1. Exercise Regularly – This is probably one of the most important aspects of staying healthy.  You don’t need to workout three times a day to stay in shape.  Instead, try a variety of activities (running, biking, aerobics, etc.) in order to give your body a chance to get itself in shape.
2. Eat Moderately – I can tell you from experience, eating healthy is not easy and, believe it or not, you don’t need to in order to live a healthier life.  The key is moderation.  Instead of eating fast food four times a week, try to gradually cut back to once or twice.
3. Partner Up – Accountability is another important aspect of becoming healthier.  Find someone who shares your same goals and interests and hold each other accountable in your quest to be healthier.  It can go a long way.
4. Get Sleep – Your body should get six to eight hours of sleep each night in order to function properly the next day.  If not, you’ll be feeling tired, worn out, and irritable.  Getting plenty of sleep at night is a key part of staying healthy.
5. Eat Breakfast – Eating breakfast is essential to starting your day in a healthy manner.  You should eat a balanced breakfast but, in the end, anything is better than nothing.  Too busy in the morning to stop and eat?  Invest in some miniature cereal packets or cereal bars.
6. Brain Exercises – Not only should your muscles be exercised in order to stay healthy, but you should exercise your brain, too.  Problem solving, creative thinking, and logic games are a great way to check this off of your list.
7. Lifestyle Choices – Researchers estimate that 70% – 80% of your life expectancy is based upon your lifestyle choices – drinking, smoking, eating, sleeping, and exercising (just to name a few).  If you’d like to start living a healthier life, changing your lifestyle habits would be a huge step in the right direction.

A few months ago, I decided that I wanted to be a “more fit” person.  Not necessarily bulk up, but just stay healthy.  I would eat right, exercise at least 5 times a week, and get in better shape.  I’m not overweight or on the verge of any serious conditions, but it was something I had always wanted to try and had never done.  It seemed like the perfect time to test the fitness waters.

Wrong.  Not so much.

My working out lasted about two or three weeks and then I became tired and worn out.  My eating choices continued to be healthy but I wasn’t as tough on myself as I was when I was working out.  This rut lasted for a few months until I realized recently that I needed smaller, more visible goals to keep me going out of the gate.

These smaller goals needed to be the lifeblood of my fitness plan.

Sure, my goals to be a healthier person and to get in better shape were great, but they didn’t have any physical dimensions – I couldn’t rely on them to get me exercising on a morning that I didn’t feel like doing anything.

More tangible goals, like the ones listed below, are great for those tough days when you know you should be exercising but really don’t feel like it.

Here are some of the goals I’ve put into place for my workouts and exercise times.  Remember – these goals are always going to change as I accomplish them.  Keep giving yourself new goals.

• Biking/running/walking routes that I have never traveled.
• Daily changing the workout routine that I do.  I even make it to where I’m not doing the same workout routine in back to back weeks.
• Trying to exercise with other people at least once a week.
• Participating in at least three different exercise styles each week (i.e. running, biking, tennis, working out, etc.)

These are only a few of the small goals that I’ve come up for myself in relation to exercising and staying in shape.  These goals are tangible.  I can see the results from them each day.

Having smaller, more visible goals will help you get through those moments when you don’t want to exercise and they will prove to be a vital part of your routine.

When you exercise, your body uses two important things to keep you moving and healthy – carbs and proteins.  The carbs help you stay energized (consider it like the gas in your car) and the proteins allow for your muscles and tendons to repair themselves once you have strained and flexed them (like the oil in your car).  Without these two things, you aren’t going to have a great time exercising.  You’ll be tired, sore, and you might injury yourself.

How do you make the most out of your exercise time?  I’m glad you asked.

1.  Eat Before

You should never work out or exercise on a completely empty stomach.  A lot of people wake up in the morning and begin their workout right away but it really shouldn’t be done like that.  Take 5 minutes to eat a banana, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or maybe a half of a bagel.  Don’t pig out but just make sure you have something in your stomach.

2.  Eat After

According to the article I read, your body only has a small window of time when it rebuilds and restores all of your muscles once you put down the last barbell or put away the tennis balls.  Make sure that you eat a snack or meal that is abundant in carbs and proteins, such as pasta, peanut butter and jelly, turkey with cheese, any assortment of nuts/berries, or a protein bar.  This will help your body repair your muscles and will give your stomach the satisfaction it needs.

