Excuses will always be there for you, Opportunity will not.

Excuses will always be there for you, Opportunity will not.

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3 Steps To Easy Meal Planning For Busy People (With A Quick Recipe!)

When you’re ready for a meal, there’s a lot of “other stuff” in the way – like hunger, temptation, and being tired, which leads you to eat fast and unhealthy.

If you set up your week before you’re in the moment, it doesn’t matter if you’re tired or hungry – you will still make a good decision because the easiest option is already prepared and ready.

Meal planning can sound like it takes a lot of time and maintenance. Some meal planning strategies have so many steps that you could spend hours just planning your meal planning! And most likely, you’ll just never do it.

Here’s an easy 3-step guide to meal planning that you’ll actually be able to do!

1. Make two sides during the weekend

Make easy sides like bean, lentil, healthy carb or vegetable dishes. They can be refrigerated for most of the week. You can pull them out every evening for dinner and pack for lunch the next day.

Choosing sides with flavors and spices (does not have to be spicy) will make you want to eat it. Spices and flavors really work themselves into the dish more over time, so they taste even better each day! A spice blend that works for almost anything is 1 teaspoon each of cumin, turmeric, sea salt and black pepper.

I share a recipe below for an easy side that is quick to make and you can easily take on the go below, my “No-Cook 3-bean Salad.”

2. Store food in glass containers

Glass helps food keep its freshness for longer (I tested this myself) and they’re safer for your food. Each side can be stored for at least 4 days in a glass container.

Buy different sizes to store at home and take to work. You can also buy plastic containers to transport to work because they’re lighter. However, plastic containers do not keep food as long and are not safe for longer-term storage due to the material of the plastic. It’s better to use plastic just to take to work and discard after a few uses.

Here are my favorite glass containers: Kinetic Go Green Glasslock Series (I have the 64, 37 and 17 oz. sizes for my family of four).

3. During the week make an easy protein

Preferably use white meat or eggs, such as grilled chicken, fish, or an omelet. You can also have a whey protein shake or tofu, which are both great sources of vegetarian protein.

Pair this protein with the sides you already prepared, and it will be delicious and easy! Make extra so you can take it to work the next day. To further save time during the week, you could also marinate and/or prepare your protein portion on the weekends.

Imagine if you came home from work to Cumin Coriander Fish and No-Cook 3- Bean Salad already prepared! How much easier would it be for you to lose weight or just eat better? Do you see how you would be setting yourself up for more energy + weight-loss?

Your mouth will be watering at lunch time and you won’t even be tempted to go get a sloppy burrito from that taco truck around the corner.

If there’s one thing you can do to get the most bang to buck ratio – it’s to think ahead for the week. Check out my easy side dish below which you can make ahead of time – it’s packed with protein, healthy carbs and it’s super fast to make! Plus, it’s easy to transport to work and when you’re on the go.

No-Cook 3-Bean Salad

Prep Time 15 Minutes

Makes 4 – 6 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed
• 1 whole tomato, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• ½ red onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder (optional, only if you prefer heat)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves

Dressing

• 2 cloves minced garlic
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients except spinach and dressing ingredients.
2. Add dressing ingredients to a separate small bowl and whisk together.
3. Pour over beans and mix. Add baby spinach and enjoy!

Check out my website for my free “Weight-loss Recipes Handbook for Ambitious Women” which includes the Cumin Coriander Fish recipe that goes so well with this 3-Bean Salad!

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10 Things Our Dogs Teach Us About Healthy Communication

If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience.- Woodrow Wilson

The Humane Society reports that approximately 47% of U.S households own at least one dog, and when we refer to the dog as man’s best friend, we mean it so sincerely that according to clinical psychologist Dr. Suzanne Phillips, we treat our dogs better than our spouses: “What is interesting in my work with couples is that although couples may disagree vehemently on most topics, they usually both soften in tone and manner to agree that the dog, cat, bird, or horse is great.” As much as we love our four-legged, furry friends, they demand a lot of responsibility; they need food, shelter, medical care, and attention, but when they chew holes in our favorite pair of high-heels or toss their biscuits all over the newly-cleaned carpet, we forgive them.

