12 Tips to Eat Healthy and Stay Within Your Budget

I often hear that cost is one of the biggest reasons as to why people aren't eating healthy. Today, I thought I would share 12 of the same tips that I use in my own home to keep our food costs down and stay within budget.

First off, let me tell you that I didn't always do this. It's taken some practice and some discipline to do it. But eating healthy is an important factor in how I feel.

After gaining weight after having my girls and then packing on even more due to the medication I was on for my Fibromyalgia and Rheumotoid Arthritis, it was critical that I make changes or end up like many of my family members who are suffering from obesity related illnesses.

And that would lead to more medication, more depression, and not living the life that I knew I could if I just made one choice to start living healthier. And the better I ate, the better I felt. BOOM! I could start living life again!!

Are you ready to start living a healthier life? Simply begin taking these 12 tips and apply. You don't have to do them all at once but even those gradual changes over time will help produce results.

1. Buy Family Size Portions of turkey, chicken or beef.

 Each week, browse through your supermarket circular for what's on special. I'll often plan our family meals around what's on sale and then prepare it in a variety of ways. Ground turkey for example can make spaghetti, burgers, and toppings for a healthy pizza, a super yummy veggie chili or as a meatloaf. To ease into the transition from ground beef, I used a ½ and ½ ratio. And, guess what!?! No one has figured that out in my house yet. That is until today when they read this article. I also use my "Food Saver" storage system to freeze any extra that I can use for later. In fact, you'll often catch me actually cooking and prepping some meals in advance just because I'm saving time down the road. My girls keep me busy; I feel better when I know I can give them a home cooked meal verses a drive by one.

2. Invest in portion control tools.

If you choose to have snacks in your home, like chips or crackers, invest in some portion control tools. I like the little snack size baggies that are perfect for one serving size. Be sure to check out the nutritional label for the exact amount and then place each serving into a baggie. Both you and the kids will know that one baggie is all you get. I also have measuring cups instead of just guessing. Referring to and sticking with the recommended portion size will help you save both money and extra calories.

3. Eat at home.

I'll be the first one to admit that there are times where I just don't feel like cooking. And, we do go out on occasion. Why? Cause this momma needs a break from time to time. But here's the thing... drinks, appetizers and the main meal add up and especially when you eat out. Making a meal at home is much more affordable and you can often find a healthy version of your favorite meal online these days. And that time saving tip in Tip 1 helps me greatly when I don't feel like cooking.

4. Watch what you eat.

 Instead of servings meals on such large plates and in such large bowls, opt for smaller sizes. You'll be surprised at how this one simple tip can help your waistline and stretch your dollar.

5. Simple swaps can add BIG flavor.

 Invest in a few herbs that you can easily plant and maintain all year around. Add to dishes and be amazed at what wonderful flavor these herbs add and for A LOT less that a dried version. Some of what I keep are cilantro, basil, oregano and parsley. Also, swap oils for reduced fat broths or even better, make your own chicken or turkey stock. You can add to brown rice, quinoa, etc for even added flavor or saute veggies.

6. Make your own dessert.

Most store bought desserts a larger dose of sugar than what we need and are way too expensive. You can enjoy homemade fruit popsicles, banana or zucchini breads or Shakeology ice cream without the guilt by eating a healthier version.

7. Cook with whole grain pasta (or a low carb version).

 A box is inexpensive, healthier than regular pasta and you'll eat much less than the portions served out when you combine it with in season veggies. One of my favorites is so simple... pasta, extra virgin oil, diced veggies sprinkled with a little parm cheese.

8. Pack your own snacks.

  If you know that you're going to be out running the kids to practice or you know that you'll want to snack while at work, pack your own snacks. You'll be less tempted to snack on some less than healthier options as well as save money that would end up in the vending machine. I keep Shakeology, almonds, an apple and a P90X bar in my purse so I'm less tempted. I know myself. If I get hungry and let it go for too long, I make poor choices.

9. Make your own flavored coffee at home.

 Once again, you'll save so much money over the course of a year and extra calories. You can then chose the amount of sugar, skim milk verses whole, reduced fat whipped topping and so much more. Plus, it's fun whipping up your own specialty drink.

