Clean Eating on a Budget...Is it possible?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hear over and over again I would buy organic, but I just can't afford it. While it is true that organic is more expensive it is totally possible to do this on a budget. There are lots of different tips and tricks you can use to do so.

 

The first tip I must stress is decide what is important to you. Do you want to do 100% organic, just some organic, or nothing organic. You are the only person who is in charge of your health, paying your bills, earning your money and how you want to spend it. Only you can decide these things. My goal is to give you some tips to help you make the decisions that are best for you and your family and how to spend your money.

 

The choice for my family to go organic was not a difficult choice. We started on a journey to live a healthier lifestyle, and this was one simple choice we could make to help us. I have been working on getting our budget just right to eat healthy and organic and to also stay within a reasonable budget. These are some of the tips I employ to help me with this.

 

 

 

 

 

1. Make a budget...and stick to it.

Only you can decide what your budget is. We pay for everything we have in either cash or debit. We do not use credit of any sort for anything we purchase. When my husbands paychecks come in I take cash out of the bank for our groceries. It's simple you know exactly how much you have when you pay in cash. When you run out it is gone. There is no way you can go over budget because once it's gone it's gone. Paying all in cash may not work for you, but it definitely works for us. The most important thing though is stick to the budget you have set for yourself.

 

2. Decide how often you want to shop.

Do you want to go shopping once a month, every two weeks, once a week, every couple of days or everyday? This is completely up to you. I go once a month to stock up on our basics. Every 2 weeks I buy our meats, and once a week to get fresh produce. This is what works for our family and my shopping. You just decide what works best for you and your schedule.

 

3. Make a meal plan...and stick to it.

Just as with tip #1 decide how far in advance you want to plan out your meals. I typically try to plan out a weeks worth of meals. I plan breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2-3 snacks a day (yes we eat a lot and often :) ). Some people just plan out dinners, and some people plan like I do. Once again just decide what works best for you.

 

4. Make a grocery list...and stick to it.

After you make your meal plan look in your refrigerator and cabinets so you do not buy things that you already have on hand. Make a list of what you need for your meal plan, and only your meal plan. When you go shopping only buy the items on your list. Impulse buys will eat up a large portion of your budget.

 

5. Never go shopping hungry

This is pretty simple. Eat before you go shopping that will help keep you from impulse buys. You will be much more likely to want to purchase unhealthy, expensive snacks if you are hungry. This tip will help you stick to your budget and meal plan.

 

6. Buy in bulk

Figure out the basics, and what you eat the most of in your household. These items are best to buy in bulk and always have on hand. There are some items in my house that only I will eat so I do not buy a lot of them. Then there are things that we use everyday that I buy a lot of. There are also some items that while I may not use everyday it is still cheaper to buy them in bulk. I can either freeze some of it, split with someone else, or donate it to someone. Things like organic flour, organic coconut sugar, organic honey etc... I do not use everyday, but I always have on hand. I try to buy a large quantity of this. Organic coconut oil, organic oatmeal, organic cage free eggs and things like this I use pretty much everyday. So I always have a large quantity of this on hand. I also try to use fresh herbs if possible, but if not I use organic spices. Typically most organic spices are about $4-$5 for a bottle. While that may seem like a lot for spices it really is very cheap. I use them in a lot of recipes and they last for quite a while. It ends up being very cheap for me in the long run. So look at what you use a lot, and buy those things in bulk.

 

7. Meal prep

This tip helps me save time and money. When I buy things in bulk like fruits, veggies, meats or grains I go ahead and prep them for the week. I will cut up my fruits and veggies. Typically things are cheaper if you buy them in bulk. Rather than just buying 1-2 apples it is cheaper to buy an entire bag. Choose one day during the week that works best for you to meal prep and use this day each week. I know not everyone likes leftovers so probably cooking up meat at the beginning of the week would not work for you. If you do not mind then buy a large quantity of the meats you like and cook them up at the beginning (or whatever day works for you) of the week. Meal prepping also helps you on those nights that you just do not feel like cooking. It helps keep you from going out and buying an expensive unhealthy meal at a restaurant.

 

8. Skip convenience

This one took me a little while to get accustomed to. I was buying fresh fruits and vegetables, but I would get the ones that were already cut up. This saved me so much time, and was so much easier for me. However, I was spending double sometimes triple the price for a smaller amount of food. For instance, I would buy a prepackaged container of watermelon for $9. Which is less than half the amount of a watermelon. Or I could buy a whole watermelon for $3 and cut it up myself. So skip the precut fruits and veggies and do it yourself. It will take a little more time, but it will save you lots of money. You also get more product for a lower price.

