Well folks, I just have a few random thoughts to share with y’all tonight.
I get asked all the time about how I stay motivated, what I eat, how I stick with a regular exercise regimen, how to get started with healthy living, etc. etc. etc.
Well, the long and short answer to all of those questions is…..it’s complicated. Ha ha.
I loooooove health and fitness and I love living (or trying to live) a healthy lifestyle because it’s so rewarding. When I’m actively taking care of my body (eating well, getting decent sleep, exercising), I feel better, I have more energy, I’m happier, I look better, I feel and look leaner, I sleep better, my skin stays clear and almost has a glow to it, I feel strong, I have more self discipline and it just makes my life a whole lot better!
When I start to slack a bit (eat more sugar and junk, skip workouts, suck at getting my sleep), I definitely notice! I start to feel more groggy, tired, run down, get headaches, lose motivation, don’t feel like eating well, develop a beautiful love handle almost overnight, feel poofy, sluggish and just NOT GOOD!
It really is a marked difference.
Sooooo, the main thing that motivates me to live a healthy lifestyle is the huge difference in how I look and feel for better or worse! I’m obviously not perfect at healthy living and I often share my struggles and “issues” on this blog, BUT I’ve definitely learned that I’m much happier when I’m filling my body full of good food, exercising regularly and making my sleep a priority.
However, life is crazy and it seems like whenever I get extra busy or stressed, my sleep starts to suffer…then I start to eat crappy food….then I start to slack on my workouts because I feel like crap. Then I ask myself, “How in the world did I get here!?”
So, even though I know I feel my best when I’m working hard and taking care of my body….the struggle is real. I’ve just accepted the fact that I’m going to suck at healthy living sometimes. BUT, the key is to NOT QUIT. I try to recognize when I’m getting into a rut and I try to turn it around as quick as possible.
Over the years I’ve found a lot healthy foods that work for me….they are quick and easy to make, I enjoy eating them and they give me the results I’m looking for. I’ve also found ways to exercise that I love and that I will stick to. I’m currently going to my gym, F45 about 4-5 days a week. I’m also running about twice a week. I enjoy both of these forms of exercise and have just learned to make exercise a priority in my life. I struggle with getting adequate sleep all the time, but I’m always trying to improve in that area! Sometimes I’ll do well for a while and sometimes I just don’t….but I just keep on trying…..and learning.
Over the years I’ve written some posts that go into more detail about the things that help me.
- I wrote this post and this post that are full of tips that help me to stay motivated.
- I wrote this post about some of my favorite healthy foods and the things I eat regularly.
- I wrote this post about staying strong and finding motivation.
- I wrote this post a long time ago about how to stick to an exercise plan and make exercise a priority.
Well the reason I’m talking about all of this today is that for whatever reason, I was a bit of a slacker eater last week. I’d been eating really well for a few weeks and was feeling great, THEN last Monday I decided to make some cookies with the kids….and it all went downhill from there!
I’ve learned many times that even if I’ve got a good thing goin’ and I’m eating really well….all it takes is just ONE bad eating choice to get me in a downward spiral. It’s maddening sometimes.
So, I made an innocent batch of cookies with the kids and I didn’t even pig out on them, but then the next day and the next and the next were full of less than stellar food choices. Last weekend I was feeling blah and knew that I needed to shape up and get back to work!
Soooo, on Monday I decided to eat squeaky clean until our relay race next weekend. I’m now three days in and I feel noticeably different! I already feel leaner and have more energy.
I’ve decided to stay away from sugar, white flour and most processed foods. I’m also trying to make a better effort to get more fruits and veggies in. It’s been great and I’m glad I’m doing it. I’m not going to be very strict the weekend of our race, but I hope to get right back to work on the Monday after! I think it’s actually really fun to push myself and see what happens. 🙂
Well, I thought I’d also share a few new things I’ve been enjoying lately. I got some new protein powder in the mail (Amazon) the other day…
I’ve been using PEScience brand for a while now and I love it, but this is my first time trying Quest protein powder. I decided to try the Salted Caramel flavor and I must say that it is awesome!
Ya know, when I first got into health and fitness several years ago, I thought that all protein powders were healthy. I eventually realized that that is definitely NOT the case! There is a lot of fake crap, chemicals and strange things in some protein powders.
I ended up doing a lot of research and then for a while I only used vegan protein powders because they seemed a lot cleaner. Sunwarrior was my favorite brand for a long time.
THEN, when I got into macro counting I realized that most of the vegan protein powders out there were lower in protein and higher in carbs than the whey varieties, SO I decided to get back to whey protein powder.
I tried to find a decent brand that was relatively clean and that’s when I started using PEScience. I heard a lot of great things about it from super fit people on Instagram. I’ve really liked it and although it’s not squeaky clean, it’s not too bad either.
I think Quest is very similar to PEScience as far as the quality of ingredients. It’s decent, but not perfectly stellar.
ANYWAY, funny thing is…a few days ago I decided to research a little bit more to see if I could find a very clean, high quality whey protein powder. I use protein powder pretty much every day, so I really want to make sure it’s not full of a bunch of crap.
I came across a company that really intrigued me. It’s called Naked Nutrition.
It’s just high quality, grass fed protein powder with absolutely NO CRAP in it! Check out the nutrition label…
I was thrilled to see that! Seriously, check out the ingredients!
They also offer some flavored protein powders that they call “Less Naked Whey,” which I thought was funny. I want to try the chocolate one…
It’s basically the same awesome ingredients, but it has organic coconut sugar and organic cacao powder added. Isn’t that awesome!??! They also offer vegan protein powders, powdered peanut butter and various supplements.
Anyway, I was very excited to find this company, but since I’d just bought that other protein powder, I thought I’d wait to try this brand.
BUT, the strange thing is….a couple days later I received an email from Naked Nutrition asking me to be an affiliate with them? I was floored. I was like…”Isn’t that the protein powder I was just reading about, was super impressed with and wanting to try!??!” It was weird and I’m thinking it basically means that it’s meant to be. I must try this protein powder! Ha.
Sooooo, I agreed to be an affiliate even though I’ve never even tried the product. It’s offered on Amazon and it has a bunch of great reviews and I’m just so darn impressed with the company as a whole. I love their entire concept. I just hope it’s not gross. Ha ha. I will definitely be buying some when my current protein runs out and I’ll let y’all know what I think, of course!
The Naked protein powder is definitely more expensive than other protein powders I’ve used, but I can usually find a sale or coupon to use. I also know you get what you pay for…
Well I could share a few more things, but I think I’ve said enough tonight! I will be quiet now and head to bed. I hope you all have a great evening! xoxo
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