10. Plan your meals.

When you have a plan in place, it's easier to stay on track. Plan and pack your meals so you'll also have something healthier and less expensive on hand.

11. If you must eat out, skip the super size.

 You might think you're getting the best value for your money but over time, this choice ends up costing many folks. It starts as a few extra pounds then can turn into much more... medications, illnesses, etc.

12. Buy in season and locally.

 Local Farmer's Markets typically have the freshest and healthiest choices and are able to keep costs down because they aren't transporting if from all over. If you're like me, where there are only a few months out of the year where this is an option, your "Food Saver" can come in hand.

I buy fresh veggies, prep and then freeze to use throughout the winter months. There's nothing worse than buying what should be a pack of fresh strawberries and having to toss them because they looked good at the store and then didn't last when you got home.

So, as you can see, these are really easy tips that anyone can apply.

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2 Great Home Remedies for Weight Loss

When travelling around the world it is extremely difficult not to see how many people particularly in 3rd world countries still make use of home remedies to lose weight.

 Always make an effort to do your homework and find out as much as possible about a home remedy before you use it because there are a few of them that are just a waste of time and cash. Another crucial tip to remember before using a home remedy is to only use a remedy that requires everyday home vegetables or spices. 

Most home remedies are natural or organic so they do not have any side-effects however you should always remember to be careful for any changes in your body because some of them do cause mild side effects. Today we are going to look at some of the most common home remedies to lose weight that are easiest to make and don't cost a lot of money to make.

Ginger Tea - It is a common fact that ginger boosts your metabolism, lowers your cholesterol, and it helps to heal wounds. The 1st step in making this remedy is to slice a ginger root into little pieces. The second step is to add the shredded ginger to boiling water and let it boil for another 15 minutes. 

Then in the end you will allow it cool down and drink one cup. Ginger tea does have a bitter taste but you must drink it as it is and you should not add any sweetener like honey or sugar because it will take away its effectiveness. Try to drink at-least 1 cup before all your meals. Several people have claimed to lose 10 pounds after simply drinking this remedy for 2 weeks.

Honey and Cinnamon - is a home remedy that is not exclusively great for weight loss it is also used to boost your immune system, cure cancer, influenza, stomach aches, and it helps to get rid of pimples. 

To prepare you have to add one teaspoon cinnamon powder to a cup of water and boil for 30 minutes. The final step is to add a teaspoon honey but you should first let it cool down. 

Then you should drink one half of that cup before bedtime and drink the other half when you wake up in the morning. It is best to use cinnamon powder and not the cinnamon sticks because it works best.

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Fitness For Good Health

Factors That Put Your Life in Peril:

These days, topics related to health have gained much momentum than before. Technology, industrialization, urbanization, deforestation, malnutrition, population growth, etc., have their lethal effects on health if not checked properly. The rate with which mankind is progressing for a better future has some underlying adverse effects, which upon years of negligence will lead to an irrevocable loss, i.e., life. So, the maintenance of good health whilst facing present-day challenges is mind-boggling. However, there are few factors which will ensure a good health if ever they are followed. In the discussion to follow, all the useful tips for a healthy life are discussed at great length for your convenience. Follow them and stay fit!
What's Your Definition of Good Health?

It is very important to have an idea as to what constitutes a good health. Many have varied opinions and beliefs on this topic, but they certainly fail to understand the important essence of being healthy. Being healthy means a positive balance of body, mind and soul, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. So, the next time when you say you're completely healthy then make sure you are mentally, physically and socially sound.
Now that we know the definition of good health, the next step will be to find out ways to keep up good health. Good health combined by happiness will bring the quality of life. In order to attain good health one needs fitness in their regular life. Fitness directly correlates with one's health.
Purpose of Fitness:
The purpose of fitness is to give you a better and happy living. Fitness is a measure of a set of attributes that helps a person to carry out physical activities. It can be strength, flexibility, endurance, etc., that will be determined by a combination of regular activity and genetically inherited ability. Many think activities such as gym, swimming, sports and aerobics will make them fully fit. Though this notion holds sway, the effective way of gaining fitness is to do some activity that you really like and with all possibility stick to it.
It is not suggestible to do heavy regimens in the beginning of your fitness routine. This will only cause you to lose interest as it may leave you sore or weak. The best exercise to begin with is walking everyday. It will put all of your body parts to work, thereby, stimulating your hormone generation. The end result would be a complete fit body. In addition, take more fruits, dairy products, leafy vegetables and try to avoid cholesterol rich products. A healthy diet complied by perfect exercise will ensure 100% fitness.

