Today's post is going to be a little different from the others. In general it is pretty easy for people to go on and talk about all the things they are doing right. One example would be if someone has fitness goals they are working towards. It is simple to talk about the fact that they are meal prepping and going to the gym. All those small steps are wonderful but what about the areas that need improvement? We all do it. We all only display the things we are doing great for the world to see. We never go online and type up a status admitting to the chocolate bar we ate in secret when we are suppose to be eating healthy. I wanted to take this post to talk about some of the things I could be doing better.
Sugar is and always has been my downfall when it comes to food. When I did Whole30 a few months ago the sugar detox my body went through was unreal. That helped for a while but I just didn't let those habits stick. Halloween candy came, followed by Thanksgiving pies, then Christmas cookies and so on. I have cut back tremendously on the sugar I put in my coffee but I still put some in there on most days. I have cut it from my diet in a lot of ways but I still enjoy the cheat ice cream or chocolate from time to time. I know I need to eat less sugar. I am actually doing another Whole30 for lent this year so it will be nice to reset this once again.
The second thing I know I need to improve on is my workout schedule. Now in some ways that is pretty harsh. I am still going to the gym quite a bit and keeping up with my cardio, weight training, and personal training sessions. I go a lot more than I used to by far but I am not always sticking to my schedule the way I want to be. I sometimes skip the gym still and sometimes just completely lack the motivation to go. I think that is pretty normal. I want to keep working on this though and really stick to the 4 day a week schedule I have for myself. I would love to even up the to 5 days a week in the future. No excuses on why I don't want to go. I definitely could use more work in this area.
The last thing I want to mention that needs work is my water intake. Now if you really know me you know I am pretty strict about getting in 80 oz a day at least. I have mentioned before the bottle I have at work that I refill a certain number of times a day. In that regard I am doing great with my hydration goals. The weekends, however, are my biggest downfall. Sometimes I hardly drink half the amount of water I am suppose to on weekends. I think that comes down to the fact that I am a very structured person when it comes to my weekdays. I know that at work I need to drink 4 of my bottles to get to my goal. There are too many distractions on the weekends that it is easy for me to let this priority slip a bit.
Those are three of the things I am doing that need some work and I could be doing better. In this case they all had to do with fitness goals, but they absolutely do not need to be. Putting them out there like this and recognizing the problem is a good step. Realize where the problem is, then you can proceed to the solution. I want you to do the same. I am sure there is something you can think of that could use some improvement in your life. Something you might be doing wrong. If it is preventing you from reaching a goal in your life admit it and move forward. Do that and you just might start to reach your goals a bit faster.
My topic for today is one that I have mentioned previously before on my page. There is a reason for that. Life throws us curveballs. Life doesn't always go according to plan. The road we are walking on isn't always fully paved... instead it is much like the roads around here in the winter: Full of potholes. I think this is something we can all agree on. In a sense, life would be pretty boring if everything went fully according to plan all the time. Small bumps in the road are usually fairly easy to deal with. We trip and get right back up. The bigger patches, however, are a much different story.
I am not going to spend this blog discussing what I feel is a big event in life (as opposed to the small bumps). I think we all would have different opinions on this. What I do want to spend this blog talking about is what we should learn from them. I know it sounds incredibly cliché but we should truly live our lives as if tomorrow is not going to come. Tomorrow is never 100% guaranteed. We never know what each day is going to bring to us. I think the best advice I can offer is to not spend your days miserable and upset all the time. Sure we all have days where we do need to just mope around in our pajamas and such, but do your best to make those few and far between. Did you have a fight with a friend or family member? If so how big of a deal is this in the grand scheme of things? Do you want to spend your precious time being mad? Really sit down and ask yourself these questions. Ask yourself if the way you are spending your time is how you want to be remembered. If you were to be gone tomorrow would people remember you the way you want to be remembered?
