Tag Archives: Health

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!

Brown Sugar Salmon

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Dinner last night was a brown sugar salmon. I’m not a huge fan of salmon but my husband is. So I try to make it at least once a week. Plus it’s good for me so I suck it up and eat it. This recipe is super easy and tastes great!

Ingredients:

✴️ 2 Salmon filets

✴️ 2 Potatoes

✴️ 8 oz green beans

✴️ 1/2 oz Dijon mustard

✴️ 1/2 oz light brown sugar

✴️ 1 oz milk

✴️ 1 Clove garlic

✴️ Salt

✴️ Pepper

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 400

Rinse green beans and chop off ends. Rinse off potatoes and chop into cubes. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. I’m a small bowl combine mustard and brown sugar. Rinse off salmon and pat dry. Mince garlic and set aside.

Place potatoes in a small pot and boil. Cook until tender, 14-18 minutes. While potatoes cook, place salmon on a nonstick pan and sear. 2-4 minutes on each side. Remove from burner and place on baking sheet. Brush salmon with brown sugar mixture. Roast in oven for 7-10 minutes.

Return pan used to cook salmon to medium heat. Add green beans, 1 tap olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook beans for 6-8 minutes.

Drain potatoes. Mash potatoes and mix in milk, sour cream and garlic.

Plate dish and enjoy! 🍴

Lunge Variations

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I love lunges! They are easy to do at the gym or at home if you’re limited on workout equipment. There are so many different lunge variations too! I rotate these 6 into my leg workouts at different times. There are more variations of lunges and even squat variations that you can mix in. But these are the 6 I’m featuring today. They’re easy and they get your butt, legs and abs working!

1️⃣ Side (lateral) lunges

2️⃣ Crossover lunges (there are so many names for this one)

3️⃣ Reverse lunges

4️⃣ Walking lunges

5️⃣ Tic tocs

6️⃣ Front lunges

Happy lunging! 😂💪🏻

Just a smile

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“Your smile is your best accessory.”

This is so true. People react differently to you if you use a smile. Think about how often you smile during the day. Are you the first to smile at people or are you smiling in response to them smiling at you? Or do you even smile back at all when smiles at? I’m guilty of zoning out and not realizing someone was smiling at me till they’ve already passed or gone. Then it registers and I feel so bad after! I feel I need to find them and apologize for seeming rude. 🤦🏼‍♀️

One of my favorite things to do during the day when I’m out and about is to ask someone how their day is going. When I’m at the grocery store checking out, I always say hello to the worker and ask how their day is going. You’d be shocked at how rarely people ask others something simple like that. Sometimes I get a confused look and other times it’s as if a switch flipped and the person almost gets excited someone asked about their day. Think about how you feel when someone you don’t know says hello and asks how your day is going. (In a non creepy manner of course) 😉

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that put a smile on someone else’s face.

Try making it a habit to ask at least one random person a day how their day is going. Also, try to be more cautious of your facial expressions. Do more things with a smile. You might find that it actually puts you in a better mood when you do! 👍🏻

Positivity breeds positivity! ➕

Boost Your Immune System Naturally

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We are approaching cold and flu season!! Help boost your immune system with the foods you eat every day! Many fruits, veggies and meats are high in vitamins and minerals that help your immune system to fight off infection. Below is a list of 6 (yes there are way more) vitamins found in certain foods that can help you keep your immune system strong and functioning at its best! 💪🏻

1️⃣ Vitamin C- Helps protect white blood cells from toxic compounds. Ex: leafy greens, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, citrus fruits and many more.

2️⃣ Vitamin E- An antioxidant that helps your body fight off infection. Ex: Spinach, broccoli, almonds, sunflower seeds, and many more

3️⃣ Vitamin A- Foods high in carotenoids (colorful foods) are turned into vitamin A in the body and gave an antioxidant effect that helps strengthen the immune system from infection. Ex: carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and many more

4️⃣ Iron- Helps your body carry oxygen to cells. Ex: beans, broccoli, kale, turkey, and many more

5️⃣ Selenium- Has the ability to slow the body’s over-active responses. Also lowers oxidative stress on the body. Ex: garlic, broccoli, tuna, and many more

6️⃣ Zinc- Helps slow down the immune response and control inflammation. Ex: yogurt, crab, oysters, lean meats, and many more

In addition to these vitamins, remember to wash your hands often! You can pass on millions of germs with the touch of a hand! 🤚

Chicken Enchilada Bowl

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I’m a sucker for easy healthy recipes. Especially during the week when I’m tired and don’t have a lot of time to cook. I made this meal a few nights ago and it turned out fantastic! I call it a chicken enchilada bowl!

Ingredients:

✴️ 2 Boneless Skinless chicken beasts

✴️ 1 poblano pepper

✴️ 1 Zucchini

✴️ 1 Yellow squash

✴️ 1 Onion

✴️ 1 oz shredded cheddar

✴️ 1 oz sour cream

✴️ 6 oz enchilada sauce

✴️ 1 tsp chipotle seasoning

✴️ 1/2 ounce tortilla strips

Recipe:

Chop the veggies into bite sized pieces. Pat chicken dry and chop into cubes. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in nonstick pan over medium heat.Stir occasionally until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Return pan used to cook chicken to medium heat. Add in veggies and cook till soft. Add in chicken, enchilada sauce, and chipotle seasoning. Stir for 2-3 minutes.

Plate chicken mixture and top with cheese, tortilla strips, and sour cream. Enjoy!! 🍴

Note: This recipe is is under 500 calories per serving!

