Eat a Big Salad Everyday

Salads are often thought of as a “side plate” to the main meal. This usually consists of lettuce topped with a few tomatoes, cucumbers, and a large amount of croutons. Ever thought about eating a big salad as your daily lunch? I eat an enormously delicious salad everyday for lunch.

Here’s how it’s made in the lab: I grab the biggest bowl in my kitchen to start. I fill it up with lettuce, spinach, or a combination of both.The base is then layered with all kind of veggies. Some of the more common ones I include are onions, tomatoes, diced peppers, broccoli and okra. So what about the protein? I will usually top it off with a cup of black beans. Occasionally I will throw in a can of tuna into the mix.This salad leaves me full and satisfied for hours. It’s healthy, delicious and easy to prepare.

Eat in More

It’s tough to come home after a long day of work and make supper for the family before heading to Billy’s baseball game. Fortunately there are ways to overcome this problem. Make a big batch of food on Saturday or Sunday that can be eaten throughout the week. Spend an hour on the weekend preparing some healthy meals that will stay fresh for several days.

Now you’ve no excuse to stop by McDonald’s on the way home to pick up a greasy burger and chips. While there are certainly healthy options at many restaurants, you still don’t know how the food is prepared. Studies show that restaurants with nutritional menus, underestimate calorie totals by as much as 30%. Cook more at home-this way you know exactly what is going into your body and how it was prepared

Less Meat

I love eating meat. I once attempted to go vegetarian- needless to say this didn’t last very long. However, the experimentation did open my eyes to a new way of eating. People tend to eat some type of meat at every meal, believing that it is the only source of protein.

While meat is high in protein, it’s definitely not the only source. Swap the meat several meals a week with foods such as beans, eggs, Greek yogurt, Quinoa, or cottage cheese. Cutting my meat consumption has helped my digestive system, improved my quality of sleep and given me more energy. I’m not suggesting giving up meat entirely, just eat less and see how you feel.

Switch Machines with Free Weights

It’s so much easier to go from one machine to the next, compared to using dumbbells, barbells and kettlebells. There are several reasons I am not a fan of using the standard weight machines.

Most machines require you to be in a seated position but the average person sits for over 6 hours a day while at work, driving, or lounging. Why go to the gym and sit more?

Exercising in a standing position will help improve posture, burn more calories and get your hips out of a flexed position. Try to start incorporating more free weights into your routine. Substitute the leg press machine with dumbbell squats. Switch the shoulder press machine with a standing dumbbell overhead press. Your core will get much stronger by using more free weights.

Try a Saturday Challenge

If you like to exercise on a Saturday, turn it into a challenge workout each week. There are tons of challenges written by trainers on the Internet. Try a push-up challenge one week, a chin-up and pull-up challenge the next, or whatever other challenge you want to try. Repeat the challenge once every 4-6 weeks and try to beat your past performance

Replace a workout with another activity

Sometimes your body and mind needs a break from the gym. Many people train 6-7 days a week. I believe that is far too much for the average person. I only lift weights 3-4 days a week. Maybe you only lift weight 3 days a week, but go another 3 days to do some form of cardio.

Drop a couple of days at the gym and do something else active. Take the dog to the park, go for a hike, play some tennis, go swimming- do something that doesn’t require you to be at the gym. This helps avoid getting “burnt out” and gives you a different variation of exercise. As much as I love working out, I don’t want to spend hours a day at the gym. It’s much more enjoyable to be outside in the fresh air.