Walking for exercise

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I’ve heard people complain about never having time for the gym. Or they don’t have the funds for a gym membership. I completely understand! I have been in the same position!

Transitioning from marketing to teaching I quit my job to take classes full time to get my teaching license. I canceled my gym membership to save money till I started working again. But I’m not one to sit around and not workout. I needed to do something. Every day I would take my dog out for a long walk. I hate running but walking I can do! My pup and I would walk for an hour a day. Some people laugh and say walking does nothing for you. But that’s actually incorrect.

In addition to a healthy diet, walking can do so much for you. Here are a few benefits:

✴️ Improves your mood

✴️ Improves circulation

✴️ Helps with weight loss (burns calories)

✴️ Can reduce arthritis pain

✴️ Manages high blood pressure

✴️ Improves balance and coordination

✴️ Reduces stress

✴️ Boosts your immune system

In addition to these, walking gives you time to think! If you’re someone who likes time to themselves every so often, walking is a great break away.

Have a young child? Put them in the stroller. Have older kids? Make them walk down to the park with you. Have them kick a ball or play a game while you walk around the park!

Even just 30 minutes a day can do you more good than nothing at all. Get your body moving! 🏃‍♀️

Eating for two

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Years ago a friend of mine was telling me about how she wanted to get surgery to remove her lose skin from pregnancy. She was tiny and I assumed this “loose skin” was just minor and she was being dramatic. That is till she showed me one day. Let me just say……spanks hide SO much! I had no idea she had that much extra skin from her baby. That’s when she told me she took “eating for two” literally.

When her doctor told her she was pregnant he told her to remember she was eating for two now. I guess he assumed she knew that meant to eat nourishing foods and eat a little more than before to help your baby grow strong. Instead she took it as, you need to eat two full plates at every meal. She told me she would sit for two hours sometimes trying to force down two plates of food. She ended up putting on over 100lbs. And mind you, she weighed only 105lbs to start. She ended up going on bedrest because she put on so much weight that it caused her horrible back and hip pain.

Part of me questions that doctor in my head. Why wouldn’t he question her about her diet if she put on that much weight that fast as small as she is? But who am I to judge. I don’t have a medical degree so it’s just me spewing my opinion!

But in all honesty, any doctor will tell you you shouldn’t literally eat for two. Your baby is so tiny and can’t consume the amount of calories you can. You should up your calorie intake by about 300. Some doctors may say more depending on your trimester, amount of babies, activity level, etc. Diet, calorie intake, exercise, etc are all things you should discuss with your doctor. They can give you the recommendations specific to your health needs.

Just remember……If you are pregnant, eating for two does NOT mean literally eating two plates of food at every meal! 🤦🏼‍♀️

Double pulley workout

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I love a double pulley machine! They are so versatile for so many workouts! Today I did a quick upper body workout. These are two exercises from my workout.

✴️ Alternating close grip pull down

✴️ Wide grip pull down

Both are great for arm, shoulder and back days!

Must haves for a baby no one told me about

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Recently I’ve had a few new Mom friends ask me what items I put on my baby registry I couldn’t do without. Honestly everything! 😂 However there are a few items no one told me about that I recommend to people. Here are my must haves for a baby no one told me about:

1. Electric nail trimmer: It’s literally an electric nail file. SO much easier and less stressful than trying to use clippers.

2. Bandana bibs: I knew babies drooled but I didn’t realize how much! Ryder would go through 3-5 bibs a day some days. After doing some Amazon searching I found some really cute bandana bibs for him! I swear boys get jipped in the clothing department. There’s way more cute clothing options for girls than boys. But these definitely made his outfits a little cuter!

3. More than 1 diaper bag: Sounds crazy I know! But I swear it’ll save you. I have my nice one that I take to dinner, shopping, etc. Then I have a small inexpensive backpack diaper bag for daycare at the gym. The gym daycare has small cubby’s for bags so my regular diaper bag wouldn’t fit in them. Plus, I don’t need everything I put in my regular diaper bag. He’s only there two hours max so diapers, a sippy cup and a changer of clothes are all he needs. My third diaper bag is an inexpensive larger backpack. I use it for days we go to swim class. Often the floors are wet at swim class and I don’t want to set my nice diaper bag in a puddle of water. Not to mention I have to carry wet swimsuits after. So the backpack is perfect because I’m not worried about it getting ruined there. You don’t have to spend tons of money on extra bags. I used ones I got as gifts from judging cheer competitions. They’re sparkly but blue so I figure it works for now! There was one time that my husband and I were handing off Ryder so I could go somewhere and I forgot to take the diaper bag out of the car. I remembered the child! Just not the bag. 🤦🏼‍♀️ This is where a backup bag came in handy!

These might seem like simple little items but they’re all incredibly helpful, even now that Ryder is one year old! The nail trimmer saved us on so many occasions. He’s a wiggler so nail clippers just scared me to death. The bibs saved so many outfit changes. And the extra diaper bags were fitting to our busy lifestyle!

Obviously, get what you think you need for your registry. But in all honesty these are 3 things, looking back, I now know I can’t live without!

Social Media Break

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Everyone has their “me time.” And I believe everyone needs me time! Mine are my workouts. I don’t answer calls, texts, look at social media, etc. I literally go dark. Unless my husband calls or texts. Then he’s just checking in on Ryder so I of course respond. But besides that I am non responsive.

I know it may sound ridiculous but I believe everyone needs at least an hour away from their phone, computer, tv, etc. Step away from technology and just take a break! Put your phone down or put it on silent. Distract yourself for one hour. Go on a walk, clean, take a nap, workout, read a book, etc. Do something that doesn’t involve your phone! See how different you feel each day. You may be surprised. I always feel a little more relaxed after some “quiet time.”