I know there were a lot of questions there but I think I am making my point. Pretty much every year something happens around me that always gets me thinking about how precious life really is. I have talked about this in the past as I have mentioned, and the reason I feel okay bringing it right back up is because that is life. We are constantly reminded about how fragile and precious life is. We are also constantly reminded just how short it really is. I know for me personally about once a year I get a fairly big reminder of it in some way, shape, or form. Don't let something major happening to you be the day you realize that you haven't been spending your time as you wish you would. Show your appreciation for others, do the things you have been putting off, anything you may not have time for if you wait too long. Show your affection to the ones you love while you still can. Live every day as full as you possibly can. Will you need to have a few completely unproductive days in between? Absolutely, and that is perfectly fine. What truly matters is when you are taking a step back and looking at how you have lived your life, you have no major regrets.
Do the things you love as long as it is not causing yourself harm or others harm. Enjoy your life as if you never really know when your last day is here because the truth is we don't. Good days and bad days are all gifts to us. Even on your worst day you are still living and breathing and able to take in the beauty this world has to offer. Yes there is a lot of ugly in this world as well, but the beauty is what we should focus on. Live each day like this and you will live on when it is all over. Appreciate all that you have in your life and work towards what you don't.
Do you ever sit and think about the little things in your life that make you happy? I am not talking about the big picture type events that lead to happiness... What I mean are the small details in our lives that bring us moments of joy. Maybe they only last for a moment, or maybe they put a smile on our faces all day. I am willing to bet everyone has these and I am pretty confident a lot of people probably do not even realize it.
I spent my Sunday morning (as I posted on my Instagram, if you were led here from my page) just lounging around in my pajamas, drinking my coffee in a mug with the words "Hello Happiness" on it, playing a game on my computer. Pretty much every single one of the items on this list fits in the category of small things that make me happy. Pajamas for obvious reasons. Coffee, again obvious. The computer game I was playing also is a great example. The game was Undertale which I also mentioned very briefly in my previous post about determination . I honestly just have a lot of happy thoughts when it come to this game because of the story, characters, and memories of play-throughs I have watched on YouTube. Just hearing some of the music puts a smile on my face. I just decided to purchase and try playing it on my own recently. Since I am already so fond of it why not? Pretty funny that I haven't actually played through the game myself right? Something so small can absolutely be a huge part of your life and your happiness.
I can honestly think of so many examples of little pieces of happiness one may have in their lives. Some are personal examples from my life but not all. To go off of one already mentioned briefly, music is pretty powerful in that sense. Certain songs may bring back powerful memories or maybe even a specific genre of music can calm you and make you smile. Could a certain smell also put a smile on your face? I know I head to Bath and Body Works every single Fall to get their Sweater Weather candle just because that scent is one that I am so fond of. Maybe your happy scent is of a specific food cooking? How about tasting that food as well? I don't know too many people that don't smile when they have ice cream (well, unless it is break-up ice cream or you are lactose intolerant but that is an entirely different story)! The feeling of laying in a bed of freshly laundered sheets? Looking at a picture of your loved one? I believe I have all six senses covered now right?
I want to encourage you to seek out these small tokens of happiness. Seek them out often. A good place to start, as I have mentioned previously is when you are feeling down. I wouldn't, however, limit them to just then. We don't only need to be happy as a result of first becoming unhappy right? Maybe just for no other reason other than it being a Tuesday you want to take an hour to read your favorite book or do some writing. Maybe listening to some calming music that you love at work on a Thursday? Completely randomly deciding to break out a photo album to look through it? If we take more time to do the little things we love the less we will need to resort to them as a pick-me-up. Try and incorporate as much of these small things into your everyday life as you can. As long as it is not disrupting your routine what harm could it be doing?
I spent my Sunday morning (as I posted on my Instagram, if you were led here from my page) just lounging around in my pajamas, drinking my coffee in a mug with the words "Hello Happiness" on it, playing a game on my computer. Pretty much every single one of the items on this list fits in the category of small things that make me happy. Pajamas for obvious reasons. Coffee, again obvious. The computer game I was playing also is a great example. The game was Undertale which I also mentioned very briefly in my previous post about determination . I honestly just have a lot of happy thoughts when it come to this game because of the story, characters, and memories of play-throughs I have watched on YouTube. Just hearing some of the music puts a smile on my face. I just decided to purchase and try playing it on my own recently. Since I am already so fond of it why not? Pretty funny that I haven't actually played through the game myself right? Something so small can absolutely be a huge part of your life and your happiness.
