7 Simplifications and Solutions for a Better Life Right Now

Feeling bogged down, bloated, tired, weighed down by life's little stressors, overcommitted, and scattered in your thinking? I've been there so many times! It feels like I need a major overhaul when I get in this mode, yet figuring out what the overhaul would entail as well as attempting anything "major" is overwhelming.

I've learned that sometimes just a few adjustments can make a WORLD of difference. Here is a list of 7 life simplifications and solutions that work wonders for me.

1. Stop making complicated food.

Simple meals of mixed steamed vegetables with a scoop of plain quinoa and some avocado slices are delicious, filling, and make me feel like a million bucks.

2. Any schedule is FINE as long as I have one.

I'm the queen of schedule making. I can spend hours trying to figure out when the best time to do which task each day would be, rather than just working on the tasks themselves. I have entire notebooks full of different daily schedules I've made and abandoned looking for the Perfect Schedule. Stop all that, choose a schedule, write in your tasks, and just work.

3. One cup of coffee max per day.

I know this is a tough one. I KNOW. But switching out your coffee IV for water, herbal teas, mate, oolong, etc. is such a health boost it's unbelievable. The first 3 days or so of cutting back on coffee are the worst, and after that, you discover a mood and energy boost you didn't know you had. I promise.

4. Stop the unhealthy snacks.

Have a small salad with 1/2 cup boiled edamame. To make this quick and easy, bulk prepare a huge salad once a week (without dressing of course) and store it in the fridge. Then toss a small bowl of it with olive oil, lemon, and a little salt and garlic powder for a delicious, filling snack.

5. Drink water + green drink for the gut bomb.

Gut bomb - that heavy, bloated feeling - can usually be attributed to dehydration at least in part. Get your water intake up, and add a green drink to your daily regimen. I like powdered barley grass, which I shake up with a few ounces of water. It tastes like you ate fresh lawn clippings, but it will soothe indigestion and gut bomb like nobody's business.

6. Let it go.

Whatever the issue is that's bugging the crap out of you right now, do whatever you can to alleviate or fix it, and beyond that, let it go. That means you allow it to coexist with you for now without fighting it anymore in your heart and mind, at least for today. Pray for creative solutions and they will come. But they are easier to "see" when you aren't actively obsessing about the issue at hand.

7. Do weight training.

Weight training tones you and increases your metabolism like no other workout I know of. I do Les Mills Bodypump twice a week, mixed with dance workouts and yoga on other days. If I skip a week of weight training, I notice an almost immediate loss of tone, more bloat, and depressed mood, even though I'm doing my other types of workouts. I don't lift heavy weights at all--my dumbells are five pounds, and other than that, it's body weight stuff like pushups, squats, and lunges.

Here's wishing you a great weekend and an improved life!

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9 Light, Bright Low-Calorie Meal Ideas

Crisp raw veggies with oil and lemon make me happy. :)

Looking for some low-calorie meals for a snack, a light lunch, or a "small plate" dinner? There are multiple reasons having a ready list of light meal options is a good idea. Maybe you're trying to trim some weight, or improve your digestion, or just feel lighter and brighter. These dishes will fit the bill! Go light on the salt and oil, and your waistline (and your gut) will thank you.

1. Chopped veggie salad with 1 tablespoon sunflower or pumpkin seeds, 5 pecans, and 4 walnuts, topped with a quick drizzle of oil and fresh squeezed lemon. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder (optional, and keep it light if you do add these seasonings!) and serve with 1/2 cup boiled or steamed edamame.

Calories: 250

2. 1 cup chia pudding topped with 2 tablespoons mixed roasted nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, and/or unsweetened coconut.

Calories: 150 - 200, depending upon what type of milk you use :)

3. Spinach and Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad (2 cups baby spinach and 1 cup shredded brussels tossed with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon, lots of garlic powder and a little sea salt. Top with 8 black olive halves (4 olives) and 10 pecan halves, rough chopped.)

Calories: 295

4. Hemp protein shake (4 tablespoons plain hemp protein, 3 ice cubes, 8-10 oz water, 1/4 t. powdered stevia or sweetener of choice, + optional add-ins like green powder, cinnamon, powdered maca, etc.)

Calories: 110 + any additional from your add-ins (usually negligible calorie counts)

5. Four flax crackers with a handful of cherry tomatoes, some zucchini sticks, sliced cucumber, and sliced red bell pepper (about 2 cups total veggies.) Serve on a small plate with 6 black olives and an espresso. Mmm.

Calories: 200

6. Half a cup cooked quinoa seasoned with garlic powder + 3-4 cups steamed veggies (such as broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.) Squeeze lemon juice over the vegetables and serve with 5 walnut halves and 6 olives.

Calories: 300

7. Raw shredded carrots and beets (2-3 cups or so) with lemon juice squeezed over the top.

Calories: Like, hardly anything. :) And it's delicious. Okay, probably around 50-80 calories.

8. Chickpea flour wrap with 2 avocado slices and chopped vegetable filling (veggies can be raw or cooked.)

Calories: 250

9. Nori wrap with mashed avocado or tahini dressing, stuffed with fresh sprouts and a tofu stick (a piece of tofu about the size of a 4-inch-long celery stick.)

Calories: 100