In the world of health and fitness, there is always someone trying to sell you some magical solution to all your weight loss and fitness needs. Today, many of these magical solutions on offer in the market today claim to have the ability to speed up your metabolism so that you can burn fat faster.

Be wary of such products because the promises they make are often empty and a lot of the products are not regulated. They come with a great risk to your health and they are a complete waste of money in general. When you need to boost your metabolism naturally in ways that won’t harm you, here are the foods that you should eat:

Berries

Berries such as raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries are low in calories and they have high fiber content. The fiber contained in the berries is super filling and it absorbs excess fat in the stomach. Berries can be enjoyed on their own or can be added to your smoothies, yogurt or cereal.

Lean protein

Lean cuts of chicken, turkey, and beef are some of the best foods that you can add to your diet to boost your metabolism. People who consume large quantities of healthy proteins can burn twice as many calories as individuals who do not. Additionally, if you work out often, protein is vital for repairing, preserving and building healthy muscle tissue.

Beans

Beans are rich in both protein and fiber, which are vital building blocks when you need to speed up your metabolism. Beans also contain a healthy dose of iron that is critical for increasing your metabolic speed. Iron assists with oxygen transport which is needed to burn fat.

Celery

Celery, like many other superfoods included in this list, is high in fiber and also low in caloric content, which explains why it is sometimes commonly referred to as a negative calorie food. Celery stimulates digestion and because it also has high water content, you automatically improve your metabolism when you consume it.

Chia seeds

These little magical seeds of wonder are high in fiber, omega 3 fats, and protein. When they are incorporated into your diet, you will feel hungry less often and you will also have more energy. You can add chia seeds to your dishes, as well as in salads and smoothies.

Green Tea

If you are going to add anything to your diet in order to boost your metabolism, let it be green tea. Green tea has been proven to be effective in burning stubborn stomach fat, as well as enhance your overall metabolism.

Waiting until the last minute to pick your meals can be one of the worst things that you can do if you are attempting to live a healthier lifestyle. Last minute choices are often unhealthy especially because of the numerous fast food delivery options that contemporary society enjoys today.

Meal prep is the process of planning, preparing and packaging your meals and snacks in advance with the intention of eating clean and controlling your portions. Meal prep is a great way to ensure that your weekly meals are healthy and prepared in advance,which is important for people who have busy schedules.

Ultimately,when meal prep is done correctly, it should save you time and money. If you want to get started, here are some meal prep ideas that can save you time:

Stock up on the regulars

Ensure that you stock up on the food items that you use regularly to cook. If you do not, you are going to find it a lot easier to cave into your cravings or to opt for a food delivery service. Figure out which ingredients you need and use the most and store them in your fridge. Such basic ingredients should include items such as spices and herbs, tortillas, onions, tomatoes, an assortment of healthy greens and fruits.

Keep it plain and simple

To make your meal prep effortless, consider sticking with recipes that are easy to make. When the recipe calls for the use of complicated techniques and unique ingredients, it can make it a lot harder to stick to a meal-prep routine. Try as much as you can to maintain simple recipes that do not require too many ingredients and those that can be made in a short duration of time.

Consider buying pre-cut ingredients and produce

Buying fruits and veggies that come pre-cut is obviously a more expensive alternative, but it can save you so much time when you are planning your meals.  If you opt to but pre-cut stuff, go for produce that is more difficult to prepare such as butternut squash or practically anything that you hate to prepare.

Invest in plastic containers

If you want your meal prep to work, you need to invest in a lot of plastic containers. Plastic containers are great for portioning out your meals, as well as freezing them. Shop around online for high-quality containers that are BPA free. You can also go for glass containers which give you a glance at the food inside without having to open the lids.

Ah, Cravings- the bane of many people’s existence. One minute, you’re patting yourself on the back for how well you have managed to maintain that diet and before you know it, you’ve been overcome with the burning need to devour that muffin that you know you shouldn’t. 

Food cravings are a dieter’s worst nightmare. These intense uncontrollable desires for unwanted and often unhealthy food are one of the many reasons why people struggle to lose weight or maintain a healthy one.

Cravings are fueled by feel-good chemicals in the brain such as dopamine. When you succumb to your cravings and eat bad food, a rush of euphoria is created and the brain will continue to seek this rush until it is satisfied. What’s worse is when we are in full on craving mode, we often convince ourselves that we are hungry which makes it harder to resist. 

