The Fast Mimicking Diet, Exercise Habits, and Building Strength

Nutrition Corner

What Is The Fast Mimicking Diet? Know Its Benefits

Spinach and sheep are showing us that solar farms aren't solely for green energy

Recipe for The Day

Blueberry Muffin Baked Oatmeal: This Blueberry Muffin Baked Oatmeal tastes just like a blueberry muffin that's been Casino-packed with the biggest, sweetest blueberries. Made with wholesome oats and naturally sweet, antioxidant-rich blueberries, this recipe is a deliciously healthy must-make, perfect as a breakfast or snack to-go! Shall we?

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

How to create an exercise habit in 6 easy steps

• Set specific goals: Return to menu Having a resolution to exercise is just the starting point. It’s helpful to have specific goals and then make an actionable plan.

• Find your ‘why’: The first thing that people need to do is think about their history with exercise and identify whether their approach has been working.

• Avoid ‘all-or-nothing’ thinking: Rigidity and perfectionism are often the enemy to building an exercise habit.

• Bundle your workout with something fun: Exercise can and should be fun, and people tend to repeat things they enjoy. Link exercise to activities that you enjoy. For example, binge a TV show while using the treadmill at the gym.

• Be patient. Habits take time: It often takes months for habits to form in the gym, so remind yourself that you are trying to create a lifelong fitness habit.

• Motivate yourself with kindness: If you have trouble sticking to an exercise habit or routine, go easy on yourself. Your struggle may be because exercise feels like punishment, instead of something motivating. Practicing self-compassion — which means being kind to yourself — can actually help you achieve your goals.

5 Proven Habits to Create Success

• Know what your moral compass points toward: Understanding your moral compass helps you increase your sense of self, including your strengths and weaknesses, and it helps you understand how to leverage those for the benefit of your business. Knowing your values will help you make strategic decisions about your company, and each of these decisions will help you stay on track with your vision.

• Show up with enthusiasm: Successful people are enthusiastic about what they do. If you don't feel enthusiasm in your life, start experimenting with things that will excite you. It doesn't matter how you start — pick anything to incorporate into daily life that you feel enthusiasm for. That might be reading, going to the gym or investing time and money in hobbies or classes that spark that sense of eagerness in your life.

• Walk with purpose: It's crucial for you to identify what you want in life and define your purpose. No matter how long it takes or the price, successful people will do whatever is needed to fulfill that purpose. Clarify your major goals, and then identify smaller goals that help you get there, like rungs on a ladder to reach the top.

• Have faith in yourself and your abilities: Those who are at the pinnacle of their success have one thing in common: They don't depend on external validation. They trust themselves and don't let fear into the equation of their decision-making. People who have faith in their abilities and principles don't crucify others who disagree with them or those who don't see their vision, because they don't need their approval in the first place.

• Focus only on what matters to you: Your attention always has to be directed somewhere. The question is, what will you focus your attention on? Will you focus your attention on ideas and mindsets that will make your environment better or worse? Don't waste your attention on things that don't matter. Don't waste your attention on negative information that distracts you from overcoming hurdles or reaching goals that you know you have the potential for.

Tart Cherry Juice: Here Are Its Six Health Benefits

• It soothes gout-triggered joint pain: Researchers reporting in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology found sipping a glass of tart cherry juice daily can cut the risk of a gout flare by 35% in two days. And when folks combined tart cherry juice with medications used to treat gout (such as allopurinol), they slashed their risk of a flare up by 75%.

• It lowers high blood pressure: For those with hypertension, tart cheery juice drinks keep blood pressure in check. They found that antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in the juice act like prescription angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, relaxing arteries and lowering blood pressure up to 7 points.

• It safeguards your memory for years to come: Another health benefit of tart cherry juice: The anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants that keep blood pressure low are also key for keeping your brain sharp. That’s because these compounds encourage blood flow to the brain. The proof: Scientists publishing in the journal Food & Function found that enjoying the sip daily can reduce your risk of memory blips by 23% and notable improve reaction time.

• Promotes muscle development: The slow-release protein in cottage cheese doesn’t just help with digestion. It’s also important for building muscle tissue and helping your muscles recover after a workout.

• It speeds weight loss: Preliminary research out of the University of Michigan suggests that a daily dose of tart cherry juice may melt stubborn inches. Credit goes to the way the juice’s anthocyanins quiet signals that cause cells to hold on to fat. In one animal study, those given a cherry-rich diet had 9% less body fat than those given a typical Western diet.

• It helps you sleep longer and more deeply: Enjoying tart cherry juice for a nightcap can help you sleep up to 85 minutes longer each night, a better result than Ambien, according to researchers from Louisiana State University. Tart cherries are a natural source of melatonin, a hormone regulating the sleep/wake cycle. Enjoy a glass at breakfast and one at dinner to help realign your circadian rhythms for your best sleep ever.

6 amazing barbell leg workouts to build strength

• Back squats: Back squats are a great leg day workout for loading the glutes, developing strength, and building larger muscles.

• Walking lunges: Walking lunges are an all-encompassing leg day workout. This workout provides ankle support and enhances your balance.

• Conventional deadlift: The deadlifts are effective for maintaining function for daily activities. They’re also great for working the glutes and hips, as well as supporting your flexibility.

• Step ups: Step-ups are a great leg workout for strengthening your quads and glutes while also working on the hamstrings and calves.

• Good mornings: If you want to give variety to your leg workouts with barbells, consider doing Good Mornings to work your hamstrings and glutes. This exercise is not only great for lower body strength, but it’s effective for core strengthening as well.

• Reverse lunges: The Reverse Lunges are another effective barbell leg exercise. You can do this exercise at home to maximize your glute strength and tighten up your lower body strength.