Have It Your Way

...and no I'm not talking about Burger King. That's a Burger King slogan right? No matter.

While reading the November issue of Shape Magazine, I noticed advertisements for websites that allow you to custom-make energy bars, shakes, and granola. Now of course you could do this on your own, but if you're lazy, you may want to give it a try:

1. Element Bars
2. You Shake
3. Mix My granola

I suppose I should mention that snacking is good for you, right? I mean, it seems the opposite of everything I used to think when I was younger. I thought snacking was not an option and that I was supposed to hold off on eating until I was absolutely ravenous. But when I think about it now, that makes absolutely no sense.

Eating is necessary in order to keep your metabolism up. Also, by not snacking between meals, you're more likely to binge during your meals because of how hungry you are. And finally, it is best to eat BEFORE you are hungry than wait until you are hungry. This will also result in less calorie consumption.

One last note, in relation to my last post about cheap and healthy, while I was checking out the You Shake website, I noticed that it had a blog. The latest blog post was titled "Recession Boost: Five Ways to Boost Health and Save Money." I thought I'd include those tips here, suggested by Katie Newton:

1. Drink Water. The cheapest and most healthy source of hydration for your
body is water. Plus, tap water’s free! (And, think of all the plastic
bottles you won’t be throwing into landfills.)
2. Buy Extra Peak Season
Veggies to Freeze (or buy ones that are already frozen). This allows you to take
advantage of peak season discounts on everything from apples to zucchinis. Enjoy
luscious blueberries in the dead of winter without breaking the
bank.
3. Take Bag Lunches To Work. Cook extra for dinner every
night and then just pack up your leftovers the following day for a cheap – and
delicious – midday meal.
4. Eat Vegetarian. Protein-rich foods like
beans and tofu (think Indian curries and Chinese stirfries) cost a fraction of
the price of beef and chicken — and are just as tasty.
5. Go to Farmers
Markets. You’ll get the freshest produce, and help your local farmers through
the recession too! Another bonus: by ditching the candy-laden checkout lines,
you’ll pick up less bags of pricey junk food on impulse.

Cheap 'N Healthy

My friend Ladimir, who apparently follows my blog (lol), posted the following request on my facebook:

"I'd like to request a blog: Healthy and Cheap, two words that CAN mix. And
basically I want to learn to eat healthy on a tight budget. Thanks!"

So here we go.

Some of my favorite cheap, healthy foods include canned tuna, bags of frozen chicken breasts, apples, bananas, potatoes, bags of frozen vegetables, brown rice, peanut butter, and oatmeal.

I dug through the archives of my hotmail to find the following blog posts made by Healthy Eats. The first is Budget Friendly Foods, the second is 10 Healthy Foods Under $3.

So I hope this helps you, Ladimir, and also the rest of you poor college kids trying to eat healthy.

Cheap Fitness

Gym memberships are expensive. Cardio equipment is expensive. Weight sets are expensive. Let's face it, fitness can be expensive. But it doesn't have to be. One of my favorite pieces of cardio equipment cost me about $6. The jump rope. Seriously. Try it for a few minutes and you'll feel it. Last year I rearranged my entire room at Centre Plaza so I would have room to jump rope. This year, I wouldn't dream of putting my floors in my old house through that, but there's always the park down the street.

Here are a few jump rope workouts I've found online, but even if you just jump or skip for ten minutes you'll burn major calories.

10-minute jump rope workout
12-minute jump rope workout
15-minute jump rope workout
Jump Rope Calorie Burner