Thirsty Thursday.

That's right, it's Thirsty Thursday! But does that mean you should run as quick as you can to the first cocktail/beer/choice of drink you can get your hands on? I would say probably not. Alcohol is often times a "no-no" for people who are trying to watch their weight or get more fit, and I think I have to agree. However, there are ways you can still enjoy it.

Alcohol triggers overeating. It makes the aromas from food seem more appealing. So when you go get drinks with your girlfriends/buddies before dinner, you end up ordering a bigger meal and then end up eating much more than you normally would. Drinking alcohol also leads to those late night snacks and binges. I know that at least 90% of you all reading this end up going to Taco Bell after a late night out drinking.

Alcohol is packed with calories. It has 7 calories per gram, and that's just the alcohol part. Most drinks are mixed with sugary and sweetened drinks and flavors. One cocktail could end up being around 400 calories!! Here's average calories of some drinks: 5 ounces of red or white wine is 125 calories, 12 ounces of light beer is 100 calories, 1.5 ounces of vodka is 96 calories. Just a few drinks at a night out could end up being 1,500 calories. So if you do decide to get a drink, go for the lower calorie drinks and watch out for margaritas, sugary mixed drinks, mudslides and other sweet cocktails.

So am I saying to stay away from Thirsty Thursdays forever? No! There are ways you can enjoy a drink at dinner and still be on the right track. Here are some helpful hints to make sure you don't overload the calories with drinks.

- Limit yourself to two drinks.
- Avoid the higher calorie drinks.
- Drink water between your alcoholic drinks so you can stay hydrated.
- Sip slowly and take time to finish each drink.
- Try to keep your calorie budget below 200 calories.

So go ahead and enjoy this great Thursday, but be sure to pay attention to what you're drinking so you can make sure to stay

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.

What I Ate Wednesday.

Knowing what to eat while still being healthy can be pretty tough. It was one of the hardest things for me to figure out when I started on this health kick. Snacking was especially hard, I didn't think having snacks was a healthy thing to do. Because of this, I decided I would start a little series of blogs! Each Wednesday I will do a "What I Ate Wednesday" and document my meals and snacks throughout the day. So if you're out there and have NO idea what to eat, you can follow my example if you want or base your days meals off mine!

Breakfast:

I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast every day, which seems boring, but it's easy to make and I know it'll keep me full for around 3 hours. Here's what I ate: Good old fashioned oatmeal! I ate 1/2 cup and then added Stevia and cinnamon for flavor. Also with my oatmeal I ate 2 egg whites and then strawberries. What a YUMMY (and healthy) breakfast!

Lunch:

I mix it up with my lunches so my days aren't too boring! But today I had deli turkey and spinach on 100 calorie orowheat bread thins, 1/4 cup almonds, grapes, and a banana. Doesn't seem like much but it keeps me feel and I snack between meals (I'll list the snacks at the end)!

Dinner:

CHIPOTLE!! That's right, I had Chipotle for dinner, and who doesn't love Chipotle?? Now listen before you go all crazy and load up all the ingredients you can fit in the bowl...you have to eat things like this in moderation. Here's what I got in my burrito bowl: chicken, pinto beans, fajita vegetables, roasted chli-corn salsa, tomato red-chili salsa and romaine lettuce. I checked the nutrition calculator on Chipotle's calculator and my burrito bowl was around 435 calories, not too shabby!

Snacks:

There's lots of different snacks you can eat in moderation and still be healthy. Here's what I snacked on today: 52 pretzel sticks, one low fat honey graham cracker, low fat string cheese and more strawberries!

And that wraps up What I Ate Wednesday! I hope that helps you out when prepping for a days worth of meals. Be sure to keep your meals 

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.

Healthy Sweet Treats.

You read it right! There are such things as healthy sweet treats, and here's one of my favorites. This is a recipe for a healthy take on the beloved Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I'll probably be making this every week because it is so delicious and makes me not miss chocolate so much ;)

Ingredients:

- Chocolate flavored protein powder of your choice (for this I used UNJURY which is also a meal replacement which can be found here)

- Fat free or low fat milk (I LOVE organic milk, so that is what I used)

- Bell Plantation PB2 powdered peanut butter (can be found at your local grocery store)

- Water

Let's get started! First put 7 tablespoons of PB2 and 1/3 cup of water into a bowl and mix until it reaches a creamy consistency.

Next, you will mix one scoop of protein powder and 1/3 cup of milk. You can either do this in a bowl or in a shaker bottle. I mixed mine in a shaker bottle so it was quick and easy!

