Like many writers, I love to write about experiences that I have that I know other people have dealt with themselves. I recently noticed that most of my health and wellness posts are about keeping my brain healthy more so than keeping my body health. I need to have my head in the right mental state to start losing weight again. How many times can someone say that they were mentally or emotionally exhausted, so they ordered out for their dinner? As for me, I do this a lot. I don't have a physically demanding job. In fact, my job is considered a desk job. I spend my lunch time eating my lunch in hopes that it gives me the boost of mental energy I need to get through the day. I have the most energy in the morning, but spend that on my blog or YouTube channel trying to make it better. At the end of the day, I feel exhausted mentally. And, thanks to my anxiety disorder, I feel emotionally exhausted on some days.
An update on me, specifically, is that I am still maintaining my last weight loss weigh in. However, I'm really wanting to move forward and lose more, purely for my health. I found a few tips that are supposed to help motivate weight loss: 1: SET GOALS AND REWARDS
I plan to continue using the goals and rewards system to help motivate me. I need something awesome to work toward. 2: VIEWING WORKOUTS LIKE YOU WOULD A SHOWER, BRUSHING YOUR TEETH, OR EATINGSome health professionals say that you only really need about an hour workout to start losing weight while eating healthy. They say to look at working out as you would any other self-care routine. 3: USING HEALTH APPS
Some of my favorite health apps include the FitBit App as well as an app that tries to make sure you're drinking enough water. You basically get a virtual plant. When you drink water, you log it and your plant drinks water, too. Your goal is to help your plant grow big and strong. I also want to find some quick workout apps. If you have suggestions, leave them below! 4: ENTERTAIN YOURSELFShe is usually in a crate all day, and I sometimes wouldn't get to the gym until 4 or 5. I would stay for an hour and then get home at 6 or 7, leaving only a few hours for her to be out of her crate.
I'm thinking of listening to a podcast while I walk her in the mornings. I definitely think mornings are going to be better for me, mostly because it is cooler outside and I have more energy at that time.
8 Comments
For this week's wellness Wednesday, I wanted to do something fun! I've done an experiment like this before with drinking Slimfast, but that didn't end up being a good long-term option for me. In today's post, I'm going to tell you about each of my meals, share some photos, and telly you the end result. MONDAY | FIVE CHEESE RIGATONI
I’ll believe the box! The rigatoni had 15 grams of protein, 8 grams of fat, and 60 grams of carbohydrates. Some additional vitamins were in the food, including 170 mg of Calcium, 1.4 mg of Iron, and 320 mg of potassium! With this being the first day of the experiment, I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as serving size and taste. I was really happy with the flavors and the serving size. TUESDAY | PEPPERONI PIZZAI goofed and totally didn’t get a photo of this one. This was just what you think: a mini pizza. I really liked the sauce and thought that the mini pizza was surprisingly filling. The pizza, however, was probably the least filling and contained the most calories and “bad” nutrition of all of the ones I had during this experiment. The whole pizza contained 410 calories. There were 21 grams of protein, 870 mg of sodium, 59 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of fat, and 3 grams of fiber. Overall, I would eat it again. However, it wasn’t the best when it came to nutritional value. But, when is pizza ever the best option for nutrition? WEDNESDAY | ALFREDO CHICKEN & BROCCOLI As for the caloric and nutritional values, this meal was only 280 calories with 17 grams of protein. Some of the additional nutrition included 4 grams of fat, 30mg of cholesterol, 600mg of sodium, 530 mg of potassium, 45g of carbohydrates, and a healthy portion of vitamin c and calcium. I will say that I really loved the pasta, alfredo, and broccoli, but I wasn’t too jazzed about the chicken. However, it tasted great overall! THURSDAY | SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS So, I came back to the pasta theme again for Thursday’s meal. Spaghetti and meatballs have always been a favorite of mine. However, I and my family have always over eaten because pasta is so delicious and it is easy to feel like you didn’t get enough to eat. I goofed again and didn't get a photo, so I'm sorry. I was surprised yet again to see that the meal was only 310 calories, which I find interesting for pasta. The dish had 15 grams of protein thanks to the meatballs. It also contained 53 grams of carbohydrates, 520mg of sodium, and 4 grams of fat. It tasted great and it didn't leave me hungry, surprisingly enough! FRIDAY | ROASTED TURKEY, DRESSING, AND BAKED APPLES
MY HEALTH AND LEAN CUISINE
WHAT I LEARNEDAt the end of the day, I learned that I don't have to overeat. I learned that feeling full isn't normal. You should just eat until your hunger (real hunger, not hunger you think up) is satisfied. I also learned that I love pasta dishes and they can be OK for me if I limit my serving amounts.
