Can we say CUTE!?

www.Ellie.com

Since I love you all SO much, I wanted to share the wealth and let you in on a little savings (or at least something to browse while you are at work…)!

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For just $49.95 a month, you can have a new top AND bottom to add to your workout fashion apparel collection every month. BUT the best part, is that if you sign up through me, you will receive 20% off! It’s as simple as clicking: HERE!

With the new Ellie line, members choose their own unique styles and a whole new line of fashion is created every.single. month!??

I don’t know about you but I LOVE workout gear and when it doubles as workout gear AND workout fashion? You cannot go wrong! Not to mention, it’s hard to find high quality exercise apparel for under $50 a piece (sorry Nike, but you are EXPENSIVE!). With P.V. Body it is like getting a two for one deal!

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A few warnings:

1. P.V. Body currently ships in 7-10 business days. It’s a long waiting period, especially when you are awaiting your first arrival! BUT, they are working on shortening their shipping dates.
2. Sizes run kind of small. If you like looser fitting clothing, it might be best to go with tops and bottoms that are 1-2 sizes larger than you would normally choose.

A few AWESOME things:

1. Shipping is ALWAYS free.
2. You can return anything you are dissatisfied with, no questions asked, and return shipping is covered!
3. You can PAUSE or CANCEL membership at any time!
4. You will be extra motivated to workout once that package arrives at your doorstep! We all need a little push sometimes!
5. Did I mention I can get you 20% off? GO HERE:

I personally think they should come out with baby apparel

 

That’s all for now my friends! Hope you are having a WONDERFUL DAY! TGIF!

Did you miss any of my previous posts:

• How To Lose Pregnancy Weight; 7 Steps to Success.
• The 5 Best Foods for the Flu.
• Who Else Wants No-Bake Granola!?
• What Makes YOU So Perfect?

Day 10 Journal

In a perfect world, we would all be able to meet our nutrient needs every day, 100% of the time. Okay, this might not be YOUR perfect world, but it would be a small part of mine!

The reality is it is almost impossible to eat perfectly ALL THE TIME. What is perfect eating anyway?

 After tracking my nutrition online for several months, I soon discovered that even on my healthiest days, I was still falling short on certain nutrients. Some days I’m low in potassium, other days I’m low in iron, and some days I need more B vitamins. While I love how my online nutrition tracker provides suggestions for what to eat to increase these nutrients, I still feel better rounding out my day with a quality multivitamin. This is particularly true when you are trying to lose weight; the less you eat, the less chance you have to fill your body with highly nutritious foods. While taking a multivitamin DOES NOT mean you can skip your vegetables, it DOES provide a little extra “health insurance.”

I choose to take New Chapter Organics Prenatal. All woman of child-bearing age should be taking a prenatal “just in case.” I like New Chapter brand because it is a whole food multivitamin, making it a little easier to digest than other brands.

A simple tip for a happy Friday!

For just $4.99/ month (regularly $9.99/month) you too can track your nutrition with Vitabot online meal tracking program–track meals, get meal/snack suggestions, create personalized meal plans, and receive a day-end report card for how well you ate!  Sign up today!

VITABOT ONLINE NUTRITION TRACKER:

QUESTION: Do you take any supplements? What do you take?

Day 7 Journal

I have always been a late night munch-er.  It’s hard for me to go to sleep without wanting to eat something. Sometimes I’m truly hungry and sometimes I just spend too much time on Pinterest looking at delicious food and walk myself right into a craving. Thankfully, I know enough about portion control to keep any snacks after 8 o’clock light, but most of the time they are just unnecessary calories. Since I am no longer pregnant or nursing as much as I used to, I don’t really NEED those calories.

When I think about nixing my late night snack though, it breaks my heart. I don’t want to give it up. I had to think of something to replace a late night snack with. Enter: GREEN TEA.

