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The last post in my series about eating healthy and finding deals on health food addresses a question many of us have had at one time or another: What does it mean to "go organic," and, "why buy organic?" Once again, Victoria has an awesome and informative post that addresses these questions, then finishes with mouth-watering recipe chock full of organic food.  Thank you for sharing your passion with us Victoria! Making the choice to purchase and consume organic food is a personal one. However, it is a choice that you should feel very good about making. By purchasing organic foods, you are ch......
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In part 3 of our series, Healthy Eating on the Cheap, financial blogger Victoria, happens to also be a health food nut who is passionate about organic eating. She has some great tips for buying organic foods if you are buying on a budget.  Thank you for blogging for me today Victoria! Buying Organics on a Budget Perhaps you have decided that purchasing organic foods is going to be a priority for your family. Although your budget may not have much wiggle room, there are ways to make this lifestyle work. Fortunately with more and more interest in organically grown food, there are many options a......
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We stump, stoop, slouch…so much so that the quality of our everyday lives can be directly affected from these posture problems.  I thought of this while sitting at the computer working, and had to stretch to relieve that nagging tightness between my shoulder blades. At the same time, I noticed a whole slew of other bad habits I was committing, and quickly set about practicing what I preach. Why good posture is important: Practicing good posture can improve your breathing, decrease your risk of injury, help you move more easily through the tasks of daily living, and also improve your sports ......
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Not long ago, if your neighbor had told you she was training for a triathlon, you might have looked at her crossed-eyed and with one eyebrow raised. Once thought of as an endurance sport for athletes who had both an unnatural pain threshold, and oodles of time on their hands, triathlon has in recent years become a sport for anyone who likes variety, has a few hours each week to dedicate toward training, and enjoys challenges small and large. No longer a sport just for the guys, the proliferation of female participants in triathlon events proves its growing popularity: in the late 1990s, women ......
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Did you give yoga a shot once upon a time, only to walk out mid-class, scratching your head and wondering, what was I thinking? It is possible the style you tried didn't match your personality, athletic ability, or just moved at a pace geared more toward advanced yogis than beginners. It isn't uncommon to feel lost during your first several classes, but there is a way to ensure you don't feel too out of place: pick the right style of yoga first. Before you write off yoga for good, try a class that is a better match for your personal style. I've compiled a short list of the most common yoga sty......
Jun

05



healthy breakfastI am a creature of habit.  I tend to fix what I already know how to make, and I shop the same way, purchasing the same foods over and over again. Okay, maybe I’m just lazy. Let’s face it, our lives are busy and adding variety in order to create a healthy meal plan takes some time. It is much simpler to buy the foods we know we can find and prepare what we know how to make without the time consuming process of finding  and trying new recipes.

Thankfully, the folks at EatingWell.com understand this dilemma and have designed a healthy menu planner that is simple, and best of all – FREE!

The EatingWell Menu Planner let’s you create daily or weekly menus. You can then print a handy shopping list based on your menu, then use their calorie counter tool to calculate the calories in your menu. It is an easy way to find healthy recipes and plan meals well in advance, and track calories.

Check out their “Cheap Eats” to find over 100 recipes for healthy, budget-friendly meals!

Sep

09

I’ve noticed a common theme lately among clients, neighbors and friends who are trying to focus on making healthier choices every day, but are somehow falling short of their own expectations: lack of focus. Perhaps the bar is set too high, or your time and energy are spread too thin? There could be many reasons for those days, or even weeks, when you just aren’t as motivated to do all of the healthy things you know you should.

My advice:

  • Don’t beat yourself up. You’re entitled to a little down time, and I think it is healthier to take a break and get back on track when you’re good and ready, than to fall off the wagon completely and never get back on. Use the down time to re-assess your goals, your motivation for adopting a healthier lifestyle, and no matter what, don’t give yourself a bad grade.
  • Change can be scary, but it can also breathe new life into your workout routine and get you excited about exercising again. A recent article in Forbes magazine highlighted fitness trends for 2008 – why not try one? Forbes – Fitness Trends
  • Try a new recipe — even mixing up what you eat and when can motivate you to keep making healthy choices. Check out Eating Well for ideas.
  • Challenge yourself. If you stick to your routine faithfully for months, only to completely burn out and lose interest, maybe you’re not challenging yourself enough. Re-evaluate your fitness goals, or train for an upcoming race, or learn a new sport, such as rock climbing, boxing or soccer.

Check out these websites for inspirational ideas:

Women’s Sports Foundation

Beginner Triathlete

Hal Higdon – a great resource for marathon training from one of the most highly respected experts in the running world.

Sep

07

Surfing the world-wide-web for information can be the equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack. Logging hours scouring pages of information from hundreds of sites is also time consuming. As I’m sure you’ve discovered, some website are a goldmine for information, while others provide little in the way of valuable.

I scout the net for information on a regular basis too, and when I find a website worth coming back to, I like to let people know. After all, the more time you save looking for answers, the more time you’ll have to work out!

Below I’ve compiled my picks for the best ‘healthy’ recipe websites, food tracking sites, and nutrition tips/advice.

Enjoy!

Here are my ‘Blue Sky’ picks for Recipe and Nutrition Websites

Cooking Light

FoodFit
Hodgson Mill
Food for Life
Mayo Clinic
Discovery Health

American Heart Assoc
Harvard Nutrition Source
More Matters

Kagome

Light Life

Whole Foods Market

Food Network

Archives

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