Doctor Designed Fun & Effective Fitness

Hey Power Girl what I am going to share with you today may surprise you, but its all true and will help you be the best you can be!

Did you know that if you are not getting 7-9 hours of sleep, you are setting yourself up for failure?

That’s right Power Girl, I said failure, and that’s not what I want for you.  It certainly isn’t what you want for you either.  A Power Girl wants to be the best she can be everyday, and make great choices for a healthy body and a healthy life.

So why would a lack of sleep prevent you from achieving success?  I’m sure you know the obvious reason.  If you’re tired you won’t have the energy to think clearly or to do all that you need to do during the day.

BUT… There’s more!

Believe it or not, depriving yourself of enough sleep can cause you GAIN weight!!!

Crazy hey?  But it’s true.

Now I know that you are working out because you are watching my videos – and not just watching them but doing them, right?

I also know that you are eating well because of how much you have liked my nutrition videos and blogs.

Well the crazy news is that getting enough sleep is AS important as eating well and exercising.  That’s right, and because I want you to look and feel your best, I thought it was so important to share with you that you need to get enough sleep.

Let me tell you why, just in case you’re not believing me…

A tired brain makes bad choices.  Really!!!  Your frontal lobe, which is responsible for decision making will be working in slow motion and you won’t be able to make the best possible choices.

You know what good food choices are, but a tired brain won’t have the strength to help you make those good choices.  It takes a lot of willpower to say no to those greasy but yummy french fries and a tired brain will likely tell you it’s ok to eat them.

A tired brain just wants to make you feel happy because it’s groggy, and those french fries just look so good.  Your tired brain wants them in you, but your well-rested Power Girl brain knows better.

Let’s talk about exercise for a second.  Do you think your tired brain will choose to do a Power Girl workout?  Absolutely not!  Another bad choice because of the brain fog of bad sleep.

Research has even proven that sleep-deprived people will be more likely to choose high-carb late-night snacks.  A clear choice for the hungry Power Girl before bed, would be cut up veggies and salsa.  But oh, that’s right, you didn’t get enough sleep, so you are too tired to cut up your veggies.

So this is just a recipe for disaster!  Not only does a groggy brain result in poor self control because you aren’t able to make the best decisions, but research tells us that sleep deprived people actually eat more of the wrong stuff!  This adds up to weight gain! Not ok for you Power Girl!  I want better for you!

If your not convinced, there’s another important piece of information to share with you…

Your body makes hormones to help control hunger. Two are called Leptin and Ghrelin.  Well these get out of whack when you are sleep deprived and stop your body’s natural hunger control cues.

The hormone Ghrelin will actually tell your body you should eat.  Your body produces more of this when you are sleep deprived.  That’s just awful!

So we just learned that we make bad choices when we are tired.  We eat the wrong things late at night when we are tired. Now to make it even worse, we have more of this hormone being produced that tells us to eat more.  Pretty bad recipe here.

The recipe for disaster just gets works though.

The other hunger hormone Leptin, tells us when we shouldn’t eat.  It tells us we don’t need to eat.  Well guess what happens when we don’t get enough sleep?

You guessed it! Our body will produce less of this hormone!

Are you processing this Power Girl?  Your body makes less of the hormone that tell you to eat less or stop eating.

Quick review:

When you don’t sleep enough you make more of the hormone that tells you to eat AND less of the hormone that tells you to stop eating!

Enough said!!!!

I need to go to bed because I need to get my ZZzzzs in.

8 hours of sleep for this Power Girl means better choices for a better life!

Your friend and coach,

Jessy Lipke

Hey Power Girl,

I just came back from a ballet competition in Indianapolis for the Youth American Grand Prix.

It was an amazing experience however, it would not have been as fantastic if I did not make the time to warm-up and stretch first!

Competitions can be extremely stressful and in some cases dancers get injured and pull muscles from a lack of warming-up. The same thing happens in any sport where muscles are being used for sudden high-impact movements like running and jumping.

Elite level athletes have to be even more careful to take good care of their muscles otherwise they may miss an opportunity to compete or perform.  Once someone has a pulled muscle then activity becomes extremely hard and may cause the athlete to sit out and have to rest the injury in order to prevent it from becoming worse.

