So, I heard something about Spinach

We all know vegetables are good for the body. An old cartoon taught us that eating a can of spinach gives us strength like no other! I don't suggesting eat a can of spinach because it isn't the healthiest version of spinach for you. What I do suggest is trying to eat these veggies weekly. These are the ones that I have on my list of items to eat every week. Now, I must inform you that some of them are for no other reason that I like to cook with these items.

Carrots - Good snack food not to mention great for your eyes.

Spinach - This ingredient has multiple benefits that include bone, skin, blood pressure, and vision. For more info on these and more just follow click this link.

Mushrooms - Cooking ingredient

Onions - Cooking ingredient

Asparagus - Chalk full of vitamin C and vitamin K, asparagus can help with diet, digestion, and heart healthy. Not to mention this ingredient can be added as a side to almost any dish and you can also add it to past to add some green color. For more health benefits click this link.

Avocado - Avocados are full of fats, oil, and cholesterol that is healthy for your body. They are filling and help to keep you full. Avocados are also versatile in how you can use them. You can use them as a snack, on a sandwich, in a pasta, or as the sauce itself. Check back to an early blog post to see a simple recipe for a great tasting snack.

Beans - Need I say more? Fiber and just plain healthy. Warning, farting my occur if you consume too much of these guys.

Cucumbers - Great snack food, just add salt, pepper, and a little bit of ranch.

Keep it Simple

Dieting, eating healthy, healthy living, healthy lifestyle... All of these are words, buzzwords, most people have used at one point or another and then stopped for no reason. Why? Because a habit wasn't formed that allow the person to live in a healthy way. A habit will keep you healthy and keep you eating right. How do we form a healthy lifestyle habit? Simple, start simple. Don't over complicate what you are trying to do. Just don't go from eating burgers, hot dogs, chicken all the time/every day to vegan over night. Before I started cutting back on different foods, I decided that I was going to limit what I drank. So, I decided to only drink water, milk, juice, coffee, and the occasional sprite if I was really craving it. I started this back in November and I haven't broken this habit. I can't stand the taste of most sodas now because I am so use to having water all the time.

What is your goal? What is a way you can break up your goal into stepping stones? Answer these questions and work your way up to your goal. Start Simple.

Here are some starting goals that might help you start a healthy lifestyle at an easier pace...

1. No Soda
2. No Pork
3. Eat carrots every day for lunch
4. Drink a glass of milk with breakfast

There are others you can do, so pick the one that fits best for your life!

Q&A S.2

Q: What are some useful tools to help keep track of calories, fat, carbs, and protein consumed in a day?

A: The best tool I have found, if you have a smartphone, is the My Fitness Pal app. It helps keep track of all the food you eat and breaks it down for you. It also tells you at the end of the day what would happen if you kept eating the way you ate that day. Another great thing is that you can also add you friends, which is great to have that support with you.

Q: How many meals do you usually have a day?

A: I usually have three meals, but I also have about three different snack periods just to make sure that I am constantly full. The more working out you do the faster your metabolism becomes. I would suggest that if you are trying to lose or gain, you should still eat about three meals a day and have two snack periods. There is no reason to starve yourself.

Challenge Your Limits

The hardest thing I struggle with is pushing myself beyond what I think I can do. Key word here, think. What I think I can do... Somewhere in the back of my head the thought always comes a thought to just roll over and say I did enough and no one could blame me from giving up and stopping. I don't need to run that last half mile, do one more set of weights, keep up with my eating habits.

The other day I came across this quote which describes perfectly how us humans do things. I will explain more of how to over come this thought of stopping where you are and not pushing your limits.

"It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them." ~Alfred Adler~

This struck a very deep cord with me and got me thinking if this statement was true or not.. I believe we all know that this very fact is actually true. We find it easy to talk up a big talk and find it harder to live up to what we say. How do combat this? First, find people to workout with, run with, eat healthier with, etc. Ever since I have started working out with Brad and Jordan, I have pushed myself harder because they help me stay energized during my workouts. Then there is Jeremy, keep a look out for his name later on, a health nut and yoga fanatic, he is helping me see that I can always eat the way I need to. So, summing up the first fact, accountability is a very powerful tool. USE IT! Secondly, look inside you and figure out why you are doing what you are doing. For me, I have always wanted to step away from the comment, "Aw, you are so tiny." Every time I think about stopping and "resting" I remind myself of what I am fighting for. We all can fight together to make us better people. Feel free to share why you are doing what you are doing!