How to improve health: Tips for better sleep and diet

When it arrives to wellness advice, a lot of people today have extremely distinct opinions. From time to time you are going to hear people today say to take in keto and elevate weights, while other periods people today will say that you should do cardio and count energy. With the litany of unique tips, it can be complicated to come across a program that performs for you.

Lots of individuals want to increase their wellbeing and are not absolutely sure which spots subject the most — ought to slumber and food plan be the most important emphasis or must it be physical exercise? The actual solution is focusing on establishing a more healthy lifestyle and improving various areas of your lifestyle that can have a constructive impact on health.

Some of the most evident types are rest, food plan, work out, daylight and associations. Here’s how you can make minor improvements in each and every of these regions.

How to increase your sleep

Improving upon sleep might feel like an extremely hard process. Soon after obtaining property from university or function, time can just fly by. There are a few factors to do to assist you have greater snooze. Initial, ditch the blue light-weight before slumber. As tempting as it is to scroll through social media or textual content with your friends correct before heading to mattress, wanting at blue gentle can negatively effect your snooze. According to the Cleveland Clinic, scrolling on your cell phone can also retain your mind energetic, which will make it more challenging to tumble asleep.

Test turning off your electronics a couple of hrs in advance of bed and executing other pursuits, like reading a reserve or meditating prior to mattress, which can assist you to take it easy. Make confident to established your alarm in advance of you place your telephone down.

Another matter that can boost your rest is keeping away from caffeine prior to bed, for each the CDC. Consider to end drinking caffeine at noon each and every working day, so that way when you go to slumber, the results of it have worn off. Increasing snooze is about producing small improvements that will profit you in the prolonged run. Superior rest is essential for hormonal regulation and all round overall health, and it can set you up to make good decisions in the lengthy operate.

How to improve your diet program

Strengthening your diet plan can feel like a daunting job. One particular uncomplicated way to make alterations is to believe about earning uncomplicated switches. If you take in chips with lunch, take into consideration swapping them for carrots and celery. If you’re cooking a pasta dish, take into consideration switching the white flour pasta for a chickpea or pink lentil pasta. If you love fried chicken, attempt producing a baked version.

A handful of of these switches can be valuable in generating incremental, beneficial variations toward wellness. Also take into account what you can include to foods that you love. Say you seriously like mashed potatoes — take into account undertaking 50 percent potato and then fifty percent cauliflower. Or believe about a pasta dish you like, these kinds of as baked ziti. Imagine about how you can add broccoli and spinach to it. If your food plan could use some enhancement, odds are if you quickly switch to salads all the time, you won’t be earning sustainable adjustments.

There are other modest modifications you can make. Healthline indicates that you pay out interest to protein ingestion and continue to be hydrated through the day. A further tip is to remain away from diet plan meals. Assume about feeding on full food items when trying to strengthen your food plan.

How to begin working out

If you have stopped doing exercises, it’s not too late to get started doing it again. Genuine Basic indicates that when you’re trying to get again into the swing of exercising, start off compact. Instead of immediately striving to go back to wherever you were when you were exercising the most, get back into the behavior of accomplishing some motion every day.

The ideal exercise to do is the 1 that you will do continually and that you like. Experiment with health lessons or going to the health and fitness center or doing exercises at household or exterior. Finding a routine that you like can be beneficial to start off doing exercises.

A further way to get started doing exercises is to make accountability for by yourself. Communicate to a friend about finding again into a regime and build an accountability strategy. Even if you begin out compact, undertaking a small little bit of workout each week can help you to truly feel improved.

Why sunlight matters for pressure administration

Tension management can be a difficult issue to do. In accordance to the Stanford Life-style Medication Plan, taking care of pressure can be done by pinpointing the cause of the strain and then responding accordingly. Sunlight also can be an significant part of pressure management.

According to The Wellesley Information, sunlight can make us sense much less pressured. There’s just a thing about the solar that allows us sense better. According to a review posted in the journal Environmental Overall health Perspectives, daylight boosts the sum of vitamin D that you take in — numerous folks are deficient in this, so finding ample light-weight each individual working day can assistance your wellness.

