WEEKEND GOAL: DO-IT YOURSELF DETOX

It’s natural to have a few too many food splurges over the long winter. There’s no better way to start the spring season than with a simple “house-cleaning” for your body. This quick cleanse—for a maximum of two or three days—helps your body eliminate toxins that can accumulate from an unhealthy diet. Focusing on fresh veggies, fruits, lean protein, and lots of water, your system will get off to a fresh and healthy start this season. Over the weekend, try the detoxifying diet below and watch the benefits come into full blossom: More energy and better digestion.

The Spring Cleaning Detox:

• When you wake up, drink a cup of hot water with lemon and relax with your thoughts for 10 minutes.
• For breakfast, whip up a smoothie (1 cup of berries, 1 cup of rice milk or almond milk, and 1 scoop of protein powder from your natural-foods store) or ¾ cup of oatmeal with 1 cup of berries, plus a cup of green or black tea with lemon.
• Have a snack consisting of a small organic apple or pear and 10 unsalted raw almonds.
• At lunch, enjoy 3 ounces of organic chicken or turkey or 1 cup of beans; ½ cup of brown rice; and 1 cup of boiled Swiss chard.
• During the afternoon, have a snack of celery and carrot sticks with 2 tablespoons of hummus.
• For dinner, fix 1 cup of steamed beets over ¾ cup of brown rice; 1 cup of boiled kale; and 1 cup of green, black, or herbal tea with lemon.
• Close out the day with a final cup of hot water with lemon.

(Throughout the cleanse, be sure to drink at least eight cups of water each day and do moderate exercise, like walking.)

It may not look like much, but these foods are filling—and their health benefits will last long after the weekend comes to an end.

Question: How does your body feel when you eat fresh, whole foods? When you indulge in less-healthy treats?

Please leave a comment and we may contact you to appear on the show (your email will be kept confidential)! If you DO NOT want to be contacted, please email us at bodyandsoulchallenge@marthastewart.com.

WEEKEND GOAL: PAMPER YOURSELF.

Cap off a busy week with a few days at a spa. No, you don’t have to book a trip: This weekend revival plan is virtually free, easy, and right at your fingertips. Take this time just for you and start feeling the stress slip away. By Monday, you’ll be healthy, relaxed, and ready to face the world again.

Your At-Home Spa Itinerary:

• Do a few morning stretches or yoga poses.
• For breakfast, eat a large bowl of fruit salad with a glass of freshly squeezed juice or a fruit smoothie.
• Try some soothing spa treatments, like a nourishing hair mask, herbal facial steam, and scented oil foot massage.
• Spend late morning doing what you like: reading, painting, or listening to music
• Enjoy a large raw veggie salad for lunch.
• Take a half-hour nap or other quiet time.
• Recharge with a brisk 30-minute walk.
• Improve digestion by thinking about whether or not you’re truly hungry. Resolve to stop eating when you're three-quarters full, then gently massage your stomach.
• For dinner, steam a bowl of veggies, season with fresh herbs, pine nuts, and seeds.
• Sip a cup of herbal tea after dinner.
• Take a relaxing bath spiked with herbs or essential oils. Light some candles and play soft music.
• Keep yourself warm after your bath and hit the sack—relaxed and at peace.

Recipes for spa treatments to help you relax and recharge:
Weekend Revival 

Question: What relaxes you most? When was the last time you took a weekend or even a day, just for yourself?

Please leave a comment and we may contact you to appear on the show (your email will be kept confidential)! If you DO NOT want to be contacted, please email us at bodyandsoulchallenge@marthastewart.com.

WEEKEND GOAL: EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS.

Tired of the same old, same old? Stuck in a mental rut? This weekend, get your wheels turning again and reignite your curiosity by trying something new. In fact, there are so many health benefits from simply finding reasons to get off that chair and move around. Getting on your feet is the first step toward healthier living, so stop sitting! Once you get those juices flowing, no doubt you'll be ready for more. Learning plus exploring new things lets you see the world from a different vantage point, giving you a fresh—and healthier—perspective on life. It will also help you feel more vibrant and alive.

Here are some fun ideas to banish boredom this weekend:

• Take a trip to a local museum you’ve never visited.
• Do something youthful, like ice skating or bike riding.
• Attend a free poetry reading.
• Get a library card and create your own curriculum on a topic that interests you, but you know little about—whether art history, world religion, or architecture
• Sign up for a class to learn a new language, cook, or paint at a local college or adult education center.
• Go for a walk in a neighborhood or part of town you've never explored (even if you have to drive there first).

