Easy Salad

A major part of a healthy menu is salads! They are a clean, unprocessed food that has tons of vitamins packed in. It's a quick meal with no cooking involved.  They make an easy packed lunch. I could go on about why salads are such a great food.  One way to make them even quicker to make is to have your lettuce already chopped up.  I started off just buying the bagged, already chopped lettuce, which is fine.  To save a little more money ( I could use up 2 bags a week easily ) I started buying the whole lettuce and chopping it myself. It costs half as much.  I bought a large plastic container that is specifically for my lettuce.  I wash, chop and put it in the container and any time I want salad it's already chopped for me at half the price of buying it bagged.  The more components you can have pre-chopped, the easier and quicker it is to throw a salad together.  I sometimes pre-slice cucumbers and peppers and place them in baggies for quick use and I like to buy grape tomatoes when I can so I can just grab a couple and I'm done.  When you can have a whole delicious salad thrown together in a minute, you are more likely to eat more salad!  Just another way to help yourself practice healthy habits. :o)

Shopping for Healthy Gadgets

I will be talking about many food items and gadgets that are useful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  I now have an Amazon Store that will provide a place for you to shop for many of these things. Sometimes it's just easier and quicker to buy it online than try to find it in a store near you. I have just opened it up and will be adding things to it as I find new gadgets and gizmos or food items that I'd like to feature.  If there is something you have found that you think others should try, leave a comment and I'll try to add it in.  You can find the store link tab at the top of the page ( Healthy Gadgets Store ). Or you click HERE .

Get your JAMZ on!

If you can't stand running, walking, jogging on the treadmill or outside.... music makes a big difference! Get some good tunes in your ears!  ( The cupid Shuffle has a nice beat to keep you moving )  If your gym has wifi, get spotify on your phone!  I recently started using that instead of my ipod. There's a free version that plays a commercial like every 5 or 6  songs it seems... not very often.  It's like having a jukebox at your fingertips with pretty much every song you could ever want. You can make your own playlist of songs also. Great tool to keep you going!  You just bebop along at whatever pace you pick and listen to a few songs, next thing you know, you are already 20 minutes in!

Vitamins

Take your vitamins!  Of course it's good for you ( We sure aren't getting much from our food and we are all deficient.)  Try to find a multivitamin or a vita pack that includes herbal energy enhancers like, Guarana seed, black tea leaves, ginger root, etc.  It does help you to feel good!  I have been taking GNC Women's Ultra Mega Energy vitamin packs. I have also taken the Ultra Mega Active and they both are great. I can tell when I take them and when I don't. I have more energy for workouts and I also seem to not have as strong of cravings. Tip:  I find them at Sam's cheaper than buying them at GNC.