I’ve never been much of a tea, coffee, hot chocolate drinker, but since giving birth, my tastes have changed a little bit. Call me old or whatever but I’m loving me some coffee and tea lately. To replace my late night craving, I have started brewing myself some Yogi Organic Green Tea (decaf); I add lemon and a couple drops of stevia. It is delicious and although it’s not something to EAT, it still helps to cut my late night craving! Not to mention I’m doing something really good for myself in the process! Just check out some of the benefits of drinking green tea:

• Weight Loss. The polyphenol found in green tea works to burn fat and increase your metabolism. 
• Cholesterol. Drinking green tea has been shown to increase levels of GOOD (HDL) cholesterol!
• Blood sugar. Green tea helps regulate glucose levels by slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. High insulin spikes result in fat storage, preventing these spikes helps with weight-loss and prevention of diabetes!
• Anti-Cancer. The antioxidants in green tea (and many other teas) is thought to kill cancer cells. Yay!
• Skincare. I’m really big into preventing wrinkles and other signs of aging. Due to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, green tea might be able to help with this. 

Just another way to boost nutrition, reduce calories, increase metabolism, and lose weight!

Miss my other journal entries?

1. SQUEEZE INTO IT. Wearing tighter clothing might help you say “no” to that second helping!
2. MAKE FITNESS FUN! It’s not just about killing yourself at the gym!
3. A QUICK Way to Make EASY Weekly Meal Plans. 
4. Weight-Loss Help.

QUESTION: Do you like tea? What is your favorite variety?

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Day Four Journal

Now that I work from home, I live in comfy clothes; bring on the sweat pants, t-shirts, and sweatshirts. Why bother wearing anything else if I’m not going anywhere? 

That being said, lately I’ve been purposely getting myself dressed. I’ve been wearing my jeans and figure flattering tops in favor of the latter. Why!? Because when I get myself dressed and wear clothes that aren’t as forgiving (when you’ve had one too many margaritas), it makes me more mindful of my food choices.

Working from home, I have access to food 100% of the time. If I even feel the slightest nudge of hunger, I’m in the kitchen looking for something to eat. This can lead to over-eating, even if I’m snacking on healthy things; fruit, nuts, veggies, etc. By getting dressed in clothes that are a little tighter, I think twice when “hunger” calls my name. Sometimes I’m not really hungry, I’m just thirsty, bored, or craving something. If I have jeans on that might be a little tighter around the waist, I am MUCH less likely to grab an extra handful of whatever is in the pantry. 

I’m not asking you to squeeze into jeans that are so tight you can’t breathe or literally won’t button. But when I want to say no to cookies, cakes, and candies? Slap on the tight jeans. You will be a little more aware of your surroundings, so to speak.

Think about it, if you gained a few pounds and put on some tight jeans, it’s a reminder that you might need to cut back a little. Don’t go back and put on some stretchy pants! No. Doing this makes you forget (at least it does for me). Instead, find some jeans that you can still wear comfortably, but that won’t be so forgiving that those extra cookies call your name one too many times.

It works for me, I hope it will work for you too! Happy weekend!

QUESTION: Have you ever tried this? Did it work?

Print]]> http://thehealthyapron.com/2013/02/23/squeeze-into-it/feed/ 3 http://thehealthyapron.com/2013/02/20/make-fitness-fun/ http://thehealthyapron.com/2013/02/20/make-fitness-fun/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2013 02:14:37 +0000 administrator http://thehealthyapron.com/?p=7621 Mini-me.

Day Three Journal

I love fitness. I have loved fitness since I was about 7 years old. At the time, I didn’t refer to it as “fitness,” necessarily, I referred to it as FUN. My fondest memories of fitness “fun” involved playing tag on the playground, home-run derby in our front yard, soccer

Continue reading Make Fitness Fun.

Mini-me.

 

Day Three Journal

 

I love fitness. I have loved fitness since I was about 7 years old. At the time, I didn’t refer to it as “fitness,” necessarily, I referred to it as FUN. My fondest memories of fitness “fun” involved playing tag on the playground, home-run derby in our front yard, soccer in the local kids’ rec league, and swimming at the pool. It didn’t matter how many calories I burned or how many heartbeats per minute. It didn’t matter if it was 20 minutes or 4 hours. I just LOVED being active. What activities did you LOVE as a kid!? Don’t you sometimes wish you could be a kid for ONE day again!? ‘Cause I do!

