My Health Epiphany!

I believe this has been a long time coming, at least for the last few months! But this weekend (after reading this months SELF!) it all finally clicked; the whole happy weight thing. Lately I've been worried that when I have kids, I'll try to count their calories & start a bad cycle with them! That actually freaked me out quite a bit! I can't really think of a way to describe my realization! I'll try to make a list of my new healthy strategies! Maybe that'll help....

• I've said this before, but try to leave a few bites on your plate! Even if the food isn't very healthy, every little bit counts!
• MOVE! Working out is important, but I've learned from experience that working out too much can make you eat more. Totally counter intuitive! Cutting back on the feel the burn, make you sweat kinda workouts can help, its important to work movement into your life. Walk to work, to the store, start taking nightly walks or bike rides with friends and family! ALWAYS take the stairs. You get the idea.
• Work fruits and veggies in as much as possible, ideally at every meal.
• When eating out try to take off part of the bun to your sandwhich/burger, or pick mayo OR cheese, go diet or better yet good old h20! Try making easy changes to your favorite fast food orders, eat slowly & enjoy!
• I've also talked about eating slowly, I found it really hard to do until I read an article in the new SELF about mindfulness! That did the trick for me so check it out!

That's what I'm working with now, hopefully combining all that will help me find my happy weight! No more counting calories or anything crazy diet wise. Actually I'm banning the word diet! The word itself makes me cringe now. If you have any tips & tricks PLEASE let me know! I really want to hear from readers!!!!

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." -Helen Keller

Good luck guys,

Ash

Healthy Eating Goals for this week!

I got this weeks goals, again from a magazine! I'm kinda obsessed! But, these are awesome ideas!

1. Eat more protein-it keeps you full longer!
2. Eat at least 5 grams of fiber at every meal.
3. Leave at least 3 semi-large bites of every meal on your plate. (With normal portions of course.) This can save about 50 calories per meal, which totally adds up over time.

I'm pretty excited about this, sometimes I forget about the 3 bite rule, I've done it before, but it just hasn't stuck. This is a requiring problem for me, I haven't written in my food journal all weekend, and its been an unhealthy weekend. Well, not that bad, but pretty bad! I'm also going to keep up with the food journal as much as possible!!!! Its hard for me, but if I keep at it, and don't stress too much I'll be MUCH better off!

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." -Les Brown

Luck all around!~Ashlee

Finally in Control!

I'm celebrating a little because I finally feel in control of my eating! I feel so balanced with healthy foods and treats! Its an amazing feeling!!!! And I've kept up with writing in my food journal, I did miss a meal or 2 yesterday, but other than that I've made sure its all in there every night. Tonight I had McDonald's, and chocolate! And twizzlers at school, only 2 though. Normally this would be close to freaking me out, if not totally freak me out! But I feel great! Gotta love it! (And I highly recommend the new Bliss Dark Chocolate! 6 pieces are 200 calories! That's awesome considering I can only eat about 3 pieces at a time and I've fulfilled my chocolate craving!)

I haven't weight myself yet this week, and I'm almost looking forward to tomorrow morning in hopes that I've actually hit the 150s again! And this time I'm staying there, but only for a few weeks, then I'll be in the 140's and I'll NEVER look back!

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go." -Oscar Wilde (Which are you?)

Live Laugh Love!!!!

Goes good till 5!

What I mean by the title is I seem to be on a major health track until dinner, then I eat at least an extra half a serving of everything! And then from there I snack a lot, I am a victim of night time munchies. Granted I have probably cut my munching in half, and I'm still coming in under 2,000 calories most days. Maybe I'm coming in too far under 2000 calories since I'm working out hard with track practice everyday?

I have kept up with my food journal this week-I think its because I've made it less of a hit or miss thing. Making it less stressful has made it easier in the long run. Check websites like these:

• self.com: for calorie counters, recipes, an online food log, forums, and tons of other workout and health stuff!
• shape.com: for workouts and health related calculators, like BMI, calories burned in a workout, etc.
• fitnessmagazine.com: recipes, workouts (build a workout video!), tons of articles, a printable food log, calorie counters for workouts and foods, create your own diet plan, and a special "see yourself 20lbs thinner" visual motivation tool!
• fitsugar.com: its a blog with many posts each day on workouts, equipment, celeb workout tips, food info, etc. This website also has printable food & workout logs!

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Think ahead. Be clear about your goal. Plan to make it real." -Dr Pamela Peeke!

Ashlee

My quick and healthy Bean Salad!

Wow, the last 2 weeks have been a blurr! So to be as healthy as possible while I'm running around like a madwoman 24/7, I came up with this: I'm not sure where I got the idea for a bean salad, probably a magazine or blog I read, but it sounded easy and healthy (not to mention cheap!) So I googled some "bean salads" and read through a lot of recipies for ideas. So I bought a can of chickpeas, & kidney beans, then neading veggies and flavor I found a can of diced tomatos with onions and herbs only (40 calories) and bought a cucumber to chop up. When I got home I opened them all up, rinsed them and drained them, ya ya, chopped up the cucumber and found my olive oil and lemon juice, threw it all together in a bowl. To finish it off I tossed in some random spices & herbs, like garlic & onion powders, salt, etc. Only problem is I added salt to canned beans and tomatos, so it was a little too salty. But final result is a really healthy salad! I figured a fourth of the bowl would be about 250 calories, and I probably ate an eighth of the bowl!