The reason why we sometimes seem to develop stronger relationships with our dogs than with the humans in our lives is so simple that we easily overlook it. Dogs operate on the Golden Rule; they treat us the way we want to be treated, and we respond in kind. Here are 10 things our dogs can teach us about healthy communication in our relationships.

1. They don’t hold grudges

According to a recent study led by ethologist Johan Lind at Stockholm University in Sweden, dogs’ short-term memory span is approximately 27 seconds. This might explain why your dog has no recollection of that vigorous game of tug you just played fifteen minutes ago and insists on whacking you around the legs with his rope for another go at it. On the other hand, this can actually work to our advantage. No matter what we do, whether it’s coming home late from work, snapping at them for wanting to play fetch when we’d rather watch TV, or boarding them at the vet for two weeks while we go on a family vacation, they still love us. A dog will never turn his back on you or withhold a snuggle, even when every other human in the vicinity declares you to be the most unlikable person they’ve had to deal with all day. Our dogs know we aren’t perfect, and because of this, they forgive our mistakes. IF we can learn one thing from this, let it be to never let the sun set on our anger. Our dogs certainly never do.

2. They always remember to say “I love you.”

One of the things I love most about my dog is his demonstrative displays of affection; tail-wagging, nuzzling, and licking are all ways to let me know he loves me. More than this, I love that I never have to ask him for it. Not only does he forgive me for being an absolute pain in the butt (which happens more often than I feel comfortable admitting), he reminds me that, however imperfect we are, we’re always worthy of love. Never miss an opportunity to tell a friend or family member you love them. It might be said that too much of a good thing is dangerous, but if we can learn anything from our dogs, it’s that this rule doesn’t apply to love.

3. They value quality time

Does your dog jump up eagerly every time he sees his leash or his favorite fetch toy? Does he nudge his nose between your hand and the laptop keyboard as you frantically type away, racing to meet a deadline? This is his way of reminding you that sometimes, work can wait. When we take fifteen minutes to jog around the block with our dogs or throw the Frisbee in the back-yard, we should also challenge ourselves to think about how we can transfer this practice to the relationships we cultivate with other people. Take a few minutes on your lunch-break to text your best friend and ask how her day is going. Stop by your girlfriend’s apartment after work with Chinese takeout and a bottle of wine and enjoy a few hours in her company. Time with our loved ones is finite, and since we can never know how much of it we have left, it’s a luxury we can’t afford to squander.

4. They always listen to our problems

I love those classic sitcom or movie scenes with an angst-ridden teenage girl, sitting on the porch with her Golden Retriever, asking why the boy at school whom she’s convinced is her soulmate won’t give her a second look. In response, the dog simply wags his tail and licks her face, as if to say, “Whatever. He’s an idiot. I still love you.” Your dog will never roll his eyes at you when you complain about a coworker for the tenth time or wonder why your ex still seems to have you dancing on a string. Your dog also won’t tell you to just cut the cord yourself and stop replying to his texts, because that’s not what you want to hear. He just offers his big floppy ears as a vessel for your frustrations without complaint.

Think about this the next time you find yourself serving as a sounding board for someone else’s problems. Pretend, just for a few minutes, to be your dog, as if you can do nothing but listen sympathetically and nod. (Just don’t lick anyone’s face. It probably won’t end well).

5. They’re always happy to see a friend

Whether it’s been five seconds, five minutes, or five years, our dogs always greet us with a yip and a wagging tail. This likely has to do with that so-called short-term memory problem I mentioned earlier, but again, this works in our favor. A dog treats each time he sees someone he loves as an opportunity to rejoice and reunite. Imagine how much sweeter our interpersonal relationships would be if we treated each other that way.