As a fitness freak, I feel today's mechanized life has necessitated us to stick on healthy diet and sweat out for a while. You don't have to burn money on weight loss programs or on pricey fitness centres. A simple exercise like walking daily will do enough to keep you fit. In my further articles, I will unleash more regimens to attain perfection in your body.

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The Safest Way to Lose Weight

With a number of crash diets and weight loss supplements available in the market today, it is tempting to lose weight in these manners. These shortcuts to having that bikini body that you have wanted promises to

cut off as much as 10 pounds within three days or 20 pounds for just a short week. However, these crash diets and weight loss supplements are just a more professional way of saying how to starve yourself. Of course, with only a thousand calorie- limit per day, you will really lose weight fast, but the most important question is - is it a safe way?

In order to lose weight in a safe way, avoiding shortcuts is still the best route to go to. It may be long and hard, and you will not see results as quickly as you want to, but it is still the best option because you are changing your lifestyle - which is the most basic element is losing weight.

With crash diets and weight loss supplements, you will lose weight quickly but you will gain them quickly, too. And it is possible to gain twice as much as your weight loss! This is because in trying these shortcuts, you starve yourself and disrupt your metabolism, making you gain more once you finish your diet weak and start eating normal again. Further, it will wreak havoc on your immune system and cause health problems for you in the long run.

To lose weight safely, the first thing to do is to consult your physician, dietitian, or nutritionist. These people are the most knowledgeable in terms of how much weight you can lose per week, how much calorie intake is necessary, and how much physical activity is needed and appropriate for your current health status. But their advice is mere guidance for you to see the overall picture of the lifestyle that you have to follow. With that clear picture in mind, realize that good food and good exercise are the core values of losing weight, and not a low-calorie diet,

no carbohydrate diet, or no dinner diet. So, with a healthy food and exercise combo, you will lose weight safely while gradually gaining more muscle, making you stronger and leaner.

Further, rather than starving yourself, eat more. Studies have shown that eating five to six small meals a day will help you improve your metabolism and will make your body feel fuller, so you will not eat starved during your next meal.
Remember that you do not have to exclude certain food groups in order to lose weight, but rather keep your plate colorful with a portion of all food groups. Calories are energies needed by the body to function well everyday. Without enough calories, your energy will not sustain for even half a day. Learn to eat a lot of vegetables and fruits that will give you a handful of vitamins and fiber, chose lean meat to give you protein for leaner muscles, and drink a lot of water to flush out toxins from your body and keep you hydrated.

And lastly, do exercises - whether it is strength training, cardio, or both. These are still the most effective solution to burn fats and keep them burning even during recovery and resting. If you do not have time to hit the gym or to run, just move around - walk around the house, do some squats while waiting for the egg to fry, do jumping jacks on the next commercial, do household chores - and keep your body busy.

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Weight Loss for Today

It was only relatively recently when I retired that I began to take the subject of weight loss seriously. You see I never considered myself to be over weight and ambled through life without giving the subject of weight loss any real consideration.

 I always looked at others who were heavier than myself and very seldom at those who were fitter looking and slimmer than I was. Even when I began to think that I might have possibly put on some pounds (notice how I said possibly) I still believed that this weight loss business was for others and did not concern me.

The change came about when my daughter in law who happens to be doctor told me one day at the beach that I was definitely carrying excess weight around my middle and that this was a serious risk to my long term health. This was a wake up call for me and I decided to do something about it.

