Kelly Bonanno

Your soulful coach for wellness, clean beauty & eco lifestyle Savvy | Sexy | Beautiful | Healthy | You

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5 Things To Try That Will Energize & Motivate You

Try A New Sport I recently began taking tennis lessons with a few girlfriends and we are having a serious blast! Getting out in the fresh air and using your brain to actually learn the skill of a new sport is invigorating. We cart our kids around to all of their sporting events and practices, why not us?!

Volunteer It’s not news that doing good for others and giving of one’s time benefits the giver in many significant ways. Choose a cause that is near and dear to your heart and find out what type of help you can offer, even if it’s just 1 hour a week.

Get Plans On the Calendar Everyone is guilty of it, we run into someone we know and ‘talk’ about how we should get together. Pick up the phone, call one of those people you’ve been ‘meaning to make plans with,’ set a date, choose a venue and go have a good time!

Stop Wasting Time As busy as we are, we all do it to some extent. Take a look at some of the things that occupy your time and drop something that is holding you back, having a negative effect or just not furthering your cause.

Challenge Yourself It’s easy to get comfortable in our lives and just plug away day to day following the same routine. Is there something that you have always been tempted to try but were too scared… sky diving, bull riding, race car driving, running a marathon, learning an instrument, taking an exotic vacation, getting a tattoo… but fear is holding you back? Why not do it? Even if it’s something small, as Maya Angelou says, “do one thing every day that scares you.”

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Healthy Bites ~ 5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Health

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  • Go bananas. They’re full of potassium which has many health benefits including lowering blood pressure, stress and anxiety as well as reducing your risk of stroke. Bananas also have resistant starch, a type of fiber that is not absorbed so neither are as many calories and it’s been shown to improve insulin sensitivity
  • Swimsuit season is here so there is no time like the present to kick it into gear and get into shape. Looking hot in a bikini is good motivation but an even better reason? Staying in shape is good cancer prevention. Being sedentary and over weight causes just as many cancer deaths as cigarette smoking! Research strongly suggests that fat encourages tumors to grow so hop on that treadmill while you watch the next episode of The Real Housewives
  • Feeling a little sluggish during the day? You might not be drinking enough water. Dehydration can make you feel tired and it may slow your metabolism down. Stay hydrated and you’ll be more alert. Make it more palatable by adding a few slices of lemon, lime or orange
  • Germs Like hard surfaces such as light switches, door knobs and remote controls so wipe them of urlregularly, especially after someone in your family has been ill. Research has found that one third of the surfaces in hotel rooms were still covered in germs a day later, even after the room was cleaned. Eeww. Good reason to pack some wipes.
  • Are you looking to add more fiber and omega-3 fatty acids to your diet? Sprinkle ground flax seeds on yogurt, cereal, smoothies, nut butters and add some to your pancake and cookie mixes

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4 Healthy Things Moms Can Do To Take Care Of Themselves

Women are busier than ever these days. Whether you’re a stay at home mom or you work outside the home, you’re juggling a multitude of things. We’re working, keeping house, raising our kids and trying to take care of everything and everyone.url

As crazy as our lives get, we must also take care of ourselves or we can’t properly care for those around us. I’m a busy mom, doing it all with no nanny, housekeeper or family to help but I carve out time and look after myself with exercise, proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. There are simple things we can do that really make a big difference… Read entire article at Just Between Friends.

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Whole Foods Announces They Will Label GMO Foods

Last week Whole Foods made a smart decision. The health food chain announced that they will begin labeling all genetically modified foods and by the year 2018. Kudos to them!url

“Today, we stood up for the consumer’s right to know by announcing that all products in our US and Canadian stores containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) must be clearly labeled within five years. We heard our customers loud and clear asking us for GMO labeling and we are responding where we have control: in our own stores.

We are the first national grocery chain to set a deadline for full GMO transparency. By 2018, we will require our supplier partners to label products containing GMO ingredients, and we will work in collaboration with them as they transition to sourcing non-GMO ingredients or to clearly labeling products with ingredients containing GMOs.”

They predict that most of their suppliers will comply long before the 5 year deadline is up and the Whole Foods 365 brand is already nearly fully labeled. They are doing this even though Prop 37, that would have required GMO labeling for all foods sold in the state did not pass in California last year. Fortunately they realize the importance of letting consumers know which foods have GMOs.

Chances are, many of the foods in your pantry are genetically engineered because up to 80% of processed food in the U.S. contain genetically engineered ingredients. At least 85% of corn, canola and sugar beets are grown from GMO seeds. Soy and papaya are also often from genetically modified crops. There is no conclusive verdict on the the safety of GMOs but there are no set safety standards and there is significant scientific evidence that shows they are harmful and pose health risks including antibiotic resistance, endocrine disruption, reproductive disorders, organ damage, allergen exposure and accelerated aging – uh, no thank you! If you want to avoid GMOs go organic. The USDA certification of organic foods ensure that they are not bio-engineered in any way.

Thank you Whole foods for looking out for your customers, I hope all grocery stores follow suit and begin labeling all foods containing GMOs because consumers have the right to know what is in the food we spend our money on, whether it’s a law or not.

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Healthy Child Healthy World… When Did You Wake up?

urlHealthy Child Healthy World is a valuable resource for creating a healthy, safe home and life. Thanks to them, millions are waking up to the risks that toxic chemicals pose. James and Nancy Chuda founded this wonderful organization after learning that the cancer that ended the life of their 4 year old daughter was most likely caused by a pesticide that Nancy was exposed to during her pregnancy.

Part of their mission is to bring awareness of toxic risks to parents and to encourage healthier lifestyle choices. I am extremely impressed by this organization, the work they do is so important. I am passionate about living a healthy, toxic-free lifestyle so I love how they have truly empowered and enlightened the public and helped change things for the better. But it’s an ongoing uphill battle, this short video will give you an idea of what they are trying to accomplish. I hope you’ll join me in spreading the word by tweeting this, posting it on your Facebook wall and sending it to your friends and family.

I woke up about 7 years ago when I was pregnant with my youngest. I hit the snooze button at first but I’m wide awake now. When did you wake up?

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How Pure Is Your Honey, Honey?

Sweet, thick, golden, dripping honey. We’re told that it’s a healthy replacement for sugar, it soothes a sore throat, even helps calm a cough but many brands are contaminated. Yes, contaminated. Can consumers trust anything on store shelves anymore?
Imported honey has been found to contain heavy metals and animal antibiotics that could potentially make people sick, particularly children. Ingesting unnecessary and harmful antibiotics also builds antibiotic resistance. Much of the problematic honey is sourced out of China. Big surprise. They attempt to dodge high import taxes by shipping it to the U.S. through other countries such as India or mislabeling it, a practice known as ‘honey laundering.’
A study done by Food Safety News found that 76% of the honey sold in grocery stores and nearly 100% of the honey sold at big box chains did not contain any pollen. When pollen is removed from honey, not only does it lessen the health benefits but there is no way to trace where the honey actually came from so you can’t be certain it’s safe.
The FDA has done nothing about this issue despite the fact that public health groups, several members of congress and the honey industry have all requested that they put standards in place for over a decade. This is another area where Europe is ahead of the curve. Over the last 2 years, 27 European countries banned honey imported from Asian countries because of this problem.
In many cases, honey from China is also most likely diluted with high fructose corn syrup and rice syrup. How do you know your honey is pure? Buy USDA certified organic honey made in the USA. Go local if possible, but at the very least, make sure it is made in the USA.