The same goes for you when you are exercising. You need to know that it is super important to make sure that you first do a great warm-up so that your muscles are nice and warm and ready to exercise. Cold tight muscles are easily damaged.

Once you are done exercising and while your muscles are still nice and warm it is also important to make the time to stretch out the muscles so that you do not tighten up.

You may wonder how long you should be holding a stretch.  Well research shows that we should be holding a stretch for a full minute since we are under 20 years old.  For those who are over 20 they should hold each stretch for a full 2 minutes and people over 40 years old (your parents… lol) should hold a stretch for 3 minutes to allow the muscle to relax and stretch out fully.

One more thing….never bounce on a muscle that is being stretched!  This can tear the muscle and cause injury.  Just hold a nice steady stretch.  Don’t worry if it doesn’t feel good at first.  As long as you warm up first and go slowly then a little discomfort is OK.  This will pass as you stretch regularly and gain flexibility.

So Power Girl now that you understand how important it is to warm-up and stretch here are some easy exercises that you can do to get the most out of your workouts.

Warm-ups

• jumping jacks
• wacky jacks
• squats
• burpies
• high knees
• wall sits

Stretches

• lunges
• splits
• quad hold
• calf press
• arm across the body
• arm over head
• basic hamstring stretch

If you want more details check out my Power Girl POWER STRETCH video below and follow along with me to see how to safely warm up and stretch.

CLICK HERE FOR POWER STRETCH VIDEO

So ultimately it is your body Power Girl and I would hate to see you get hurt while you were trying to do something great to get in better shape. I am sure that you would not enjoy the pain of dealing with the injury, or having to miss either your awesome Power Girl workouts or your favourite sport or activity.

So always remember Power Girl to give yourself some extra time to warm-up and stretch to avoid any injuries.

Your friend and coach,

Jessy Lipke

Hey Power Girl,

Have you been hearing as much as I have about this “new” superfood called kale?  Maybe you’ve been wondering if this is this really a “super food”.

Maybe you’re wondering about what the health benefits of kale are?  Have you ever tried kale?

What’s the BIG deal with kale?

Well, kale is a green leafy vegetable that is just PACKED with nutrition!  This may come as a surprise but not even spinach comes close to the level of nutrients that kale provides.

Not only is kale full of nutrients but it is important for you if you want healthy skin and hair, strong bones, and it also provides you with protein, iron, vitamins and minerals to keep your body strong.

The five main health benefits of kale include:

1. improves your blood glucose (prevents diabetes)—> important to prevent or reverse obesity
2. lowers your blood pressure–> probably not an issue for you now
3. lowers your risk of cancer –> that can’t hurt
4. improves your bone health –> strong bones for our awesome workouts!
5. lowers your risk of developing asthma –> breathe easy

Kale has all of the essential vitamins A, C and K as well as minerals like copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus.  A cup of fresh kale has only about 40 calories but still has 3 grams of muscle building protein.

So Power Girl you are probably wondering how you should eat this fantastic green veggie that many claim is one of the “worlds healthiest foods”.  I absolutely love having kale as an added green in my salads.  It is so easy to use and makes a meal TEN TIMES healthier!

If you get off track with your eating, just remember Power Girl that you can always get right back on!  So why not use kale to help make your meals much healthier and provide better fuel for your Power Girl workouts.

Here is how to incorporate kale into your diet.

I often make a kale salad. So start with using one cup of kale.

Did you know that one cup of cooked kale has over 1000% more vitamin C than a cup of cooked spinach and unlike spinach, kale’s oxalate content is very low (oxalates in foods stop minerals like calcium from being used) which means that the calcium and iron in kale is highly absorbed by your body’s digestive system.

Remember that in each meal you need to ask yourself where your protein, carb, and fat nutrients are coming from within that meal.

After you add one cup of kale put around 5-10 almonds in as your healthy fat (they are easier to eat if they are chopped up in a dry blender).

Then continue making your salad by adding 1/4 of a cup of pomegranate seeds, this is your carbohydrate or fuel source.  As for your protein you can either cut up cooked chicken into the salad or have it on the side. Use a light olive oil dressing with some balsamic vinegar (my favourite).

This is a quick meal and is a fantastic way to build a leaner and healthier you!