When operating a 9 to 5, it can be tough to discover the time to go outside. Consider taking your lunch crack outdoors. This is a wonderful time to go for a quick, brisk wander as effectively, which can aid you get some movement in. Your temper may possibly also be positively impacted by expending much more time in the sunlight.

How to focus on relationships

Concentrating on relationships can enhance your total health. If you are pleased with your relationships, you may perhaps also be additional inclined to shell out more time increasing your overall health in other strategies, also.

Bettering associations is additional of an artwork than it is a science. Paying time with the people today you like can assistance you improve your relationships. When you are with a individual you love, acquire time to pay attention to them — really listen to them — and believe about what they’re stating. Make positive to let men and women in your lifetime know that you benefit them. It can boost your overall temper and well being to have strong interactions.

Seaweed, sardines and sauerkraut: the best diet for your brain at every stage of life | Nutrition

While the foundations of brain structure and function are laid during pregnancy and early life, the brain is constantly being fuelled and shaped by the food and drink we consume daily. We should be thinking of brain health like a pension plan; it is best to start as early as possible so that you have more to draw from when you need it. That said, it is never too late to invest in your brain health. Here is how to use nutrition to aid the brain at each stage of life.

Pregnancy

Most people know that you need to take folic acid to support a healthy pregnancy, but there is another lesser-known nutrient that is critical to brain development. Iodine is a trace mineral that is essential for the production of thyroid hormones. We know that thyroid hormones play a role in metabolism but they also determine the growth and development of the foetal brain during pregnancy.

Consequently, the World Health Organization describes iodine deficiency as “the single most important preventable cause of brain damage” worldwide. A lack of iodine impairs thyroid hormone production during pregnancy, meaning a baby’s brain development will be unavoidably affected, with studies linking low maternal iodine with sub-optimal scores for verbal IQ at age eight.

A good source of iodine … laver bread.
A good source of iodine … laver bread. Photograph: neiljohn/Alamy

Because adequate thyroid hormone is required from the moment of conception, women need to ensure sufficient iodine intake for several months before conceiving. This can typically be achieved by eating a balanced diet that includes a variety of dairy, fish and seafood. However, those who do not eat animal foods may need to consult a health professional about taking an iodine supplement. Too much can be a problem too, with an excess causing iodine poisoning or hyperthyroidism, so it is important to get the balance right. The NHS suggests that a supplemental dose of 0.5mg or less per day is unlikely to cause harm.

Good things to eat now
Fish and cooked seafood – seek out smaller, sustainable species, such as MSC certified sardines, salmon and mussels
Eggs
Seaweed is a concentrated source of iodine. The British Dietetic Association recommends not eating brown seaweed more than once a week, especially during pregnancy.

Childhood

The brain continues its rapid growth and development during infancy and childhood. Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly one called DHA, make up a significant proportion of the membrane of brain cells. DHA is considered irreplaceable for brain development and evidence shows it may be especially important to ensure that children are getting sufficient amounts through regularly eating oily fish. A recent survey found that less than 5{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} of UK children are meeting the fish consumption recommendations.

On the other hand, children in the UK are eating more than the recommended levels of added sugar. The UK government advises that free sugars – sugars added to food or drinks and found naturally in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and purees – should not make up more than 5{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} of the energy (calories) you get from food and drink each day.

Children are eating, on average, eight sugar cube equivalents over the advised limit, largely in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages, and prepackaged cakes and biscuits, often eating over 11g of sugar at breakfast alone.

Brain food … sardines.
Oily fish … sardines. Photograph: Denis Zubchenko/Alamy

Not only is added sugar a risk to teeth, the energy in sugar is easy to overconsume, increasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes. In turn, diabetes significantly increases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, and the longer someone has the condition the greater the risk, so it is very worrying that rates of diagnosis in childhood are on the rise.

