Happy Saturday Everyone! It's my last big weekend of the summer, my fiance and I are moving into our college apartment Wednesday. And soon after, its back to classes and school work. So I decided its finally about time I actually stuck to my plan of getting healthy.
I finally realized that its up to me. No one can change my body for me, and no one can make me do it. The reality of it is- I have to be willing to change me, and I have to want to change for me. What I mean is if your not ready to commit 100% your never going to reach your goals, and well, you'll have to start all over again! I know I'm tired of starting over! I figured I'd start before I went back to school, hoping to change some of my basic habits so I'm not doing it when school starts!
So what exactly am I talking about? Well I'm starting my journey to a healthier life. I've started eating better and really focusing on my portion sizes. And I'm happy to say I've made it through week one. Now this isn't to say I did perfectly, because I promise I didn't. Just last night we had a little celebration for my fiance finishing his summer job, and well the food was so terrible for you. But the big thing is, I'm back on track today.
How am I doing it you might ask? I wish I had a magic button I could tell you to push, or a fail proof "diet" plan, but honestly I'm doing it my way! I'm simply replacing junk food with healthy food and I'm starting a walking plan when I get back to school.
I'm here to tell you, YOU can do it too! I just want to give you a few pointers and tips that I've looked at before starting my journey.
1) "Eating healthy is too expensive." I'm here to tell you its not! If I can do it on a college kids budget, I know you can do it too! Here is a great article that really puts things into perspective. It may surprise you how much healthy food you can get at the store for those 4 fast food meals you (and your family) were going to have for dinner.
2) "Do your research." No one wants to sit for hours and hours doing research about something. But it is a good idea to develop some sort of a plan. Take the time to find some healthy recipe alternatives to your favorite foods. You may also find some great tips! Such as how food journals significantly increase your rate of success!
3) "Find a program that works for you!" Just because there is this "amazing" diet program that your best friend did and lost 20 pounds doesn't mean its going to work for you. There are so many resources out there to help you on your journey, find one that is right for you! I'm using a free online site called SparkPeople. It is a really wonderful site that provides tons of resources in one spot! It has everything- food tracker, exercise tracker, recipes, calorie calculator, teams, support, workout videos and more! It's certainly something to look into, maybe it will work for you!
4) "Drink more water!" For me this is super easy. I already drink tons and tons of water. Its my drink! (I'm not crazy I promise, but I'll take a cold glass of water over a cold soda a-n-y day!) I actually just bought this really cool water bottle as part of my back to school supplies. But the cool thing about it (other than its pretty turquoise color) is it has ounces marked on the bottle. So you can easily tell if your getting your 8 glasses (64 oz) of water a day! Now I got the 32 oz version of this bottle, and easily drink 4 bottles a day. But if your like my fiance and think that is just too much water, stick to just 2 bottles a day!
The only other thing I did was really prepare for my journey. I prepped my food. Yes, I took the time to chop veggies and get snack ready. And honestly, it is more than worth the time! Its so much easier to grab a healthy snack now, since they are just as convenient as the less healthy options. And really, you can do the prep for the whole week in just an hour or two. But I also spent a few hours making some healthy freezer foods! I made chicken and spinach taquitos as well as zucchini carrot muffins. Boy are they good! I promise, the recipes are coming!
I know this post is long, but I really hope it helps! If it helps just one person, it was worth it! I'm going to continue to share my journey with you, but I'd love to hear yours as well! Feel free to share your own tips, we can all help each other!
I finally realized that its up to me. No one can change my body for me, and no one can make me do it. The reality of it is- I have to be willing to change me, and I have to want to change for me. What I mean is if your not ready to commit 100% your never going to reach your goals, and well, you'll have to start all over again! I know I'm tired of starting over! I figured I'd start before I went back to school, hoping to change some of my basic habits so I'm not doing it when school starts!How am I doing it you might ask? I wish I had a magic button I could tell you to push, or a fail proof "diet" plan, but honestly I'm doing it my way! I'm simply replacing junk food with healthy food and I'm starting a walking plan when I get back to school.
I'm here to tell you, YOU can do it too! I just want to give you a few pointers and tips that I've looked at before starting my journey.1) "Eating healthy is too expensive." I'm here to tell you its not! If I can do it on a college kids budget, I know you can do it too! Here is a great article that really puts things into perspective. It may surprise you how much healthy food you can get at the store for those 4 fast food meals you (and your family) were going to have for dinner.
2) "Do your research." No one wants to sit for hours and hours doing research about something. But it is a good idea to develop some sort of a plan. Take the time to find some healthy recipe alternatives to your favorite foods. You may also find some great tips! Such as how food journals significantly increase your rate of success!
3) "Find a program that works for you!" Just because there is this "amazing" diet program that your best friend did and lost 20 pounds doesn't mean its going to work for you. There are so many resources out there to help you on your journey, find one that is right for you! I'm using a free online site called SparkPeople. It is a really wonderful site that provides tons of resources in one spot! It has everything- food tracker, exercise tracker, recipes, calorie calculator, teams, support, workout videos and more! It's certainly something to look into, maybe it will work for you!
4) "Drink more water!" For me this is super easy. I already drink tons and tons of water. Its my drink! (I'm not crazy I promise, but I'll take a cold glass of water over a cold soda a-n-y day!) I actually just bought this really cool water bottle as part of my back to school supplies. But the cool thing about it (other than its pretty turquoise color) is it has ounces marked on the bottle. So you can easily tell if your getting your 8 glasses (64 oz) of water a day! Now I got the 32 oz version of this bottle, and easily drink 4 bottles a day. But if your like my fiance and think that is just too much water, stick to just 2 bottles a day!The only other thing I did was really prepare for my journey. I prepped my food. Yes, I took the time to chop veggies and get snack ready. And honestly, it is more than worth the time! Its so much easier to grab a healthy snack now, since they are just as convenient as the less healthy options. And really, you can do the prep for the whole week in just an hour or two. But I also spent a few hours making some healthy freezer foods! I made chicken and spinach taquitos as well as zucchini carrot muffins. Boy are they good! I promise, the recipes are coming!
I know this post is long, but I really hope it helps! If it helps just one person, it was worth it! I'm going to continue to share my journey with you, but I'd love to hear yours as well! Feel free to share your own tips, we can all help each other!
Great info Megan, and you sound like you are off to a good start. I think blogging about your progress will help you stay focused.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. I'm really hoping it helps me focus! I know one of my biggest problems is giving in. I'm going to make this the last time, no more giving in!
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