The Health Benefits of Being a Dancer

Since I was 4 years old, I have been a dancer. It is something that I enjoy and take very seriously. I have been trained in ballet, tap, and my favorite styles of dancing, hip hop and jazz. I have always danced because of my passion and love of self expression through the art, but I never thought much about the health benefits. As I sat back and talked to my current, college dance team at Michigan State University, I realized there are many health benefits that comes with the art/sport.

First off, you should know you don’t have to be a trained dancer to get enjoy the benefits of dancing.

1. Dancing can help you lose weight. Dancing requires the movement of your entire body in different ways. By constantly moving around, you are exercising your body and in turn, burning calories.

2. Dancing helps with your balance and posture. Almost every move, especially in ballet, requires good posture and constant movement. There are also stretched that dancers do specifically geared toward improving balance. This in return will help your posture and balance even when you are out of the dance studio. I have many people ask me if I am a dancer because I have great posture.

3. Dancing increases muscular strength. There are various dance moves that works the muscles repeatedly and helps build them.

4. Dancing increases flexibility. There are multiple stretches that dancers do to prepare themselves for shows. These stretches over time can credibly increase flexibility.

5. Dance improves the condition of the heart. Dancing can raise your heart and breathing rates because it is is very active. It increases your heart’s exercising by using burning calories.

6. Dance helps you sleep better. During a vigorous session of dancing, your body is being exercised and getting tired out, in return you will sleep great while your body is resting!

Now that you know some of the benefits of dancing, make sure you go out there and explore dance class options. And if you attend Michigan State University, make sure to check out MSU Urban Dreams Dance Team!

-LisaLenora

Guilt Free Midnight Snacks

We’ve all been there. Laying in our beds Friday night watching Golden Girls reruns, when suddenly the clock strikes midnight! And as if we are under some type of curse, we began craving all types of junk food to go along with out tv binge. Most of the time when this happens, we are just eating because we’re bored or we see a food commercial that tricks us into thinking we are hungry. If you’re anything like me sometimes you can fight off the curse of the midnight snack and sometimes you ransack your kitchen for anything edible.

Since us college folk don’t have our parents in our apartment/dorm to tell us “you don’t need to eat this late!” It can be hard to indulge at midnight while staying discipline.

Here are a couple of snacks that you can enjoy while binge watching netflix at midnight without feeling guilt (in moderation of course).

• Frozen grapes (they taste just like candy!)
• Greek yogurt, fruit, and honey
• Whole wheat tortilla chips and salsa
• Baked sweet potato drizzled with honey
• Veggies and homemade ranch from greek yogurt
• Mini tuna or turkey and cheese whole wheat cracker sandwiches
• Butterless popcorn seasoned with garlic (or your favorite low sodium seasonings)
• Pretzel sticks
• Dark chocolate bar (75% cocoa or more)
• Sliced cucumbers and season salt
• Carrots and hummus (any vegetable goes great with hummus)
• Bowl of Kashi or any healthy brand of cereal and almond milk
• Almonds, salt-less peanuts, sunflower seeds, and or pumpkin seeds

-Lisa Lenora

Healthy Microwaveable Frozen Food Under 350 Calories

While its always great to know we have the cafeteria to rely on, sometimes we just aren’t feeling the food being served today.

Luckily for us college students, there are frozen, microwave friendly meals that we can stock up on in our dorms.

These are not your normal, boring, unappetizing tv dinners.

Not only are these meal delicious, but they are healthy! Here are a list of dorm room friendly frozen meals. (Prices according to Walmart in Lansing, Michigan)

BREAKFAST

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Ham and Cheese Scramble

180 calories

$2.82

Special K Flatbread Breakfast Sandwich (Egg with Vegetables and Pepper Jack Cheese)

180 calories

$5.28 for 4 sandwiches

Amy’s Tofu Scramble with Hash Browns and Vegetables

320 calories

$3.52

Jimmy Dean Delights Turkey Sausage Breakfast Bowl

240 calories

$2.48

Special K Flatbread Breakfast Sandwich (Ham, Egg, and Pepper Jack Cheese)

200 calories

$5.28 for 4 sandwiches

DINNER

Lean Cusine Tortilla Crusted Fish

300 calories

$2.50

Lean Cuisin Cheese Ravioli

250 calories

$2.00

Lean Cuisine Macaroni and Cheese

340 Calories

$2.00

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Chicken and Potatoes

250 calories

$2.50

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Enchiladas Sulza

290 calories

$2.00

Lean Cuisine Alfredo Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

290 calories

$2.00

Healthy Choice Lemon Pepper Fish

310 calories

$2.50

Now its your turn to explore the frozen food section. Go ahead, young one spread your wings and fly into the world of microwavable goodies.

