QOTW – Planning Food

Do you plan your food out for the week?

Not planning ahead is a sure fire way to sabotage any healthy eating. From personal experience, I know that my not planning leads me to take out. Even if that take out is a healthy option like subway it’s just not something I can start. It leads me to more take out meals because it’s so easy and then I start making a little poorer choices each time.

Plan ahead and get your meals and snacks prepared for the week.

Positive Thoughts to Reduce Anxiety

Stress is a natural and positive adaptation. Stress is what pushes us to get stuff done; however in our modern lives, the stress has built up too much and we don’t have enough releases. If we don’t get rid of this stress and anxiety, it can lead to serious health problems. There are many techniques out there to get rid of stress, but why not try one of the simplest options: positive thinking.

QOTW – Slow Workout Days

Do you have an “I don’t wanna workout” workout?

You know those days that you know you need to go and you’re going to, but you just aren’t into it and you want to get in and get out.

Do you have a plan for those days or do you wonder around the gym and not really get anything done?

Those are the days I will typically try to jog. Depending on if it’s at the gym or outside I can set little goals and just get it done. Then I do some quick crunches and am happy I did more than I wanted.

Post Pregnancy Tummies

I ran into a blogger that had many questions about fitness. All her questions led to a great blog post, so I wrote one up for her readers. Please visit I Complete Me Blog to check it out.

Something I would like to add for those that have stomachs that really aren’t going to be flat. Unfortunately, there is only so much that the skin can take. I personally live with the fact that I did not have any information about food or exercise when I was pregnant and I gained over 70 pounds with each kids. I can not put my skin back to pre-pregnancy by diet and exercise. I can tone up, lose the fat, and be healthy. But the skin was severely damaged with stretch marks and will not go back to flat.

Meditation as a Stress Relief Tool

I remember seeing comedy shows or skits when I was young where someone is practicing meditation. There was usually one person closing their eyes and “ohm”ing while the other person tried to imitate them or simply made snide remarks. While we used to look upon meditation as being funny, ridiculous, or just plain odd; we now know about all the benefits it has to offer. Originally, meditation was used to focus and gain religious knowledge. Now, it is commonly used to reduce stress and live longer, happier, healthier lives.

Too Low Fat?

Is there a such thing as too low fat? Quick answer…absolutely, positively yes! We have heard about the eating disorders and how they are so detrimental to our health. Few of us have ever been told the actual medical reasons why they hurt our health though. You don’t have to have the “actual” eating disorders to develop many of the same health problems. One such problem is a fat deficiency. I know, most of us don’t worry about this, but it is a necessary part of our diet and some of us are not getting enough good fats.

Reducing Cravings

We all crave food on a daily basis…It is called hunger. That’s not what we are talking about here though. I’m referring to food and drink cravings that can be caused by a nutritional deficiency, your emotional state or simply by habit.

Some people self medicate themselves when they are lonely, sad or just feel bad in general. After a while this turns into cravings for food when they experience those feelings. Eating a lot of food, especially foods filled with sugar causes the blood to rush to the stomach and a release of serotonin, resulting in feeling better – at least for a little while.

Juice for Vitamins

Grab a Glass of Juice Instead of Vitamins or Supplements

If you go into a health food store, or even a normal grocery store, you’re likely to find at least on aisle full of various vitamins and supplements. While these products may be helpful, they’re expensive, they can be a hassle, and they’re just not the best way to get all the nutrients you need.