Have you ever stuck with a work out program, a diet, or an exercise for a length of time and not been satisfied with the results? Or have you not gotten the same results as your friend?
It can be so frustrating when you think you are doing something good for yourself and you don't see the results you want to see. What works will depend on what you need and your body type. This is just one of the reasons I was so excited to partner with Jen of
Fit for Expecting in an interview session about my own diet, fitness, goals. She was able to help me clearly define my health and fitness goals, pinpoint exactly what I was doing to inhibit me from reaching my goals, and give me some ideas on how to make this a lifestyle.
The first series of questions
Jen sent made me think about things that were health-related that I was in control of. ( i.e. portion size, only doing cardio and not incorporating strength training) This was eye-opening to me because it made me realize that these are things I
can or
cannot do on my own terms. Nothing is keeping me from addressing these issues. She asked me what I wanted to see change and what I thought might work toward those goals.
Then things got personal. She asked questions like:
Are you happy with the way you look?
Are you happy with the way you feel?
What makes you quit/fall off the bandwagon?
It was hard admitting that I'm not entirely happy even though I've been feeling that way for some time now. It was interesting to see me write down the excuses I had for quitting...no excuse is a good excuse. I was embarrassed even to write them. After answering her series of questions, she was able to pinpoint my problem areas, my weaknesses, my goals, and give me some tools to use to achieve them.
"The underlying message that I got from your answers is that you want to feel healthy and be happy with your body. This is a very powerful and DOABLE goal and I recommend that any time you lose focus, you remind yourself of this goal. Everything that you do should support this goal.
To accomplish this goal, you need to really listen to your body. Pay attention to how it feels when you eat/drink certain things and when you are active or inactive. Clue in to what makes it feel good. Do what makes it feel good. Do what makes you feel healthy and happy with your body.
I drafted some resolutions based on all of the information you shared with me. These are of course only my suggestions, so please edit as you see fit. My goal in creating these is to give you resolutions that you CAN achieve. In other words, I want to set you up for success. These are resolutions that you can achieve and that support your overall goal of being healthy and feeling happy with your body.
Resolution 1: Keep a food journal
Record everything you eat and drink and how you feel after. There are several logging options out there, so find one that works for you and stick with it.
Resolution 2: Hydrate!
Keep water with you at all times and drink throughout the day. When you feel hunger pangs, drink water and wait a few minutes to see if your body is actually hungry for food.
Resolution 3: Incorporate vegetables into each meal
Include at least one vegetable with every meal. Try out new vegetables and look for recipes to use them in different ways. This will be a fun and sometimes challenging resolution, but since you enjoy cooking, hopefully it will be a rewarding and enjoyable challenge.
Resolution 4: Find an accountability partner
Share your fitness and nutrition goals with him/her. Since you are a blogger, perhaps you might want to consider sharing them online…putting your plan out there and asking your followers, readers, friends to keep you accountable."
My next few Fitness Friday posts are going to be in response to this; how I'm feeling, what I'm learning about myself, what I'm doing to achieve my goals, etc. I'm really excited about this lifestyle. I've always aimed to be healthy and fit and these tools are going to get me exactly where I need/want to be. I encourage you to contact Jen and check out the Fit for Expecting website. Set yourself up for success, cater your program, be the you you want to be. One of the ways I'm doing this is by eating a salad for at least 1 meal each day so I'm super excited for the
#whatsonyoursalad link up at Kristine's
blog.
I want to share with you an outstanding salad recipe this week:
2-3 leaves kale
1 c. prepared quinoa
1/4 nuts (I used pecans)
1/4 golden raisins (I used cranberries)
lemon to taste
The recipe calls for you to mix 2 T lemon juice with 4 T olive oil, but I honestly find that to be too heavy. I prefer to squeeze 2-3 lemon wedges on a serving before eating. So delish!
Be sure to link up your healthy recipes, fitness motivation, or goals below!