Even though I gained some poundage in high school, I was still always active and involved in sports. Again, I wasn’t as concerned with being fit as I was with just having fun. When basketball stopped being fun, I quit to join the track team with my best friend. Did I compete? No. I just wanted an excuse to run and have conversation with my best friend.

When I got to college, FUN turned into “fitness.” It stopped being about having FUN and started becoming about losing weight and looking perfect. There was no fun. I was a drone on the treadmill or elliptical. I spent hours at the gym. What was I thinking!?

Thankfully, I’ve wised up since then and fitness has become FUN for me again.

I don’t define myself as anything. I’m not a runner, I’m not a swimmer, I’m not a “cross-fitter,” I’m not a kick-boxer, I’m not a yogi; I’m just a girl looking to move my body in ways that make me feel GOOD (and fit).

I almost never do the same workout in a week and if I feel like lifting 2 days in a row, I do. I break the rules, sometimes I get hurt because of it, but I love my routine (because I have NO routine). If I don’t feel like exercising, I do something else; work in the yard, take Hannah on a walk, clean the house, scrub the bathtub, etc. I keep my body busy, but in a way that feels natural.

Go dancing on a random week night! (yea; brown purse/black top…what was I thinking!?)

When I do have to be sedentary (blogging, working, etc.), I fidget. This is something that has always come naturally for me (I’ve always been a toe-tapper or a knee shaker). But if it’s not natural for you, try to move your body at least once an hour, especially if you have a desk job. These are NEAT activities that will keep your engine burning. Before you know it, you’ll be moving without even thinking about it and losing weight/inches because of it.

One of the best pieces of fitness advice I can give you is to STOP making it about being fit and START making it about being fun. Just because you are supposed to spend 45 minutes on the elliptical doesn’t mean you have to! Go out and find something else to do! Just be active, get your heart-rate up, and have a blast doing it.

Lather up and go swimming. Goofy hats necessary.

The following video is FUN! In fact, I challenge you NOT to have FUN doing this QUICK workout below! Dancing is one of the best ways to be silly, get your heart rate up, and whittle your middle! Try it!! 

Quick Dance Video

 

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Yesterday I decided to start a daily journal providing weight-loss help to anyone who wants to know or read what my methods of weight-loss madness entail. In my first entry, I detailed what I do first thing in the morning to take the edge off my hunger. I also discussed how a few simple measurements could cut roughly 100 calories from my morning meal and still leave me satisfied until lunch!

Today, I want to discuss one of the best ways to keep your head in the weight/waist-loss game; healthy meal planning. It’s not a big secret that when you have a plan, you are more likely to stick to said plan. This applies directly to your weekly meal plans. Take about 30 minutes every week and make yourself a meal plan for the week. I like to sit down on a day when I don’t have much going on and peruse cookbooks, blogs, websites, and magazines for new healthy recipes I want to try. When I pick a couple that peak my interest (I don’t go too crazy otherwise I’d blow the grocery budget), I decide what night they work best in the week, add a few typical week night meals (whatever go-to recipes you like), and then I decide on breakfast, lunch, and snacks that involve any of those dinner ingredients (to save money). I categorize my grocery list in to Fruits/Veggies/Grains/Meats/Dairy/Other. I write down what I need to buy underneath each category and then I am prepared to face the temptations at the grocery store.

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Once I have all my lovely groceries, I take my meal planning one step further.

Each night I decide what all my meals will tentatively be for the following day. When trying to lose weight/inches, I also jot down a rough caloric estimate. I have found it is best to aim for a LOW calorie range, so that if I eat 100-200 extra calories here or there, I’m not exceeding my actual quota. I also quickly jot down what my exercise will be.

Following this format means there is no guessing the next day. I know what to eat for every meal. If my schedule changes or I’m not in the mood for something I planned, no problem.  I can easily swap in something else with a similar caloric/nutritional content. It takes no time to write, doesn’t have to be fancy or super precise, and makes all the difference in the world when it comes to facing unhealthier food choices throughout the day.

One last thing:

To ensure I am meeting my nutrient needs, I use an online meal tracking program called Vitabot.

