Why Matcha-Coconut Refrigerator Cookies are Going to be Your New Holiday Favorite

Serving up chocolate-chip cookies during the holidays may be a staple, but there are many other concoctions that will please the family. One of the newest trends today is matcha-coconut refrigerator treats. These unique desserts are much different than the standard cookie. You won't notice the differences, however, because the taste sensation will take over the experience. Try a new, holiday favorite with matcha-coconut refrigerator treats. There are more benefits than you realize.

All-Natural Ingredients

Your new, favorite treat is full of natural ingredients. Aside from the everyday components, such as baking soda and powder, discover matcha powder, bee pollen and shredded coconut. Rolled oats and flour make up the bulk of the cookie with butter, eggs and vanilla extract bringing everything together. Go further with your all-natural ingredients by using organic or gluten-free products too. By eliminating fatty or synthetic ingredients, your holiday treats become healthy with hidden vitamins and minerals.

Feel-Good Properties

Matcha tea is a popular drink in Japan. High-quality leaves with bright-green hues offer a relaxed and happy feeling after drinking the brew. Within holiday treats, the matcha is in a powder form. By heating it up and consuming the matcha, you're releasing its feel-good powers. These sensations are due in part to the phytochemicals found in matcha leaves. The original plant photosynthesizes with the sun so that these chemicals naturally arise. 

Hidden Antioxidants

Matcha leaves also have antioxidants that include microbe- and bacteria-fighting organisms. Be aware that the powder version of matcha has some degraded antioxidants, but they're still present for your health benefits. To boost your antioxidant levels, the rolled oats offer their natural benefits. Fighting off oral ailments and everyday germs may be possible as you eat these treats around the holidays. Free radicals within your body can quickly damage tissue without strong antioxidants neutralizing their activity.

Fiber Perks 

The coconut and rolled oats have fiber within their structures. Fiber is a critical substance for healthy digestion. Without soluble fiber, your digestive system slows down and possibly impacts your health. Eat your holiday cookies and still receive a healthy dose of fiber. Don't forget to add in your raw fruits and vegetables to continue with a fiber-based diet. You'll feel better as you indulge in other holiday treats.

Bee Pollen Components

Bee pollen is an unusual ingredient because it's not a regular part of standard cookies. It acts along with the egg to bind the ingredients. Along with its functional aspect, benefit from its healthy components. Fatty acids, enzymes, minerals and vitamins are part of bee pollen because it's a core component of a complex ecosystem. Add it to your treats so that the entire family benefits from the anti-inflammatory properties. Any boost to your immune system during the holidays is a plus.

Recipes Call For Logs

Matcha-coconut refrigerator treats aren't just a pile of ingredients spooned into a cookie shape. Most recipes call for a refrigeration period. During that time, you're asked to roll the mixture into a log shape for easier cookie cutting before the baking. Nothing is more holiday-oriented than the log. The kids will love to see a log in the refrigerator, and they're welcome to help you cut it too.

Don't forget to employ your food processor for the rolled oats. By breaking down the ingredients, they'll adhere better to the bee pollen and various powders. The cookie's texture should be grainy, but with a smooth flow as you chew it. Matcha-coconut refrigerator treats may become a staple around your home for every holiday.

3 Unconventional Therapies for Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression are serious mental health issues that should be addressed with a health care professional as early as possible. Educating yourself about treatment options can lead to a more productive conversation with your doctor about ways to deal with anxiety and depression so that you can lead a full and productive life. These therapies are on the more innovative side of treating mental health issues and may surprise you with their effectiveness and ease of implementation. 

1. Walking and talking therapy



Time outdoors can do wonders for your overall mental state and relaxation. You may be able to find a therapist who holds therapy sessions outdoors while walking. This relaxed environment can help to clear your mind and talk more freely about the issues that you are facing. Sitting in a sterile therapist's office can seem daunting and unappealing to many people. Embracing Mother Nature is a great way to avoid that stigma and allow yourself to open up in new and engaging ways. 

Finding a therapist who employs this method could be as easy as asking for a recommendation from your doctor. It may involve trying out different therapists until you find the right fit for you to feel the most comfortable. 


2. Hypnotherapy


This therapy often gets confused with hypnosis, which involves someone else controlling your thoughts and actions. On the other hand, hypnotherapy is about reorienting your focus and channeling your energy toward a positive outcome. This is typically used along side other therapies for anxiety and depression to increase their effectiveness. The best thing about this therapy is that it allows you to take control of your own healing process and harness your own focus.


