When one is asked to think of a “healthy food,” salads often comes to mind. Salads have been associated with healthy eating for decades.

Problem is, salads may contain the very ingredients that a healthful diet should not have. Many people do not realize what’s really in their salad, and instead make a judgment based on what they see: leafy greens, tomatoes and carrots.

A super healthy, antioxidant-rich salad begins with the most nutrient dense produce. This means replace the iceberg lettuce with Romaine lettuce, and use half as much as you normally do, because the other half will be replaced with deep green leafy produce like spinach, mustard greens, collard greens or kale.

These greens vary in taste and texture, so you’ll need to experiment to find out which ones work best for you.

The following ingredients add to the nutrient power of a great salad: tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, radishes, cauliflower, cucumbers, green peppers, etc.

To further enhance nutrient density as well as spice up the flavor, add garbanzo beans and/or sunflower seeds or sliced raw almonds.

Popular name-brand salad dressings are loaded with sugar and also contain preservatives, trans fats and other synthetic additives. The presence of dark leafy greens and carrots, etc., does not cancel out the toxic effects of these artificial ingredients. Most salad dressings are, essentially, liquid candy.

An easy dressing you can prepare at home is that of just one part olive oil to three-fourths part vinegar. This mixture adds a delightful tangy flavor to a salad.

The ingredients described thus far are actually sufficient to create a satisfying, tasty salad packed full of some of nature’s most powerful antioxidants, sans manmade ingredients like sugar, artificial flavors or preservatives.

However, this salad need not end here. For more of a meal than a side dish, you can add cubes of natural chicken or turkey, or pieces of tuna or hardboiled egg. Toss in some organic cheese while you’re add it.

If you want to add bacon bits, add the real thing, but without the preservatives. Nitrite/nitrate-free bacon is available, and only a tablespoon of chopped bits is sufficient to really spark up the flavor of a salad.

The “bacon bits” that are sold in jars contain preservatives and are soy-based, which is not good news for people wanting to eat natural, as well as avoid processed soy.

Perfect Salad Recipe

• One cup Romaine lettuce
• One cup spinach, raw     
• One cup diced cucumbers, tomatoes                
• One-half cup sliced white mushrooms, raw
• One-quarter cup garbanzo beans, canned
• Two tbsp. sunflower seeds, dry roasted, with salt
• 3 ounces cubed chicken breast
• 1.25 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. vinegar, balsamic

Nutrition Information

Calories: 506

Carbohydrates: 30.4 g

Sugars: 6 g

Protein: 31.1 g

Fats: 28.5 g

Don’t let the high fat content scare you; only one gram is an animal-derived saturated fat. Nine are plant-derived sat fats, which convert to “healthy” fats once inside the body, and the remainder are the essential fatty acids like omega 3. A diet rich in “good fats” means plenty of benefits for the body.

If you’re not performing regular workouts or are frequently ‘cheating’ on your diet, that’s when you’re going to see progress take a nosedive as you no longer see any type of success.

In addition to the diet and workout program however, there are other factors that can influence your performance as well – what are commonly referred to as ‘lifestyle’ factors.  Making sure not to neglect these will also be incredibly important. 

Here are the main ones to keep in mind.

Stress

The first main thing that can have quite an impact on how you do with your efforts towards your goal is the amount of stress you’re experiencing on a day to day basis.  Those who are very stressed out are going to find that they not only don’t have the energy to workout but they will also feel hungrier during the day.

Obviously hunger control tends to be one of the maker or breakers of any diet as when you’re ravenous will power really goes out the window.

Feeling stress also puts you in an overall negative emotional mindset which will decrease your feelings of your ability to stick with the workout program and diet.

As much as you can, find healthy, productive ways to handle your stress so it doesn’t impact your progress.

Sleep

Next, sleep is another key element necessary for great results.  Whether you want to build more muscle mass or lose body fat, sleep is a must.  Sleep is the primary time when the body will work extremely hard repairing and rebuilding your torn down muscle tissue, so if you short yourself on this, you’re going to find it takes you longer to feel well between sessions.

Additionally, if you’re staying awake longer each day and sleeping less, this also sends a signal to the brain that the body has a higher glucose requirement (often sleepiness is mistaken for hunger) and since you’re up rather than asleep you may find yourself eating more.

