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How to Maintain Energy Balance

How often do you catch yourself saying, "Boy, I wish I had more energy." The fact of the matter is that we all would like to have more energy or at least maintain energy balance. To understand energy balance, think of your body as a car that operates 24 hours a day. You would never expect your car to get you from one place to the other without refueling, just as it is not necessary to put more gas in a tank than it's designed to hold. That is how many of us operate our bodies. We try to run on empty for hours, then dump in more fuel than we can handle. So how do we maintain good energy balance?

For one, it is a good idea to eat as soon as you wake up in the morning. Breakfast is in fact the most important meal of the day. It is very important to have a nutritious breakfast due to the fact that while you were resting, your body was deprived of nutrients and energy. Next, make sure to eat something before you exercise, no matter what time of the day it is. Studies show that exercise following a meal enhances metabolism. Eat soon after exercising, when your body has depleted its energy stores, act fast, or else you will start burning muscle for energy. Eat a total of five to six small meals a day. By eating small meals throughout the day, you will maintain good energy balance and not feel like you are starving. Thus, you will have less of a tendency to overeat. Try to adopt a routine that allows you to adhere to the tips listed above. As a result, you will see quite a difference in your energy balance.

Effortless Tips for a Healthier Day

Sometimes you just don't have time to think about how to be healthy. But you can follow these three tips to help your health - they are so simple you don't even have to think about it!

Drink a glass of water when you brush you teeth. You know that you need 8 glasses of water a day - what an easy way to sneak an extra glass or two.
Buy better bread. Get used to whole wheat! Compared to white bread, whole wheat bread has more fiber, grains and nutrients. But just because it has a darker color, doesn't mean that it's always better. Read the label and make sure it says whole wheat bread.
Dip your carrots. Are you snacking on carrots? Probably not. The next time you want to munch on something crunchy, instead of reaching for a bag of chips - grab a handful of fresh baby carrots. Dip them in some dressing or eat them with a cube of cheese.

Six healthy nutritional habits

Start the day with a glass of juice.

Eat a bowl of high fiber cereal and put pieces of fruit on top. i.e. blueberries, strawberries, banana, etc.

Cut up some raw vegetables, put them in a ziploc bag with a little dressing for flavor, and snack on them throughout the day.

Slices of citrus taste great on a salad. Orange or grapefruit pieces work well with some dressings.

Mixing some fruit, yogurt, skim milk and anything else you like, into a blender creates a great tasting healthy treat, while still keeping an eye on the calories.

When you crave something crunchy, instead of reaching for a handful of greasy chips, grab some baby carrots and dip them in some ranch or blue cheese dressing. This will satisfy that desire for munching on something crunchy plus the health benefits are much greater.

There are many ways to sneak some additional fruits and vegetable into your diet without getting bored with the same things all the time. Your limited only by your creativity.

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