Healthy eating starts with healthy grocery shopping.

Saving money starts with cheap grocery shopping.

Can they be combined into one list without sacrifices to your health or the health of your bank account?

Healthy grocery shopping on a budget starts with a thought-out , timely and organized grocery list. Do you make lists when you go shopping? What do they look like?

I was browsing the Internet the other day and found the funniest website – The Grocery List Collection.

The author collects lost groceries lists and then puts them on his website. Some look pretty normal (diced tomatoes, spaghetti, soap etc.) while others just make you wonder what food that person was planning to fix.

My personal favorite from the website (written on a Disney Princesses sticky note):

Candy
Candy
Candy
Candy
Candy
Candy
Candy

I think they forgot gingerbread to finish their house.

But seriously, how do you make a grocery list that is healthy and budget friendly at the same time?

While I always tried to buy healthy food I didn’t put much thought into budgeting my family’s meals until recently. In August 2011 my husband and I ran an experiment and tracked every expense of our household. The results were shocking to us; they made us realize how unbalanced our finances were. About 45% of our monthly expenses were spent on food (grocery shopping and eating out) which is more than we ever wanted.

In January we ran the experiment again and we managed to cut our food expenses by 56%. While the financial change was drastic we didn’t really see any change in the quality of food that we were eating.

5 Tips to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half and Still Enjoy Your Food

Make your grocery list healthy for your body and your bank account – Tweet this

1. Create your personal plan

We talked about personal healthy eating earlier but let’s freshen it up in our memory. What is your personal ideal grocery budget? What is your current budget? (You should know it by now if you were using the Grocery Budget template.) Now calculate the difference and let’s see where you can cut back.

Let’s leave the budget alone for a minute. What are your personal grocery favorites that you would like to keep no matter what?

My husband and I have a tradition of buying sushi for Sunday lunch. It’s not a necessity but that’s a little ritual that our family whole-heartedly enjoys (even our girls are crazy about sushi rolls.) When we were considering our grocery budget we decided to keep this little treat because, thankfully, we can afford it right now.
Do you have little treats/ traditions that you would like to keep (even though they might not be the most budget friendly decisions)?

Take a look at your Grocery Budget template and answer the following questions:

1. How much do you currently spend on groceries?
2. What is your ideal grocery budget?
3. Which grocery staples are real necessities and which ones can you eliminate?
4. Take a look at the health rating of foods and attempt to get rid of everything with a rating of 1 (junk food), cut back on 2 and keep as much of 3 as possible.
5. Talk to your family members and decide what “treats” you would like to splurge on in spite of the budget.

2. Read labels

Healthy and cheap eating is not rocket science. It’s just a lesson in reading. – Tweet this

Labels are your best friends when looking for healthy budget-friendly foods. Don’t pay too much attention to the front label because that’s usually the place where manufacturers try to deceive consumers with wishy-washy claims. Go straight to the Nutrition Information and Ingredients. Here is what you need to pay attention to:

1. Pick items with short ingredient lists that you can actually read and pronounce. At all costs avoid partially hydrogenated oils (they raise “bad” LDL cholesterol and lower “good” HDL cholesterol), high fructose corn syrup (causes obesity, hypertension liver disease and more), artificial sweeteners (while some are linked to cancer and depression all of them, surprise!, cause weight gain), MSG also known as monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast, and sodium caseinate (causes headaches if consumed too often, however it’s the least harmful ingredient of all the mentioned above.)
2. Pay attention to the serving size. Before you dive into dissecting the nutritional value take a look at the serving size. A protein bar can seem like a healthy and diet-friendly option until you realize that the serving size is just 1/3 of the bar. The same goes for breakfast cereal, granola bars and many others.
3. Calories: pay attention to how many calories one serving size has. I am not a big fan of counting calories, however when I am looking to buy ice-cream I will choose all-natural Breyers with 140 cal per 1/2 cup serving as opposed to all-natural Haagen Dasz with 260 cal/serving. You get the idea.
4. Fat: opt for items with less saturated fat, no trans fat and higher levels of Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats. Be careful with no-fat or low fat items because they can often be high in sugar and sodium to make up for the lost flavor.
5. Cholesterol: don’t get overly zealous about it. While it is recommended to keep your cholesterol consumption under control it’s not the biggest villain. Trans fats, saturated fats, lack of dietary fiber and being overweight have a much higher impact on the cholesterol levels in your blood. Read more here.
6. Sodium: no matter whether you are at a high risk of heart disease and hypertension or not, limiting sodium intake is always a good idea. An average American gets about 3400 mg of sodium a day while the dietary guidelines suggest 2000 mg or even 1500 mg at the most. Most processed and packaged foods contain high levels of sodium (look at these surprising high-sodium foods) that is why using natural unprocessed ingredient is the best strategy to lower your daily sodium intake. Look at the serving size of the grocery item and the actual amount of sodium in it (not the percentage) and make your buying decision accordingly.
7. Dietary Fiber: opt for foods with higher number in this row. Obviously, looking for high-fiber milk or meat is ridiculous but opt for high-fiber varieties in any plant-based foods. Pay particular attention to fiber in breakfast cereals, pasta, granola bars (if they are part of your diet) and bread. Fiber is your best friend in weight loss, reducing cholesterol as well as risks of heart disease, diabetes and cancer (read more here)
8. Sugar: Sugar is the only ingredient on the Nutrition Facts label that is not important for your health and wellbeing. While fat and even sodium in moderation are essential for the proper work of your body, sugar serves no purpose besides triggering your taste buds and making you put extra padding around your waistline. Life without sugar would be very bland and boring but try to satisfy your sweet tooth with naturally occurring sugars in fruits, honey, maple syrup and agave nectar and limit the rest of your sugar consumption to a bare minimum.
   Keep in mind that a lot of foods that are labeled “diet” or “low-fat” are high in both sugar and sodium and don’t help you reach any of your health goals.
9. Protein: protein is an essential nutrient that is beneficial to your body. A balanced diet requires 30%-40% of your dietary intake to come from lean protein which equals to about 45-60g of protein/day. Protein keeps you full longer and helps you build muscle if you exercise regularly but there is a limit to how much protein your body can actually process. You can easily calculate how much protein you actually need using this formula:

   Weight in pounds multiplied by 0.5-0.8 g/lb

   My example:
   Weight in pounds = 113 lbs
   113 x 0.8 = 90 g – it’s the maximum amount of protein that my body needs for athletic performance

3. Be organic-smart

Please consider the Pros and Cons of going organic that I wrote about earlier and check out my simple guide to frugal organic eating. Right now I buy organic lettuce and meat all the time but I am not so strict with the rest of the ingredients. If I buy non-organic veggies or fruit then I try to peel them (since most pesticides “live” on the skin of produce) and wash them thoroughly. A good trick to buy organic without spending too much money is buying frozen produce. Like I mentioned before (http://balanceinme.com/balanced-nutrition/healthy-breakfast-on-a-budget/) frozen produce can have more nutrients and vitamins then fresh one that took weeks to ship and store before it got to your fridge.

4. Don’t get crazy with coupons

I once watched an Extreme Couponing episode and was shocked. First of all, women on the show had way more time to look for coupons than I do (they said it took them about 20 hours a week) and most of their savings were on foods that I wouldn’t feed to my family even for free (soda, candy, cookies etc.) I am not against using coupons when I see a good deal but at the same time I won’t be buying something unhealthy just because it is on sale.

5. Create meals around store specials

A lot of women swear by meal planning to cut back on their food bill but this strategy doesn’t work for me. Every time that I go to the grocery store I first check what produce is on sale that day. Most grocery stores have at least one green item on sale every week (broccoli, zucchini, cabbage, spinach, asparagus etc.) and I create my weekly meal plan around this item. The same goes for fruit and meat.

Next week we will talk about creating dinners from simple and cheap ingredients and having your own weekly meal template.

If you are still wondering what you should buy when you go grocery shopping then check out these articles that I wrote earlier:

• Cheap and healthy grocery list for a bad economy
• 13 Real Heroes among Health Foods (plus a free download)

Homework:

• This week focus on cleaning your pantry, freezer and refrigerator and stocking up with healthy (yet affordable) items.
• Share your kitchen staples in the comments below.
• Ask questions about cheap grocery shopping.

Keep it balanced!

photo credit: Bruce A Stockwell

What is healthy eating? Even though this question seems simple the answers will vary greatly depending on who you ask. No wonder that eating healthy becomes very confusing for a normal person like you or me.