You only get one body Power Girl!  So make sure that you take care of it and fuel your body with more food like kale.  Remember to exercise with me using one of my Power Girl workouts, then I promise you that you will come one step closer to your gorgeous, lean, and muscular body.

Your friend and coach,

Jessy Lipke

Hey Power Girl!

Often times when you are on the go it can be extremely hard to make healthy choices.  Trust me I know and I get tempted too, just like you!

The best way to avoid temptation and bad choices is to plan ahead.  So I am going to give you my favourite healthy snack which is not time consuming to make.  It’s fast and easy and I still can not believe how amazing it tastes, and to make it that much better you can make this healthy snack as a dessert replacement.

So… I bet you are dying to hear what healthy snack I am talking about and how to make it.

Well, it is a parfait!!

This parfait recipe has very little sugar, is high in protein to build those Power Girl muscles, and is low in both carb and calories to keep your body lean and lovely!

Jessy’s Top 3 Parfait recipes:

Banana Nut Parfait:

• 1 cup of plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 banana
• 5 walnuts
• 1 tsp of honey

This amazing recipe is fantastic because you are getting your protein from the plain greek yogurt, your sweetness from the honey and banana, and your healthy fat from the walnuts.  This Banana Nut Parfait is a fantastic healthy option for a snack and will only take a few minutes to make.

Kiwi Agave Parfait:

• 1 cup of plain greek yogurt
• 1 sliced kiwi
• 1 tsp of agave nectar

If you enjoy Kiwi than you will love this parfait because, not only does it taste fantastic but it is high in protein from the plain greek yogurt, and you can sweeten it up with agave nectar, but only 1 tea spoon! Again this is a quick make.

Key Lime Pie Parfait:

• 1 cup of plain greek yogurt
• 1 tsp of honey
• Zest of one Key Lime
• 1 squeeze of Key Lime juice
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

This parfait literally tastes like a Key Lime Pie, which is why I think that this would make the perfect Power Girl dessert!  It is also a much better option than an actual Key Lime Pie.

You are probably wondering why I use plain yogurt instead of vanilla yogurt.  Well as far as sugar goes the vanilla yogurt is packed with sugar (sometimes as much as if you were eating ice cream!) whereas the amount of sugar in plain greek yogurt is little to none.  If the yogurt is not sweet enough then adding a teaspoon of agave nectar can be  a much better option.

Someone who truly cares about their body will go out of their way to find the absolute best foods and ways to fuel it.  If you put cheap fuel in a car it will not run the same as a car with higher quality fuel.  I want you to ask you Power Girl, do you want your body to be the car that is struggling to make it around the next corner or the race car that roars past all the others?

Parfaits are even better than dessert because they fuel your body like a race car… for Power, Passion and Performance!

Your friend and coach,

Jessy Lipke

Hey Power Girl,

I hope that you had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!

If you’re like me I know you probably had some more treats and didn’t get to fit in as many workouts.

Don’t feel bad because, if you ‘fall off the wagon’ you can always get back on it.

So, I want to ask you, do you think it is more important to take care of your body between Christmas and New Years, or between the New Years and Christmas?

Right, New Years to Christmas!

Well why do you think that is the answer Power Girl?

That’s right again, it’s because we want to take care of our body throughout the year, not just in those two weeks.

Do you get what I mean Power Girl?  It’s about creating regular habits that are healthy, and good habits are just as hard to break once established as bad ones.

Just like I said earlier, if you fall off the wagon you can always get back on it.

So if you made bad choices throughout the holidays you can always clean up your act during the rest of the year.

If you want to reach your goals in life, you must always be productive.  What I find helps me is organizing my life into a schedule so that I am always being productive and not wasting time.

By making schedules for yourself you are organizing your life and making your body a priority, because you can then find room for a workout every day. This also gives you no excuse to not be in great shape.

I guarantee if you stay focused on your healthy eating and workout schedules you will be in tip top shape.

Speaking about New Years Power Girl what is YOUR New Years resolution?

It is always important to set new goals for yourself and what better time of the year than New Years!  Since I began helping you to make positive life changes I hope that it has made you realize that you can do ANYTHING that you believe and you can prove anyone wrong.  Start planning the NEW YOU now and once you have a vision for what you want then take massive action to get it.  Why get stuck in the past when there are new beginnings.