 

9. Skip prepackaged

One big thing that helped me in my journey to getting healthier was cutting out processed foods. Once again like the previous tip skip convenience here. You may be very tempted to buy a premade frozen lasagna, but skip it. Trust me you can make a homemade one for half the price and it is much healthier. Skip the boxed meals, prepackaged lunchables, frozen entrees etc...Skip all of the processed meals, and do it yourself. You will save yourself loads of calories, sodium, fat, unhealthy preservatives, and tons of money by doing it yourself. If you take the amount of money you are spending on prepackaged processed foods you could easily buy plenty of fresh fruits, veggies, whole organic grains, and organic grass-fed meats.

 

10. Decide what you want organic

Make the decision of whether you want all organic, a certain percentage organic or nothing organic. A good way to get some organics in your diet, and to save money is to stick to the clean 15/dirty dozen list. There is a list of the produce with the most pesticides that you should buy organic, and some that do not matter as much. So if you cannot go completely organic try to stick to this list as much as possible.

 

 

 



11. Shop around

Do not just stick to one store, and think that is the price you have to pay for everything. Do some research. Go to farmers markets, local healthy food stores, join a food co-op or CSA, compare prices in your local stores. I know which stores in my area have the best organic sections. I typically shop Publix, Aldi (they do not have a ton, but they do have some organics), Earth Fare, Sam's Club (or Costco), Whole Foods, Trader Joes, our local health food store and the farmers market. I do not go to all of these places in one day, but I know in advance what I want from each store. So find the best stores in your areas for a good selection of organic. Go berry picking or apple picking.

 

12. Shop sale items

When you make a list of the stores you like to shop pay attention to their sale ads. Sign up for their emails, get a card for that store, sign up for their coupons etc... I just received an email from Earth  Fare that you can get 2 pounds of organic strawberries for $3. You cannot even get non-organic for that price. Now we eat a lot of strawberries so that is an awesome deal for us. If you pay attention to the stores sales you can get some great deals. Whole Foods is generally more expensive, but they do run sales. They come out with coupons, and sale items. Pay close attention to the sale items from your favorite stores. It can save you lots of money.

 

13. Utilize leftovers

This one was also hard for us to get used to. We would never eat leftovers, but now we eat them a lot. If you made a big batch of brown rice for dinner eat it for breakfast the next day. Make something new with the leftovers. Take the leftovers for lunch one day. Have a leftover night for dinner. Everyone can choose what they want to eat. If you made a big batch of spaghetti one night (I know I always make way too much spaghetti) with some leftover chicken, homemade pasta sauce and some organic cheese. Do not throw that food away. If you made a large lasagna freeze half of it. etc... Do not be afraid of leftovers. Definitely use them.

 

14. Stop eating out

I hear people all of the time say "I cannot afford to eat organic foods", but then I see that same person going out to eat. They do not think twice about spending $40-$60 on one unhealthy meal out, or eating a $5 lunch out everyday, grabbing that $6 specialty coffee every morning etc...I bet if you looked at your budget most people easily spend $100-200 a month (usually more) on eating out. Take this money and put it into your grocery budget, and you could eat much healthier. I am not saying you should ever eat out, but limit it to special occasions. If you are meal planning, utilizing leftovers, and meal prepping bring lunch to work is much easier.

 

15. Shop in season

When foods are in season they are cheaper. I really love avocados, and want to eat them year round. Now when they are not in season I have paid $3-4 for one avocado. When they are in season I can find them anywhere from $.50 to $1. So learn what foods are in season at what times, and buy those foods.

 

 

16.  Less, better Meat and dairy

Meat and dairy are two things that I prefer to buy organic. I look for organic grass-fed on both. Of course the price of these are going to be much higher. To save costs do not eat these everyday. Go meatless 1-2 (or more) times a week. There are plenty of ways to get protein in that do not involve eating meat. When we do dairy I only get full fat organic (milk, cheese, butter, yogurt etc...). We also do not eat this everyday. Look for dairy alternatives. Rice milk, coconut milk, almond milk etc... are all good options. You can also learn to make these homemade. Get higher quality dairy and meats to eat a few times a week, and the other times go meat free.

