3 Ways to Rediscover Your Exercise Motivation

Much like this blog, I've let my personal fitness go over the last several months. When you work toward a healthy lifestyle, this is bound to happen from time to time. Life gets in the way, things come up, and we all get busy.

Now the trick is being able to work exercise back into your routine,

1. Take out your gear the night before

This method basically ensures that I will work out in the morning! If my workout clothes are staring at me when I walk into the bathroom first thing in the morning, I feel guilty if I do not take advantage of them and work out. 

Taking the time to prep your workout space, outfit, and equipment the night before can make the idea of working out easier.

2. Start slow, even slower than you think

When I first started to incorporate exercise back into my daily routine, I wanted to go as hard as I could a few months beforehand. The reality is, if you take time off from working out, you have to take several steps back in order to build your level of fitness back up properly.

The first few weeks take it easy and start a little more slowly than you normally would. I regularly work out five days a week, but to incorporate exercise back into my routine I only held myself accountable for working out three times a week at first. Setting realistic goals for your plan allows you to focus and not be discouraged because your fitness is not the same as it was before.
 

Image from Forbes

3. Make it a game!

There are more apps and ways to log our workouts than ever before. Different apps offer rewards, achievements, and ways to connect with friends so that you can get social encouragement to keep going!

Utilizing these fitness apps is fun an data-driven. I like to see the results of my work, and these apps often give you that satisfaction. They also hold you more accountable for following through on your workouts.

My favorite apps are MyFitnessPal and Nike+

How do you stay motivated to stick to your fitness plan?

Let me know in the comments!

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Late Night Snacks to Avoid

I know that I always enjoy having a little snack before bed. Lately I've been trying to curb that habit by eating a few hours ahead of the time I actually have to go to sleep. But occasionally, I'm still going to want a little late night snack before I curl up in my bed. Some snacks are going to be better then others as something to have right before your body goes into a restful sleep state. Here are a few food groups to avoid as your late night snack.

1. High-carb foods. A high carbohydrate snack like a bagel or crackers will cause a rapid spike in your blood sugar because of the quick release of energy the carbohydrates provide. This energy spike will make it difficult for you to fall asleep shortly after eating.
2. Greasy food. Avoiding late night fast foods or other greasy options is important because these greasy, mostly fatty foods take a long time for your body to properly digest. Thus your body is going to have to work in overdrive all night to digest these foods, and this can keep you tossing and turning. 
3. Sugary treats. This is a personal late night favorite of mine, and I've been working on getting better about having my sugar fix earlier in the day. The sugar works much like  a high carb snack because it will spike your blood sugar and give you a burst of energy which can keep you from getting to bed. Avoiding all the sugary treats like ice cream, cookies, and cakes will keep you from being restless in bed.
4. Red meat. This one was surprising to me because it seemed a little out of step with the others, but when I actually looked into the reasoning behind it, the thought made a lot of sense. Red meat is one of the foods that takes the body the longest to digest. So when you eat red meat right before bed it will essentially sit in your stomach most of the night because it takes a lot of energy for your body to work to digest it.

What are your healthy late night snacks?

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3 Healthy Television Habits

Many people when they come home from a day of work just want to sit down and relax for a little while. But fifteen minutes of relaxation can easily turn into hours glued to the couch when you're watching television. Here are a few things to get you off the couch and moving while still enjoying a little TV.

1. Stretch. Just getting a little bit of basic stretching in can help you unwind both physically and mentally. This is a good practice to integrate into your routine, especially if most of your TV watching occurs before you go to bed. Try doing very basic moves like stretching out the hamstrings or shoulders. But you could also integrate something a bit more challenging like sun salutations to mix up your routine.
2. Short intervals. If you are looking for something a bit more challenging, try incorporating some short interval work into your commercial breaks or the show itself. Things like crunches, jumping jacks, jumping rope, and pushups all make great little bursts of exertion. 
3. Plan your week. If you're not looking to get physical during your downtime, try organizing your healthy activities for the week. Keep your to-do list going by scheduling your meals and workouts, making a grocery list, or organizing those recipes you've been meaning to try!

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Stopping Stress Eating

Whether you are emotionally upset or simply stressed because of a busy schedule, digging into some comfort food can be a quick and easy way to temporary alleviate stress and make yourself feel better. But in reality we're harming our bodies and making ourselves feel guilty later when we take a step back and realize how unnecessary it all was and how you probably still have stress in your life. Food is a bandage for an issue, not a solution. Treating it as anything else when eating for comfort just leads to guilt and overeating. Here are a few tips to curb stress eating before it happens.

