Are you already stressing today about what you'll do for lunch tomorrow? Here's an idea: Pass on the temptation to eat out -- it's much healthier and much more affordable to brown-bag it -- and consider throwing some of these items together. Don't wait until the craziness of morning arrives, though -- do it today so all you'll need to do as you head out the door for work is grab your lunch and go.

• Think fruits and vegetables, and drop a few servings in your lunch box. Portable fruits, like apples, oranges, and bananas, are great for snacks throughout the day.
  
• Top sandwiches with cucumbers, tomatoes, and spinach.
• Work in some whole grains but vary your choices from day to day so you don't get bored. Try popcorn, whole grain crackers and bagels, rolls, pitas, and tortillas.
  
• Consider making extra portions of healthy dinners so you can pack up leftovers for work the next day.
  
  

The message here: Plan ahead to beat the lunch rush -- and eat well too.

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Generally speaking, if I go to the gym, I try not to plan anything immediately afterward. Ideally, I like to go home for a shower and get ready in my own bathroom, or at the very least, I'll take a full shower at the gym and get ready there. Either way, it takes some time for me to go from hot, sweaty mess to looking hot (or at least not scary).

But then again, there are those times when you get out of work at 5:00, have plans to meet a friend around 6:00 or 6:30 for a bite to eat, and while your house is on the other side of town, your gym is between work and the restaurant. It would be a shame to miss out on a quick workout just because you don't have time to wash your hair and get all dolled up, right?

In that case, check out the suggestions below for overcoming common post-workout beauty complaints (courtesy of FitnessMagazine.com, with a few of my own suggestions added in for good measure).

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Too busy to prepare healthy meals for your family? So many of us are. If you learn how to cook the right way, however, you can not only put together hearty food and free up some spare time too. eDiets has some great tips on how to cook quickly and efficiently for the whole family, including:

• Buy lean ground beef or turkey and mix with your favourite seasoning for hamburgers or meatballs. And make extra so you can freeze some. Enlist your kids to help.
  
• When you make a dish like chili or lasagna, make lots -- freeze all of the leftovers so you can use them on another day
• If you're on the run, instead of heading for fast food, order something hearty from a local restaurant, and divide it up into reasonable portions. And when you eat out, take your leftover home. Either freeze them or eat them within a couple of days.
  
• When you freeze chicken part, freeze them with spices, sauces or marinades. Then you can just pop them in the oven without any fuss.

How do you save time in the kitchen?

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Everybody wants to do it all, and to have it all, and then some. Practically everything we make and build these days is designed to help us get more done in less time, so we can squeeze yet more things into our day from our never-ending "to do" lists.

It's called "hurry disease," and being aware that you have it is the first step to recovery.

Seriously, though, being in a rush all the time the way many of us are is not a healthy way to live. It may not be obvious at first, but the hurried lifestyle is full of unseen pressures and stresses that build up over time and sabotage our efforts at losing weight and getting fit. Read the full article for a bunch of tips on how to "slow down and smell the roses."

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You know, you don't have to spend every waking hour working out in order to see results, even though it feels that way sometimes. If you've been struggling to find enough time for exercise, maybe the following tips for getting more workout in less time will work for you.

Circuit Training Circuit training is just working out one muscle group after another without a break in between sets. So you might work your arms, shoulders, legs, and abs all in a row before taking a short (1 minute) breather and then doing it over again. Working out this way will help you burn more calories faster than focusing on one area at a time.

Split up your routine It's actually better for your body if you give the different parts some time to rest between heavy workouts. So instead of working everything every day, try splitting things up. Maybe lower body and cardio one day, and upper body with cardio another day.

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With the lack of physical activity that most people's lifestyles are lacking, it's a good idea to pick up the pace and run, or at least speed-walk, to burn extra calories or just get moving. But there's one area where we should all learn to slow down -- eating.

I'm guilty of shoveling food down my gullet at record speeds -- with a busy lifestyle, I'm always thinking of where I need to be next. But it's a good idea to savor what you're eating. Also, by eating more slowly, you'll get full faster, and this will enable you to eat less overall.

But old habits are habits are hard to break. I'm going to make a conscious effort to chew each bite of food for at least 5 seconds before swallowing -- hopefully this will slow me down a bit. What about you?

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