 I decided that I would take up walking on a regular basis. I really believed at the time that this would completely change the way I looked. I thought that this would give me slimmer look as well as being a health benefit something which I secretly desired even though I had locked out this desire from my life.

Having made the decision to start I was now going to give it my best shot. It just so happened that about this time I came across an unopened bathroom scales which showed weight in a digital format. It was however in kilograms and not stones and pounds which I had always used. In spite of this I quickly realized that the new scales had the big advantage of registering kilograms in tenths as for example 86.6 and 86.5 and 86.4 etc. The big advantage of this was that one could see one's weight descend from 75.5 to say 75.4 for example. This was capable of showing progress albeit only small progress but progress nonetheless. I could have never seen this on my previous scales which were impossible to read for such small changes. The feel good feeling that even small changes in weight loss delivered was for me fantastic. There is nothing to compare with real progress towards a goal.

The first problem that I then encountered was that I found the walking boring and after awhile found myself making excuses for not doing my daily walk. However I soon found a wonderful solution to this problem when I started what I call walking with purpose. 

By this I mean finding a purpose for the walk as distinct to walking in circles. In my case I decided to walk to the city's cemetery to visit my late departed family and friends. This was a walk of 3 miles each way which I never found boring because it had purpose and in fact I looked forward to it every day no matter what the weather threw up.

While I made some initial wonderful progress (I think that it was the shock to my body) I soon came to a stand still. It was then that I realized that I needed something extra. I knew that someday I would have to consider what I was eating and drinking but had again tried to fool myself into thinking that I could have avoided this.

I knew that I had to cut out sugar as much as possible in all it's forms. This would be for a start. When I decided to do this it led me into a world of knowledge that I did not know existed. This led me eventually to set up my own website where I could dispense helpful advice to those who both needed and wanted to loose weight.

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Rapid Fat Loss Tips That Promise Visible Results

Losing weight is a normal course of action, but when attempting to a rapid fat loss plan, it becomes a dilemma since you are pressured to lose some inches in a matter of days or weeks. Ordinary steps taken towards weight loss may not be sufficient to provide you with the drastic results you want. What you need are tips that can help you achieve rapid fat loss for that significant change in size, weight, and shape.

-Rapid Fat Loss Tip #1: Get enough sleep.

It may seem funny to start with this tip when discussing losing weight, but a well-rested body is essential in achieving weight loss in many ways. For one, it keeps your hormones at normal levels. You all know that hormones play a big part in maintaining a properly functioning body system.

A slight change can make a big difference. For instance, if your insulin sensitivity is affected, the tendency is you will always feel hungry even if you are not. Sleep is also a means to recharge the body. A good night sleep can make you feel energetic in the morning, thus, making it easy for you to get into your workout sessions.

-Rapid Fat Loss Tip #2: Focus your workout on muscle building exercises.

Strong muscle tissues will help your body burn more fat. So, get into strength training three times a week, but make sure that you target different muscle group each time because you will only get better results if you give them ample rest between training.

Free weights exercises are better than other forms of strength training because they help you work out more muscles as you balance and stabilize the weights. In between your strength training, do other forms of exercises, like cardio or yoga. Putting some variety in your workout regimen will make them more fun to do.

-Rapid Fat Loss Tip #3: Watch what you eat.

If you have been used to eating large meals that are laden with fats, carbohydrates, and sugar, then it is time to make big changes. First, control your portions. You do not have to eat platefuls of food to satiate your hunger.

Chewing fast can also be a culprit because you tend to take in more food before your brain gets the signal that you are already full. So, chew slowly and eat just enough. Make it a habit to eat five to six small meals a day because it will eventually improve your metabolism. Second, add more fruits and vegetables in your diet. Fruits contain natural sugars that satisfy your hunger yet they are not fattening.

-Rapid Fat Loss Tip #4: Drink plenty of water.

Intense exercise will result to a huge loss in body fluids and it is essential that you replace this to sustain your body's ability to exercise. Drink water throughout the day, not just when you are sweating or feeling thirsty.