1. Keep a food journal. Keeping a food journal will help keep you accountable for everything that you put into your body. It may not be a permanent solution but at least keeping one temporarily can help you recognize your patterns when it comes to stress eating and more effectively put a stop to them.
2. Give yourself ten minutes, always. When you feel yourself gravitating toward the fridge or cupboard and you know you shouldn't, distract yourself for about ten minutes. Call someone, read a book, or look around online. Giving yourself a little breather from your cravings can help to get rid of them without touching a bite of food. If after a little while you still find yourself wanting something, try placing a single serving on a nice plate to enjoy.
3. Make your meals and snacks a plan. This can go along with keeping a food journal, but make your meals happen at about the same time every day so you know when you're next opportunity to eat is. If you know that you're not going to have to wait all day for your next meal then you'll be less likely to overindulge at the one before it.
4. Keep small servings. If there is a food you consistently find yourself eating too much of, only keep a small serving around the house at a time, or none at all so that you would have to go out if it was something you really wanted. We are much less likely to leave the house when a late night craving hits, and keeping a small amount instead of the bulk size is built in portion control.
5. Recognize your own power. A lot of the time when you begin to stress eat you can feel like you've lost control of yourself. But in any situation, no matter how upsetting or stressful, you are still in control of your body. Recognizing that control is important because it can help you to assess where you are in a situation and take a step back when you are feeling emotional.

How do you deal with stress eating?

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I'm at Taco Bell, What Should I Never Order?

Previously I did a post on Taco Bell's best options.


 I've also written on the best and worst at McDonald's. Now it is time to tackle the worst menu items that Taco Bell has to offer. 

1. Fiesta Taco Salad. So many people think that something with salad in the title must be relatively healthy. When in reality this is easily one of the worst items on the menu for you. If you eat the entire thing you'll consume about 840 calories and an astounding 45g of fat.
2. Nacho Supreme/Bellgrande. Although nachos can be delicious, the options offered up at Taco Bell aside from the bare bones chips and cheese option are nutritional disasters. They both have upwards of 1,800mg of sodium and a minimum of 800 calories depending on which option you order.
3. Crunchwrap Supreme. Another really popular option that Taco Bell is known for, and another nutritional sinkhole. Just thinking about all the ingredients stuffed into this shell should be enough of a clue that it is going to be a calorie-bomb. For one crunchwrap you'll consume about 550 calories.
4. Grilled Stuft Burritos. These are the big sodium items on the menu. Which is saying a lot considering how much sodium the food has in general. At a minimum the sodium level in a grilled stuft burrito comes in at 2,000mg, which is more then the recommended daily intake for the average person. They are also pretty high in calories, at anywhere from 600-750 for one burrito.
5. Mexican Pizza. Not as popular or well known as the others on this list, it is still a definite no when ordering from Taco Bell. For a relatively small serving size you'll consume about 530 calories and 30 grams of fat.

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I'm at Taco Bell, What Do I Order?

Recently I did a few posts on your best and worst options at Mcdonald's. I thought I'd continue that trend by focusing on Taco Bell this time around. Fast food is never going to be a great option, but we all have busy days or perhaps just a cheap Taco Bell craving. But if you know what some decent options are when you go in, you can allow for some fast food leeway in your diet without wrecking yourself nutritionally. Here are some pretty decent Taco Bell menu choices.

1. Fresco Crunchy Taco. Ordering off the healthier fresco menu is going to be a common theme on this list. I've had the fresco menu items before and I don't find them lacking at all in terms of flavor. Just one of these tacos is only 150 calories.
2. Fresco Tostada. A pretty decent vegetarian option. Topped with beans and salsa. If you're a bit wary of the fast food meat choices this one would make a pretty safe bet. It comes in at only 200 calories.
3. Fresco 7-Layer Burrito. If you're looking for something with a little more to satiate hunger instead of just a quick snack. This is a pretty large portion size for a single food item. But still only has about 450 calories. The big deterrent to this item would be the sodium, which is about 1,400mg.
4. Pintos and Cheese. Another good little snack that will help hold you over until you're next meal. These come in at only 160 calories and are also one of the cheapest items on the menu.
5. Chicken Gordita with Nacho Cheese. One you don't have to order fresco style! If you need the cheese this item certainly comes with enough of it. And it still manages to come in at a pretty reasonable 270 calories. 

What are your go to healthy options at Taco Bell?

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Choose Your Indoor Strength Training

Knowing how much you burn doing both indoor and outdoor cardio is important, but so is knowing how many calories you'll burn doing all your strength training moves. Strength training is just as important to weight loss and maintenance as cardio is, but it often falls by the wayside in favor of cardio. Here are some different strength training moves and the amount of calories they burn. The calculation is based on a 130 pound woman, so it will vary slightly depending on your size.

Crunches (1 min)                          5 calories burned

Pushups (1 min)                           7 calories burned

Beginner Pilates (60 min)               200 calories burned

Advanced Pilates (60 min)             250 calories burned

Vigorous Weight Lifting (30 min  179 calories burned

Light Weight Lifting (30 min)         101 calories burned

Power Yoga (60 min)                       304 calories burned

Vinyasa Yoga (60 min)                    257 calories burned

Shoveling Snow (30 min)               180 calories burned

Raking Leaves (30 min)                 150 calories burned

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