How To: Stay Motivated

Although it may seem like certain people are just naturally motivated, that’s usually not the case. Those people who we stalk on social media or maybe some of our friends who just always seem to have it together aren’t simply born with motivation and discipline. These are qualities which are developed over time and it takes effort! If it was easy to stay motivated I wouldn’t be writing this blog and I would be out of a job…So here it is!

Three ways to help you stay motivated in and outside of the gym.

1)    Prioritize Your Life: Most of us are guilty of procrastinating. We have a list of things that need to get done but we never seem to do it all. And if we can’t even finish a To Do list then how are we ever going to be able to meal prep, get to the gym and get our workouts done? We are all busy but let’s be real, binge watching a new series on Netflix is not a priority but somehow we can get through 3 seasons in two weeks. So clearly we have some time. We don’t find time for important or fun things, we MAKE time. That’s what you have to do when it comes to your workouts and nutrition. You need to make it a priority. Make time in your schedule to cook your meats and cut your veggies. Put your workout at the top of your list next to going to work, and feeding the cat. Go to bed sooner and wake up earlier.  If you are a busy mom clearly your priority is your child but next to your family should be your health. If it’s a priority and important to you, you will get it done.

2)    Stay Positive: If you can stay positive about your progress then you will continue to stay on track with your nutrition and your workouts.  Those of us who are constantly picking apart our imperfections and having negative thoughts like “this will never work” and “I just can’t do this” or “it’s not worth it” will never see the same results as those who have a positive attitude. Even if you feel like you aren’t seeing the results you want, eventually if you continue in your course you WILL see positive changes. Most will not see physical changes for at least 4-6 weeks so be patient with yourself and stay focused on the positive aspects of your journey, whether it be fitness related or not.

3)    Be Determined: Don’t let small slips ups or setbacks derail your progress. Continue to stay determined. Emotional setbacks can throw us off of our schedule and demotivate us. Instead of giving up continue to be determined to push through the hard parts to get to the reward. There will always been moments in our lives where we could have given up. We will always regret those times but we will never forget the moments when we stayed focused and determined and reaped the benefits by accomplishing our goal.

OK I got a little bit deep there, but you get what I’m saying! Set priorities, stay positive and be determined and I promise that you WILL see improvements.

In Health & Happiness

Kristen

It's Not Them, It's Us - Real Talk on Body Image Issues

I’m going to get real today, body image real. This is mostly a blog about women and the body image issues we face but I kind of go a little all over the place so bear with me!

What is the ideal body? Is it curvy and tan like Kim K or is it fit and slim like Cameron Diaz? Does this ideal body have a thigh gap or does it have muscular thick legs with a round booty?  Is it tall, is it short, is it pear shaped, is it bootylicious?

There is no ideal body. Some may have a preference but there is no one size fits all body type that pleases the masses. So if this is true, why do we continue to scrutinize ourselves every moment of the day?  If we have big boobs, we want small ones. If we are lean we want curves. If we are pale we want to be tan. If we have curly hair we want it straightened. If we are short we want to be tall.

If there is no “ideal body” then why don’t we learn to love and appreciate the one that we have?

We can all blame social media, celebrities, television and movies but let’s be real it’s not them.  We are the problem.  Before you freak out and say that men have objectified us for centuries or that the media sexualizes certain body types and blah blah blah please think about what I am about to say.

When it comes down to it, everything we feel about our body and our looks is in our own minds. We shape how we feel about our muffin top, our cankles, and our rolls. We put those words into our heads and we make ourselves feel miserable.  We are the ones that sit on Instagram or Facebook for hours pining after the “perfect” bodies that we all follow. We are the ones that say we wished we looked like this girl or had the confidence of that woman or had lips like that celebrity.

