Salsa and Soul Blog

Practice taking full breaths by beginning your inhalation low in your belly, then fill your lungs, and lastly your chest. Exhale slowly from chest, to ribs, to belly. Your belly should contract as you slowly push the air out. Proper breathing can help decrease stress, focus, and settle your mind.

3500 calories equals one pound. 2 cups of mac and cheese equals 500 calories.

To strengthen front of shoulders, stand tall with chest lifted. Hold 2lb to 5lb weights (or large soup cans) in your hands, with arms by your side. Inhale as your raise arms slowly in front of you to shoulder height. Slowly exhale, while lowering your arms back to your side. Keep chest lifted and shoulders back and down throughout. Stay tall. Avoid leaning back. Do up to 12 reps. Work up to 3 sets.

Lift the corners of your mouth.

For different results do something different.

Make the treadmill more challenging by increasing the incline. Set the incline to .5 or 1.0 minimally to better simulate walking outdoors. The elevation will enable you to work harder, thus burn more calories.

Use strategy instead of depending on willpower to help you achieve and obtain a healthy weight. One such strategy is avoiding situations where you are tempted. Stock your pantry with fruits and vegetables instead of junk foods. Another is to allow yourself to have a small portion of non-nutritional items one or two times a week.

Stretching can help to develop and/or maintain a healthy back. Support your low back, draw your belly inward as you inhale. Lean backward into a modified backbend, as you lengthen your spine. Exhale as you come come back to stand tall. Do that several times each day.

Stretching can help to develop and/or maintain a healthy back. Support your low back, draw your belly inward as you inhale. Lean backward into a modified backbend, as you lengthen your spine. Exhale as you come come back to stand tall. Do that several times each day.

To keep knees healthy, you must strengthen muscles that support the knees. The front of the thigh (quadriceps) and back of the thigh (hamstrings) must be strong. The inner (adductors) and outer thigh (abductors) muscles must also be strong for knee stability.