Next, spoon in the peanut butter mixture into tinfoil muffin wrappers and place in a muffin pan. This recipe only makes about 5, so if you want a bigger serving just add in more ingredients!

After you've spooned all the peanut butter in, you will pour the protein mix on top and let it fall around the sides as well. 

Almost done! Place the pan in the freezer and allow to freeze for 4 hours. Once frozen, allow around 3-5 minutes to thaw and then dig in! It's best if you eat it while it is still chilled or will start to melt and be a bit messy.

And there you have it, a healthy sweet treat! 

So head on into your kitchen and make some of these cups so you can continue to be 

healthy-ish!

Fast Food.

So let's talk about it. Is it ever healthy? If I want to be healthier will I have to never get food out of a window again? These and many others are questions I asked myself when I started this health kick, and the answer I found surprised me. For all you out there wondering, the answer is.....fast food can be okay! Now before you get all excited and head straight to McDonald's and get a Big Mac, you have to know what to eat and start to look at calories before you venture to the drive through. If you're asking yourself if this is legit and if I even know what I'm talking about, the answer is yes. One of my trainers told me that the McDonald's Southwest Chicken Salad was a good meal if you are in a hurry and can't eat at home. I took that information and compared calories and made a list of other fast food meals that would be okay if I was in a rush. So here's my go-to quick meals!

First up is the McDonald's Southwest Chicken Salad I mentioned earlier.

This yummy salad is 330 calories with grilled chicken (always go for grilled!!!) before the dressing. If you're a ranch lover like me and eat it even though you know it isn't the healthy option, you're adding 200 more calories. However, if you choose the southwest dressing the salad originally comes with, you're only adding 150 more calories. 

If salads aren't your thing, then head on over to Chic-fil-A and grab yourself some grilled chicken nuggets. These bad boys are 140 calories for the 8-count and 200 calories for the 12-count. Now I know it is going to be tempting to go to Chic-fil-A and not get their amazing waffle fries, but don't do it!!! You're adding 400 calories just for abmedium fry. Don't fret, there are other side options! You can get a fruit cup for 50 calories, a side salad for 80 calories, or a greek yogurt parfait for 120 calories.

 

We all know Subway can be healthy, but if you start piling up all the not so good for you ingredients on your sandwich, the calories can start to add up. Here's my usual: 6 inch wheat bread with provolone cheese, lettuce, red onions, spinach, avocado and no dressing (which is tough but the best decision if you're watching calories) and all that adds up to be around 320 calories. So head to Subway and experiment and find your own healthy creation. 

(For additional ideas and fast food meals check out this article).

Well I hope that helps you out next time you're in a time crunch and still want to be

healthy-ish!

Workout Gear.

Is buying expensive and fancy workout gear worth it? Before I started working out a lot I was the girl who did every workout in Nike shorts. However, one day I woke up and realized there has to be more out there besides shorts that ride up with every step you take while on a run. Then I found what I had been waiting for...PANTS! Pants were the answer to all of my workout problems. They don't ride up when you're running, they don't get stuck in weird places or start to fall down when moving around a lot, they were everything I needed and more! They are perfect for many different workouts: yoga, weight lifting, cycle, running or even just casual wear! At first I was nervous about wearing pants, especially in the summer because it's so dang hot. But if I'm being honest, it doesn't even feel like I have any bottoms on. So let's talk about what pants do I like and how affordable/pricey they are.

These are one of my favorite pairs of pants. They are thin so you don't feel too hot in them and the bottom colored section is mesh so it's nice and airy down there. I found these at Dick's Sporting Goods and they come in this and one other color and are actually on sale right now for $51!

Check them out here!

If you're looking for something a little cheaper, there's always good workout pants at Target! I like the Champion brand and they offer similar styles as most sporting stores. These are a good pop of color if you like to be colorful at the gym. They have a great material that stay tight and fitted and are lightweight so will help keep you sweat free. 

Get them here and hurry because they are currently only $24.

Warning: the last pant I am about to talk about is a bit pricey, but are a favorite of many. It's the beloved Lululemon yoga pants. Lululemon tends to be expensive, but I think the quality is worth it (these pants will last you a lifetime). These are plain black so you can wear them to the gym or as your daily casual legging. They are also high wasted which a plus in my opinion. The material in Lululemon pants are a soft cotton but somehow don't feel hot and heavy during a workout. These sell for $98 (I warned you!) but in my opinion are worth every dollar.

Check them out here, or browse around and find your own favorite lulu pant.

Here's a few other places where I like to buy pants so check them out! (Click on the name to be directed to their website).

• Under Armour
• Reebok 
• Adidas
• Fabletics

Now get your pants on and head to your workout so we can get

healthy-ish!