There are plenty of theories about healthy eating nowadays but most of them won’t work for you. A diet/nutrition plan created without consideration of your preferences, goals, budget and simple likes/dislikes is just a waste of time.

I personally don’t like turnips and celery and there is no way that I can tolerate anything slimy in nature (like boiled okra or runny eggs…yuck!) If somebody told me that I had to eat those items every day to stay healthy I would say “Forget it!”

If you want to create a healthy diet that you can stick to then you need to answer the following questions:

1. What is your budget?

Do you know how much you spend on food monthly? How much would you like to spend ideally?

In August I decided for the first time to track my monthly expenses. The number shocked me (to say the least!) Writing down every little thing that we were paying for made me realize how many useless purchases we were making (especially for food.) Obviously, eating out was the biggest problem but even grocery shopping was way too high for our family. In January we managed to cut our grocery expenses by 56% and I am very satisfied with the result.

When you are in a budget-saving mode you need to eliminate expenses that are not imperative to you. Obviously the budget will be different for every person and your healthy eating plan will depend upon it. For John from New York $200/week on groceries will look like a major cut back while for Jane from Alabama $75/week actually means splurging.

Homework: Start tracking your current food expenses and figure out your ideal budget. If you want to make this process a little faster download the Grocery Budget template and make a list of all your pantry, freezer and refrigerator staples. Include the prices and how often you buy them – this will give you a general idea of how much you are currently spending on food.

2. What are your personal considerations?

Make a list of all goals that you would like to achieve with healthy eating. Include your personal likes/ dislikes, food intolerances or allergies. A healthy eating plan should satisfy every single point on your list.

Right after you are done creating this list write down how you can achieve these goals.

I am lactose intolerant so obviously I have to consider this when creating my personal healthy eating plan. I used to buy lactose-free milk but I felt that my body still wasn’t processing it right. This month I am moving to soy milk (which I disliked most of my life) and am trying to acquire a taste for it.

If you feel that something isn’t working for your body then now is the time to try a different diet.

Here are some common considerations for you:

1. Gluten intolerance (Celiac disease) affects 1 in 133 Americans. Read the most common symptoms of gluten intolerance.
2. Lactose intolerance affects about 60% of the world population. The degree of intolerance differs greatly but you can read the most important facts and symptoms here.
3. Artificial sweeteners can cause allergic reactions and keep you from losing weight.
4. 9 out of 10 Americans eat too much salt every day, and many of them get more than twice the recommended amount (2300 mg or 1500mg according to the new guidelines.) High sodium intake increases chances of dying prematurely of any cause by 50%

3. What are your food preferences?

Going from eating pizza to munching on broccoli overnight is a recipe for disaster. In order to stick to your new diet you need to adjust it to your taste and your food preferences. Make a list of taste/items that you love and the list of items that you despise and can’t eat at any condition.

During the Healthy Eating on a Budget Challenge you will focus on making healthier choices to satisfy your taste and avoiding at all costs ingredients that you hate.

4. Where are you right now?

In order to make healthy eating changes you need to look critically at your current diet. What are the healthiest/unhealthiest meals that you eat? What changes will be the easiest ones to make?

Download a Food Diary template and commit to filling it out for the next few days. In the Notes section of the template analyze what you ate during the day, what choices were healthy and which ones not so much.

Also pay attention to how much money you spend on eating daily especially if you buy your lunch or coffee daily. All these little things make a big difference for your health and for your budget.

5. How are people around you involved in your healthy eating plan?

If you cook for the entire family then obviously you need to consider everybody’s tastes. Trying to fix 2 or 3 different meals to satisfy everybody’s preferences will be an absolute nightmare. Write down everything you need to remember about members of your family before you start the challenge. You can use the questions 2 through 4 to guide you through the process.

6. What is your personal idea of a healthy diet?

Take a look at all of the answers that you just wrote down. Where do they take you?

A lot of diets are based on extremes like

• eating very few carbs as opposed to being a carbohydrate-junky,
• going vegetarian or vegan as opposed to being a determined carnivore,
• eating only raw foods as opposed to eating highly processed foods,
• cooking everything from scratch as opposed to buying everything premade,
• eating no sugar at all as opposed to having sugary treats all day long,
• going low-to-no fat as opposed to devouring greasy foods all the time.

