10 Reasons Why Being Healthy is Awesome

Hello, lovely people. I've composed a variety of reasons for you to want to be healthy.

1. You'll be happier.

You enjoy being happy, right? If you're healthy, you're happy (mostly). =) If you're eating right, you're going to feel better and look better! It's just a circular reaction...looking better makes you feel better, feeling better makes you eat better, eating better makes you look better, etc. I even made this "pretty" little visual for you to ogle at my amazing computer skills (yeah, right). =) Really though, happiness is an enormous reason for you to get of the couch, put away those potato chips (and whatever other various junk foods you have lying around), and get healthy!

2. You'll have more energy.

How many of you find that you hit 3:00 in the afternoon and are absolutely drained? Take a look at what you're eating throughout the day and I guarantee you'll find your culprit. Having a lemon poppy seed muffin for breakfast and some potato chips and a coke for lunch isn't going to leave you satisfied and it isn't going to provide your body with the fuel it needs (trust me, I know). Check out this website for a variety of healthy foods that will boost your energy levels and leave you feeling energized and ready to go. =)

3. You will feel more satisfied. 

We've all had things binge days, weeks, months, etc. I'd be lying if I said I didn't binge sometimes. An example (that I'm not proud of) is a day of mine last week. The day went as follows: Breakfast nothing. I skipped because I had a "busy" morning. Lunch Spaghetti noodles with butter, parmesan cheese, and parsley. Dinner Chinese take-out. So, here's why this is awful: my metabolism didn't get it's usual morning jumpstart. By lunch I was starving and then I stuffed my face with empty carbs! By dinner I was starving again and losing the battle of cravings. Chinese take-out was a nightmare in itself. Either way, I had an "empty stomach" kind of day. I couldn't curb my appetite for the day and I ate junk all day long. Embarrassing, right? Anyway, I promised myself that I would do better the next day and I did. I woke up and ate a banana with a glass of milk and then I stocked up on fruits and veggies for lunch. Dinner was a hearty meal (courtesy of my sister-in-law) that left me fully satisfied. For an evening snack I popped of bag of my favorite Jolly Time popcorn and settled in for a night of Olympic fun. I went to bed satisfied and I woke up the next morning feeling great! Give it a shot, guys! Let me know how it goes for you!

4. You'll have more confidence.

When you start being healthier, you're going to start feeling more confident! I'm dead serious! Put those sweatpants and oversized sweatshirts away and start dressing your body...not covering it! This took me a long time to learn. One of the biggest factors to this is buying clothes that fit your body. Don't buy low-rise jeans if you have some extra room in the middle. Don't wear a giant sweatshirt when you could wear a cute sweater! Really. Take note of the pictures I took to the right. I look 30 pounds heavier in the picture on the left because I'm not wearing clothes that fit me. I would feel so much better going out in the more fitted outfit because you can see my curves! You're all hotties! Go prove it!

5. You'll have better relationships.

This may seem crazy (so call me maybe?), but you'll have better relationships with those you love if you love yourself! You'll be less likely to be irritable if you're feeling good about yourself. I think this, in itself, is a perfect reason to throw excuses aside and get healthy!

6. You'll provide inspiration for others.

People will notice you...for a good reason! You'll be looking happy and healthy! Others will see the hard work your putting in and how it's paying off. Just the other day I received a message from a friend who said she loved seeing the progress I was making because it was inspiring her to work hard to do the same. It's a kind of if-they-can-do-it-I-can-do-it mentality! If you're working hard, you're showing other people that they're capable of doing it too!

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7. You'll be able to better control some risk factors for heart disease such as cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension.

I know what you're thinking: I don't have to worry about any of that stuff because it only happens to other people. I hate to break it to you, but you're not exempt from disease. It gets you the same way it gets everybody else! Check out this website to view some extra tips for preventing heart disease! This diagram is a great visual to see just how helpful being healthy is for your heart!

