Five Tips for Success in Living a Healthy Lifestyle

Over the last few weeks, I have many posts on social media regarding the “Resolutioner-s” and the influx of people in the gyms. I confess, I am one of the people that got annoyed when the gym went from empty on December 31st to packed on January 1st. On New Years Day when I walked in the gym to do some cardio, I cursed under my breath as I waited for a piece of equipment. I didn’t even care which one–I just wanted to use something.

Yesterday I was watching Kelly and Michael as I did intervals on the AMT trainer and Jeff Garlin, the guy who plays the father in The Goldbergs was on the show. Kelly mentioned how he lost weight and asked for some tips since they try to promote health in January and February on the show. His first statement: why only January and February?

I almost did a fist pump. 

 Why does health have to start as a New Years Resolution? Why can’t someone start today, tomorrow, on a random Wednesday in May? Why is it so all or nothing? People go to the gym for 10 days in a row, eat healthy then “indulge” in a brownie one night after dinner and say it’s ruined. The next day they go back to their old habits. 

Health isn’t so cut and dry. It doesn’t mean you can’t have treats, or that you have to go to the gym every.single.day. It’s a lifestyle that changes as you do and needs to be integrated into your life instead of controlling it. 

My Tips?

1. Plan to Eat

I was always the person that said no to food prep but lately, I’ve realized how much it truly does help. Roast up some vegetables, cook up some proteins and keep plenty of the foods you need to succeed in the house. Lately I’ve been cooking some butternut squash, sweet potatoes and chicken and keeping it on hand. I also always have plain Greek yogurt, peanut butter, rice cakes and oatmeal. I usually have a few Quest bars on hand to throw in my bag. Don’t keep food in your house that you don’t want to eat. Plain and simple. Whether this is chips or candy bars, don’t buy them the next time you hit the store. Also, if you know you’re going to be out for a while, either pack something to eat or have something before you leave. It will keep you from grabbing convenience snacks when you’re starving.

2. Plan to Exercise

Exercise is a part of my lifestyle everyday. The same way I plan on going to work or school, I plan to go to the gym at a certain time each day. Knowing what time I am going to the gym each morning makes it a happy part of my day. I also change it up so that it doesn’t become a chore. Set exercise into your schedule just as you would anything else. Whether it’s 15 minutes or an hour, every minute counts. If you can’t get to the gym or do a real workout a few times a week, take a brisk walk, do some squats or jumping jacks to get your heart rate up and your blood flowing. 

3. Rest

I am a person that never wants to take a day off from the gym. Sometimes I forget that I’ve worked out without a day off for 2 weeks in a row. This might seem like a good thing but it could actually hinder progress. Your muscles recover the most when you take a rest day, as does your mind. Taking a day off doesn’t mean you have to sit around all day. Take a walk with the dogs or do some stretching to allow your body to reset. If you feel sick, take a day off and don’t stress about it. It can be easy to feel guilty when you can’t work out but that feeling isn’t good. Taking one day off when you don’t feel well is better than spending a week out of commission when you get too run down.

4. Be a Little Flexible

This is something I personally struggle with the most. Being healthy doesn’t mean perfection. Your body won’t crumble if you miss a workout, eat something that you might not normally eat or every treadmill is full and you usually only run. Health isn’t just about your body, it’s about your mind too. Being rigid only creates a disconnect between your brain and the rest of you which in turn, makes you unhealthy. Health is a balance. You can reach and obtain your goals without ruining your life. 

5. Change It Up (+Research)

Doing the same thing every day can get a little boring, no matter what it is. Look for fun recipes or play around and create your own. Try a class at the gym or look for some new routines to try. Do intervals one day and weight machines another day. Eat broccoli one day and cauliflower the next. Experiment with different methods and beliefs. Read websites, blogs, books. Set goals and try to reach them on your own. Monotony is the number one way to prevent you from making a lifestyle change and new habits. Spend time learning, get interested, incorporate new things, make the family join you. HAVE FUN.

 

The CrossFit Quit

It was fate that I stumbled upon this article today entitled “Why I Quit CrossFit” because my post tonight was going to be the same. I had to change the title actually because that article already took my original idea. 

This past weekend, I quit CrossFit and it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders (quite literally too ha ha ). For the last 2 years, my workout routine has been incredibly regimented. Bootcamp, extreme training, cycling classes and then CrossFit. All met at a certain time, have specific moves and only let me think about working out. I HAD to go to CrossFit at 5, because when else would I go? I planned my life around attending classes which not only made the day to day more prescribed but also cut into my social life, my food, my homework and everything else.