Learn more great ways to get energized and inspired:
Feel  More Vibrant

Question: What inspires you? How do you dig yourself out of a rut? What bores you to tears?

Please leave a comment and we may contact you to appear on the show (your email will be kept confidential)! If you DO NOT want to be contacted, please email us at bodyandsoulchallenge@marthastewart.com.

WEEKEND GOAL: GET TO KNOW YOUR GROCERY STORE

The Body + Soul Challenge has been so successful that we’re going to continue bringing you more great tips for healthier living! This weekend, take a stroll through your supermarket and learn how to make the best buys for your health. That means, investigating the store carefully, so you know your options—and avoid tossing foods you don’t need or want into your cart.

Your retail road map:

• Tally exactly what you need before you leave the house and stick to your list.
• Have a healthy snack first to prevent impulse buys and crankiness.
• Determine your nutrition priorities, such as buying organic produce and brands.
• Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, where most fresh, whole foods are displayed.
• Experiment with new foods.
• Read labels and ask for help if you need it.

Click on the links below for more supermarket strategies:
Read Your Labels
Buy Better Groceries

Question: What healthy foods usually fill up your shopping cart? What non-healthy foods tend to find their way home with you? Any personal tips for keeping junk food from making it to your check-out lane?

Please leave a comment and we may contact you to appear on the show (your email will be kept confidential)! If you DO NOT want to be contacted, please email us at bodyandsoulchallenge@marthastewart.com.

WEEKEND GOAL: CUT OUT ADDED SUGAR.

The USDA reports that the average American consumes 140 pounds of added sweeteners a year. Undeniably, this startling figure goes hand-in-hand with obese figures in America. In order to avoid becoming another statistic, focus on foods that are naturally sweet, such as fruit, while weeding out those with extra sugar and refined ingredients. This strategy will help your body adjust to a healthier sugar intake.

What are the benefits of shaking off the sweet stuff? Healthier weight, even mood, and a decreased risk of illness. This weekend, start reading the ingredients labels, and see how your body feels after a couple of days without excess sugar. Look for the obvious culprits—cane sugar, honey, and molasses—but also eliminate anything with dextrose, fructose, maltose, and sucrose. Processed foods and juice concentrates will most likely have these sneaky sugars, but be sure to check breads, sauces, soups, and yogurt, too. In their place, stick with whole foods or those that have been minimally processed. Need to appease your sweet tooth? You can make the Diced Fresh Fruit Salad above with any seasonal fruits. Just leave out the optional honey.

More ways to cut back on sugar intake for health's sake:


Break the Sugar Habit (April/May 07)

Frozen Fruit Salad

Martha’s Fruit Salad

Question: Have you taken a break from sugar? Let us know how your body responded. Did you find the sugar content in any of your favorite food products surprising? 

Please leave a comment and we may contact you to appear on the show (your email will be kept confidential)! If you DO NOT want to be contacted, please email us at bodyandsoulchallenge@marthastewart.com.

WEEKEND GOAL: MAKE YOUR BEDROOM MORE SLEEP FRIENDLY.

Even if your bedroom’s sheets, wallpaper, and carpeting all match perfectly and offer a visual Shangri-La, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to sleep better. A snoring partner, city traffic, or a street lamp beaming through the window can interrupt or diminish the quality of sleep we get each night. This weekend, assess your bedroom and what you can do to make it more soothing.

Start with the brightness level.If outside light is bothering you, you can go small and purchase a night-mask, or go large and consider some light-blocking shades. The next step is noise control. Earplugs reduce noise, or look into a white noise machine or even a sound machine, which can offer soothing nature sounds. Don’t forget the air. If your skin feels parched, consider a humidifier and make a stop at the nursery to pick out some plants. They’ll produce more oxygen for the room.

Other ways to improve your bedroom’s sleep appeal:

• Replace your flat, lumpy pillow with one that supports your sleeping habits. (See Pillows 101 below.)
• Upgrade your mattress
• Find comfortable bed sheets that feel nice on your skin
• Play with the thermostat and determine which temperature allows you to sleep the soundest

Creating a sleep oasis

Dream Rooms: Bed and Bath Makeover

Pillows 101

Question: What are the bedroom must-haves that help you sleep?

