That's Fit

Love to eat out but hate the damage it does to your diet? Try these easy tips and tricks for having all the fun and none of the flab:

We all want to save money when grocery shopping -- who wouldn't? But, as Maggie mentioned last month, bargain foods, while light on the wallet, can be heavy on your waistline and hard on your health.

An article in Shape magazine says that research has shown less expensive items often have more trans fats than those that are slightly more expensive. Trans fats, as you may know, have been shown to raise your bad cholesterol, and can show up in the ingredient list as partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oil and shortening -- not stuff you want in your snacks, no matter how great the price is.

The University of Minnesota researchers Shape refers to found that 24 percent of the products they examined still contained trans fats -- the amounts might have been reduced from previous versions, but the products were not trans fat-free. Be choosy when buying snacks -- don't let a bargain get in the way of your health! To see some surprising foods that have trans fats, check out this slideshow at AOL Health.

Recent photos of Britney Spears in a bikini in Mexico show that the starlet is doing well with her healthy makeover -- she looked trim and healthy, and, most importantly, happy. However, getting to that point came with a hefty price tag. Britney has reportedly spent $22,000 a month to get back in shape!

So what does this $22,000 go toward each month? Britney is paying a nutritionist, buying diet supplements, and has a personal trainer and private dance choreographer on call. One thing she's not spending her cash on: Red Bull. She has switched it out for a much more healthful option, and now drinks lots of water.

Additionally, she's sticking to a 1400 calorie per day diet, though she allows herself one "cheat day," and snacks on edamame beans. Her meals are made of fresh foods, and she's only eating two-thirds of what's on her plate. It sounds like she's got a very healthy system in place, and while most of us couldn't afford her "people," all of us can load up on fresh foods and eat in moderation. It's great to see her doing so well!

One of the beautiful things about online shopping is that there are some phenomenal deals to be had. However, unless you spend a portion of most days checking out your favorite online stores, sometimes it's hard to catch the best deals. And, if you're anything like me, you know there's no reason to pay full price for workout clothes -- if you can afford to be patient, the items you need will always go on sale.

Shop It To Me Running is a fast, easy, and commitment-free way to score great deals on the workout clothes you need. From shoes to sports bras, you can select the brands and sizes you'd like to receive updates on, and when those items go on sale, Shop It To Me Running will email you. You can opt to receive notifications daily, twice weekly, or once a week.

While I'm excited to receive my next update, the thing I'm most thrilled about is how much money I could save on shoes. I was able to enter my exact shoe preference (Mizuno Wave Elixir, Size 8). I know it can be scary to order running shoes without trying them on, but if you have a specific brand and model that you've worn (I'm on my third pair), there's really no risk.

Seven years ago, I found myself unemployed for a while. I tried to trim costs wherever I could -- disconnecting my cable TV, terminating my cell phone service, and doing everything I could to lower my grocery bill. When you're trying to cut costs that $0.79 box of mac n' cheese starts to look awfully good. Unfortunately, my low cost grocery shopping had a price I didn't want to pay -- I gained weight and plenty of it.

With today's grocery costs, everyone has to think of their budget when shopping whether you're in a temporary financial hardship like I was, or at the top of your financial game. Luckily, you can stay within your budget and still feed your family a nutritious meal. Some tips:

• Eat locally and in season. When you visit farmer's markets, you cut out the middle man and cut out some of the cost.
  
• Get a green thumb. Planting your own garden is by far the most cost effective method for fresh produce -- plus you'll get the added perk of physical activity.

How terribly bad can a Twinkie really be? According to some, not so bad.

It's not that an occasional Twinkie-type treat, or sandwich cookie, or cheese puff, or cracker is inherently bad. It's just that they hog up caloric space. Healthy versions of these snacks are no different.

Think about it this way: If your nutritional requirements are a train, junk foods are taking the seats of rightful passengers -- like a bowl full of berries, for example, or a handful of nuts. Says Stephen Daniels, pediatrician in chief at The Children's Hospital in Denver: What's left after all the nutritional requirements are met are a hundred or so "discretionary calories" to be used like dietary funny money. That' a pretty tight caloric budget, allowing for two cookies, a handful of chips, or well, one Twinkie.

I don't know what the prices of gas and food are looking like in your neck of the woods, but I'm paying $3.91 a gallon at the pump and close to four bucks for a loaf of whole wheat bread. Whether the feds care to officially label what we're facing a recession or not, a decision on semantics will do nothing to help keep our necessary living expenses under control. With that being the case, and with there being no end to the rising prices in sight, spending money on nutritional supplements may seem a bit wasteful. Maybe it is maybe it isn't. That's for you and your accountant to decide. However, in a time when saving a little here and there really makes a difference, it's good to know that you can also use this approach should you still opt to purchase supplements.

The post-workout meal is among the most important you'll eat all day. It's long been known that upon completion of a strenuous workout -- particularly, a resistance training workout -- it's vital that you replenish your body with a good amount of protein. The good news is that we may not need as much protein at that point as we previously thought we did.

According to Canadian researchers, half a scoop of whey protein powder (o about 10 grams of protein) is enough to replenish and help build muscle. So, if you're used to drinking 20 or more grams of protein in your post-workout shake, make that bucket o' protein go a little further by only using half as much. It may only seem like placing a Band-Aid on a bazooka wound, but over time the savings will add up. And best of all, as the study suggests, it won't come at the expense of your fitness.

Did you just go through sorting a mountain of receipts crumpled in a shoe box in order to complete your income tax filing for 2007? Well, time to get to work on avoiding that stress next April.

