It's hard to believe it's been over two months since I wrote my first healthy living post. At the time I wrote it, it was right after discovering I was having a few health issues that definitely couldn't be ignored. For the past month, I have thought about updating you all about how I was doing on my new journey. Now that the holidays are over and I'm a month into my new job, I figured this would be a great time to update you on how I'm doing.
The Journey
I now see why people call it a healthy living journey. This is hard. Even though it's hard, I'm determined. I have decided to take the slow approach to healthy living because I want this to be a lifestyle and not something I only do for a few weeks. I've realized from talking to my good friend, Whitney Nic James, starting slow can be a better approach for some people because it allows you to make subtle changes that you're more likely to stick to. In the last two months, I've mainly been getting adjusted to making wiser food choices and becoming accustomed to working out.
Eating Habits
One of the habits I had while commuting to work for seven months was picking up food on the go. It was rarely ever a healthy choice. It was usually my favorite things like buttery grits and sweet tea. Now that I live only 15 minutes from my job, I am trying to develop new habits. I am cooking with less salt and eating less fried items. I choose grilled as much as I can even when it hurts and trust me, sometimes it hurts.
One great part of the journey is that I have always been a pretty big water drinker. I am just trying to increase the amount and remember to put lemon in the water, which has always been great for clear skin. I am also trying to ween myself off of so many sweets. I try to pick up snack bars with dark chocolate so that whenever a sweet craving occurs, it's handled. My goal this month is to purchase a Nutribullet to have more nutrient rich breakfasts and get some morning energy.
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| Crockpot Turkey Chili - Recipe |
Working Out
I knew going into my healthy living journey that working out would be the hardest part for me. I have never been a fan of working out. Never! Instead of getting a gym membership and possibly wasting money, I decided that the first few times of working out, I would pay as I go and only pay for the class I'm participating in that day. I joined two Saturday classes at EM Creative Fitness and Wellness.
I took a Christian aerobics class and zumba. I can hardly believe I made it through a 60 minute class each time, but by the grace of God, I did. I haven't been able to visit the gym in four weeks due to a few reasons, but I purchased a 10 class pass so I'm hoping to put it to use this month.
Weight Loss
Weight loss is such a funny thing. Well, not really. In total, I have lost two pounds of weight in two months. I'm not proud of it, but I would rather it be a loss than a gain. Unfortunately, I carry water weight due to birth control so that sometimes fluctuates, but my highest weight since beginning my journey is two pounds less than what I weighed before. Because of this, my weight loss ranges between the two to seven pound range at times.
Overall, I feel getting back in the gym this month will yield better results. Also, I think the Nutribullet will help me lose and feel energized too! I'm 99 pounds from my goal...
How did you jump start your healthy living journey? How do you move past slumps in the journey?
God bless & stay fabellis,
Ashley, I am right there with you! Only I have 102 lbs to go lol. I will focus less on the amount of weight I have to lose and more on how I feel and look. Since starting 3.5 weeks ago I have lost 11 lbs. I think working out really jump starts you and when you're done working out you are less likely to pick bad foods and ruin your process. But eating healthy is the hardest part for me! I like skinnytaste.com for healthy recipes. I've been doing Jillian Michaels 30 day shred DVD. I love it because it's only 20 minutes and you can do it at home. She combines cardio and strength training to burn the max calories. It's hard, but if you can get through 60 minutes of Zumba, I'm sure you can do this. Plus, strength training burns more calories and tones you up! Good luck. I hope I can stick with it, and you too!
ReplyDeleteI started my journey by educating myself about food. I was solely focused on finding out how food was processed what ingredients caused acne, bloating and irritable bowel syndrome. I was suffering from those three things and it was driving me crazy. Finally, I had enough and after my 30 birthday I decided to give up beef and pork and focus on eating organic foods. I also gave up process foods and started cooking everything I ate. I immediately noticed I started feeling better once I gave up diary products, my acne cleared up and I no longer had several bloating or bowel issues. I eventually stopped eating chicken, turkey and fish (I still eat fish from time to time).
ReplyDeleteHowever, at the end of last year I was really stressed and started eating way too much processed foods and wasn't consistent with my workouts. I had a serious wake up call when I tried to put on a pair of pants and they fit but they were no longer work appropriate, lol. Nothing like the thought of losing cute outfits due to weight gain to get your butt in gear.
At the beginning of this year I just went back to my old habits. Meal planning, weekly grocery shopping, weekly meal prepping, weekend training sessions and getting my butt up at 4:30am at least four times a week for the gym. I already feel like I am getting back in my groove.
Yes, the nutribullet is great. I've lost weight several times in the past 10 years and gained some back, its a constant journey (for me). I've stopped viewing anything as the "end goal" which I think helps because it makes me feel like I've failed if I'm not there by a certain date. One piece of advice I will give is that a LOT of people are self-proclaimed experts and will give tons of (unsolicited) advice on what's healthy, what's right, what you SHOULD do, etc and it can have the opposite effect and be discouraging. With all the clean eaters, the paleo eaters, the pescaterians, vegetarians, lacto-ovo vegetarians, vegans, non-red meat eaters, non-processed food eaters....its a lot. Add in the detox craze, green smoothie craze, juicing craze (all of which I've tried within the last year and actually love) it can be downright overwhelming. My advice? Yes....unsolicited, lol: Find what works for you that is in alignment with alleviating your health issues as stated by your physician and stick with that. Don't allow anyone to tell you that you're doing what you're doing wrong. I break down my weight loss goal in increment of ten lbs at a time and it makes me feel so much more accomplished than focusing on the overall goal. My two cents.
ReplyDeleteI have a Fitness Friday link up on my blog where you can link ANY wellness related post. I started it quite some time ago and find that it holds me more accountable than anything else....when I'm not posting, I fall off. Come join us tomorrow! Good luck, I'm praying and cheering for you!
Soooooo true! That's why I don't like giving advice on weight-loss, workouts etc. I always tell people I do what works for me. Like you I've tried a multitude of things but I always come back to clean eating and regular exercise that keeps me happy and feeling good. I don't have any end goals either, beside wanting to do 10 pull-ups with ease, lol.
ReplyDeleteI hate a crowded gym! At 5am I am able to knock out my workout with no problems. Honestly, I use to dread waking up early but after a year of doing it I kinda look forward to getting it done so I can have the rest of the day to myself.
ReplyDeleteI started a healthy journey this year and I'm down 6 pounds so far...I basically am just trying to eat cleaner, drink more water, and stop eating late at night. I eat oatmeal for breakfast a snack 3 hours later (granola bar or fresh fruits), lunch (usually chicken salad sandwich on wheat with a side of green veggies), a mid afternoon snack 3 hours later, and dinner by 8pm. I'm working to cut beef and pork back out of my diet and only eating them once or twice a month until I can nix them for good, cutting back on sodas (I've been drinking a lot of 5 calorie lemonades), and just making better choices. I haven't started back working out yet but I plan to.
ReplyDeleteYou can do it! Take it slow, educate yourself on what to eat, move your body and above all stay prayerful. You got this...xo!
ReplyDeleteYou can do it girl! Thanks for updating us! I've been wanting that nutribullet for awhile. If you get it do a review.
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