For the last two years, my life has been ruled by what time I’m exercising and for the first time, I quit.

Working out is something that is supposed to be hard but enjoyable. You’re chest is pumping and your legs are burning but it’s worth it. Sweat stinging your eyes, you walk out of the gym a new person. Energized and ready to tackle anything.

They always say getting there is the hardest part, and lately, for me, it has been. I love exercising. I love the high, the fatigue and knowing that I worked my body to the max. However, each day, I dreaded running from class to CrossFit class. I didn’t want to go after having school all day, at dinner time or before the sun came up. Then I hurt my shoulder, and the relationship I had with CrossFit went out the door. For a few days after I had healed, I woke up early and went for a run, I did some interval training at night before dinner or I took a day off (a revolutionary concept sometimes). I did what I want and still got the workout I needed. 

While CrossFit did help me a little in my goal to lean out and build muscle, I’m going to try it on my own. My birthday is in almost exactly 12 weeks and that is the goal I’m giving myself. From yesterday onwards, working out is back to being about the burn, the high and the results. For essentially the first time, I’m taking on training on my own and hoping I can get what I want.

Pumpkin Smoothie Bowl

Yesterdays WOD included shoulder presses. I started slowly working up weight as that was the direction for this strength portion, and was on my second to last set of five when something popped in my shoulder. It was one of those “I hear it, I feel it” situations. Immediately, I put the bar down and took a breath. I rolled out the muscle with a ball, with the bar, against the wall, anything to help move the pain. After a few minutes rest, I lightened my bar load, finished the strength portion of the workout and got myself ready for the next segment. I pushed through–throwing snatches up over my head until the rounds were over. Even though I finished the workout in good time, I left defeated.

I should’ve stopped. Instead of rolling out, I should have gathered my things and called it a day. Should have left early with an injury. My theory of pushing through helped me finish the workout, but certainly didn’t help me in the long run.

I’ve been in the worst pain I’ve ever been in since. Excruciating pain every time I move my right side, turn my head to the right, bend forward, raise my arms to put on a shirt. I had x-rays done this morning and nothing is dislocated or broken, so I must have strained or pulled a muscle. It feels like a million bones are crushed inside me.

The point of the story is, know when to stop. I knew that I should’ve called it quits yesterday and instead kept going. Would it have changed my bottom line now? Maybe, maybe not, i’ll never know. But I do know that it is important to take care of yourself. Instead of working out today, I’m sitting at my computer. Instead of working out tomorrow, I’ll still be sitting at my computer (or doing something equally as uninteresting and active).

When the going gets tough, know when to sit back and take a break–that’s what I’ve got to tell myself from now on.

On a lighter note, I’ve discovered a magical thing. Smoothies definitely taste better when they’re in a bowl and eaten with a spoon. I think this should be a new thing–like fro yo with healthy smoothies that you add toppings to and devour (don’t anyone steal this idea…I’m going to make a store now 🙂 ..but really).

My go-to smoothie bowl this week is super easy, good for you and tastes deeelicious.

You Need:

2 tablespoons canned pumpkin (simply pumpkin–nothing else in there)
1 handful of spinach (about a cup)
1/2-1 frozen green banana
About 1/4-1/2 cup coconut or almond milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. almond butter
1/2 tsp. coconut butter
more cinnamon

To Prepare:

The night before you are going to make the smoothie bowl, slice up a green banana, cover, and put in the freezer.

When you are going to make it, remove banana from freezer and allow to thaw while you are preparing everything else.

In a blender (or food processor like I’ve been using because I don’t have my blender), mix pumpkin, spinach, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. The mixture will be a little chunky but continue to blend until all big leaves are broken down and the mix starts to thin out.

Add a few banana slices, process and repeat. Continue to blend until all chunks are gone and the smoothie is a thick, green puree.

Transfer smoothie to a bowl and swirl in almond butter, coconut butter and cinnamon. You can also top with nuts, granola, coconut–anything you desire.

Grab a spoon and dig in!

Tuesday Things

I don’t know what it is about Tuesdays but I never really feel like doing much of anything. Cooking, writing and everything else always get pushed to the side.

So, just a quick funny post for today.

Have you ever seen the Ryan Gosling “Hey girl” photos with funny captions? I was perusing around Pinterest tonight and stumbled upon these funny photos with Ryan talking about Crossfit.

Definitely made my night!

(all photos found on Pinterest 1. 2. 3. )

 

Help! I need a Muffin: A Stream of Consciousness

I’m in a funky mood today and have been for the past few days. Things are going right, the sun is shining but I feel a little empty and off. Anyone get like that sometimes? With a test tomorrow, I’ve been attempting to study but my mind keeps getting cluttered by other little things.

