Image: John Kasawa / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Juicing isn’t a new concept, in fact the first juice extractor was invented in 1930. It’s the topic of many health and food discussions, however – do you eat the raw food or juice, what do you juice, what is the best time to drink fresh juice, etc.

So to get those of you new to juicing started or to reboot those of you in a rut, here are some ideas on the best fruit and vegetable combinations to contribute to your health.

Words to Sweat by is excited to introduce the new Stick It To Your Workout™ note cards and to celebrate, we’re giving four (4) lucky winners a matching set of their favorite mantra towel with a four (4) Stick It To Your Workout™ note cards.

All you need to do to enter is leave a blog comment telling us which of the note card mantras is your favorite – and if one is missing that you’d like to see, let us know that too!

The giveaway is open worldwide and void where prohibited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It’s February, the month where we hear about how many people’s New Year’s resolutions have lost steam and have been put on the back burner or extinguished completely.

But why not instead look at the people who continue to persevere? Who look at the obstacles and create solutions?

And what separates the people who power through the difficulties from those who hang up their workout shoes?

A recent post by Valerie Latona talked about how mental toughness is the secret to success and she details five key concepts in being mentally tough:

1. You’ve got to believe in yourself.
2. See yourself reaching the finish line.
3. Put in the right amount of prep time.
4. Break out of your comfort zone more often.
5. Don’t fear failure.

Each of these applies to anyone’s health and fitness goals regardless of whether it’s the most elite athlete training for a race or someone who just bought a pair of runners in the hopes of getting back into shape. And while each of the concepts is important, the fear of failure is what stops most people in their tracks and keeps them getting close to the other four.

So, trip over you feet, fall flat on your face, get back up, and try again.

You are tough enough.

Background: Lindsay Harper/ Graphic: Whimsical Walney

Last week, I was pulling into (of all places) the gym parking lot and I was prepared for it to take a little while to find a parking space because the lot continues to be full into February.

So I start scanning the parking lot for an available space and I pull down the first aisle and see there is a free spot at the end of the line far away from the gym entrance.

I quickly take a look down the aisle to see if it appears that there is anything closer but seem to find nothing and since I don’t mind the walk, I take the available parking space.

As I get closer to the entrance of the gym, I look to the left and right of me and it turns out there are lots of available spaces at the front of the line. I was stunned to realize that my mind played tricks on me. It created a mirage about parked cars of all things. I would have opted for something much more exciting if given the chance, but it did get me thinking.

Mind Over Reality?

I’m so used to seeing the lot full these days that even though the reality was that open spaces existed, my mind filled in what it was assumed was true – that all of the spaces were taken.

And if my mind does that with something as simple as a parking space, where else might my mind fill in the blanks for concepts or things that are repetitive or have become engrained? We always hear “mind over matter” but have you taken it to heart in a way that might be hurting instead of helping you?

The Image You See

There are many patterns that people fall into that aren’t beneficial to their physical or mental health. Some examples? Obsessing over the numbers we’ve set as goals and being overly critical what we see as our flaws both of which lead to negative self talk and very low self-esteem.

How many ‘parked cars’ do you see that aren’t actually there when you look in the mirror? Is the image you ‘see’ really a true reflection of what you look like? Or, has your mind filled in those spaces to reflect the default that it already believes (your thighs are still too big, your eyes are still set strangely on your face)?

Not only should you be training your body’s muscles , but you also need to train your mind’s muscles and redirect thoughts and feelings that are detrimental to meeting the goals you’ve set for yourself.

Ditch the mirage and flex your mental muscle to turn criticism of the “bad” into appreciation of the good so that your mind starts to recognize that what you look like (quirks and all) and who you are is valuable .

Image: winnond / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

While it may not have made national news, starting last month in San Jose, plastic bags were banned completely and shoppers are now responsible for bringing their own reusable bags or they’re charged for the paper bags used to pack their goods.

Even though you’ve refashioned some of your old favorite shirts and made a quilt out of some others, there are probably still a couple shirts left that need to find an alternative use.

What better time than now, then, to make some of your own reusable totes?

Here are two tutorials to get your started:

• Fashion Incubator – Reusable bag contest
• Ecouterre – Recycle An Old T-shirt Into A Produce Grocery Bag

Whether or not you’re new to making smoothies sometimes you get into a rut and you want to add new ingredients but don’t want to buy a whole bevy of them or some of your favorites aren’t in season.