In order to make your healthy eating plan work you need to find a golden middle between these options. Don’t let fads influence your health choices but rather listen to your body and choose what is right for you. The next 30 days is the perfect time to try something new and if it doesn’t work for some reason, then you can always go back to your old lifestyle or try a different approach.

My personal take on healthy eating

If everything you just read still seems confusing then let me tell you what healthy eating on a budget means for me. Feel free to follow in my steps but I greatly recommend that you create your personal healthy eating plan.

1. I am not a vegetarian but I eat red meat once every 3-4 months, eat low fat poultry 2-3 times during the week, cook fish at least once a week (more if possible) and enjoy vegetarian meals the rest of the time.
2. For every meal I try to stick to the 4/1/1 carb/protein/fat ratio. I am not on a low carb diet but I choose carbs rich in fiber, whole grains and vegetables most of the time. Refined carbs (cookies, sugary cereals, white bread, candy etc.) are just occasional treats and not every-day staples.
3. I love sweets (and frankly speaking I couldn’t imagine my life without them until recently) but now I stick to natural “candy” (a few pieces of dried apricots, bananas and fruit low in sugar like apples and berries.) A few times a week I will treat myself to a small piece of dark chocolate or a small bowl of natural ice-cream (I can’t imagine my life without it even though I am lactose intolerant )
4. I don’t drink any soda or any other sweetened drinks. My favorite drinks are water, flavored green tea without sugar (hot or cold), an occasional glass of juice or a cup of black coffee.
5. I have a rule: every meal should have at least one green or brightly colored item in it. For breakfast I add frozen berries to my cereal, for lunch I have an apple or add a small salad to my meal and for dinner I always make vegetables the main ingredient.
6. 95% of the recipes that I use take 30 minutes or less to prepare. Anything longer than 30 minutes is cooked during the weekend when I have some extra time.
7. I avoid buying processed foods (like canned soup or pasta sauce) due to high contents of sodium and preservatives. However, I LOVE hot dogs (so does one of my girls) and I have this treat every once in a while (I choose turkey dogs with no nitrates added.) Some processed foods like thin-crust pizza (no pepperoni) and canned vegetables (corn, beans, peas etc.) are still staples in my house because they are easy, time-saving and pretty healthy.
8. I say a definite NO to:
   • artificial sweeteners;
   • High Fructose Corn Syrup;
   • Partially Hydrogenated or Hydrogenated Oils (trans fats);
   • grocery items with ingredient lists longer than 4 lines.
9. Vegetables are usually minimally processed in my house (sautéed or steamed for a few minute, sometimes grilled or roasted.)
10. Healthy fats (nuts, vegetable oils) are an essential part of my diet. I don’t cook low-to-no-fat meals however I limit the amount of saturated fat by using lean meats, avoiding heavy cream and enjoying butter sparingly.
11. I stick to all these rules only 90% of the time and enjoy myself (in moderation) the remaining ten.

It took me and my husband several years to come up with these diet guidelines but they work for us. If you decide to follow my example please pick only 1-2 habits at a time, otherwise you will be overwhelmed and disappointed.

A healthy balanced diet is a harmonious combination of all of the mentioned above factors without sacrifices that you can’t sustain for a lifetime. There is a healthy alternative pretty much for anything and with a little creativity and some research you will be able to find it.

Homework for the week:

• Answer the following questions:
  1. What is your budget? –use the Grocery Budget template
  2. What are your personal considerations?
  3. What are your food preferences?
  4. Where are you right now? – use the Food Diary template
  5. How are people around you involved in your healthy eating plan?
  6. What is your personal idea of a healthy diet?
• Based on these answers create your personal Healthy Eating Plan.
• Share your answers or your plan in the comments below.

Please remember that this is just the first “draft” and you will be updating it along the challenge.

Do you have any questions? Please ask them in the comments and start your question with QUESTION.

If you like this article and are enjoying this challenge please invite your friends or family members to join us. Please Tweet, Facebook or email the link to this article to your friends.

Keep it balanced!

P.S. If you made it here from Twitter, Facebook or a,link from friend, why not join our Healthy Eating on a Budget Challenge (HEBC)? This is part 2 of the challenge so you still have time to join our FREE challenge. Click here to join the Healthy Eating on a Budget Challenge.