8. You'll be fighting the chance of Osteoporosis. 

This is another thing that people brush off as something that happens to other people. Again, this can happen to you! Being healthy by way of strength training helps prevent your chances of Osteoporosis. I know, I know...this all seems boring and unimportant, but I'm telling you that this is very important to your well-being. I promise. I wouldn't be telling you if it weren't true.

9. You'll improve your sleep.

You might want to take a second and re-read that...you'll improve sleep! Woo Hoo!!!! Who knew there was such an easy way to get a more full and well-rested sleep? Do you want to be groggy and sleepy like my lovely dog, Bellatrix, all day long? Probably not. I hear at least three people a day talk about how tired they are. Get healthy and sleep better. End of story.

Last, but not least...

10. You'll be controlling your weight! 

Isn't this what it always comes down to? People don't want to be overweight! People that eat healthy and take care of their bodies are rarely overweight. That's the reality of the situation. Get healthy to look good. This is the #1 reason why I decided it was time to change. I looked at the scale one day and saw a picture of myself and decided I was sick of being that chubby, terrible version of myself. I was ready to change my ways and become a better me! 

You can do it too, guys. There are easy steps to be taken to become a better you! Being healthy is awesome. Seriously. If it's not, I just wasted a whole bunch of time typing this and taking nerdy pictures. =) 

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I Hate Vegetables! Help!

A beloved friend of mine posed this question: What if you absolutely detest the taste of every vegetable imagine-able besides potatoes, corn, and peas?

I will first offer a few tips for incorporating veggies into your day and then will offer an alternative. =)

1. Try to prepare the vegetables in a different way.
For example, cooked carrots are totally different than a raw carrot! I love carrots, but I prefer them cooked and slathered in butter and brown sugar (hence the pillsbury dough boy figure). BUT, at least I'm getting some healthy veggies in there! Another great vegetable is asparagus (yum). I love spreading out fresh asparagus on a pan and then drizzling it with olive oil and parmesan cheese! Pop it in the oven and YUM YUM YUM! You can get very creative! One serving of vegetables equals about a 1/2 cup. Do you like salsa? Vegetable. What excuse do you have now? And, of course, if none of those appeal to you, you can have a salad! Yes, people, lettuce comes in all sorts of forms and can be appealing in a bowl with the right things on top. You can even kill two birds with one stone and add some fruit (GASP!) to the top of it!

2. Add vegetables that you hate least into the dishes that you love most!
As I've said before, I love pizza. There are few things that would make me dislike pizza. I started to add veggies such as peppers and onions to my pizza and voila! Vegetables. If you love salads: add some shredded carrots to it! There are plenty of ways to mask the taste of vegetables in the foods you already love. Soups are an excellent way to add veggies to your diet! Throw your favorite soup in a crockpot and and add in a few veggies. Brilliant. There are sooo many options!

3. Eat vegetables seasonally and try new things.
I swore up and down until last summer that I hated squash. Guess what? I don't. I found that summer squash and zucchini are marvelous when sprinkled with some olive oil and various spices. That was a staple for me this summer. I recommend this recipe. Delicious! So, find seasonal veggies at the grocery store or local farmer's market that you haven't tried and try them! You can thank me later. I recommend reciting this mantra: buy them and try them! Yes, I came up with that all by myself. =)

4. If none of the above options works for you: Replace vegetables with other healthy foods. You're not going to die because you don't like veggies. I happen to know that fruits are amazing! Although they're higher in sugar and calories, they have the same health benefits as vegetables. Try to opt for fruit that's lower in calories. Check out this site for the 8 healthiest fruits you should be eating. Of course, nobody will complain if you're eating fruits other than those listed. Anything is going to be better than grabbing a Big Mac from Micky D's.

