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Dieting in some cases can be very unhealthy for your body. It also is a solution for short-term weight loss, but it will not last in the long-term. A diet is when you stop some eating habits in order to lose weight, but you return to them after you have lost your amount of weight. A lifestyle change sets you up to create new healthy habits and to keep going with them even when you do lose the weight.

When a person is dieting a majority of people will lose up to five percent to ten percent of their body weight. Maintaining this weight loss is the problem. When people lose the allotted weight they wanted to they return to what they were eating in the beginning. Research has shown that about 70 percent of people who diet regain the weight they lose when they were dieting due to going back to the unhealthy choices they were making before.

Lifestyle changes is what you should do if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle and lose weight a healthy way. Changes include but are not limited to eating a healthy breakfast regularly, exercising for about an hour each day, maintaining consistent eating patterns, and not snacking throughout the whole but instead having three healthy meals.

People believe that for dieting you have to cut a lot of foods out of your diet. With doing a lifestyle change instead of getting rid of foods look for healthy options. Foods full of vitamins and other healthy ingredients. Making a healthy lifestyle change will better your health for the long-term instead of short-term.

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Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day. It sets you up to have energy and to have a more positive day. Below are some recipes that give you a healthy choice for breakfast.

Veggie Breakfast Frittata

This is one of my favorite breakfast foods and only takes about 35 minutes to prepare. You need to have 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 red pepper and 1 green pepper that you have diced, 1/2 of a small red onion that is thinly sliced, 2 cups of baby spinach, 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomato chopped, 1 clove of garlic diced up, 10 large eggs, and pepper and salt for seasoning.

First you need to preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Get a medium skillet out and heat the olive oil on the store at a medium heat. Add the peppers and onion. Let these cook while stirring occasionally. These will need to cook for about 6 to 7 minutes. Add spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic for about 1 minute or until the spinach is just wilted.

Once the veggies have been cooking add the eggs. Then add the amount of pepper and salt that you prefer. Stir this mixture to move around the vegetables. Then put this into the oven for about 13 to 15 minutes. When it is done being baked let it cool down and then enjoy.

Kiwi Spinach Smoothie

This smoothie is an easy and healthy thing you can have for breakfast. You need 2 kiwis that are peeled and cut them in half, 1/2 banana peeled, 1 cup baby spinach, 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (Greek yogurt is the best), 2 tablespoons of flax seed, 1/2 cup apple juice, and 10-12 ice cubes.

Put all these ingredients in the blender and blend them until it is smooth. You can add more of any of the ingredients if you want more flavor for a certain ingredient. This recipe will produce about 2 servings.

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Number 1: Drink lots of water

A major way to help your skin is to drink plenty of water. When a person gets dehydrated your body can react in a ways that can negatively effect your skin. It can make your skin get dry, flaky, and could even loose.

Number 2: Eat foods with antioxidants

Antioxidants are a good source for your body to fight disease and helps aging it reduces damage and inflammation. Inflammation leads to getting wrinkles. Good food sources for antioxidants are pomegranates, spinach, nuts, or blueberries.

Number 3: Limit Sun Exposure

Yes, getting sun exposure is a good source for vitamin D. Wearing sunscreen is the best thing to do. If not you can get sun spots from sun damage, sunburn, and worse case is to get skin cancer.

Number 4: Wash and Clean Your Face

Cleaning your face at least two times with soap a day is a good way to keep your skin clean. Throughout the day a lot of bacteria can form on your face. Washing it with just soap is easy way to clean it. Some face washes like Neutrogena and Clearasil are good products to use if you do not want to use soap.

Number 5: Engage in activities that relieve stress

When a person is stressed it can result in pimples and other stress induced things. Try to reduce stress in your life and eliminate any problems in your life. Ideas to reduce stress can include but are not limited to yoga and meditation.

These are just some of many ways to keep your skin healthy.

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Halloween began as a festival where people believed that the barrier between our world and the world of ghosts and spirits fell in order to reach them. This was a belief that mainly occurred in Europe. The idea of Halloween spread to other countries, but for most countries it meant a different thing to them.

The United States has made Halloween into a celebration for candy, haunted houses, and dressing up.  The phrase “Trick or Treat” is a familiar phrase around Halloween time meaning that if you do not give a treat you will receive a trick. Some people however do not realize some people that are supposed to give the treat are giving the trick and not giving real candy to the children.

There have been multiple cases where people are in fact giving out dangerous “candy”. They make it look like candy when it is actually drugs, stuff sharp in it like pins or razors, or something poisonous. Why some people do this I do not understand. This does happen and parents need to keep a look out for this. The scariest part of this fake candy is that a lot of times you can not tell it is fake.