Establishing a good filing system for various receipts and a spreadsheet for tracking deductions means putting forth a little extra energy now, but will save tons of time in the long run. And while you're at it, do some planning for working your refund or economic stimulus package check into your budget to ease those financial burdens that always seem to catch you off guard -- car repairs, birthday gifts, chimney sweep, air conditioning tune-up and so on.

Then you can kick back and celebrate the end of another tax season with a little more satisfaction than usual.

Buying organic foods at your local grocery store can get pretty pricey, because I know you're filling up a third of your cart with veggies. Right?

Noshtopia has seven ways to cut costs on your organic purchases, which could help your budget, your waistline, and your overall help. Below are the three I found most helpful, but feel free to check out all seven of their suggestions here!

• Hit the local farmers' market. You're buying direct, so it's generally cheaper.
  
• Check store brands in places like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. These businesses often offer a store brand and organic version for similar prices to conventional brand names.
  
• Shop near closing time. Because of the lack of preservatives used in organics, they are often more prone to spoiling. Therefore, grocers might mark those items down near the end of the day to move them off the shelf.

Got a suggestion that's worked for you? Please share in the comments!

When I first took up yoga, it cost me $120 for a once-a-week class that lasted for four months. That works out to $7.50 a class, which isn't bad but I've definitely found better deals out there. One studio I went to, for instance, offered a $120 12-week pass which allowed me unlimited access to all classes, and considering I went at least 4 times a week, I got my money's worth.

Yoga can be expensive -- but it doesn't have to be. About Yoga recently shared some tips on how to become a yogi without breaking the bank:

• Buy classes in bulk, or look for a studio that offers unlimited classes. Also shop around for the best deal.
  
• Buy your own mat. Unless your studio lends them out for free, renting can be expensive! Same goes for water bottles -- get a re-usable one and fill up at home.
  
• Practice Karma yoga. You might be able to trade charitable work for yoga classes. Another idea: In my area, several studios offer Karma yoga classes on Sunday in which you can practice for free with a food donation.
• Practice at home. Pick up a discounted yoga DVD and do your downward dogs in the privacy of your living room.
  

For many families one of the largest monthly expenses is the grocery bill. Prices are going up all the time, plus if you're interested in healthy options it doesn't help that companies usually like to charge more for the "organic" and "all-natural" versions of their popular foods. But with the right strategy you can keep that register total to a reasonable amount, and with it make your health and fitness goals that much easier to reach and maintain. Tricks like buying in bulk as much as possible, never shopping on an empty stomach, and buying off-brand products can really make a difference. See more ideas in this article from off-grid, and please share with us if you have any of your own tips on slashing your food bill.

Getting in shape can be expensive -- between workout gear, gym memberships and equipment, the cost can be quite high. But getting fit is worth it, so it's important to find budget-friendly ways to work out. Here are some tips from WebMD:

• Find weighty objects in your kitchen -- grapefruits, water bottles and canned food all work. Or bench press the cat.
  
• Get exercise DVDs from the library and work out at home. Or borrow some of your friends' DVDs.
  
• Instead of buying a step or a stairmaster, use the steps in your house
• Use a rolled-up towel as a bolster for yoga or as back-support for sit-ups.
  

Really, getting fit on a budget is just as simple as getting back to basics, to when fitness wasn't an industry, it was a way of life.

How do you save money on fitness?

Getting fit isn't always convenient -- or cheap. Gym memberships, fitness gear and workout equipment can be really pricey. But it's important to find a way to get fit without breaking the bank -- here are some ideas from The Digerati Life:

• Go jogging -- all it will cost is the price of a decent pair of sneakers.
  
• Take a hike
• Rent a fitness DVD from the library
• Check out fitness sources on the Internet -- That's Fit is a great place to start.
• Babysit -- the energy of kids is enough to wear anyone out
• Do yard work
• Clean or re-organize your house
• Borrow someone else unused fitness equipment
• Volunteer for something that involves activity -- a river clean-up, for instance?
• Get it on -- having sex can burn quite a few calories!

How do you exercise on a budget?

Eating well can get expensive. Organic foods are quite a bit more expensive than regular ones, and when you're trying to grab something on the go, it's definitely the processed junk that's cheaper and more convenient to pick up. In a perfect world, it would be the opposite--healthy eaters would pay less for food--but we have to make the best of what we're given and try to find a way to save money and eat well.

For the frugal health nut, Yahoo Health's expert nutritionist has come out with a list of some really cheap and healthy meals that you can get pick up for $2 or less.

And here's my own tip -- next summer, why not consider planting a garden? Depending on where you live, you can grow your own fruits and veggies, though if you're green thumb is severely lacking (like mine is -- my man does all the gardening,) consider growing at least your own herbs.

Fall can be an expensive time of year as far as clothing is concerned. Kids are heading back to school and need the newest, hippest pieces if they don't want to become social outcasts (please, note the sarcasm), and the rest of us need to find new outfits to replace the stuff that got worn-out or donated to charity last year.

Unfortunately, we can't all afford to be fashionistas so if you're looking for Todd Oldham style on a Old Navy budget, consider some of these suggestions to find cool clothes at a decent price. Tips include using different accessories to transform an outfit from boring to bold and digging through the racks at consignment stores for designer clothing that has been cast-off before its time (granted this kind of treasure may be rare but with some patience you could be duly rewarded with a fantastic, unused or rarely-worn piece),

Also, consider throwing a clothes swapping party. You may have grown (hopefully) too small for a great pair of jeans that you've hardly broken in, while a friend could have been gifted an incredible top that isn't her style, but which she neglected to return. Remember, one woman's throwaway is another's hottest new outfit. For more tips, take a look at the entire article here.