5 Healthy Snacks for Gamers

When I game, I like to snack. Sometimes the snacks I pick aren’t healthy, and then I feel sluggish later. I want to stay on top of my game, and the best way to do that is by making healthier choices. In the upcoming sections we will talk about some healthy snacks for gamers.

One way I make healthier choices is to select a bag of carrots over a bag of potato chips. By doing this, even though I don’t truly prefer carrots, I still eat them. When we play video games, we do not generally realize what we are eating. We just eat what’s in front of us.

A Couple of Ways I Like to Keep Healthy While Playing Video Games

In addition to eating right I also don’t just sit in one spot. I often get fed up with games when I have to try something over and over again, and can’t get it right. When this happens I take a short break and get up and walk around. I also walk my family’s dogs, and play with them in the backyard, to keep active during the day.

Other times I might take breaks are: between matches in first-person shooter games, between quests in games where quests are a main part of the game, and between missions in games where missions are a main part of the game.

Some Ideas For Healthy Snacks While Playing Video Games

I like to go online a lot, and while online I try to make an effort to find healthy snacks, but I also come up with some myself. Here are some I’ve found/made and what they are a good replacement for.

1. Fresh fruit instead of candy. Especially grapes or strawberries which require little effort, bananas and oranges are a good idea if you are between matches, quests, missions, as they need peeled, which is not easy to do while playing.
   
2. Trail mix. Homemade trail mix, instead of a snack mix, like party mix or Chex mix, is especially great since you can make it sweeter with fruit, or add mixed salted nuts for a saltier mix.
   
3. Pizza quesadilla, or pizza burritos. This is just pepperoni and cheese rolled up in flat bread, like a burrito as opposed to pizza bites, or pizza bagels.You can cut the quesadilla into triangles for easier gaming during quests/missions/matches.
   
4. Pop crunch instead of potato chips. Pop crunch recipe: Mix 1 cup each of air popped popcorn, pretzel sticks, and favorite flavor of dried cereal, like Frosted Flakes or Crunchberries. You can also use other cereals which lower cholesterol or have better fiber or vitamins.
   
5. Water Ice instead of Soda. It’s easy to guzzle down soda while playing video games. Water Ice gives me that carbonation without the sugar, sodium, and calories that go hand-in-hand with drinking my favorite fruit-flavored soft drinks. Click the link below to order your own from Amazon now.

These are only a few healthy snacks for gamers, a lot of what you decide to eat depends on your tastes and what you like. Don’t be afraid to personalize recipes also, you can add unique things that makes them truly yours.

A Few Final Notes about Healthy Snacks for Gamers

These aren’t the only snacks or snack replacements out there, there are many more, and you can even create your own. Be creative, use your imagination, and really go wild. You might just make the next big healthy gamer snack!

Also don’t be afraid to search online. I like to go online to find healthy snack ideas when I can’t think of any to make or when I want one with different ingredients than normal. I also like to look online for some good snack replacements, or just some different snacks to satisfy my teenage gamer appetite.

The Do's and Don'ts of Geocaching

Summer is right around the corner, and you may be wondering what your family will do with the kids enjoying a nice break from school. Many families enjoy the popular hobby of geocaching! It is fun, safe, and excellent for people who prefer a great outdoor adventure to sitting inside.

This is my brother Stephen and me finding our first ever Geocache!

Geocaching is marvelous for people who love an adventure, but don’t otherwise have a reason to get outside. It is a wonderful activity to do with friends, family, and even a household pet. Geocaching also helps get people off of the computer, and away from the T.V. to go out and have some fun. And best of all, it's free!

Why Geocaching is Good for You

When geocaching, your goal is to find caches. These are containers which hold anything from prizes and small toys to just a small piece of paper, called a log, to add your name and date to prove you found it. Please do not keep the caches as they are there for everyone to find.

The cache can be large, medium, small, or tiny in size. This helps to train your eyes, which can help in many other situations. Geocaching is also a swell way to get out and walk, as sometimes parking is not always optimal and you sometimes have to walk.

This is often because of parking not being optimal, the geocache having been moved a few feet from the original spot, or the geocache being hard to find. The feeling of finding the cache is incredible, it will surely have your heart racing.

A Few Things to Remember While Geocaching

While geocaching, especially when the weather is balmy or chilly, you will always have to pack certain items, depending on the weather. A backpack makes a superb “go bag” for geocaching, especially ones with many pockets on the outside to hold something.