6. They teach us about sharing

We share our food, our beds, and our spot on the couch with them, and never once do we complain. If we do, it’s a half-hearted complaint while the dog casually raises his head from his position in the middle of the bed, gives a look that, roughly interpreted, means “Yeah, right,” and goes back to sleep. WE share the spaces in our homes and our hearts with our dogs not under a sense of obligation, but simply because we want to. Our willingness to reach out to other people in our lives, physically and emotionally, can be just as rewarding because we have the mutually beneficial experience of sharing our resources and making a connection with someone who might one day return the favor. No one is meant to walk through life alone.

7. They force us to listen

In addition to being great listeners themselves, our dogs force us to listen in order to understand their way of communicating. The yips, the whines, the barks, and the howls are all nuances of the canine vocabulary, and we learn whether Sparky is happy, sad, frightened, or feeling threatened based on the tenor of his bark. We can similarly improve our communication with others just by listening to their tone of voice, learning to recognize shades of emotion that can help us to show more sensitivity toward one another’s feelings.

8. They teach us about trust

When we take our dogs into our homes, they simply trust that we’ll treat them with love and kindness. They trust that we’ll feed them, walk them, and care for them when they’re sick because, having been domesticated, they’ve learned to depend on humans for survival. In doing so, they hold us accountable. They remind us that we need to show others with our actions that we’re worthy of their trust and respect. I sometimes think that if people saw in me whatever my dog does, I’d have a lot more friends.

9. They remind us of the importance of physical contact

In this increasingly technological world, virtual is something of a buzz-word, but as convenient as having the world at our fingertips can be sometimes, it also eliminates a lot of the need for human contact. Even in the digital age, our dogs crave physical touch. They need pets, belly rubs, and scratches behind the ears as affirmation of our affection, and they reward us with licks and snuggles. Texts are great, but according to the National Institute of Health, our brains crave hugs. The release of oxytocin that hugs trigger creates feelings of pleasure by lowering blood pressure and stress hormones.

10. They teach us to read body language

While dogs communicate verbally by barking, they also use body language, much as humans do, to tell us how they feel. A wagging tail might indicate happiness, while a drooping tail and ears might indicate fear or sadness. I used to have a Labrador who would pace incessantly whenever he heard a crying baby. This was his way of alerting us to something unsettling that he knew required attention.

Recognizing these signs in our dogs’ nonverbal communication is easily transferable in our human relationships as well. Noticing posture, facial expressions, or hand gestures can help us to read between the lines in our conversations and gain a deeper understanding of each other’s emotions.

Featured photo credit: Walking the Dog via pixabay.com

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Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in faith.

Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in faith.

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11 Weight Loss Tips from Professional Nutritionists and Trainers

Summer season is about to kick in, and your belly fat defies your efforts and struggles to make it slim and flat. Every time you start the new diet or workout regime on Monday, and try to stick with it until something disturbs the plans and you ditch them.

You don’t have the time. You’re too tired. You’re not in the mood. It’s boring. You’d love to eat all you like, and don’t restrain yourself.

Unfortunately, models in magazines and TV remind us every single day how human body can be beautiful, sexy, and impressive; when you watch them, you always think: “I’d love to have abs like that!,” or “Oh my God, how amazing would it be to have a figure like that! Damn you, Kim Kardashian!” Well, today we’re here to help you: Here is a list of 11 weight loss tips from professional nutritionists and trainers, who know what they are doing. Backed up tips that might change your body for the better, as well as your life. Here we go.

1. Drink more water, and know when to drink it.

Hydration of the body affects metabolism, the way your stomach digests food and how well food fuels your body. We’re actually more likely to retain “water weight” by not drinking enough of it rather than by having too much; by not drinking enough water, you’re giving your body signals to retain water, since you’re not hydrating the organism well, and it’s natural “defense” system is to retain water.