-LisaLenora

Healthy Uses for Greek Yogurt

We have all been seeing and hearing about the wonders of Greek yogurt on tv and from friends. If you're anything like myself, you want to know what's all the commotion about.

Here are some of the health benefits of Greek yogurt according to usnews.com:

• Helps with the digestive system because of the probiotics it contains.
• Helps control high blood pressure because it is a source of many vitamins believed to help.
• Helps with weight management because it's high in protein and causes you to feel more full.
• Helps with bone health because it provides ton of calcium, protein, magnesium, and potassium.

Once I found out the glorious wonders of Greek yogurt I decided to look into all the ways I can use it. You can easily replace mayo with it as well as use it in these recipes:

Marinade for vegetables, seafood, and meat:

1 ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of chili powder

2 tablespoon of garlic powder

2 teaspoons of Ms. Dash Seasoning

2 teaspoons of salt

Ranch dressing:

1 cup of plain Greek yogurt

1 pack of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning

Alfredo sauce:

¾ cup of plain greek yogurt

1 ½ teaspoon of garlic powder

2 tablespoons of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter

½ cup of milk

½ cup of parmesan cheese

Honey fruit yogurt:

1 cup of plain Greek yogurt

½ cup of honey

½ cup of your favorite fruit

The Detox Bath Experience

Being that my 21st birthday was this past Friday, I had a lot of detoxing to do. I had a very, VERY busy and long weekend. I have alway been curious about detox baths so I decided to give it a try this past Sunday.

Here are some of the benefits of detoxing according to bembu.com:

• Boosts energy
• Rids body of waste
• Builds stronger immune system
• Improves skin
• Gives you a clear head
• Helps you feel an overall sense of lightness, in a positive way

Here are some of the benefits of a detox bath according to healthylivinghowto.com:

• Eases stress
• Improves sleep
• Flush toxins through sweat
• Reduce inflammation to reduce muscle pain
• Eases headaches

So, my first step was of course going on Pinterest for recipes.

I began by running warm water (as hot as I could get it without compromising my comfort) in my freshly cleaned bath tub. I created a bath recipe that I poured into the running water which was:

• ¼ cup of lavender epsom salt: to soothe aching muscles
• ¼ cup of baking soda: to soothe irritated skin (this ingredient is extra beneficial for the female body part)
• ¼ cup of bentonite clay: to draw out toxins
• 1 cup of milk: to moisturize skin and provide vitamins

As the bath ingredients was getting mixed up and settled into the water, the aroma was getting pleasantly stronger and so was the heat radiating from the bath (which was not so pleasant).

After my bath was full enough, I let it cool down for about 5 minutes. I then eased my way into the water, fearing for my life because the tub floor was so slippery.

I don’t know if it was because the water was so hot or because my window was not open like it normally is (something I would never do again while taking these steamy baths), but I immediately began sweating.

I was starting to wonder if this bath and myself was meant to be. I quickly grabbed my phone which was right next to my bath (I know, not the best place for it to be) and I googled if sweating was a normal effect of detox baths. I was happy to see on realfoodrn.com that all my water works were not only normal but beneifting me, so I decided to stick it out.  Like a BOSS.

Even though I was still sweating I began to relax myself as I listened to my Erica Badu Pandora Station.

The water began to cool down and I was having fun with the bubbles (don’t judge me).

After about 30 minutes, I released the bath through the drain and felt a little light headed (probably because I wasn’t drinking water during the bath like I should have).

Due to all my sweating, I didn’t necessarily feel the cleanest. I decided to take a quick warm shower using my Bath and Body Works Sleep Aromatherapy Body Wash. After that, I wrapped myself in my towel and had to take a minute just to regain my normal body temperature.

I put on a pair of light pajamas, I made a healthy, light meal of grilled shrimp and broccoli. I also drunk a TON of water. After replenishing myself, I felt like a million bucks.

I layed down immediately after my meal and after about one episode of Martin, I was out for the count and I slept like a baby through the night.

I would definitely encourage you to try one of these! Throughout the sweats and the  heat, you still feel a sense of relaxation and like you just had a day at the spa.

Tips during bath:

• Take a cool shower after the bath to cool your body
• Drink a lot of water during and after the bath to stay hydrated

• Don’t take a bath longer than a hour
• If you are hungry afterward, just eat a small salad, soup, or fruit. You don’t want to eat anything that would put toxins back into your body
• Breathe in and out slowly

• Sleep in breathable clothing so your body can cool off
• Play calming music during and after the bath to get your head in the right space
• Enjoy a good night’s sleep!

-LisaLenora