Getting at least seven hours, preferably eight, should be mandatory for those who are looking to make positive changes in their body.

Personal Support

Finally, the last thing that will have an impact on your overall progress is the personal support you’re getting from others.  Those who don’t live in supportive environments or have family who are constantly nagging at them because they are preparing different meals or refusing to eat the new recipes being tried will really struggle to stick with it.

If instead you have a bunch of people around you who take interest in your goal and do anything they can to help you out along the way, you’ll have a much easier time.

Keep in mind too that sometimes an unsupportive environment at home can be overcome by finding friends who are very much working towards similar goals. You can workout with them and they will be the positive influence you need.

It’s a sad situation when the people you love and care about aren’t encouraging for you but it is something some people need to be prepared to address.  If you try hard enough, usually such as situation can be overcome in the long run.

Being sure to take the most well-rounded approach to your weight loss will get you to the finish line looking and feeling the best.  Don’t just focus on diet and exercise.  These are definitely two extremely important factors but it really is about everything altogether that you’re doing.

Fortunately, with some sneaky tricks you can get more protein into your diet and meet your requirements so you can maintain lean muscle tissue.  Here are some ideas to consider.

Stir Protein Powder Into Your Morning Bowl of Oatmeal

One way you can both enhance the flavour of your morning bowl of oatmeal as well as boost the overall protein content is to stir a bit of protein powder right into your bowl after its finished cooking.  Note that you may want to use slightly more water than normal because some protein powders will make it much thicker after it’s added, so this will be something to guess and test for yourself based on the particular brand you use.

If you’re really looking to make a complete meal out of it, stir in some chocolate protein powder along with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter for healthy fats and you’re ready to start your day.

Use Cottage Cheese Rather Than Sour Cream

Second, consider using cottage cheese in replacement of sour cream in some of your recipes.  For example, rather than topping your baked potato with sour cream, spoon on a quarter cup of cottage cheese, a tablespoon of salsa, and then sprinkle with some chopped green onion.

Each quarter cup of cottage cheese provides 8 grams of protein total, so it’s a very simple way to get a quick boost when you otherwise wouldn’t.

Other good uses for cottage cheese include using it to create cream based sauces rather than using cheese or butter or again replacing it for sour cream in any dips you’re preparing.

Add Egg Whites To Broth Based Soup

Egg whites are a very versatile source of protein and are very low in calories so great for the serious dieter.  If you pour three to four egg whites into a pot of cooking broth based soup, they will cook themselves very rapidly and will be a nice light added touch to the recipe.

Many soups are quite devoid in overall protein in the first place, so this is a very wise move.

Toss A Few Shrimp Into Your Salad

Finally, the last simple method to sneak more protein into your day is to toss a few cooked shrimp into your bowl of salad.  Shrimp is another solid source of protein and contains no fat or calories, so it’s a simple addition to make to any diet.

Whether you’re having a Caesar salad or a regular greens salad, the shrimp add nice flavour.

Not getting enough protein in your daily diet is one of the biggest mistakes that’s often made on a fat loss protocol so double check over your current intake and be sure you’re getting enough.  If you aren’t, it’s time to make some simple changes to your meal plan.

Rather than letting your workouts fall by the wayside though, consider using smart techniques to shorten them up slightly so you can manage to fit them into your busy day.

Here are some quick tricks to start incorporating in.

Add Supersets

The first way to shorten up your workouts is to begin by adding supersets.  This is where you pair two exercises back to back with each other.  Since you’ll work two muscles in the time it took you to usually only work one, you’ll cut back on the overall workout duration dramatically.

Remember to rest between the supersets for a long enough time that you do recovery however otherwise you could start to find you’re not maintaining the intensity necessary to make progress.

Reduce Your Rest Periods

Second, if you aren’t doing supersets but sticking with your usual straight sets, consider cutting back on the rest periods.  You don’t need to omit rest, but if you’re typically using two minutes between sets, one minute may be enough.

In some cases this may mean changing the overall protocol of the program and moving to a slightly higher rep range, lighter weight design, but the change can sometimes do you good.

Just don’t go past the 12 rep range for most exercises as then the productivity of those sets will really drop off unless you’re strictly training for muscular endurance.