The needs of each person are different, but the general recommended daily amount is 64 ounces. It also takes up space in your stomach so you’ll feel fuller while taking in less calories. Again, drinking water (or any drinks) during your meal will make the process of digesting slower, and slow the metabolism down. Slowing the metabolism equals not losing fat. Ideally, good advice is to drink a big glass of cold water as soon as you wake up, and continue in that pace for 8 glasses throughout the day.

2. Cut The C.R.A.P.

Dawn Jackson gives us one very useful and direct advice. Cut the C.R.A.P. when you’re in a groceries shop buying food for your kitchen. Read the ingredients on the packages and avoid food containing:

• Chemicals you don’t use in your own kitchen. - Words like: azodicarbonamide, carrageenan, potassium bromate, soy isolate, brominated vegetable oil, and partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil.
• Refined sugar & flour. - Words like: refined flour, enriched wheat, high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, and anything ending in –ose.
• Artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors. - Words like: caramel coloring, saccharin, aspartame, acesulfamepotassium, dyes, diacetyl, and just plain “artificial flavoring.”
• Preservatives. - Words like: sodium nitrate/nitrite, BHA, TBHQ, BHT, heptyl paraben, and propyl gallate.

3. Don’t starve. Ever.

People tend to starve themselves when they’re stressed out by their looks. Girls, sounds familiar?

This is so wrong: when you starve yourself, your metabolism goes to the critical state, when every calorie is important. Metabolism slows down in order to preserve itself from starvation, and slows down radically. This means when you finally eat something, your metabolism will digest it at much slower rate, because it was exposed to starvation, and in the best hope of surviving, the food will be digested really slowly. Any food left unspent as energy, will go straight to the fat cells for storage. This is how the organism works, and that’s what you are making it do with starvation. Elizabeth, MS, RD is advocates this in her work, and hopes to reach all young moms and women.

What starvation does to your body:

Your energy goes low, your fat stays where it was, and your MUSCLE gets eaten by itself! When starving and needs energy, human body is designed to reach out to carbohydrates in the body, then it goes for the muscle tissue, and later on to the stubborn fat. Staying on this diet will get you looking like a walking skeleton with bags of fat attached. Who would want that?

4. Caffeine is your friend.

Consuming caffeine is good on weight loss, and destroying fat cells in your body. Studies shows that caffeine consumption impacts thermogenesis, fat oxidation, or both. Consuming coffee or green tea benefits the body by increasing caffeine levels, keeping us awake, active, and productive.

Caffeine boosts metabolism, both active and passive. Harley Pasternak, a celebrity trainer and nutrition expert who has worked with stars from Halle Berry and Lady Gaga to Robert Pattinson and Robert Downey Jr. advises people on the mission to get leaner and thinner. We have to believe him on this advice, just look at his clients.

5. Any workout is better than no workout.

When you’re on to lose some weight, you need to be persistent, and strive through the process. You workout, watch your diet, take care of your body, and work hard.

And those days in the week arrive:

Even waking up and getting out of bed is a tough thing to do. Tired, grumpy, and sore, you’re not into doing anything today, and you need to workout. Damn.

During these days, it is important to try. Any kind of workout is better than no workout. If you have a scheduled running day, or specific strength training, try to do at least one third of the workout. The important part here is that you’ll get to do at least a bit of the scheduled training, and chances are that you’ll finish it. If not, and you’re still drenched, drag yourself home and try to relax. At least you have tried, and didn’t broke the cycle. Every trainer knows and preaches this.

6. Strength before endurance.

If you’re determined to lose weight, and sculpt the perfect body of your dreams, you must be diverse.

This news might surprise you:

Building muscle is the most effective way to lose fat; the more muscle you have, the more fat will be spent for everyday’s activities, including workout.

Many people start dieting and running in their life to lose the weight. This plan is overall good, but on the efficiency side, building muscle is way better. Think of it like this: with weights/strength training, you are going from point A to point B by car. And with only cardio/aerobic training, you’re traveling by bike. You’ll get to the goal, but much slower and with more pain. Among many other personal trainers & nutritionists, James Duigan advocates this approach.

