It's the Little Things

Every year my parents clean out their wallets and my mom's purse after every week to get rid of all that heavy change. And then by the end of the year they have saved up close to $500! Thinking that this has nothing to do with beauty? Wrong! The little things add up, and whether you apply that concept to money or beauty, the choice is yours. So the list below shows tons of ways for you to cut back on the little things to help you with a big change. Not to say that regular diet and exrosize aren't important, but these are ways that help with that too.

1. Drink lots of water!
This is probably the easiest one to do. When you wander into the kitchen looking for something to eat when you're bored grab a cup of ice water to sip instead of that ice cream you have stored in the freezer. Not only are you not consuming any calories, you are actually burning some! Not a whole lot, but it takes energy to warm up the ice water to body temperature! Before meals drink some ice water, too! This will help fill you up so that you won't eat as much.

2. Shower with cold water.
First of all, you're saving money on your water bill. I find it very hard to take an hour long shower when you are in freezing cold water. Secondly the body has to work harder to keep itself at the right temperature, and working hard means more calories are burned! An added bonus? Hair will become shinier, and cold water closes the pores!

3. Go easy on the heater/air conditioner.
Again, the body has to work to keep its temperature. Sweat also 'melts' away calories, just make sure to stay hydrated, which shouldn't be hard if you are following the first one. So not only will you be saving money, but it can be good for you, too!

4. Splurge responsibly.
So its your birthday and your little brother made you his amazing chocolate cake, so its okay to have a little. But do you really need to put all that whipped cream on top?

5. Buy the healthy stuff.
DON'T go shopping while hungry. You end up buying too much of the wrong stuff. Instead go when you are full or in between meals. Then its easy to pick out the right amount of food, and easier to pick the healthy choices as well. You can't eat what you don't have, so don't buy any of the things you would normally splurge on.

6. Use smaller plates. Each time you go back to the serving bowl for more food you have to think about whether you are hungry enough. Putting to much on your plate can sometimes mean eating after you're full to avoid wasting anything. Going back for 5th's also tends to discourage further eating.

7. Take the long way
Whether its parking on the far side of the parking lot, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator you are burning calories that you wouldn't otherwise.

8. Change up your workout
When you do work out make sure it counts. Change it up a lot so as to keep your muscles confused so you don't plateau. Do lots of cardio as that will boost your metabolism and keep you burning calories even after you stop working out.