Now I will be truthful, I am so guilty. I have always wanted what my genetics never gave me; curly hair, tan skin, curves and let’s be honest, bigger boobs. But I will tell you that years of complaining and hating my body did not do me one ounce of good. It only made me more insecure and even jealous of those around me.  Instead of learning to embrace my body I tried to do everything to change it. Now if you want to be healthy, exercise, eat right and change for those reasons, that’s awesome and you totally should. That is not the kind of change that I am talking about. I am talking about genetics. The things that your genes tell your body to do. This girl shall have brown hair, she will be 5’7” with no curves and a flat chest. These are things that we cannot change.   

A mirror can be a useful object or a dangerous tool. We can stare into it day after day pinching, pulling, squeezing and critiquing every little part of our bodies.  But what does this accomplish? Nothing. We haven’t improved our self-esteem, we haven’t changed our attitude and we definitely have not done ourselves a favor. We have just made the situation worse.

Instead of tearing yourself down every day, think about the qualities that you have that you are proud of like your patience or your loyalty or your determination. Think about your physical characteristics that others might yearn for like your curves or your skin tone or your legs. Instead of dwelling on the negatives, focus on the parts of you that you do love. When you look in the mirror smile and be proud of how hard you have worked to become the woman that you are today. Because I am sure that it wasn’t an easy journey.  And it’s ok to share your insecurities with others but don’t look for a pity party.  That just drags you down and makes others feel even worse about their insecurities. So talk about it but don’t dwell on it.  Share your feelings but don’t burden others with your own anxieties because everyone has something that they are worried about too.  

So I don’t know about you, but I am TIRED. I am tired of wanting to look like someone else and desperately trying to be someone that I will never be.  It’s time to change and stop blaming others for how we feel about our bodies but take responsibility and stop this cycle. I promise that I will try if you will too. So PLEASE learn to love you; your body, your mind, and your journey.  You’ll be surprised how much your self-love will help others to love themselves just a little bit more too.

 In Health & Happiness

Kristen 

Diets Don't Work

Dieting. Honestly even hearing the word makes me shiver.  When you see the word “diet” what comes to mind? Meal after meal of bland vegetables and plain chicken.   Perhaps you think of diet foods like sugar free jell-o and diet soda.   Maybe you think of juice cleanses or tea detoxes. Whatever diet experiences that you’ve had, the outcome is usually the same. We hype ourselves up and tell ourselves that this is it, this is the diet that’s going to change everything!  We are going to get our dream bodies if we can just stick to this plan for a couple of weeks.  Then a couple of weeks passes or let’s be real, for some of us it’s a couple of days and we are off of our plan. We have strayed from the course and are hiding in a closet somewhere scooping spoonfuls of Ben and Jerrys into our mouths crying about how we are never going to be skinny. (Or maybe that was just me after every diet attempt failed miserably).

Anyway we have all had those types of experiences. Maybe initially we lost weight, but then gained it back. Or maybe we struggled for weeks or months sticking to a strict food regimen without seeing any results. Maybe we have yo-yoed up and down for years. Maybe we tried slimfast. Maybe we did a juice cleanse. Maybe we just ate “clean”.  In the end I am sure that you felt similar to how I had felt: ashamed, frustrated and hopeless.

So why don’t diets work? We see hundreds of success stories on the news, social media and maybe even people in our personal lives that have lost weight, gained muscle and look awesome. So what’s wrong with the rest of us? The problem is in our understanding of the term diet. The definition of diet is the kind of food a person habitually consumes. But to most of us a diet is something you do for a short period of time. There’s nothing habitual about it. We tend to diet to reach a goal whether it be a number on the scale, a pant size or to simply feel better. Some diet before a vacation, before a wedding, or some milestone and after they reach their goal they stop dieting.  They don’t stop eating but they discontinue their good habits that they had developed during their dieting.  In our mind diets have been and always will be temporary and that is why they will always fail.  We see a diet as a means to an end, a temporary fix. After the wedding, the vacation or reaching that goal weight, most will either stop dieting or slowly give up on their new healthy habits.  If we keep looking at our diets as temporary we will never be able to reach our fitness/health goals and keep them.