7. Avoid liquid calories.

Today’s modern diet of average person includes drinking artificially sweetened beverages, like fruit juices and sodas. This drinks contain insane amounts of added sugar, to make them taste the way people like it, and to preserve quality.

You might think we point out to popular carbonated drinks like Coke, Sprite and similar, but fruit juices are also sweetened. If you’re watching your weight, or trying to lose it, do your best to avoid liquid sugars and calories in them. Bethenny Frankel,The Real Low-Cal Housewife, prepares healthy and low-cal beverages and cocktails to improve your weight loss.

8. Eat fats.

But, be careful which ones. You should watch your bad (LDL) cholesterol and try to increase your good (HDL) cholesterol. Healthy fatty acids actually help you loose fat, and improve your overall health. Mehmet Oz, M.D. America’s “Doctor” recommends increasing healthy fats consumption no matter your physical condition.

There are loads of healthy, full of HDL cholesterol foods. Try to add these in your food consumption strategy:

• Beans
• Salmon
• Avocado
• Garlic
• Spinach
• Walnuts and Almonds

With them in your eating regime, you’re on the right path to achieve the perfect body you always wanted, and improve your health.

9. Try Fasted Feasting.

Dr. Sara Solomon offers an interesting, but radical approach. Fasted Feasting can be split into two versions: The six-seven meals per day, on every two and a half hours, or almost nothing throughout the day, only water, tea, and amino acids in form of supplements. And after a hard working day, for dinner Sara eats ALL the calories she needs for that day. This seems a bit radical and unbelievable, but Dr. Sara backs up her story with lots of successful stories of weight loss and she also looks amazing; who wouldn’t want to work with her?

Dr. Sara Solomon have the knowledge, and body to back it up.

10. Don’t trust the numbers on the scale.

When people try to lose weight, and start putting effort in doing so, the scale is often the judge; if you’re few pounds lighter, you’re happy. And there are some days, when you’re getting heavier, even though you didn’t cheated.

Don’t go nuts about it; lean muscle is twice the weight than fat. Tape measuring is your friend. Jillian Michaels, The Biggest Fitness Winner is a big advocate on this. When you gain muscle, you might even weight more than before, but don’t freak out, look at your body composition, and see how many fat did you lost in time. Body mass index (BMI) calculator will help at this a lot. And believe, adding two pounds of muscle will recompose your body and change your looks.

11. Be stubborn.

This is an universal tip. Everybody knows that big and great results don’t come over night, yet people tend to abandon their goals and create new ones when that pants become too narrow, or the belly fat comes under the shirt.You have to be stubborn.

You have to strive, and persist, so your results will speak in your name. Your new and slim body is hidden under that layers of fat – go out there and sculpt it!

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The Secret to Creating a Life of Incredible Stories

As a kid, I always found myself in trouble and looking for adventure.

I’ve listened to lectures about what not to do more times than I can count. Being extremely gullible, and a bit of a daredevil consistently landed me in front of teachers and parents discussing my future.

I can’t help it. I love spontaneity, being myself, and living on the edge. And I’m competitive and have an unyielding belief that one’s thoughts control the outcome of one’s life. So I never hesitate to take opportunities that others are afraid to engage.

The truth: I’ve always wanted the best stories to tell my friends and family. Consequently, I do. The funny part is that I don’t work hard to makes my life filled with great stories. Instead, I simply take the thousands of opportunities given me:

• A beautiful girl everyone is scared to talk to at a party, but me.
• Giving in when someone asks me to go with them on a last-second road trip to explore Yosemite National Park.
• Or even the one time when my brother convinced me to swing on a branch hovering thirty feet over a canyon.
• And the countless other stories…

Not all the stories have ended in a positive way, but each one is a learning experience. Also, I’ll talk about every story, even the ones that hurt, and that’s why I have so many to tell. What I realized: If you can’t speak about your stories that are painful, then you won’t take the risks to make your life filled with stories.

