Are you a shaker? You know, you grab the salt shaker and add a few shakes here and there to every dish for flavor? Do you pay attention to the sodium content on the labels of packaged foods? If not, you may be in for a very unsavory surprise. The recommended daily amount of sodium is 2300 milligrams per day or less; equaling roughly one teaspoon of salt per day or less. The average American consumes 3100 – 4700 mg per day! And 75% of this sodium intake is contained in processed foods. You may be surprised to find that in just a 12 ounce can of Coco-Cola, there is 50mg of sodium! An excess of salt in our diets contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, and increases the risk of having a stroke. Keep in mind that sodium is naturally present in most foods. So next time you want to add a shake or two, bypass this habit and start to enjoy the natural flavor of your food. For some additional tips on reducing your sodium intake, click here. The more you learn, the healthier you’ll be.

Have you ever noticed the people at the gym who are slaves to the treadmill? They show up day in and day out and spend hours on those machines, and yet their bodies never change. Cardiovascular exercise is extremely healthy and highly recommended for overall health and well being. However, it should always be balanced with an equal amount of weight training. Resistance training is superior to cardiovascular exercise for long term fat loss and strength. The reason for this is it creates lean muscle mass in your body, thereby increasing your metabolic rate, burning more calories at rest than less muscular bodies. This of course, is key to maintaining (or losing) weight.

Myths abound surrounding the idea of weight training, especially for women. Contrary to popular belief, lifting heavy weights will not cause gigantic size muscles that make women look like men. If you are lifting two pound weights and expecting to see any results, you will continue to be disappointed. Developing muscles takes time, and you must lift to the point of failure. This means that you lift an increment of weight that is heavy enough to complete the set ahead of you (in good form!), but are unable to lift that weight one more time without rest. Remember, good form is key! You want to avoid the worst case scenario of injuring yourself, or at the least avoid compromising your results. So create a routine that focuses on each body part twice a week, learn proper form for the exercises, and challenge yourself!

Meditation is the practice of deliberately holding your attention on one thing. Over time, this practice has been shown in study after study to increase concentration, decrease anxiety, and enhance feelings of happiness and well-being, among many other benefits. There are many, many techniques and traditions on how to meditate. Feel free to explore the various techniques for yourself to find out which one works best for you. The trick to discovering the benefits of meditating is to create it as a consistent practice in your life. Much like physical exercise or eating healthy, meditation is a practice that when paired with discipline will enrich your life in ways you may have yet to discover.