3.  Stretch

It’s crucial to stretch before AND after a workout or any form of exercising.  Stretching helps to ease your muscles in and out of your joints and will enhance your flexibility.  Stretching before a workout could be dangerous but only if you overstretch, causing muscle tears and other injuries.  Make sure you just do a light stretching routine before exercising.  Most people wonder why you should stretch after a work out.  Take this advice from wellnessletter.com:

“Stretching improves flexibility, which allows you to move your joints through their full range of motion. Flexibility is a key element of fitness; it can enhance physical performance and relieve muscle tension and stiffness. You should stretch after a warm-up and/or when cooling down after a workout, since it is easier and safer to stretch a warm muscle than a cold one. Warm-ups bring blood to the muscles and make injuries from stretching less likely.”

Well, that’s it – at least for now.  As I learn more and gain more experience working out and exercising, I’ll be sure to post about my tips and tricks.  For now, be sure to get enough proteins and carbs and don’t forget about stretching.  If you don’t remember anything else, remember this:  Don’t overdo it.  Don’t eat too many proteins or carbs or stretch too much.  You’ll be hurting your body more than you will be helping it.

• 1/2 cup of granola
• 1/2 cup of Rice Krispie cereal
• cinnamon to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a sandwich bag and shake.

As I said, it’s a pretty simple recipe.  This is a great mid-afternoon snack, especially for kids in school.  I often make 2-3 cups and use it over multiple days.  It is also good with milk.

Has anyone tried this or a similar recipe?  What other things can you add to this to make it healthier or more interesting?  Share it in the comments!

• 1 lime juiced
• 2 teaspoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• 1 tablespoon of Mrs. Dash or other sodium-free spice

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir thoroughly until all ingredients are equally blended.
2. If using with frozen chicken:  Apply marinade generously after turning chicken in the oven.
   If using with thawed chicken:  Put marinade in a Ziploc bag and let chicken soak for 6-8 hours.  Cook as desired.

Unlike most marinade, this recipe is low in sodium and is about as healthy as you’re going to get.  It adds a lot of great flavor, especially when the chicken has soaked for 8 hours.

Has anyone tried this marinade or a similar kind?  What are your thoughts?  Share with everyone via the comments.

• 1 1/2 tablespoons of Italian dressing
• 1/8 of lemon

Now, you can mix the two any way that you would like.  I prefer to mix them in a small Tupperware container but that is only because I take it with me to work and I don’t want my salad basting in dressing before I eat it.  The addition of lemon juice should add more of a citrus zest to the dressing.  Although I haven’t tried it, I’m sure this would work with other dressings, too.  The citrus juice aids in oxidizing the body, preventing against infections, and is a good source of Vitamin C.  You would obviously need to intake a lot of lemon juice for it to have a significant effect on your body but every little bit counts.

A good suggestion is to slowly reduce the levels of Italian dressing and increase the amount of lemon juice to your mixture until you have trained your taste buds away from the dressing.  Lime juice works too but it leaves a very bitter taste when combined with lettuce so you may want to only apply a tad.

Has anyone else tried this?  What are your thoughts?  How does this taste with other types of dressings?  Let us know in the comment section!

I was first made aware of this interesting and delicious combination about a year ago and have enjoyed making this quick meal ever since.  It is a great way to get a lot of healthy nutrition and it serves as an awesome idea if you have leftovers that you need to use.

• 1 can of tuna (your choice) in water, drained
• 1 tablespoon of light mayonnaise (Miracle Whip is good)
• 1 tablespoon of relish
• 1/8 cup onion
• 1/4 cup celery
• 1 teaspoon of Old Bay
• 1 green pepper, halved and seeded

1. Combine tuna and mayonnaise in a medium mixing bowl and mix together until the tuna becomes lightly pink.
2. Add in celery, onions, relish, and Old Bay and mix with the tun and mayonnaise.
3. Once you are ready to eat, scoop the tuna into the green pepper half.  Serve immediately.

• 2 tablespoons honey
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 cup granola
• 1/2 cup crushed oatmeal
• 1 scoop of protein mix (not needed if you don’t have it)
• 2 to 4 tablespoons milk, or as needed

1.  Combine honey and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl.  (Use a rubber spatula for easy mixing and clean up)

2.  Add in granola, oatmeal, and protein mix.  Continue to stir all of the ingredients together in the mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.

3.  Measure 2 – 4 tablespoons of milk and work it into the mix.  Add enough milk to aide in keeping the mixture together but not too much to make everything soggy.

4.  Form mixture into balls or clumps and chill until serving.

This recipe yields 12 – 15 treats and takes about 10 minutes to make.

Has anyone tried this recipe or something similar?  What works for you?  Do you have any healthy treat or meal suggestions?  Let us know in the comments!