Feel-Good Food Tracking, Building Strength, and Journal Reflections

Nutrition Corner

The Only Nutrition App I've Tried That Makes Food Tracking Feel Good

Best Weight Loss Pills: Top 6 Diet Pill Supplements to Lose Weight Fast

Recipe for The Day

Ham, Cheese, Quinoa & Spinach Crustless Quiche: Quiche has gotten a bad wrap! Lots of people eat quiche for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Really. Everyone seems to enjoy a good quiche. Quiches are super simple to make, too, and can be a complete meal.

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

How to Lose Weight Fast: 3 Simple Steps, Based on Science

• Eat protein, fat, and vegetables: Aim to include a variety of foods at each meal. To balance your plate, your meals should include protein, fat, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates.

• Move your body: The Physical Activity Guidelines recommend combining cardio workouts with weight training for optimal health. Cardio workouts include things such as walking, jogging, running, cycling, or swimming.

• Eat more fiber: Fiber moves slowly through the digestive tract and can help you feel fuller for longer to support weight loss. It might also stabilize blood sugar levels, promote regularity, and protect against certain chronic conditions.

3 Steps to Finding Purpose and Feeling Happier

• Finding direction and purpose: Purpose, mission, and direction are words loaded with meaning. People engage in activities that revitalize and energize them — activities that fill them with excitement, spike their creativity, or inspire them.

• Getting started: Name three activities that you love, and that rejuvenate, inspire, and energize you. Are these activities related to specific jobs, or could they be hobbies? What opportunities do you have to pursue these activities?

• Expanding your life: Life is full of built-in struggles. But having purpose and drive are chosen battles that give meaning to it all. They make common suffering less burdensome and give your day a much-needed burst of fun. Having a purpose encourages you to take risks and step out of the shadows. It also insulates you against fear, petty concerns, and insecurities while fueling you with vitality and energy.

Types of Journaling: 5 Ways to Reflect on Your Life

• The Traditionalist: Throughout the day, take handwritten notes about what’s happening and how you feel about it. You can write whatever comes to mind without a theme or specific agenda.

• The Scheduler: Write just a sentence or two in every calendar day’s box. This type of journaling is good for those who need a visual reminder to journal. It also allows you to step back and see the bigger patterns of your journaling over the month and, eventually, year.

• The Listmaker: List your top five takeaways, goals or even fears of the day—or design your own prompts. This is a quick way to get in touch with yourself.

• The Improvisor: Look up journaling prompts that get your mind thinking. This type of journaling is especially useful for those who don’t know where to start or what to write.

• The Dear God, It’s Me, Margaret: Use the old-fashioned journaling method of writing to your diary as if it’s your old friend or confidante.

6 Best Back Exercises for Workouts to Build Strength and Size

• Dumbbell Single-Arm Row: Dumbbell rows are a classic move that should have a place in every self-respecting lifter's heart. Your hinged position will give your lats a chance to shine, while other rear-positioned muscles like the rhomboids and traps will kick in for support.

• Renegade Row: The renegade row is all about maximizing the utility of a position to the highest degree. Take two high bang-for-your-buck moves, like the plank and pushup, and make them even useful by adding more elements to work different muscle groups. Work with light dumbbells here — maintaining the proper spinal position is just as important and rowing the weight.

• Band Bent-Over Row: You'll get used to the row in its many forms if you're working on your back—so start out with a light-resistance version that can serve as a warmup or a key part of your routine. The band will allow you to work through the range of motion without breaking out the weights, while still challenging you with some resistance.

• Half-Kneeling Archer Row: This warmup exercise is great for your shoulders, but there's plenty of payoff for your rear delts and rhomboids, too. Use this as an opener for back day workouts to get ready for your heavier lifts.

• Cat-Cow: You're not building your back with this yoga staple, but it is an important exercise to help you prep for the rest of your workout. The goal here is to take your spine to the extremes of flexion and extension. Even if you're not going to use it as a warmup, you can help to improve your posture and move better by adding it to your daily routine.

• Superman Holds: Working your back using just your bodyweight is tough. Short of pullups or inverted rows, you're pretty much out of luck—aside from this heroic exercise that torches your mid and upper back muscles. The simple movement can be more difficult than you might expect, so make sure you go slow and know what you're doing before you get down on the floor to fly.