So how do we fix this? STOP DIETING!!! Or stop thinking of a diet as something that you do temporarily. Develop a healthy mentality on food consumption. Learn to balance out your sweet treats with nutrient dense whole foods.  And please don’t put yourself on such a strict plan that it allows no wiggle room and then forces you to binge on the weekends. Eating well during the week and then acting like 5 year old in a candy store on the weekends will never bring lasting results.  Also try not to restrict yourself from foods that you love even if you deem them “unhealthy” (Shameless plug: read my first blog if you still don’t know what’s healthy and what’s not). Simply try to consume these foods in smaller amounts so that you don’t feel tempted to go hog wild on cheesecake the next time you go out to dinner. One slice of cheesecake won’t ruin your plan or make you gain weight, but 3 slices of cheesecake and a day spent eating all of the food on your “no-no” list will!  

At first changing your mindset on dieting may be difficult but just keep in mind that your diet is nothing more than the food that you eat each day.  Now it’s your choice how you want to “diet”.  This allows you to be flexible and find what works for you personally.  Now how do you know what to eat in order to see maximal gains in the gym and in the mirror? Keep an eye out for my next blog for the answer.

 XOXO

Kristen

“What is Healthy”? Part 2

 Hopefully after reading part one you have a better understanding of what “healthy” means to you. If not, that’s ok I have been trying to figure it out for years and sometimes I still wonder. It’s a lifelong process but recognizing what food is made of will really help you in determining this. Now let’s get into the nitty gritty as some would say.  The only way we can know for sure that we are fueling our bodies properly is if we understand what we are consuming.  And to do this we need to know what food is made of and then what happens after we put said food in our mouths. 

This brings us to macronutrients, the building blocks of nutrition.  The three macronutrients are fat, carbohydrates and protein. These are the nutrients that your body must consume in large amounts, hence the term “macro”. Whereas micronutrients such as magnesium, calcium and iron are needed in much smaller amounts. For example an adult male weighing about 175 lbs may consume between 160-175 grams of protein (macronutrient) whereas he should consume 45 milligrams (.45 grams) of iron (micronutrient). 

We all know that carbs fats and protein exist, but many don’t understand the relationship that these nutrients have on our health. I am sure that we have all had this conversation with at least one person before.

 “Oh Janet! You look awesome. Have you lost weight?”

“Yes I did! I am not eating any carbs!!! Just protein and vegetables!”  

Woah! Stop right there. If you really stopped eating ALL carbs you would not be able to function. So before we get into anything else let’s debunk some of these nutrition myths by explaining carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

A carbohydrate is an organic compound made of sugars and starches. The main function of carbs in the body is to provide a steady flow of fuel or energy to your body.  This is EASY energy that does not last a very long time. Think about how many times you have eaten cereal in the morning and within an hour you are starving again. Why does this happen? Usually the cereal we eat is filled with simple carbs like sugar. The simpler the form of carbohydrate the faster and easier it is for your body to digest and use as fuel.  Examples of carbs include table sugar, honey, corn, grains, sweet potatoes, fruits and vegetables.  Yes, vegetables are primarily composed of carbs.  Most carbs come from plants. Not only our muscles but our organs NEED carbohydrates in order to function properly. So next time someone says that they stopped eating carbs you can just giggle to yourself because you know more than they do ;)

Fats are also a source of energy for your body but unlike carbs they take much more work for your body to digest and use as fuel. That is why when we eat a meal that is high in fat we feel fuller much longer.  Think double cheese burger with fries.  There are different type of fats such as saturated (animal/meat products and coconut oil) and unsaturated fats (seeds, nuts and olive oil).  There are a couple of different functions of fat in the body. They help us digest and absorb vitamins. Fats are a great source of stored energy and they also make up major parts of our cell walls which make up our entire body.  They cushion and protect our organs and bones. So please STOP hating on fats!  Consuming fats in the proper portions is vital to our overall health.

Proteins; the building blocks of life! Not exactly, but they are pretty important to cellular functions, hormone distribution and building structural materials in our bodies like MUSCLE tissue. Complete sources of protein include animal products like dairy, whey, fish, red meat and poultry. Many legumes and vegetables also contain protein but in much smaller amounts.  If you want to build muscle you need to consume the proper amount of protein for your size and/or goals.  There is a science to finding out how much protein you should consume but that topic needs a whole post of its own.