Every year you are improving so think of it as a game!

If 2013 was the “warm up” and  2014 was  “practice” then  2015 is “game time” !

So get pumped and excited because 2015 is going to be your most successful year ever!

Never give yourself excuses because “EXCUSES ARE LIES YOU TELL YOURSELF”.

Your friend and coach,

Jessy Lipke

Hey Power Girl,

I know that you are always looking for ways to make better choices with how you eat to build a better body and a better life.

One of the most common questions that I get asked about food is how to make healthy carbohydrate choices.  Carbohydrates provide energy and we need to take in healthy carbohydrates every day.  However, eating too much carbohydrate or the wrong type will result in it not getting burned as fuel and you will just end up wearing it as fat, no fun!

There are two major mistakes people make when it comes to choosing the carbohydrates they eat.

Let’s start with the second biggest mistake which is simply eating TOO MUCH.  Too much of anything is bad, but when it comes to carbohydrates (which are really stored food energy) extra energy that you eat but don’t use as fuel gets stored on your body to be used later.  And guess how it get stored…that’s right…body fat.  So if you are carrying extra body fat it is just because you are eating more energy (as carbohydrates) than you are using each day.  Two solutions to this are to increase your activity and burn more energy (that is usually excess carbohydrates stored as fat) with an amazing Power Girl workout, and the other solution is to simply eat fewer carbohydrates each day.  If you want faster results try doing both!

But the biggest mistake with carbohydrates is the TYPE of carbohydrate we eat for food energy which is what I want to discuss today.  Most girls eat sugary foods like ice cream, chocolates, and processed foods with “hidden sugars” in them like granola bars and cereals.  Even breads and pastas usually contain simple carbohydrates which turn too quickly into sugar in your body.

The BEST TYPE OF CARBOHYDRATES to eat are STARCHY CARBOHYDRATES.  The reason why they are so good is that they DIGEST SLOWLY into energy for your body to use, so they make you feel full longer (which means less snacking on the wrong foods) and they release sugar slowly so it is more likely to get used by your body, instead of being stored as fat.

So this SECRET WEAPONS of a healthy diet are… Starchy Carbohydrates

So just for you Power Girl, I am going to be talking today about good sources of starchy carbohydrates.

Their are 4 main types of starchy carbs:

1. Oatmeal
2. Quinoa
3. Legumes
4. Starchy Vegetables

Starchy carbohydrates can be found in a variety of whole grains and fiber-rich cereals. However, when starchy carbs are mostly eaten from refined grains, your diet may be lacking essential vitamins, minerals and fiber. That is why these sources of starchy carbs are so critical to include into your meals.

I am going to explain why it is so important to include each of these 4 starchy carbohydrates in your diet and how it will benefit you.

• Oatmeal

Lowers cholesterol, whole-grain oats also provide the body with an excellent source of starchy carbohydrates.  One cup of cooked oats offers 30 grams of carbohydrate, almost all of which come from starch. This same serving can provide the body with the insoluble fiber needed to lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels while reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes.

• Quinoa

Quinoa is something that we eat in my house quite often, and knowing how spectacular it is for your health I am glad that it is a part of my diet.  With approximately 15 grams of carbohydrate per half-cup serving, quinoa also packs a powerful protein punch and, unlike most other grain-based sources of protein, quinoa contains all of the essential amino acids your body needs to make proteins.   Since Quinoa is so high in protein it can replace other protein sources like meats or poultry.  This is especially good if you want a vegetarian meal.

• Legumes (kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils)

Legumes are not only an excellent source of starchy carbohydrates, but they also contain a significant amount of other immune-enhancing nutrients. One-half cup of legumes such as kidney beans, lentils and garbanzo beans contains approximately 60-80 calories and up to 8 grams of fiber per serving. These potassium and iron-rich legumes also contain about 8 grams of protein per serving while being very low in fat.  This is another excellent choices to add to your meal.

• Starchy Vegetables

Their are many kinds of starchy vegetables the 3 main ones the I want you to have are:

1. Peas
2. Carrots
3. Sweet Potatoes

PEAS- peas are a great source of bone-building vitamin K and manganese. They will boost your levels of folate, a micronutrient that is crucial for heart health, and they are significant source of vitamin C which supports your immune system to help you fight colds and flus naturally.

