With these warmer months now upon us and with so many fun destinations in your near future, you want to keep feeling your best.  You’ve been working hard to get your body spring break and summer vacation ready, and while now is your time to indulge—which, please do, you deserve it—there are some simple steps you can take to treat yourself, while still treating your body right. 

Because we tend to eat out a lot more when we’re on vacation, we also tend to eat worse, without even being aware of it.  Here are a few of our favorite tricks to eating healthy on vacation, while still fully enjoying yourself.

1. Share Some Small Plates

While on vacation, of course you should be trying all the great foods a new place has to offer.  But let “trying” be the keyword. Try ordering a bunch of small plates to share amongst your friends and family.  This way, everyone gets to try a couple different things and you avoid overeating.  Not to mention, it makes your overall dining experience a lot more social. 

2. Treat Yourself…Once a Day

As we said before, you should be indulging, you’re on vacation.  It would honestly be cruel to ask you to say no to a specialty drink or a dessert menu.  But try to limit yourself to one “treat” a day.  Choosing one thing to splurge on each day gives you the leeway you need to be healthy, while still enjoying the perks of being (and eating) on vacation. 

3. Don’t Forget About Fruits and Vegetables

This probably sounds silly, but yes, make sure that you’re still getting your daily serving of fruits and vegetables.  This tip is exceptionally fun when you’re traveling to a warmer destination (um, can you say tropical fruit platter).  While you’re busy sampling all types of new snacks, remember to order a salad for the table as well, or start your day with a smoothie, and rejuvenate your body with those tasty nutrients it needs.

4. Lots of Water, Lots of Walking

Drink a lot of water, as this is our number one tip on how to keep yourself feeling good.  When you’re on the go, forgetting to keep your body hydrated happens more easily than we think.  So, whether you’re running around sight-seeing or lounging on the beach, bring a water bottle to remind yourself to stay hydrated.  And as an added bonus, drinking water helps burn more calories.

It all really just comes down to moderation.  You shouldn’t deprive yourself.  You’ve worked hard, you live healthy, and you’re on vacation, so let yourself snack a little, and order that dessert you’ve been dying to try.  Just remember there’s a difference between treating yourself and overdoing it, and your body will thank you for being aware of this.

We’re sure you love seeing everything bloom in the springtime as much as we do, so what better time to plant your own garden at home?  Having a home garden can benefit your life mentally, physically, and financially. 

It’s proven that gardening can help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and depression.  Plus, it always feels nice to give a little something back to the environment, right?  Here are just a few of the ways having a garden can bring some serious good into your home.

Benefits for Your Overall Health

There have been multiple studies conducted on the benefits gardening can have on your physical and mental health.  Gardening itself, is a physical activity, so in doing so, you’re getting some exercise. 

Now, this doesn’t mean just watering your plants (however, that is part of it).  This is referring to the weeding, digging, planting, and everything else that goes into creating your full, at-home garden. You can actually burn 150-300 calories gardening for just 30-45 minutes a day.  Not to mention, it helps strengthen your bones, muscles, and joints.

Even just looking at a garden can help stimulate a healthy and positive mental state.  There’s a reason why gardening is described as being “good for the body and soul.”  You can tweak an at-home garden to cater to your own emotional needs.  There are different gardening styles and techniques to help stimulate calmness, tranquility, focus, happiness, and creativity.

Benefits for Your Wallet

There’s the obvious way that having an at-home garden can benefit your wallet.  Yep, growing your own fruits and vegetables means that you don’t have to buy them.  And, it’s honestly pretty rewarding to be self-sustaining. There’s also another way having an at-home garden can benefit your wallet.

Gardening can help raise the property value of your home, too.  Investing your time in your at-home garden, is really an investment into your home.  Think “curb-appeal.”  When you drive past a home with a well-kept and gardened outside, the house itself automatically looks that much more welcoming.

Benefits for Mother Nature

We’re always hearing about the negative effects our actions have on the environment, so it feels good to turn that around and do something nice for Mother Nature for a change. Plants and mulch help to hold soil in place, which reduces erosion.

Plants help cleanse our air of carbon dioxide and other various air pollutants. You can give back to the planet while giving a little something to yourself, when you plant an at-home garden.

Starting an at-home garden is pretty simple, and it can benefit your health, happiness, and home.  So if you’re feeling inspired by all these spring flowers, go grab some of your own and get that garden started. 

Most of us need that morning cup of coffee to kick start our day. Some of us even need the mid-day cup to make it over the hump. While there are some health benefits to drinking coffee in moderation, it might be beneficial to be aware of other forms of caffeine that you can reach for when you need an extra boost.

Green and Black Tea

A cup of green tea has anywhere from 24-40 mg of caffeine.  A cup of black tea has about 47 mg of caffeine.  While this is only about half as much as you get from a cup of coffee, it provides you with a more even and mellow “caffeine high”, rather than just the caffeine spike you get from coffee. Even though you may not notice it, coffee in the afternoon does make for a more restless night of sleep, so you’ll eliminate this by choosing tea, too.

Dark Chocolate

As if you needed an excuse to eat chocolate?  Put down that cup of coffee, and grab some dark chocolate. A regular sized dark chocolate bar only has about 18 grams of caffeine, so don’t expect a huge spike in energy.  But, dark chocolate is rich in healthy antioxidants, so at least it’s good for you, in—cue our favorite word—moderation.    

Fortified Coconut Water

Coconut water is already stimulating in itself because potassium helps your body convert carbs into fuel.  But, if that’s not enough for you, now you can also get coconut water with espresso, which has as much as 125 mg of caffeine.  That’s as much caffeine as you would get in two shots of espresso.  Making it another great alternative for coffee.

Guarana Supplements

Guarana is a plant typically used in energy drinks.  And while you can’t find it at your local grocery store, you can find Guarana supplements.  Guarana seeds actually have double the caffeine that java beans have, making it the most potent alternative.  Guarana is in most multivitamins, so starting a regular vitamin regimen can help you replace coffee almost all together, if you so desire.

If you want to give your body a little break from coffee, but still need some caffeine, give these alternatives a try.  You might find that you enjoy them even more than that usual “cup of joe.”