Blueberry GF Breakfast Cake

I recently stumbled upon my new obsession for my favorite meal of the day.  I love breakfast and I especially love carb like breakfast items now more than ever.  Now that I’ve 3 weeks postpartum I’ve had a hard time breaking my carb obsessed diet  Not that they were all bad carbs but i wasn’t in a great habit and would have to give into my cravings for PB & J, egg sandwiches and etc. during pregnancy.  Now that I’m trying to get back on the right track I’ve really tried to find breakfast items that are healthy but also satisfy my cravings.

I thought of this recipe while laying awake in bed feeding my newborn and was fantasizing about my next meal.  After all breastfeeding give you a whole new level of hunger and I wake up each morning very excited for my next meal to begin!  However, I really have no time to prep.  The other morning I was just trying to make a simple oatmeal over the stove and had to stop mid cooking to nurse a fussy newborn.  In order to avoid this in the future and stop a hungry beast from raging my kitchen I decided I need to prepare breakfast meals ahead whenever possible.

I couldn’t decide what to call this recipe so would love your feedback/input on a name that’s fitting.  It can be made vegan, paleo, GF with just some simple modifications which I will provide below.  Would love to see your pictures and hear your feedback so if you end up making please tag me on Instagram @AngieRHart1!

First I like to prepare the blueberry compote mixture and set aside so it can marinate.

• 2 cups unsweetened frozen or fresh blueberries (I used the frozen Wild blueberries from Trader Joes)
• 1/3 cup Agave
• 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon (squeeze the juice from the entire half into the bowl

Mix well and set aside until ready to use.

Next prepare the dry mixture:

Gluten Free Option:

• 1 1/2 cups GF Whole Grain Oats
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 scoops Orgain Vanilla Plant Protein
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all dry ingredients in food processor (if available it helps to grind up the oats to a finer consistency) or mix well in a large bowl.

Add in the following:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 banana
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup agave
• *optional add 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt.  (I used in the recipe to provide a bit more moisture)

Mix well.

Grease 8×8 baking pan fully and add 1/2 of the mixture to cover the entire bottom of the pan.  Should be about 1/2″ thick.  Pour blueberry mixture over top and fully cover bottom layer.  Top with remaining 1/2 batter mixture.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Let cool for approx 5 min before serving.  I couldn’t wait the full 5 min but it was absolutely amazing!  My hubby and I both LOVED this new recipe and have eaten it the past couple days for breakfast!

 

 

August 14, 2017 by glofit4life Categories: Nourish, UncategorizedTags: #cleaneating, #eatclean, #glutenfree, diet plan, Healthy Living, Healthy Recipes, Nutrition, postpardum, Vegan, weight loss Leave a comment

Vegan Crockpot Tacos

Since I’m currently 36 weeks + 3 days pregnant I’m in major nesting mode between cleaning, organizing and cooking I’m trying to do everything I can to get ready for baby.  This includes some make ahead meals.  Now I certainly do not intend for these to last another month, but it does means I will be testing recipes that are quick, easy and can be made ahead prior to baby’s arrival.  It also means finding very simple recipes that my hubby can easily re-produce while I’m in resting, healing and taking care of baby mode.

So in an attempt to find a few more creative ideas I went to Pinterest and found a really tasty looking mexican quinoa crockpot recipe and thought I would give it a try. I stumbled across this really fantastic blog, Chelsea’s Messy Apron.  I wanted to give her tacos a try but of course add my own spin on them but it was a great base and thought starter for me.  She also has beautiful food pics which I always appreciate!

Super easy just throw everything in the crockpot.  PRep time is minimal and really easy.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup water
• 2 tomatoes diced
• 1 can organic corn
• 1 tbsp Spiceologist Chili Margarita Lime Seasoning
• 1 tsp avocado oil
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 2 tbsp sriracha
• 1/2 can enchilada sauce
• 1 chopped jalapeno pepper (with seeds removed to take out the spice)
• 1 fresh squeezed lime (1/2 for crockpot mixture and 1/2 for garnish when serving)

Instructions:

1. In a large crockpot add the all the ingredients above. Make sure to rinse the beans, corn and quinoa prior to adding to the crockpot.
2. Stir. Cover and cook on high for 2.5 – 3 hours.  Make sure to check this as all crockpots cook at different speed and temps.  You may want to add more time if needed.
3. When quinoa is fully cooked serve on tortillas or alone.  I made paleo tortillas the other day and they are a huge hit with my hubby and I so we will probably use these rather than buying tortillas.  Link to the recipe here
4. Lasty, garnish with your favorite toppings.   I love garnishing with avocado and fresh squeezed lime.