CARROTS- lower the risk of cancer, lower blood cholesterol, prevent constipation, are helpful for general nervousness, asthma, skin disorders, and improving your vision

SWEET POTATOES- Sweet potatoes contain almost twice as much fiber as other types of potatoes. Contributing close to 7 grams of fiber per serving, they make an excellent starchy addition to any meal. The high fiber content gives them a “slow burning” quality. This basically means their energy is used more slowly and efficiently than a low-fiber carbohydrate.  With all of the fibre that sweet potatoes contain, eating them will also help prevent constipation.

Now that you know the “Secret Weapon” of a healthy diet I hope that you make better choices when you shop and eat.  Don’t forget to share this secret with your friends so that you can all feel great about how you look!

Remember a healthier plate means a healthier body and a happier life!

Your friend and coach,

Jessy Lipke

Hey Power Girl,

The alarm clock is a brilliant invention for staying on schedule… except for when you hit the snooze button!

10 minutes later that annoying sound goes off again and you feel even more tired then you did before.  So do you hit it again and if you do, then why are you still exhausted? This is a never ending cycle of you being later and more tired.

Well Power Girl, our bodies have something called a biological clock.  Our bodies have many chemical mechanisms that not only put us to sleep but wake us up as well. The chemical mechanisms that put you to sleep are: adenosine, and melatonin and the ones that wake us up are: cortisol, and dopamine.

So here’s how your sleep cycle works!

Your body begins preparing for you to wake an hour before you body naturally wakes up.  Your body temperature rises, your sleep gets lighter, and hormones such as: dopamine and cortisol are released to give you energy to start your day.

Heres how your alarm can interrupt your sleep cycle!

The problem with alarms is that they can often interrupt your natural sleep cycle and cut these processes short. This usually occurs if you don’t have a regular sleep rhythm or schedule. The alarm goes off but your body is not quite ready.  This groggy and tired state in known as “sleep inertia” and its strength is related to which sleep stage you are waking up out of.  The deeper the sleep cycle you are in at the time of waking the more potent the sleep inertia. And so… The snoozing begins!

Dangers of snoozing!

The snooze button can do much more damage than help.  As you fall back asleep the body re-enters the sleep cycle and enters into deeper sleep stages.  So instead of your body preparing to wake up, it is going in the opposite direction.  As a result, the second alarm may cause you to feel even more tired and so this vicious cycle continues.

Better option 

You are better off setting your alarm clock later, avoiding sleep interruption. Studies have found that fragmented sleep is much less restorative and leads to daytime fatigue.  So instead of hitting the snooze button every 10 minutes go to sleep a bit earlier to get the extra sleep you need and then decide to never hit the sleep button.  Or maybe you can set your alarm clock a little later so that you are not constantly interrupting your sleep with the snooze button.

Regular Sleep Schedule

You can also try adopting a more regular sleep schedule.  Being tired is not only a produce of sleep depravation or waking up out of a deep sleep, but also lacking a consistent sleep schedule.  Your body loves predictability, so if you go to bed and wake up at the same time (yes even on weekends)  for about a week, your body will adapt to this schedule and your “internal clock” will be set to that time.  You will even start waking up a few minutes before your alarm goes off.  This will result in you not even needing an alarm clock in the first place!  Imagine waking up when you are “done sleeping” instead of “being woken up” by a noisy alarm.  What a concept!   If you do by chance wake up a little tired, try to resist hitting the snooze button and just get up.  As the saying goes you snooze you lose!

Remember better sleep will mean more energy, more energy for your friends, your family and …your Power Girl workouts too!

Sweet dreams Power Girl!

Your Friend and Coach,

Jessy Lipke

Hey Power Girl,

I want to teach you a very important and valuable lesson.

Depending on your age you should be having 1100-1300 calories a day.

Lets say you have even only one can of soda or a sugary drink every day, there are approximately 189-644 calories right there.  That is quite a big portion of your recommended daily calorie intake.  Let’s say you have a second drink, which often times many people do this due to the addicting flavours, that is two times the amount of calories and you could almost be at your target for calories for the day.

One BIG problem, no nutrients.  So you won’t feel full (because our bodies get full on nutrients not calories) and you will keep eating.  So all of those calories will go where? You guessed it right ON your body as stored fat.