As you can see, it is different than most online meal tracking programs because you can actually see if you are being HEALTHY while losing weight. We can all lose weight eating saltine crackers; but are we being healthy!? For just $9.99 a month, I can track my foods, set goals, enter custom foods and recipes (and the program will provide nutritional information), and have access to customized meal plans (if I am too lazy or  unsure of how to make my own to meet my body’s needs). It’s pretty freaking awesome and I highly recommend the program to everyone. It really makes you think.

If this program is something that interests you, please shoot me an email. I would be more than happy to get you a FREE 7-day trial! TheHealthyApron@gmail.com

I know I’ve written recently about losing weight after pregnancy. I provided EASY weight-loss tips for new moms and the main key was having patience and giving your body the time it needs to heal.

But losing weight after pregnancy and/or while nursing is slightly different from just losing weight, particularly those last few inches and pounds. I’m currently 2 pounds away from my goal, and 5 pounds away from pre-pregnancy weight; just one more inch to lose around my waist. Some of you may think this sounds superficial or unnecessary, but I know where my body likes to be, I know where I am most comfortable, and I know I can get back to where I was. I’ve been a little less than careful the past month and I feel I need to step it up.

When you are trying to lose that last 5 pounds or break a plateau or lose a few inches, you have to be a little more diligent. For personal reasons, I’m also trying to wean from nursing and this alone has stalled my weight-loss. I can’t eat like I used to and I am struggling a bit with portion control now that I’m not burning the insane amount of calories I once was.

With just about 20 days until my friend’s wedding (when I predicted to have met my goal), I am going to spend the next several weeks blogging about losing that last inch around my waist and provide tips for HOW I plan to do it.

I hope the tips I provide over the next several weeks are things that you can carry in to your own life. Perhaps these tips will help you get over your plateau or kick-start your weight-loss. Whether you have a lot or a little to lose, these tips will work for anyone!

This is my DAY ONE journal entry.

Whenever I start something new, I always get really excited. I don’t necessarily start on a Monday, I start on whatever day I decide that THIS (whatever THIS is) needs to start happening. It just so happens that last night, after eating a little too much for dinner, Monday was my “D-day.” It finally hit me that I needed to step it up a little if I wanted to reach my March 9th weight/inches goal!

With such excitement, this morning I awoke with fresh energy. I felt like I had been in a weight-loss standstill for WEEKS and doing this weight-loss journal gave me renewed spirits.  Isn’t that how DAY ONE’s always start!? I hope I can keep up the enthusiasm.

One of the best ways I have found to kick start my morning is with water.

When I wake up in the morning, I like to drink AT LEAST (2) 8 oz glasses of water before eating or drinking anything else. I always wake up super famished and could literally reach for anything to satisfy those hunger pangs. However, the best way to take the edge off that hunger is for me to drink a couple glasses of water. Why!? Because no matter who you are, we all wake up slightly dehydrated from our overnight fast and dehydration gives us a false sense of true hunger!

After I indulge my thirst, I usually feel A LOT less anxious to eat everything in sight (including last night’s leftovers). Okay. Just kidding. I don’t like to eat last night’s leftovers for breakfast but it could happen to someone else, no? Try it tomorrow morning! Drink some water before you eat your morning meal.

After drinking my aqua, I like to fix myself a freaking fantastic bowl of oatmeal. This was today’s; 1/2 c. oats, 1 cup flax milk, 2 tsp chia seeds, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 2 tsp natural peanut butter, and 1 tsp cinnamon.

Another subtle way to get through a plateau or lose that last 5 pounds is to scale back in teensy ways. I always start using my measuring cups and spoons again. Instead of an eyeballed tablespoon of nut butter, I opt for a precise 1/2 tablespoon of nut butter. Adding a 1/2 cup of blueberries (~35 calories) instead of a full banana (~100 calories) also helps me scale back. By these two teensy changes I managed to cut about 100 calories from my normal breakfast and still felt completely satisfied. I actually made it 4 hours on this bowl of cereal!