It didn’t take long to understand why I put myself in risky situations and uncomfortable settings—I believe in magic. Not wizards casting spells, but the magic of life’s truth that you can become almost anyone.

For most of us, we believe this when were younger. It started when I was a little kid playing pretend war with my friends. We threw acorns that we pretended were grenades and used Lego and K’Nex to make hand-held weapons and armor. We caused so much of a ruckus that we had to duct tape everything we made. For us, our imagination was our reality, and no one could tell us different.

Going to sleep and waking up as a kid who believes they are their own hero is truly magical. Whether you want to believe your Superman or Tony Stark, it’s time we comprehend the impossible is possible. Hopefully, you don’t forget this feeling as you age. Even though some of this feeling is likely to disappear, but for those who live a life of incredible stories, the best part remains: believing you can be anyone.

I don’t know about you, but I think that to be true. Each obstacle and opportunity to live my intended story—I take. It’s not always easy, you’ll find your hero moving in unintended directions. But then you remember that even heroes have to overcome hurdles, and that’s a critical part of each story, too.

We should all trust ourselves that we can live our stories and not someone else’s. We don’t need to live through celebrities, T.V., or movies because we should be living a life of stories worth telling. Moreover, a life full of stories doesn’t take time for anything ordinary when we should be extraordinary.

If you’re wondering who your hero is, then think about your favorite books where you have the strongest connection to the protagonist. It’s possible that’s the story you should strive to create out of your life.

I fell in love with stories that have an adventurous protagonist who conquers evil. Correspondingly, I take many risks and live life on the edge. Reading a story about a small kid who grows up to become a warrior and defeat a dragon leads me to believe I can go up against anyone.

It’s a fact that fiction novels help people beyond increasing their vocabulary and keeping the interest piqued. Reading fiction books can aid in developing a stronger emotional intelligence; as a result, this can give your success a nice jumpstart.

The best part: Great fiction stories are memorable.

Sad to say, but many college graduates can’t name ten things they learned in post-secondary education. However, they can tell you countless stories of risk and adventure. Stories are clearly one of the best channels to absorb information.

The hard part is that stories are not created by themselves. You have to take the initiative to make them happen. But the easy part is that you don’t have to look far because the opportunities are everywhere. Remember, creating stories is not so much about risk-taking as it is about creating a life worth living.

Let me ask you:

If you’re creating a story not worth being told, then why are you living?

The next time you see one of the thousands of opportunities around you, don’t doubt yourself. You can become whomever you want. That’s how people become president, and Elon Musk becomes Tony Stark.

You have the ability to live a hero’s life where you never waste an opportunity.

So what we need to ask ourselves: Why did we stop believing?

We became convinced that we couldn’t live as a hero unless we went through systems ingrained in our culture like attending college and working specific jobs. Progressively we accepted that we are not heroes, we are not unique, and dreams only live in fiction books.

It’s time to stop listening to the people who tell us what we have to do. Instead, listen to the people who turned their dreams into reality so they can see their hero every day in the mirror. These are the ones who know the world’s best-kept secret: you can turn fiction into fact.

If I stopped my child-like curiosity and dreams from propelling me forward, I wouldn’t be nearly as successful as I am now. Sure there have been a couple of bumps in the road, but no one starts as a hero, they must conquer challenges to become a champion.

Just like fiction heroes can overcome their fears, we can too.

I’ve never sat through a lecture and felt inspired. What has inspired me were fiction stories that told me I could be better than a student falling asleep in a college lecture. These same stories told me I could improve a small part of the world each day if I worked hard enough. Those are the ones I believe in because life is not worth living if that’s not true.

Keep in mind: If you don’t see yourself as having potential to change the world, then you won’t ever change it.

Ask yourself: What hero do you want to see in the mirror?

Remember, a hero always has an inner fire to drive them through the toughest times. And just maybe part of overcoming your hardest obstacles is understanding you are your own hero.

And because we can’t live someone else’s life, we must face ourselves.

The secret to living a life of incredible stories: find your fiction and turn it into reality.

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