3. Laughing



Laughter has been shown to reduce your blood pressure and help you to process stressful situations. While mediation is often praised as one of the most effective therapies for relaxation, laughing has been shown to have many of the same benefits. It also does not require the same level of focus and concentration as meditation does. 

One of the great things about laughter therapy is that it does not necessarily have to be done in a formal setting. While many hospitals and exercise studies may attempt to incorporate laughter and humor into their regular sessions, laughter therapy is different for everyone. Spending time watching a funny movie or television show can be just the remedy you need to get that laughter going. 

4 Things You Should be Eating and 3 Things You Should Reconsider

When you want to have a healthy mind and body, it is essential to consume certain foods while at the same time, you should avoid eating other foods. Here is a list of four foods to add to your daily diet along with three foods that you should reconsider consuming. 

Foods To Add To Your Menus

Food To Eat 1: Brightly Colored Vegetables 

If you grew up hating brightly colored vegetables, then you must overcome your distaste for green beans, spinach and bell peppers. Brightly colored vegetables contain an assortment of nutrients, including antioxidants that help to eliminate the free radicals that can damage your body’s cells. Dietitians recommend consuming several servings of delicious vegetables each day rather than consuming large portions of beef, pork or poultry. 

Food To Eat 2: Dairy Products

It is important to consume dairy products that contain calcium and protein. Foods and beverages such as yogurt, milk and cheese have minerals and vitamins that will increase the strength of your bones and teeth. If you are lactose intolerant, then look for dairy products that are formulated with less of this enzyme so that you won’t have digestive issues. 

Food To Eat 3: Whole Grains

In the past, you may have consumed a lot of food that was made with refined flour. Today, experts recommend consuming whole-grain foods instead to ingest more fiber and nutrients. When you are consuming whole-grain breads or pasta, the foods take longer to digest, and the higher amount of fiber in whole-grain products will help you to feel more satiated. 

Food To Eat 4: Fruits

Rather than having ice cream, cake or pie for dessert, choose fruits such as apples, oranges or grapes. Find fresh fruits in the produce aisle of your local supermarket, or shop for canned, dried or frozen fruits instead. Fruits contain vitamins and are also naturally low in fat. When you are ingesting fruits, you are helping to hydrate your body to prevent dry skin and eyes. 

Three Foods To Reconsider Eating

Food To Avoid 1: High-fat Meat

While consuming protein is important for your overall well-being, it is a good idea to avoid high-fat meats. When you eat poultry such as chicken or turkey, make sure to remove the skin and visible fat. Look for ground beef and pork that has a low percentage of fat to avoid consuming useless calories. The excess fat in meat can lead to obesity or a high cholesterol level, and both of these conditions can shorten your life. 

Food To Avoid 2: Snack Foods

When you are shopping for groceries, avoid the snack food aisle where there are products such as potato chips, cookies and pretzels. These processed foods contain a lot of calories but few nutrients. Processed snack foods tend to contain high levels of fat, sugar and sodium. In addition, these foods are frequently expensive items that provide no nutrients or fiber. 

Food To Avoid 3: White Potatoes

It is possible to find huge bags of white potatoes at a low price, and you may eat this food frequently because it is versatile. However, white potatoes are high in carbohydrates. Rather than having white potatoes as a side dish, dietitians recommend having sweet potatoes instead. It is also important to avoid using a lot of margarine, butter or sour cream on the sweet potatoes because these foods are high in fat. 

5 Stress Relief Techniques To Implement Today

When you feel anxious the majority of the time, it is important to find ways to relieve your stress. The feelings from stress can become overwhelming, leading to additional health problems such as high blood pressure or insomnia. When you don’t try to relieve your stress in the earliest stages, you risk having serious complications such as a stroke or heart attack. There are new medical studies that reveal that constant stress can damage your brain’s synapses, leading to Alzheimer’s disease. Fortunately, you can begin using these five stress relief tips today to reduce your anxious feelings. 

Stress Relieving Tip 1: Get Enough Sleep

If you aren’t getting enough sleep on a nightly basis, then it can lead to more stress. While you are sleeping, your body releases hormones that heal your body and soothe your brain. When you aren’t sleeping because you feel too anxious at night, then you can visit a physician to learn if there are medications that you can use for a few weeks to help you sleep better. After you develop a normal sleeping pattern, your brain can cope better with stressful events. 

