Our Rookie Diaries Blogger's Next Assignment? You Decide!

Tula Karras, our Rookie Diaries blogger, has taken on a number of fun, challenging and interesting assignments over the last nine months—all with the goal of sharing insights and giving you advice to help you live your best life. She has counted her steps, tallied her intake of fiber, sodium and protein and tracked her daily water consumption. She has tested several fitness fads (including the Shake Weight and FitFlops) and tried a number of different classes from belly dancing to pole dancing. She's even given up a few beloved habits, including eating at night and watching the tube.

Now, she wants your feedback. What healthy experiment do you want Tula to tackle next? Choose one of the six options below, and check back here in a few weeks to see which assignment gets the most votes. And if you have any other ideas for Tula, please feel free to post them below in the comments!

Tula's next healthy experiment should be:

A. Jump Start - Tula will take a class offered at Crunch gym centered around hard core jump rope drills

B. Cooking club - Tula will join a healthy cooking club or start her own.

C. Boxing - Tula will hop in the ring and do her best Rocky impression at a boxing class.

D. Booty Kickin' Step - Tula will take a class (also offered at Crunch) that offers participants the latest in step choreography, including Mambos, pivots, hop-turns and double dutch repeaters.

E. A week of Best Life breakfasts - Tula will make and eat a week's worth of healthy, balanced Best Life breakfasts.

Our Healthy Must-Have of the Week: Tahini

If you're one of the many people who has never heard of this week's must-have, then you're really missing out. Tahini, a paste made from sesame seeds, is nutritious, delicious and versatile. It contains 89 calories, 8 grams of fat (mostly heart-healthy monounsaturated), 2.5 grams protein, and 1.4 grams of fiber in one tablespoon. And all you really need is a tablespoon because it's so rich. (You can find tahini at many grocery stores, health food stores, and Middle Eastern markets; look near the peanut and almond butter.) It has a less sweet, more bitter flavor than peanut or almond butter, and a super-creamy (almost liquid-like) consistency. OK, that description might not sell you on this delicious sesame paste, but I bet these ideas will!

Add it to smoothies: Tahini has a much more mild flavor than other nut butters, so it doesn't overpower the flavors of the other foods you add to a smoothie. Instead, it imparts a nutty, deep, rich flavor and a super-creamy texture. My favorite combination is almond milk, tahini, frozen mixed berries, banana, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.

Mix with yogurt and dip or drizzle: The smooth texture and rich flavor also translate well to savory dishes. Experiment with mixing tahini with low-fat plain yogurt, garlic, herbs and spices, and a dash of soy sauce to create a creamy salad dressing, a dip for raw veggies, or a lovely drizzle to pour over roasted veggies.

Make hummus: Traditional hummus—the classic kind you'll find in authentic Middle Eastern restaurants and markets—contains chickpeas, tahini, olive oil and garlic. Experiment with your own variations at home. I like to add roasted red peppers, toasted pine nuts, and even roasted mushrooms to mine.

Make a traditional tahini sauce: Blend 1/2 cup tahini with 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3 cloves crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, and salt and pepper to taste, and use in wraps or pitas, over vegetables, meat or poultry, or as a dipping sauce.

Just add fruit: Make a sandwich with tahini, sliced pear, cinnamon, and a drizzle of honey (if you need it—I usually don't). Or try topping a toasted whole-grain frozen waffle with tahini, thawed frozen berries and a drizzle of maple syrup. A favorite snack of mine is a whole-grain Wasa crispbread topped with tahini, chopped dates, chopped walnuts, and cinnamon.

Think Yourself Thin and Healthy

Give your car a tune-up, and it usually runs a little smoother. Give your attitude a tune-up, and you'll probably have a smoother journey (and a bit more fun) as you pursue your health and weight goals. Small attitude adjustments can mean the difference between simply meeting your goals and meeting your goals with a smile on your face, a spring in your step, and the determination to stay healthy for the long haul. Try these adjustments today.

1. Use the phrase "I get to" more than "I have to." Changing just one word—from "I have to go for a walk" to "I get to go for a walk," for instance—completely changes the meaning of the sentence. Using the phrase "get to" implies that what you're about to do is desirable. Try this with your exercise and diet plans, and you'll soon realize that positive language affects the way you perceive something. In other words, imply that something is desirable, and it will be.