This is a great time to tap into an easy-to-find option: baby food.

You can buy it in jars, but with advent of the pouch adding a pure fruit or a mixed fruit & veggie puree to your drink is super simple (some even have chia!).

Most brands now offer some of their foods in a pouch (even Target has several options) and there are also plenty of organic choices.

One of the organic options that I have found to be priced reasonably as well as having a lot of good combinations is Happy Baby, which is included below in my “Won’t You Be My Baby” smoothie recipe:

1 well-packed cup of chard
1 pouch Happy Baby banana, beet, blueberry
4 medium-sized whole, frozen strawberries
1 tsp chia seeds
1/4 water (optional and add as much or as little as you want)

The color of this smoothie depends on how much greens you add it typically is more beet colored than green.

Enjoy!

We typically hear about yoga as a way to become more in tune with our bodies as well as our minds, but the recent New York Times piece “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body” presents yoga in a different light – one in which brings yoga’s benefits into question.

And after reading this article, the Billy Joel song, “I Go To Extremes” was playing on constant loop in my head because the yoga instructor they quote talks about the extreme postures he was practicing.

Anything, when done to extremes or done without the proper preparation or training, will take a toll on a person’s body over time.

So while I recognize that some yoga postures may lead to injury for some, the benefits are still too great to ignore.

What do you think? Do you think yoga can “wreck your body”?

Image: Sura Nualpradid / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When you’re looking for ideas on how to structure your meals to reach a certain goal (lose weight, gain muscle, or even just maintain where you are) many articles often give you guidelines and lost of options on how to get there, but lack solid insights on how to do what’s recommended with factual numbers and realistic recommendations around them.

This is why I was pleased to see Women’s Health Magazine’s New Years Meal Plan that maps out realistic options for eating plans that have meals and snack for 1500 calories a day.

What meal plans, posts, or tools have you found helpful in visualizing and planning for the caloric intake you aim to have each day? Share your ideas in the comments below.

Image: Damian Brandon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We live in a world of constant motion. Even if we aren’t moving our bodies, our minds are reeling with various lists of things to complete at work, at home, at the gym.

We have multiple devices with alarms, reminders, and ring tones that also vie for our attention.

Last year, when I asked people if they were able to go to the gym without their music, the response was a resounding “no way!”

It is a pace at which our bodies and brains can’t function for long periods of time, yet many people can’t seem to turn things off and tone it down.

So I it was great to read Pico Iyer’s The Joy of Quiet and the benefits of quiet and stillness; of a setting that doesn’t demand your attention, but instead let’s you search out what interests and inspires you.

Use this as a reminder to tune out of the barrage of information and recharge whenever possible – your mind and body will thank you.

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Today is National Girls and Women in Sports Day and I am once again challenged with which story or anecdote to share to make a lasting impression.

Last year, I talked about how sports brings solace to so many girls and women and that still rings true for me and so many others.

This year, I keep thinking back to an interaction I watched at a local playground recently and I purposely didn’t use the word “better” in the post title because instead of focusing on ‘winning’ I wanted to focus on action and ability.

In watching this group of kids, I was reminded that while we still have a ways to go to gain equality with the time and resources dedicated to girls athletics, we’ve also come a long way in the conversations and interactions that children are able to have as it relates to their sports and activities.

Here is the story:

A group of about 5 – 6 eight year olds were playing on this large spinning ring and each is trying to stand on the ring while the one of them pushed it around and made it pick up speed.

A girl and a boy were standing next to each other as it spun and he proclaims, “I do gymnastics” – trying to explain, I’m guessing, why he was still standing as the others jumped off.

“So do I,” the girl replied her stance solid, not losing her focus or her balance.

And within a couple of minutes, the boy couldn’t keep his balance anymore so he jumped off, and the girl stood proud and finished another rotation. It wasn’t an “I beat you” grin – it was, instead, an “I did it. I’m as strong as I want to be.”

Once the spinning stopped, they all decided to sit and take a break and instead of going to separate sides of the park – girls versus boys – they sat down on the ring and started comparing cuts and bruises and stories about how each came to be.

And I sat there thinking about how awesome it was to see girls and boys playing in a way that wasn’t focused on gender so much as ability. Thinking about how years ago, girls had to just look on and long for the opportunity to do what boys do and how much better we all are for the changes that are occurring every day to ensure that girls have the same athletic opportunities that boys do.

Anything you can do, I can do.

And do it, we will.