There is a way to check your kids candy for these scary things. In a lot of towns either the police department or the fire department will hold a candy scanning thing on Halloween. This is a free thing you can use in order to make sure your kids do not receive a trick in their candy

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The summer is full of fun things to do especially with no school you need to find things to do to get outside and be healthy doing it.

On a hot day and your sweating, but you do not know what to do to cool off. Get a sprinkler or slip and side out and invite some friends to come over and have fun in the water. If you do not have either of those go to a local lake or pool and go for a swim.

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to go camping. My favorite place to camp is in the Adirondacks. Camping has so many options to do to stay healthy. Setting up the tent takes work to put it up. Then when your camping you have to go for a nice hike and if you go to the Adirondacks try to do one of the high peaks. Just being outside is a easy way to stay healthy.

Another thing that you can do is go to a local park and go spend the day at the park. Bring some snacks, go fishing, or go on the playground. There are countless things you can do in the summer that are healthy and fun.

Healthy Summer Snack

Juice Pop

These are a very easy snack you can make. All you need is two cups of water, 4 cups of apple juice, 1 cup of pineapple juice, 1/2 cup of lemon juice, 12 freezer pop molds, and 12 wooden sticks. Combine all the ingredients and then when they are all mixed. Pour the mixture into the molds and put the sticks in them. Freeze them until they are frozen. When they are completely frozen, take them out and have a refreshing snack.

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Spring is a season where it starts to get warmer out and flowers start blooming. Spring is muddy and has a lot of rain, but who said you can not have fun in the rain or mud?

Spring is a time of growth, so take the time to plant and work on a garden. Gardening does not cost that much, all you need to buy is some seeds. It is a great way to get outside and get some exercise from pulling weeds, switching the soil etc.. Another fun thing to do in the spring is have a picnic. Pack some healthy snacks and drinks and go to a local park to have some fun and eat some delicious food. Now that it is spring time it is finally getting warm outside, so take your bike and go for a bike ride or go for a run or walk.

It is rainy and muddy out and you do not know what to do. Go outside and be a little kid again and jump in the puddles and run around in the rain. On a nice day go to a pond/lake and feed the ducks around you with some leftover bread you may have. Then after you feed the ducks get out your fishing pole and go for a little fishing. These are all fun and healthy way to get outside in the spring.

Spring Healthy Snack Recipe

Spring Herb Cream Cheese Appetizer Cups

This is an easy snack that does not make much time to prepare. You need 1/2 cup of chive and onion cream cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons dill, 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 30 mini phyllo cups, 2 small cucumbers (slice them thinly), 2 bigger radishes (thinly sliced), and 6-10 grape tomatoes (thinly sliced). First you will need to mix the cream cheese, dill, parsley, and pepper together. Spoon about one teaspoon into each of the phyllo cup. Then put a slice of cucumber, radish, and tomato on top. Then your set to enjoy your snack.

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In my previous blog I spoke about things you can do in the fall to stay healthy while having fun. There are also a variety of things to do in the winter that are fun but you can do them while staying healthy.

Activities in the Winter

When I was younger I remember getting on my snow pants, jacket, mittens, hat, scarf, and boots and running outside to jump into the snow. This is something that is free to do and fun to get outside and run around. You can go out build a snowman, build a snow fort, or have a snow ball fight. All of these things are free and get you outside running around and having fun.

Would it be winter if you did not go sledding? Grab some friends/family and grab a sled and go find a hill to go sledding. Sledding itself might not be the healthiest thing because you are just sitting down and sliding down a hill, but the hike back up the hill is an easy thing to do and it gets a little bit of exercise in.

Some things that might cost a few bucks is skating, skiing, or snowboarding. These three things are fun to do and a very good exercise. If you don’t know how to do any of these things but they are interesting to you go get lessons. These are fun ways to get outside and get some exercise. Make sure to dress for the weather.

Easy and Healthy Holiday Snack

The Grinch:

This snack is very easy to make and takes no time at all. All you need is toothpicks, mini marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, green grapes. First cut the tops of the strawberries of and slice the banana up. You will need to grab the toothpick then you will push the grape through the tooth pick first. Then put the banana on top of the grape, after that put the strawberry, and finally a mini marshmallow. The final product will be a toothpick with a green grape on it, then the banana slice, then the strawberry, and finally the mini marshmallow on top.

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The fall is full of changing leaves and fun times with your friends and family. Yes, snuggling up next to the fire with hot chocolate and watching a movie because it is getting cold out is fun, but there are so many fun things to do while staying healthy.

