Hey everybody! How was your Thursday? Mine was great because it was my last day babysitting those evil kids!
For breakfast, I enjoyed a 2-parter, eating in shifts. I listened to what my body wanted and after the first part, I waited until my body told me it was still hungry an hour later.
Whole wheat English muffin with Smart Balance
My standard green smoothie (1 frozen banana, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 giant handful spinach)
When lunch rolled around, I enjoyed this beauty:
Sautéed squash, onion, and red pepper with basil; TJ's Harvest Grain Medley (orzo, Israeli couscous, red quinoa, baby chick peas, etc)... topped with shaved parm and balsamic vinegar!
I decided to hit up the gym before babysitting and not caring if the kids had to deal with my gym BO stink. I did 30 minutes of intervals on the elliptical, 25 minutes on the bike, abs, and a few quick weight exercises. Then I headed straight over to the school for my last day waiting in the long car line to pick up the monsters. I snacked on some homemade trail mix in the car.
1/4 cup Cheerios, 1/8 cup chopped walnuts, 1/8 cup raisins
Okay so while babysitting, I started thinking about those kids and their lifestyle. This made me start thinking about the changes I’ve made in my life. The kids are 9 year old twins (1 boy, 1 girl) and the boy in particular is already on his way to obesity. Their mother has recently lost a lot of weight and has done a lot to change her habits, but what about the kids?
I went from being relatively normal on the health spectrum, to slowly gaining weight and becoming less active, to now being someone who has done a lot to change and live a much healthier lifestyle. Looking back on what I’ve done, I want to offer some really smart changes I’ve made in my life. Maybe this will help you in your goals or maybe it will just reinforce something you’ve been slacking on lately? I hope you can learn something from me (I’ve had to learn it all, too!)
1. Change your mind. In order to get healthy, you have to change your mind about the way you live your life. You have to rethink the decisions you make and reassess what you want to get out of life. This might seem daunting at first, but it becomes a habit and will be easier to do over time.
2. Change your fitness. Being healthy means being active! If you don’t belong to a gym, take up an outdoor hobby like walking, running, or biking. Now that the weather is nice, it is the perfect time!
3. Change your carbs. Do you eat white bread and pasta? One simple change is simply buying the whole wheat counterparts! You don’t have to go crazy and switch to non-wheat flours, spelt, and barley. Those changes may come with time, but just switching out your staple carbs for a whole wheat alternative will do wonders for your body.
4. Change your fruit. Does most of your fruit come packaged in syrup or dipped in chocolate? One simple way to get healthier is to invest in fresh fruit! If you want fruit salad, make your own instead of buying the sugar-laden stuff you’ll find at the grocery store.
5. Change your vegetable intake. If you think pizza sauce and buttery vegetables will do a body good, you might need to reassess. I’m not saying don’t eat pizza or indulge in butter sautéed vegetables, but incorporating more fresh vegetables into your diet and learning to cook your own will help you so much!
6. Change your protein source. You don’t have to be a vegetarian like me to appreciate alternatives to animal protein. Cutting down on meat and dairy can help, even if you still eat them occasionally! Give tofu, tempeh, and beans a try as your protein sources in a few favorite dishes. Experiment with prepared soy products (chik’n nuggets, meatless meat balls, etc). Try soy milk, soy yogurt, and finding egg substitutes.
7. Change your wardrobe. Buy clothes that make you feel good about your shape, not ones that hide it. I’m not a size 2, either! Feeling good about the way you look will make you feel good about so many other things in life, it is a domino effect!
If you feel overwhelmed in making a lifestyle change, you don’t have to do everything at once. Try something new every week or try something new once you’ve made a habit out of another change! Trust me, after you’ve done these things for a bit they’ll become a habit and it won’t seem like so much to think about. Plus, you will love the way you feel and the energy you have in your life. Changing your life may seem impossible, but it really isn’t!
Hey everybody! How was your Thursday? Mine was great because it was my last day babysitting those evil kids!
For breakfast, I enjoyed a 2-parter, eating in shifts. I listened to what my body wanted and after the first part, I waited until my body told me it was still hungry an hour later.
Whole wheat English muffin with Smart Balance
My standard green smoothie (1 frozen banana, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 giant handful spinach)
When lunch rolled around, I enjoyed this beauty:
Sautéed squash, onion, and red pepper with basil; TJ's Harvest Grain Medley (orzo, Israeli couscous, red quinoa, baby chick peas, etc)... topped with shaved parm and balsamic vinegar!
I decided to hit up the gym before babysitting and not caring if the kids had to deal with my gym BO stink. I did 30 minutes of intervals on the elliptical, 25 minutes on the bike, abs, and a few quick weight exercises. Then I headed straight over to the school for my last day waiting in the long car line to pick up the monsters. I snacked on some homemade trail mix in the car.
1/4 cup Cheerios, 1/8 cup chopped walnuts, 1/8 cup raisins
Okay so while babysitting, I started thinking about those kids and their lifestyle. This made me start thinking about the changes I’ve made in my life. The kids are 9 year old twins (1 boy, 1 girl) and the boy in particular is already on his way to obesity. Their mother has recently lost a lot of weight and has done a lot to change her habits, but what about the kids?
I went from being relatively normal on the health spectrum, to slowly gaining weight and becoming less active, to now being someone who has done a lot to change and live a much healthier lifestyle. Looking back on what I’ve done, I want to offer some really smart changes I’ve made in my life. Maybe this will help you in your goals or maybe it will just reinforce something you’ve been slacking on lately? I hope you can learn something from me (I’ve had to learn it all, too!)
1. Change your mind. In order to get healthy, you have to change your mind about the way you live your life. You have to rethink the decisions you make and reassess what you want to get out of life. This might seem daunting at first, but it becomes a habit and will be easier to do over time.
2. Change your fitness. Being healthy means being active! If you don’t belong to a gym, take up an outdoor hobby like walking, running, or biking. Now that the weather is nice, it is the perfect time!
3. Change your carbs. Do you eat white bread and pasta? One simple change is simply buying the whole wheat counterparts! You don’t have to go crazy and switch to non-wheat flours, spelt, and barley. Those changes may come with time, but just switching out your staple carbs for a whole wheat alternative will do wonders for your body.
4. Change your fruit. Does most of your fruit come packaged in syrup or dipped in chocolate? One simple way to get healthier is to invest in fresh fruit! If you want fruit salad, make your own instead of buying the sugar-laden stuff you’ll find at the grocery store.
5. Change your vegetable intake. If you think pizza sauce and buttery vegetables will do a body good, you might need to reassess. I’m not saying don’t eat pizza or indulge in butter sautéed vegetables, but incorporating more fresh vegetables into your diet and learning to cook your own will help you so much!
6. Change your protein source. You don’t have to be a vegetarian like me to appreciate alternatives to animal protein. Cutting down on meat and dairy can help, even if you still eat them occasionally! Give tofu, tempeh, and beans a try as your protein sources in a few favorite dishes. Experiment with prepared soy products (chik’n nuggets, meatless meat balls, etc). Try soy milk, soy yogurt, and finding egg substitutes.
7. Change your wardrobe. Buy clothes that make you feel good about your shape, not ones that hide it. I’m not a size 2, either! Feeling good about the way you look will make you feel good about so many other things in life, it is a domino effect!
If you feel overwhelmed in making a lifestyle change, you don’t have to do everything at once. Try something new every week or try something new once you’ve made a habit out of another change! Trust me, after you’ve done these things for a bit they’ll become a habit and it won’t seem like so much to think about. Plus, you will love the way you feel and the energy you have in your life. Changing your life may seem impossible, but it really isn’t!