, gain muscle and recover to its full potential!  
 
PRE-WORKOUT FOODS…
You want to grab a snack 30-60 minutes before your workout to provide your body with energy it needs to push through and sustain your workout.  
Here are some of my favorite pre-workout snacks from a list that Greatist.com published:
 
  • Dressed Up Oats  Load up on carbohydrates for a longer workout with ½ cup cooked steel-cut oats topped with 1 tablespoon dried fruit and 1 tablespoon shaved almonds.
  • Yoberries A-Go-Go For the perfect blend of carbs and protein, try 1 cup non-fat vanilla bean Greek yogurt — which often packs more protein and probiotics than regular plain yogurt — with ½ cup fresh blueberries.
  • PB Apple  For a quick carb fuel-up, slice 1 medium apple and serve with 2 tablespoons all-natural peanut or almond butter.
  • Fruit and Cottage  Top ½ cup cottage cheese — a low calorie and higher protein option — with ½ cup fresh pineapple, berries, or melon. 
  • Pre-Workout Drink  Muscle Fuel – because sometime it need to be THAT easy!
POST-WORKOUT FOODS
 After a hard workout, our muscles are hungry and we NEED to feed them right to keep our metabolism rocking.  Eat within 1 hour of your workout.  
These are post-workout snacks that I eat and love:
  • Chocolate Almond Shake 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein –  Muscle Gain Protein  – 1/2 a banana, 1 TBSP almond butter, and 1 cup of almond milk
  • Ants On A Log Spread a heap of natural peanut/almond butter over celery and top with raisins. 
  • Black Bean Omelet Four eggs whites, 1 ounce low-fat cheese, and ¼ cup canned black beans — then spice it up with a savory salsa.
  • Green Monster Smoothie Blend 4 cups spinach, ½ cup vanilla bean yogurt, 1 cup almond milk, 1 banana, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter with ice — Claudine Morgan via Iowa Girl Eats.
  • Cottage Cheese Crunch One cup fat-free cottage cheese, 1 teaspoon honey, ½ cup whole-grain cereal, and a dash of cinnamon does a body good.
  • Pita and Hummus One 7-inch pita with two spoonfuls of  hummus adds a little pep back to your step with quick digesting carbs.
  • Egg Scramble Veg out after a hard training session with 2-3 whole eggs scrambled with a handful of chopped onion, spinach, and bell peppers.
  • Protein Bar  Sometimes you need something to grab and go!
  • Post-Workout Recovery Drink –
  1. Helps minimize muscle soreness after strenuous activity
  2. Supplies essential components for muscle repair to optimize muscle recovery
  3. Helps maintain and restore energy supplies during and after physical activity
  4. Contains branched-chain amino acids to support muscle recovery, growth and endurance.
 
If you have any Pre-or Post-Workout Snacks that you eat… PLEASE SHARE in the comments! 

DR. OZ: OMEGA-3 SAFETY & ADVOCARE

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Dr. Oz agrees that not all 
Omega 3 Fatty Acids are created equal.  
 
These healthy fats are    
“The single most important thing you can do as a supplement.”   Dr.Oz

He also says they are his #2 health scam:
ConsumerLab.com tested every supplement company and found that 30% of Omega-3’s failed their test! 
  1. They contain too little of the Omega-3’s
  2. They failed for being spoiled well before the expiration date.

 

“While many products failed consumer labs test, there are a couple that passed with flying colors.”  Dr.Oz
 
He recommends choosing ADVOCARE as a company to by your Omega 3-Fatty Acids!
 
For a safe & effective Omega-3 supplement, you can trust Advocare.  Buy it HERE.  


Whether you need more energy, supplements to support your workouts or a full spectrum nutrition program that fills in all the nutritional gaps, it should be built for you with safe high quality products. I’d love to help you put together a customized plan that perfect for you!  
for a free, no obligation consultation!