Sara Wolfsen, Certified Health & Lifestyle Coach
  • • Meet Sara •
  • • Essential Oils •
  • • Blog •
  • • Contact •

Powerful Plant Protein

2/20/2015

0 Comments

 
How well do you know beans?  Creamy cannellinis, meaty garbanzos, sweet adzuki, tender pintos, and so many more – beans are one of the most powerful, nutrient-dense plant foods around. Consider this: beans are packed with tons of fiber, as well as plenty of iron and protein. They are rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients. They are low in calories. Plus, studies have found them to lower the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Many people avoid beans because they just don’t know what to do with them. Are you one of them? Follow these tasty tips:
    
  • Toss beans and diced veggies (such as celery, shallots, and red peppers) with vinaigrette for a bean salad.

    Blend cooked beans with tomatoes, onions, and your favorite seasonings to create a yummy bean soup.


  • Top a green salad with 1/3 cup of your favorite bean.

  • Puree beans with a bit of olive oil, a garlic clove, salt, and your favorite seasonings. Voila! A fast dip or sandwich spread.

  • Add beans to eggs. Top with avocado and salsa.

  • Add 1/4 cup pureed beans to your favorite pancake, waffle, muffin, or cake recipe. You’ll be surprised at how moist and springy baked goods are when baked with beans.

  • 
 If you’re new to cooking with beans, try these tips:

  • Wash and soak dried beans for 8-12 hours before cooking.

  • After soaking, rinse, fill a pot with fresh water, bring to a boil, then skim off the foam.

  • To aid digestion, add a bay leaf, cumin, anise, or fennel to the water.

  • Cover and simmer for the suggested time.

  • Remember: only add salt at the end of cooking (about 10 minutes before the beans are done) or it will interfere with the cooking process.

  • Quick tips: for speedier prep, boil dried beans for 5 minutes, then soak for 2-4 hours. Or use canned beans instead. (Some people find them even easier to digest!) Be sure to avoid canned beans with added salt or preservatives and rinse thoroughly once removed from the can.

  Would you like personalized assistance in becoming a healthier version of yourself? Visit www.sarawolfsen.com or email me at sarawolfsen@gmail.com to get started.

*** 

Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.
0 Comments

How Full Is Your Glass?

2/20/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture a big glass goblet filled to the halfway mark with water. How do you see it – half-full or half-empty?  Consistently finding the glass half-empty – and the world as a difficult place – is a hallmark of negativity.

Research has found that a negative outlook can contribute to everything from depression to heart disease to lowered immune system function. It can affect sleep, weight maintenance, the quality of your relationships, your social life, and even your ability to hold a job. Now imagine what it would feel like to approach life from a place of positivity, fun, connection, health, and possibility. Sounds good, doesn’t it?  Enjoy these six tips to make the positive switch:

  1. Go complaint-free. Try going an hour without complaining and see the positive things in your life. Next, try a day, a week, and so on. 

  2. Keep a gratitude journal. Each evening, list 10 or more things that you are grateful for.

  3. Give compliments freely. Notice the good in others. Praise every person you interact with.  Aim to be encouraging – rather than discouraging – in every conversation.

  4. Find beauty everywhere in your world.  Notice its gorgeousness.

  5. Share your good news. Studies show that sharing happy events brings even more happiness.

  6. Focus on what you want, not what you don’t want.

Maintaining a positive outlook takes practice, and the more you do it, the easier it gets. The payoff – a happier, healthier life – is absolutely worth the effort. 

Take action today by trying one or more of the steps above and wipe out negativity.  Or try this fun challenge: start the day with a bracelet on your left wrist. Move it to the right hand when you find yourself thinking or speaking a complaint. Can you reach the end of your day without moving it? It’s more difficult than you may think. But your awareness will be heightened!

Want to learn now to make positive choices in your own life? Would you like personalized support with creating your healthiest, happiest life ever? Visit www.sarawolfsen.com or email me at sarawolfsen@gmail.com to get started.

 ***

Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.

