Tag: health

Morning anchor shares schedule to a healthy lifestyle

by Olivia

Megan Reyna – Morning Anchor

Morning Reporter

I accepted a morning anchor position a little more than a year ago & I’ve struggled with my health. Here’s what I wish I knew beforehand:

For some context – this wasn’t my first rodeo on a morning shift. In college, I worked part-time for a local station, all while finishing up two degrees. But for some reason, this go-around has been a lot different.

It may be because I’m not 21 years old anymore. Either way, I think I forgot when I took this promotion how HARD it is on your body. I want to add – I LOVE my job, station & the show I anchor. Which is why I knew 4 months in – I needed to make it work. Please note, that every BODY is different. What works for me, may not work for you. I HIGHLY recommend seeking advice from health care professionals if you’re struggling.

Here’s what has worked for me:

  1. SLEEP! You have to prioritize sleep over everything. I start work around 3:15 a.m. So I get up around 2 a.m. – the goal is to get 8 hours of sleep. For me, I sorta split it. I take a two-hour nap after work (I’ll go into the napping in my next tip) I go to bed no later than 7:30 p.m. & YES I take I’m melatonin but only the recommended amount. Before I sought out professional advice, I wouldn’t fall asleep till 9 pm most nights. I was gaining a ton of weight. I never had it tested but I was told my cortisol levels were likely high. I was stressed, tired & felt weak. The biggest piece of advice my doctor gave me – SLEEP! She then recommended I see a nutritionist.

  2. NAP if you want! If you did the math, I’m not sleeping eight hours straight. Not everyone recommends napping but in order to work out, I need a nap. The biggest revelation I had was when I went to my doctor and told her how long I was napping.                                                            She told me it’s not healthy to nap longer than two hours at a time or else you’re waking up in the middle of a rem cycle. That may be why if you take a super long nap – you wake up feeling kinda blah? I was waking up miserable! I felt like a zombie and never got anything done. So now I set an alarm and RARELY let myself oversleep. She also recommended cat naps! 30-minute naps are helpful too!

  3. Be mindful of what you eat and WHEN! I literally had no idea when to eat & it was causing stomach issues. It took me seeing a nutritionist to really map out the type of meals/how often to eat.

  • Wake up, eat something small like an apple, toast, yogurt, boiled egg, etc. This is your FIRST breakfast lol

  • During show – have a snack like a clementine or banana

  • After show around 7 am – SECOND breakfast – something small again – like egg bites or yogurt (always try to change it up!)

  • Eat lunch around 10 am – this is important for me so my food is digested BEFORE I nap

  • IF I workout – snack around 3/4 – something light but filling

  • Dinner around 6 – leaves time before bed to digest & I get to have dinner with my boyfriend! Some normalcy there

        4. Work out but don’t push it – you do need to prioritize moving your body. I personally love               Orange Theory. I need a class setting and someone yelling at me lol! But do what you like and it doesn’t have to be hardcore cardio. Here’s where I wish things were different.

I WISH I had the ability to go to OTF right after work but unfortunately, it doesn’t work with my schedule so I go to a class at 5:15 pm. Yes, cutting it close to dinner/sleep. I may change this and try the 4 pm class! I also highly recommend YOGA! This will help with stress as well. Follow @thenewsyogi on Instagram if you don’t already! Leslie Rangel is a morning anchor in Austin & certified yoga educator. She shares FREE & helpful tips on her page. She also offers zoom classes!

     5. Be kind to yourself. As I mentioned, my body has changed, I’ve gained the weight back I worked hard to lose and I’ve been so stressed out about it. After talking with my nutritionist, I came to the realization – I’m still healthy. I’m thankful I found health care professionals who helped me. Not going to lie, I’ve had some doctors tell me just quit. But I love my job! SO, stay healthy, be kind to your body, and once again – SLEEP!

Love,

A very tired morning newsie!