Please leave a comment and we may contact you to appear on the show (your email will be kept confidential)! If you DO NOT want to be contacted, please email us at bodyandsoulchallenge@marthastewart.com.

WEEKEND GOAL: WALK MORE.

It’s one of the easiest exercises to do and one of the most convenient. This weekend, make time for a 30-minute walk. (Grab your partner or a close friend for some company.) Keep a swift pace, as if you’re late for an appointment. Then prepare for the start of next week by purchasing a pedometer. Research shows that people who wear step-counting devices do a lot more walking. With pedometer in place on Monday morning, go about your normal routine to determine how many steps you take in an average day. Make 10,000 steps a day your ideal target number and challenge yourself to increase that number gradually. Take an extra thousand steps per day as you progress and one big step toward healthier living!

More ways to get walking:

• Walk, rather than drive, to do your errands
• If you have to drive, park at the farthest end of the parking lot from your destination
• Offer to walk your neighbor’s dog
• Walk to meet a friend at the local coffee shop, and take your lattes to go. Enjoy a stroll around the neighborhood.
• Walk around the block at lunchtime

Click on the links below to read articles that will make this weekend's challenge 'a walk in the park':

Walking for Weight-loss

Mindful Walking

Walking Strategies

Walking for Stress Relief

Question: Do you take the stairs instead of the elevator? Do you take a 15-minute walking break at work? What tips do you have to get more steps in your day?

Please leave a comment and we may contact you to appear on the show (your email will be kept confidential)! If you DO NOT want to be contacted, please email us at bodyandsoulchallenge@marthastewart.com.

HOW TO ENROLL

Enrolling in the Body + Soul Challenge is simple, you've already done it just by visiting this blog! There's no need to register or divulge all of your personal info. Simply use this as a resource to give you great tips for healthier living, both physically and mentally. Our experts are standing by to field any questions that you have along the way. And, you'll also find plenty of fellow challengers sharing stories and inspirational messages to keep you motivated all month long.

Here are a few helpful hints to getting the most out of your challenge:

• Put a reminder in you email calendar to check the blog for updated tips, lunches and snacks throughout the day.
• Stock your kitchen pantry with items from our suggested Grocery List so that you can prepare healthy lunches and snacks in a snap.
• Feel free to tap into expert knowledge in dieting, exercise and overall well-being by visiting Expert Q&A
• Correspond with fellow comrades in this mission to better health. Join in discussions by clicking on the Comments link at the end of each daily post.

Good luck and enjoy the challenge!

Please leave a comment and we may contact you to appear on the show (your email will be kept confidential)! If you DO NOT want to be contacted, please email us at bodyandsoulchallenge@marthastewart.com.

Grocery List for a Pantry Makeover

 

It’s a lot easier to make healthy meals when you have healthy ingredients on hand. So here’s this weekend’s goal: Revamp your pantry. Start by making some room in your kitchen for nutritious food, getting rid of (or donating) your bags of white rice, regular boxed pasta, and any other foods with refined carbs or white flour. Then make a new grocery list. Start by printing out the following, and add to it based on your favorite healthy recipes. (You’ll find some of ours below.)

 

+whole grains (serve as healthier substitutes to white rice and pasta):
barley
quinoa
brown rice
whole-wheat pasta

+oils and flavorings:
extra virgin olive oil
garlic
herbs (such as thyme, rosemary, turmeric)
curry
ginger root
mustard
vinegar

+fruits and vegetables
apples
carrots
grapefruit
avocado
kale
broccoli rabe
spinach

+legumes
beans
chickpeas
lentils

+nuts
almonds
pine nuts
walnuts

+fish and poultry
salmon
chicken breasts
fresh sliced turkey (off the bone)
chicken sausage

+freezer
frozen spinach
frozen berries

+dairy
plain yogurt
hard cheeses (parmesan, Romano)

For more tips on a complete healthy kitchen, click here

Here are some good weekend meals: Quinoa and Apple Salad with Curry Dressing: Per serving: 304 calories, 14 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 38 g carbs, 154 mg sodium, 8 g protein, 5 g fiber

Broccoli Rabe with Chicken Sausage: Per serving: 175 calories, 9 g protein, 8 g fat, 19 g carb, 8 g fiber.

Question: What healthy and new (to you) ingredient has broadened your culinary horizons?

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