Good things to eat now
Oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout, anchovies, kippers) or a supplement
Fresh fruit or cheese with oat crackers for snacks
Low- or no-sugar drinks

Adulthood

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) make up 55{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} of the UK adult diet, the highest in Europe. UPFs are foods that are sold ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat and produced using ingredients or processes for which there is no domestic equivalent. To improve palatability and shelf-life, these foods tend to be higher in added sugar, fat and salt, and contain less fibre than their homemade equivalents. So how might having a large proportion of these foods in our diets be affecting our brains?

Well, firstly, research indicates that it is causing us to miss out on brain-healthy nutrition. A Mexican study of 10,000 people found that the higher the consumption of UPFs, the lower the intake of vitamins B, C and E and minerals. A 2015 Brazilian study that assessed the diets of over 32,898 people found similar results; the consumption of UPFs was inversely correlated to the intake of vitamins B3, B6, B12, D and E, magnesium, selenium and zinc, all known to be important for brain function.

Cognitive coffee … in moderate amounts.
Cognitive coffee … in moderate amounts. Photograph: Alex Fung/Getty Images/EyeEm

Longitudinal research has shown a correlation between diet quality and size of the hippocampus (the brain’s memory centre). The greater the proportion of UPFs in the diet, the smaller this brain area – this is a concern because loss of brain volume is linked to poorer function. Indeed, a recent study found that just a few days on a high UPF diet caused damage to the hippocampus that tracked with impairments in learning and memory. Though we are still in the early days of this research, evidence is showing that higher consumption of UPFs is linked to increased risk of depression and harmful changes in the regions of the brain linked to learning and memory.

There is, though, good news for coffee drinkers. Moderate coffee consumption (two to four cups per day) has been linked to better brain health and reduced risk of cognitive decline, in part because caffeine regulates a neuroprotective brain enzyme.

Good things to eat now
A daily serving of leafy green vegetables (spinach, watercress, rocket, kale)
Beans, legumes and wholegrains
Coffee, tea (just watch the sugar and cream)

Later life

That dementia is currently the leading cause of death in the UK is not simply an artefact of longer life expectancy, because we know that other, longer-lived nations, such as Japan and Italy, have lower dementia rates. Revealingly, one study found that the Japanese Alzheimer’s disease rate had increased from 1{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} in 1985 to 8{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} in 2008 and cited the increased consumption of a western-style diet as the cause.

Help reduce dementia risk … sauerkraut.
Help reduce dementia risk … sauerkraut. Photograph: Yulia Naumenko/Getty Images

What low-dementia rate nations have in common is moderate fish and seafood consumption, plenty of vegetables and beans, fermented foods eaten regularly, and tea and coffee.

Good things to eat now
Oily fish
Kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, live yogurt
Berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, blackberries, cooked elderberries).

Kimberley Wilson is a psychologist with an MSc in nutrition and author of Unprocessed: How the Food We Eat is Fuelling Our Mental Health Crisis, published by WH Allen

7 Ways to Eat a Healthy Diet Without Spending a Ton of Money

I not long ago went to a restaurant in Denver the place the Cobb salad was near to $20, while the burger and fries price all around $15. The value big difference in between more or less wholesome foodstuff is apparent pretty much almost everywhere you go, and the current economy is generating it much more and much more high priced to grocery store in basic, permit alone to take in healthily. 

Diet performs a significant position in your physical and psychological well being as it can reduce your hazard of coronary heart condition, fortify your immune system, build muscle mass, increase target and additional. A nutritious food plan can glance numerous unique means, and there is certainly absolutely nothing wrong with the occasional burger. The key is to take in a numerous and perfectly-rounded diet program, with lots of develop these kinds of as fruits and veggies — and these are some of the trickiest foods groups to get adequate of if you might be quick on time and revenue. 

That stated, it is really critical to make certain you get the vitamins and minerals you want to sustain a much healthier overall body and intellect. The guidelines beneath will aid you store and try to eat sensible so you can be healthful with no obtaining to shell out an arm and a leg. 