Adult Time

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My husband and I never go out during the week but Monday was our two year wedding anniversary. My mother comes every Tuesday evening to spend time with Ryder for a few hours so we snuck out for a bit to grab a bite to eat and celebrate. It may have been a day late but we celebrated the night of with Ryder as a family, so this was like an extended celebration! 🎉

Everyone has always said “couple time is important.” I rolled my eyes and said yeah yeah I know. But I understand it more when we are out and it’s just us two. Our conversation is different. Not a full 180 but it doesn’t revolve around every minute of Ryder’s day. We discuss more adult related items.

Being a stay at home Mom I forget how much I need that adult conversation. I’ve gotten so used to talking to Ryder, who only responds with sounds or his hands. Or (don’t think I’m crazy) the dogs. Yes I talk to our dogs. Not full on conversations! I’m not completely nuts. But I say things to them every so often. 😳

It’s very strange going from a job where you talk to roughly 200+ people daily, to one where you talk to beings that can’t talk back! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret leaving my job to stay home. I’m surprisingly happier than ever. It’s just been a very big adjustment. One I feel like I’m finally getting used to and getting the hang of. It took a full year! Better late than never I guess. 😂

Remember the importance of couple/adult time OUT of the house. You need it for your own sanity!

Egg muffin recipe

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I love breakfast! Some mornings I make avocado toast with eggs. Others it’s protein pancakes and fruit. This week I decided to make egg muffins! They’re an easy grab and go meal! (I of course heat them up before I eat them 😂) They’re so easy, healthy and taste great!

Ingredients:

-6 eggs

-1 1/2 cups Egg whites

-1 red pepper

-1 green pepper

-1 cup spinach

-6 slices turkey bacon

-1 pinch pink salt

-1 pinch pepper

-1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a muffin pan with cooking spray. Chop spinach, red and green pepper. Chop the spinach and cook in a non stick pan till almost crispy.

In a large bowl whisk together eggs and egg whites. Add in spinach, red and green pepper, bacon, salt and pepper.

Divide mixture into muffin pan cups. Top each cup with a little cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Enjoy! 🍴🍳

Small Victories

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I’ve said it before, even small victories should be celebrated! It’s not a huge visible change but it’s one I’m proud of and worked hard for! There is exactly one month between these two pictures. The difference is 5lbs, more muscle and me loving wearing shorts again!

The picture on the left was taken Aug 10. I weighed in at 130lbs at the time. The picture on the right was taken today, Sept 15, and I weighed in at 125lbs. My goal wasn’t to lose a bunch of weight. It was to lean out a little. Build more muscle and lose a little fat. I think I successfully achieved that! My legs are a little more defined than they were a month ago. I am incredibly happy with my progress.

How did I do it? Consistent workouts, fueling and hydrating my body and a HUGE load of support from my husband. Days that I had no energy and was so exhausted my husband would send me a text telling me to get after it, telling me I can do it and remind me how great I always feel after I push through. Sometimes I just need a little kick in the butt and he knows that. It always worked! And he’s right, I always did feel amazing after, even on my most tired days.😉

My goal now is maintenance! I’ll continue to eat healthy while occasionally treating myself! Like tonight! I’ll be enjoying a pizza, or burger or whatever my little heart desires as my celebration!

Everyone has different goals. But make sure you are rewarding yourself and celebrating even the smallest milestones!

Celebrate your small victories! 🎉

The breakfast blame game

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I had a friend tell me she doesn’t have time to make breakfast so she skips it, makes a coffee and heads out the door to work every day. She blames this on why she’s starving before lunch and ends up eating horrible the rest of the day, therefore causing her to gain weight.

So here’s the thing……YOU decide what goes in your belly. We really can’t blame anyone (or anything) but ourselves for the choices we make. That doughnut at your office does not literally call your name every morning. 😡

If you know you battle to eat good during the day and breakfast is something you are clearly struggling with, you have options…..

1. Premake your breakfast the night before to save time! Make a to-go container of Greek yogurt with berries. Or try overnight oats and mix in a few of your favorite items like fruit, chia seeds, almonds, coco powder or almonds!

2. Wake up earlier!!! Seriously there are so many breakfast options that take less than 5 minutes. Things like avocado toast with eggs, peanut butter toast with banana, or even a protein shake with fruit and spinach mixed in. All of these take less than 5 minutes to make. Set your alarm to go off 15 minutes earlier so you have time to make the food and eat it.

You have options! When I was a teacher I had to be to school at 6:30am to be at my morning duty spot at 6:50am, then class started at 7:30am. Not to mention I had a 20 minute drive. Making breakfast at 5:45 in the morning was just not an option for me. Well, it could have been but I’m not the best morning person when it’s THAT early. 😂

I always pre made meals. Sometimes I made these egg muffins that I would just pop in the microwave and eat in the car. I used muffin tins to make them every Sunday (recipe will be on my blog next week). Some days I would just hard boil eggs and leave a bowl of them in the fridge to grab and take to eat while at my duty spot.

Stop making excuses and do something! If you want to eat better and your problem starts with breakfast, then fix it! Small changes make a big difference! 💪🏻

Note: Yes I know there are diets out there that encourage breakfast fasting. But this doesn’t work for everyone. Especially her if she’s repeating the vicious cycle of eating bad daily because she’s hungry from not eating breakfast. Some people lack the self control ability to do a breakfast fast and not destroy the rest of their day after.