When you’re eating at home, you know exactly what ingredients are going into your meal. When eating out, you have a lot less knowledge of and control over all the extra calories that get put into that meal. The added butter, salt, sugar and dressing can really add up to make that healthy meal you ordered a calorie and fat bomb. Ask for any dressing on the side and your meats or vegetable cooked plain without sauces or butter.
Spend a few minutes scanning the menu for healthy choices and make sure to ask your server to help keep them healthy. It’s really that simple. If you can’t find a healthy choice, then choose a salad with plenty of veggies (and even some grilled chicken) and make sure you get the dressing on the side. Sometimes it’s better to have a salad, leave a little hungry and have a healthy snack at home.
What Happens In The Pantry Doesn’t Stay In The Pantry.
The first step is to banish all the unhealthy snack food from your house if it’s not there, you can’t snack on it. Sure, you may have fantastic willpower, but when you have a craving and see that bag of chips, you’re putting yourself in a predicament for no good reason.
Having some fruit in a bowl on the counter works wonders you see it constantly, you can grab it on the way out the door and you’ll also feel guilty if you bought it and allowed it to go bad right under your nose. Celery and carrots last even longer in the fridge than fruit and are always a great snack. A handful of nuts and dried cranberries will go a long way in fueling your body and fending off any cravings for sugary snacks.
Plan Your Snacks Just Like Your Meals
A snack absolutely does not have to be something decadent that you need to feel bad about after eating. Actually, snacks play a major role in fueling your body throughout the day. Did you know that your body burns more calories while it’s processing food than when you have an empty stomach? Snacks fill in the gap between meals and keep your body burning calories all day long. Plan your snacks by bringing a couple of pieces of fruit to work or on your daily activities.
Granola, nuts and dried fruit all travel well. There are plenty of healthy options in energy and nutrition bars, but be aware of the calorie density and nutritional value. If you’re (occasionally) eating a meal-replacement bar, make sure it’s replacing a meal and not a snack. If you have healthy snacks available, you’ll make your choices far more easily.
Warming Up & Stretching
Properly warming up the body prior to any activity is very important, as is stretching post-workout. Please note that warming up and stretching are two completely different things: A warm-up routine should be done before stretching so that your muscles are more pliable and able to be stretched efficiently. You should not warm up by stretching; you simply don’t want to push, pull or stretch cold muscles.
Prior to warming up, your muscles are significantly less flexible. Think of pulling a rubber band out of a freezer: If you stretch it forcefully before it has a chance to warm up, you’ll likely tear it. Stretching cold muscles can cause a significantly higher rate of muscle strains and even injuries to joints that rely on those muscles for alignment.