• Several bottles of water (1 or 2 per person or pet)
• Snacks if you are planning a day of geocaching
• Swag, i.e. something to leave behind
• A few simple first aid items, such as band-aids and some sav for bee stings

These are only a few things you should take, you should also take some area specific items, for instance sunscreen if you are going to be geocaching in a warmer climate with open areas. Also you should always pack enough supplies for everyone going with you, maybe even extra. Here's the backpack I like to use:

It has enough pockets to keep me organized on the go while the interior space holds my favorite geocaching snacks, like trail mix and beef jerky, and bottled water. The pocket on the front is perfect for holding my phone, which I use in lieu of a GPS device. Click the picture to learn how you can get your own from Amazon now. Prime members get 20% off and FREE 2-day shipping!

What Not to do When Geocaching

While geocaching can be fun, there are always things not to do, below I have included a few important ones in a list, but as with any activity, common sense can save.

• Don’t forget to bring a coat in chilly weather.
• Don’t forget your GPS while walking to and from the cache so you won’t get lost.
• Don’t forget to bring an emergency kit, even a basic one can help if something happens.
• Don’t geocache in extreme weather including, harsh temperatures, rain or snow, etc.
• Don’t geocache barefoot.

These are only a few of the don’ts of geocaching. There are more, but most are simple and are easy to remember. Check online for more geocaching etiquette.

In Conclusion

Geocaching is a healthy activity for your whole family, this article only lists some of the benefits of and tips for geocaching, but there are more. There are lists online for kits you can put together for hiking and walking which also work well for geocaching. Try it, and I’m sure you’ll have fun! Let me know about your geocaching experiences in the comments section.

About the Guest Author

Jarod Muth is a blogger who hails from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. A home school student who graduated at age 16, he's now pursing interests like freelance writing and internet marketing while furthering his education through online classes. In his spare time Jarod enjoys gaming, geocaching with his family and their rescue pups, and flea marketing.

Why Use a Dog Crate When Adopting a Pet

I love being around my dog, but there are times when we have to be apart, such as vacations, sporting events, and conventions. This can be a problem as I recently adopted a dog. Shortly after bringing her home, I found out that she has separation anxiety.

For this reason I have bought a crate. After months of training, she has learned that this is her “house” and that she is safe there, even when I am gone. Sometimes she goes in the crate in the middle of the afternoon without any prodding from her human family at all!

Crates are a good way to keep your dog out of trouble when you are not home. They can be very affordable, and most are easy to store when not in use. Crates are reliable, which is a good thing as some of the dogs I have owned in the past were worthy of the nickname “Doggy Houdini”.

Pro’s of Using a Crate

When it comes to buying a crate, size matters. Fortunately crates come in all sizes. This comes in handy when you have a smaller or larger than normal breed of dog because, most likely, there is a crate large or small enough to match it.

Crates often come with a removable floor or dog bed. Some people prefer the standard cage floor, and then buy a more durable bed or plastic crate floors as a separate purchase. This makes cleanup for puppy crate training a breeze.

Many crates are collapsible, which is good either for smaller living spaces, or for traveling with your pet. This feature also comes in handy for storage if you are in-between dogs, or if you haven’t yet bought or adopted a dog, but plan to soon.

Dogs carry germs like fleas and ticks. Having a crate where your dog can sleep at night will keep him off your bed. It will not only keep the pests out of your bed that might be crawling in his fur, but it will also keep your bed free from shedding hair and pet dander.

Crate Care and Maintenance

There are several things you need to know before buying a crate. One is that no matter what, at some point you are going to need to clean your dog’s crate. Here are some basic ways to maintain dog crates:

• Clean the bed and floor at least once a week, sometimes more frequently, depending on how much your dog sheds, how messy your dog eats and drinks, and whether or not they’ve had an accident.
• Make sure the locks on the crate are aligned and do not stick, as sometimes the door can bend from continuous opening and locking, or from an overly energetic dog that chews and pulls on the sides of the crate.
• Only use organic cleaners that are pet safe. If you use chemical products on the crate floor, for example, then your dog could lick or chew the crate it and become sick.

Click the picture above to learn more about the crate I would use for my own rescue pups!

In Conclusion

These are just some of the reasons I recommend buying a crate for your dog, and a few tips to help you keep your dog’s crate clean. I think it is a good investment and, given the time and environment, your dog will come to love it’s new crate.

Just remember that a crate isn’t a place that your dog should stay all the time. They like to get out and do stuff too! But at the end of the day they will just love having a nice place of their own to spend the night, and a crate is a safe way to give them that space.

About the Guest Author

Jarod Muth is a blogger who hails from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. A home school student who graduated at age 16, he's now pursing interests like freelance writing and internet marketing while furthering his education through online classes. In his spare time Jarod enjoys gaming, hiking with his family's rescue pups, and flea marketing.