By Sherry Borsheim

It’s that time of year when we begin to move more outdoors, taking in the crisp fresh air and feeling a sense of renewal. Getting your office and home organized helps to bring that wonderful fresh feeling back into your life. It’s also the perfect time to access where you are with the commitments you made to yourself in January. Did you set out to be more active this year, be on-time for meetings and ahead of deadlines, or maybe you set out to be better organized in 2011?

This is literally a QUICK tip. Spend less time at the gym!!! More and more research shows that fast, intense BURSTS of exercise are for more effective for increasing endurance, managing weight and increasing metabolism.

An hour at a moderate jog is, well, just an hour jog. Try EIGHT one-minute sprints (on the bike, on the treadmill, up a flight of stairs - it doesn't matter) followed by two-minutes of slow paced recovery. Push hard - it's just ONE minute.

You'll get a much better cardio workout in WAY less time

Create one hour every day of "me" time. For everyone who is thinking it's impossible, I am going to tell you flat out  - it's not. It may be challenging sometimes but it is not impossible.

 Break this process in-to three steps:

1)    Acknowledge that you need a minimum of 1 hour each day just for you.

2)    Schedule that hour the day before.

 3)    Do it.

 You can spend this hour exercising, reading, meditating, hiking, knitting, etc... anything that nourishes your body, mind and soul.

Just this one hour each day will help reduce stress, burnout and resentment.

The Cappuccino Effect

When it comes to saving money the little things add up. Ordering that latte before work every day will cost you more than $1000 over the course of a year, and you haven’t even had lunch yet.

A great way to tackle this is to set a weekly cash allowance for yourself – say $25 – and have a minimum ATM/Credit Card Usage Policy. It’s simple – most people set a max of what they can spend on a credit card without thinking it over for a few days or discussing the purchase with a spouse (if you don’t – get on it!). This rule states that if it’s under $5 or $10 you have to use cash. And if your cash is gone – well – time to pack a lunch.

This is definitely our number one, calorie saving, protein enhancing, yummifying (no, that’s not a real word) cooking tip. GREEK YOGURT!!! Use it in everything – replace sour cream in burritos, add it to your kid’s Mac n’ Cheese instead of butter and milk, it can create creamy sauces for pasta that are still decadent, and even replaces cream in Clam Chowder… just make sure not to boil or it will curdle. Enjoy!