Hello everyone!

I made the switch towards a healthier lifestyle about 2 years ago and since then have been consistent in both my eating and my workouts. To do so I have implemented numerous habits into my routine that have made maintaining this healthy lifestyle possible. I believe that to change your body it is not about a diet or intense training for a couple weeks, it is about making changes in your daily routine that you can sustain for the long term. These habits will simply become part of your life, allowing you to make changes for the better. With the second month of 2020 coming to a close I decided to write a post all about the healthy habits that I have adopted throughout my fitness journey. In addition to this, new challenges I have adopted for myself for the coming year. I hope this post inspires you to make changes in your own life and realize that small changes can lead to a big change in your overall health and wellness.

Meal Prep

The first change that I made was meal prepping. I found that although I was eating healthy foods, I would either eat the wrong portions or not get enough of each food group. I always want to make sure that my meals have protein, carbs and greens. Therefore I decided that meal prepping was the best option. Not only does it ensure that I am eating the right foods, it also saves me so much time during the week when I am rushing around. Sundays and Wednesdays are my meal prep days and I usually make enough food to last me about three days. Pinterest, instagram and Youtube are amazing sources for meal prep ideas!

Making my own versions

Sometimes what we see as branded as healthy is not healthy at all. For many years I was buying granola, protein bars, pop chips etc thinking that they were all healthy for me and benefitting my body. Once I looked at the nutrition facts on the package I realized that these foods were loaded with sugar, sodium and other refined ingredients. I decided that I would make my own versions of these food items so that I knew exactly what was in it. I have since created my own granola (post linked here) which I make weekly to put on yogurt, as well as my own granola bars (post coming soon). I found that once I stopped looking only at the calorie content and started paying attention to the nutrition facts I made much healthier choices which changed my body for the better.

Healthy Alternatives

Similar to the point above, overall I have made a conscious effort to make healthier choices when it comes to my meals and snacks. I truly believe in listening to my body, and therefore when i’m hungry never deprive myself. Instead I say to myself instead of going for the bag of cookies I want why not have an apple with some peanut butter instead. I am still getting the sweet aspect of peanut butter, am nourishing my body  but saving myself from eating junk food. I found  that my body got used to these healthy alternatives and my craving for junk food decreased as time went on. However a cheat day is always a good idea, sometimes those cookie cravings are too real haha.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar may not taste good but it sure it effective! Apple Cider Vingegar has so many proven benefits such as killing harmful bacteria, reducing belly fat, lowering blood sugar levels and promoting heart health. Once I made apple cider vinegar as part of my routine I noticed such a difference, I feel less bloated and have has less stomach issues as it is promoting great gut health and flushing out toxins. I will have a bit of apple cider vinegar before I go to bed in order to wake up feeling cleansed and refreshed. If you want to find out more about the benefits of apple cider vinegar check out this article (6 Proven Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar)

Changing my workout routine

One of the biggest changes I have made in my health journey is changing my workout routine. I had plateaued in my progress and didn’t feel like my workouts were as effective as they once were. I knew I needed a change and professional guidence to get me where to where I wanted to be. I recently started a program created by TesolinTraining (Link to their instagram here: @tesolintraining and website here: tesolintraining.com ). Tesolin Training has provided me with a full workout plan which outlines exactly what I need to do each day, including a nutrition guide and follow along videos for form. I am doing TesolinTraining’s “Your Body Your Way Plan”, which is an 8 week plan customized to your goals. Since starting this plan I have found it so helpful to have all workouts ready to go each day. In addition I never knew what exercises to put together that would allow me to target the specific ares I wanted,  although I was working out 6 days a week I wasn’t seeing any improvements. This plan has solved this for me. I have gotten the extra push I needed to get my fitness to the next level and have been seeing the results I have waited so long to see which is amazing.  It’s almost like having a personal trainer, with the ability to have guidence through out my whole 8 week plan. I am currently on week 5 and I can’t wait to see my continued progress throughout.

Overall Wellness

I think that mental health is a super important aspect in gaining overall physical health and reaching your goals. I made a lot of changes in the past year in order to make sure that I was making this a priority and most of those changes had to do with my morning and night routine. In the morning I always turn on a candle and my diffuser. The calming smells put me in the right headspace to start my day. I make sure to spend time taking time for myself if I can. At night is when I do most of my wellness activities. I always set the mood in my room by cleaning up any of the mess that is left from the day in order to create a relaxing space free of clutter. I then turn on my salt lamp, my candle, put on a face mask and lastly put on some of my aromatherapy lavender cream to wind down. I get into bed and spend about an hour watching Netflix, going on my phone or reading a book to clear my head. About 10 minutes before I am going to go to sleep I always grab my agenda and write out my to-do list for the next day, this saves me from going over things a hundred times before I go to sleep. Once it is all written out I know I don’t have to think about it. By going through these routines I am taking time in my day to take care of me which puts me in the right mental state for other aspects of my healthy lifestyle.

Challenge for 2020

My health and fitness goal for 2020 is to run a 10k marathon in July. To some people 10k may seem like nothing but for someone who barley runs like me this is a big goal to achieve. My TesolinTraining plan includes this goal in order for me to be ready for July and I am already seeing a big improvement!

Thanks for reading!

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