Happy (Almost) New Year!

Happy New Year! Thanks for a great beginning to TeenSanity! I would like to have my final post of 2010 for TeenSanity focus on goals. TeenSanity was started because of one teenager's goal to change the teenage world for the better! Hopefully in the process I can inspire teenagers to change their lifestyle for the better and inspire teenagers to set goals! Please write some goals! Is there anything you want to achieve for 2011? Accomplishing a goal is the best feeling in the world. Having a goal and trying to accomplish it, makes life so much more exciting and wonderful!

What's a goal? A goal is a projected idea that someone plans to achieve.

So what's TeenSanity goal for 2011? There are so many, but I will only list a few. To inspire teenagers to eat healthy and exercise, instead of getting caught up in unhealthy activities. To make being healthy cool. To create a community of teenagers who want to inspire others to live a healthy lifestyle. To teach teenagers how to correctly exercise. To teach teenagers how to eat healthy and create healthy delicious recipes. To create a website that has content that teenagers can access and not feel embarrassed that they go on the website. And my favorite goal is to help teenagers come alive again. To show teenagers the true meaning of living a healthy life and how great it is! Here we come 2011!

The basics on affirmations

I love writing affirmation! When I read my affirmations out loud, I feel like I can accomplish them. Yes this may sound dorky! But I honestly feel better after writing them. Luckily for me, I have the most wonderful teacher, who has made writing affirmations really affective for me. I have tried to take the basics of what she has taught me and teach you! When I am back in school, I will have a more specific and more knowledgable post, but this is your basic information on affirmations.

What are affirmations?
Affirmations are positive thoughts or declarations of things you wish to achieve.

How does writing an affirmation help?
Positive affirmations have the ability to "re-wire" your brain and give you a feeling of happiness or optimism. These emotions can help face any challenge throughout the day.

This sounds stupid and ridiculous, why I am I doing this?
These are the exact words that went through my head when I first started writing affirmations. I felt embarrassed that I was writing affirmations. I thought these are only for people that are depressed. I was totally wrong. Little did I know how optimistic and lighthearted I would feel after I wrote my affirmation.

How do I write an affirmation?
First ask yourself, "Where am I now?" Write the answer down!
Then ask yourself, "Where do I want to be?" Write the answer down!
The next question is "What do I need to change to get there?"or "What is stopping me from getting to where I want to be?"
The final question is "What's my next step?"
Then write your affirmation.

Some tips to help you write an affirmation...
-The best way to write an affirmation is in the present tense, so use, "I am..." rather than "I will be..."
-Write your affirmation in the positive state!

Here are some examples of affirmations:
If I make mistakes, I am able to give myself the benefit of the doubt.
I deserve to be in perfect health.
I let go of my past so I can create health now.
I am deserving of all good things in my life.


Now get started writing those affirmations before 2011!

New Year's resolution

What is a New Year's resolution? It's a promise to ones' self to make a project or reforming of a habit, often a life style change.

What's the point of writing a New Year's resolution? I know when we were younger we were encouraged by teachers or parents to write a New Year's resolution (or at least I was) and I just wrote one because I had to, not because I wanted to. As I have gotten older, I have realized the importance of writing goals or resolutions down and not just anything, something that has a purpose to you. It may feel stupid, but it's important to address things that are bothering you and then change them into something positive. For me, when I write a goal or resolution and then I say it out loud, it makes me feel like I can do it. It's important to set little resolutions or goals because when you reach them, it's emotionally satisfying.

What's my New Year's resolution? My New Year's resolution of 2011is to not be hard on myself. Often I find myself, being extremely judgmental of myself. When I was younger, teachers called me perfect and asked me for my notes when they forgot their own notes. And it go to me, from then on the word perfect always been in my head. But now I have learned that no one is perfect. Yes, I said it. No one is perfect. So for 2011, I hope to erase the word perfect out of my vocabulary and stop judging myself.

What's yours?

Happy Holidays! Love, TeenSanity

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! This week I am going to focus on New Year's resolutions/goals. When I was younger, I didn't take them seriously and thought they were stupid, but now I see their importance.  This week I will be writing goals, affirmations, and resolutions for 2011! I hope you will join me and if you want to you can always share/email me at tessawithaz@gmail.com or teensanity@gmail.com! 2011 is going to be the year of teenagers creating a healthy lifestyle for themselves! Get ready for it:)

What to eat when you are out at the mall?

Sometimes I get very frustrated at the American culture because malls are packed with junk food. Last weekend I was starving at the mall and I couldn't find barely anything healthy that I could eat. This made me stressed out  and cranky. And no one wants to be cranky or stressed at a mall. You also do not want to wait till you get home because then you are more likely to overeat. I now have some tips on what to do if you are going to the mall and you want a snack. If you can, try to bring your own snack. Nuts or a piece of fruit is a good option. If you forget to bring your own snacks, I recommend going to Starbucks and getting their chicken on flatbread with hummus artisan snack plate or the deluxe fruit plate or the perfect oatmeal. All of these are healthy snacks that won't make you feel bad and are actually healthy! When you need a snack, look for an item low in fat (unless it is natural/healthy fats), high in protein, and low in sugar and salt! Do not skip snacks, you want to keep your metabolism working and by not eating snacks, it slows it down. I hope these tips help:)

TeenSanity has a youtube channel!

Here is the link to the TeenSanity youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TeenSanityOFFICIAL

Check out my first video about the goals for TeenSanity!

My Meal Plan to GET ABS!

I am not a nutritionist nor a physical trainer. But I do research and I test everything out. Currently I am trying to get my metabolism to get faster. So this is my current meal plan:

Breakfast: 1 protein smoothie (Almond Milk, Whey Protein Powder, Bananas, and Blueberries/Strawberries)

Key Foods: Protein and Fruit

Snack: Granola Bar (not those nutrigrain bars, but whole foods makes an awesome granola bar) or 1/4 cup of almonds and raisins

Key Foods: Whole grain carbs, healthy fats, protein

Lunch:  Chobani Plain Low-fat yogurt with Bear Naked Granola and blueberries or turkey and cheese rolled together and butternut squash soup or Turkey Panini with fruit

Key Foods: Whole grain carbs, protein, fruits, veggies

Snack: V8 low sodium or carrots and hummus

Key Foods: Veggies, healthy fats

Dinner: Whole wheat pasta primavera with chicken (one cup of pasta) or brown rice with veggies and chicken

Key Foods: Whole grain carbs, protein, veggies

Snack:  2 cups of popcorn  without butter (not microwaved)

Key Foods: Healthy high fiber, low calorie snack

You don't have to eat these exact foods, but if you stick to the meal plan and follow the key foods, you will feel much better! Try to spread these meals and snack evenly throughout the day! Eating every 2-3 hours is best:)

Relaxation Tip #1

Lately I have been focusing on nutrition and fitness because it really effects your mood. But sometimes you might need another tip to relax. I personally have built a "toolbox of tips" that help me relax for all different situations. If I am at home and stressing about school or making things more dramatic than what they actually are (which I do often), I will hold an animal. I am not a true animal lover, but I do have a soft spot for dogs. When I am stressed, I pick up my dog (or a friend's dog) and just focus on the dog. It takes my attention away from the stressful situation and my body starts to calm down. There is a reason animals are nicknamed "fury friends." I am not suggesting you go out on the street and pick up a stray cat or dog. DO NOT DO THAT. Play with your own animal or go to a pet store or animal shelter and hold a fury friend. It's not a drug that immediately takes the pain away, but it's natural way to relax.

Here I am with a friend's puppy (and yes there are bruises on my knee from dancing)!