Making Healthy Happen

How to Stay on the Right Track

Here are a few tips that I learned along my fitness journey that I hope can help you through yours :)

1.  THE SCALE -  Ok...so I will admit I am obsessed with the scale. There are so many different thoughts out there on weighing yourself, but this is what I do. I remember starting my journey and I would be so frustrated when the scale would not budge...or....when it would go up? Oh my...I would get so upset. The one thing I kept telling myself is....it doesn't matter what the scale says...you just keep exercising everyday and eating right. No matter what you are healthier because you're moving and eating better. So no matter what the scale says, I was on the right track.

I started to see patterns and I would make sure I kept those in mind at all times. Yes..I weigh myself every morning right after my workout! I always keep in mind the time of day I ate the day before. If it I ate late ...I try not to get upset if the scale is on the higher side. I have noticed, especially on my last vacation week that I was not drinking enough water and my weight was high all week on my vacation and I was eating less..Yikes! That is just crazy!

I also noticed that if you don't eat the amount of calories you are supposed to consume....my weight went up! WOW! On my vacation week I was not eating my 6 small meals a day or enough calories and I was 5 lbs higher...so between not enough water and not enough calories...I weighed more. Who would think, RIGHT?

When I went back to work...increased my water intake and increased my calorie intake, the scale went right back down. Seriously...I was slightly flabbergasted!

2. MUSCLE - We can get that body we have always dreamed of! I believe it! We have all heard over and over again that Muscle weighs more then fat, but we all say...yeah, yeah...whatever...right? LOL. Well, until we all see it with our own eyes, we don't care...we are working out and the scale is not moving..in our minds, something is wrong, right? Well this is why taking your measurements is so crucial! Here is an example...I have not lost anything in a few months and no matter how far along you are on your journey, it is still frustrating. So I took out that measuring tape and realized in the last 6 weeks I lost 2.25 inches. So this just confirms....No weight loss, but loss of inches! So...when you are struggling and not losing, if you have measurements to compare...it might be just enough to keep you on Track!!!!

3 NUTRITION - So we all struggle with Nutrition! We especially struggle when trying to change our habits. That is not easy. We all like our comfort foods...the one thing that is hard to believe is that those craving will go away. After 16 months...I now BELIEVE! At the beginning...I would have a treat at night....a few cookies usually. There were other little treats I would allow myself, but as time went on I slowly eliminated them. The longer you eat clean, the less cravings you will have. 

A few of my struggles - I was afraid of carbs! Anyone with me on this? I remember seeing the doctor because I was having dizzy spells. I had an episode of Vertigo and it terrified me. Took some time to figure it out, but I was having sugar lows. When I tested my sugar it was very low when I was light headed. The doctor told me I need to eat more carbs. I actually cried. I was on a mission and all I remember hearing is CARBS ARE BAD! Well, I have discovered that it is not the carbs...it is the type of carbs we eat. 100% whole grain bread, quinoa, brown rice....etc are all healthy carbs. We need these carbs to feed our mucsles after we workout! I never realized that for the 1st hour after a good workout your body is searching for carbs. That is the best window to eat your carbs. So after your workout....remember, feed your body what it needs! 

Protein was another big one for me! I thought that because I always ate a ton of meat at night that I ate a lot of protein. I did not realize how much protein I really needed. I also didn't realize that you need that protein all day long to help keep your sugar levels in balance. The carbs give you a spike in your sugar levels and the protein helps to keep that in balance.

I never realized how huge NUTRITION really was until now. I go searching around the house for protein or carbs when I know I'm low on one or the other.....because I need that balance and so do you! If you are on the 21 day fix program...try to keep your containers balanced! Hopefully it will help you, so you don't have to struggle with the imbalance that took me months to figure out :)

This picture is proof that it can be done. I really didn't think I would be sitting here sharing with others how they can reach their goals. Just remember....the girl in this picture never thought it could happen either! 

You can do anything! 

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