Health, Wellness and Lifestyle

Is Starbucks Taking all Your Money?      In my last blog, I talked about how you can utilize efficient meal planning to save yourself time and money. Today, I am going to focus more on saving money by limiting how often you go out to eat. I am currently in the process of trying to break my habits of going out for ice cream or coffee or whatever else it is I'm craving multiple days a week. These are some habits that once I can fix, I know will save me a ton of money in the long run.      Personally, I have found that my hardest habit to break is refraining from buying coffee every day. I love iced coffee; it tastes good and it gives me the perfect pick me up whether I'm headed to work, class or the gym. I always justify buying a coffee because I tell myself "I'll be more productive if I have this, so of course it's worth it". Last year, I probably went to Starbucks about 4-5 times a week every week in the fall semester. Say each drink averaged at about $6, a...

 3 Tips on How to Meal Prep: Food and nutrition is a pretty significant part of everyone's health and lifestyle, so I wanted to use this week's blogs to discuss some tips to prepare your meals more efficiently. Personally, I don't find it convenient to have to cook a different meal every night, so meal prepping has been extremely helpful in saving time and money. Here are a few tips for meal prepping that I would recommend: 1.) Plan your meals ahead of time - I would definitely recommend doing your grocery shopping on a weekend (if possible), so you can avoid going when you are busier during the week.  I always bring a list with me so I don't forget any items. Nothing is worse than having to run back to the store for one missing ingredient, so always keep your upcoming meals in mind when shopping and make sure you grab everything you need. It may also help to keep a daily meal plan written out so you know which days you're cooking and which days you'll be eating...

Breaking down a time conscious workout at the gym      In my last blog post, I discussed some tips on finding a quick and efficient at workout to do at home. Today, I wanted to talk about workouts at the gym and how you can design one that won't take hours to complete. A lot of time, my workouts can end up becoming more complicated than they need to be and take up a significant portion of my day. Finding a quick and effective workout is important, especially if you are constantly on the move and have other priorities and obligations.          I like to have a plan for my workout before I get to the gym so I know exactly what I want to do once I get there. Since I mostly like to strength train, I break down my workouts by muscle groups. The four separate 'days' I have are  back and biceps, shoulders and triceps, and two different leg days. In my notes app, I have a list of the exercises that I prefer to do for each group. When I first started ...

 No gym membership, no problem! If you are new to working out or are stuck at home and need inspiration for a quick and easy workout, look no further. Going to the gym is one of my favorite hobbies, but there are some days where I'm really not feeling it (or if I'm in a time crunch), and prefer to exercise at home. Here are a few ideas for at home workouts that you can do: Cardio: If you are looking for something to do super fast, a moderate to intense cardio workout will burn calories quickly and won't require much time. I'd recommend running or walking outside as fresh air is the best. If you are unable to go outside, here is the next best alternative: HIIT workouts. HIIT (High intensity interval training) workouts can be found online. To get started, all you need to do is find something you like on YouTube and a small, clear space on the floor.  My favorite channel that I find my videos on is MadFit. She has so many types of videos/ workouts on her page and was my...

 3 Habits to Quit for Better Sleep      Throughout this course, I am going to use my blog to discuss topics related to health and lifestyle including exercise, sleep, diet and more. In this post, I am going to focus on sleep schedules and how we can improve ours.      I first want to discuss what habits may be preventing you from getting efficient sleep. With some research, I found that there are three main things you should avoid in close proximity to your bedtime: 1.) Screen time . Avoiding screen time before bed is stressed by many, and it is scientifically proven why you should do it. The blue light emitted from your screen tricks your brain into thinking that is is day time, which stops melatonin production. Melatonin is the hormone that helps induce sleep, and it's more difficult to fall asleep when your brain is producing less of it. 2.) Exercise. While light intensity workouts may be beneficial before bed, high intensity...

 How can I Improve my Sleep Quality?     In my previous blog, I discussed the importance of sleep and which habits can be preventing you from  falling or staying asleep at night. In this blog, I'm going to talk about what you can do to help improve your sleep quality.     One thing that I found has helped me fall asleep more easily was making my bedroom as calming and cozy as possible. You can do this by decluttering or reorganizing your room, or by decorating it with objects that remind you of friends, family and positive memories. You can also make your room feel more relaxing with tailoring the lighting, color scheme, temperature, and bedding to suit your specific needs. Personally, I prefer my bedroom to be cold and as dark as possible when I sleep.    It is also important to establish a consistent sleep routine. If you wake up and go to sleep around the same time every day, it is more likely that you will be able to fall ...