Snacking.

So I fell off the wagon and went on a week or so of not working out and snacking and eating really bad (like lots of queso and Dr. Pepper bad). Oops... But let's be honest, it's going to happen because we are human and sometimes life gets hard. It's easy to stop eating healthy and head straight for your pantry full of snacks like chips, candy and cookies. But once you go off a track, how do you get back on? It's hard. REALLY hard. Here's a few tips that have helped me get back on track and stay away from snacking.

1. Throw out those foods that constantly tempt you. I found that the only way I won't snack on Doritos and Oreos is if I don't have them in the house! It's an easy fix. If you have that one snack that is keeping you from getting back on track and you find yourself binge snacking on it..THROW IT AWAY!  Seems pretty simple right? Because it is!

2. Have a food to fall back on if you do want to snack. There's nothing wrong with getting a little hungry after dinner, but you have to be ready for it. Have some healthy little treats in your pantry. I like chocolate rice cakes, they are yummy and chocolaty and only have 60 calories (which is pretty good compared to 3 Oreos which have 160 calories).

3. Make a routine. If I brush my teeth and floss after dinner, I notice that I am much less likely to snack. It's like that clean mouth feeling is reminding my teeth that they are off duty for the night. So since they are off duty I go for a big glass of water instead!

4. Put your snack on a plate. By doing this, you are giving yourself a limit of how much snacking you can do. DO NOT take the whole bag with you to go sit on the couch and watch tv. Before you know it you will have eaten almost the whole bag in one sitting.

Basically, be prepared. If you're prepared for hunger then you won't end up over eating. Life gets busy and hard and it's easy to snack on the bad foods, but if you're ready for those times then it'll seem easier to pick the good foods and before you know it you will be turning down those foods that used to be your favorites snacks. And then you'll be back on track to getting

healthy-ish.

Spin Class.

Recently I have been really into going to spin class (or cycle, whatever you want to call it), and I am LOVING it. My dad is a biker. He does a race once a week and basically bikes every other day of the week also. I decided I would give it a try because he was always talking to me about it and saying how much he loved it. So I decided I would try it out and see what the hype was all about.

So I said to myself, "I'll try it! Everyone says its so fun, so let's do this!!!" And then walked into the class excited and thinking it would be fun and easy, like a bike around the neighborhood.

But boy was I wrong... The instructor starts the class and by minute 5 I was already panting like a dog and ready to be done when the instructor said "great warmup everyone!" WARMUP?? That was the warmup??? How was I ever going to last another 55 minutes...

After deciding it would be too embarrassing to walk out of the class after only being there for 5 minutes, I gave myself a quick pep talk and decided to keep on pedaling! After the exhaustion left me  and the music playing in the background hyped me up and left me singing along to forget how bad my legs were hurting, I thought to myself "hey look this isn't that bad, I'm getting the hang of it and it's actually kind of fun! 

After the hour was up, I hopped off my bike and walked out of class drenched it sweat, and gave myself I mental pat on the back. I was proud of myself, I had finished it and didn't die. I had accomplished the task that seemed impossible!

I woke up the next morning feeling like I had been hit by a train. NEVER had I been that sore before. Muscles in my legs I didn't even know existed were sore, I could barely walk!

But even though my legs were telling me no, I went back to spin class that evening and did it all over again. I did it for the legs that spin would give me one day!

After all of the soreness and thoughts of "I am never doing this again," I continue to go back to spin. Everyone who told me it was a great workout and that I would love it was right. It's cardio and building your legs up, and sometimes even we get off the bike and lift weights. It's the total package! So if you haven't tried a spin class, hop off the computer right now and head to spin! You will learn to love it just like I did and you'll be one step closer to being 

healthy-ish.

Staying on Track.

I've come to a point in my fitness journey where I am not seeing results at the moment. I'm sure this happens to everyone who is trying to get fit or become more healthy, but it doesn't make it any easier. I feel like I have been working very hard to see a difference and I'm just not seeing any. I bet this is a point where a lot of people get frustrated and down and decide to quit and head back to fast food and not exercising. That would be easy, and I believe that good things in life do not come easy. I always see and hear people say that "it takes 3 weeks for you to notice a difference, 8 weeks for your friends and family to notice, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world." I just changed my diet and exercise routine a week and a half ago, so maybe I am just stuck in the before 3 weeks stage. There's this quote I heard a few years ago and it's stuck with me and challenges me to push myself especially in situations like this... Don't give up what you want most for what you want at the moment. Because at the moment I want to quit and go eat burgers and queso and drink Dr. Pepper, but I really want to see results in the end.

Sometimes it is hard to not feel this way and want to give up on yourself, but here are ways that keep me on track and help me stick to my routines:

1. Take Progress Pictures: I know this seems like a "gym rat" thing to do, but it's encouraging to look back and see how far you've come! I took my first progress pic at the beginning of the summer and before looking back at it I didn't think that I had changed very much, but boy was I wrong! So take a picture, and if you're embarrassed about it don't show anyone. It can just be for your own encouragement. 

2. Find a Workout Buddy: It's much easier to head to the gym when you know you have a friend waiting for you there, and it's also great accountability. You can keep one another on track and encourage each other to workout and eat healthy even when you aren't the mood.

3. Stay Consistent: I find it is easier to hop out of bed and head to the gym in the morning because I have been consistent in going every morning. If I stick to one workout schedule/regimen it isn't as
difficult because I don't have the feeling that I am starting something new and tough.

4. Have a Cheat Meal: Notice I said cheat MEAL, not cheat day!!! I think that cheat meals are a way to reward yourself with a fattening meal or treat without reversing all your hard work and training of that week. (Advice: try to keep your cheat meals 900 calories or under).

AND REMEMBER....

So if you're feeling frustrated and want to quit, DON'T!!! Keep hanging in there and I promise it will be worth it. The hard work is worth when you finally start to feel

healthy-ish.