0 Comments

Forgiveness Helps You Heal

2/20/2015

0 Comments

 
Have you ever downed an entire package of chips, cracker, or cookies? Ate pizza or cake until you felt sick? Drank more coffee, soda or wine than your body wanted?  Do you remember how you were feeling at the time? I ask because sometimes we overeat to help distract us from emotional pain. Think about it – have you noticed that sometimes when you overeat you aren’t hungry at all? Perhaps you are lonely. Or sad. Or resentful. Or frustrated. Or something else.  So what hurt are YOU holding on to?  Wouldn’t it be more effective to address your uncomfortable feelings? The best, most thorough and divinely perfect way to do that is to tap into the power of forgiveness. 

Forgiving is not easy, even for the most enlightened among us. If you’ve been allowing your present health to be controlled by past hurts, I urge you to commit to forgiving. These steps can help:

  • Talk to sympathetic friends and family about your desire to forgive. Chatting with others is tremendously comforting and healing.

  • Write a letter to the person you would like to forgive. You can decide whether or not to send it.

  • Make an honest effort to see the situation from the other person’s perspective – your own perspective may change.

  • Remember to forgive yourself. Sometimes we can be harshest with ourselves.

  • Understand that you are responsible for your own attitude. Don’t let holding a grudge keep you from feeling free, open, and powerful in your own life.

Take action this week by forgiving and watch how much easier your relationship with eating becomes.

Would you like personalized assistance with learning to forgive yourself and becoming a healthier version of yourself? Visit www.sarawolfsen.com or email me at sarawolfsen@gmail.com to get started.

*** 

Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.

 

0 Comments

Balance. Is It A Myth?

2/20/2015

0 Comments

 
Can I be honest with you? Lately I have been having trouble promoting and maintaining a healthy life balance. Balance is a sticky subject among many people. We have family commitments, careers, children, pets, volunteer work, classes, hobbies, worship time – plus, big desires to improve our health. How can one possibly balance so many things?  Is balance a myth? Can it realistically be achieved?

Perhaps “harmony” is a better goal than balance. Harmony means everything is co-existing in a spirit of cooperation. But whatever you want to call it – harmony, balance, or “fitting it all in” – there is a secret to doing more of what you want and less of what you don’t want. But be forewarned - although the equation sounds simple, it actually takes consistent determination and patience to execute.  It also requires that you get absolutely clear on what you want your life to be, and what you do not want in your life. 

To strive toward harmony, consider these important questions:

  • First, ask yourself what isn’t serving you. What doesn’t need to be in your life? What is keeping you stuck? Keeping you awake at night? Now make a plan to eliminate or fix these challenges.

  • Next, ask yourself what you want in your life – or in this week or day? What do you want to accomplish?  What do you want to do? Who do you want to be with? Focus your energy on these things. Anything that doesn’t fit into the larger scheme…let it go (or learn how to say “no”).

Are you ready to dive in and make a few changes? Take action this week by spending a few quiet moments to reflect on these questions and make a plan. Give these tips a try and see how much more harmonious your life can be.

No balance required.


Would you like personalized assistance with attaining harmony and becoming a healthier version of yourself? Visit www.sarawolfsen.com or email me at sarawolfsen@gmail.com to get started.

*** 


Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.
0 Comments

Five Ways To Love Yourself Now

2/12/2015

0 Comments

 
February is notoriously known as the month of love. Why not put yourself first and cultivate in a positive relationship with YOU?  Here are five exceptional ways to love yourself now: 
  1. Forgive Yourself.  Just like in any other relationship, holding onto resentment will damage your relationship with yourself in the long run (and sometimes in the short-term!).  If there are a few things on your heart, write a letter to yourself forgiving each of them. Be real, authentic, and honest with yourself. This is a great practice in forgiving others, too.

  2. Spoil Yourself.  We have been taught to reward ourselves when we do something substantial (get a promotion, reach a goal, etc.). It is time for things to change. You are allowed to pamper yourself on an ongoing basis.  And you need too. So enjoy that massage or pedicure, read that book you’ve been meaning to get to, indulge in a bubble bath!    But remember to minimize food rewards and be smart about spending within your budget.  You are worthy. At all times.

