Wild Woman Wednesday

Welcome to our very first Wild Woman Wednesday of 2014!  So far this week we've been investigating ways to get organized this year.  We've looked at journaling, then at general household organizing tips. Today we tackle the big ticket items in 2014 - eating more healthfully, exercising and creating a budget.  A real tripleooza of topics!  I actually found a great article over at Better Homes and Gardens by Jen Jones encompassing all three, so here is the link:  http://www.bhg.com/blogs/better-homes-and-gardens-style-blog/author/jjones/


As we review all of these tips this week, I do want you to remember one key phrase:  BABY STEPS!  80% of all resolutions go down the drain, often because we decide we need to do them all NOW and see IMMEDIATE RESULTS.  Not true.  Begin in one little area... just take a deep breath, set your time for 15 minutes, and start.  That's it... just start.  But do it consistently day after day.

For example, today is Wednesday.  How about you walk for 15 minutes, add two veggies to your meal today and eliminate one carb, and try not to spend any unplanned money for the whole day!  Just for today... give it a try... and you are on your way!  Simple, isn't it?  Then maybe tomorrow you'll take the stairs instead of the elevator, bring your lunch to work, and figure out how to save a few dollars for the rest of the week (like bringing lunch instead of eating out).  Boom - again you have succeeded, and now you're building healthy habits.  Like I said, baby steps...

Go wild and enjoy!

Blessings,
Coach Linda

Tasty Thrifty Thursday

Eating healthy is a B-I-G passion for me, but with all kinds of things on fast food dollar menus that beckon you to eat quick and cheap, that can be a real temptation for someone who is short on cash and time.  Not only that, but fresh fruits and veggies have a short shelf life and I hate to admit how many times I have had to toss fresh foods because, thanks to my hectic schedule which often brings me home late, I have not had the time or energy to prepare something and it just died of neglect!  Naturally, one way to save time and money eating healthy is to plan and prep meals ahead of time!  That’s a big D-U-H I know, but if we can spend an hour on a Sunday evening chopping/dividing/prepping/packing snacks and some meals for the week, it will save a LOT of time during the weekends… especially those precious minutes in the morning.

I came across a good article from Organic Gardening recently entitled “The 7 Cheapest Ways to Eat Healthy” which I found quite helpful, so I’m passing it along to you today.  It can be found at:

http://www.organicgardening.com/print/82397?cm_mmc=ETNTNL-_-1476392-_-10242013-_-The7CheapestWaystoEatHealthy-link

Additionally, here are a few websites that offer healthy and inexpensive recipes:

http://www.bhg.com/recipes/healthy/dinner/cheap-heart-healthy-dinner-ideas/

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/cheap_eats

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/everyday-menus/healthy-budget-recipes-00400000056656/

http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-eating-on-a-budget/package/index.html

If you happen to get Food Network, I recommend these shows as well for yummy meals on a food and/or time budget:

Rachel Ray’s Week in a Day Cooking:    http://www.foodnetwork.com/rachael-rays-week-in-a-day/index.html

Sandra Lee’s Money Saving Meals:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/sandras-money-saving-meals/index.html

Organizing meals (and life) sure ain’t easy for most wild women, but the satisfaction of the end result, along with the increase in cash flow and good health, makes it a terrific return on your investment.  Give it a try over the weekend, and I think you’ll be very happy.

Blessings,

Coach Linda Bush

Motivating Monday

We all want to look our best, feel our best and have a healthy, long life.  With small daily changes we can take steps to achieve those goals.  

Today I’d like to point you to two articles.  The first is from Eat this, Not That!  The folks there have listed out for us ten foods that help us in having a longer life.  Instead of focusing on what we shouldn’t eat, here’s a great, positive list of EAT THIS!  The foods are eggs, green tea, garlic, grapefruit, greek yogurt, avocados, quinoa, bell peppers, almonds and number one on their list:  swiss chard.  Hmmm… I guess a challenge would be to create a meal that would encompass all of those foods!!!  Well, I’m sure you could incorporate all of them into a full day’s menu, anyway.  Here’s the link:  http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/10-foods-longer-life?cm_mmc=ETNTNL-_-1454120-_-10062013-_-LongerLife-link

The second article is from Prevention Magazine and it is called “9 ‘Harmless’ Habits That Age You.”  This isn’t the standard issue don’t smoke and stay out of the sun habits (which, of course, are staples for maximizing your longevity).  It has some interesting habits that we might not even consider have significant negative impacts to our bodies.  Here’s the link for this article:  http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/9-daily-habits-age-you?cm_mmc=Spotlight-_-1451944-_-10062013-_-Harmless-habits-that-age-you-read-more

This is your Monday one-two PUNCH!  Exercise your change your habits, changes your foods, change your life muscles by incorporating the recommendations in these two articles into your daily routine.  You just may find yourself walking that goal path with more energy and looking like a real knockout!

Blessings,

Coach Linda