2. Draw happy faces on healthful food containers using a Sharpie marker. When you take a container of low-fat plain yogurt out of the refrigerator and see a silly happy face drawn on it, you're going to smile—I dare you to try not to! The same goes for the big smiling face on your package of baby carrots. This may seem silly—but that's exactly the point. Associate healthful food choices with a good chuckle, and they're suddenly more enjoyable.

3. Each day, think about two or three things you're thankful and jot them down. Of course, its much easier to focus on all the challenges, and forget about the things we're thankful for. So many of us are stressed beyond our means—it may seem like it's impossible NOT to push gratitude to the back burner. But the fact is, acknowledging things you're thankful for on a daily basis keeps positivity in your routine, and that's important for making you feel good about the choices you're making. To remind yourself, keep a gratitude journal near your bed to jot down the things that you're thankful for. Bonus: On days when you need an extra boost of positivity, read some of your past entries!

4. Recognize you can't change other people, but you can definitely change yourself (for the better). Before you spend one more second trying to convince your mother that her daily cheese Danish doesn't qualify as a healthful breakfast or you lose any more sleep over the fact that your husband refuses to exercise, remind yourself that the only person you can change is you. Setting a positive example of healthful lifestyle choices is beneficial to everyone around you as they see firsthand how rewarding implementing these habits into their life can be. Remember, until someone is truly ready to change, they won't. Pushing them to make a change that they're not ready for can drive them away, and can also take energy and time away from your own efforts. From now on, focus on making yourself the best YOU that you can be and hope that the effort rubs off on the people you care about.

Motivation How-To

There are lots of different reasons why people try to slim down and live healthier. Maybe you're hoping to lose weight to please a spouse or to "compete" with a slimmer friend or sibling. While these reasons may be good enough to get you started, they're not likely to keep you going, according to research from the University of Kentucky in Lexington and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

During their 16-week study, they found that people who were able to drop at least 5 percent of their weight and maintain that loss were more likely to identify personal reasons for wanting to lose weight. Perhaps they wanted to reduce their disease risk so they could be around to watch their children grow or maybe they simply wanted to give themselves the best chance of living the healthiest, most fulfilling life possible. The group that didn't hit the 5 percent weight loss mark or wasn't able maintain it were more likely to name external motivators for slimming down, such as pressure or guilt from others.

So, how can you tap into your inner motivation? Use the tips below to get started:

Renew your vows—every month! The researchers found that people who remained the most motivated at weeks four and eight of the study—two periods when motivation often wanes either because weight loss is slow or because the novelty of the initial weight loss has started to wear off—were most successful. So when you start, make a list of your strongest motivators to lose weight. Then, four weeks in, go back to that list and remind yourself of your initial motivation and the progress you've made so far. If your motivation hasn't changed, it's a good way to remind yourself why you made the changes in the first place.  If your reasons have shifted, this is a good opportunity to update them in order to keep that motivation up.

Post your progress. After you weigh yourself each week, write down the number on a stickie note and post it on the fridge Or, if you're a member of TheBestLife.com online program, you can try posting your weight within one of the community threads. Remember, weight fluctuations naturally, so in addition to weight, you may want to look at other measures of success, for instance trying on the same pair of "too-tight" pants each week to see if they get looser each week or tracking your energy levels to see if they improve as you get healthier and fitter.

Keep a log. Another interesting finding of this study is that the participants who lost the most weight were more likely to keep a food journal. If you're a regular food logger (whether online or on paper), keep up the good work? And if you struggle to log, make it easy by keeping notes on your computer, taking pictures of meals using your cell phone camera or leaving yourself voice memos.

Strengthen your muscles. We're talking about your motivation muscles here (though strengthening your body's muscles is important, too). Motivation takes practice—and the more you work on keeping yourself motivated, the stronger you become at it. Using the exercises here is a great start. You can also check out some of the motivational tools and articles on TheBestLife.com.

Facebook Profile: Strawberries

Basic Information 


Hometown: I don't have one single hometown—in fact, I'm grown in every single state in the United States, including Alaska.

Birthday: I was first grown in Ancient Rome in 200 B.C.



Family Members: I belong to the rose family.

Personal Information
Bio: I'm in season right now; if possible, try to purchase local strawberries because many of the most delicious varieties do not travel well and can only be sold locally. Another benefit of buying locally (or organic) is that you limit your exposure to pesticides. I'm one of the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen," the 12 fruit and veggies found to be most contaminated with pesticides.

