Hello my darling friends!
I hope you are all doing okay out there. <3
We’ve been having a lot of fun and we’ve been lovin’ summer so far! I particularly love the month of June. The excitement of summer vacation is new and fun and the weather is absolutely perfect.
I went on a beautiful hike with my three little boys, my sister, my nephew and our sweet doggies the other day.
We went on the Wild Rose Trail in North Salt Lake and it was such a great hike.
Look how sweet the dogs (and boys, ha ha!) look in this picture….
They look so perfectly posed, almost like they’re smiling! Ha ha. They’re both such good puppies and they’re all wonderful boys!
This hike is only about 2 miles, with beautiful scenery and breathtaking views of the city.
It’s a great, easy, rewarding hike and it’s perfect for kids and families.
I love hiking for so many reasons!
First off, being out in the beauty of nature fills my soul right up! I also love being with people I love, exploring the world and getting the physical exercise to boot!
To me, hiking is a win, win, win, win, win. I love it!
***********************
I’ve also been so happy to be back at my gym again! I’ve only been a couple of times, but man, it just feels so good to be there and to work out surrounded by other people!
I have a couple classes that I just love so much. I snapped this pic after one of my classes this week. I look a little haggard, but I was just so happy to be there!
I’m also going to one of my favorite classes tomorrow morning that I haven’t been to in three months! It’s such a popular class, that I’ve had a hard time even getting a spot to go!
My gym only allows 26 people in a class right now. I had to sign up to go to this class a week and a half ago. Last Saturday’s class was full! Soooo, I’m grateful I’m “in” this week!
**************************
Well, I just have a few deep thoughts to share with ya’ll.
I have learned time and time again that the Number One thing that makes the biggest impact on overall health and weight loss is what you put in your mouth OR what you don’t put in your mouth!
Nutrition and diet is everything. This is obviously my opinion, but I absolutely believe it to be true! I also believe of all the things that make up a healthy lifestyle (exercise, sleep, vitamins, self care, etc.), what you put it your mouth is the hardest thing to control!
It takes continuous effort, awareness, mindfulness and dedication.
There are also so many emotions tied up in food! Food can calm us, relieve stress, bring us temporary happiness, make social gatherings a lot more fun and heck, food is just so darn yummy!
It’s tough to eat well consistently.
I also gotta tell ya, when your body is used to eating junk and eating lots of sugar, fat, salt, processed food, etc……your body will crave all of that!!!
AND, those cravings are fierce y’all. They can temporarily hijack your body and mind, heighten all of your senses and make it sooooo hard to stay away from all of that yummy food!
When your body is used to eating large amounts of food, especially cruddy food, your body starts to expect that food. Your blood sugar and hormones will be all over the place as well.
Your body will send you signals that you’re hungry, when you really don’t need to eat. It will also have a hard time telling you when you’re full. It essentially just makes it so hard to stick to a healthy diet!
BUT, there is good news! When you can consistently fill your body full of good, nutrient dense food, your blood sugar will start to stabilize and your hormones will start to work FOR you!
Your appetite and cravings will go down and your hormones will better be able to tell you when you’re hungry and when you’re full. It makes eating a healthy diet so much easier and something you can stick with!
I also gotta say that you don’t have to eat perfectly! You can indulge every once in a while. Heck, I even think you can indulge a little bit every day! The KEY is in remaining mindful and “owning” what you put in your mouth!
Don’t ever let your mind say “to heck with it” and throw all caution to the wind. Indulging is fine and in my opinion, it’s actually healthy! BUT, indulge and then get right back to work.
Case in point, the other day one of my friends brought me some cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory!
I don’t even like cheesecake all that much, but MAN, this was sooooo good! I also gotta say that my kids had a few bites, but I was the one that ended up eating most of both of the slices! AND, those slices are like 1200+ calories EACH!
Ya.
But I was just fine with it! Back in the day, this would have started me on a downward spiral. It would have made me want to keep eating crap! My mind would’ve definitely gone to that “to heck with it” mode and I would just stop being accountable.
Now, I enjoy my treats on occasion, but I’m actively aware of it!
I spread out eating that cheesecake over a few days, I balanced it out by eating more nutrient dense food throughout the day and I exercised. BUT, most importantly I kept my mind in the game. I didn’t obsess, I didn’t feel guilty, I enjoyed my cake…..thoroughly!
I didn’t allow it to derail me. I got right back to my healthy habits and I just tried to stay mentally accountable and balance out my choices with lots of other good choices!
Our brains are so powerful and the thoughts we think and tell ourselves have so much impact on us! It’s all about staying aware and being mindful and consistent!!!
Well those are my deep thoughts for the day! Healthy living is a lifelong process. Don’t beat yourself up for “failing.” In my opinion, we never really fail, we just learn! We will all have ups and downs, the key is to keep picking yourself back up!
It’s definitely a process, but it’s oh so worth it! YOU are worth it! I love ya’ll so much!
Leave a comment....I would love to hear from you!