If you are taking the time and reading this whole article means you are new to working out or just thinking about incorporating fitness into your lifestyle – which is amazing! Congratulations on making this decision and for taking a step in the right direction. I’m sure you’ve already heard about the benefits you can receive if you live an active and healthy lifestyle. From an improvement in your mood and decreased feelings of depression, anxiety and stress to better sleep quality.

Now we are getting to the trickier and a little bit more overwhelming part: Where and how do I start? With all different kind of talk about the magic workout to do or the perfect amount of time to spend in the gym, it’s hard to know where to start. And if you’re not clear about what you’re doing (or why you’re doing it), it can be easy to throw in the towel when things don’t go as planned. Let me help you by giving some general advice I would also give to my clients.

Hokkaido Pumpkin, also known as “Red Kuri Squash”, is rich in vitamins and contains minerals such as: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, beta-carotene and Vitamins A, B, C, which makes this pumpkin a super nutritional food for the colder fall season. Hokkaido pumpkins are some of the easiest pumpkins to prepare and store; due to their flavor and their smaller size, they are growing in popularity which makes them less expensive compared to other pumpkins. To prepare the Hokkaido pumpkin, you have to remove the seeds and fibers before using for cooking, the skin is perfectly edible and does not need to be removed regardless of how you want to prepare it. Personally, I’m a huge fan of this pumpkin and enjoy the delicate, sweet and slightly nutty flavor every single time.

We sit down at the office, then we sit in the car or the train, and once home, we sit to eat and watch TV! Working in a corporate job, sitting at a desk for several hours a day is one of the reasons why people are getting medical and health related issues. Small changes, practiced consistently over a long period of time, are the best way to increase health and well-being.

Avocado Pesto is one of my favorite dishes if I’m in hurry and don’t have the time to cook a time-intense meal. This recipe is super fast and easy to prepare – and leftovers can be stored for a few days in a sealed mason jar for a couple of days. Avocado is a high-fat food. In fact, 77% of the calories in it are from fat, making it one of the fattiest plant foods in existence and in my opinion perfect for pesto.