Being health conscious has been extremely difficult this summer. I dream about being self controlled enough that cheesecakes at summer parties, or the cookies, cake and twizzlers at games nights will look undesirable to me. I envy those people who take only a nibble of something rich, chocolaty and sweet and declare "I can't have any more!" I relish the day that I will drive by a McDonald's and not mentally calculate how I can squeeze a Double Cheeseburger out of my budget.

Healthy eating is something that "other" people do. I try and try but still find my mouth full of store bought crackers and cheese dip. I read a quote not too long ago that said "When visiting others, eat less and listen more than you do at home." What wonderful advice! Of course, for me, that's easier said than done!

However, I'm trying to adopt a few rules (or suggestions, depending on the day) that have been helping turn my appetite to more healthy options:

Being Health Conscious

1. Oatmeal. My dad eats oatmeal every morning and now I've started doing the same. This summer, I've even substituted the brown sugar I used to put on it with raisins. The raisins sweeten the oatmeal and the fiber in the oatmeal makes me feel full for a lo

ng time. I also have breakfast with coffee. Coffee (although I don't recommend this as a diet) has no calories and helps keep me feeling full through the morning.

2. Fruit. Apples are the most filling. Apparently, if you eat an apple 30 minutes to an hour before a meal, you'll be less likely to eat as much. This is also a recommendation for eating out or going to a friend's house. Eating a healthy, filling snack will help you have more will power when faced with cheese dip, twizzlers or whatever other terrible treats confront you!

3. Exercise. I've been regularly jogging about 3 miles 4 times per week. I know for you seasoned joggers, 3 miles is not a long time (it takes me about 30 minutes), but when I jog in the mornings, I feel less vulnerable to eating unhealthy foods. I think it's a bit of a mind game, but when I start the morning with a jog, I feel in a healthy "mood". Usually, the days that I jog are the days that I stick to eating mostly fruits and veggies instead of chips and chocolate. (However, I do still have 6 pieces of Chocolate Zucchini cake sitting on my counter...)

4. Healthy snacks. This is something that has been pretty difficult to find (for me). I love salty things (chips) and sometimes crave sweet (chocolate). I've recently discovered that air popped popcorn is a great alternative for the salty craving and for the sweet... I have a box of Honey Nut Cheerios on the counter. I also eat arrowroot cookies as a treat. I love those things!

Please share with me your healthy living ideas. In the previous blog I also mentioned making meals from scratch which has helped a lot as well - just knowing what I put in a meal is great awareness and catalyst for change.

My sister and I also came up with another way to save money (Being Frugal). We've decided to go back to our natural hair colours so we don't have to continue with the upkeep of fake colour. We are both a little worried that there may be grey hairs in our natural hair.. I suppose we'll deal with that as it comes!