Munchie Musts, Mindful Matters and Magic Milk
Splurges that are worth it, serious stress busters and a tasty recovery drink.
Not-So Cheap Eats
Credit: shansby
Everyone is cutting costs these days, but for those of us who cook at home a lot (which saves money and is good for your waistline, too!), it’s sometimes hard to spring for pricey ingredients like nuts and high-quality olive oil. Or at least it is for me. If I see truffles as an ingredient in a recipe, my expensive-grocery-bill dinger goes off in my head, and I’ll automatically skip it for something with canned beans (always cheap). But, my dinger may need to be silenced.
Mind Over Matter
Credit: Brian Hillegas
We all know how terrible stress is for us, and unfortunately, most of us have more of it in our lives these days. (I don’t know one person who doesn’t need a serious trip to the Caribbean complete with frozen drinks.) But, it turns out little things, like focusing on one task at hand (read: no more multitasking), can make a HUGE difference in keeping stress levels in check. In fact, in a recent study, people who were more mindful of what they were doing and practiced yoga poses, breathing methods, stretches or meditation reported being less stressed at work.
Drink Up
Credit: House Of Sims
Looking to refuel after a workout but aren’t sure what to eat or drink (and don’t like the expensive re-hydration drinks down the nutrition aisle)? Your answer may be here, and it involves two very normal items: milk and chocolate. Yep, researchers have found that drinking low-fat chocolate milk after intense exercise can help muscles recover better than more traditional high-carb commercial drinks. The study was done with a small number of soccer players, and the research was funded by the Got Milk? campaign, so it may not be proof that chocolate milk rocks, but we do know one thing: Chocolate milk sure is tasty.
Wonder if light chocolate soymilk counts…
—Jenn