Fun Activities to do in the Fall

The leaves are changing in fall and it is a beautiful sight to see. Go out on a hike and enjoy the sight. Get bundled up and grab a few friends/family and go apple picking. Most places have apple picking through September to October. Apple picking is a fun way to get outside and to get a healthy snack for later. Another thing to do if you do not like to apple pick is to go pick some pumpkins. Pumpkin picking is a thing that most people do in the fall. Get a few pumpkins, pick some cool ideas to either carve or paint on the pumpkins. Another fun idea is to go to a corn maze. Either enjoy getting through it with your friends/family or make it a little bit more competitive and see who can get through it the fastest. These are fun, easy, and cheap ways to get outside. Getting outside and a little bit of exercise while doing something fun is a perfect way to stay in shape.

Fall Healthy Snack

After you go pumpkin picking when you carve the pumpkin take the seeds out. After you take the seeds out of the pumpkin wash them and spread them out on a oven sheet. Put them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Take them out when they are golden brown and season them however you like.

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Caprese Avocado Toast

This is an easy recipe that you can make in less than ten minutes, and it is healthy and delicious. For this recipe it yields two pieces of toast.

Ingredients

1 avocado, lemon juice/lime juice, salt, black pepper (better if it is freshly grounded), 2 slices of sourdough bread toasted (if you prefer another kind of bread you can use this too), 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 cup mozzarella balls, basil, and a balsamic glaze.

Directions

Put the avocado and lemon in a bowl and combine. Some people might want less lemon while others want more. Then add the amount of salt and pepper you prefer. After you have your avocado mixture spread it on the toasted bread.  Then you must cut the cherry tomatoes in halves, and then place them on the toast along with the mozzarella balls and basil. After this your almost done, you can add more salt and pepper if you want it, then add the balsamic dressing glaze on top of the toast for more flavor.

Apple Sandwiches

Apple sandwiches are an easy snack that you can make in less than five minutes that are a cute and scrumptious snack.

Ingredients

The ingredients are based on how many you want to make, but you will need an apple/apples, peanut butter/almond butter, and granola.

Directions

First, cut the core of the apple out of it, and then cut the apple into circle pieces. Next, find two similar size apple circles. After you get two similar sizes add peanut butter and granola on one size of the apple. Then finally put two of the pieces of apple together like a sandwich. This is a quick and very easy snack to make.

Strawberry Pineapple Banana Smoothie

Smoothies are a easy way to have a healthy and tasteful snack especially on a hot day.

Ingredients

1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1 banana, 2 cups of orange juice, 1/2 cup of greek yogurt, 1 cup of spinach/kale (optional), 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional), and ice

Directions

Smoothies are really easy to be made and there is no specific way to blend them. In my experience I would add the fruit, juice, and yogurt together first and blend that together. Then add the spinach/kale and chia seeds if you want them in your smoothie. Finally, add the ice until the smoothie is at a texture and thickness you want.

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Smoking has always been a problem and it will continue to be a problem, but vaping has brought more and more people into using nicotine products. In 2011 about seven million people vaped globally and it has climbed to about 42 million by 2018. Vaping has became a worldwide epidemic.

Why do teenagers vape?

I went around and asked other teenagers if they vape and why they do it. The two biggest responses I got were: “It’s fun”, “It’s something to do when I’m bored”, and “It’s not as bad as smoking cigarettes”. How is it that teenagers vape as a thing to do when they’re bored now. Vaping has become so popular among teenagers these days and not just “it’s fun”, but it’s also advertised so much that kids that watch TV, YouTube, listen to the radio, etc. here or see stuff about smoking/vaping, and it’s advertised as something cool and fun.

Negative Affects of Smoking/Vaping?

The one negative affects most people know that a person can get from smoking is cancer, however not everyone knows how many different kind of types of cancer a person can get. There are at least about twelve kinds of cancer a person can get from smoking, like lung, stomach, liver, oral cavity and throat, esophagus, and many more. Besides cancer a person’s brain does not stop developing until mid-twenties and in some cases early thirties and nicotine negatively affects the brain when it’s not fully developed. When you smoke/vape when your brain is not fully developed you risk developing psychiatric disorders and cognitive impairment later in your life. Smoking at younger ages can also lead to attention deficits. In your brain you have a prefrontal cortex which is very important to controlling your behaviors, impulses, and how your personality develops. When a person smokes when their brain is not fully developed it can negatively affect the prefrontal cortex development. These are only some of the effects nicotine has on a person.

Most teenagers are not aware of the negative effects nicotine has on your body. They juul/vape/smoke because they see other people doing it and believe it is fun. Smoking should not be a thing to do when your bored because for the second it might be fun for them, but for the long term the effects it has on your body will not be fun. Smoking is horrible for a person’s health and even if a person works out and eats healthy they will still not be in good health if they smoke no matter what they do.