Stress Relieving Tip 2: Engage In Physical Activity 

By exercising as much as possible, you can reduce your stress levels. Experts recommend exercising three times a week for at least 30 minutes, but if you can exercise more than that, then you will feel better. When you engage in physical activity, it increases the blood flow throughout your body and brain. With additional blood circulation, your entire body is getting more oxygen that will help to lift your mood while eliminating stressful thoughts. 

Stress Relieving Tip 3: Learn How To Meditate

It is important to learn how to meditate because this practice will help to reduce your stress. By meditating for only a few minutes each day, you can clear the troubling thoughts from your mind. While you are meditating, your breathing also becomes more relaxed, helping to eliminate your anxious thoughts. If you don’t understand how to meditate, then look for a training CD or book on the subject at your local library. 

Stress Relieving Tip 4: Find a Support Team

In addition to asking for occasional help from relatives, create a support team of friends who you can turn to during a time of crisis. For many individuals without nearby extended family, joining a religious institution is an important way to have a support team. By having a support team, you can call to ask for help when an emergency occurs, or you can talk to a friend each week to overcome your anxious thoughts. 

Stress Relieving Tip 5: Take a Break 

If you are working all of the time, then it can lead to stress. To protect your mental well-being, you should take frequent breaks to enjoy activities such as watching sports or participating in hobbies. For additional stress relief, you should also socialize occasionally by going to a movie with a friend or attending a dance. Schedule a fun activity several times a week to relieve your stress. 

How Your Height Affects Your Health

Your diet, exercise habits and genetics are common factors that impact your health. For most seniors, you may not think much about your height playing into these scenarios. However, researchers are discovering that height effects health in a variety of different ways. Learn what you should look out for as the golden years continue.

Living Longer

Many experiments have been performed for various reasons when it comes to height and longevity. Short rats, for example, tend to live longer than tall rats. Although humans are certainly different from rats, our species mimics the same longevity factor. Shorter people typically live longer than taller people, but researchers don't have a clear reason to explain this relationship. For the most part, short people have had the advantage for hundreds of years. Primitive people with short statures became the elders of a society when taller associates died off at younger ages.

Slow Reaction Times

Height effects health in tall people with slower reaction times than their shorter counterparts. Injuries and accidents often plague tall people, which is often excused by saying the person is clumsy. There seems to be a scientific reason behind these poor reaction times, however. Tall people require longer nerve-signal times between the brain and limbs. Because of long arms and legs, the signals take extra time to move around the body so the person may have more mishaps as a result. If you're a tall person, taking your time with most movements is beneficial to your health.

Organ-Transplant Considerations

If you have an average or slightly taller stature, your chances of receiving an organ transplant are much higher than shorter people. Organs come in various sizes, depending on the donor's size. The majority of organs come from average-size people. Shorter people cannot use these large tissues so they're forced to wait. As you enter your golden years, organ transplants are more of a concern because of declining health or certain ailments. Placing your name on the waiting list is just the start. Your height effects health in a critical way during these situations.

Cancer Chances

Cancer has been linked to genetics, environment and lifestyle choices. It was rarely connected to height until recently. Researchers have seen links between tall people and cancer because of basic math. Tall people have more tissue to support the stature, from long bones to extra muscle mass. Because of the extra tissue, there are higher chances for cancer mutations. Be aware that other factors, including lifestyle, must also play a role. You can't change your height, but you can avoid cancer by leading a healthy lifestyle and visiting the doctor on a regular basis.

Mental Decline

Alzheimer's Disease is an ailment that preys on your mind. Forgetfulness and outright memory loss are part of this diagnosis. Researchers have found, however, that taller people tend to resist Alzheimer's Disease more so than their shorter counterparts. Shorter people are more likely to suffer from this disease, especially if there's a family history involved. Researchers are still trying to determine the link between memory and height so that some answers can be found for ailing patients.

It's important to remember that many factors contribute to your overall health. Control the things in life that are within your reach, such as grabbing fruit for a snack or taking a brisk walk. With a healthy lifestyle, you ward off certain ailments that might otherwise plague your golden years.

6 Exercises to Tone Up Your Lower Body

You may walk to many places as the retirement years settle in, but that fact doesn't mean that your lower body is any stronger. In fact, you might have extra weight or a bony structure to your legs. A balanced mixture of muscles, strong bones and fat should make up your legs so that balance and longevity are possible into your mature years. Tone up with these lower body exercises that are sure to improve your health.