5. A friendly reminder of food serving guidelines
Everybody remembers that lovely food pyramid that they drilled into our brains all throughout school, right? Do you remember the details of it? Yeah, me neither. Here are some good daily health guidelines (thank you, Weight Watchers) to help you get through your day.
Liquids: Drink 6-8 8 oz. glasses of liquids per day. Water is the best option, but anything counts (excluding alcohol...bummer).
Dairy: You should have two dairy products (low fat or fat-free) each day. If you're a nursing mother, a teen, are over 50 (you don't have to admit it), or if you weight more than 250 lbs., then you should have three servings each day.
Fruits & Veggies: You should eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day (9 if you weigh over 350 lbs.). Again, if you hate veggies, eat fruits!
Healthy Oils: Add 2 tsp. of healthy oils (olive, canola, sunflower, safflower, flaxseed) to your diet. Mix them in, cook veggies with them, add them to a smoothie, do whatever you need to, just get them in!
Healthy Choices: Opt for lean meats, skinless poultry, fish, beans, soy products, and lentils. You should also try to choose whole grain foods such as brown rice.
Other Tips: Consume a multivitamin daily. It's the little things...seriously. Also, limit your added sugars and alcohol intake.

People, it's that simple. Seriously.

Again, make sure you comment, tweet, pin, facebook, etc. to share the good news of this blog with friends and family!
Feel free to contact me with any questions or other things you'd like to hear about!

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Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Guys, this is sooooo good (and easy)!!!

Start out with these three items: lemon cake mix (I recommend one that isn't super-moist), 12 oz. diet 7-up (or diet sprite), and 2-3 T. poppyseeds (optional).

Mix all of them together (easy, right?).

Pour in a greased 9x13 pan

Bake according to the cake mix directions (I added a few minutes to it).

Cut into 24 pieces AND ENJOY!

Honestly, this is so good! This recipe is 2 WW points per piece. It's so easy and very much worth the minimal effort that you'd have to put in!

Nutritional information (per piece)

Calories: 70.5

Total Fat: >1 g

Sodium: 137 mg

Carbohydrates: 15.2 g

Dietary Fiber: >1 g

Protein: >1 g

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What To Eat On A Typical Day & Why Weight Watchers is Awesome

Today was a weigh-in day. How did it go? Well, I managed to lose 1.2 pounds this week. Hooray! Progress. I also went on a lovely little run with my sister...2.2 miles. I'm slow, but at least I'm not on the couch. =)

So, today's post is going to cover a "typical" day of food intake for a Weight Watchers (WW) member. I am allowed 26 WW points per day (based on height and weight) and 49 "bonus" points per week. The daily points you receive is catered to your body type and is not just guesswork. So, my typical day looks something like this:

Breakfast
1 Banana 0 WW Points
1 Slice Aunt Millie's Potato Bread 1 WW Point
1 T. Jif Creamy Peanut Butter 3 WW Points
8 oz. Skim Milk 2 WW Points
1 Multivitamin
1 Calcium Pill
1 Flaxseed Pill
1 Fish Oil Pill

Total WW Points: 6

Lunch
1 c. Strawberries 0 WW Points
1 T. Splenda 0 WW Points
2 c. Watermelon 0 WW Points
1 c. String Beans 0 WW Points
32 oz. Unsweetened Iced Tea (from McDonald's) 0 WW Points

Total WW Points: 0

Snacks
You're welcome to have a variety of snacks throughout the day. I recommend fruits and veggies (raw carrots are a wonderful, crunchy treat). Fruits and non-starchy vegetables are 0 WW points so eat as many as you'd like! I also love love LOVE Jolly Time Kettle Corn. 3 WW points per mini bag. Perfection. I'm not too picky about snacks. Eat what you like, but be reasonable.

Dinner

Ideally, dinner would look like this:

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Half of your plate should be covered with fruits and non-starchy vegetables. A quarter of your plate should be filled with starches and whole grains and the other quarter should be meat and proteins. 