Cut Down On Your Sets

If you’re really in a hurry and looking to get in a super quick workout, the method to use is to cut back on your total sets performed.  As a general rule you can maintain your muscle mass on half the volume you typically use, so if you normally use four sets for an exercise, you can get away with two for the time being.

Don’t expect to make very large gains using fewer sets, but maintaining is much better than risking losing muscle mass, so will be sufficient for those days when you really just don’t have time.

Use Compound Exercise

Being sure that the vast majority of your exercises are compound in nature is also wise for faster workouts.  This allows you to work a number of muscles all at once hence you have to do much less isolation work that really eats up time.

For example, doing a bent over row will work the back, the lats, as well as the biceps.  Likewise, an incline bench press will hit the chest muscle, the shoulders, the triceps, and even the biceps to a very small extent.

Compound exercises are a great way to get in a full body workout in just minutes.

Add Interval Training

Lastly, on the cardio side of things, make sure you are using interval cardio training.  Nothing beats this method for boosting the metabolic rate and getting the workout done in a hurry.  Within twenty five to thirty minutes you can be in and out, all while getting a leg up on overall fat loss.

So don’t let yourself skip a workout again. Instead use these principles to shorten the session so you can find the time to fit it in.

If you approach your training in the correct manner however and have a smart meal plan already lined up, you can make good progress to your lower body development creating the exact look you’re going for.

Here are the best exercises that you should focus on performing as often as possible to completely reshape your lower body fast.

Squats

If there is one lower body exercise that really is ‘king’ when it comes to creating lasting change, squats are it.  When you perform squats you will work the quads, hamstrings, inner and outer thighs, as well as the entire core region.

The only drawback to squats is that you will require a squat wrack or machine to perform them unless you are very new and get a challenge just from the movement pattern itself.  If you are going to a gym regularly though or are able to purchase a squat rack to have in your home, definitely be sure this one is in there.

Split Squats

Next, the second great exercise that will reshape your lower body are split squats.  This exercise is also great for the abs since it requires a high degree of balance and coordination.  Be sure when doing this one that your knees go directly over your toes as best as possible however otherwise you will begin to experience knee pain.

Lunges

Lunges are a common exercise that are utilized by many people and are great for hitting the thighs and bum muscles. They  can be done both at the gym or in the comfort of your own home and are great because they offer a few different options including standing lunges, walking lunges, or reverse lunges, which are a challenge for those who are slightly more advanced.

Step-Ups

Step-ups are a nice alternative for those who do not have access to a squat machine or rack but are still looking for something to challenge them further.  They can be performed using a barbell across your back or by holding a set of dumbbells as well, so consider both options or alternate between the two for added variability.

The height of the step will largely determine which muscles are worked to the largest extent with a higher step calling the hamstrings into play to a larger extent while a lower step will target primarily the quads.

You may want to consider using an assortment of heights in a single workout as you move across the rep ranges to accomplish this variability in stimulus.

So don’t ever let yourself become bored with your lower body workouts or stop doing them entirely.  With some proper programming you should constantly be switching between the different options in order to see maximum muscle definition.

What used to cause some excitement, now causes quite a stir of anxiety.  If you’ve ever had a look at some of the nutrient tables of the foods dished up in a restaurant, you know exactly what kind of trouble you’re in for.

Sticking with a lower calorie, weight loss plan can seem like next to impossible in many places, which is why you must plan your strategy carefully.

Here are some quick tips that you should definitely start paying attention to.

Try And Order Raw

One quick trick that is fairly simply to follow to use is to always think ‘raw’.  Now, I’m not suggesting you order your steak blue rare, but what I’m suggesting is that you try and order something that doesn’t require a lot of cooking.

A salad is the perfect example.  Or, a wrap that easily allows you to request only certain ingredients be included is another good option. 

The reason for going raw like this is because it eliminates the chances of loads of butter or oil being added throughout the cooking process.  Often this is one of the big factors that makes restaurant meals so disastrous, so if you’re ordering something that doesn’t need to be cooked, you eliminate this problem entirely.