Photo credit: dreamstime

Health one bite at a time

Every year, every month or every time that we overeat and feel bad after it we make a resolution to eat healthier. But how often do we keep that promise?

Sometimes we stick to a healthy plan until the next big family event. Or maybe until a party with delicious and diabolically tempting food. Or maybe until the next stressful day (and we have plenty of those.)

An easy and obviously important goal like healthy eating sometimes seems unrealistic to achieve.

At the beginning of the year I ran an annual BalanceInMe survey to see how balanced all of us are and the results are in.

The majority of the BalanceInMe community has trouble staying healthy and the results haven’t changed much from last year (if anything, in 2011 the number of those who couldn’t keep their health in balance increased by 3%.)

Isn’t it time to change this vicious cycle?

I invite you to join a Healthy Eating Challenge (it’s absolutely free.)

When it comes to improving health it’s best to start one step at a time and nutrition is the foremost and most vital step. Our bodies need balanced and high quality fuel to produce the energy that will help us deal with everyday tasks and stress, find power for exercise and keep all our vital systems humming in harmony.

Why is it so hard to eat healthy?

Eating healthy should be the most natural and easiest thing to do but in reality it’s quite the opposite. If you’ve tried to eat healthy before but didn’t succeed then you are not alone.

Healthy eating is hard today.

Our society and our lifestyles make healthy eating difficult. Let’s look at just a few factors.

1. Scientific confusion. If you’ve tried a healthy nutrition plan before then you probably got confused with all the information (often contradicting each other) that is available today.

   One day we hear that eggs are our worst enemies, the next day they are our best friends.

   One day we hear that vegetarianism is the healthiest way of living, next day we read studies that meat is vital for heart health.

   Some experts say that wheat products are okay to eat while others are screaming that it’s the cause of all evil.

   How can you not be confused with all this?
   
   What facts confuse you? Ask your questions in the comments so that we can find the truth.

2. Healthy eating is expensive. We all understand that if we could buy all things organic and use only high-buck nutrition power-houses then our health would be in perfect balance. I don’t know about you, but there are not many things that I can afford to buy organic before going bankrupt. And is organic eating really that good or is it just hype to make consumers, you and me, pay ten times more for a product that is worth only a few cents?

   Did you ever read a healthy recipe that is more expensive to fix from scratch than buy a meal for two at a restaurant? I did, and honestly, it’s very discouraging for a person who is just trying to eat healthy on a budget.

   Is it possible to eat healthy without ruining your family budget? Yes, it is and we will focus on it during our Healthy Eating Challenge.

3. Healthy eating (and mainly cooking) takes too much time. I have a question. What’s faster, going through a drive-through on the way home from work or fixing a healthy dinner from scratch?

   I would imagine that the drive-through would seem like the right answer to you but it doesn’t have to.

   So many healthy meals take only 10-20 minutes to cook and use cheap ingredients that are already in your pantry. The rule in my house is not to fix a meal during the work week that takes more than 20 minutes. I am sure that each one of us can find this time (even after the most stressful or busy day) to take care of our health and the health of our loved ones.

4. Healthy eating is not tasty. The tastiest things in the world are not healthy, it’s true. I wish a bowl of ice-cream were as healthy as steamed broccoli. Or a slice of pizza as nourishing as brown rice with steamed fish.

   We are hard wired into craving fatty, salty and sugary foods and there is no telling why God created us this way.

   BUT it is possible to acquire taste for healthy food and you can enjoy delicious meals without sacrificing the taste that you love.

   It’s a proven fact that we get addicted to unhealthy food (soda, fatty or salty foods, sugary deserts etc.) and the modern food industry does everything they can to put us on the hook. But just a month without this junk in your body will give your taste buds a complete makeover.

What challenges do you face when it comes to healthy eating?

Whether you are trying to eat healthier or you have accomplished this goal already and want to share your knowledge and experience with others, I invite you to join the 1 Month of Healthy Eating Challenge.

No matter how busy or laid back our lifestyles are we can all take a little bit of time for ourselves and do something nice for our bodies – nourish them with love, care and budget-friendly healthy meals.

What can I expect from the Challenge?

In order to make this month a success we all need to set specific goals that we will be working towards. This week please think of the goals that you would like to reach (lose weight, lower cholesterol, cut back on grocery bills etc.) and share your goals in the comments.