 

17. Homemade is best

As I said skip the prepackaged items. Instead go homemade. Instead of buying a $5 box of organic granola bars make your own. Chances are you have most if not all of the ingredients already on hand. Make your own peanut butter (super easy), homemade bread, invest in a dehydrator and make your own trail mix with dried fruits, make your own jerky, make a big batch of homemade pasta sauce, make fresh pasta etc... Most of these things are not hard to make, and most people have most if not all of the ingredients already on hand.

 

18. Coupons

It is hard to find organic coupons, but it is not impossible. You just have to be willing to put a little effort into it. As I said previously I get coupons from certain stores emailed to me. Occasionally there are organic coupons in Sunday's paper. Common kindness also has some great organic coupons. http://www.commonkindness.com/

 

19. Grow your own

If you are able to grow your own food. Look for non-GMO seeds. Even if you do not have a large space you can try to create a small herb garden.

 

20. Do not overbuy

Remember that strawberry deal I mentioned earlier well we eat a lot of strawberries so it is good for us. If you do not eat a lot then I would not go and buy 6 pounds of them just because it was a good deal. Pay attention to what you enjoy eating. If you find that you are throwing away a lot of a certain type of food then it is simple buy less of it. It may be cheaper to buy a 5 pound bag of potatoes, but if you are only using 2 or 3 and throwing the rest away then only buy 2 or 3 at a time. I guarantee you that those 2 or 3 will not be more expensive than the whole bag, and you are not being wasteful.

 

21. Buy a freezer

We invested about $150 in a big chest freezer. I suggest you do the same. It is a lot at one time, but it is worth the money in the long run. If you buy bulk in produce, meats etc... then you can freeze what you are not using right away. Make large batches of things like sauces, breads, lasagnas, enchiladas etc... and freeze half or more of them. It is worth it in the long run. Especially if you are shopping seasonally. In the fall you can purchase squash when it is in season and freeze it, and then eat it year around. You also can purchase large quantities of frozen fruits and vegetables.

 

22. Stick to the outside

Try to stay away as much as possible from the aisles of the store. Stick to the outer areas, fresh produce, meats and dairy.

 

23. Drink more water

Do you know how much money you are spending on your sodas, energy drinks, specialty coffees, teas and juices? I bet that it is a large amount of your budget. If you are drinking water (and I don't mean the prepackaged bottle water you purchase, that is just a waste of your money) then you are saving yourself a lot of money and empty calories. If you would like to drink something else try making your own juice, buy tea bags and make your own tea, you can even make your own specialty coffee drinks if you do not want to give them up.

 

24. Do it with family and friends

Involve your family and friends in your shopping. You all can go in together on foods. Buy that 5 pound bag of potatoes and split them up, buy bulk in organic meats and split that up, go in on produce together to split up. Have a weekly night where you get together with family and friends and meal prep together. Each person can bring different ingredients (an equal amount for everyone so nobody is spending more than another person), and you all cook together then split up what you've made.

 

25. Buy local

This is one of the best ways to eat healthy on a budget. You can help stimulate the economy in your local area by supporting local farmers as well as getting the freshest foods around.

 

26. Social media

Make sure you follow your favorite brands and stores on social media. You can find out different promotions, receive coupons, samples etc... on their page.

 

27. Portion control

Make sure you are eating the correct portions of your foods. Portion distortion is a huge problem in America today. If you are eating the proper amount of food you will be much healthier. You also will spend less money because you can buy smaller portions of things.

 

28. Buy online

You can find a lot of organic products on Amazon. You can also join Green polka dot box (which is an online membership site like Sam's or Costco) http://www.greenpolkadotbox.com/ 

 

29. Stop wasting food

Raw nuts and flours should be kept in the refrigerator to last longer without going rancid.

Line your refrigerator’s crisper drawer with paper towels to absorb excess moisture. They’ll absorb excess moisture which will help keep produce longer.

To repel bugs, place a bay leaf in containers of rice, flour and pastas.

Buy and keep bananas separated from one another, they spoil slower.

Turn almond butter, yogurt, sour cream, tahini and cottage cheese containers upside down when stored in the fridge – this creates a vacuum seal, keeping them fresh longer

Do not throw away nut meal from homemade nut milk – use it for smoothies, baked goods like biscotti or to make nut flours by placing the pulp on a baking sheet and drying it out in a 250 degree oven or dehydrator.

Repurpose vegetable pulp from juicing to add fiber to soups, smoothies or make crackers or bread.