If you fail to rehydrate your body, there is a tendency that you can suffer some health problems and your energy level can be affected too. Further, a well-hydrated body can also trigger a better metabolic rate. These are just some of the many things you can do to lose weight.

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Gymnastic Rings for Exercise

Few things inspire people like the Olympics. Something about all the countries competing against one another that brings people together in a way that few other things do. 

While the track and field events often garner the most press and excitement, gymnastics has always fascinated me, particularly the Rings. The ability to control your own body suspended above the ground and manipulate yourself demonstrates a strength that few have mastered and most wish they had. 

While all the gymnastic disciplines demonstrate amazing agility and strength, the rings have always seemed to draw me in.

Lets face it, most of us would also love to have the physical strength and physique of a world class gymnast. Few of us have the discipline, attitude, or time to commit to being able to getting that way, much less the facilities or coaches available to us. Using the tools a gymnast uses can help us and incorporating gymnastic rings into your workouts can bring a whole new level to your physical conditioning.

While professional gymnastic rings are designed for flipping and doing crazy stuff that makes normal people gasp and shake their head, simple gymnastic rings are available for home use. Think back to your childhood you may have even had the metal kind of rings at your playground, 

you can even still find these at some muscle beach locations or at playgrounds, though it is rare. The most common rings today are made from either a high density composite plastic or wood. There are still some made from metal available as well, however I will not really be addressing these. 

Exercise gymnastic rings attach utilizing fairly simple strapping systems that make the rings light, portable, and easy to use.

The big benefit to the composite style ring is price. It is inexpensive to make them and they are extremely durable. Composite rings are lightweight and because of the low cost, lead the way as the best way to get into ring training. You would be hard pressed to find any good fitness supplier that does not carry a good composite ring set for an affordable price. The biggest detractor to composite style rings is grip. 

Common sense dictates that as plastic gets wet it get slippery. Exercise leads to sweating (if it doesn't you are probably doing it wrong) which makes the rings slippery. This usually leads to people taping the rings with athletic tape or something like that to help increase grip.

Wood rings have been in use since the beginning. Wood eliminates the grip problems that plague composite rings. As wood gets wet the grain is raised which provides increased surface area and more grip. The grain in the wood rings also holds chalk infinitely better then composite allowing for better grip and less wear and tear on the hands. Wood also just feels better to most people.

 It seem to "break in" over time and generally just works well. The trade off for getting the wood rings is price. Wood rings are more difficult to manufacture and this in turn drives up the cost. Most people do not start with wood rings but if you are planning on getting serious with ring work then I highly recommend just getting the wood rings from the start. You will never regret having the wood rings.

The first time you use rings you will recognize right away that they are extremely fun but harder then you thought. The next day when muscles you didn't know existed all are screaming at you, you will suddenly realize how cruel they actually are. It always amazes me to watch very strong guys who can crank out weighted dips like nothing get on rings and fail miserably at doing a set of 10 dips on the rings. The reason for this is the amount of stabilization that is required to work on the rings. Ring work incorporates not only the primary muscle being worked but the myriad of tendons, ligaments, and stabilizer muscles in the body. Rings teach you to feel your body in an entirely new way.

Rings also help to prevent overuse injuries that are sometimes plague typical "weight lifting" workouts. Rings allow full range of motion in multiple planes and allow the user to move the way his or her body wants to move. In a pull up the hands will naturally turn in at the top of the movement eliminating undue stress in the shoulder joint. The amount of movement will vary person to person.

Pushups on the rings are a real eyeopener for many people as well. They rings feel like they want to just shoot out from under you. Keeping your core tight comes into focus in a whole new way. Pushups can also be varied almost infinitely, again helping prevent overuse injuries.

Basic movements on the rings are dips, pull/chin ups, rows, L-sits, and push ups. The muscle up is also a great exercise that combines the pull up to dip in one movement. For a gymnast the muscle up is not even a rated movement, for the rest of us, it isn't so simple. 

You can also get to some other great movements like skin the cats, inverted push ups (handstands on the rings), ice cream makers, and maybe even an iron cross. Some of the movements have funny names but they are anything but simple. A quick search on YouTube will show you many of these movements.

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