Healthy Eating Ideas for Back to School

Look for healthier alternatives.

With so many kids headed back to the classroom this month, the emphasis for many parents shifts from keeping children busy and out of trouble during the summer to helping them eat properly despite frequently busy school and social schedules.


Try these tips to help kids ease back into positive school eating habits. 


Put an Emphasis on Breakfast
The most important meal of the day, a healthy breakfast increases a student's ability to concentrate and learn.  It is also important for setting the tone for the rest of the day.  Whole grain cereal, oatmeal, fruit and eggs are all excellent options.
 
Focus on Creating Balanced, Fresh, Simple and Portable Meals
Instead of a sandwich, try different kinds of wraps.  Wraps can be healthier and are more versatile than a sandwich.  Make sure there are fruits and vegetables in at least one meal per day, and try and mix it up to prevent boredom.


Plan Ahead
Put together meal plans during the week to keep the family on track.  Planning ahead will allow you to get everything you need at once, requiring only one or two trips to the grocery store a week.  Plus, sticking to a list will keep you from grabbing last minute, not so good for you snacks.

Get Kids Involved

Make some memories in your garden.

Take your kids to the Farmer's Market and let them pick a new fruit or vegetable to try, or even have them participate in making an at-home garden.  One of my best memories growing up was helping my grandfather plant his garden and waiting with anticipation for things to grow.  His tomatoes were absolutely legendary! Finally, let them help you prepare food in the kitchen.  Make it an adventure and they won't even realize that they're actually learning something.  Perfection!

No Brainers That Will Improve your Health

Mini-meals high in protein, complex carbs & fiber.

If you find yourself looking for specific foods that promote energy throughout the day, look no further.  What you eat and how frequently you eat will help increase your energy and stamina.  For example, noshing on a doughnut with your morning cup of Joe may initially give you a boost, but since there's no complex carbs, fiber or protein that boost won't last.  Your glucose level and energy will also crash in no time.  

To prevent this energy (and insulin) roller-coaster ride, try eating small meals of complex carbohydrates, protein and fiber every four hours or so.  Some great choices for mini-meals include oatmeal with skim milk and fresh fruits, nuts, dried fruit & yogurt; even veggies and hummus.  Also, make sure you're drinking enough water to keep your energy level up as well, and remember to replace any water lost through perspiration.  The more you lose to sweat, the less efficient your body becomes, and that can have a negative effect all the way around.
Make better choices and reap the rewards!

Life is Always About Taking Chances.

About a year ago I was forced to take stock in my life.  I am a partner in a small Interior Design firm (Merchandising Masters Interiors) here in Houston that specializes in model home merchandising. With the downturn in the housing industry, our business had come to a screeching halt and I was really starting to feel the pain financially.  I'd also just become an empty-nester and didn't realize it at the time, but was very sad & depressed to not have my kids at home anymore.  To put it bluntly, I was stressed out, in a rut and not a very happy person.  I'd always been thin and never really had to worry about my weight.  Now I was at least 20-30 pounds overweight and even though I really tried, I just couldn't stop eating foods that I knew I shouldn't be eating.

One day while on Facebook I happened upon a product called Xyng.  It promised to give me tons of energy & focus and to also curb my appetite.  I messaged my friend Jennifer and got a free sample, figuring I really had nothing to lose.

I loved the Xyng and immediately purchased a 30 day supply.  Within about 3 weeks I lost almost 8 pounds, and was very intrigued with the product as well as the company, Xyngular.  When I did some research and found out that Xyngular was a MLM (multi level marketing) company I was actually kind of disappointed.  I, like so many other people I know had the misconception that all MLMs are scams.  I talked to Jennifer about the business opportunity and she assured me that this company was different.  They just happened to be having there first annual Xyngfest conference in La Jolla California in July.   I like to say that I went to La Jolla on a "Xyng & a prayer" because I really had no idea what to expect, but I went to check out the company and see for myself if it would be a viable business opportunity.