How to try to eat healthily on a funds

A freezer shelf with small bags of produce and a container of soup.

Qwart/Getty Illustrations or photos

Program meals wherever you anticipate leftovers 

System your meals ahead of time so you can consolidate the number of items you have to have to buy at the grocery store. Apps like Mealime or Paprika can assistance acquire some of the mental function out of food organizing.

The greater the foods you system, the more leftovers you get, the more income you preserve (and the considerably less of your tricky-gained healthier food stuff goes to waste). Leftovers can be place to use in various dishes or even saved in the freezer to consume at a later time. I like to conserve leftover taco meat for a taco salad or breakfast burrito the upcoming day. 

Make a grocery listing and stick to it

Make a grocery record holding rates in intellect, so you know you might be sticking to your price range. When in question on the rate of an item, overestimate or use a selling price comparison app to double check out, like Flipp or Grocery King. Give you an added $20 or so for adaptability in case you see a few more necessities you may possibly not have thought of. 

Otherwise, it’s crucial to adhere to your record. Prior to you know it, your extra products can establish to be additional high priced than you foresee, pushing you about funds. 

Buy canned or frozen deliver

Canned and frozen food items might not be as delicious as the fresh things picked from your area farm, but they are just as nutritious and significantly much less high priced. You will have the similar amount of vitamins and minerals as you would if they had been new, and they final for a longer time in the freezer or can. Try out purchasing frozen or canned peas, corn, carrots, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and fruit. Appear for merchandise totally free of extra sugar or salt.

Frozen deliver can usually be applied in the exact recipes as fresh deliver with a little tweaking. Canned generate, on the other hand, is already cooked, so it’s excellent to toss into stews, soups and casseroles.

An open can of corn.

Carlo A/Getty Photographs

Be part of grocery loyalty golf equipment for bargains

Grocery suppliers offer discounts on certain items if you have a membership with them, like Safeway, Kroger and Huge. It is also free of charge to be part of. You may have to offer details like cellphone number and email, but the cost savings are substantial and recognizable in your close full. 

Consider benefit of sales

Along the exact same lines, inventory up on products you know you are going to require when they’re on sale, like seltzer water and proteins. This in particular goes for products with extensive shelf life and freezer-welcoming foods. 

Adhere to the generic shop makes

We all know and adore our title manufacturers, but store-brand name merchandise are noticeably lower in price tag than the identify-brand name solutions such as condiments, bread, yogurt, frozen veggies and far more. For the most aspect, you can barely flavor the big difference and the cost savings can add up. For example, Customer Studies calculated you preserve all-around 62 to 72 p.c for each serving if you buy shop-manufacturer ketchup about Heinz. 

Improve your personal food 

If you have a inexperienced thumb, rising your personal foodstuff in a backyard garden will save you superior income on develop. You also have the benefit of owning your favorite fruits, vegetables and herbs in your have yard. Not to mention the environmental impression, these as lowering fossil gas emissions and plastic waste. 

Easy foods to expand for beginners include onions, peppers, cucumbers and herbs these as basil or parsley. You can even mature food from your kitchen area scraps for free, this kind of as celery, lettuce or scallions.

The information and facts contained in this posting is for instructional and informational needs only and is not supposed as well being or health-related tips. Normally talk to a physician or other experienced well being company relating to any inquiries you could have about a clinical condition or wellness objectives.

Mediterranean lifestyle, not just diet, may greatly improve health

Mediterranean lifestyle, not just diet, may greatly improve health
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Much is known about the heart-health benefits of adopting a Mediterranean-style diet, with its heavy focus on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish and healthy oils. But what about the rest of the Mediterranean lifestyle?

Short of lounging on the beaches of southern Italy or an island in Greece, could adopting the focus on relaxed, familial dining, afternoon naps and strong communal bonds also improve health?