I have a question for you power girl, would you eat 10 cubes of sugar?  That is the amount of sugar that is in one can of pop/soda.  Now even if you have a diet pop/soda like Diet Coke you are no better because these drinks are sweetened with a dangerous chemical called Aspartame.

Research has shown that Aspartame leads to things like cancer, diabetes, and actually INCREASED obesity.  I know it seems too crazy to believe.  I didn’t believe it myself so I Googled “Aspartame dangers” and read it for myself, you should too.

Here is a list of examples of drinks that have “hidden” sugars in them that you should avoid and cut out of your diet if you want to look and feel great:

1. bottled juice (300-400  calories)
2. white chocolate mocha with whipped cream (410 calories)
3. Burger King milkshake (950 calories)
4. Jamba Juice shake (844 calories)
5. Pina colada (644 calories)
6. 7-Eleven double gulp soda (600 calories)
7. Orange Julius’ strawberry banana shake (600 calories)
8. Soft drinks (150-180 calories)
9. Gatorade and Powerade (50-100 calories)
10. McDonald’s fruit smoothies (250-380 calories)
11. McDonald’s triple thick milkshake(small) (560 calories)

An easy solution for saving you calories is by simply sticking to water.  After all there are zero calories found in water, and water does not have any sugar or Aspartame.

Clean water is essential to our health. Your body is made up of 70% water.  It affects all our cells, our enzymatic processes and our ability to detox. Treatments such as the Gerson Therapy stress the use of pure water for cancer patients. Research shows that clean water is an essential ingredient in cancer prevention.

If a plant in your garden was drooping and limp what would you do?  Of course you may add nutrients to the soil but you would certainly add water.  However, if the water is contaminated you know the plant will be affected. The question is Power Girl why do you not use this thinking with your own health?

Here are some benefits of water:

1. Oxygenates your blood and flushes toxins out keeping you healthy

2. Water helps in the productions of lymph to help circulate your white blood cells to fight disease

3. Keeps your eyes and mouth clean

4. Helps you digest food

5. Prevents unnecessary snacking because your stomach feels empty which helps you lose excees weight stored as fat

But how much water should you drink each day?  The answer is actually a simple formula.  Calculate your weight in pounds, then divide by 2. That is the number of ounces of water you should be drinking every day for proper health.  (1 oz = 30 mL) So if you weigh 80 pounds you should be drinking 40 ounces or 1200 mL/1.2 L per day.  If you weigh 120 pounds you should be drinking 60 ounces or 1800 mL/1.8 L every day.

I know it sounds like a lot but you don’t have to drink it all at once.  Just keep a bottle near you and keep sipping then refilling it all day long.

So do yourself a favour Power Girl and don’t drink your calories.  Instead take care of your body and prevent cancer by drinking lots of water and limiting your sugar.

After all better choices (like drinking water) equal a better body and a better life!

Drink up!

Your friend and coach,

Jessy Lipke

Hey Power Girl,

Have you ever been stressed?  What was it like? Did it make you feel sick?

Well, I know that sometimes being stressed can get the best of you.  So it is very important for you to understand the dangers of stress and how to prevent it or reduce it.

Many people are unaware of the dangers of stress and how it can be a silent killer.  You are probably wondering why I am telling you this, and it’s because I want you to live a long and healthy life, and in order for you to do that I need to educate you.

How can stress kill you?

Cortisol is one of the main stress hormones, which helps move energy to where you need it and away from non-essential functions of your body.  However, with chronic stress exposure problems arise such as: your immune system shuts down, inflammation is inhibited, your white blood cells (which fight infection) are reduced, and as a result your susceptibility to disease increases.  There is even research that suggests that prolonged stress may be involved in the development of cancer!   You should also know that people who are under significant stress have more clogged arteries, which prevents blood from getting to the heart during stress and can eventually even lead to heart attacks!  WOW ! No wonder they call stress the “Silent Killer”.

How can stress be reduced?

Well Power Girl, there is GOOD NEWS because your body also makes another hormone called Oxytocin which REDUCES the stress response.  Oxytocin helps your blood vessels relax and even regenerates your heart from stress-related damage. You are probably wondering how you can get more oxytocin into your body during times of stress.  Well, oxytocin is sometimes thought of as a “cuddle hormone” because this hormone is released during positive interactions and while caring for others.

