I know what you are thinking after reading the title, but don’t worry I am going to explain. Lately I have been in quite a funk when it comes to my appearance. I have always had some issues with my weight but I have always been able to manage it fairly well. After moving I think my mind was just in a million different places that I sort of lost the reigns on focusing on my health and wellness which really took a toll on my mental health. With that being said I began to really work on myself and found that working out and eating healthy can actually be really FUN! Stick around and I will show you how!
When I first moved to Flordia I was so intimidated by everyone who lives here because they all were very health driven. Now I am more motivated than intimidated and have come up with a plan that works great with my level of athleticism and schedule. I want to break this post up into two parts: 1. Diet and 2. Exercise. The two most important things when it comes to a more healthy lifestyle.
Diet:
What I have learned in the past month is that the key to a successful diet is balance! You always should incorporate lots of fruits and veggies in with you meals and snacks. I also try to incorporate a type of protein in both my lunch and my dinner to get the strength I need during the day.
On a typical day this is what my eating schedule looks like :
Breakfast: Greek yogurt (which I usually get flavored) and a banana
Mid Morning Snack: 1 snack bag of 100 Calorie Pop Chips - These are so good and really take care of that potato chip craving you might have
Lunch: I had found this recipe for a Ground Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash that looked amazing. It also tastes just as good as it looks and is super easy to make. I normally make this in bulk on Sunday and meal prep it out for the week. It is just ground turkey, sweet potato, garlic and onion and add any kind of seasoning you see best! SO GOOD!!
Mid Afternoon Snack: Sliced Cucumber or 1 Apple and a tablespoon of peanut butter or any kind on nut butter.
Dinner: We have been doing Hello Fresh which has been good because it really helps with portion control for me. When we don’t have Hello Fresh meals me and Mitchell both love Chicken and Asparagus. I always try to do a protein with a veggie and some sort of carb like mashed potatoes or brown rice or Quinoa.
Its so simple to get meals together that are super clean and healthy for you. There are also good fats that you can incorporate into you’re meals like Avocados that could really boost the flavor and taste but is still very good for you. It doesn't always have to suck to eat healthy, trust me!
Exercise:
I always though that the only way for me to lose weight and keep it off would be to join a gym and try to go everyday after work. I was waiting until my finances were a little better than it was to go to the gym by my house and get a membership. One day I was on my instagram and an ad popped up for this program called Beach Body On Demand. Just a quick summary of what this program is all about. It is basically a place where all these videos for home exercise programs are available for anyone and everyone that doesn’t want to go to the gym and would rather work out at home, which is exactly what I wanted. Don’t get me wrong a gym is great but the hardest part of working out for me is actually going to the gym. I have NO EXCUSES when I have the resources to just work out at home with this program.
The one thing that really caught my attention about this program was not only the recipes (which are great and I love that) but the Price! The price for this home work out was WAY better than what I would be paying for a gym membership. I got 14 free days to begin with and then once that trial period was over I would be billed $30 every 3 MONTHS! I mean if that doesn’t sound like a bargain I don’t know what is.
The program that I am currently doing is called Piyo and boy is it kicking my butt! It is a workout that combines Pilates and Yoga creating a workout that not only makes your body burn and hurt the next day but it also stretches your muscles at the same time. It is a 2 month program and it just gets harder and harder but you start to feel less of the pain as you keep going.
Another thing that I have been doing is taking my dog Lyla out for runs after work. She is only 2 years old so she is still very hyper, so taking her for a run is a win/win situation for me and for her. I got this leash that wraps around my waste so that I am hands free when I am running and boy is this thing neat. For the first half of the run Lyla normally just pulls me which I don’t mind because it pushes me harder to not stop and push through. By the time we hit the half way mark of our run she tends to slow down and just run with me. I never thought I would say it but I enjoy our runs very much! Not only am I getting an awesome workout but I also get to spend some one on one time with my bird since we don’t get that very much now since moving.
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I am by no means a fitness expert but I have found such a fun way to get back into shape and create a healthy atmosphere for myself. I am sure that in the coming months with the holiday’s on there way that this will change since I will want to eat more unhealthy foods, but once the new year hits it is back to my normal routine! For now I will be sweating for bikini season and of course my best friends wedding in September!!!! What are your health and fitness goals? Let me know in the comments below!