A SoulStar Summer

SoulStar Summer

Written By: Nikki Goodnight

As the summer months approach us, we all start to get summer fever. We are anticipating cook outs, beach parties, family reunions and even vacations, although these events are worth all the excitement in the world, we must not forget about maintaining our health and wellness in the process. I know you are probably thinking “what does health have to do with summer events?” well it has a lot to do with it. Think about what we do during the summer, and how each event includes intake of delicious food! This is the time of year for ribs, chicken, burgers, margaritas and plenty of ice cream, but we can not over indulge in foods like these because guess what? by the time September comes you have packed on a extra 15 pounds and all of a sudden you are starting from scratch to get that beach body back to the way it was in May!

Instead of taking steps back with our weight during the summer months, let’s make an effort to take steps forward and be ahead of the game. What I mean by this is, just because it’s the summer doesn’t mean you can’t eat any BBQ; you just have to figure out what you are putting on that grill and adjust it accordingly! Instead of throwing hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, try tilapia, salmon or even turkey burgers. I know we can’t resist side dishes such as baked beans and potato salad but let’s try grilling veggies such as corn, asparagus and egg plant. For dessert instead of Ice Cream we can try frozen yogurt which contains way less calories than Breyers! It’s all about making the correct adjustments to keep your weight steady.

Another common excuse in the summer is that “I don’t want to be in a hot gym” and that’s fine, that’s why you gear up your ipod, get your bike and roller blades out of the garage and head towards the beach or bike path. It’s so much fun to grab a friend and enjoy the weather while still burning calories with a wonderful outdoor workout.

The summer months are more motivation to test where you are with maintaining your health, if you can eat better and continue to workout through these fun months, living a healthier lifestyle starts to become easier through each season.

Ladies, lets discuss our eating habits and share summer recipes that will get us through the tough Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day food!

Below is a Recipe I found on www.food.com and it’s so awesome and Perfect for the summer!

Avocado Mango Dip: Cal- 63 Fat-3.8grams Chlo-0

1 Avocado- peeled, pitted and diced

1 lime, juiced

1 mango- peeled& diced

1 small red onion- seeded & chopped

1 habanera pepper- seeded & chopped

1 tablespoon or more of fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt& pepper to taste

Directions: Place avocado in serving bowl, and mix with lime juice. Mix in mango, onion, pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper. Serve with tortilla chips.