Fall Into Fitness

Fall, Fall, Fall the best season of the year! If you’re anything like me then you live for fall, especially the month of October. This year, instead of eating popcorn, hot chocolate and candy all month, I decided to challenge myself and make it all about fitness so I don’t feel bad indulging every once in a while. But mostly the pumpkin pie 🙂

What prompted me to do this was my lack of motivation and exercise in the past 2 months. I stopped practicing yoga, stopped going to the gym and because of my busy work schedule, it was just way on the bottom of my list of priorities.

BUT, luckily all this has changed thanks to a few people in my life who have encouraged me to get back on track.

Here’s how Fall fitness can be more convenient than a hassle:

The Whole Life Challenge 

This challenge, introduced by my workplace, is a 6-week program that has 3 levels: Kickstart, Lifestyle and Performance. Each day for the 6-week period, you are permitted to follow certain rules that include exercising, nutrition, mobilizing, sleeping, hydration, well-being & reflecting. You earn 5 points for each category that you complete fully for each day. The best part about it is being able to log your progress right on your phone through the Whole Life Challenge app and seeing your team-mates (in this case my co-workers) progress for extra motivation. Total accountability for your day-to-day health & fitness log!

I’m in the Lifestyle category which is considered the moderate level. However, I’m not allowed to eat bread, cheese, pasta or beer…all my favorite things. But, I know it’s only 6 weeks and am looking forward to the great things it’ll do for my body, my health and my mind.

Territory Food

At this point in my life, cooking is just not something I make time for. I value other things like working, spending time with my boyfriend, exercising, reading and sleeping. When you only have a few hours to do all that when you get home from work, there isn’t room for much else.

Which is why I’ve invested in Territory Foods. Territory Foods is a healthy, pre-made delivery food service that sends you breakfast, lunch and dinner (depending on the package you choose) and will deliver it twice a week! This is perfect for those on the go who want to eat healthy but don’t necessarily have time to cook a healthy meal.

I’ve ordered the 5 lunches & 5 dinners plan for my boyfriend & I, just to help us out a little on the days we feel most tired. I have a feeling these meals will be life savers.

If you’re interested in ordering these pre-made healthy meals, use this link to get $25 off your first 2 orders! https://www.territoryfoods.com/yum/YMTZ 

Imperfect Produce

Is anyone else obsessed with fruits & vegetables? I feel like I spend most of my money here so once I found out about Imperfect Produce, I was so excited. This delivery service is amazing because they send you all the produce that get’s rejected my grocery stores for 30-50% off. But that doesn’t mean they are’t edible. The first box I received was actually perfect, despite the irony of the company’s name. I got carrots, kale, apples, grapes, pears, cucumber, squash, sweet potatoes lemons and quinoa chips all for $17!!! Yes, this company is amazing and I can’t wait to eat all the fruits and veggies I want, knowing it’s absolutely affordable.

Use this link to get $10 off your own Imperfect Produce Box: http://imprfct.us/krvUL 

Tone It Up’s 31 Day Fall Challenge

While the Whole Life Challenge and my delivery services are great for reminders and keeping me on track with my diet, I really needed a fitness program to get back into working out again.

This challenge has all the classes I need on the Tone it Up fitness app. Here are the rules of the challenge:

Pretty simple right? What I like most about this challenge is of course the ease of access on my phone, but also that it works within my busy schedule to make it happen on my own time. The classes are right there for me when I need them! No stress about intense workouts that take hours out of the day. Just a little at a time, but effective in the long-run. They lay out the entire month’s schedule for you with classes for alternating exercise routines to allow your body to recover properly and get into shape the right way. Karena & Kat (Owners of TIU) make it super easy for you, so all you have to do is grab your mat, some weights and press play. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Well there you have it. Awesome and convenient ways to stay healthy while enjoying your favorite time of the year! I look forward to seeing how I look and feel next month. I know it’ll all be worth it. Happy October!

XOXO

Three Ways to…Live a Healthier Lifestyle

There are so many options out there with regard to “dieting,” “getting skinny” or “losing fat.” But, the truth is that it all has to do with a healthy lifestyle, not a temporary fix. Diets, supplements, pills and other ridiculous tools that they throw at you are all a sham. I may be a little biased, but I truly believe that everything in moderation and natural remedies to health are the way to go. So here is what I believe is most important when living a healthier lifestyle. (It’s free too).

1. Get Over Cravings

Simply put, stop letting yourself indulge in dumb cravings like fast food, chips, ice cream, cakes, candy, white bread, etc. It’s all just temporary satisfaction and more often then not, it leaves us feeling like crap or even hungrier than before. There’s no need to completely rid these sweet or salty cravings out of your life, but there’s no reason to be eating it everyday or even every other day for that matter. Replace these cravings with fruits, granola, yogurt, all types of nuts, whole wheats. You already know what is good and bad for you, I don’t need to tell you that. But try to put down the french fries and try something that actually adds nutrients to your health! Your body, your heart and your elderly healthy self will thank you for this.

 2. Hangout with People Who Eat Healthy 

Yes, our friends have a huge influence over us, don’t they. If you hangout with Cheeseburger Chester all the time, you will probably be eating similar to him. Not that we don’t love our fast food addict friends, but if you want to eat healthier, eat with the friends who will encourage that. My best friend, Amanda, is in Paris right now, but when she’s home all we do is eat healthy together because we love it and it makes us feel good. Having someone else encourage you to eat healthier and exercise will tremendously take affect on your health, your lifestyle and your friendship! But, don’t get me wrong. Amanda and I have our fair share of cravings like birthday cake friend-zs from Friendly’s. Everything in moderation!

3. Replace Every Drink with Water

Biggest accomplishment in my lifestyle, besides getting myself to work out 5 days a week, was switching over to water. Our bodies are made up of 60% water. Water helps maintain the balance of body fluids like digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients and maintenance of body temperature. Wow. What an affect we can have on our bodies just by drinking more water. Stop drinking those sugary sodas, teas and juices and just drink water. You will learn to love it and feel yourself craving it more because your body is so used to consuming it. Keep it by your desk, in the car, next to you on the couch, on your nightstand, when you workout and when you eat. It will soon become second nature to you and what a fabulous outcome it will have. You can even get a fun water bottle like I have to put infused fruits, lemons, limes and veggies!

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope this helps if you wish to become a little healthier in your life. Remember, cravings are temporary but fitness can last forever. Your friends can have a huge impact, and so can you. Don’t forget to drink water and PLENTY of it.

Lover your body, love your life 🙂