• Every week I will post one article that will focus on a healthy eating concept.
• Every few days I will post healthy recipes that I fix during the week and I would love for you to share yours (a lot of recipe sharing will be going on on Facebook.)
• Every week I will answer your questions about healthy eating (please start asking them in the comments and start each question with QUESTION: so that I can easily spot them.)
• We will commit to supporting each other and keeping each other accountable in the comments, on Facebook or in any other way.

When does the challenge start?

I know that we all need a little bit of time to get mentally prepared for a challenge (or finish a bucket of ice-cream in the freezer that might be too much of a temptation during the challenge, LOL.)

We will start the challenge in 1 week, on January 27th. Please mark this day on your calendar.

How do I join the 1 Month of Healthy Eating Challenge?

Joining us is easy.

1. Please leave a comment on this post introducing yourself and explaining
   
   • what challenges you are facing with healthy eating,
   • what goals you are trying to reach with a healthy meal plan,
   • what questions (if any) you have about healthy eating (please start a question with QUESTION so that I can easily spot them.)

2. If you are an expert on healthy living already please introduce yourself and tell us a few things about how you managed to stick to a healthy meal plan. We would love to have you here.
3. Please enter your name, email and preferences in the form below so that I can send you important information and motivation during the challenge.
   
4. Please LIKE BalanceInMe on Facebook because some of our conversations will be going on over there. I would love for all of us to share pictures and recipes of our favorite healthy meals on FB but we’ll get there later.
5. Do you know anyone who will enjoy and benefit from the challenge? Please share this post with your friends. The more people who will join us the more fun this challenge will be.
6. Please remember that this challenge is absolutely FREE. All you need is the desire to transform your eating habits, learn new healthy-tasty recipes and have fun along the way.

See you on January 27th here on BalanceInMe.

Keep it balanced!

Photo credit: andi.vs.zf

Did you ever have to think of a last-minute present? It’s stressful!

Maybe you got really busy at work and completely forgot to order the gift.

Maybe your gift can’t be delivered on time (it happened to me before.)

Or maybe the gift that you carefully picked out is simply not available at the stores right now (I wanted to give my husband a pair of running shoes one year and of course none of the nearby stores carries his size.)

And maybe sometimes you just want to give something extra special to a person you love but no matter how many sleepless nights you spend thinking about the present you still can’t come up with anything even remotely close to the perfect gift.

If you are in this situation this year then I have several very interesting and balanced gift ideas that I would like to share with you. Even if you got all presents under the tree already you can still keep reading to see if there is something that you want to give yourself this season (after all, taking care of yourself is a vitally important part of living a life of balance.)

1. The gift of farm-fresh produce. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to get a bushel of farm fresh produce every week? You know that tomatoes that you get were on the vine just a few hours ago versus a few weeks ago. The fruit that you get is ripe and has just been picked versus being sprayed with chemicals to keep it looking pretty and fresh for weeks in a row. CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a wonderful gift that will keep your loved ones healthy all year long. Go to Local Harvest (US), Making Local Foods Work (UK) or Food Connect (Australia) to find a farm new you. Call the farm today or order an online gift certificate that you can print and display under or on the Christmas tree.
2. National park membership. What can be better than spending time in nature? In my opinion nothing can bring you more balance than just a few minutes outside. A lot of national parks, refuges and botanical gardens offer annual passes that will let you (or your loved ones) enjoy peaceful minutes in nature any time of the day or year.

   How wonderful will it be to go camping with your family during the weekend?

   Do you feel stressed out after a long day at work? – Just get in your car and go for a relaxing walk under century old trees … Peace and serenity…

   Check online if your state offers park memberships (South Carolina – the state where I live – offers an annual family membership for just $50.)

3. Digital subscription. Do you want to help your loved ones transform their lives or try something new? Pick one (or several) magazines that you think they will appreciate and give them a digital subscription. This gift will be green, eco-friendly (no trees were harmed to deliver that magazine to their inbox) and useful. If your loved already owns an iPad or Kindle Fire then they will be able to read the magazine absolutely anywhere.
4. Mind and Body Program. Gym memberships are becoming too boring and impersonal. Even more, most people who get gym memberships go to the gym only for the first month or two and after that they revert back to their old lifestyle. I personally haven’t set my foot in the gym for over two years and I LOVE exercise.

