The Leaf | Healthy Weight Loss Blog

Spring has sprung! As the weather warms up and plenty of fresh produce comes into season, you might be looking for some tasty new recipes to use up your farmers market finds. Celebrate the season with these 19 healthy spring salad recipes that are perfect for a light and fresh meal! 1. Spring Quinoa Salad with Basil Vinaigrette > On Nutrisystem, Count As:  1 SmartCarb, 1 PowerFuel and 1 Extra Grain salads are a great way to get more fiber into your diet while trying something different from traditional lettuce-based options. Quinoa also happens to be a complete protein. It’s one of the few plant foods that contains all essential amino acids. In this particular recipe, it’s mixed with feta crumbles, walnuts and parsley, then dressed with a homemade basil vinaigrette. Get the full recipe for our Spring Quinoa Salad with Basil Vinaigrette here! > 2. Simple Spring Green Pasta Salad > On Nutrisystem, Count As:  1 SmartCarb, ½ PowerFuel and ½ Extra This pasta salad uses who

You may not have crossed the line between “creeping clutter” and “hoarding.” However, organization expert Peter Walsh cites an Ohio State University study in his recent book, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight . The study found that hoarders were three times as likely to be overweight as were their family members. Hoarding is clutter to the nth degree. What the two have in common: Stress. Studies have found that clutter can lead to stress and stress to weight gain. The premise of Walsh’s book is, of course, that removing stressful clutter may be just the motivation you need to also drop some pounds. At the very least, you might be better able to lay your hands on your workout gear. You can gauge how serious your clutter problem is by answering the 21 questions on the Institute for Challenging Disorganization’s “Are You Chronically Disorganized?” fact sheet . Meanwhile, here are six spring cleaning strategies that may help you: 1. Make a Deal with Yourself One bag a week. That’s al

Spring has sprung and if you’ve always suspected that weight loss is easier in warmer weather, you might be on to something. In a study of nearly 600 adults, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition , daily calorie consumption was higher by almost 90 calories per day during the fall compared to the spring. These findings echo those from a 1991 University of Georgia study, which found that participants ate about 200 more calories per day in autumn. According to the Institute of Medicine, researchers hypothesize that because bodily functions like digestion generate heat, the body must work extra hard in warm weather to cool down from these activities. In order to reduce the body’s workload, biological responses that suppress appetite are triggered in higher temps, causing us to consume fewer calories. This is a nice little bonus if you’re considering kicking off your weight loss journey this season. Follow these five spring weight loss tips to ensure you maximize your w

It’s no secret that regular exercise helps you make faster progress to your weight loss goal. It’s also no secret that it can be hard to work up the motivation to break a sweat and get moving. But that doesn’t mean working out has to be a boring chore! In fact, with these 12 fun ways to exercise, you may even discover you enjoy it. 1. Partner up. Exercising with a spouse, friend or neighbor helps the time pass as you chat while you’re moving. One study also found that when people participate in a synchronized activity (such as rowing) instead of exercising alone, their bodies release more endorphins (also known as “feel good” hormones) than when they are going solo. According to the researchers, who published their findings in Biology Letters , “This heightened effect from synchronized activity may explain the sense of euphoria experienced during other social activities (such as laughter, music-making and dancing) that are involved in social bonding in humans and possibly other ver