Breakfast Drinks.

My mom is really into breakfast drinks. Slim Fast, Carnation Breakfast Essentials, and any others that make for a quick breakfast on the go. Since she was always stocking up on these, I thought I would start drinking them since I tend to always wake up late. At first I was loving it. It's yummy and chocolaty, so what could be wrong with it?? Funny that you ask... Let's look at the nutrition label, this is for a Slim Fast.

17 GRAMS OF SUGAR???? For those of you who don't know...that is a lot! So it's kind of weird that these are considered "weight loss drinks" because I don't see how you are aiming to lose weight by drinking 17 grams of sugar just for breakfast. After I learned this information (or actually read the nutrition label), I quickly backed away from the drink. I was a little sad, because this is such a quick breakfast but quick isn't always the best. So now I'm back to eating oatmeal in the morning, which is still semi-quick, but much less sugar. 

So next time you're really loving something and put into daily life, check the label so you can make sure it's 

healthy-ish.

Accountability Partner.

Or as I like to call it an accountabilibuddy. This is a friend who keeps you accountable on your journey to a healthier life. I have an accountabilibuddy and we do many different things to keep each other on track. Here's a few tricks that my buddy and I use.

Workout together. We like to go to the same spin class so we can encourage each other and also to make sure the other actually shows up to the class. Even when on the days when there isn't a spin class for us to go to, we like to go lift weights with each other. Again, so we know the other didn't skip a workout and to make sure we both complete the workout and just wimp out when it gets too hard.

Text each other. We try to text throughout the day and keep each other motivated. In fact, today I told her to text me throughout the day and say "don't you dare eat bad!" The reminders are nice and help keep me on track. Especially when it's been a rough day and I'm very tempted to eat some cookies.

Be open and honest. Having an accountability partner is pointless if you aren't going to be honest with them. When you mess up one day and drink a lot of Dr. Pepper and skip your work out, you need to tell them!! Your buddy is there to encourage and help you, and if you're lying or hiding stuff how are they going to help you?? So just like Honest Abe said, tell the truth always!

Be there for them. If you want someone to be there for you and help you out, you have to do the same thing for them. You will both need each other so be there! Getting healthy is hard and you will need a support system. 

Added bonus: working out together can be a perfect girl time/vent session :) 

Food Through a Window.

Going to the drive through is bad, we all know it and yet we all do it. WHY DO WE DO IT???? It's easy, fast, yummy, cheap and so many other reasons. But let's talk about the not so good things about it. It's packed with empty calories and fat, it leaves you feeling sick, and if you do often the pounds will add up quick.

So let's break up with fast food. I've been trying to avoid eating there unless absolutely necessary, and it is, I pick the healthier option. How do we go about breaking up with fast food?

Make meals before you leave the house. Making food before you leave, or even at the beginning of the week save you time for those days you are so busy you want to cry. When it's made before hand you won't have to be running around the kitchen in a panic trying to whip dinner up really quick. That way, on your way home from work you won't be tempted to stop by and get fast good because you know you have it all made waiting for you at home.

Have a snack in your car/in your desk at work. We all make terrible decisions when we are hungry. So always have a healthy snack with you and then you won't be starving later and end up snacking on a whole bag of chips or cookies. Some snacks I like to keep close are almonds, baby carrots, apple with peanut butter, or trail mix! These will help tide you over until dinner time.

Take the long way. If you're like me and you have awful self-control when it comes to food, do yourself a favor and don't drive by your favorite fast food place. So many times I haven't even been that hungry but I drove by my beloved Chic-fil-a or McDonald's and I headed straight for the line. THIS IS A NO NO! Take a different route, it's as easy as that.

It's time to break up with fast food, and if you're having a hard time doing that just use the over used  break up line "it's not you it's me."

Running.

I've never been much of a runner, actually I think it's fair to say that I used to hate running. But recently I decided that maybe a little bit of running won't kill me. It's great cardio and it's not that bad while watching Netflix. Also running has TONS of benefits.

- Builds stronger bones
- Gives you energy boosts
- Gives you nice legs and core
- Helps you sleep better
- You don't need a gym to run
- Shows your heart some loving!

If you're ever bored on a gloomy day check out run to the finish, she's convinced me to start running!!

Now I'm not saying I am going to go out and run 12 miles a day, but I think aiming for 30 minutes every other day is pretty doable. Doing the same workout over and over again can get pretty boring, so adding in running was a way for me to spice it up a little bit. So if you aren't running at all and are getting bored with your workout regimen, maybe consider adding some running.

So let's get out there and start running so we don't look like the bottom picture ;) and we can stay 

healthy-ish

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.

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.