   If you want to give your loved ones a gift of a balanced body that they will actually appreciate then how about trying something new?

   • A gift card to a local Pilates or Yoga studio. If the person you are giving this gift to is a total fitness beginner then I would recommend purchasing several private sessions (most good studios will actually insist on teaching at least 1-3 private sessions before allowing you to join a group class.) If you (or the person receiving this gift) has already tried Yoga or Pilates on DVD or in a regular gym and wasn’t too impressed then I am asking you to give it another try. The only common thing between gym/DVD Yoga and Pilates and a studio session is the name. Even most men enjoy these sessions after they try them and realize that Mind & Body exercise is not a Female Only thing (I got my husband into Pilates and have several male clients at the studio who love their workouts.)
   • An online Pilates video program. If a person you are preparing this gift for doesn’t have time to go to the studio or gym then an online program is the best fit for them. A blogging friend of mine Robin Long is launching her Pilates Body program on January 2. It’s a 6-week virtual Pilates and nutrition program. The registration is open right now.
   • If you are ready to try (or give) an online Yoga program then I would recommend 30 Days of Yoga. I took Marianne’s Yoga program this fall and it was amazing. I am not a Yoga person but I thoroughly enjoyed this class. She has Yoga for everyone: beginners, busy people, curvy yoga and of course everyone else.
5. A well-grounded gift for women. If you are looking for a gift for a busy mom who wants to have more energy and have a healthier lifestyle then Designed for Wellness is something I would recommend. Lisa Byrne created this course for moms who need more healthy balance in their lives and have little time to achieve it. The best thing is that if you purchase this course by January 2nd then you also get to enroll for free yourself.
6. An apology. Sometimes the best gift that you can give someone is not the one that you can buy. Do you feel that you weren’t appreciative enough of the people who love you? Did you offend someone this year? Did you say something you regret? Let your loved ones know how much you really love them by apologizing to them this Christmas if an unfortunate incident has occurred during the year. Write a long letter where you tell exactly you love this person and how sorry you are for not showing it more often. You know the words that you have to say, and now is the best time to say them.
7. Healthy cooking lessons. Another ingredient of balanced living is healthy cooking. When you try to juggle healthy ingredients, simple recipes that don’t take half of the day and tasty cooking can quickly become overwhelming. Jules Clancy of StoneSoup.com has created a Virtual Cookery School that will teach anything from reclaiming a waistline to cooking like a chef. Jules also has several eCookbooks and video cookbooks that are wonderful gift ideas for anyone.
8. New hobby. An important part of living a balanced life is enjoying leisure time. The life that is only about work, family and other necessities can put us into a rut very fast. Our lives often get so busy that we completely forget about devoting time to our leisure and even have no idea what hobby we might enjoy. Let your loved ones try one (or several) new hobbies. Take a look at this list of the most popular hobbies. Which ones do you think will be fun? Schedule a class that will teach the basics of the hobby, buy the first kit or the necessary accessories and make sure that you can give your loved one the time to try this hobby out.
9. Balanced Life. Do you feel that your loved ones will benefit from a more balanced lifestyle? Do they seem to be overwhelmed and overworked most of the time? Do you feel that the person you love has changed recently and lost connection to his/her authentic self? Give them the gift of the Reclaim Your Life course and take one copy for yourself (I told you that you deserve a gift this season too.) Presenting an ecourse can be difficult (after all you can’t put an email with a download link under the Christmas tree.) Here are a few suggestions:
   • buy a pretty flash drive and upload the course on it;
   • print out the course and put it in a personalized binder (the course comes with several motivational posters -you can print them on high-quality paper and frame them.)
   • send the download link for the ebook via email to a person who won’t be spending holidays with you this year.

Giving and receiving gifts is a wonderful tradition but it is not what this holiday season is about. Spend time with your family celebrating the real reason of Christmas, enjoy your time together and don’t worry about little things like presents. People you love will remember the time spent with you and not what gift you gave them this year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

P.S. You can receive an unexpected holiday gift and win a free hard-cover copy of the book Tiny Buddha: Simple Wisdom for Life’s Hard Questions. Click here to see how.

P.P.S. Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. However, I endorse these items only because I love them and believe in them. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do.

Keep it balanced!