June 27, 2017 by glofit4life Categories: Nourish, UncategorizedTags: #cleaneating, #eatclean, #fitfood, #fitpregnancy, #freezermeal, #glutenfree, #healthy, #mealprep, #meatless, #paleo, #tacos, #vegetarian, healthy dinner, Healthy Living, healthy meals on a budget, Healthy Recipes, Vegan, weight loss Leave a comment

Slow Cooker Paleo Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos

One thing I try to keep in mind when shopping or preparing food is the number of ingredients and what type of ingredients are listed on the items I purchase at the store.  I have really tried in the past 7 years to simplify my food and really focus on simple ingredients and the most natural possible.  Most of this blog is vegan and vegetarian and I’ve really had to try to incorporate more paleo recipes as my husband is very gracious and eats vegan and vegetarian with me at times but really prefers a chicken or meat dish of some sort.  Its really been fun trying to find recipes he also enjoys as his palette is a bit different than mine.

You have to be creative and when you have a spouse or a family and you really have to try to incorporate so many different food preferences into one meal but also not over complicate as nobody has time for that.  Although I do not eat chicken I do buy hormone free, organic chicken and beef no matter what.  I gave up chicken and meat over 15 years ago because I just couldn’t stand  the amount of hormones that were pumped into meat and they way it was processed.  That being said, its a personal choice and by no means do I expect everyone to live by those same rules and extremes.  Hence why I accommodate my hubby since he is very tolerate and very accommodating of what I eat.  Don’t get me wrong, in no way is he demanding I make him meat.  If I make a vegan/vegetarian dish and he wants meat he will make his own if he feels he needs it.  We are a team and both want each other to eat what is filling and desired.  We do both however eat very healthy.  He and I both don’t eat processed foods and we limit our carb and sugar intake.  We only eat whole grain carbs if any, never refined.  I do really enjoy making paleo carb substitutions and now in 2017 there are SO many ways to get creative with all natural paleo ingredients.

Today I made these Salsa Verde Chicken tacos, which I’ve made in the past from a recipe that I found on Pinterest.  I’ve tailored this to have my own creative flare and also made the taco shells from scratch, paleo of course and hubby likes it so much he had a couple servings!  That’s when I know the meal has passed the test!

When I have time, I really prefer to use a crock pot and this recipe is one that is so much better after simmering in a crock pot for 4-5 hours.  The juices just marinate and the taste is so much more flavorful.

Ingredients:

Salsa Verde Chicken Taco Meat

• 3-4 large chicken breasts
• 1 cup organic salsa verde
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp Spiceologist Chili Margarita seasoning
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• *Hot sauce and cayenne pepper to add a bit more spice!

Coconut Flour Tortillas:

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/16 baking powder
• 3 egg whites + 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 cup warm water (stir to make sure consistency is not chunky and a bit runny to ensure you can spread in the pan)  Add more warm water if you feel its still too thick.

Directions:

Step 1:

place 4 chicken breasts at bottom of slow cooker.  Add all ingredients from above (except for hot sauce and cayenne) and cook on high for 3-4 hours.  If you want it to simmer a bit longer you can add another hour.  I actually left these on high for about 5 hours.  Otherwise, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Step 2:

After chicken has simmered for 3-4 hours take two large forks and begin to shred the chicken while in the crock pot.  Once its thoroughly shredded mix and make sure its marinating well in the juices.  Add in your hot sauce or additional spices if preferred.  I added in more chili powder and cayenne pepper because my hubby likes it really spicy.  Let simmer for another hour or two if you have the time.

Step 3:

While waiting on that final hour for the chicken to marinate you can prepare your tortillas or have them prepared ahead of time.  Keep in mind these take time to cool so you want to start them at least 30-45 min before you are ready to serve to also leave room for error.  These tortillas took some perfecting so give yourself time!

Start by mixing all the above ingredients for the tortillas into a bowl.  Use a whisk to ensure the mixture is smooth and not lumpy.  Heat a pan on the stove top on medium and use grapeseed/olive or coconut oil to ensure the tortilla doesn’t stick and also helps to form the edges.

Pour in about 1/4 cup of the mixture and immediately pick up the pan and circle the pan so the mixture smooths out over the surface of the pan.  Set back on the stove and let simmer for about 1-2 minutes or until the top starts to form bubbles.  Start by edging the tortilla with a flat spatula.  Once it isn’t sticking and edges start to come up place the spatula directly underneath the tortilla and flip very quickly!  I try to use the pan to quickly flip but it may take a few trials to get it!