Placed limp celery, baby carrots and radishes in water with a slice of potato to make them crunchy again.

Keep all organic citrus fruits in the fridge – they will last up to 1-2 weeks longer.

Do not wash organic dark leafy greens or berries until they are ready to consume.

Store herbs, spring onions, asparagus upright in a large glass filled with an inch of water

Learn tips and recipes on how to use over the edge food. For examples, panzanella with stale bread, and banana bread with overripe bananas.

If you know you will not have a chance to eat it, freeze food before it goes bad.

Choose to eat less, use a smaller plate to help you control the amount of food you might eat or end up wasting.

Compost all food waste to put nutrients back in your garden (you will spend less on fertilizer).

 

30. Purchase the whole thing

If you are looking for a away to save money on organic meats look into purchasing the whole animal. I have never done this, but I know some people that do. They will go in with other people or they will freeze parts of the animal.

 

 

 

 

 

These are the tips that I have for eating organic on a budget. If you have anymore please feel free to add them to the comments. I am always looking for ways to save money especially on healthy foods.

 

 

Strength Sunday

Todays strength post is not about a specific workout, but rather where you gather your strength from. I think this is very important not only in your fitness/health life, but in your everyday life. We all have those days where we just feel as if we cannot do anything. In those times we need to look inside and see where we get our strength from. What is it that keeps us going?

Everyone has something different that drives them and gives them strength. I have several things. First for me I gain my strength from my faith in God. I know that I am able to do even the things that I find the most difficult through my faith. This makes the impossible seem possible. Things may not always work out exactly how I want and when I want, but they will always work out. When I feel as if I can't go on I turn to God, and then I get my strength to keep going.

I also gain strength from my family. I want to be a good role model for my children, as I have said many times. They need to see that I always have the strength to get up and do it again. I do not want to make promises and then break them. I do not want to disappoint my family. I want to be their inspiration, and help give them strength. I know I can get up and do it because they are all rooting for me to. With my family by my side I know I can achieve anything.

 

 

 

I also gain strength from myself. I think inner strength is beautiful. You should always believe you can do it, and somehow you will. I have struggled with this for a long time. I am doing this for me. I am getting healthier for me. I have the strength inside me to keep going. Nobody can ever take that away from me. When I feel down I just look inside, and tell myself yes I can do it!

 

 



So there are a lot of things that give me strength. Some things that I did not mention, but these are my main three. What gives you strength? How do you keep going when you want to just give up?

Role Model

I know this is not health/fitness related, but I have been thinking about this a lot. Although I think happiness is a huge part of health. What type of person do you want your children to look up to? I do not know about you, but there are a lot of "role models" out there that I do not want my children to even see let alone look up to. Obviously my ideal role model for our children would be us, their Mommy and Daddy. Right now at such a young age this is true, but what happens when they get older? I most certainly do not want them looking up to Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus. That would be horrifying if they were my children's role models. So what do you look for in a person that makes you think yes he/she would be an excellent role model for my children? I think honesty, hard work, dedication, kindness, loyalty, and fairness are just a few of the qualities I would like in a role model for my children.

I will never force my own beliefs on my children. Yes their Daddy and I are both Christian, and the hope is that they will be as well. However, I cannot force that belief on my own children. I can raise them and teach them the things that their Daddy and I believe in, but in the end it is their own decision to make. Also their Daddy is a Republican (although he says he leans more to a Libertarian) and I am a Democrat (yes I am a Liberal Christian we do exist :) ). So which way is right for our children? Well again that is up to them. All we can do is share with them what our beliefs are and teach them right from wrong. When they are older they can make those decisions for themselves. I think that is one thing that is wrong everyone has their own beliefs and gets so upset when someone else  does not believe the same way that they do. Well I am just as entitled to my beliefs as you are, and I am not changing yours so why try to change mine. The same thing is true with my children. I may disagree with some decisions they make in the future, but those are their mistakes to make not mine. I have definitely made some mistakes in my past.

