healthy living

Despite your best efforts, there's no way to know if the $10 salad you buy down the street is really as healthy as you think. This month, take control of your diet and your wallet by bringing your own lunch — every day.

Before you scarf down your healthy creation, snap a photo and upload the pic to Instagram. Make sure to caption your photo with the hashtag #POPSUGARFitness, and be sure to tell us what you're eating. We'll be sharing our favorite lunch ideas here on the site so that everyone can be a bit more inspired with their own creations. If you can't wait to see what pics readers are submitting, then just search #POPSUGARFitness on Instagram.

Make sure to follow POPSUGAR Fitness on Instagram for daily fitness inspiration and tips. Also, keep an eye out to see what lunches our own editors are enjoying!

When obstacles or plateaus pop up along the way, recognize how far you've come and why you've made changes towards a healthier lifestyle.

If you crave decadent desserts whenever you're on your period, here are some sweet, low-calorie, options made for indulging.

• One homemade almond butter cup: 86 calories
• One cup of sliced apples (57 calories) drizzled with half a tablespoon of honey (32 calories): 89 calories
• One Edy's Strawberry Fruit Bar: 80 calories
• Flourless chocolate cake: 96 calories
• Six dried apricots: 100 calories
• Half a container of vanilla Greek yogurt (60 calories) and half a cup of frozen organic blueberries (35 calories): 95 calories
• Whip up chocolate-covered banana almond butter bites and enjoy two: 98 calories
• 30 frozen grapes: 101 calories
• One four-ounce cup of organic applesauce (50 calories) topped with eight chopped peanuts (47 calories): 97 calories
• One Julie's Organic Sorbet Bar: 60 calories
• One So Delicious Mini Chocolate Sandwich: 90 calories
• Two clementines (70 calories) and two pieces of Green & Black's Organic Dark Chocolate with Cherries (36 calories): 106 calories
• Half a Cherry Pie Larabar: 80 calories

Once you start snacking, it's hard not to stop — you can't just eat one! Not a good thing if you're trying to lose or maintain your weight since mindless munching can add up to hundreds of extra calories a week. Here are some ways to break bad snacking habits.

• Measure and be done: Eating directly out of the package almost always means eating your way to an empty bag. Read the label to find out what a serving size is, measure it out, close up the package, and take your snack elsewhere to eat.
• Steer clear of the M&M's bowl: If your co-workers keep candy on their desks and you can't help but grab a handful every time you stop by, opt for IM or email when you need to talk.
• Keep food out of sight: Just seeing food can be a temptation, so be sure to keep snacks and baked goods off your desk and kitchen counters (unless it's fruit of course!).
• Grab that bottle: Thirst is often confused for hunger; taking sips of water when you feel a snacking urge coming on can help, and the water will also fill your belly.
• Freshen your breath: Minty breath might make you think twice about reaching for a snack. Brush your teeth or chew minty gum after meals to prevent eating more when you're not even hungry.
• Don't eat just because someone else is: You head over to a friend's house and she is noshing on a bowl of popcorn. Before grabbing a handful think to yourself, "Am I actually hungry?" If the answer is no, ask for a glass of water to sip on instead.

Keep reading for more ways to prevent mindless snacking.

Sometimes, those fries are calling your name and you can't say no — but the bloated feeling you get from the sodium overload isn't fun. If you feel like you've overdone it this weekend, get rid of the bloat with these tips that flush out salt from your body.

1. Drink up: The best way to debloat is to flush out excess salt by refilling that water bottle all day. Add extra help — and taste — by throwing a few fresh ingredients into your water to help get rid of those toxins. Detoxifying additions to water like ginger or lemon slices are delicious and effective at helping you feel your best.
2. Eat these foods: Look for foods rich in potassium, since this electrolyte will help your kidneys flush out excess salt. When in doubt, think fresh fruit and veggies, since many have high levels of potassium. Bananas, strawberries, leafy greens, melons, citrus fruits — all of these are great sources of potassium. Don't see anything you like? Here are more foods that are high in potassium; make sure you eat some of these to help get rid of that bloat fast.
3. Stay on the move: Even if you don't feel like sweating out that excess salt, making sure you aren't being sedentary will help move things along and make you feel lighter on your feet. Keep your energy up and that excess salt moving out by taking frequent breaks from your couch or desk for a walk or stretch.

Waking up refreshed is a great way to start out the day on the right foot. However, there may be times when you wake up tired and unable to immediately get the day going, even though you've had a full night's rest. Here are a couple reasons that may be causing you to wake up groggy:

• Waking up in the wrong phase: Your sleep is split into cycles, and you might've woken up during the non-REM stage, which is a state of very deep sleep. Try to shoot for waking up during a REM phase, because then your body will be better prepared to wake up.
• Poor quality of sleep: It doesn't matter how long you sleep for if you're it's low-quality rest; you'll just wake up tired. Poor-quality sleep can be caused by factors such as sleeping with a pet, drinking caffeinated beverages late in the day, or having too much noise in the background.
• Medication hangover: The effects of certain medications that cause drowsiness can linger until the next morning. Check with your doctor to see if you can adjust the dosage or change medications.
• Medical condition: Certain medical conditions like sleep apnea can disrupt your night's rest. Disorders like depression can also cause you feel drained of energy, a symptom that can contribute to your grogginess.
• Your body clock is not in sync: If you've been keeping an erratic sleep schedule, then your body will probably need time to adjust to waking up at a certain time during the morning. Try to make a more regular schedule, and you'll probably see a difference in how you feel in the morning.