healthy lifestyle

I like to think I'm disciplined with my weekly workout schedule, but sometimes I need some additional coercing to get my butt to the gym. Online progress tracking tools are great for keeping you motivated, and for holding you accountable if your healthy habits happen to take a nosedive. With the holidays just around the corner, many of us will be on the road visiting friends and family, making it increasingly difficult to keep up with our fitness routines. So we've rounded up five fitness tracking websites to help keep you on track — and they're all free!

Keep reading to check them out!

You aim to eat right and exercise most of the time, but we all stray from our healthy path every once in a while . . . and sometimes that's a good thing. Here are some ways you can cut yourself some slack and actually make yourself healthier at the same time.

Skip a Workout
It's recommended to get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily, but rest days are important too, especially if you had an intense workout the previous day. Giving your muscles a day off helps them rebuild and can also prevent overuse injuries. A rest day doesn't have to be completely sedentary, a leisurely walk or bike ride, or even a short light cardio workout are all great options. Keeping your blood flowing can actually help promote healing in sore, overworked muscles.

Veg on the Couch
There's nothing wrong with occasionally plopping yourself on the sofa in front of a Seinfeld marathon. It gives your mind and body a way to tune out from the stresses of your day, and laughing is also good for your health. Use your TV time to stretch on the floor or use the sofa to strength train with these moves.

Keep reading to hear other ways you can get healthy by cutting yourself some slack.

Sometimes being healthy can be a major time suck. There's hitting the gym every day, making sure to cook healthy, and so much more that goes into maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But it doesn't always have to be that way. Between eating right and fitting in exercise, there are a few shortcuts you can take when being perfect seems unthinkable. Best of all, none of these shortcuts skimp out on health. Here's a look at the standard gold rules of a healthy lifestyle and the shortcuts that go with them!

1. Eat Fresh Fruits and Veggies
When it comes to diet, the ideal is to eat as close to the natural source as possible: fresher is better, and organic rules all. Let's be real though, sometimes prepping fresh veggies seems like a pain or we're not able to fit in enough fresh fruit between meals.

The shortcut: Rather than forgoing fruits and veggies altogether, always keep frozen produce stocked. In the morning, throw some frozen berries in a smoothie or on top of cereal or yogurt. At night, quickly heat up a serving of frozen veggies to go with any meal. Still without your fruit and veggie fix? Have a snack of unsweetened dried fruit and stock your pantry with canned fruits and veggies that haven't been doused in salt and sugar — think unsweetened applesauce and sugar- and salt-free stewed tomatoes. Even if it didn't fall off of the farmer's truck, these are all ways to get the nutrients that veggies and fruit provide.

2. Get Enough Sleep
Wouldn't it be great if eight hours of sleep each night was a reality? Proper sleep increases brain function and promotes weight loss. But if you miss out on a good night's rest, it may result in a host of problems including irritability, heart disease, and overindulging.

The shortcut: On days when you're short on sleep, make like your 5-year-old self and grab a nap. Studies show that naps lower the risk of heart disease and naps also help with memory. To help increase the amount of deep sleep you're getting, start small by getting to bed 15 minutes earlier than you normally do. Continue this pattern for a few weeks to add a full hour onto your sleep schedule! If the above still seems unimaginable, find a few minutes throughout your day to meditate; this will help clear your mind while also helping to decrease stress.

See how to shave hours off of your workout after the break!

Late bedtimes and early morning conference calls are just a few of the reasons why we can't always jump out of bed ready to face the day. But whether you're a morning person or not, a few habit changes can be the difference between having a productive morning and feeling like your brain is functioning under fog. Read on for a few suggestions on how to easily perk up your morning.

You're dieting and exercising like a champ, but the pounds won't come off. It sounds odd, but your home may be a reason the scale isn't budging. If you spend a lot of time at home, take into consideration these ways it may be contributing to weight gain.

• Open floor plan: I love an open floor plan, but it does make it easier to lounge on the couch, see a commercial for sizzling pizza, and walk five feet to the refrigerator. Instead of visiting the kitchen all throughout the day, create an eating schedule for yourself to help avoid mindless eating. If it's impossible to avoid the kitchen, portion out a small snack for yourself rather than eating directly from the box or bag that it came in.
• Hidden exercise equipment: When a treadmill is being used as a clothesline or collecting dust in the basement, it's a sign that it hasn't been used in a while (I'm guilty of that — guess whose treadmill is pictured to the right?). Instead, make sure fitness equipment is easily accessible by setting up an area devoted to working out. Stock it with free weights, a yoga mat, and a TV with some exercise DVDs to inspire you to burn calories.
• Kitchen cabinets filled with easily accessible junk: If the easiest snack to grab is a bag of chips or just-baked chocolate chip cookies, it's more tempting to grab them when hunger strikes. Make healthy snacks more likely to happen by preparing nutritious bites ahead of time. Keep containers of diced melon, carrot sticks and hummus, ants on a log, and cheese and crackers in the fridge. Not only are these snacks healthy, but they're also in perfect portion sizes so you're less likely to overeat.

Keep reading to find out more ways your house is making you fat.