Ok so I got a little off topic there, I tend to do that a lot. So how do I make sure my children are surrounded with the role models I would like them to be. I think first off it starts at home. Their Daddy and I need to make sure we are displaying all the qualities we would want them to be surrounded with. Also the people that are in our lives and have contact with our children should have those same qualities. I can say that I think my husband and I and our family and friends all have those qualities. I would love for any of my family and friends to be a role model for my children. One important thing I must mention here is that I do not have all the same beliefs as all of these people, but I love the fact that our children are surrounded by a diverse group of thinkers. They can be exposed to other views on things, and know that there is nothing wrong with them if they do not agree with us, and that we will still love them. Because we love each and every one of the people that I would love to be their role models. Even the one's we disagree with :)

As far as "famous" people go I honestly cannot think of a lot of people I would want my children to look up to. Can you? Please leave me a comment with someone you would want your kids to look up to. So how do I "protect" them while not sheltering them? I do not want them to live a life where they do not know anything other than what they were raised with. I think it is important that they know about other cultures, religions, lifestyles etc...(Yes that is the liberal in me speaking :) ), but I also do not want them exposed to too much. It is a fine line. Whoever said this parenting thing was easy was a liar. It is tough everyday to keep our kids safe and innocent as long as possible while still trying to teach them right from wrong. Here is an example when the school shooting at Sandy Hook happened my oldest son was in kindergarten. Obviously this terrified me since most of the children were kindergarteners. I vividly remember hysterically crying when I picked my son up from school that day. He said Mommy what is wrong. I could have easily told him nothing Mommy is just upset and shielded him from knowing about that, but I told him what happened. To me with him being in the setting 5 days a week that this happened in I thought it was important that he knew. We explained what happened, and what he should try to do if he ever hears anything like that happen at his school (that is probably one of the hardest sentences I have ever written. I am crying just thinking about that). Yes it may have been too much to tell our 5 year old about, but we thought it was important for him to know. There are lots of things in this world that I shield them from. It is a tough decision everyday to decide what we should expose them to, and what we should not expose them to. In the end only you as parents can make that decision.  See I am getting off topic again.

Anyway I think in the end what I am trying to say is try to surround yourself with people you would want your children to be like. If there is a person I would not want them to be like then I do not have them around my children. We cannot control our children's lives, but we can try to make the best positive influences that we possibly can. Raise them with the beliefs and values that you see fit, but in the end realize they are their own person and they should be able to make their own decisions just as you have. I'm not saying those decisions won't break your heart sometimes, but just love them and be there for them when they need you always.

I hope I did not ramble too much for all of you. I would love any insight, tips, comments you may have. I am perfectly fine if you disagree with me. Tell me about it. As I said we are all entitled to our own opinions. I would love to hear yours.

Whatever works...

I am an advocate for strength training and clean eating. In all my years of trying to get healthy this is the only thing that has ever worked for me, and actually stuck. I think it is important for me to continue this lifestyle for the rest of my life. I look forward to helping my children live healthy lives, and anyone that I may inspire in the process....but...the same thing may not work for you. I am a firm believer that part of living a healthy life is also living a happy life. Yes you can eat clean and strength train, but if you are not happy while doing it then this is not the program for you. I think what is important is that you get yourself happy and healthy. Whichever route you take is completely up to you. I read things all the time knocking this and that, but if someone is trying why would you knock them. I do not like cardio, but I am not going to knock it. It works for a lot of people. I do not count calories, I wrote a post about that the other day, because eating clean wholesome foods I really do not need to, but if that is what works for you then by all means do it. We should all be supporting each other in our efforts to get healthy, and not knock someone down because they are not doing the same way we are (off topic, but that is how I view everything in life by the way). Everyone is different, our circumstances are different, budget is different, values are different, goals are different, availability to foods equipment is different, knowledge is different, health is different, and motivation is different. So if you come across someone trying to get healthy, even if it is not how you "think" they should do it, applaud them for their efforts and offer support and encouragement. If they ask for your advice then by all means give it to them, but never say this is what you need to do because that is not your place to decide that for them. I have been telling about my journey on this blog through what has worked for me. I hope I will inspire some people, that is my whole point in creating this blog. If you follow the plan I am doing, which I am by no means a personal trainer or nutritionist, I am more than happy to encourage you and offer support and motivation for whenever you need it. Also if you decide to follow your own path to getting healthy I am more than happy to encourage you and offer support and motivation for whenever you need it. I think that is one thing that has made me successful is by surrounding myself with people that love, encourage and support me through everything. So if you do not have a person in your life doing that for you you need one. If you cannot find one then message me and I am always here to lend a hand. The point is find something that works for you and makes you happy and make that a success in your life.

Sweat it out!