Let the opposite side saute for about 1 minute and take the pan off the heat and very carefully slide the tortilla out of the pan on to parchment paper to cool.  Let cool for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

 

Once you have the cooled tortillas take approx 1/3 cup of the shredded taco meat and serve on each individual shell.  Top with your favorite toppings.

Recipe makes approx 6-10 tacos depending on the serving size.

 

June 18, 2017June 18, 2017 by glofit4life Categories: Nourish, UncategorizedTags: #chicken, #cleaneating, #family, #fresh, #healthfood, #healthyrecipes, #mealprep, #natural, #organic, #paleo, #tacos, #tacotuesday, weight loss Leave a comment

Get Your Glow On Power Smoothie

For years I’ve been reading about how to not only eat foods for your health but also how to slow down or prevent the aging process.  Now there are a lot of things I do to prevent the latter, however food is one of my favorite topics and the easiest way to incorporate into your lifestyle.

There are more and more studies about the affects that food has not only on your skin but also your long term health.  If you can incorporate one thing into your life I would encourage you to incorporate more fruits and veggies.  And no, don’t avoid fruits because you think they have too much sugar!  What you should be avoiding is processed, refined and artificial sugars.  There are many diets out there and I go by the thought of I’m feeding my body the most natural foods to give me proper digestion to help regulate my body in its most comfortable and natural state.

I’ve been reading more and more on mitochondria and microbes and I’ll spare you the boring and tedious details, but there is something to this!  Its not about a diet, its about feeding your gut what it needs to operate your immune system and run most efficiently.  This in turn leads to a happy, functioning gut and a happy person.  The worst thing in the world is when your stomach is upset or not functioning properly after you just ate a meal.  Think about it, you can’t focus, you lose energy, you cannot resume normal functions until your gut is happily functioning.  Think of this every time you put something into your mouth.  Is this good for my gut?  Is this going to make me feel happy or awful?  Is this going to make me crash in a few hours or will it give me fuel to get through my day effectively?  Very simple questions that can guide you in your plethora of food options available to you.

I’m posting a green smoothie recipe today that is just that, good for the gut, good for the skin and good for your mood!  Not only does this smoothie have the nutrient dense ingredients, but it also provides unlimited amount of secondary benefits.  For one, its extremely nutrient dense with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that aid in glowing skin by preventing inflammation, which can cause all sorts of skin issues, and the phytochemicals in the fruits and veggies protect against cell damage that can cause wrinkles.  When you are drinking this, not only will it taste delicious, but just think of all of the benefits your body is receiving in ONE meal!  Now cheers to that and cheers to your health and glowing skin!!

Place all of the below into a blender and mix!

Ingredients:

• 4 handfuls of organic power greens (spinach and kale)
• 1 pouch Big Slice Apples
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 4 ice cubes
• 4 frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (key for gut health!)
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 2 scoops of Orgain Vegan Organic Plant Protein – vanilla
• 1 tbsp unsweetened coconut
• 1 tbsp cacao nibs
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

 

Blend and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

March 19, 2017March 19, 2017 by glofit4life Categories: Beauty Bloom, Nourish, UncategorizedTags: #cleaneating, #eatclean, #lifestyle, #vegetarian, greens, Healthy Living, Healthy Recipes, Nutrition, skincare, Smoothies, weight loss Leave a comment

Healthy is a state of mind

I don’t know about you guys but don’t like to start the new year with all of these resolutions on how I’m going to be a better me, be more fit, take more vacation, excel in my career and etc.  Now don’t get me wrong, its great to have a plan and a goal, however I feel like when I continuously press the reset button it sets me up for failure as I resort to that excuse time and time again knowing I can just “start over”.

That use to be me pretty much my entire 20’s and possibly even into my early 30’s.  However, I’ve come to this discovery through my own personal journey that being healthy and fit is a mindset.  I know that sounds cliche but let me explain.  For example, if you look at the week ahead and say, “ok, on Monday I’m going to eat healthy all week and on Saturday I’ll have a cheat day and do whatever I want”.  That mindset, will set you up for failure – at least it did for me.  I would over indulge on the weekends and it would start to roll over into the next week.  Why, because I looked at my life as a payment/reward system.  Like if you do this, then you get to have this.  With dieting I’ve come to realize that it doesn’t have to be so hard.  Now my mindset is simply, I’m going to be as active and eat as healthy as possible everyday.  Does that mean I don’t splurge on some meals?  Absolutely not, but the splurging becomes less and less and the desire to be healthy and eat healthy food becomes greater and greater.

