Mid-year Goals

I am in total shock that it is already August. Where did this year go? In a couple months the fall and winter holidays begin and before we know it, it will be 2012! Pondering this on a drive home from my camping trip last week, I decided to make some mid-year goals to help me get back on track. Earlier in the summer when my teaching job ended, I got back into major workout mode with spinning class, hiking 2-3 times a week, elliptical at least twice a week, etc. However, with some stress and other factors that creeped … Continue reading

Making Healthy Living Your Lifestyle

Healthy living for some people comes naturally. For others it takes effort, time and some adjustments to their lifestyle. First take a look at your lifestyle. What are you eating? What are you doing in your spare time? How much exercise do you get each week? How many hours of sleep a night do you get? After taking a look at where you are at, pick one or two things to work on. It could even be a small change in what you drink or eat. For example, if you are an excessive coffee or soda drinker, scaling down to … Continue reading

Making Small, Achievable Goals

Have you ever noticed there seems to be more people running or walking in your neighborhood in the beginning of the year? This is probably because every January many people make New Year’s resolutions, often about their eating and exercise habits. Although I do this too, I am a fan of something even better. I like to call it ‘making small, ACHIEVABLE goals’. Let me elaborate. In January I could say, “I want to lose 20 lbs this year”. If that is what you’re thinking, then you might be setting yourself up for disappointment. Every time you go on the … Continue reading

Which Debt Reduction Strategy is Right for You?

You are committed to doing whatever it takes to get out of debt and remove financial worries from your life. You see a promising future, filled not with stacks of bills or collection calls, but a paid-off home and enough liquid assets to be able to enjoy life and to provide a future for your children. What a wonderful goal and one that could come true with some good choices and perseverance. Gaining financial freedom first starts with getting out of debt, with forming your own debt reduction plan that contains solid and achievable goals. It is do it yourself … Continue reading

Snacking on Vegetables and Fruits

Recently I mentioned in a blog some of my mid-years goals. One of my goals was to eat three fruits and three vegetables a day. This has been going really well and has helped me to explore new foods. Previously, one of my favorite veggies to snack on was carrots. Whenever I would go to a party, I would load up my plate with carrots before I even look around at the other options. Starting with a healthy choice would make it less likely for me to eat a ton of sweet snacks later. Although I love carrots so much, … Continue reading

What I Like About the 2005 Food Pyramid

You may remember that six years ago the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) came out with a new and improved food pyramid. Growing up I distinctly remember the old food pyramid (originating in 1992) because it was often found on the back of my cereal boxes. I pretty much had it memorized. It was a big deal to me when the food pyramid was updated in 2005 because I was a health science student at the time and a change like that was not only needed but a big deal. Visually the pyramid changed from having categories organized horizontally to … Continue reading