I must admit I used to hate it when I would even get one drip of sweat. I thought it was so gross. I did not want to go outside because I was afraid I would get sweaty. If I did ever try to work out I would stop when I started to get sweaty. Who wants to be covered in sweat? It just seems so gross. Now I love it!! If I have a workout and I do not break a sweat I feel like I did not workout hard enough. I need to go do some more to get a good sweat going.

Sweating has a lot of health benefits. Sweat consists primarily of water, as well as concentrations of sodium and chloride, and to a lesser extent, potassium. There are two types of glands involved in sweating: eccrine and apocrine. Eccrine glands trigger perspiration to keep our core temperature regulated, while apocrine glands release sweat as a response to nerves or stimulation, such as exercise. In addition to the aforementioned ingredients, sweat from apocrine glands may contain proteins and fatty acids.

Sweating is your body’s natural way of providing a high-tech cooling system

Skin is considered the largest organ in or on the body and it’s vital to take care of it

In conjunction with proper washing, sweat can produce soft & supple texture of the skin

Improves tone & flexibility of skin

Critical factor in the body’s hydration process

Essential in the process of removing toxins from the liver, kidneys & the cardiovascular system

Is the body’s natural process of cleansing & washing skin pores

Serves as one of the body’s many indicators

On a small scale can burn calories in conjunction with traditional training

Improves circulation

Helps boost the body’s immune system

Triggers your body to work harder to compensate & adjust

When you exercise and sweat, endorphins are released to lower your stress levels and brighten up your mood.

When you sweat make sure you wash your face to unclog the pores from it.

So go do something now that makes you sweat. I bet you will feel great afterwards!

 

I love strength training!!

I  have always heard that to lose weight you should increase your cardio. I joined the gym in February, however, I did not actually start going until March. My intentions were to go in and do cardio. I was going to use the elliptical and stationary bike. I have never really done strength training before, and I was very intimidated by it. Seeing all these men and women in shape who look like they know what they are doing is very intimidating. I actually did not want to do it at all. We signed up to work with a personal trainer, which was very scary and exciting for me. The philosophy of the program absolutely no cardio just strength training. I was happy that I would have someone there telling me what to do. I was nervous about my first session. I found out how much I really like strength training, and I actually HATE cardio. I try to get some cardio in because it does help to burn a lot of calories quickly, but the majority of my fitness routine is my strength training. The thing about cardio is yes it does burn a lot of calories really quickly, but as soon as you step off the cardio machine or stop running etc...you stop burning calories. With strength training you do not burn as many calories while doing it, but your body will continue to burn calories for up to 36 hours after your workout. That is much more appealing to me for sure. Strength training builds lean muscle which increases our metabolism, and you will continue to burn more calories each day. By speeding up metabolism you will burn more fat. The goal should be to burn fat and gain lean muscle, which you will not get from cardio alone.

I hear all the time "oh you do strength training you are going to get bulky". That is false. Most average women will not get bulky from strength training. That usually happens when women start taking supplements. Compared to men, women have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones that cause muscle hypertrophy. You will, however, develop muscle tone and definition. This is a bonus. So do not worry about getting big and bulky!

Unlike cardio, strength training is a great way to set positive, motivating goals that will keep you going to the gym week after week, month after month, and year after year. And, not to mention, allow you to achieve the body transforming results you’re after. Don’t focus on going to the gym just to burn fat and calories. Set performance goals and adjust your strength training program accordingly. I have set several goals for myself. I have never been able to do a pull up. This is a big goal for me. I want to be able to increase my weights on all the machines I do. It is a great feeling going in and doing an exercise with ease that was hard for me the week before. I was intimidated by the other people in the gym, but now all I am not worrying about them. The only person I need to be better than is me from yesterday. Strength training is also a good stress relief. There have been several times where I said I don't want to go to the gym today it is just a bad day. After getting my workout in though I always feel much better.

I loved working out with my trainer. He was awesome. He helped give me confidence, and helped me kick start my new fit lifestyle. We are no longer working with him because it was no longer cost effective. He helped set me up for success. Last week was the first week of not working with him. The problem is I started to feel unconfident and intimidated again. I have been doing these workouts for 4 months with him, but I felt like I did not know anything. Thankfully my wonderful husband is working out with me. He helps me with my workouts, and is helping me gain my confidence again. I feel like I do not know what to do, and as soon as he tells me I think yes I know this. I really enjoy working out with my husband, and hope we continue to workout together. I do, however, want to stop relying on him. I know the exercises I just need to get my confidence back up. I need to stay out of my head and focus on my strength training again.