So basically you can hug-away and laugh-away your stress.  Just think about giving to, loving and serving others and as you take care of those around you, your stress levels will drop dramatically.

Research also shows that physical activity helps to reduce stress. In particular, stretching stimulates your nervous system and fights damaging stress hormones like Cortisol. When your muscles are tight then your blood pressure will increase because of the high muscle tension and inactivity.  Barely moving, like sitting at school or work all day has also been shown to increase stress hormones in the brain. People now say that “sitting is the new smoking” because of how it poorly affects your health.  So it is important to change your workout routines to try other forms of conditioning to increase your heart rate, stretch your muscles and decrease the stress response.

Breathing is also a very important way to prevent stress.  To breathe properly, first sit up tall in a comfortable chair and place one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest. Second, inhale deeply through your nose and then exhale slowly through your mouth taking twice as long to do so.  As you breathe out try to push your tummy out by concentrating your abdominals muscles and feeling your stomach move out with your hand. Try this for 5 minutes with your eyes closed.  This breathing exercise will slow your heart rate, stopping stress before it negatively affect your health.

So Power Girl, remember when stress feels like it’s getting the better of you, spend some time hanging our with your friends or family, try some deep breathing and do a Power Girl workout to relieve tension and reboot your life!

It works for me!

Your friend and coach,

Jessy Lipke

Hey Power Girl,

Do you love a sweet treat?  Me too!

There are many delicious and tempting desserts however, most of these desserts are not the best for you.  There is now a new and popular dessert, and that is frozen yogurt.  Frozen yogurt is not only delicious but it is healthy too.

Benefits of Frozen Yogurt:

• High in Protein
• High in Calcium
• Low in Fat
• Low in Carbohydrates
• Low in Calories
• Low in Sugar

There are so many benefits of having frozen yogurt over other desserts. Frozen Yogurt has become very popular and there are so many places where you can get Frozen Yogurt.

Frozen Yogurt Stores:

• Yo Yo’s
• Menchie’s
• Pinkberry
• Yogurtini
• Yogurtland
• Yogurt Mountain
• TCBY
• Yogo Factory
• U-Swirl
• Yogen Fruz
• Forever Yogurt

There are so many options.  My personal favourite is Yo Yo’s because their yogurt is high in protein, low in sugar, low in carbohydrates, and they also can add extra protein to your yogurt.  Now that’s a Power Girl dessert!

There is only one problem that can occur with frozen yogurt. TOPPINGS.   Frozen yogurt itself is healthy, but as soon as you start adding sugary sauces, candy, and chocolate, you might as well be eating a chocolate cake.

If you want to make your frozen yogurt sweeter then you could naturally sweeten it with some fresh fruit.  The fresh fruit will balance your yogurt by adding a little carbohydrate.  Don’t forget that carbohydrates are important to have because these contain stored energy, however you should not have a lot of them otherwise the extra energy that you don’t end up using will be stored as fat.  But a few carbohydrates at every meal is healthy. That goes for healthy fats too, just because it is fat does not mean a little will make you heavier.  Another healthy choice for a topping are nuts.  Nuts are a healthy fat and healthy fats are essential for your diet. It is actually healthier for you to get your energy from a small helping of healthy fats (like nuts and seeds) than from too much carbohydrates like fruits and breads.

Many people wonder why they should choose frozen yogurt over ice cream. Well, frozen yogurt has much less sugar, fewer carbs, less calories, higher in protein, low in fat, more iron and zinc, more potassium, less sodium, and contains vitamins A, B-6, B-12, and E.  Also, an interesting fact about ice cream that may make you not want it next time is that some ice creams contain Beaver Anal Gland secretions as “natural flavouring”, the ingredient is called Castoreum.  Read more about it here…http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/10/03/your-vanilla-ice-cream-may-actually-smell-like-beaver-butt/

Well, Power Girl I hope that I’ve educated you enough about frozen yogurt, and hopefully next time you have dessert you will make a Power Girl choice.

Remember, Better Choices Mean a Better Body and a Better Life !

Oh and be sure to stay updated for my new video on healthy and easy frozen yogurt recipes.

Your Friend and Coach,

Jessy Lipke