1. Is anyone else upset about the loss of Google Reader? As an avid blog reader, Reader was my everything. I knew what was new, I could save and star and even peruse blogs on my phone. Now, it feels as though I’m mourning the loss of a friend. I’m trying out Feedly and like it so far. Anyone have any other suggestions to try?

2. My new favorite thing is carrying around a little notebook with me wherever I go so I can write things down. I don’t know if I’m extra distracted or something lately but I can’t remember anything so this has been helping in remembering things I just thought of.

3. I got my Spinning® certification the other day which is really exciting because now I can teach classes. The only problem? I think of classes in my head every time I hear a song. Now, this isn’t actually a problem. In fact, it’s kind of helpful but it does distract me from getting anything done lately! All I want to do is make profiles and can’t! 

4. I’m craving [healthy] muffins. Any good recipes out there? Help. I need a muffin.

 

Have a great day everyone! (and seriously, leave some muffin recipes! 🙂 )

My Weight Loss Journey (Part 2)

Since that last day of the program, I’ve chopped off another 53 pounds and the part I am most proud of is that I did it on my own, without trainers and without people checking on my food. I have continued losing weight without being on a “diet” or hiring a personal trainer.

I work my ass off, literally, at least five times a week. Bootcamp at the gym, spinning, running–I do it all. In September 2012, I completed my first 20k (12.4 miles). I didn’t think I could do it but I told myself I would, and I did. Exercising went from something I didn’t understand to something I have a good grasp on. I used to hate running and now, I love it. I could never picture myself on a spin bike but it’s one of my favorite workouts to do.

I try not to make food an issue. If I want something, I eat it. Plain and simple. I don’t believe in deprivation. That’s not to say I don’t watch what I eat. I eat tons of vegetables, protein and I try not to eat too many carbohydrates. That means I eat a salad over a sandwich at lunchtime and have a sweet potato instead of a white potato at dinner. That doesn’t mean I don’t dunk mini graham crackers in my coffee every morning though. My diet (as in, my food intake, not a diet) consists of things that are good for my body instead of things that aren’t.

When I started this journey, I thought the hardest part would be the exercising and losing the weight but it turns out that the hardest part is seeing myself. For essentially my whole life, I saw myself as the fat one and I can’t shake that view. Last semester, for the first time in my entire life, I shared clothes with my roommates and they ft. We’re the same size but I can’t see it and I really, truly, can’t. I don’t quite understand why but no matter how much time I spend in the mirror, my mind still sees me as twice my size. It’s something I’m working on–something that when shaken I hope will give me more confidence and finally let me feel good about myself.

I truly believe that my body is my temple. I was relatively healthy when I was overweight and it carried me. It brought me through the hard times, it ached and screamed during workouts but kept me going. My legs ran 12.4 miles at once and continue to run many miles every week. My arms can lift weights, boxes, anything and me, during pushups, mountain climbers and planks. My stomach deserves good food and thanks me for it. My head produces less headaches.

There are still definitely things I want to work on on my body but I am not so concerned with how much weight I lose from now on. I want to work on my abs and my thighs–things that have been severely affected by having so much extra weight for so long. My biggest goal though is to realize who I am and I’m hoping that it will come a lot easier as I get more used to me, now, and farther away from what I used to be.

My Weight Loss Journey (Part 1)

I love magazines. Simple, declarative sentence, yes, but I can’t think of any truer words. Magazines have been my thing since childhood. Strangely, I never considered journalism as a career until I became a journalism major, but that’s a long story. The point is, I won’t spend $4 on breakfast but I will spend it on a new Cosmo (or Glamour, Self, People…i’ll stop now).

Last night, as I sifted through one of my newest magazines for the first time, I took the time to stop and read one of the articles written by a woman who lost 50 pounds. I also read through a celebrity interview that spoke about weight and listened to the new Jessica Simpson Weight Watchers commercial in the background.

As I sat there, my mind started reeling. One of the reasons I started my own weight loss journey was to stop hiding behind the facade of an overweight person. I was very simply, done. In the past year though, that wall has stayed up. I’ve kept everything secretive for the sake of keeping my own embarrassment of originally being overweight to a minimum. As I watch these other people tell their stories of strength, I want to show mine. I am proud of myself but I feel that I can’t show it.

So, i’m taking the wall down. It’s my turn. Right now.

At age 20, I weighed 231 pounds. That number has probably come out of my mouth once because as soon as I saw it, I wanted to forget the image of it flashing quickly on the scale screen.