I will also say that, according to my scale, I lost a bit of weight. Maybe 2 lbs at the most. I attribute this mostly to a physically harder work week, better portion sizes, and less fast food. But, who knows, it could be a driving factor in my health. I am probably going to continue having Lean Cuisine meals for lunch. They are low in calorie, and I never felt hungry until about dinner time. I'd suggest looking in to this if you're trying to limit your portion sizes and still eat delicious food. You won't be disappointed! 12/5/2018 WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND: 5 TIPS FOR WORKING OUT & STAYING HEALTHY IN WINTER WEATHERRead NowWelcome to the first Wellness Wednesday of Blogmas! I'm getting so excited about the holidays ahead. I've recently joined a gym and I'm trying to be consistent about going, but the winter weather can make me want to curl up in my bed and stay warm. So grab your water bottle and get ready for some tips that will help you ace your workout and stay healthy in the cold! MOVE YOUR WORKOUTS INSIDE
PROTECT YOUR HEAD AND EARSPACK ON THE LAYERS
FUEL YOUR BODY WITH HOT COFFEE
STAY MOISTURIZED
CONCLUSIONThese are only five ways you can exercise and stay healthy in the winter weather that December brings. I hope some of these were helpful to you. Do you have another tip? Leave it in the comments below!
Thanksgiving calories don't count, right? I wish! If you're trying to stay trim around the holidays, Thanksgiving can be difficult, especially if you have more than one stop to make to visit different family members! In today's blog post, I'll be giving you some tips on ways you can eat Thanksgiving Dinner without packing on too many pounds! START WITH WATERAVOID BREADY FOODSPACK YOUR PLATE WITH PROTEIN & VEGGIESGO BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING
LIMIT YOUR DESSERTSSAY NO TO EXTRA ALCOHOLCONCLUSIONAs you can see, maintaining your diet and weight is possible, even at Thanksgiving! Do you have any more tips? Leave them in the comments below.
10/17/2018 HALLOWEEN-THEMED WORKOUTS/IDEAS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR "FIRE BURN AND YOUR CAULDRON BUBBLE"Read NowYet another Wellness Wednesday is upon us, so I wanted to make sure I added some physical wellness things into the mix for today's blog post. So, I would like to share a few ideas to help you "spook" up your workout this Halloween season, no matter if you lead a fitness class or work out at home. So, grab a towel, head to your workout space, and try these workout tips. Maybe, actually, you should read them before heading to the gym. There are a few things you might need. SUBSTITUTE YOUR WEIGHTED BALL FOR A PUMPKIN
THE FRANKENSTEIN WALK
CREEPY CRAWLIES
ESCAPE THE KILLER
You've come upon a muddy pond and you have to walk through it. Lunge your way through the water (20 lunges)! You see the police station! Run another 1/4 mile to safety! TRICK OR TREAT FOR EXERCISES
HALLOWEEN CANDY WORKOUTSCompile a list of Halloween candies and look up the calories it will cost you. Do different exercises to help you burn off the calories for each one. If you want to, you can always indulge in a few pieces of candy post workout, or you can burn those calories and let that be that! MORE IDEAS- Let everyone in the group dress up for your next workout session or class. - Watch a Halloween movie and do a set number of a certain workout every time a specified action is performed or a specific word is mentioned. - Let everyone come up with a workout that is Halloween inspired and perform them as a group. CONCLUSIONUse these various workout ideas to help make your Halloween workout spooktacular! Do you have a workout idea? Let me know in the comments below.
As Hurricane Florence continues to near my home, I realized just how hard it will be to stick with a weight loss program, special diet, or mental health-building should disaster strike. I myself remember how long I was out of commission after Hurricane Matthew hit my area in 2016, and I can see this hurricane hitting harder and keeping us in the dark longer.