I can honestly think of so many examples of little pieces of happiness one may have in their lives. Some are personal examples from my life but not all. To go off of one already mentioned briefly, music is pretty powerful in that sense. Certain songs may bring back powerful memories or maybe even a specific genre of music can calm you and make you smile. Could a certain smell also put a smile on your face? I know I head to Bath and Body Works every single Fall to get their Sweater Weather candle just because that scent is one that I am so fond of. Maybe your happy scent is of a specific food cooking? How about tasting that food as well? I don't know too many people that don't smile when they have ice cream (well, unless it is break-up ice cream or you are lactose intolerant but that is an entirely different story)! The feeling of laying in a bed of freshly laundered sheets? Looking at a picture of your loved one? I believe I have all six senses covered now right?
I want to encourage you to seek out these small tokens of happiness. Seek them out often. A good place to start, as I have mentioned previously is when you are feeling down. I wouldn't, however, limit them to just then. We don't only need to be happy as a result of first becoming unhappy right? Maybe just for no other reason other than it being a Tuesday you want to take an hour to read your favorite book or do some writing. Maybe listening to some calming music that you love at work on a Thursday? Completely randomly deciding to break out a photo album to look through it? If we take more time to do the little things we love the less we will need to resort to them as a pick-me-up. Try and incorporate as much of these small things into your everyday life as you can. As long as it is not disrupting your routine what harm could it be doing?
Well it is Super Bowl Sunday and if you are anything like me and the small portion of people in this country that are not into football, it's all about the snacks. In our family we always have a spread of snacks as I am sure a lot of people do. Is there anything healthy? Not exactly. Is the Super Bowl one day out of the year? Yep! I have always said on occasions such as these you really should allow yourself to enjoy. Try to limit yourself a bit and don't go nuts, but even if you do go overboard just remember that tomorrow is another day.
I know I have talked about food on my blog before but I personally think it is important to revisit it every now and then. Food and your choices with food are the biggest part of your journey with your weight. We have to eat to survive and it is important to give our bodies the best fuel possible. On top of that there are so many things that are not so great for us around. I get it. Food is definitely still a struggle for me. I love healthy food, I love planning my meals and making healthy meals. More importantly I love how I feel when I am on a great meal plan and sticking to it in tandem with my gym schedule. I also have a sweet tooth and crave foods that are not so great for me. I think that is only human.
So what do we do when it comes to craving the foods you know you shouldn't have? My first piece of advice is to allow yourself to have a reasonable amount so you do not deprive yourself. Typically when you keep putting off your craving for too long you are likely going to binge. Obviously do not go crazy but go ahead and have a serving of ice cream or a serving of potato chips. If you are at a Super Bowl party tonight go ahead and enjoy yourself, just remember to eat a bit more sensibly tomorrow.
As far as my meal plan it really hasn't changed all that much since the last time I wrote about it. I am still trying to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day. Lately that has been eggs with some sort of carb (usually potatoes or protein pancakes) or plain yogurt with berries and nuts and a bit of honey. I personally give myself a good amount of time in the mornings to make a healthy breakfast for myself, but I know a lot of people are rushing in the mornings. I would say plan for that ahead of time if that is your case. There are plenty of recipes you can make ahead and enjoy a healthy breakfast on the go. Overnight oats and smoothies are great examples and there are a ton of recipes online through Pinterest or Google. I would say that one of the most important favors you can do for yourself is making breakfast a priority.
Lunch and dinner are pretty simple as well. I always do my meal prep on Sundays for the week ahead for lunch. For lunch I typically try to make this my second biggest meal of the day as well and I always try to have some sort of protein, carb, and vegetable. I personally find carbs important in my lunches because I want it to hold me over fairly long especially on gym days. I usually have a snack in between the gym and lunch, but if I was eating something not as filling I am sure my stomach would be rumbling well before I left for the gym every day. As far as dinner goes I typically still try to keep that fairly light. Usually this means a big side of vegetable and usually a lean protein like chicken or fish. I sometimes throw some red meat into the mix as well but not super often.