Fans: Nearly everyone is happy to see fresh strawberries in the spring because they're the earliest fruit to ripen each year—they're a welcome change from the limited amount of fruit that's available during the winter months. Not only am I sweet, but I'm healthy, too; I contain vitamin C (more than a medium orange, in fact), fiber, folic acid and potassium.

Favorite Activities: I love taking the starring role as a snack, but I can also be sliced and added to a peanut butter sandwich, mixed into plain yogurt, or sprinkled on top of your favorite morning cereal. For a great calcium-rich snack, try making a simple strawberry shake: In a blender, place 1 cup of sliced strawberries, 1 cup of fat-free milk or soymilk (such as Best Life approved Silk Soymilk) and 2 ice cubes. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. If desired, add a teaspoon of honey to sweeten. Serve and enjoy!



Favorite Facts: I'm the only berry that has my seeds on the outside—because of this, some people claim I'm not a true berry!

Favorite Quotation: "Doubtless God could have made a better berry (than the strawberry), but doubtless God never did." —William Butler, 16th century English writer

This Week's Healthy Must-Have: Frozen Whole-Grain Waffles

Looking for a warm, fast and healthy breakfast option? Try frozen waffles. If it has been a while since you've had them, you may be surprised by the healthy part of the equation. Warm and fast? Sure. But good for you?

It's true that as little as just a few years ago, your choices were typically limited to white-flour, high-fat, high-sodium, and super high-sugar waffles. Fortunately, many companies have stepped up recently and created tasty whole-grain versions that contain healthy fats, fiber, and more appropriate levels of sodium. That's not to say that you still can't find the less healthful options, though. So to make sure you're choosing a nutritious product, use these shopping tips:

1. Check ingredients. Make sure the first ingredient has the word "whole" in it, such as whole wheat flour, whole oats, etc.  

2. Scope out the Nutrition Facts label. Each two-waffle serving should have no more than four grams of sugar and 350 mg of sodium, at least three grams of fiber, and no trans fat (and no partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredients). 

3. Use this cheat sheet. Skip the all the sleuthing and instead, go for my favorite brands (both of which meet these criteria): Nature's Path Hemp Plus Waffles and Van's All Natural Multi-Grain Waffles. Both deliver great taste and a light texture. 

Once you get your healthy waffle home, your next task is figuring out how to eat it. Think outside of the box a little here—you can use frozen whole-grain waffles as a canvas to create a nutrition-rich breakfast based on whatever you're in the mood for or have in your kitchen at the time. At 80 to 100 calories per waffle, you can create a meal using one waffle or two, depending on your calorie needs.

Try making a portable "waffle-wich" by spreading two teaspoons of peanut butter on one waffle and topping it with sliced banana, cinnamon, and another waffle, if you need it. Or, top waffles with non-fat plain yogurt mixed with one teaspoon of maple syrup and frozen or fresh berries like blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries. If you're in the mood for something more savory, try topping a waffle with an egg and low-fat turkey or chicken sausage.
 
What are your favorite ways to enjoy waffles? Let us know!

Tricks for a Healthy Halloween

Reaching into that candy dish is fine—as long as you're doling out those sweets to trick-or-treaters, and not yourself! Don't let Halloween and all its luscious goodies sideline your diet. Instead, try these tricks to treat yourself right during this candy-filled holiday.

Buy treats you don't like. The Halloween holiday can be an excuse to stock up on your favorite candy. Why tempt yourself? Instead, grab a bunch of candy that you don't even like, and you won't be reaching for it. If you do end up with a bag that contains your favorite candy, be sure to give those out first so when Halloween's over, you won't have them lying around.

Skip the sweets. Who says you have to give out candy? Instead, opt for non-food treats, such as erasers, pencils, markers and stickers. If you'd rather hand out edible goodies, try healthier treats like packages of dried fruit or pretzels. Another good idea: If you'll be taking your kids door to door to trick or treat, shift the emphasis away from candy altogether by supporting a UNICEF drive; then you can collect coins instead of candy.

Indulge wisely. If you're going to splurge, be sure to look at the portion size and ingredients of the candies you choose; they vary greatly in fat and calorie content. And keep in mind that a single lollipop or a piece of hard candy can be enjoyed longer than a chocolate bar for fewer calories.

Party healthy—not hearty. Throwing a bash? Take advantage of many of the seasonal, festive foods including healthful pumpkin seeds, apples or popcorn.

For more healthy-eating advice, check out TheBestLife.com.