Thursday, January 5, 2012

Wild Woman Wednesday


Welcome to the first Wild Woman Wednesday of 2012 – yeeeehaaaaawww! Giddyup, buttercup. What are you doing to exercise the wild woman in you this year? Have you worked on goals? Planning something wonderful? If not, why not? Start it now, girlfriend, begin today!

Wild women are learning to be wise about exercising their choices in life, and today I’m going to ask you to make one of your goals eating more healthfully. A recent study from the University of Minnesota found that people consume 500 extra calories on days when they eat fast food. 500 calories!!! If you eat fast food twice a week, that’s 1,000 a week, or an additional 52,000 calories (yes, 52 THOUSAND calories) a year – which adds up to a whopping 15 pounds by the end of the year. OUCH! Try getting comfortably in and out of your car with that extra junk in the trunk – not a pretty picture, is it? To say nothing of what it does to your heart, arteries, etc.

One way to avoid fast food pit stops is to plan ahead. Yes, it does take some extra time at home but it is so worth it. As you begin cooking more “cleanly”, make enough to bring to lunch the next day, or cook ahead. For example, on Sundays I try to set aside time to cook and “set up” my lunches/snacks for the next few days. I’ll make organic grilled chicken breasts, which I can also take with me for lunches, or cut up into salads, or sty fry for later in the week. Bag up salads in individual portions (hold the dressing in a small snack-size zippered baggie on the side). Boil up some eggs and eat some hard-boiled egg whites in the morning as a side to your oatmeal to add some protein. Doing this will also help you control your portions.

When you shop/put away groceries, take some extra time to wash/cut up veggies and put them in tote-able portions to grab and go. Keep apples and pears in easy access to grab as you run out the door. Keep bottles of water in the car, or even keep a small insulated lunch bag or cooler in there as well, and toss some healthy foods/snacks in as you begin your day or trip or chores around town.

Wouldn’t you rather have that kind of “junk” in your trunk?

Blessings,
Linda

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