That was a lot of information. Your take away from this should be these three facts

1.     Carbs give us the energy we need for everyday life AND our workouts

2.     Fats are another source of energy and are paramount to many cellular functions

3.     Proteins build muscle

In order to be “healthy” we need to be consistently consuming a balanced amount of each of these macronutrients.  When carbs, fat and protein all work together harmoniously we are able to experience a high quality of life with good sleep, energy, and of course a slammin hot body.

XOXO

Kristen

What is "Healthy"? Part 1

So thanks for taking time to read my VERY first blog post! Please leave comments, advice, personal experiences and really anything that you want to share. Hopefully you will love what you're reading so much that you share it with your friends ;) 

Healthy choices, healthy meals, healthy options, healthy living. The word healthy gets thrown around a lot these days. We see it plastered on boxes in almost every aisle at the grocery store. We hear about it on commercials, on the news, on social media and in magazines. But am I the only one whose been questioning for years, what really is healthy? What does healthy mean?  Am I healthy? 

Well I am about to blow your mind right now...the term healthy means whatever you want it to mean. Now before you get all upset let me explain. I have friends who have celiac disease and their bodies are unable to digest gluten. They look at bread as the enemy; an unhealthy choice that would cause them to be sick for days with varying degrees of digestive issues. Now let's think about how I view bread. I love bread, especially sprouted whole grain bread. It's filled with sprouted lentils, barley and wheat and even has 5 grams of protein per slice. And I probably eat it at least once a day.  I think bread is "healthy". If we look at those who eat paleo we can see a whole different opinion on what is "healthy" and what is not. Someone who is eats paleo thinks bacon, and butter are healthy choices that will supply them with good fats to fuel their body. A paleo would never consider eating wheat bread. On the other hand a traditional body builder lives on rice, whereas one who eats paleo would never consume rice.  Also science and the media is constantly changing its ideas on what is "healthy". Years ago coconut oil was almost forbidden in the fitness community! Its a saturated fat don't eat it!!!  But now we have learned that coconut oil is actually amazing and has way more benefits than we could have ever imagined.  I use it as shampoo, hair conditioner, baking fat, and on rashes. Do you get what I mean? I could go on and on and on about how people view the term "healthy" but that's not the point of this blog. The point of this post is to help you understand what healthy means to YOU. 

I have tried many different diets, fad diets, clean diets, paleo diets and restrictive diets (no diary or no gluten or no sugar). All of these experiences have helped me to understand my body and mind just a little bit more. I have learned what foods make me bloated, what foods give me the best energy for my workouts, what foods make me sleepy and what foods make me happy (because that's the most important one!)  The moral of the story or the point of this post is to make you realize that healthy is what you decide healthy is. I know that sounds cliche but it's true. Now it's your job as a human being who is concerned about your health to figure out what works best for your body and mind. Maybe you have found a lot of success with weight watchers and controlling your portions.  Or maybe you tried to cut out wheat and sugar and focus on eating more fruits and vegetables. Or maybe you tried paleo or zone diet but hated it. That's ok! It's all about finding what combinations and amount of foods work best for you. It may take some time and trial and error. But if you find that your cookie cutter healthy clean eating regimen isn't working for your body, it's not your fault! It might just not be right for you individually. Now is your opportunity to change things up and try something new for a couple of weeks and see what happens. 

What has worked best for me is eating a balanced amount of fats, carbs and protein that supply me with enough energy to fuel my workouts and my busy schedule. I focus on eating nutrient dense foods like fruits, veggies and lean meats but I also don't deprive myself of fun foods like ice cream, cookies, and chocolate. When I do eat foods that are not nutrient dense I make sure that my portions are balanced. I always try my best to eat enough protein for my body weight and training schedule.  

So what is healthy? Well, that's up to you.

Stay tuned for part 2!!!

XOXO

Kristen