A group of researchers explored what would happen if middle-aged and older British adults—who live about 1,500 miles northwest of the Mediterranean Sea and its convivial way of life—adopted not just the dietary but also the physical activity and social habits of their southern neighbors. And they found that the more they adhered to this lifestyle, the lower their risk of dying from cancer, cardiovascular disease and other health conditions.

The findings, presented Feb. 28 at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health conference in Boston, are considered preliminary until full results are published in a peer-reviewed journal.

“This study suggests that adopting a Mediterranean lifestyle adapted to the local characteristics of non-Mediterranean populations is possible and can be part of a healthy lifestyle,” said the study’s senior researcher, Mercedes Sotos-Prieto, an assistant professor in the department of preventive medicine and public health at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. She also is an adjunct professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

Prior research has shown the Mediterranean-style eating pattern helps protect against cardiovascular disease, lowering the risk for heart attacks and strokes. In this latest study, researchers analyzed the impact of other Mediterranean lifestyle factors—including physical activity, rest, social habits and conviviality—on 110,799 middle-aged and older adults living in England, Scotland and Wales.

Participants were drawn from the UK Biobank, a multi-center, population-based study of people ages 40 to 75 who were free of cancer and cardiovascular disease when they enrolled between 2009 and 2012. They were followed until 2021.

A 25-point MEDLIFE index was used to score their adherence to the Mediterranean lifestyle. The index was broken down into three blocks: Mediterranean food consumption (12 points), which looked at what people ate; Mediterranean dietary habits (7 points), which looked at additional factors such as whether they snacked, added salt to their meals or preferred whole grains to refined grains; and other lifestyle factors (6 points).

The last block included questions on whether people ate meals with family and friends (conviviality); engaged in physical activity with others, for example by going on walks together; how often they met with family and friends (social habits); and how much sleep they got, both at night and through naps (rest).

After a median follow-up time of 9.4 years, death records were used to compare death rates for cancer, cardiovascular disease and all other causes between those with higher and lower MEDLIFE index scores. The analysis showed the more people adhered to the Mediterranean lifestyle, the lower their risk of dying from cancer or from any cause.

Specifically, compared to those with the lowest MEDLIFE index scores, adults with the highest adherence to the Mediterranean lifestyle had a 29{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} lower risk of dying from any cause and a 28{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} lower risk of dying from cancer. Higher scores for each of the three blocks of the MEDLIFE index were associated with lower cancer and all-cause death risks. Higher scores for the third block, related to lifestyle activities, also were associated with lower cardiovascular death risks.

The study highlights the important roles community and social engagement play in good health, said Marie-Pierre St-Onge, an associate professor of medicine and director of the Center of Excellence for Sleep and Circadian Research at Columbia University in New York City.

“The Mediterranean lifestyle involves interactions with others,” she said, a component that is particularly important for people as they age. Studies have shown social isolation may increase a person’s risk of having or dying from a heart attack or stroke.

The findings emphasize why “we should be paying attention to other aspects of lifestyle, beyond just physical activity,” said St-Onge, who was not involved in the study. “Maybe we need to look at more and more of these social factors.”

One thing the study did not explore and would be of interest in future studies is the impact of stress, she said. “When you think about the Mediterranean lifestyle, you think about living at a slower pace, but this study does not seem to capture that.”

More information:
MP08—Association of a Mediterranean Lifestyle With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study From UK Biobank. www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/?_ … 825/presentation/200

Provided by
American Heart Association


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Menstrual health: Top diet mistakes that can delay your periods

Menstrual cycle is an vital indicator of women’s reproductive wellbeing. Owning typical durations is a fifth critical signal. Having said that, the menstrual cycle pattern is various for all people. A ordinary cycle array should be in the assortment of 25-35 times for the ideal working of hormones. Intervals that are too early or incredibly late can be impacted by numerous elements like stress, stress and anxiety, medication and majorly food plan which have a incredibly vital part in your menstrual health. Comprehension how your diet regime can impact your periods can assistance you make informed conclusions about what you take in and how it impacts your body. (Also read through: 5 interval problems you should really not overlook )

Mehvish khan, Nutritionist and Accredited Diabetes Educator shared with HT Lifestyle, the major food plan faults that can hold off your durations.

