Yoga.

I used to think yoga was so boring and was a snooze fest. I probably thought this because I had actually never tried it. You know what they say... don't judge a book by its cover. And boy is that a very true quote when it comes to yoga. I didn't know that yoga could be fast paced and actually get your heart rate up. There are different types of yoga, but the one I went to was hard, completely opposite of the nap time I thought it was going to be. Basically this is what I looked like trying the poses for the first time:

Who knew it would be so hard to keep your balance...I sure didn't. 

This all get me thinking, what are the benefits of yoga? There has to be a lot because it seems like everyone is into yoga. So I did some research and here are a few benefits I found.

Yoga reduces stress. Come on, we're college students and we are all stressed so maybe we all need a little yoga in our lives.

Yoga improves sleep patterns. Again, we're in college and we all have messed up sleep patterns. WE NEED SLEEP so therefore WE NEED YOGA.

Yoga boots oxygen flow. And oxygen is very important. 

Yoga can ease chronic pain. I don't have much chronic pain, but if you do, head to yoga!

Yoga increases range of motion, flexibility and balance. By doing more yoga, I won't look like Stitch up there every time.

Yoga can balance your emotions. I'm a girl and have crazy emotions, so yoga could be good for me.

SOOO if you like what you read and you're always jealous of those girls who can do crazy yoga poses on histogram, get out and go try some yoga!!!! It's another way that you can stay

healthy-ish.

Cookies?

As you probably already know, I LOVE cookies. My perfect day would be a day where cookies were healthy and good for you ;) a girl can dream... I was scrolling through youtube the other day looking up different fitness videos and I found this gem. Watch and enjoy:

Cookie Monster said it best, if you walk past a plate of cookies but you know that if you eat one you will go over your calorie intake for the day. So what do you do? You want it, but you must wait!!!

So next time you rrreeeeaaallllly want that cookie, just sing this song to yourself so you can still be 

healthy-ish.

Habits of Healthy People.

The other day I read an article about healthy people and their habits. I read them and thought to myself hmm seems simple, maybe I should replace my not so healthy habits with these.

Here's what they were:

1. They are actively aware of their food choices. At first thought, that seems really simple. And then I realized that most of the time I am pretty aware of my food choices but I just choose to choose the unhealthy option, so that needs to stop soon.

2. Consistently monitor their health. This goes along with watching what they eat but it is also more than that. It's monitoring your heart rate and your workouts. This is something I kind of do, but definitely could be doing a lot better

3. Stay the course even when it's difficult. This one really slapped me in the face. It gets hard and I back out as soon I can and head straight to my comfort food. I have got to STOP doing this asap. If I ever want to get better I have to learn to stay on track.

4. Experiment with new habits. I think I do a pretty good job looking for new things to try and experiment. Whether that be new recipes or new workout routines.

After reading these I decided my new habit should be that I shouldn't settle and never quit trying to improve myself and aim towards a better version of me!! So adopt these habits and maybe even make your own and you can keep on getting

healthy-ish!

Greens.

I am someone who has a hard time eating leafy greens, and everyone out there says you need those and lots of it. It helps keep you full, can give you great skin and hair, is very very healthy and many other great reasons. Well anyways, I'm kinda picky when it comes to veggies and I only like green beans and broccoli. But recently I found a solution for this problem...and it's called green smoothies!!!! I like use a recipe by Kimberly Snyder and she calls it the "Glowing Green Smoothie" or GGS for short. One serving of GGS has over 3 cups of dark leafy green vegetables, which if you didn't know is more than some people get in a week!

So here's what you'll need:

• 1-2 cups very cold, filtered water

• ¾ pound organic romaine lettuce, rough chopped, about 1 head

• ½ head large bunch or small bunch organic spinach

• 3-4 organic celery stalks, halved

• 1 organic apple, cored, seeded, quartered

• 1 organic pear, cored, seeded, quartered

• 1 organic banana, peeled

• ½ fresh organic lemon, peeled, seeded

• bunch organic cilantro with stems 

• bunch organic parsley with stems

And then,

- Place water, romaine, spinach, celery, and optional ingredients, if using, into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid

- Starting the blender on a low speed, blend until smooth.

- Gradually moving to higher speeds Add apple, pear, banana and lemon to the blender and blend until smooth.

Now, I know you're thinking "ew that sounds so gross" and trust me, I thought that too. But I am telling you the truth when I say it actually tastes really good. Like I said earlier, I'm picky and I enjoy this smoothie. So if you are someone like me and don't like to eat leafy greens, MAKE THIS SMOOTHIE!!! It will change your life.

A Little Laugh.

Sometimes life gets hard and going to the gym gets boring, so I like to lighten the mood and look up funny workout gifs. Here's a few of favorites that really seem to be examples of me either in the gym or once I've gone home.

When the weights seem so heavy but in reality it's like 5 pounds.

When you know you need to run but your legs just can't handle another mile.

When you did pushups yesterday and you decide to try them again today.

When you have to workout at home so you teach your dog the workout so he/she doesn't get in your way ;) 

When you finally understand that weird squat you've been trying for a week.

When your workout is over and you're actually feeling pretty good.

See!! Working out can be fun! Next time you're feeling sore and thinking to yourself that no one else has the same problems as you do, just look up workout gifs and you will get to laugh at someone else's pain.

Heart Rate Monitors.

These days it seems like heart rate monitors are all the rage and that you have to get one if you think you're fit. (I'll admit it, I bought into it and I bought myself one). But what's the big deal? And which ones are even good? Great questions :) Here's some great options of different ones.

First we have the apple watch. This is one of the way more pricer options (the cheapest watch starting at $350) but it does a lot more than just check your heart rate.

Next we have the FitBit Charge HR. There are other FitBits out there, but not all of them have heart rate monitors with them. This one is priced around $149.

Jawbone has many products as well, but not all have heard rate options. The one pictured is a Jawbone UP 3 and will cost you around $179.

If you aren't really into wearing things on your wrists, there are many other options out there. You can find some that strap on your chest, some that clip on to your shirt, and with the advancing technology I bet there will be many other options very soon. 

With these you can track your workouts and also your daily heart rate. You can see how many calories you burned during a workout and a lot of them can also tell you how many steps you took throughout the day.

So get on out there and get yourself one of these so you can watch your heart rate and watch yourself get more

healthy-ish.

Holidays.

Man is it hard to stay healthy during the holidays. All your family comes over and everyone seems to bring their own unhealthy food option (mostly pie). It seems impossible to eat clean and not feel like you've gained 300 pounds with each holiday meal. So what's a healthy-ish girl to do??? One thing you can do that will make a big difference is swap out foods. Here's a chart I found on hello healthy that you can follow when enjoying the next big holiday family meal you have.

So next time you're making any of those foods on the left, swap it out for the food on the right and you could end up saving LOTS of calories so you can still call yourself 

healthy-ish.