Tag Archives: Cravings

Pumpkin Spiced Latte (PSL) – The Healthy Version

Healthy Eating, Recipes, Shakeology, , , , , , , , ,

If you’re like me, the fall season means the return of the popular Starbucks Pumpkin Spice

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte

Latte. Or if you’re a frequent Pumpkin Spice Latte drinker, then you probably refer to it as PSL. By far, I would say it is my favorite drink of all time from Starbucks and so the return of the PSL every fall has me suckered in. I used to stop in every day to treat myself to the irresistible drink, even though I knew it was just adding inches to my thighs, but now there’s no need to!

Pumpkins are definitely great for you and some of their health benefits include:

  • beta-carotene for eye health
  • 1 cup of canned pumpkin has 7g of fiber and 3g of protein
  • it’s packed with vitamins and provides over 50% of your daily dose of vitamin K

For the sake of your waist-line, your health and your sugar-levels, and to get a natural boost of energy, I highly recommend you indulge in this healthy version of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte. Your body will thank you everyday  and you won’t have to feel guilty any more!

Yield: serves 1
Prep time: 5 minutes

 Ingredients
  • 1 scoop Vanilla Shakeology
  • 1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
  • 1 shot espresso
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • dash of cinnamon and nutmeg (or pumpkin pie spice)
  • 1 cup ice

Instructions

Blend all ingredients together in a blender and enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Cal: 196
Fat: 4g
Carbs: 25g
Protein: 18g
Fiber: 8g
Sodium: 299mg

Weight Watchers Points+: 5

Can I Exercise If I Am On My Period?

Motivation, , , ,

Your Period is Not an Excuse to Skip a WorkoutOften times I hear women telling me that they haven’t worked out lately because of their menstruation. I actually started seeing this back in junior high and high school when other girls would come in to gym class requesting to sit on the side benches during the entire class because of their period. Some even came in with their parent’s note with that excuse. Really?! That wasn’t fair at all and I always thought that having a period was just pure nature and something that we as females just had to get adjusted to. Plus, I think what those parents just did was set a trend to where their daughters just believed it was an excuse that they can use throughout life. I know, there are probably traditional/cultural reasons for that. But why let it stand in the way of us doing things? It’s JUST a leak, we don’t become handicapped and WE as women are much stronger than that!

Sure, some women suffer from cramps, but from experience that’s when working out can be very beneficial (this excludes women with severe cramps/extreme medical conditions). Exercising during a menstrual cycle can help to alleviate the pain and pressure that we sometimes feel. It provides plenty of relief because it gets the blood flowing through the body and releases endorphins which are natural painkillers. 🙂 When I workout during my period, I have very little to no pain at all. In months where I’ve have not worked out at all, those are the times that I’ve had the most uncomfortable periods! Naturally, I came to the conclusion that inactivity makes menstrual symptoms worse. In addition to the painful cramps, the cravings for junk food was even worse too!

So, my biggest tip for today is to cut the excuses and get your workout done! It’ll help you feel less cranky, minimize your cravings, keep you more focused on eating healthy, minimize your cramps, and HELLO… you’ll have a MUCH better week!

So what’s your excuse? If you’re on your period, I challenge you to overcome the laziness and just exercise! Comment below if you have or have not been working out during your period. I’m interested to know your experiences on this.