1. Completely wrong blend of foods

It can be essential to fork out focus to the styles of meals you are combining and try out to take in them in a way that encourages balanced digestion and absorption of vitamins and minerals. Completely wrong combinations like fruit immediately after lunch and tea with breakfast interrupt essential nutrient absorption that is expected for healthy and common menstrual stream.

2. Ingesting much too a great deal-processed food

Processed foods is frequently large in energy, unhealthy fats, and extra sugar, which can lead to body weight obtain, a spike in blood glucose amounts that further more impacts the purpose of important hormones estrogen and progesterone included in the menstrual cycle.

3. Skipping foods

Because of to frantic life style or bad nutritional possibilities, ladies often have a tendency to skip meals which really slow down their rate of metabolism and guide to overeating later in the day which in very long run can guide to deficiencies of natural vitamins like B12, D3, zinc which is of utmost worth for healthy period of time stream.

4. Not performing on nutrient deficiencies

Just relying on supplements/remedies to enhance vitamin deficiencies is not advised. To avert nutrient deficiencies, it really is essential to try to eat a well balanced eating plan that consists of a wide variety of nutrient-abundant meals. If you suspect you have a nutrient deficiency, communicate to your healthcare supplier who can support you ascertain the induce and advise appropriate treatment or nutritional adjustments.

5. Not having adequate fruits and veggies

Fruits and greens are packed with vitamins and minerals and fibre, which can aid you truly feel fuller and minimize your risk of hormonal troubles. Maintaining a wholesome gut microbiome is significant for over-all wellness, and may well also assist to alleviate symptoms related with menstruation. Feeding on a balanced diet regime that features a good deal of fibre, fruits, and veggies can support guidance a healthy gut microbiome. Probiotic-wealthy meals, these kinds of as yoghurt, amla pickle, sauerkraut and kefir, might also be advantageous.

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Today star Jenna Bush Hager shares her healthy diet and workout routine

Jenna Bush Hager has opened up about her healthy diet, from her morning powdered greens to her love of turkey tacos, after undergoing a physical transformation last year.

In a new interview with Women’s Health, the Today star shared how she has recommitted to eating foods that keep her energized after realizing her packed schedule was keeping her from properly fueling herself. 

‘I have to be really cognizant of what I put in my body, and I think I realized [in the past] that I wasn’t doing that to the best of my ability,’ Bush Hager, 41, told the outlet. ‘My kids were eating really healthy, and I was just grabbing whatever I could.’

The Read with Jenna book club founder shared that she starts her mornings with a breathing meditation before having not one, but three different beverages for breakfast. 

Today star Jenna Bush Hager shares her healthy diet and workout routine

Jenna Bush Hager, 41, opened up about her diet in a new interview with Women’s Health 

The Today host shared that she starts her mornings with a breathing meditation before having not one, but three different beverages for breakfast

The Today host shared that she starts her mornings with a breathing meditation before having not one, but three different beverages for breakfast

She explained that she reminds herself to drink as much water throughout the day as she can. She keeps a bottle of water by her coffee machine and makes herself ‘chug it’ while she is waiting for her coffee to brew. 

In addition to her water and coffee, she has a scoop of Amazing Grass Green Superfood Powder in a glass of water, which has two servings of fruits and vegetables. 

Bush Hager has a paid partnership with the brand, and she recently shared a sponsored video of herself making her morning green drink on Instagram. 

The mother of three, who practices intermittent fasting, doesn’t have anything else for breakfast before heading to the NBC gym, where she will do a Peloton class or lift weights before work. 

She also works out with dance fitness instructor Amanda Bartolomeo, whom she has been training with since last year. 

‘I’m obsessed with jumping on mini trampolines or doing dance cardio,’ she told Women’s Health. ‘But those things are hard to do before work.’ 