Now I will say, there is a way of getting healthier gradually, like I did overtime or there is a reboot that works for some people.  I’m not one of those people, however it does work for some.  By a reboot I mean juicing or detoxing of some sort to rid your body of sugar and processed foods.  Honestly, once that step happens you path becomes that much clearer.  It takes approx. 10-21 days to rid your body of sugar and the addiction to sugar.  Once you’ve won that battle, the rest is just up to you to stay motivated to be healthy.  Anyone can do it.  Many people of all shapes and sizes have done it and continue to do it, you have to want to change and then you have to make gradual steps towards your goal.

Being active is a huge part of this equation as it helps to stay motivated and it helps to keep your focus.  When you are active you are also more likely to grab for the apple rather than the candy bar because you just ran 3 miles.  Starting out is the hardest part but establishing a routine and making a date for yourself to do something active.  For example, I will start each week and plug in classes I want to take or pre-plan my workouts with a time.  If I miss a morning workout, I vow to make myself do something in the evening and visa versa.  It’s balance and its dedication to yourself to improve your well-being.

 

 

January 13, 2017 by glofit4life Categories: Inspiration, UncategorizedTags: #fitness, #lifestyle, diet plan, Healthy Living, weight loss Leave a comment

Week 1 – Healthy Eating on a Budget

The great thing about being prepared is you don’t stress out about lunch and you know you are eating healthy.  I’m also saving a lot of money this week and it’s only day 2!  Beyond the groceries I have I would typically get a regular coffee for close to $3.  I generally would spend between $12-15 for lunch, at least 2, sometimes 3 days during the week.  For dinner, we always have a bottle of wine (averaging about $15-18) and for the past two nights we’ve been going wine-less.  In one day, I’ve saved over $30 which is pretty exciting!

Going back to my previous post on my groceries bought for lunch in my week 1 post, I had the following meals on Tuesday.

DAY 2 – Week 1

9:30 AM – Breakfast (at work post spin class)

1 pkt 365 Instant Original Oatmeal (150 cal/2.5g fat/27g carbs/4g dietary fiber/1g soluble fiber/<1g sugar/6g protein)

½ scoop Sun Warrior Blend Chocolate Protein Powder (which I keep stock in vanilla and chocolate at all times)

1 Tsp maca (I use as a supplement because it is rich in vitamin B, C, and E. It also contains calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorous and amino acids)

1 tsp PB2 ( I typically have in the house and this is just for flavor if I want to keep my fat content lower at a specific meal otherwise I would use the nut butter itself)

Mix in all the above ingredients.  Add approx. ¾ cup water (hot or heat in microwave for 1 min).  Stir & add in ¼ cup of almond milk until consistency is creamy.  Add more milk if needed.  Heat another 20-30 seconds, stir and enjoy!

12:30 PM  – Lunch

½ cup leftover homemade daal & ¼ cup brown rice (From Sunday’s dinner)

1 slice Ezekiel bread

¼ sliced/mashed avocado

1 bottle Kombucha – post meal.  During lunch I drink water

3:30 PM – SNACK

Wallaby 0% Greek Plain Yogurt

1 Tbsp Almond butter

1 medium mango sliced

8:00 PM – DINNER

2 – Homemade Black Bean Sweet Potato Burger topped with ¼ sliced avocado & salsa (recipe to come tomorrow and will be linked)

*Made baked lemon pepper chicken for my fiancé so I’m including that recipe here since I don’t eat meat)

1. Cut 2 large organic chicken breasts and divide into 2  (makes 4 pieces)
2. heat 2 tbsp of coconut oil in microwave for 20 sec or until melted.  Pour mixture over chicken breasts
3. squeeze 1/2 lemon over chicken breasts and top with black pepper
4. Bake at 425 for 35-40 minutes or until cooked all the way through

1 Liter of water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SNACK – post dinner

½ cup wasabi peas (not recommended for a clean diet by craving them!)

