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Today I thought I'd share some ways that I get re-charged and on track to stay healthy and in-shape. I've never been a fan of exercise and when I see people run outside, I still ask "how is that fun?" Fat Amy really knew what she was talking about when she said "yeah, no don't put me down for cardio". I hate, hate, hate, double hate, loathe entirely, cardio.
(Ok I'm done with the movie quotes, for now)
So here is how I got to my current situation of loving working out: I love to walk. I have tried: Zumba (hate), gyms (hate), and Barre (loved, but wanted faster results). My body type is petite and athletic, I'm only 5'2 and my muscles form pretty quickly, especially in my legs. It wasn't until I tried weight lifting that I fell in love. Now I love to pick anything up that's heavy, I even offer to move file boxes at work ( insert cornball 'do you even lift bro?' here). And no, I'm not talking about bloody Crossfit.
I simply found someone who tailored my workouts to me, being lots of toning, weight lifting, and HIIT/ cardio bursts. So here are my tips for getting motivated and getting into it.
1. Active wear obsession is real-let a cute outfit motivate you to show it off
Outfit #1
Outfit #2
Outfit #3
Head to Toe Nike
You do not have to pay mucho bucks for great active wear. I've been to those websites like Carbon 38, and Bandier Fit, and I love the products but refuse to pay $100 for a tank top. Not happening. I'm brand loyal to Nike personally, they always have great stylish pieces and lust-worthy shoes that are great quality. I also shop Old Navy's active wear for their cute printed leggings, sheer tops for layering and tanks with quotes on them when I want to freshen up my color schemes.
2. Drink More Water!!
Ok so is the 'Yeti'. My dad has some weird admiration for Gander Mountain even though he is not an outdoorsman and hates any kind of fishing, hunting, etc. but whatever. He saw these coolers that were $400 called Yeti that I guess could keep ice frozen for like 4 days or something like that. When he discovered they made a hot/cold drink tumbler, he paid the $32 for it and the rest is history. He went out and bought two more, one for me and one for my mom and it's all I drink from now no matter where I am. It keeps my water so cold, that I actually end up drinking more water because it tastes so refreshing. I never drank this much water before and now I'm constantly refilling it. We all know what they say, but I do feel peppy-er since drinking all this water, and that's a big deal for me. You can get the yeti, Here.
3. Clean Eating
Now this deserves a post all on its own, but clean eating changed my life. Not in a dramatic way, I mean we always have eaten healthy at home and I've never had to lose weight, but I mean for my energy and overall feeling, it changed my life. I have always been a tired bird, I could out-sleep anyone. It wasn't until CE that I saw my energy levels go up. Combining CE and working out has been the biggest positive change I've seen.
My first year CE, I made the mistake of being too hard on myself when I would have a cheat meal or snack, and wallowed in self-pity thinking it would set me back. I know that kind of thinking is dangerous and is a gate-way to other harmful thinking, so I made CE work for me: the 80/20 rule. I eat clean during the week, and eat more relaxed during the weekend. I never deprive, I never say no to anything. After all, this is a lifestyle choice, not a diet. Like being a Vegan, or Vegetarian, or Paleo. I've never restricted myself in my life, and I plan on never starting.
With working out twice/three times a week, I was hungry more so I do the 5-6 small plates a day thing to keep me satisfied and keep my metabolism going. I eat lots of protein since I lift weights, and just try to balance my good carbs in the mornings. Here is my clean eating guidelines: Fruits, veggies, lean meats, nuts/grains, and limited dairy to include almond milk and Greek yogurt. So during the week no: breads, sweets, beef, crackers, etc. I don't snack a lot, and I don't eat junk food or fast food so the weekends are primarily saturated with sweets (yes I know sugar is an addiction, I'm aware-I'm addicted).
I will do another post with my best CE recipe's soon since there are some I make every week they are so good, along with showing how I meal prep for the work week and what I eat before and after my workouts. My boyfriend always rolls his eyes and asks "so what's this crap?" when I feed him something clean, but it really is a simpler, healthy eating style. That's it, plain and simple. What we should eat more of to fuel our bodies and overall natural health.
Happy 2016, let's start it off right!
xo