For lunch, she likes to have a hearty salad, and while the ingredients may vary from day to day, she always makes sure to include protein, beans, broccoli, and other veggies. 

She did not inherit her love of broccoli from her later grandfather, former President George H.W. Bush, who famously hated the vegetable and was vocal about his distaste for it. 

Bush Hager has water, coffee, and a scoop of Amazing Grass Green Superfood Powder in a glass of water, which has two servings of fruits and vegetables

Bush Hager has water, coffee, and a scoop of Amazing Grass Green Superfood Powder in a glass of water, which has two servings of fruits and vegetables

Bush Hager then heads to the NBC gym, where she will do a Peloton class or lift weights before work. She also works out with dance fitness instructor Amanda Bartolomeo (pictured)

Bush Hager then heads to the NBC gym, where she will do a Peloton class or lift weights before work. She also works out with dance fitness instructor Amanda Bartolomeo (pictured) 

Bush Hager noted that she’s ‘not a huge snacker,’ but when a craving strikes, she will grab a Chobani yogurt and add peanut butter and almonds. 

After a day of work, she will sit down to dinner with her husband, Henry Hager, and their three children, Mila, nine, Poppy, seven, and Hal, three.  

Typical family meals include fish and broccoli or the Texas native’s personal favorite, tacos with lean turkey. 

‘My kids are usually like, tacos again?’ she admitted. ‘But I’m like, [they’re] the best.’

Bush Hager’s interview with Women’s Health comes a year after she discussed her new workout regimen on the Today show in January 2022. 

She was talking about new year’s resolutions when her fourth-hour co-host Hoda Kotb commended her on her appearance, saying viewers have been writing in about how great she looks.

‘Can I tell you something that I’ve noticed and our viewers have noticed over the past few weeks?’ Kotb said. ‘People have noticed that there’s like a transformation that’s been happening with you. You are — they are just saying, “Jen is looking amazing. She’s never looked this good.”‘

‘That’s so sweet,’ Bush Hager replied, but Kotb wasn’t done gushing.

Bush Hager likes to have protein-packed salads for lunch and tacos with lean turkey for dinner with her husband, Henry Hager, and their three children, Mila, Poppy, and Hal

Bush Hager likes to have protein-packed salads for lunch and tacos with lean turkey for dinner with her husband, Henry Hager, and their three children, Mila, Poppy, and Hal 

Bush Hager opened up about her six-month physical transformation last year, saying she started working out in the morning. She is pictured in August 2021

Bush Hager is pictured in December 2021

Bush Hager opened up about her six-month physical transformation last year, saying she started working out in the morning. She is pictured in August 2021 (L) and December 2021 (R)

Bush Hager showed off her figure while dressing up as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader for the Today show's Halloween special in October 2021

Bush Hager showed off her figure while dressing up as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader for the Today show’s Halloween special in October 2021 

‘Something is happening,’ she insisted. ‘I think for someone like you and me who constantly is berating and belittling, I think one of the things we should do in January is celebrate when something good happens. Celebrate it!’

Bush Hager, who welcomed her third child, Hal, in 2019, explained that getting back in shape has been a process for her.

‘I will say I think I have figured out what works for me,’ she said. ‘And I think the hard thing is I think we expect things to happen overnight. This has actually been almost six months.’

The mother of three credited her toned physique to her grueling early-morning workouts with her personal trainer.

‘The difference is I wake up before the show and work out — and really work out. I work out with an awesome woman named Amanda. Donna joins me sometimes,’ she said of Today contributor Donna Farizan.

‘Donna is a great inspiration,’ she added. ‘She gets up at the crack of dawn and meets me. And another friend of mine comes.’

While Bush Hager was feeling good, she encouraged others who are struggling with their weight to be kind to themselves.

‘Here’s the other thing — anybody that’s either gained weight during the pandemic or had babies and gained weight, it just takes time, and you have to give yourself that grace,’ she said. ‘Because my body isn’t 18 anymore.’