A few weeks ago I made the long overdue decision to better my eating and exercise habits. What triggered this decision you might wonder – only clothes becoming too small that just fit barely a year ago. I know, I know, that pesky dryer is to blame for shrinking everything yet again right!? But seriously, I was just fed up with my waistline expanding and my clothes not fitting as nicely as they once did. Besides feeling fat and unattractive all the time, ugh.
So, at the beginning of this month I made the conscious decision to overhaul my eating habits and lackluster exercise routine. Rather a complete lack of an exercise routine. The first thing to go – fried foods. Living in New Orleans, which is practically the capital for amazing food (and unhealthy food), giving up the fried stuff was definitely a challenge at first. But I’m happy to report that after a few weeks in, I’m adjusting to a no fried foods diet rather nicely. In fact, I hardly even miss them anymore! Something I never thought I’d say…and sooo much healthier for you! I’ve also been cooking at home more and choosing to eat more fruits and veggies, mixed with protein instead of sugar laden, and high calorie foods and snacks.
The second biggest thing I’ve been working on overhauling is not drinking all of my calories! Before, I hardly drank any water – which was bad enough – and drank a bunch of sugary juices and sodas. Not anymore my friends. I’ve eased myself into drinking more water by incorporating sparkling water to the beverage rotation, and also flavored Crystal Light packets as well. The carbonation in the sparkling water tricks my brain into thinking it’s drinking a soda, but the sugar and calorie free drink is so much better and healthier!
Lastly, and the toughest thing for me, is exercising more regularly. Ya’ll, I seriously hate exercise. Hate. It. The first week, I literally had to drag myself into the gym and work out. And I could barely do 15 minutes of steady and moderate exercise without feeling totally winded and burned out. Now, I’m able to moderately work out for an hour and I feel so refreshed and accomplished when I’m done. If I’m doing the basic treadmill in the gym, I like to alternate power walking with high interval bursts of jogging/running. I’m able to burn more calories this way, and alternating the pace keeps me from getting too winded while simultaneously helping to increase my stamina.
It may sound like alot to revamp, but I’m seriously feeling better than I have in ages. I have more energy, I’m not struggling to keep my eyes open after eating an unhealthy lunch, and the best part – some of those clothes that were too tight are starting to fit again! Sometimes it’s hard to keep up the motivation so writing this post along with my progress and how I’m feeling lately definitely serves two purposes – to continue motivating me and to hopefully inspire some of you to do better too! And if there are any tips or healthy recipes that you’d like to share please let me know – I’d love to hear them!
{image via A House In The Hills}