“If you lose your wealth, you have lost nothing,If you lose your health, you have lost something,But if you lose your character, you have lost everything.” -Woodrow Wilson (very wise! Proves that being healthy means a lot in life, but you can't stress over your health! Double negative people!)

Love, Ash!

Do you eat breakfast?

So this week hasn't worked out as well as I hoped! I've ate out a lot and its been very stressful and busy. Not a healthy week! But I have not failed to eat breakfast everyday despite all the craziness! Read on for my breakfast tips and tricks!

I've read numerous articles about how important breakfast is for weight loss & your metabolism, and even your concentration levels throughout your day. I hate going without breakfast, but I realized that what I was eating wasn't exactly healthy. The guidelines I use for breakfast are...

1. At least 300 calories


2. At least 5 grams of fiber


3. At least 10 grams of protein


4. When in doubt (or short on time) go for oatmeal (check fiber) or cereal and add fruit


5. Milk does wonders for the body-go 1% or skim


6. Eat within an hour of waking up


7. Try Luna Sunrise bars! They are fantastic!


8. Or FiberOne bars or yogurts-also fantastic!


9. Nuts & smoothies are healthy options! Just be careful of the calories-both can be higher in calories than you'd think! (Best bet is to make your own smoothie with lots of fruit, ice, yogurt or milk, and don't forget protein powders! They can add flavor and filling protein!)


10. Eat slowly and with as few distractions as possible-I know easier said than done!

"I run because it's my passion, and not just a sport. Every time I walk out the door, I know why I'm going where I'm going and I'm already focused on that special place where I find my peace and solitude. Running, to me, is more than just a physical exercise... it's a consistent reward for victory!" -Sasha Azevedo

Live, Laugh, Love,

Ashlee

(source for quotes)

This weeks goals!

As I was thinking about my goal for this week I was eating m&ms, (after I'd already had 2 small pieces of cake!) So the 1st thing that came to mind was to swear off chocolate for the week, but I know that would make me misserable! Especially with the PMS! (I seem to PMS for 2 weeks now? I'm not happy with that!) Anyway, I decided to make my goal this week writting down everything I eat! Food logs/journals are very very helpful, and studies show using one can help you drop tons more weight!!!! I've used it before and it was helpful, only after a week or 2 I get really frustrated, bored and lazy and I stop using it. So this week I'm going to stick it out! Hopefully making it a habit and possibly finding a way to use a food journal that will stick! Hey if it works for Carrie Underwood it'll work for me!!

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." -Aristotle


Ashlee

Crazy Healthy Eating Strategies!?

Recently I read in a magazine how a celeb eats 80% fruits and veggies and 20% protein OR whole grains! It most definitely works for them, but for most people I think that's a little EXTREME! I know I couldn't do it at every meal, day in and day out, or even MOST meals. So I've been trying to have at least 50% of my meal in veggies or fruits. Its been working pretty well...a great tip I love to use is when I'm at a restaurant, say Pizza Hut, I'll most definitely have the salad bar first then go for the pizza and bread sticks (my FAV!) use the low fat dressing and I like to forgo croutons for the sun flower seeds, less empty calories but still crunchy! Also a trick I heard was to put the salad dressing on another plate or bowl and dip your salad & fork into it. I tried it with the 2 cap fulls of fatty Caesar I usually use, and I used less than one cap full! Really does work! Or use the salad spritzer sprays! I love those, infact, I used one today! Anyway, my point is is fill up on something like fruits, veggies, or soup before you go all out on meat, bread or desserts. Your body will thank you!

The greatest achievements were at first and for a time dreams. The oak sleeps in the acorn. -James Allen

Live Laugh Love~ Ash!

Healthy Steps for this week

I really liked the no red meat thing, well okay not LIKED but I think it made some difference in my energy levels. Granted last week was so crazy I didn't notice much, but I'm not sure I can swear off red meat for good. I'm thinking I'll try to have less than 2 servings a week!?! I had a burger yesterday @ a diner, and today I had a Whopper Jr! So I can have it once more this week. I can do that!

This week my goal/action step is to eat slower, and leave some food on my plate! And to stop when I'm almost full, especially since tonight I over ate. I didn't notice till about 30 mins after I was done, but I'm totally feeling like crap now! So eating slower should help, and leaving at least a few bites left on my plate will cut out some calories that will hopefully add up over the week!

"Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life." -Burton Hills

Ash!

Update!

This week has been CRAZY! I have kept up with my no red meat thing, I haven't really noticed a difference yet? Maybe its because its only been a few days, an its also been a crazy week so I haven't had much time to focus on anything but school and track! And thanks to track I am definitely sore! Big Time! But I'm loving it, and a major plus to my crazy busy week...I haven't had time to pick apart my body. Well, I don't usually pick it apart and like make a list of things I need to change or anything, I just haven't had the time (or energy) to think its still a work in progress, yet I've still ate pretty healthy?! I'm thinking its a blessing in disguise! Must get back to homework!


"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly.
AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." -Nike ad (Amen to this! It applies to life in general right?)


Live*Laugh*Love!
-Ashlee