Challenge yourself! One hour a day with no phone, social media, tv, etc. Can you do it?

Ball Raises

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This is one of my favorite exercises to do on arm days. It not only works your arms but also your core, butt and legs. Not to mention it builds stability. It’s a little difficult and does take a bit balance so be careful if it’s your first time trying.

Get in a pushup position and put one foot on the ball at a time. Find your balance then raise your hips and pull your knees in to your chest. I typically do 4 x 15. That alone gets my arms and abs burning. 💪🏻

That scary word…..”Fat”

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I’m sure people are going to think I’m ridiculous for saying this, but I wish we could rename fats, from food, something else. Yeah yeah I know it sounds stupid. But a good majority of the general public sees that word and freaks out. I think it’s due to the word association with the word body fat. We define fat (from the body) as connective tissue that stores cellular fat. Or….the yellow blob stuff that we see in pictures in ads and learned about in heath class.

Body fat is not the same as food fat. Will fats from food make you fat? Yes and no. It’s all about portioning and eating the correct fats. If you eat a proper amount of fats, you can make it work to your advantage. With that being said, I’m referring to fats from avocado, olive oil, eggs, etc. NOT fats from things like Doritos, pastries, sugary drinks, etc. Should you completely avoid the “bad fats” all together? Some would argue yes. I say no. That’s what cheat meals are for! I don’t recommend consuming them every day but on occasion is fine! If you can completely avoid them all together, more power to you! I however want a greasy burger and pizza every so often. 😉

Fats are a good thing! Let’s stop being so scared of them! Use them as fuel for your body and don’t feel bad about consuming them, when they’re the good kind. Eat your avocados every day, and eat those eggs! They are fantastic for your body. Just make sure to portion things out properly! Figure out how much fat is recommended for your body per day. Once you understand the fat amounts in each food, you can portion things visually and it becomes really easy! Let’s get back to enjoying foods (especially ones with FAT) and not being scared of them! 🍴💪🏻

Ponzu Salmon and Rice

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Last night I made ponzu salmon and rice. It was under 500 calories and incredibly filling. Decently easy and tasted great!

Ingredients:

🔹2 salmon filets (6oz)

🔹6 oz cremini mushrooms

🔹2 garlic cloves

🔹2 green onions

🔹1/2 cup jasmine rice (can sub brown rice)

🔹2 oz peas

🔹1 oz ponzu sauce

Recipe:

Bring a pot of 1 1/2 cups of water to boil. Pour in rice. Reduce to simmer and cook until tender. 18-20 minutes

While rice cooks chop mushrooms and onion. Mince garlic. Rinse salmon and pat dry. Combine ponzu, ginger and green onions. Place 2 tbsp of mixture in a separate small bowl and set aside.

Spray a medium nonstick pan with cooking spray. Place over medium heat. Add mushrooms to pan and cook until soft. Add rice, peas and garlic. Cook till peas are warm. Mix in ponzu sauce mixture. Cover and remove from burner.

Spray a second medium nonstick pan with cooking spray. Place over medium heat. Add salmon. Sear until golden brown. 4-6 minutes each side.

Plate salmon and rice mixture. Pour remaining 2 tbsp of ponzu mixture over salmon. Enjoy!

Defining your value by your size

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“A clothing size should never define your worth or value.”

I remember when I went from a size 0 to a 2. I FREAKED out. Literally didn’t leave the house for a week because I was ashamed of myself. Again, another moment where I wish I could slap my former self. Why did I think it was so bad being a size 2? Or 4? Or 6? Or….so on. It’s all about how you FEEL. Clearly I wasn’t happy with myself but when you’re constantly negative and tearing yourself down, you’ll never really be happy with yourself. When you learn to accept your body and be appreciative of your body, that’s when you start to forget about the numbers.

A lot of my “size fears” had to do with who I was hanging out with. The girls I had become “friends” with at the time were very size focused. The tinier the better. Somehow I let their negative body image thinking clog my brain. It took me taking a big step back and reassessing the friends in my life to make me realize, this isn’t healthy, normal or fun. Not to mention I remember asking myself, if I really needed these girls in an important moment in my life, would they really be there for me? The answer was no. So instead of a body detox, I did a friend detox.

When I stopped focusing on the size of my clothes and started looking at what I was comfortable in and what made me look good, everything changed. When you look good, you feel good. Attempting to squeeze into size 0 jeans when I was a size 2 did NOT make me look good. It made me look ridiculous and in denial. You know when you see someone in too tight of clothes and wonder if they bought their clothes purposely too small or outgrew them? Yup I was one of those people you saw and questioned. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Finding clothes that are flattering to my body is key. If a size 6 dress fits me, who cares! As long as it makes me look fantastic! I don’t care what the number says anymore, as long as I’m comfortable and I feel good in it!

I’ve said it before, you’re only given one body in this life. Love it and be appreciative of it. It’s the only one you get!

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

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What can I say, I love ice cream! I do my best to avoid the aisle it’s on when grocery shopping but sometimes I’m just drawn to it! Yesterday I stumbled upon these by Nadamoo. They’re made with coconut milk instead of dairy! I don’t have a dairy allergy or anything, I just like coconut milk. So I figured it’d try it. 🥥

They are so good! Light and creamy with a hint of coconut milk flavor. I still love my dairy ice cream but I really like these as well! Plus the fact that they are made locally (Austin TX) and family owned made me like them even more.

There’s 140 cal, 9g fat, 20g carbs, and 10g of sugar per serving. 4 servings per container. It’s also certified organic and 100% plant based! So you know I let Ryder have a few bites 😉

Trying to cut down on dairy? Give these a try!