The best way to keep your cravings in check is to stop the cycle of surrendering to your urges. For this to happen, you need a plan and willpower. Here are some ways to deal with food cravings:

East regularly

Hunger can have you craving for things that you should not eat because of low blood sugar. As such, always ensure that you do not go longer than 5 hours without eating something healthy. Pick snacks that are low in calories and fat to prevent your blood sugar from dropping.

Eat more calories

If you have been eating less than you should, you are also bound to deal with cravings. A diet that is lower than 1,000 calories places your body in automatic craving mode. Additionally, cravings are also more likely to happen when you restrict specific food groups from your diet, which consequently leads to binging and overeating when the opportunity presents itself.

Instead of completely doing away with certain types of food like carbs, find a way to enjoy them in controlled portions. For example, reward yourself once every 2 weeks by sharing a slice of your favorite cake with your friend.

Distance yourself

You may not even realize it but seemingly ordinary routines create powerful associations. For instance, watching the Food Network because it is your favorite will probably do little to suppress your cravings. To prevent yourself from succumbing, consider distancing yourself from everything that triggers your cravings including smells, sounds, and sights.

Plan your meals

If possible, try and plan out your weekly meals before the week starts. If you already know what you are going to eat, it stands to reason that you will have eliminated any chance of spontaneity or uncertainty. Ultimately, you will be less tempted throughout the week.

We know and understand that you need all your gadgets in order to run your home based business successfully. Your computers and scanners may seem important now, but they are driving up your electric bills and impacting the environment negatively.

Businesses everywhere are making a noticeable effort to become more eco-friendly and energy efficient, and home-based businesses should also follow suit. Implementing energy safety features and practices in your home office can help to reduce your energy usage, as well as reduce your carbon footprint.

If you are serious about making your domestic working environment more eco-friendly, below are some energy saving trends for 2018 that you can implement in your home office:

Use electricity monitors

To start the journey towards a more eco-friendly home office, you must first figure out which of your devices is consuming the most energy. Electricity monitors that are plugged in can identify how much electricity each of your devices consumes. Hopefully, you can start to make the changes needed to lower your energy use.

Power strips work

We are all guilty of leaving our devices plugged in even when it is unnecessary. Saving energy can be as effortless as unplugging your appliances when they are not being used. Surprisingly, even when your devices are turned off but still plugged in, energy is still being consumed or rather wasted. Plugging your gadgets into a power strip is the best way to avoid wasting energy.

Ditch the PC

If you have to choose, use your laptop instead of your PC. Laptops consume up to 80% less energy compared to PCs.

Try Energy Efficient Ethernet

Energy Efficient Ethernets are designed to lower the amount of power consumed on your local area network particularly when there is little data activity. Energy Efficient Ethernets (EEE) can reduce energy consumption by half or more while retaining complete compatibility with your devices.

Change old light bulbs

One of the easiest ways to automatically guarantee that your home office is green is by switching your standard bulbs for more energy efficient ones. Not only do energy efficient bulbs last longer, they also use 25 to 80 % less energy compared to traditional bulbs, and they shine brighter too.

Only buy Energy Star Devices

The next time you are in the market for a new tablet, laptop or scanner for your home office, make sure that you only purchase an Energy Star rated product. Energy Star products are specially designed so that they use less energy than standard models, which ultimately improves your energy efficiency.

Do you want to be a successful? If so, then you must understand priority. Having success and prioritizing responsibilities both go hand in hand.  Realizing success is not simply the accumulation of materials, wealth, or notoriety. Success is the ability to act on and achieve your goals.  In order to reach your set goals, priorities must be established in different areas of your life. 

When dealing with relationships you must decide who is most important to you and then ask the question. Am I dedicating and investing enough time in that person? Or vice versa, am I investing too much time in this person.  Also, on your job and or whatever career you may be in you must establish an order of importance in your daily duties and responsibilities to be effective.

Regardless of the set number of priorities you have, you must have established order. Here are three things that you can do daily to keep priorities in the proper alignment.

●     Be an early morning riser.  When you awake early in the morning, your mind is clear and free from the added clutter that the day can and will bring. Always rise early to read and meditate on the responsibilities that are ahead for the day. This establishes a sense of order for before you begin your daily duties.

●     Make a list.  Everyday make a list of priorities in your notes or on your phone.  From top to bottom, write out and list the most important to the least important and check off items as they are completed.

●     Don’t Deviate from Values.  You have things to accomplish, but you get a call from someone unexpected that wants to converse longer than you anticipated.  Don’t deviate from your values and what you have esteemed to be your priority for the day.