Just watch what you get with the dish – for salads for example you want to avoid a lot of added cheese, croutons, bacon bits, dried fruit, or high volumes of nuts.  Limiting these however is much easier than requesting changes to the cooking process, which you’ll never be 100% certain actually took place.

Watch The Sauces

Second, you also must be sure you’re watching the sauces that get added to your meal. This is another very sneaky way that calories enter the picture.  Usually creamy sauces will be the biggest culprit, however you should also caution yourself against tomato based sauces as well as sometimes they can have a lot of oil added in.

In order to be safe, stick with the tomato sauce (it’s far safer than a cream based sauce) but ask to have it in limited proportions.  This will help to prevent the calories from building and keep everything under control.

Stay Away From Sandwiches

Next, you should also make sure that you’re staying away from sandwiches.  These typically tend to be quite bad on the diet because of the amount of bread that’s used.  Usually it is very thickly cut slices that are used which really increase the overall calorie value.

If you’re going to order a sandwich, consider removing the top slice of bread to reduce the overall calorie and carbohydrate count.

Order Off The Menu

Finally, the last way to control the calorie intake that you’re getting when eating out is to order off the menu.  Many people either don’t realize they can do this or shy away from doing it because they are scared to ask.

Don’t be.  Almost all restaurants will be able to cook you a simple chicken breast with steamed vegetables (ask for no butter) along with a baked potato and salsa, which makes for a great fat loss meal to have.

Navigating the restaurant menu doesn’t have to be a huge challenge if you remember these tips and do your best to order wisely.  The small changes really do make a huge difference in your ability to see progress.  

There’s a lot of contradiction when it comes to having success with fat loss, so it’s your job to pick a path and stay true to it.  Learning the facts from the fallacies will be important if you are to strive to do your best.

Here are four steps that you should be taking in order to make the most of your fat loss progress regardless of your approach.

Become A Schedule Master

If there’s one thing that’s really going to work to your benefit when it comes to seeing success, having a good schedule is it.  Pre-planning is an absolute must with your diet because if you aren’t pre-planned, chances are high you’re going to be turning to less than healthy food.

Always take a moment at the end of the night to think about what you’ll be eating the next day.  Do your grocery shopping for the week ahead over the weekend, and if you’re really keen on maximizing success, try to pre-cook as much food as possible so your weekday meals are a breeze to prepare.

The old saying, ‘those who fail to plan, plan to fail’ couldn’t be more true when it comes to your diet and workouts.  Schedule those workouts in solid and then make sure you know exactly what and when you’ll be eating for the day.

Be Sure To Include Variety

Next, also make sure that you include enough variety in your workout and diet program. One of the top reasons people fall off the bandwagon is because they are bored. Who can blame them – a diet consisting of chicken, rice, and broccoli, perhaps with the odd egg white omelette thrown in will definitely get old fast.

Instead, add life to your meals with spices, new vegetables, or low-calorie home-made sauces.

Likewise, be sure you’re constantly switching things up on the workout front.  This not only shocks the body so you’re less likely to plateau, but will also keep you interested.  It can be as simple as performing a barbell curl rather than a set of dumbbell curls.  Do something to change some aspect each and every session you perform.

Adopt a 90/10 Rule

Expecting perfection from yourself is not only unrealistic, but it’s only going to work against you.  Instead, adopt the 90/10 rule.  This rule states that you should aim to be ‘on’ 90% of the time, allowing 10% of the time for fun or relaxation.

When you go in with a more relaxed mindset, you not only enjoy the process more but you’ll feel more inclined to stick with it.  Aiming for perfection puts you into black and white thinking patterns where if you do happen to miss a scheduled workout, you throw in the towel entirely.

Track Everything

Finally, the last way to make the most of your fat loss is to make sure you’re tracking everything.  Write down what you’re eating, when you’re eating it, how many sets you’re doing in the gym, the amount of weight lifted, how much sleep you go the night before, and so on.

The more details you can include the more you’ll have to look back upon to learn what worked best for you and what didn’t.  It’s the constant tweaking of your program to meet your own personal needs that will garner you the absolute best results.

If you don’t track, it’s essentially like driving a car blind-folded, so be sure you take the extra ten minutes a day to do this.

If you can put these four principles to work for you on your current body changing program, you can rest assured you’re doing everything possible in your power to arrive at the finish line.