We’re often told by nutrition professionals about the importance of eating breakfast every day. Yet, despite this advice, breakfast is still the least commonly eaten meal of the day, which many of us try to justify by saying we either don’t feel hungry first thing in the morning or simply don’t have enough time to eat it. Whatever our excuse, if you desire to be healthy, you can’t ignore this advice any longer. Here is one reason why:

In many ways, modern living goes against our natural biorhythms. Our bodies were designed to wake up at sunrise and to go to bed at sunset. Unfortunately, this is not the lifestyle most of us lead. We tend to burn the midnight oil on a daily basis, necessitating that we set an alarm clock to wake us up, regardless of whether we were able to sleep well or enough the night before. Without sufficient rest, many of us depend on caffeine to jolt us awake.  While this liquid stimulation may provide us with a quick dose of adrenaline, it also uses up our reserves of blood sugar that we need for energy. As a result of this, within an hour, we are craving sugary foods to keep us alert. This vicious cycle may continue for the rest of the day as we crave more stimulants and sugar to keep us going. Eating a healthy, well-balanced breakfast takes us out of this cycle. Your energy will be more stable throughout the day and your cravings will be minimal.

Stay tuned for more breakfast tips including…

- How to feel like eating in the morning
- Tips on eating a good breakfast
- Quick & easy breakfast options

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The new year is here and health clubs and fitness programs want you!!! They know that you made a resolution to shed some pounds when the ball dropped and they’re eager to capitalize on this ambition by boosting their memberships. However, you can use their desire to recruit you to your advantage by negotiating.

That’s right. The best deals for joining a gym can be had right now. All you need to do is walk into your local health club and negotiate the membership price. Chances are you’ll be able to lower or completely eliminate the initiation fee, lower the monthly fee and get incentives like free personal training sessions… but you have to ask.

Another tip is to strike up these negotiations at the end of the month because the sales consultants needs to make their quota. If the sales consultant doesn’t budge on the price, then ask for some extras they could throw in like towel service, free guest passes or unlimited use of their other clubs. Their are deals to be had if you press a little. Remember, there is no reason not to try to keep your wallet fat while you try to get slim.

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With major holidays just around the corner it’s the time of year where our focus comes to helping others, spending time with family, making our deadlines and creating new goals for the New Year. It’s a lot of stress to put into such a short amount of time. The risk of failure is huge.

But if you take a few minutes to plan out your week ahead, it will be a lot easier to keep your head, weight and happiness in check.  Avoiding any possible mental meltdowns, weight gains and unnecessary tension at an already stressful time of year.

This is not the time of year to make any life changing goals.  Rather check in with yourself and see if you are achieving the health and happiness you need.  Make a list of small goals that you want to achieve or improve.  Anything from drinking more water,  adding 20 minutes to your workout routine, eating more fruits and vegetables, or adding positive affirmations to your day can go a long way in achieving your overall goal…of a healthy mind, body and soul.

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Beach Volleyball is a physically grueling sport. Don’t think so? Just try walking in the sand. Now imagine jumping, sprinting, diving, lunging, and squatting on and off as fast as you can for up to 60 minutes in the sand. That is just one match and as a professional, I can play up to five matches in one day. While training has helped me endure these grueling day long sessions, it is equally important to my stamina and performance that I eat right as well.

While I try to eat  lots of foods that are healthy, natural and packed with energy like dried fruits, nuts, oatmeal, salad, and spinach, the frequency of my eating is equally important to my performance. On a day when I am playing in matches or just training, I try to eat every 2 to 3 hours. By eating this often I am able to avoid hunger, stay alert and keep my metabolism rocking and rolling. It is my key to getting through even the most grueling of workouts.  Of course, this practice of eating healthy and natural foods early and often is not just for professionals. It is also a great dietary approach for anyone looking to control cravings, have more energy and maybe even lose some weight. If any of these things match up with what you’re looking to accomplish with your diet, then I recommend you try eating like a pro.

- Angie Akers

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Most of our days are guided by appointments and strict deadlines.  We schedule our hair appointments, doctor visits,  even our workout sessions, but what about our food schedule?  More often than not we find ourselves too busy to even think about what we are going to eat, which usually leaves us either reaching for something convenient and unhealthy or just not eating at all (leading to binges later in the day).  To avoid these unhealthy circumstances, we recommend eating your meals on a strict schedule.

One easy way to do this is to use a scheduler or phone reminders to tip you off when its time to eat one your daily recommended three meals and two snacks.  This way you will remember every meal and schedule it with the same priority of a hair appointment or a doctor visit.  Keeping this schedule will help you feel more energized and make you less likely to munch on foods that might not be the healthiest choice out of convenience and speed.  It’s also wise to keep easy staple foods like almonds, apples or even 100-calorie snack packs in your car or purse to help you stay on your eating schedule no matter where you are.

Remember the best way to be productive and successful in your physical and mental well being is to eat well and right on schedule.

- Christina Malizia

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