Whatever you deem to be the most important in your life, make sure that person or task gets the most and first attention.  Keep your agenda readily available to make any necessary adjustments that you may need because priorities do change and you must be ready to realign and refocus. Remember if it does not help you reach your end goal then it is unimportant and will deter you.  Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow?

Are you looking for fabulous ways to liven up your front porch? If yes, then we have got you covered. The following six organic ideas will help you take your front porch from a drab to fab in no time!

#1. Paint the Door

If you are looking to add some curb appeal to your front area, you need to start with your door after all, it’s the first thing the eye sees when looking at a front porch. This is why painting your door is an affordable, organic, and easy way to instantly add oomph and character to your home’s front exterior. All you have to do is give it a fresh coat of paint or choose a new bold color.

#2. Treat Your Porch with Drapes

You’ll love the instant pizzazz a set of outdoor drapes will add to your porch. It is a sizzling way to add color and visual interest. Also, if your porch area has room for seating space, the drapes will provide a sense of privacy as well as shade for those days when you just want to snuggle up with a good novel.

#3. Add Some Organic Updates to Your House Numbers

Liven up your home’s front exterior with new, fantastic house numbers. It’s a cheap, organic, and fun way to give your front porch some spunk. Of course, there are several different options when it comes to selecting or mix-and-matching your house numbers organically.

Skip the obvious moves like placing the numbers on your mailbox or wall. Instead, hang the numbers on a planter box. Even better, include plants to give them a fresh look and feel.

#4. Add Cozy Candles

Liven up your porch area with snazzy candles. They are an eco-friendly and cheap way to add a touch of ambiance to your front porch. Any candle style or aroma will undoubtedly brighten your porch. However, if you want to be organic, go for candles made from beeswax or soy -- not paraffin wax.

#5. Plant a Variety of Flowers and Other Lovely Plants

If you crave a relaxing porch, lush greenery is what the doctor prescribed. Go for a broad range of edibles and flowers in pots and spread them around your porch area. You can put tall plants side-by-side to improve the privacy of your front porch space.

#6. Build a Porch Swing

You and your little ones will love a porch swing. It’s the staple of the classic-looking front porch. If you are not big on the budget, a cushion and a few pillows will do just fine.

What happens to All the Irregular Foods from Grocery Stores?

Let me make something straight right from the outset; most grocery stores do a bang-up job minimizing waste associated with expired, old or irregular foods. But, it happens - grocery stores have to deal with irregular foods. You see, when they close their doors, night shift workers spring into action to remove all the irregular, expired, and old food items from the shelves.

So, what eventually happens to these irregular foods?

Thrown Away

Grocery stores examine each food item to see if it is still worth staying on the shelves. A portion of irregular foods, however, is certainly thrown into the garbage. That means these foods end up in our landfills. For most grocery stores, this is a last resort measure after exploring other avenues.

Cooked and Prepared for In-Store Deli

Surprisingly, some grocery stores often prepare irregular foods like fresh meats, fruits, and veggies for their salad counters and in-store delis. It will help them recoup some profits and reduce food wastage. By doing so, these supermarkets are being environmentally friends and cost-effective.

Donated to Food Banks

According to Feeding America, there has been an increase of 40% in the demand of emergency food assistance in the past couple of years. That’s where food banks across the country come in handy. Accordingly, grocery stores donate most of its irregular foods to food banks. The good news is that FDA approves and even encourages this approach.

You see, expiring dates are only a mark of when the food is at its optimum quality, but it doesn’t imply that it is unsafe for human consumption. That is why food banks are taking in all kinds of irregular foods, from canned beans to deli meats.

Sold to Salvage Stores

Interestingly, most irregular foods find a second home. That is where salvage stores come in especially useful. They buy irregular, damaged, out of season foods from grocery stores to sell them at unbelievably low prices. Salvage grocery stores take advantage of this and make a few bucks from vending by selling past-their-prime and irregular foods discarded by conventional grocery stores.

Salvage grocery stores are indeed pretty awesome. They make sure that otherwise good food doesn’t end up in landfills. More than that, their low prices implies that low-income families can also enjoy nutritious meals.

Given to Homeless People

Have you ever wondered where the people who scrounge outside grocery stores get their healthy foods? Wonder no more - they are generously given irregular foods by the supermarkets. Be kind and generous and make useful and environmentally friendly decisions with these foods.