Megan’s social media:

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

My Favorite Healthy Cookie

by Olivia

I have been working really hard physically to get myself where I want to be. I have completely limited my snacking and have been making strides to a more healthy lifestyle. Of course, every now and then I allow myself to splurge (to a certain degree) but day to day when I’m craving something savory these almond butter cookies are my go to. Almond butter is a healthy fat, made for you to stay fuller longer. That’s the main ingredient out of this four ingredient recipe. Yes, only four ingredients!! The other ingredients are rolled oats which are packed with a ton of fiber, honey which is good for your immune system and promotes weight loss and then an egg which is a good source of antioxidants.

Combined these ingredients create a savory, soft and chewy cookie, not to mention it’s super high in protein. You can always add things to you your cookies too! I typically will add a little cinnamon and chia seeds for extra health benefits. The one downside to these cookies is that they’re so addicting. I baked around 12 the other night and within two days…gone. Hope you all try them out, you won’t regret it. Click here for recipe!

Healthy Taco?

by Olivia

Lately I have been all about the healthy eating. Now and then you’ll catch me indulging in my favorite dairy free treats like Len & Larry’s protein cookies (found here) or So Delicious Chocolate Cookies n’ Cream Ice Cream made with cashew milk (found here) but I try keeping it rather clean with my eating habits. When I scrolled through Pinterest for healthy meals, snacks and etc. I came across these yummy appetizers. As soon as I saw the image I thought immediately of P.F. Changs Chicken Lettuce Wraps. I’m sure most of us have tasted how sweet and savory those appetizers are, definitely a favorite of my families.

One thing I love about these is that you can easily personalize them to your liking. You can add tomatoes, peppers, chicken and more toppings to enhance the taste of these healthy, filling appetizers. My suggestion would be to add seasonings. The ingredients consist of mainly vegetables and beans but I do believe seasonings would give a kick of flavor especially if you’re not into the plantish tasting foods, you know what I mean? It’s almost like a healthy taco…almost


What’s all the talk about Playa Bowls?

by Olivia

If you live along the Jersey Shore you know all about Playa Bowls. If you don’t live here then you’re probably wondering just what are “Playa Bowls?” Playa bowls are a tasty, healthy treat. They are bowls that have a base of acai (a berry frozen sorbet) blended with a variety of fruits. It’s then topped with granola, fruit and sometimes almond or peanut butter depending on what you choose to get. It gives you a boost of energy on those hot summer days, nothing is as refreshing as a mouth full of fruit. The granola is so heavenly as you crunch you’re way to an empty bowl. What’s so great about Playa is the variety. If acai isn’t your favorite you can pick a Pitaya (Dragon Fruit) base or a green base (mixed with kale for color). You can always customize your order to make it exactly the way you want it! Don’t worry vegans, they have you covered! The bases to all the bowls are 100% dairy free and vegan. (Vegans may have to alter orders to get it to be fully vegan) It’s the most mouthwatering, fresh and healthy treat on the shore. In every bite I can’t wait to dig my spoon into more, go bowls deep! Check out the website here!

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I’m Kinda Vegan?

by Olivia

Can I say I’m vegan even if I stuff my face with burgers, hot dogs and pork roll? The obvious answer is no but my dairy allergy has allowed me to explore the world of being vegan. You’d think how gross coconut bacon, how could that taste like real bacon? I’m not really sure how it does but somehow it does taste like real bacon! So many obscure things you wouldn’t assume to be good truly are. Not only is being vegan a healthy lifestyle option it’s also extremely tasty. Some better than others of course you just have to find the best of the best in vegan cuisine.  A  few days ago I headed over to Seed To Sprout, the cutest place in vegan food. My tastebuds were in for a treat, I indulged in french toast and a yummy sandwich with cashew cheese. Who knew cashew cheese was a thing and that it was actually good?! I was in pure delight, Seed To Sprout is definitely a place I need to further explore. Just after having two meals I’m already hooked.

Seed To Sprout Website: www.seedtosproutnj.com

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