energy – HALEY HUGHES

What do you do when your stomach starts growling hours before your next meal? You grab a snack of course! Snacking definitely has a bad reputation thanks to our tendency to choose empty calorie and fattening snacks, but snacking isn’t a bad thing! Eating a healthy snack will hold off hunger and keep your energy levels high. So here are some tips to snack smart!

-Steer clear of foods with added sugar like candy bars or soda

A glass of skim milk or soy with calcium will sustain you longer than a soda will.

-Look for foods with fiber and combine them with protein filled snacks.

You can pair peanut butter, cottage cheese, or low fat yogurt with whole grain breads, cereals, fruits, and vegetables for a quick healthy snack!

-Prepare healthy snacks in advance!

When you prepare your own snacks, for example trail mix, you can control the ingredients and put in what’s good for you!

-Keep healthy snacks with you to eat when those hunger pains strike.

Keep whole grain crackers, fruit, or baby carrots in your backpack or work out bag. This is healthier than stopping at that vending machine!

-Keep it interesting!

Give yourself a variety of choices so you don’t get bored eating the same things.

-Satisfy cravings with healthier options.

For example, if you’re craving chocolate, go for a chocolate drink instead of a candy bar. If you’re craving something salty, go for pretzels instead of chips.

-Read labels and serving sizes.

What looks like a small package of cookies can contain multiple servings meaning multiple calories, sugar, and everything else!

Need Healthy snack ideas?! Check out The Snack App available on the IPhone! Whether you are craving something sweet, crunchy, sinful, or just a late night snack this app has every snack you could possibly think of! AND it’s all less than 200 calories. If you happen to slip up, it even suggest simple ways to burn those extra calories! It also sends out daily tips!! I love this app and I hope you learn to love it too!

Are you in a rut? Do you feel like your metabolism has hit its plateau? Well, you’re in luck! Here are several ways you can boost your metabolism and keep on track toward that goal of yours!

1) I know I have said it before, but I can’t stress it enough. EAT BREAKFAST. Going too long without food sends your body into starvation mode, which in turn only slows your metabolism. So jumpstart it by eating breakfast!

2) Consume most of your calories before noon. Dinner should actually be your lightest meal of the day. Also, pick and time, for example say 8pm, and don’t allow yourself to eat after this time.

3) That being said, eat regularly. Providing your body with a steady source of energy keeps your metabolism working all day long.

4) Don’t eat less than the 1200 calories a day. This also sends your body into starvation, which again only slows your metabolism.

5) Add in weight training and resistance exercises. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have to more calories you burn! This is a simple way to increase your daily average metabolic rate.

6) Don’t forget about that cardio. Starting your day off with cardio is another simple way to jumpstart that metabolism. Exercise also keeps your metabolism revved up during the hours following your workout.

7) Drink a cold glass of water as soon as you wake up and continue to drink water throughout the day. The burning process of metabolism needs water to be effective. Try snacking on fruits and vegetable, instead of pretzels and chips to add more fluid to your diet.

8) Add spice to your meals. Spices contain chemical compounds that will kick your metabolism into a higher gear.

9) Eat protein. Your body uses more energy to burn foods high in protein compared to those loaded with carbohydrates or fat.

10) Start your day off with a cup of coffee. Just remember to stick to one cup a day. Although coffee only provides a short-term increase in your metabolic rate, all the little changes you make can add up!

11) Finally, drink green tea. Like coffee, tea has caffeine, which naturally boosts your metabolism. It also has its own health benefits! What, you ask? Well, it is known to help with everything from fighting cancer to helping your heart!

This site has a list of the top 15 metabolism boosting foods. Check it out!

http://ecosalon.com/boost-metabolism/