BEFORE THE STORM HITSHere are a few things you can do before the storm hits to maintain your health and wellness routine when disaster strikes. GET FLAVOR PACKETS FOR YOUR WATERWater is always important to have in your emergency stock pile, but some may decide not to stay hydrated and rather drink sodas or alcohol during a storm. However, this can cause you to become sick with issues like nausea, which can make surviving indoors with no AC nearly impossible. Instead, buy some flavor packets for your water. It will help give your water variety while still keeping you hydrated. There are low-carb, low-calorie options, and there are flavors that everyone will love! IF THE STORE IS OUT OF WATER, DON'T COMPROMISEI actually ran into this problem when I was out shopping for storm supplies when I was at my mom's house. I thought I wouldn't have to fight against the crazy storm preppers since I heard the storm wouldn't cause as many problems in her area, which is nearly three hours away from my home. I was wrong! By the time I got into the store, there was very little water left. I actually had to pay nearly $2 for a 12 pack of those small waters you generally give to your children. But, it was better than nothing. Before I saw those, however, I didn't see any affordable water choices! While the diet Dr. Pepper looked tempting, I decided to stock up on these as well as my baby water bottles. Later, when I visited another store, I decided I would also get some Powerade, which contains electrolytes to help keep us hydrated should we run out of water or want a little bit of variety. MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS POSSIBLESome ideas for hurricane snacks include jerky, pepperoni, nuts and seeds, cheddar chips, fruits, and veggies. TAKE SOME TIME TO PLAN AND ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS
For me, I am testing the waters. I was actually farther from the storm, but decided to come back to my house because I have my husband and cat here along with several electronics I want to save. WHEN THE STORM HITSHere are a few tips to follow when the storm has hit. This could mean that you're trapped due to flooding, your power is out, or you have no water to bathe in. GET MOVING TO PREVENT WEIGHT GAIN
This will keep your heart pumping and facilitate calorie burning to help you maintain your weight loss, even when you're stuck in the house during the storm. SERIOUSLY, DO ANYTHING
you're stuck with! You can learn a new language, how to knit or crochet, or how to write a poem. The possibilities are endless, and you've got a lot of time! CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESSAside from your diet, you need to be sure you are staying clean, dry, and safe when you are without power and water. Instead of wasting water on baths, do what they do in hospitals: take a bath with some baby wipes. They are good enough to keep your baby's bum fresh, so they're good enough to keep you fresh! Invest in some and use them during the storm to keep clean and conserve water. STAY MENTALLY HEALTHY WITH A DAILY JOURNAL
I may not use them on my YouTube channel. Often, I delete videos a few days after I take them. If you don't want to do a video, you can just journal your day or feelings to help you organize your thoughts and keep the scary thoughts away. CONCLUSIONSo, staying fit and healthy during a storm isn't impossible, but it isn't easy either. It will take dedication to stay away from sugary and carb-loaded foods, and it will take motivation to get up and move when you're stuck in one place. But, you will thank yourself when you continue to see the results you were hoping for! LEGAL: All photos are my own or taken from Pixabay, a creative commons website that requires no attribution for photo use.
I started my weightless journey only about a month ago, but I've already experienced great results. For wellness Wednesday this week, I wanted to share this little life update/victory with my blog readers! MY WEIGHTLOSS REWARD | 15 LBSThis time around, I decided that giving myself non-food rewards when I reached my goal would probably make me work harder and try harder when it comes to maintaining a healthy diet and drinking water rather than other, more sugary drinks. For meeting my 15 lb weight loss goal, I decided to purchase myself a new workout outfit to inspire me to hit the gym, or at least to head out for a walk each day. So, as you'll see in the short video I've linked above, I purchased some leggings, which I absolutely love, and a v-neck shirt. I say in the video that the shirt is black, but it's actually dark blue. I clicked on the wrong shirt, so that kind of bummed me out when I picked it up from the store.
I wore the leggings this past weekend. They fit great and so does the shirt. They have an element of comfy compression, which keeps everything in it's place. That's perfect because I want to use them for working out. I wish I would have gotten a sports bra because I really only have one and it isn't worn for workouts, but I wear it around the house a lot. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video and I hope you'll subscribe to follow me on my fitness journey. You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter @gemusiclover. Let me know if you're interested in following me on Snapchat and I will open it up for you to add me! Thanks for checking in with me on this Wellness Wednesday. Hoping you stay fit until next time! |
Details
Categories
All
|