1. Ballet Dips

Stand with your feet slightly hip-width apart with the toes facing outward at a 45-degree angle. Make sure a chair or wall is close enough to touch with your hands for stability. Carefully squat down until you feel a comfortable strain in your thighs or quadriceps. Lift back up and rest. Repeat this exercise several times for stronger legs.

2. Fire Hydrants

Lay a mat on the floor. Get down on your hands and knees. Tone up your legs and buttocks by lifting one leg for 10 to 12 repetitions. Repeat this motion with the other leg. The lifting action resembles a dog visiting a fire hydrant, which is where the name originates from.

3. Swim Kicks

Hop in the pool, and grab a kickboard. Your legs can be the star of the show when you isolate all of the swimming action to your lower section. Try several strokes, such as freestyle and breaststroke, by only using your legs for propulsion. The resistance of the water gives you an extraordinary workout.

4. The Lunge

The lunge may not be your favorite exercise from the past, but it's highly effective. Begin with one leg out in front of you and bend at a 90-degree angle. Hold the opposite leg behind you for support. Be careful to keep your front leg's knee over the ankle at all times. Drop downward so that your weight transfers to the front leg. Lift back up and rest.

5. Stamina Squats

Holding an exercise in place is difficult, and it challenges the muscle to work harder than ever before. Perform a squat, but hold the motion at the bottom of the effort. Continue to hold this position for 10 to 20 seconds. Release it and rest. With time and practice, you should be able to hold it for longer each time.

6. Walking Uphill

If floor exercises aren't exciting you one day, take your workout to the outdoors. Look for a moderate hill to walk up for at least 10 minutes. The uphill effort creates resistance as you strengthen your legs with each walk.

Staying active in any capacity is the key to warding off extra weight and certain ailments into retirement. Tone up with a friend so that you're always encouraging each other. Buddy systems during your lower body exercises will only get you to your goal much faster than as an individual.

4 Food Safety Tips Everyone Should Know

If you take driving safety seriously, you should take food safety just as seriously. Unless you are a professional driver, you probably spend less time driving than eating on your average day.

In a typical year, roughly one out of every six Americans gets food poisoning. That's about 48 million people. 

In most cases, it will be minor and they will recover on their own. But, more than 100,000 Americans end up needing medical care every year due to food borne illnesses. Some of them will have permanent adverse health effects and about 3000 people die every year. About 88 percent of such deaths are caused by just five organisms.

1. Keep It Clean
Food safety begins with cleanliness. The culprit here is bacteria that can grow on your hands, kitchen surfaces and on the things you consume. You want to wash your hands both before and after handling items. You need to also wash cutting boards, knives and other utensils. Kitchen counters, sinks, pots and pots and pans also need to be kept clean. 

Anything that can come in contact with the things you eat needs to be kept as germ-free as possible. Otherwise, those germs will get consumed when you eat and you can get sick from them, potentially very sick. You should wash produce, in other words fruits and vegetables. You should not wash poultry, meat or eggs.

2. Handle With Care
Meat, poultry, seafood and eggs are the primary source of dangerous bacteria. They need be kept separate from produce and other items from the start. This means you need to keep them separate while shopping at the grocery store. It means you need to keep them separate in the refrigerator. It also means you should have separate cutting boards for meats and produce. 

Produce or ready-to-eat items, like bread or snacks, tend to not grow the bacteria in question, but they can become contaminated due to exposure at the store or at home. It is important that poultry, seafood, meat and eggs be kept separate from other edibles at all times.

3. Cook It Properly
The Danger Zone is above 40 degrees and below 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the range in which bacteria thrive and multiply. In cool weather, you can only keep items for up to two hours in this temperature range. In hot weather, above 90 degrees, you window of safety is a mere hour. In order to be safe to eat, things need to be cooked thoroughly and kept above 140 degrees until served. A thermometer is the best way to make sure items have been properly cooked. 

4. Keep It Chill
If you aren't cooking it or eating it, you should be keeping it cold. This means it needs to be refrigerated or frozen. There are no exceptions. It isn't okay to marinate meats on the kitchen counter at room temperature, nor to defrost them this way.

If you are marinating meat, keep it in the refrigerator while doing so. Thaw items over night in the refrigerator or quick thaw in the microwave or in a Ziploc bag left in a bowl or sink of water. Warm water can thaw items rapidly for prompt cooking.