As a child, I was scrawny and frail. Ear, nose and throat problems early-on left me with not enough breath to eat well. When they were fixed at age 4 and 30-ish pounds though, I soon became a normal size child. I didn’t become big until 9 or 10 but honestly, I don’t even remember. I just know I continued growing and my clothes became baggier and more adult. As my friends shopped in the trendy juniors section, I was forced into the woman’s section, picking through clothes that were cute enough to get by.

As a teen, I always told myself that my weight didn’t bother me. As my friends had their first kisses, boyfriends and girlfriends and experiences, I convinced myself that I didn’t care. I would wait until someone liked me for me instead of my body. When friends would go to the mall to hang out, I was busy. Walking into store after store where nothing would fit was embarrassing and awkward, not to mention depressing.

I was the fat friend. The quiet one that always hung in the background. The one that shied away from pictures. The one that got talked to instead of with. The teacher’s pet. And while I am relatively quiet and I do put a lot of effort into school, I wonder how this would have been different if I had been thin instead. I grew up fast because I didn’t feel like a “normal” teenager.

I fell into a cycle of depression from high school to my second year of college, and while a lot of it was not body related, much of it was. I hated every ounce of me yet I didn’t know how to fix it. On Sundays, when my family would have dinner, I would often break down, crying hysterically, because I was just so sad about how I looked. Every other day though, I continued to tell myself it was fine.

I tried going to the gym on my own but saw little success. I didn’t know what to do and how to do it. I attempted running but I didn’t know how and the weight made it hard. The first time I went on a run, I just about made it halfway around the block before I had to take a breather.

Food, fortunately, wasn’t a big problem for me. I ate three meals a day and while they could have been healthier, they weren’t terrible.

During my sophomore year in college, my aunt did a program at a local gym that mimicked “The Biggest Loser.” She had success, she had fun and most of all, it taught her what to do. We talked about it, and she convinced me quickly.

In September 2011, I went to the program “casting call.” Because of classes, there was only one group I could be a part of. The one that met at 5:30 AM. I was hesitant but met with the trainers anyway. They asked me what I was looking for and I told them, very honestly, I just wanted to buy clothes from regular stores and that I was going to be 21 and just wanted to feel it.

A few days later, I received the call that 5:30 a.m. workouts would be starting in 2 weeks and that I should probably start preparing. I don’t think I was ever so excited or nervous.

The Sunday we began for orientation, I threw on my team t-shirt and while the other teams sat and talked about what to expect, we had a 15-minute workout. I could barely do a push up. Everything was difficult. I had never been so sore or tired and at that point, I realized where I was. Or at least I thought I did. After the workout, it was weigh-in time. My 2 trainers stood on either side of the scale and a man with a clipboard in front. Three people looking at the number I knew would be scary.

From that moment on, I knew I would never see that number again and made a vow to myself that once numbers go down, any number above it can never be seen again. I told myself I would win the competition. I needed to.

For the 8 weeks of the program, I was dedicated, determined and convinced myself I needed to be stronger than everyone else because I was so young. Monday through Friday my alarm would go off at 4:45 a.m. and I would throw on my sneakers, grab a banana and begin the 20-minute trek to the gym.

You don’t realize how many ways to exercise there are until they get thrown at you for an hour. High knees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks. Suicides, jumping and bouncing on medicine balls until your legs feel like they’re going to fall off.

The workouts were tough but as they got harder, they also got easier. Week after week, I found myself stronger and more motivated. The same goes for the weekly weigh-in. The first week, I was shaking as I stood in line to get on the scale. What if I didn’t lose any weight? What if all that work only equaled a pound? Less? Luckily, the work paid off and five pounds melted from the scale. The next week? Another four.

When I awoke each morning to the sunrise, I was proud of what I was doing. It felt good to know that even at school, with everyone around, I could make the choices I needed.

The program was a secret to everyone around me except my roommates and I was good with that. I didn’t want to have to explain it. Luckily, when you see people everyday, it takes longer for them to recognize weight loss. I didn’t want to have to tell people the number, the reason or anything else.

The final week of the program culminated with a challenge. Stationary bike riding, running and swimming as a team and then, the final weigh-in. I stepped on that scale almost as nervous as I was the first day. The number quickly flashed and I calculated my total: 27 pounds.

Everything in the world was achievable at this point. I had told myself I would succeed and I did–I could do anything. Through those eight weeks I learned not only how to properly exercise and eat but also a lot about my own motivation, determination and what I wanted. I had started the journey and it could only continue from that point on.

At my 21st birthday party, I put on a belted, striped dress and felt good for the first time ever. I felt confident, calm and wasn’t worried that people were looking at what I was eating or me, in general.