I arrived and was immediately impressed by the caliber of people that I met.  I was equally impressed by the leadership of the company.  Mark Walker, Marc Schenkel & Glen Oliver all came across as savvy, yet genuine people motivated and inspired by making sure that every person in the company was given the proper tools & support to become successful.

Since I'd never done any kind of network marketing or multi-level marketing before, I was kind of overwhelmed and trying to understand the lingo.  Things like PV and GV and all the ins and outs of the compensation plan swirled in my head as I furiously wrote down every word that was said.  When they started talking about a new incentive program called "The Passport Program" a huge smile came across my face.  Bottom line, as a distributor, not only do you get paid daily but you also have the opportunity to earn FREE trips to places like Sundance Utah, Dubai & Bora Bora!  Now this I understood!!

To make a long story short, after that weekend I decided to throw caution to the wind and become a Xyngular distributor.  Since last July, I've ascended the ranks in Xyngular and am now a Platinum Manager.  I just received a $500 cash bonus on stage at our second annual Xyngfest convention in Las Vegas.  In September the company will pay for  me & a guest to take an all expense paid trip to Sundance Utah.  I've made so many incredible friends along the way, and had the opportunity to help so many people lose weight & change their lives.  I'm my own boss and I am so excited about the future of this company.  I feel like I stumbled upon a gold mine and I plan on taking advantage of every opportunity it has to offer.  I am empowered to make the best of each and every day.

Platinum Manager - Receiving my $500 cash bonus on stage in Las Vegas.
http://shapeupwithsusan.com

I've also lost 35 pounds and kept them off, went from a size 12 to a size 2 and have a renewed sense of confidence and purpose.  I wake up every day excited to see who I can help and thankful that I Xyngular came into my life when it did.  My children say that they're glad to have the old mom back, and you know what?  I'm glad she's back too.

10 Ways to Change Up Your Exercise Routine

Let's face it. Even the most devoted exercisers can get bored doing the same workouts week after week. And, if the mind is getting bored you can bet that the body is probably too, which means it isn't being challenged as much as it should.

But, with the many, many training options to utilize, being bored should not even be an option. This is especially true when it comes to strength training. Variety with resistance training is practically endless - from different pieces of equipment, training techniques, sequences and more.

Below are 10 ways to change up your strength workout to ensure your body is optimally challenged and that boredom is kept at bay.

1. Change your exercises. It's easy to get comfortable doing the exercises you are most familiar with but it's important to try new ones. And, there are so many different exercises to try you could easily try new exercises every week for an entire year!
2. Try different equipment. Don't get in the exercise machine rut. Try exercises using dumbbells, resistance bands, fitness ball, and others.
3. Try circuit training. This method requires you perform a series of exercise moves one right after the other with little to no rest between the exercises.
4. Alter the order of exercises. Simply changing which exercise you do first, last and in the middle can have big results on the effectiveness of your routine.
5. Change the intensity. If you normally push yourself to lift weights that fatigue you quickly (less than 8 reps), try lowering the weight size and simultaneously increasing the number of reps.
6. Try a super set program. This type of workout technique has you perform several sets of two for agonist and antagonist muscles (opposing muscles). An example of this would be leg curls followed by leg extensions.
7. Alter the speed of your training technique. A typical exercise might require 8 seconds to perform a rep. To change that up you may try 15 seconds per exercise.
8. Change your workout frequency. Try increasing from 2 to 3 days per week or instead decreasing the number of weekly workouts you perform.
9. Don't ignore rest and recovery time. Sometimes you'll want to keep your rest time between sets to a minimum and other times you may want it to be as much as 1-2 minutes. Also, some weeks you may want to allow for several days of recovery between workout sessions and others may only need 48 hours.
10. Ask for help. To push yourself to your potential, you may want to occasionally try the assisted training technique. This requires you have a spotter who assists you to perform an additional 2-4 reps when you think you have reached your limit.

Showing you how to get in shape, stay in shape & live a healthier life.