By the time noon rolled around, I was pretty hungry. I hadn’t eaten since 8:30 am. I got a little TOO hungry. To take the edge off, I like to have a LARGE bowl of salad before eating anything else for lunch. This is another way I can cut my hunger (when my eyes are bigger than my stomach) and make rational decisions for what else I am going to eat. In the bowl I have kale, romaine, raisins, carrots, red cabbage, and a homemade dressing. It was just what I needed to level my head and make a wise decision for the rest of my lunch; a hummus wrap with grilled onions, veggies, mozzarella cheese, and mustard. Yum. Yum.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more tips and tricks for how to get through your day a little lighter.

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For almost 3 months, Brandon and I have been limiting ourselves to $50 a week for groceries (this includes eating out!). In the beginning, I had high hopes. I felt extremely encouraged because we were doing it! We were saving money, eating healthy and delicious, and only spending $50 on food!

After the first month and half though, my “staples” started to run out; nuts, seeds, nut butters, dried fruits, dressing/sauces/vinegars/oils, beans, flours, etc. In order to stock ourselves back up, we had to strategically spend from the extra $25 we allotted for non-food items; baby stuff, hair product, toothpaste, etc. If we absolutely needed these items though, we would either spend over-budget OR sacrifice our meals for the week (aka eat REALLY boring foods).

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This got old REAL fast. I wasn’t the first to cave. Brandon wanted out. The accountant decided that we should spend MORE on groceries because his (and my) taste-buds were killing us.

After a long talk this past weekend, we decided to add another $25 to the food budget. We can spend $75 on food and $25 on toiletries. I am hoping that an extra $25 can either be used to occasionally go out to eat OR on those “staples” that keep me able to make many a home-cooked meal!

My final thoughts on eating healthy AND organic on a budget? It’s tough. If you want to eat 100% organic on $50 a week it takes CAREFUL planning; planning that most of us just don’t have time for. It also takes creativity and a little (or a lot) of extra time in the kitchen; prepping foods, baking breads, making your own sauces. Thankfully, these are all things I love, but if you are super busy, it might not be very practical!

Do I still believe you can eat healthy on $50 a week? Absolutely. Even if you aren’t able to feed your family 100% organic, conventional fruits and vegetables are better than none. And let’s be honest here; frozen meals are definitely NOT cheaper than making a home-cooked meal, especially when you can get more than one or two servings out of most recipes.

My BEST advice to anyone looking to eat well on a low food budget is:

• Plan ahead.
• Make recipes that will give you more than one night’s meal.
• Keep cash. I  find it so much easier to stick to the budget when I only use the cash in my wallet. Less room for impulse buys.
• Stick to SALE ITEMS ONLY. If your recipe calls for an ingredient that happens not to be on sale that week, don’t buy it! It’s not worth it. Many foods swap easily for the other! Google. Someone, somewhere is probably looking for the same swap!
• Fresh vs packaged. I have found that the less processed and packaged items are always cheaper. Don’t buy Quaker Oatmeal for $5 when you can get the same amount of oats from the bulk bins.

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The problem in today’s society is not a lack of options; you’ve got gyms, parks, home workout DVD’s, employee incentive programs, etc. You HAVE options.

But with work, your child’s schedule, your spouse’s schedule, making dinner, cleaning your house, and finding the time for “quality family time,” it can be TOUGH to utilize those options.

I used to have fairly similar views to Jillian Michaels when it came to exercise. I had a NO EXCUSES mantra and believed that EVERYONE had time to exercise. Then I actually had a baby and realized…”DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG. When am I going to exercise!?” It totally changed my perspective and gave me a whole new empathy for busy moms and dads.

 These days, I strongly believe your personal exercise routine should be what works best for YOU. Try not to compare yourself to other people because it might be discouraging.

Believe it or not, with a proper eating plan, you don’t have to exercise as much as your fitness instructor leads you to believe! I’m  certainly NOT killing myself with exercise anymore! But I AM doing a few other things to get the weight off; eating aside!

I might not look like that….but not many people do.

