When it comes to fitness and nutritional goals, a challenge can help to kick-start your activity level and set a precedent for an ongoing lifestyle change. Even a short, six or 12-week challenge can allow you to see results and be a catalyst for transformation. Many people struggle with setting fitness and nutritional goals because they feel they do not have the time to fully invest or meal plan and prep to be successful. Taking it all in small steps helps to show that you have the stamina needed to persevere.

Working out without a clear goal in mind is like driving a car without a destination – not inherently wrong, but very difficult to measure progress or success. By determining precise, reasonable goals, every workout will have more purpose. One of the most famous methods to goal setting is the S.M.A.R.T. system, which stands for key attributes of an effective goal: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based.

Need help in overcoming the challenge of getting your workouts in while dashing through the snow (and air)? Here are the best body weight exercises you can do while traveling:

Don’t wait until January when the gyms are crowded and you’ve already gained all the holiday weight to make health/fitness resolutions. Here are a few reasons why starting your New Year’s resolution early is a smart idea. 

Many people are not aware of just how much calories in beverages can contribute to their daily intake. Calories from drinks can really add up; however, if you’re super diligent, you can avoid hidden calories in beverages to maintain your health goals.

For many people, the holiday season offers up the opportunity to replace the rigorous grind of everyday life and routine with gorging on the bountiful happiness and joy provided by family, friends, and yes, food! The challenge of healthy eating and maintaining exercise habits are exacerbated even more for those who travel during the season. With Thanksgiving being the busiest time of the year to travel, you may find yourself in a crunch over how to resist substituting your usual snack of carrots with delicious carrot cake.

Travelers with a relaxed mindset during the months of November and December tend to gain weight and feel unhealthy when they return home. However, your diet and exercise routines don’t have to suffer; many of your healthy habits at home are portable and can (and should) go where you go. Below are some tips to maintain a healthy lifestyle while traveling during this holiday season.

By now, you have probably concluded that there is no perfect diet that fits everyone. The same can be said about the paleo diet. What is the paleo diet? Put simply, the paleo diet replaces modern food loaded with sugars, fats, and processed products with healthy proteins, fruits and vegetables loaded with naturally-derived vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Healthy skin is a hot topic these days. From creams and facials to nightly routines and medspas, the quest for achieving beautiful, supple skin has never been more voracious. While aestheticians clamor to fill up their calendars with your hard-earned money, there are very few who will tell you that great skins starts within, and what you eat impacts your skin more than what you put on it.

The word, “diet”, offers a range of gut reactions (pun intended), depending on who you ask. While it is a derivative from the Greek word “diaita,” which means “way of life”, for most people, it means following a restrictive food plan to lose or manage weight. This skewed perception may account for why a large portion of the world’s population’s relationship to food is complicated and has undergone many mutations.