 

 

I do some cardio to help burn quick calories, but I think that my main focus will stay on strength training. I have been building muscles in my body that I did not even know that I had. So try to incorporate strength training in your routine. Trust me you will not regret it. It has changed my life for the better.

 



H2O Love...

I always hear you should drink 8 glasses of water a day. I had trouble just getting those in every day. It would be 2 in the afternoon before I realized I had not drank anything all day. Then I would reach for soda and not water. No wonder I always felt thirsty. I felt hungry constantly so instead of trying to drink more I would eat snacks, snacks and more snacks. Water is the key to health. My husband always makes fun of me because I talk about water all the time. He says I treat it like a miracle drug...in essence it is nature's wonder drug. Water can do amazing things for our bodies. Did you know that your body cannot tell the difference between hunger and thirst? I didn't. I would reach for those snacks when really I should have been reaching for the glass of water that I let sit on the table all day. Did you also know that our bodies are made up of 60% of water? So when we are affecting the performance of our bodies by not rehydrating it. Dehydration can make us feel sluggish, hungry, have headaches, feel bloated, and feel grumpy and confused. There is one simple solution to cure all of these DRINK WATER!!!! Water can help flush toxins out of our bodies so we feel less bloated. Drinking a glass of water can help us concentrate and feel refreshed and alert. By drinking more water we will eat much less.

I drink at least a gallon of water everyday. I do not drink anything else during the day except an occasional cup of hot tea, which has water in it :)  I went from drinking almost no water to 16-24 glasses a day. The days that I workout really hard are of course the days I get more water in. Some things that have helped me up my intake. I drink at least 8 ounces of water as soon as I wake up in the morning, I always keep a glass of water beside my bed. Before each meal I eat I drink at least 8 ounces of water about 30 minutes before, I eat 4-5 meals a day. I drink at least 8 ounces before going to bed each night, remember when I said I always keep a glass of water beside the bed. So far we are up to at least 6-7 glasses of water just by doing these simple steps. If I get up to use the restroom during the night, which trust me you will if you are drinking this much water, I drink some more water before lying back down. Of course while I am working out I always have a bottle with me. Typically I can drink 3-4 right after a workout. I try to never go anywhere without bringing my water bottle with me. That way I always have it so if I feel thirsty it is right there with me. If I get cravings during the day and feel hungry I will drink at least 8 ounces of water and wait 30 minutes. If I still feel hungry then I will go ahead and eat a snack, a good healthy snack of which I will usually drink some water with. If I do not feel hungry still then I was just thirsty, remember our bodies cannot tell the difference. I have a Rubbermaid bottle that is 32 ounces, so if I drink 4 of them then that is 1 gallon, 128 ounces. I try to make sure I have at least 1, 32 ounces drank before lunch, then at least 1 more before eating my snack, then at least 1 more before dinner, then at least 1 more before going to bed. So that will give me a gallon a day without adding in the water I drink at bedtime, or working out etc...So yes my husband makes fun of me for my love of water, but he knows how great water can be. Water intake is really dependent of the size of a person and the activity level. Take your body weight and divide by 2. That is the number of ounces you should at least be getting in everyday. Of course drinking more than that is going to be even more beneficial to you especially if you are a very active person. So go grab a glass now and DRINK, DRINK, DRINK!!!!

The scale is not my friend

I have a love hate relationship with my scale. I love when I see the numbers go down, but when they don't change I get so frustrated with myself. Fortunately since I have been on my journey over the last few months I really have not seen them go in the wrong direction, but sometimes I do not see it change fast enough. I was weighing myself like 5 times a day every day. I was becoming obsessed with it. So I decided a few weeks ago to stop weighing myself. I am trying to tell myself the scale does not matter. I am trying to focus on my NSV's (non scale victories). I think as women we are taught that thin is beautiful. So we focus so much on being that small size and small number in order to be pretty. It is ingrained in us as young girls. It is a hard cycle to break. Healthy is what is beautiful not skinny. The number on the scale is just a number on the scale. My goals began as wanting to be a specific number, but I am learning that really does not matter to me. These other things I am accomplishing are far more important. I hope that my daughter never worries about what the number on the scale says. I want to teach her from a young age that she is beautiful and strong. It does not matter her size. What is important is that she is healthy. The best way for me to do that is to lead a good example for her. I don't want her to see me worrying about my number on the scale. I want her to see me eating healthy foods and living an active healthy lifestyle.