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Since starting a desk job several years ago, I went from walking around a hospital all day to sitting at my desk 75% of the time.  I am not a lazy person, so I found myself looking for any excuse to get up and move! Our bodies were not meant to sit for such long periods of time! Even now that I’m working from home, I still spend plenty of time at a desk or sitting but I CHOOSE to make a conscious effort to invest in more NEAT activities.

What are NEAT activities you say!? Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.  Okay big word. But to sum it up...it’s the movement you get throughout the day that is not “structured” exercise, but just spontaneous physical activity.

• Do you take the stairs?
•  Do you fidget; tap your toes, wiggle in your chair, shake your leg, laugh alot? 
• Did you walk around the grocery store or the mall? 
• Are you a waitress on your feet all night?  
• Did you clean your house?
•  Scrub your bathroom floor? 

NEAT activities have helped me tremendously since entering the work force and becoming a mom. NEAT helps keep me active and get a calorie burn, even with a busy schedule! I try to move around as much as I can, whenever I can.

With NEAT, you could burn an extra 300-500 calories a day! Set a goal. Get up and move around at least once an hour. Whether that involves walking down the hall to speak with a coworker or doing some leg lifts or yoga poses at your desk. Make a tally of how many times you can move around each day and try to match or beat that number each week!

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Make NEAT a part of your everyday routine! Before you know it, you’ll start moving without even noticing (and maybe even losing weight because of it).

If you are in the majority, I am assuming you probably eat out more, have family functions with tempting foods, sleep in longer, etc. These factors are huge contributors  toward disrupting your normal healthy eating schedule, especially when you are relying on other people to prepare your food.

But it is possible to find healthy things to eat, even on the weekends! Believe me!!

If you are looking to eat healthy on the weekends, follow these 6 tips for the most success!

1. Don’t Starve! Never, ever, ever go out to dinner or a party hungry! I know this may seem like common knowledge, but plenty of people will avoid eating most of the day if there is a party or restaurant to go to that evening. Why would you ever do this to yourself? If your tummy is talking, FEED IT! There have been several times in the past few weeks where I let my hunger get the best of me. What happened? I overate! Even though I HATE the feeling of being stuffed, since I let myself go out hungry, my eyes were bigger than my stomach, and I ate too fast. If I had just eaten a little something before we left, I would have had better self control. So eat something! You will be doing your mind and body a favor!
2. Drinks. The weekends are the best time to lounge around with friends and have a few drinks. I’m not telling you to give this up, but if you want to lose weight, you MUST pick and choose your pleasure. If you want to have ONE beer with friends, do it! Just don’t also grab ice cream, order French fries and hot wings, or have 3-5 more beers. Alcohol can truly make you lose your inhibitions, so be careful with the munchies!
3. Exercise!!! The weekends are my favorite time to get active! You can burn tons of extra calories if you double up by doing your “structured” workout and then go for a walk, play some volleyball, or hike in the park later in the day! Make it fun!!
4. Eat Mindfully! Although I still want you to practice mindful eating, there are occasions where you will be eating “just because.” While there is nothing wrong with this once in awhile, if you let it compound every single weekend, you are bound to gain weight. So again, pick and choose your pleasure. If you just splurged while you were out with friends Friday night, try to be a little more conscious on Saturday and Sunday night. Just like you don’t lose weight over night, you absolutely don’t gain weight over night either (water weight aside)!!
5. Don’t just treat yourself on the weekends! The common scenario: eat “good” all week and then ruin all progress when the weekend comes. Why does this happen? Because you do not allow yourself ALL foods, every day. Remember: NOTHING is “off-limits.” If a cookie sounds fabulous mid week… then eat it! Life is about balance and the less you keep “off limits,” the more self control you develop!
6. EAT BREAKFAST! Whether you have a family reunion in the afternoon or you drank a little too much the night before, EAT BREAKFAST! You will kick start your metabolism and have a healthy start to your day, especially if you include lots of protein and fiber! Plus, breakfast eaters usually nosh on less throughout the day anyway!!

Eating out!? Pick something healthy!Vegetarian trio! Hummus, tabbouleh, and falafal! YUM!

Whether you have heard these suggestions a million times or not, we all forget and a little reminder is sometimes just what we need to keep our heads on straight! What will you do to honor your health this weekend!!???