When you get home from grocery shopping, cold items need to be put away promptly. After a meal is done, leftovers also need to be put in the refrigerator within one to two hours, depending upon the ambient temperature. In hot summer months, you have less wiggle room on this.

You are what you eat, and if it contains high levels of infectious bacteria, what you can be is seriously ill. Make sure to keep it safe by keeping everything in the kitchen clean, keeping meat, fish, poultry and eggs separate from other produce and other items, cooking everything properly and chilling everything both properly and promptly.

3 Best Vegetarian Lasagna Recipes

Most of us know that receiving the proper nutrients on a daily basis will ensure overall great health. However, consuming the right foods isn't always easy. These three simple vegetarian lasagna recipes feature creative ways to incorporate key nutrients into your diet. 

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe #1

Ingredients 

1 diced onion 
About 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups cottage cheese
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red or green bell pepper 
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 1/2 cups marinara pasta sauce
1 egg
1 sliced zucchini or squash
2 tablespoon parsley 
2 tablespoon basil
1/2 Parmesan cheese 
2 sliced mushrooms 

Instructions 

After preheating your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, completely cover a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. 

Use the oil to sauté the mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and zucchini in a large skillet over medium heat. Gradually stir in the marinara sauce when the veggies are finished cooking. This process should take about five minutes. 

Combine the egg, cottage cheese, parsley, basil, 1/4 cup of Parmesan, and 1 1/4 cup mozzarella in a medium bowl. 

Grab the prepared baking dish and spread about a quarter of the veggie-marinara sauce at the bottom. The next layer should be 3 no-boil lasagna noodles followed by a third of the cottage cheese mixture. Lastly, add another layer of veggie-marinara sauce. Repeat these four layers about three more times. 

Top the lasagna off with the remaining Parmesan cheese and mozzarella and then cover the baking dish with foil that is coated with cooking spray. 

The veggie lasagna should be baked for 40 minutes with the foil. After 40 minutes, remove the foil and then bake for another 10 minutes. 

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe #2 


Ingredients 

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese 

1 pound mashed tofu

3 cups steamed vegetables 

1 jar pasta sauce 

8 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles 


Instructions 

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

The layers of this vegetarian lasagna dish are as follows: 

1. A thin layer pasta sauce
2. no-boil noodles
3. A third of soft tofu
4. A third of pasta sauce
5. A third of steamed vegetables 
6. A third of mozzarella 

Repeat these layers twice starting with the no-boil noodles and ending with the mozzarella. Place for over the baking dish and bake for 40 minutes. This delicious entree serves six to eight people. 

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe #3


Ingredients 
Two minced garlic cloves 
1 chopped yellow onion
1 egg
5 cups marinara sauce
1 package no-boil lasagna noodles 
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable cooking spray 
1 chopped yellow bell pepper 
1 1/2 cup Riscotta cheese 
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
1 red bell pepper chopped 
4 sliced zucchini 
5 sliced mushrooms 

Instructions 

First, preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the zucchini, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic in a pan coated with cooking spray for about 14 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit after the vegetables have browned.

Combine the egg, ricotta, 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. 

Begin the layering process by spreading 1 cup of marinara sauce in the pan. Next, add the no-boil noodles, marinara sauce, 1/3 ricotta mixture, and 1/3 of the vegetables mixture. Repeat this layering process twice. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top. 

These three vegetable lasagna recipes are great for people who may have trouble receiving the proper intake of veggies on a daily basis. The benefit of these recipes is that you can customize the ingredients to your liking.

Have You Tried Salmon and Asparagus Salads? You Should

Caesar, chef and Chinese salads may be the top mixtures at most restaurants, but there are so many other variations that you should consider. Although the combination sounds unusual, creating a salmon and asparagus salad gives you a world of different nutrients to benefit from. If you haven't tried this salad before, it's time to retreat into the kitchen as you discover its incredible features.

A Basic Recipe

Chop up several of your favorite veggies, including green onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. Mix them up with a handful of asparagus, garlic and ginger. Drizzle walnut oil, lime juice and honey onto the mixture. Toss the salad to combine everything. Grill or broil your salmon before placing it carefully on top of the salad. This meal has complex flavors that will only leave you feeling full and satisfied. You can always alter some of the ingredients to your taste, such as adding in different vegetables. As long as you're happy with the mixture, you'll eat it on a regular basis.

