1.) TURMERIC
I've started taking a turmeric capsule with breakfast every morning. Turmeric has been dubbed the queen of spices for many reasons-- listen to this: Turmeric has the ability to:
-Relieve joint pain
-Protects your brain
-Supports cardio vascular health
-Balances blood sugar
-Spurs weight loss
-Improves digestion
-Treats depression
-Reduced blood pressure
-Boosts immunity
-Combats Cancer
I mean I'm really not sure why you wouldn't make this a part of your daily supplement intake... it may just be my imagination but I also feel like I have more energy when I take it. You can buy a bottle of turmeric at your local supermarket or drug store for about $13.
2.) DRINKING MORE WATER
I recently got this amazing timer water bottle. I wasn't sure how much it would help me but it seriously works and makes drinking water so much easier! Try adding some lemon and apple slices for an added flavor boost. If you want to get your own timer bottle check out Blogilates where I got mine:
http://www.ogorgeous.com/products/jewel-bottles They have jewel tone or clear.
3.) LIMITING INTERNET TIME
This one is embarrassing but it had to be done... Since starting my nannying job I realized I was spending hours on the internet every time the baby went to sleep. Then I would be on it even MORE when I went home after work. After about 3 months of this, I realized I was starting to feel depressed, lonely, sluggish, it was awful. After a good cry and a talk with my husband I cold turkey cut my internet time from about 5 hours a day to 15-20 minutes a day. And let me tell you, I feel SO refreshed. I no longer feel the need to endlessly scroll or check up on people or share every single thing I'm thinking/doing with the world. Instead I'm doing more reading, cooking, working out, baking, painting my nails, talking to my husband, exc... I feel so much more productive and over all happier. I highly encourage everyone to evaluate the precious time they may be handing over to the internet.
4.) CREATE A WORKOUT PLAN
I self evaluated my workouts when I realized I wasn't ever sore or seeing improvements, and came to the realization that some of the machines I'm doing at the gym, I'm STILL doing the same weight limit I was doing 4 years ago... embarrassing. No wonder I'm plateauing. So 3 weeks ago I wrote out a workout plan for different parts of my body (legs, butt, arms, back, abs, cardio), and a spot to write how many sets/reps + what weight I'm doing each time. Since I started, I'm sore more often (yay! that means it's working!), as well as SEEING myself improve and get stronger, easily increasing the weight I'm lifting. I also started doing less cardio, and more free weights. Writing out what you've accomplished during your workout ENSURES that you will be able to constantly challenge yourself to become stronger.
5.) FIND A SUPPORT SYSTEM
I have a great thing going with my best friend Talia, as well as my hubby. At the end of every week Tal and I make it a goal to reach out to eachother and check in on how we are doing with our goals. It's a great time to talk about all our accomplishments as well as our downfalls and how we want to fix them. Yesterday I was feeling kinda "eh" about my goals. I didn't feel as on fire about the subject as I did 9 weeks ago as well as feeling like I was plateauing with my eating habits and weight loss. My husband (God bless him because he is amazing), sat down and listened to me vent about my complacency, and then helped me re-evaluate my goals and gave some great advice as well as helped me write out a workout plan for myself to stay on track. He helped me to realize a few key points that I think will really help me reach my goals:
-No more fast food every weekend--- We tend to go out to eat a lot on the weekends (Taco Bell, Chick Fil A, Wendys, Chinese, exc...) which obviously leads to unhealthy choices. Instead we are limiting our eating out to once or twice a month.
-Don't let the weekend be a free-for-all-- -Joshua noticed that once the weekend rolls around I tend to drop my good eating habits and over indulge in sweets as well as just not being mindful of making sure I'm eating balanced meals. This one will be tough for me because I have an awful sweet tooth and love my junk food (who doesn't), but I'm ready to take that on!
-Workout 5 days a week instead of 4, and really pin point my diet--- Plain and simple, he said if you want to maintain your weight then I can keep doing what I'm doing (which is great), but he said if I want to lose weight and get stronger, I need to go above and beyond with my goals, push myself, and really shoot for the moon. Go big or go home. He gave me some great snack/meal ideas and helped me write out a schedule for the workout plan I made so I'm getting in at least 1 hour-1 hour + 40 mins, 5 days a week. I'm really excited to start my extra day every week!
