HEALTH AND FITNESS
6
SEPTEMBER IS SELF-
IMPROVEMENT MONTH
My name is Courtney K. Pennington, I’m a licensed massage therapist and Reiki Master/Teacher. I will be
contributing wellness tips. I wanted to say thank you to Queen Size Magazine for inviting me to contribute
to this publication.
With September being self-improvement month, I thought it would be great to start off with some tips to
bring out a better you this upcoming Fall. Here are my ideas for some easy and maybe not so easy efforts
to make towards self-improvement. Try implementing a few each week during the month.
Just like it’s a great way to start your day, eating a better
breakfast is a great start to improving your life. Try something
simple like a “Honey Yogurt Fruit Smoothie”. Use equal parts
fruit and yogurt about 1 cup of each. I love blueberries, and
plain yogurt is great because you can build the flavor content
of your smoothie just the way you want without conflicting fruit
flavors. For a healthy sweetener use honey to taste (maybe
2 teaspoons) depending on your preferred sweetness level,
and ice. Throw all ingredients into a blender and mix it up. You
can use a little milk if you’d like a thinner consistency. Give it
a taste before you pour yourself a cup so you can adjust your
ingredients while still in the blender. Just a re-cap, throw 1 cup
fruit, 1 cup plain yogurt, +(-) 2 teaspoons honey, milk and ice
into a blender for an easy breakfast smoothie.
Make “No -Cook Over-Night Oatmeal” by combining 1/3 cup
milk, ¼ cup rolled oats, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 2 teaspoons chia
seeds, 2 teaspoons honey, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a 1/2-
pint jar with a lid; cover and shake until combined. Remove
lid and fold in ¼ cup blueberries. Cover jar with lid and let sit in
the refrigerator overnight about 8 hours. In the morning, its will
be ready for you, when you start your day.
Try an “Avocado Egg Boat with Bacon Waves”, Pre-heat your
oven to 425 degrees, you’ll need 1 large avocado, 2 small
eggs, at least 2 strips of bacon, salt, freshly cracked pepper,
shredded cheese (optional). Wash then cut the avocado in
half and remove the core. Place the avocado (hole up) in a
ramakin or baking dish, crack egg into center of avocado,
season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on chopped bacon (if
you like it crispy, precook