Life is hectic and busy for all of us.

No matter where we work or what we do it can feel, at times, like a balancing act.

As a result, I thought that this time we’d break it all down into easy, bite sized portions.

Things that we can all do *starting today* but which wont take forever to read (I know. I can get verbose) or to understand.

The basics which we all may know but all need reminding of as well.

Tip #1: plan plan plan. we all know this one and yet so few of us make the time to do it.
pre-plan meals.
buy boxes of nonperishable foods (nuts? dried fruit? trail mix) and leave them in your car so that you never encounter that so-hungry-I-NEED-to hit-a-drive-through-for-fries.
set yourself up for success. PERIOD.

Tip #2: Breakfast should be your biggest and most important meal of your day. Youve fasted all night (hence the name) and your metabolism needs food to be revved back up! bottom line? Research shows that people who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight. Eat a healthy breakfast (lean protein, carbs. fiber and good fat) but EAT one for sure.

Tip #3: Eat clean. People often ask me what this means and, essentially, Im suggesting you eat as close to nature as you can. it’s the old “have you ever seen a pop tart tree? no? then grab an apple instead” mindset.

Tip #4: Fiber Fiber Fiber. There are so many benefits to fiber. It will help you feel more full and keep you regular. Make it a point to read labels and see how much fiber is (or isnt!) in the foods you currently eat.

Tip #5: Slow down. Take the time when you are eating to truly ENJOY your food. Savor the taste and feeling of it in your mouth. It sounds silly—-but you really will find you consume less when you enjoy MORE.

Happy Healthy Eating!

ok.

Chances are you’re scratching your (non-bandanna clad) head & perhaps uttering a DUH or two.

Bear with me. I have some good news here.

For most of us the deterrent to working out isnt that we dont enjoy exercise. Even the most die-hard exercise resistant among us can thing of a workout she would enjoy if given the gift of time.
Hula hooping? Dancing? Yoga? In-line skating?

The list of options? ENDLESS.

The time we have to do it in? Usually not.

In fact the most cited reason for not working out is an inability to find a chunk of time in the day to dedicate to exercising.

Note the word: CHUNK OF TIME.

Please to refer back to the title.

Now? The good news. There is new evidence to support the fact that breaking up your workout into smaller pieces sprinkled through out your day really does give you the same results as one longer workout session.

And, as MizFit has certainly discovered, breaking up the workout can allow it to be more stress-reducing as you dont have TIME to begin fretting about all the other tasks/chores/jobs you “should” be doing at that very moment.

Try it out and see what you think.

Find ten or fifteen minutes in the morning, a few moments at lunchtime if you can, and ten or fifteen minutes at night before bed.

I dare you.

And I’ll bet you feel better along the way.

Wanna see MizFit in action? Swing by www.MizFitOnline.com for her Monday Facetime Video!

Yes pun intended. My personal tagline? At the core we’re all the same.

My new Clever Parents tagline? At the core we’re all just working to make it through our days with grace, some semblance of calm & as happy a family as possible.

By day Im a writer (mainly fitness and for children) and by night I blog about fitness at www.MizFitOnline.com

Here at Clever Parents I hope to both enlighten you with a few health & workout tidbits (most of which I learned the hard way and by doing things one hundred percent WRONG my first time around. Let me save you the time!) and to answer your questions.

Coming soon? 10 plus 10 plus 10 DOES Equal Thirty. Why breaking up your workout wont lessen your results and some ideas for squeezing in those short spurts of exercise during your day.

Also coming soon? You tell me! Email me your questions at MizFit08@yahoo.com and I’ll get started!