Omega-3 Perks

You'll find omega-3 fatty acids in the salmon. By eating this dish once or twice a week, you can consume a fair amount of omega-3 nutrients to keep your good cholesterol high while fighting off the bad type. Because omega-3 fatty acids improve your cholesterol numbers, the cardiovascular system becomes protected with fewer occurrences of heart disease in people who consume these nutrients on a frequent basis. In addition, salmon also offers a metabolism boost that's critical to weight control as you grow older. 

Glutathione

Within the asparagus component is glutathione, which is an antioxidant. It's found in many plants, and it contributes to cellular repair and protection. With this fact in mind, glutathione is often associated with cancer-fighting properties. If you're entering retirement, you want to ward off every disease, including cancer of any type. Glutathione operates in the body as a free-radical eliminator as it fights oxidation across the tissues.

Critical Vitamins

Asparagus may appear benign, but it has an amazing amount of vitamins packed into those stalks. With one serving, you'll benefit from chromium, vitamins A, C, E, K and folate. When you combine asparagus's nutrients to the rest of your meals in a given day, this vegetable is one of the most dense foods on the table.

Additional Ingredient Benefits

Garlic and ginger are often used together in many cuisines, such as Chinese meals. Their taste combination is alluring, and they also offer important health benefits. Both of these ingredients fight off inflammation. Your body wants to avoid inflammation because that reaction can trigger more issues to arise, such as pain and poor flexibility. Ginger and garlic are also contributors to cancer fights and infection control. Enjoying retirement is much easier when you have garlic and ginger in your system to combat any ailments.

Be sure to pick a salmon fillet that's completely devoid of bones. Most salmon is sold without bones, but it's possible to pick the wrong cut at some point. Your salad should be easy to eat with a forkful of salmon, veggies and dressing all at once. After trying a salmon and asparagus salad one time, you'll be hooked on its taste and health benefits.

3 Tricks to Get Yourself Exercising

At any age, you might find it difficult to exercise on a regular basis. Work, family and other responsibilities simply take priority in life. During the retirement years, you have more time on your hands that can be dedicated to exercising. Ideally, working out for about 150 minutes a week is optimal. Get this time in by using these basic tricks and get yourself exercising. Feeling and looking younger than ever is a reward for every 50-something.

1. Do it First Thing

One of the most common reasons why workouts don't happen is the time factor. You promise yourself to exercise in the afternoon, and shopping or babysitting gets in the way. For most of the week, you hope to exercise but nothing occurs. Trick yourself into exercising most days of the week by simply doing it first.

Get up in the morning, brush your teeth and head to the gym. When you make exercise a priority with breakfast and dressing yourself, there are no other excuses to create and miss that workout. You'll feel energized afterward, which helps with every other task during the day. It might be necessary to wake up a little bit earlier than normal, but the effort is worth the rewards. As you grow into the senior years, exercise becomes a critical activity for your overall health. Add in aerobic and resistance training to round out your morning regimen.

2. Make it Social

By nature, humans are social animals. Every task in life can be social, from cooking dinner to solving a problem. Exercising is another activity that definitely benefits you from a social perspective. Find a friend that encourages and inspires you. Commit to a weekly workout goal together. It's much harder to skip a workout when your friend is urging you to join him or her. 

During the buddy workout, each person offers their own challenges to the other participant. The faster person inspires the other one to pedal harder on the bike or to run faster on the treadmill. These small challenges make each workout more fun than the next one. Because you'll notice a more toned body as a result of the challenges, you'll want to exercise even more with the friend. This scenario continues on its cyclical pattern as you get healthier each day.

3. Create a Reward System

You may have heard of reward systems before and wondered about their value. Many people perceive a reward as a fatty snack or food, which negates the health benefits of the workout in the first place. Think of a reward that's not food based, such as watching a favorite movie or buying art supplies for a project. These rewards cannot be achieved in any other way besides working out on a regular basis. 

As soon as you complete the workout, reward yourself. The brain responds to this situation by associating exercise with a positive outcome. Although a healthier body should be the reward, it helps to have a more tangible prize to focus on. Continue to reward yourself so that a pattern emerges in your mind. The workout habit will be ingrained in the mind after only a few sessions.

Don't forget that household chores can count toward your exercise goals. Vacuuming the entire house is essentially an aerobic routine. Consider all of the activities that you perform in a given day so that you can add up the exercise time. You may be more active than you first thought.