  3. Respect Yourself. Your body is your temple – a place where everything about you resides and flourishes. Perhaps the deepest form of self love is caring for your greatest tool appropriately.  Take good care of your temple by:

  • Filling your body with an optimal level of nutrients
  • Exercising and stretching your muscles regularly
  • Taking care of your skin
  • Finding a consistent quiet time to rest your mind, body and spirit
  • Eliminate (or minimize) negative people and habits from your life
  • Strive to educate yourself on a continual basis (brain health is self love too!)
  • Don’t allow others to disrespect you or your temple

  1. Express Yourself. Artistic expression is a beautiful illustration of self love. We all have at least one unique talent.  This talent connects us with our inner self and helps us feel our own natural beauty.  But when life gets busy we forget to express ourselves artistically.  Are you a writer? Painter? Photographer? Do you knit, dance, sing or draw?  What is that talent that you were born with?  Having that intimate time with yourself is very special, and sharing your art is an amazing way to share your heart with others.  Commit to seeking artistic expression at least once a week.

  2. Share Yourself. One of my favorite ways to love myself is through loving others.  When your heart is full of the love it will flow to all that surround you.  The Law of Attraction proves that we receive what we put out.  When we have love flowing from us to others, we will attract like-minded people into our lives. Therefore, it is imperative to use these tips to love yourself on a daily basis so that you may love others in the best capacity.  Be kind –  always – and commit random acts of kindness to share your love with a world that desperately needs it.

Visit my website to download five more tips for loving yourself. Would you like personalized assistance in becoming a healthier version of yourself? Visit www.sarawolfsen.com or email me at sarawolfsen@gmail.com to get started.

***
Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.
  Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at
www.sarawolfsen.com.

0 Comments

Why Don't Restrictive Diets Work?

2/5/2015

0 Comments

 
Have you ever tried making a drastic diet change in the name of quick weight loss? How long could you sustain it before you surrendered and grabbed the Oreos?  The problem with severe dieting is that your body gets forced into starvation mode which eventually leads to storing more fat and calories. So instead of your body burning unwanted fat, it panics and stores anything it can for survival. Then! When it can’t get calories from food, it starts taking calories from lean muscle, resulting in muscle loss. Eventually your body literally starves itself which results in stalled weight loss – and sometimes even weight gain.

Our bodies are very smart. Consider this: your body knows how to regulate your temperature and breathe properly to accommodate your activity levels. Your heart pumps without thought or effort and your digestive system efficiently processes and eliminates waste from your body. Furthermore, your brain sends messages to signal hunger, danger, fear and relief.

So it really is no surprise that our body rebels when we try to fool it into an unhealthy, restrictive diet. Sure it may work for awhile, but eventually the body will stage a revolt, and we often gain back what was lost – plus some!  And the emotional toll can be devastating.

Doesn’t it make much more sense to follow the timeless, proven adage of proper food and exercise for best, lasting results?  I know this approach takes time, planning, determination, energy and patience. But, over and over, this smart option results in the best rate of success. Simply cutting out (or minimizing) processed foods, sugar, and excessive caffeine and replacing them with vegetables, whole grains and lean meats will start you on your own path to sustainable wellness.

Not ready to tackle your diet yet – but want to adopt a non-food-related healthy habit? Start with sleep. I am a firm believer that sleep is the foundation to wellness. No kidding. Commit to 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night and every area of your life will seem much more achievable. I promise.  Begin tonight. No excuses. You deserve to be well.

Want to learn more about healthy habits? Visit my website at www.sarawolfsen.com for free eGuides, a variety of downloadable wellness topics, and individualized support options.     

***

Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com. 

0 Comments

    Author

    Sara Wolfsen,
    Certified Health & Lifestyle Coach

    Archives

    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    Cravings
    Mindful Eating
    Time Management
    Tips

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
Picture
© 2019 by Sara Wolfsen. All rights reserved.
Please Note: I do not provide the services of a licensed dietician or nutritionist, information received should not be seen as medical or nursing advice and is not meant to take the place of seeing licensed health professionals.
  • • Meet Sara •
  • • Essential Oils •
  • • Blog •
  • • Contact •