Spring Cleaning for Your Well-Being, Fitness and Health

As spring has sprung, we all begin those famous spring cleaning rituals so we can rid our homes of all the stuff we accumulated during the cold winter months while we were indoors hanging out.

The warmer weather encourages us to clean up for the spring so we can enjoy spending time outside. Your life also needs a good spring cleaning to get rid of all the stuff that really doesn't fit into your warm weather routine.

All that comfort food is yummy, but will it really help to get your figure ready for tank tops and shorts? Although the sofa and television may be alluring, will sitting there all day get rid of body fat so you look awesome in your summer swimsuit? Obviously the answers to these questions are negative and there is no time like the present to spring clean your life and refrigerator.

Review the contents of your refrigerator, freezer and cupboards and get rid of all that fattening comfort food you snacked on during chilly winter evenings in front of the fire.

Pay a visit to the grocery store to all those fresh vegetables and fruits that are featured in the produce section for Spring. For a more indulgent experience, visit a farm or fruit market because somehow buying the freshest produce around adds to its allure and flavor.

Remove your rear from the couch. Get up and walk, ride your bike or simply throw in a new fitness DVD and get started. Exercise doesn't have to be complicated or require a lot of equipment or time. Simply trade off that television show for a half hour to go do it! Your body will thank you later when you slide those shorts on with no problem.

Are soft drinks lining the door of your refrigerator? Toss these empty calories out and buy a case of water. Not only is water more hydrating in the hot weather, it has no calories and your body needs six to eight glasses of water a day to function properly.

Examine your everyday lifestyle and do a bit of spring cleaning to get rid of winter woes and face the warm weather looking and feeling your best!

Eating 5 to 6 Meals a Day for Optimum Health & Fitness

A recent debate questions whether we should eat three meals a day or five to six meals a day for optimum health and fitness. Nutritional experts are divided about this, but all of them agree that skipping meals is detrimental to overall fitness success.

Individual metabolism seems to be the key in determining how many meals a day to eat. However, if you eat only two to three meals a day you are probably not making your metabolism work as hard as it is supposed to. You may feel tired with a loss of energy and wind up turning toward snacks, which may not be as carefully chosen as an actual meal. With five to six meals a day, you have more opportunities to plan to eat correctly as opposed to snacking on junk food.

Deciding to eat 5 or 6 meals a day gives you the opportunity to think about what you are eating and plan meals that include the four food groups. The portions you serve should equal the size of your heart, which is approximately the size of your fist. Exercising portion control and spreading your meals throughout the day keeps your metabolism working properly, giving you plenty of energy. Also, smaller portions help you to avoid overeating and do not make you as sluggish as eating a huge meal. Having several meals during the day gives you the opportunity to add more variety to your diet, as well as avoid pangs of hunger from going too long without eating.

The ADA suggests that you ask yourself three questions when deciding how and when to eat:

- Am I hungry? If you are not, wait 20 minutes.
- When was the last time I ate? Meals should usually be about three hours apart.
- Could a small snack tide me over until my next meal? Of course, fruit and veggies are preferred choices for snacks in between meals.

In summary about the debate regarding three meals a day versus six, Gary Schwartz (researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine) states, "There's no strong data supporting either as being being more effective. Clearly, there is an emphasis on reducing caloric intake overall, whether it be by decreasing meal size and/or decreasing meal frequency."

You can develop a truly effective individual fitness plan by counting calories, exercising regularly and carefully monitoring how your metabolism reacts to the number of meals you eat daily.