 

DAY 3 – Week 1

10AM – Green Juice

12PM – HU Kitchen

This was a last minute lunch with an out of town friend who was in the city for 1 day. I went outside of my grocery list to meet her because sometimes there are things that just come up and you have to make exceptionsJ

• 1 paleo wild salmon cake
• 1 paleo curried sweet potatoes
• Cranberry Kombucha

3:30PM – Vega One Spiced Chai protein shake with almond milk

7:00PM – Dinner

• Homemade sweet potato burgers from the previous night topped with sliced avocado, sliced tomato and a side of salsa

DAY 4 – WEEK 1

8:30AM Breakfast (post workout lifting)

2 hard-boiled egg whites

1 slice whole grain bread

¼ avocado smashed on toast

1 tsp hemp seeds sprinkled on top

 

LUNCH 12:00PM

2 slices of whole grain toast

¼ avocado smashed on top of one piece and lemon dill tuna on the other

1 hard-boiled egg white

 

 

SNACK 3:30PM (need extra carbs for spin class at 6:30)

Bowl of fruit drizzled in raw almond butter.  (1 small mango, 3 strawberries & ½ banana sliced)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since we are leaving for Miami tomorrow morning the goal was to clean out the fridge and that meant getting creative and mixing a lot of sides to equal a main.  It ended up delicious and very filling!  Best part is we cleaned out the fridge before we left for the weekend to start week 2!

Dinner 7:30PM (empty out the fridge night)

Sauteed brussel sprouts & tempeh  + leftover homemade sweet potato & black bean burger topped with a slice of avocado

Breakfast on Friday pre our 8am flight was 2 hard boiled egg whites, leftover avocado and a slice of sprouted grain bread.

The weekend consisted of eating and drinking whatever we wanted.  We enjoyed wine, mojitos, gelato, chocolate desert, sushi, chips & guacamole, tacos and whatever we wanted.  We also were very active walking, running, biking and dancing the night away in little Havana.  We enjoyed the food, drink, culture and spent time with friends.  Life is about balance and its not worth it if you can’t enjoy yourself once in a while.  Next week goes back to eating clean.

 

 

 

 

April 7, 2016April 12, 2016 by glofit4life Categories: Budget Friendly, NourishTags: #glutenfree, #healthfood, #healthy, #healthyrecipes #cleaneating #wellness #mealprep #foodonthego, #vegetarian, diet plan, healthy dinner, Healthy Living, healthy lunch, Healthy Recipes, how to lose weight, Meal planning, plant protein, vegan black bean sweet potato burger, weight loss Leave a comment

Health Food on a budget challenge Week 1

I decided to challenge myself to actually track how much I spend on groceries.  I love seeing how creative I can get with the groceries I just purchased for the week combined with what I already have in my cabinets.  Now I have pretty basic ingredients to start but if you don’t know what I mean by basics you will start to learn if you follow along throughout this challenge.

I always like to purchase groceries for my fiancé and I and plan meals for the week.  We give ourselves a weekly budget but let’s be serious, we never stick to that budget.  Of all places we live in New York City with the best of the best restaurants, happy hours and a very packed social and work calendars.  Some weeks eating at home can be challenging but to hold ourselves to this challenge we removed our wine budget, yes we have a wine budget, and challenged ourselves to really stick to what we purchased this week.  Here’s a log of what was purchased to be prepared at work for lunch, including total cost, and a breakdown of what I ate today.

Lunches

Every Monday I walk to Whole Foods at lunch and get a few groceries for the week.  I’m usually pretty good about sticking to what I purchase but usually 1 or two days I’ll opt to go get sushi, a bowl or something else that sounds more appealing that day.  Here’s an image and long of what I purchased for $62.58.

Here’s the full list of food purchased:

Ezekiel Bread

Unsweetened Almond Milk

2 mangos

2 avocados

3 small bananas

2 pink grapefruit

.84lb lemon dill tuna salad (no dairy)

1 jar organic almond butter (no sweetener, just almonds)

12 oz raw organic pressed beet juice

2 wallaby 0% plain Greek yogurt

12 oz vegan carrot ginger soup

Engine 2 Tuscan White Bean Burger

Monday, April 4th Log

Wake up 6:15 – Hot water with 1/2 sliced lemon to start every day

Breakfast 10AM (not standard. Case of the Mondays = no workout and late arrival to work) – Juicy Cube fresh juice 12 oz Detox Expert (carrots, spinach, cucumber, ginger, apple, parsley)

Lunch 12:30pm – 1/3 cup lemon dill tuna salad + vegan carrot ginger soup 12oz + small homemade falafel brought in by colleague at work topped with tsp tahini.  I drink water with lunch but have my kombucha after to serve as my probiotic which is key in my diet.

snack 3:30 – 1/2 grapefruit + 1 tbsp almond butter drizzled on 1 sliced banana

*dinner 7:30 – baked sole & zucchini noodles

Tonight my fiancé and I were craving sweets so I had a ton of frozen bananas and made nice cream with what I had in the cabinets(cashew butter, cinnamon, coconut milk, coconut flakes & cacao nibs) Now these kitchen ingredients are not standard but I’m not normal so they are for me and I typically have a variety of foods like this hanging around:)

I also drink a ton of water all throughout the day.  Key to keep hunger at bay and maintaining or losing weight.