Snacks are pretty important to me as well. I usually have a snack at work about an hour after I get there. Typically this is something really small to just keep my metabolism going and hold me over until lunch even with that big breakfast. This usually is a small pouch of nuts, raw veggies with hummus or a light ranch dip, or even a yogurt. As I mentioned I also have a snack a few hours after lunch so I have a good amount of energy to power through my workouts especially now that I have upped the amount of cardio I do and now that I am doing a fair amount weight training as well. This snack is usually a little bigger. I have been eating a lot of protein bars (quest or luna bars are my go-to) lately for my mid-afternoon snacks. Yogurts are pretty good as well. Really anything that isn't really high in sugar or calories and will give you some extra energy and hold you over until dinner.
Really with food your best bet is going to be planning and preparation, but also allowing yourself to enjoy as well. Eat plenty of the foods that will make your body feel good, but also enjoy the foods that are good for your soul occasionally as well. Drink plenty of water too! Try not to let food be your enemy and realize it is there to nourish your body and keep you going. Start small and grow from there. Your relationship with food does not need to be a complicated one. Fuel your body, sometimes fuel your soul, and overall just make decent choices.
I know I have talked about food on my blog before but I personally think it is important to revisit it every now and then. Food and your choices with food are the biggest part of your journey with your weight. We have to eat to survive and it is important to give our bodies the best fuel possible. On top of that there are so many things that are not so great for us around. I get it. Food is definitely still a struggle for me. I love healthy food, I love planning my meals and making healthy meals. More importantly I love how I feel when I am on a great meal plan and sticking to it in tandem with my gym schedule. I also have a sweet tooth and crave foods that are not so great for me. I think that is only human.
So what do we do when it comes to craving the foods you know you shouldn't have? My first piece of advice is to allow yourself to have a reasonable amount so you do not deprive yourself. Typically when you keep putting off your craving for too long you are likely going to binge. Obviously do not go crazy but go ahead and have a serving of ice cream or a serving of potato chips. If you are at a Super Bowl party tonight go ahead and enjoy yourself, just remember to eat a bit more sensibly tomorrow.
As far as my meal plan it really hasn't changed all that much since the last time I wrote about it. I am still trying to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day. Lately that has been eggs with some sort of carb (usually potatoes or protein pancakes) or plain yogurt with berries and nuts and a bit of honey. I personally give myself a good amount of time in the mornings to make a healthy breakfast for myself, but I know a lot of people are rushing in the mornings. I would say plan for that ahead of time if that is your case. There are plenty of recipes you can make ahead and enjoy a healthy breakfast on the go. Overnight oats and smoothies are great examples and there are a ton of recipes online through Pinterest or Google. I would say that one of the most important favors you can do for yourself is making breakfast a priority.
Snacks are pretty important to me as well. I usually have a snack at work about an hour after I get there. Typically this is something really small to just keep my metabolism going and hold me over until lunch even with that big breakfast. This usually is a small pouch of nuts, raw veggies with hummus or a light ranch dip, or even a yogurt. As I mentioned I also have a snack a few hours after lunch so I have a good amount of energy to power through my workouts especially now that I have upped the amount of cardio I do and now that I am doing a fair amount weight training as well. This snack is usually a little bigger. I have been eating a lot of protein bars (quest or luna bars are my go-to) lately for my mid-afternoon snacks. Yogurts are pretty good as well. Really anything that isn't really high in sugar or calories and will give you some extra energy and hold you over until dinner.Really with food your best bet is going to be planning and preparation, but also allowing yourself to enjoy as well. Eat plenty of the foods that will make your body feel good, but also enjoy the foods that are good for your soul occasionally as well. Drink plenty of water too! Try not to let food be your enemy and realize it is there to nourish your body and keep you going. Start small and grow from there. Your relationship with food does not need to be a complicated one. Fuel your body, sometimes fuel your soul, and overall just make decent choices.