Obviously, this isn't always possible which makes the flexibility of WW a wonderful tool! Many of you know that I am a pizza lover. I eat pizza once a week...at least. For real. Weight Watchers has created a program for me to live with, WITHOUT me having to give it up! Bonus! You have the option of using the 49 bonus points each week. Sometimes I use them and sometimes I don't. The important thing about the program is that you must eat your daily points every day. No skipping. Another bonus is that if you exercise you can eat more. Yay! I don't have to worry about eating my favorite Adam's Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory because I can just run a little each day to make up for it! Woo Hoo!

For you exercise-haters: If you don't like to...don't! You'll have to follow the meal plan a little more closely, but it is do-able. I followed the program for over a year and lost over 15 pounds without exercising!

For my crash-diet friends: Stop it! Crash diets are unhealthy and ineffective. A healthy weight loss is anywhere from 1-2 lbs. per week. Anything more than that is harming your body! I will admit that starting out your diet you are more likely to lose a higher number of pounds per week. After 2-3 weeks your body begins to get used to the new routine and evens out to 1-2 lbs. per week. Hooray for healthy!

So, I encourage my weight-loss friends to give Weight Watchers a go! It's a healthy and balanced program that produces results. I'm more than willing to answer any questions that you may have and the Weight Watchers website is also an excellent resource. 

IT WORKED FOR JENNIFER HUDSON AND IT CAN WORK FOR YOU!

Please comment, pin, tweet, facebook and spread the word about my blog! I'll love you for it. =)

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Running Ramblings

So, as many of you know, I've been training to run a 5k. I did The Color Run this past week, but wanted to stay with my group and didn't run it (it was a blast, btw). I'm considering doing the race for the cure this September as my first official 5k. I began training in May while I was still living in Colorado. To be clear: I'm one of those people that hates running. I hate it. I loathe it...but it's getting better. I'm finding it a little easier to breathe every day and I'm also finding it less painful (mentally and physically). =) This whole running idea started because I was living in Boulder, CO....they're all exercise fanatics...seriously. So, I decided that I didn't want to be the only lame-o NOT exercising. I also found out about the color run and was SUPER excited about it. I signed up with my sister (above left) and we had a joyous time. =) Anyways, I downloaded the MapMyRun+ app and have been using it like a lifeline. I'm able to view the route I'm taking via GPS, listen to music, record my average speed, and record my time. Yes, this is a shameless plug. One of the biggest concerns I had when I started running was my back. I've had serious back pain since junior high and I didn't want to make it worse. I did some research and found that part of my issue was probably my shoes (yes!!!!). I have no arch on the bottom of my foot so when I'm standing barefoot my ankles roll inward. This is a problem, right?

Everything was out of alignment. Bummer. So, I had to search for shoes with some serious arch support. I did some more research and found a lovely pair of nikes lunarglides that would do the trick. 

  

Thus far, I've had no back issues related to running. Lesson one: get good shoes. You need to figure out what kind of foot you have. Some people have the opposite problem from me and their ankles roll outward. Others are perfect and have no issues (jerks). =) So, figure out WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.

Honestly, people, if you have qualms against running: just do it anyway! It's a wonderful form of exercise (even if it seems like torture). It's a great way to get in shape and lose those extra pounds! When I started I could barely run a mile...now I'm running three. If I can do it SO CAN YOU.

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In the beginning....

Okay, folks, I've decided to put this blogging phobia of mine to rest. This blog is going to be an extensive look inside the work I'm doing towards reaching my goal weight. Thus far I've lost about 25 lbs. via weight watchers (my saving grace), but I've got another 30 lbs. to go (scary, right?).

I will be posting a variety of things...a lot of which I'm sure will come from Pinterest. I don't really want to limit myself so I'll be posting recipes, workout routines, problems I'm having, and just general progress. I would like to hold myself accountable and I think I'll do that if all y'all are watching/encouraging/laughing at me.

Don't be afraid to comment to give me tips, advice, ideas to share, and general encouragement (heavens knows I'll need it). =)

'Twill be an interesting journey.

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