That’s about all I can write this evening because I’m just exhausted and need to get up early.   However, tomorrow I’ll share my dinner pics and groceries purchased from Fresh Direct and log my daily meals from that order.

 

 

April 5, 2016April 5, 2016 by glofit4life Categories: NourishTags: #glutenfree, #healthfood, #healthy, #healthyrecipes, #healthyrecipes #cleaneating #wellness #mealprep #foodonthego, Eating healthy on a budget, Healthy Living, how to lose weight, Meal planning, weight loss Leave a comment

It’s all part of the journey

This week I was reminded to take a step back and stop being so hard on myself.  Sometimes I get into this routine of thinking I’m not doing enough, I should be eating healthier, I should be working out more and it starts to stress me out.  I get into this downward spiral of negative self talk, which then projects outwardly into my relationships, my work and my overall daily outlook on life.  It’s not exactly pretty.  What I have found over the years is that negative self talk contributes to my stress and emotional instability causing me to dig myself into this hole, starting to eat more, not becuase I’m hungry but becuase that’s all I can focus on  In turn, I start becoming more depressed because I don’t have the energy to workout which then contributes to my stress of eating more and not working out.  Do you see what I mean?  It’s a downward spinning cycle and once you get sucked into the vortex it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel and regain the positivity you once had.

My point to all of this is to help people though my experience and what I have learned through trial and error, what I have learned from teaching others so therefore they are real life examples of things that people struggle with on a daily basis when trying to be healthy.   You have to go into a healthy lifestyle with positive thoughts and a focus on an end goal.  Is your goal focused on physical attributes or emotional?  It should be a combination of both.  Most people go into most things with an idea of goal and it ends up spitting out byproducts of so many more benefits than you originally intended.  Take losing weight for example.  If you decide you want to start eating healthy to lose weight you immediately start thinking about the physical attributes.  Maybe you will think about the emotional stuff like “I want to feel better” or “I want to have more energy” but generally speaking there is an end physical goal.

Let’s go with that.  Let’s say you want to lose 10 pounds in 2 months.  A completely realistic and safe goal that is attainable at about 1-2lbs/week.  You immediately imagine yourself at that weight to give you inspiration.  We are visual people so it’s easier if we can see ourselves at that goal so we can give ourselves the inspiration we need to succeed.  Now we start to think about all of the things we need to change.  For instance, “I need to go to the gym 3-4 days a week and do X”, or “I need to start eating X calories a day”, or ” I need to remove all processed foods from my diet”…..the list goes on.  Rather than thinking about all of things we need to change, why not embrace where we are today? By taking into account your current fitness regimen, which may be non existent, why not focus on a first step rather than taking a giant leap and committing yourself to 3-4 days a week when maybe you don’t remember the last time you were in a gym ?  Why not commit to a daily, attainable goal?  For example, committing to take the stairs everyday at work, or walking during lunch or just being more active?  If you start out with too big of a commitment and tend to lack the motivation, this can be the ultimate reason you give up because the task at hand seems too large.  For this very reason you see gym hikes by 60-80% in January and within 8-10 weeks the drop off is virtually the same as the spike.  It’s astounding to see and it all comes down to setting goals based on the individual.  These are small, attainable goals that eventually get you to reach your larger goal.

When people ask me what to do to lose weight, how to eat healthier, what to do at the gym I always ask the same question.  Tell me where you are currently?  What do you currently eat?  What do you do now to stay active?  What is feasible within your work/home life schedule?  All of these things NEED to be taken into consideration or you are setting yourself up for failure.  There is not a quick fix.  It takes time, dedication, preparation and a positive attitude.  Sure there will be days when we have one of but not all of these things but the important thing is to stay focused on your goal, have a plan, stick to the plan and stay positive.  The rest will fall into place.

 

 

April 3, 2016April 3, 2016 by glofit4life Categories: InspirationTags: goals, Healthy Living, healthylifestyle, how to lose weight, how to stay motivated, Inspiration, Motivation, planning, positivity, preparation, weight loss Leave a comment