10% Splurge! 90% Compliance!

Have you ever started a diet or nutrition program where you made certain foods off limits?  While following this program, did you find yourself frequently craving these off limits foods?  In many cases, we get to the point where we give in to this food, and then continue to eat it past the point of fullness, even when the food doesn't make us feel good.  This is exactly why it's important to allow yourself the weekly 10% of non-compliant foods.  When you have access to the foods that were once off limits on a regular basis, they become much less appealing.  When you can actually sit down and eat a bowl of ice cream, instead of sneaking in the "I'm not really eating this" spoon fulls every time you open the freezer, you may start to find that the ice cream will lose its appeal.  So allow yourself the occasional, guilt-free splurge, and you will likely find your 90% easier to stick with.

A Healthy Breakfast

A healthy breakfast is the cornerstone of a great nutrition plan.  Given the busy lifestyle that most of us maintain these days, finding 10-20 minutes in the morning can be daunting. I say getting up a little earlier is a small investment of time that will pay off huge down the road as far as energy levels and overall health.  So while we work towards making time to eat a healthy breakfast daily there will inevitably be those times when there is no time. Luckily there are some creative ways to still get a healthy breakfast in the middle of a time crunch. One way only takes five minutes.  Fix yourself a bowl of old fashioned oats, not the instant kind thats loaded with added sugar,  in the microwave which takes five minutes.  When its done throw in a scoop of either chocolate or vanilla protein powder.  This is a suitable combination of complex carbs and easily digestible protein that will stick with you for 2-3 hours until your morning snack. Another way is to hard boil and peel some eggs the night before.  Put the peeled eggs in a tupperware and stick them in the fridge so they are ready to go in the morning. While you are getting ready for the day you can grab a couple eggs and a piece of fruit for a complete breakfast.  By having the right items in your fridge you can be prepared to eat well in almost any situation.  Remember food is fuel and the last thing we want to do is start the day on an empty tank.