Today is the last day of January. That means, you have had 31 days to work towards your New Years Resolution. I hope every one has stuck to their goals. I have definitely had some slip ups, but I have also worked really hard to stay positive and motivated to continue to eat well and work out. Here are some things I do to try to stay motivated. Try ‘em out and see if they work for you too.
1. Breathe– I know it sounds funny, but if working out seems totally out of the question I like to take a couple minutes to breathe. It helps ease my nerves, settle the stress and bring me back to center. Instead of doing a hard charging strength workout, I find doing Yoga or Pilates helps me relax and be in the moment. If I do a half hour of this, I feel refreshed and may even be ready for a more intense work out.
2. Just start– Sometimes the act of doing gets me motivated. Start a recipe that you have been dying to make lately, or go outside and start walking. Usually once I start the action, I remember why I enjoy it and forget all the negative thoughts I was having beforehand.
3. Switch it up– Do a different workout routine than normal. Part of the reason I feel unmotivated is because I know exactly what to expect and have a good idea how it will feel. Don’t do the same thing as always. Flip through a health magazine or search some blogs and pick a new, different workout. Most likely it will be fun and different and you will be guessing what comes next.
4. Get your heart rate up – My motivation to exercise and work hard can sometimes be lost, even if I do get yourself to the gym. If this happens, I like to force myself to get my heart rate up by doing intervals or circuits. I know, I know, when you are feeling lazy that’s the last thing you want to do but… it works, I swear. Alternate walking for 1 minute and running 1 minute. Once I start to sweat, I become motivated to keep sweating and by doing intervals the workout goes by quick. Sometimes on these days, I get my best workout in because HIIT workouts burn more calories in a shorter amount of time, so I can get in and out of the gym faster while still maximizing my calorie burn.
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Next up… Its that last day of the month which means Foodie PenPals!
This month Mindy over at Just a One Girl Revolution. She sent me a fabulous bag of goodies and a beautifully decorated note!
So many treats, so many choices. Gummy candies are my absolute favorite candy, so I started there! The Valentine theme was so cute. [I can not believe it is almost Feb 14th, that is just insane.] The candies were standard, I love super sweet or super sour, and these were just mah.
But… the carmel apple square thingy was amazing! It literally tasted like a caramel apple without actually eating an apple. Why eat something healthy, when you can have the same flavor without the actual piece of fruit!? In all seriousness, this little treat was very good. Like I said above, I love gummy, chewy candy.
The final thing I wanted to touch on was the Somersaults snacks! I have seen this around, but never tried them so I was very excited when I saw Mindy included them. She sent the Sante Fe Salsa flavor which had a nice little spicy kick to it. These penny size snacks are all natural, nut free with 150 calories in a serving and 3g of fiber, 2g of sugar and 7g of protein. The crunchy nuggets are made out of sunflower seeds and toasted grains. YUM! They say they are “turning snacking upside down” and I have to say, I could have many bags of these. Good thing I only had a small bag for only 2 servings.
Thank you Mindy for the great Foodie PenPal package! If you want to check out what I sent, head over to Katie’s blog!
In case you’re a interested in participating in the Foodie PenPal program is all about:
-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. *US Residents only please at this time- hopefully we can expand soon!*
If you’re interested in participating for February, send an email to [email protected] by Feb 4th and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
Join in on the fun!
Have a great day!
Question: What are you doing to stay motivated towards your New Years Resolution?
How have you done at working towards your 2012 goals?
