Weight Loss // Nutrition

Have you ever thought: "It's time to finally start eating healthy?"

I have, and I do so often. Sometimes, it takes an encouraging word to push you, or a good look in the mirror, or even your favorite pants not buttoning anymore. I know that happens to people all the time, and it is a harsh reality but when we aren't comfortable, we aren't as happy and are always negative about our appearance. I'm not saying that appearance is everything. But, feeling comfortable is. And however you feel comfortable, then try to achieve that. But, you have to admit that deep down inside of you, you just don't like being uncomfortable. And I know, right now, that I am not comfortable with my weight or eating habits. So, it's time to change that and share it with the Internet to help keep me more accountable, because personally, that is one of my biggest struggles. I wont be sharing my weight loss goal, but I will share milestones, tips, tricks and a few other things. 

The first thing that I had to do was get all the JUNK food out of the house. All of it, and no, I did not accomplish it by eating it all. I gave it to the boys to the devour (: And once all of your junk food is gone, go to the grocery store. 

Tips for the grocery store: 

• Do not go while you are hungry, 
• try to go alone or with someone who is also making healthy choices, 
• and budget! Budgeting is the biggest thing when eating healthy because it is a little bit more expensive, but if you price it right, it really isn't. And healthy food is a lot more satisfying than unhealthy food.

Once you have gone grocery shopping, the first step is complete and since you really have nothing else to eat, you eat the healthy stuff, right? Not necessarily. Sometimes, it isn't that easy for people. And I am one of those people when it comes to either eating excessive or going out of my way to go to the store to get what I want to satisfy a craving. Basically, my self control is out of wack, so i have to be extremely diligent.

To do that, I try to keep a journal. Kind of like a food journal, but it has where I track my weight, exercise routines, feelings. So, I call it my "Being Healthy" journal, which I very highly recommend that you do when trying to lose weight, gain weight or be healthy in general.

Being healthy isn't all about losing weight, which is a common misconception. It's about what you eat, how much you eat, what you do to your body and the kind of activity you do. 

So, the first exercise I want to talk about is Yoga:

It's a common misconception that yoga can't be used for weight loss, and that's not true. It can be used for weight loss, toning up, relaxation, a really good stretch, etc. I do it for all the benefits, and I may not be as great as some of the extremely experienced yogi's out there, but I am learning and trying. And it's a start. And I mean it when I say that, you have to start somewhere. Whether you start of slow or jump right in, it's best to do it and be uncomfortable in the beginning. It's worth it to start feeling comfortable in the end.

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, make your carbs smaller portions. You do not have to cut out all carbs, just eat a healthy amount. I will talk more on food later.

Drink protein shakes and take your vitamins. It's essential to have all the nutrition you need. These shakes are two of my favorites: Cookies and Cream and below is vanilla with a banana and V8 smoothie juice. 

On that note, drink plenty of water. (I don't have water bottles, so I bring mason jars full of water to the beach). But, make sure you get enough water, that is extremely important. Water is a natural detox. If you are an advid water drinker, your first few days of drinking enough water, let's just say, you'll be visiting the bathroom a lot.

I'm off for a run! What tips and tricks do you have when it comes to being healthy?