Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Whatever Wednesday

Welcome to another installment of Whatever Wednesday! (Actually on Wednesday this week!)
Image Credit: Ramblings on Readings
Like I've already discussed with you guys, I am the literal worst when it comes to working out. I'm the laziest person I know; while I know that I would feel better if  could just get off my butt, if I'm not at work of school I just want to relax.

Aside from walking on my treadmill once and doing squats (well, when I don't sleep through my alarm), the only exercise I have done is yoga. I don't know if it actually works for weight loss (let me know in the comments below!), but it feels good and I feel like I'm accomplishing something so it's a start.

My friend showed me this free app for you phone called Down Dog. It's available for iPhone and Android, and it's actually pretty good (as someone who knows nothing about yoga).

Of course, as every app does, the app offers in-app purchases, but for basic yoga it's free.

The app even links to a pose breakdown playlist on YouTube to help beginners figure out what they're doing and make sure they're doing it correctly.

There's three modes to choose from: full practice, restorative, and quick flow. Restorative is mostly stretches, so it's really good on days when you're sore or tired. Quick flow is more of the work out side; this one makes you sweat. Full practice combines these two  modes.

You choose how long your session is, and the app allows you to pause at any point. The music is really relaxing and calming, and the instructor's voice is the typical, slow talking, gentle yoga woman voice.

All in all, I really recommend this app for people who are new to yoga or don't want the embarrassment of trying yoga in front of a whole class. Let me know if you guys have tried this app, or have any other recommendations for work out apps!

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Whatever Wednesday

Hey guys, welcome back to Whatever Wednesday (brought to you on a Tuesday because due dates)!

This week, we're going to be interviewing my friend and my inspiration for my own journey to healthy! Everyone, please welcome Meghan!

 
Q: What made you decide that this was the right time to get healthy?

A: Before my fitness journey, I was a very depressed, emotional, unhappy, and unmotivated person. I was a negative person and I didn't care about my health or my appearance at the time. I was in a long term relationship which caused me to be in that comfortable state which caused me to not care how I looked or how much I weighed.

One day I told myself that my mindset needed to change. I was tired of looking at myself in the mirror and not seeing what I liked. I was tired of feeling embarrassed, unhappy, and uncomfortable with my body. Me physically is what made me decide this was the right time to get healthy, but mostly my mental health is what caused me to take this step.

My mental health was a big factor in changing my lifestyle and becoming healthy. I wanted confidence and self esteem that I have never had before. Knowing that things would never change if I continues to be the person I was definitely helped me realize it was time to make the change.

Q: How much weight have you lost? What's your goal and how far off from it are you?

A: Since March 3rd of 2016, I am down 79 pounds. My goal is to get down to 150, which would make me an 80 pound loser, so I am definitely not too far from my goal! I am definitely positive that I will reach that goal with consistency, discipline, and hard work. I am one pound away from reaching my next goal!

Q: What steps have you taken to get healthy?

A: I have taken many steps to become a healthier person. When I first started, I decided to get a gym membership at Planet Fitness and I started going there almost every day. I also took some fitness classes at the YMCA, like Body Combat. That class is definitely a work out!

I also cut out fast food and only had water instead of soda, which was definitely hard at first I told myself that I would only have a "cheat meal" once a weekend, which gave me something to look forward to. While at the grocery store, I started paying more attention to nutrition tables, which was something I had never done before.

My best friend introduced me to Herbalife, which is the number one nutrition company in the world. I decided to start a three day trial where I had meal replacement shakes for breakfast and lunch, with healthy snacks in between, and a healthy dinner for three days and I lost four pounds! I decided to continue with the products and since then they have been a huge success to me.  

Q: Are you taking this journey alone or is someone doing this with you?

A: I am not doing this journey alone. Fortunately, my mom decided to start her journey with me. She has been very successful in her weight loss journey as well. She is down 76 pounds, which is amazing!

Q: What is your motivation to keep going?

A: I think my motivation to keep going is thinking about the progress I have made throughout the year. I look back and see a girl that I don't even recognize. When I look back, I see a huge transformation due to hard work, patience, discipline, and consistency. I tell myself I am never going back to the person I used to be, physically and mentally.

Q: How do you avoid  unhealthy foods like the heavenly Taco Bell?

A: I think it is very hard at times to avoid unhealthy foods like Taco Bell. Before my fitness journey, Taco Bell was definitely a go-to when I got of work late at night. I almost had it every night after work It was my favorite place to eat honestly! I have a few ways to avoid Taco Bell and other fast food places. 

I think drinking water helped a lot honestly. Drinking water takes some of that hunger away that you may have. Whenever I have cravings for bad food, I take out my water jug and start drinking some water. 

I also like to distance myself. If I see other people eating bad food I would just distance myself away from them so I would not give in. Also, meal prepping has helped me tremendously. I would already have my meals ready for me to eat, which caused me not to go somewhere and eat. Meal prepping is a big key to losing weight.

I also thought to myself that eating Taco Bell is not going to help me reach my goals and it would just take me a step back from where I am at. I told myself eating it would only give me temporary happiness and I would regret eating it afterwards. I told myself Taco Bell is not going to get me results.

Q: Do you think you'll continue after your target weight is reached?

A: I will definitely continue my journey after I reach my target weight. I learned from one of my couches that it is important to not get comfortable once you reach your goal. I was told to always have goals for yourself or else you'll be too lenient on yourself, which can cause you to slack off a little bit. I have been there before and I realized he was definitely right.

Once I reach my goal weight, I will continue to make goals for myself because I don't want to get comfortable like I did in the past.

Q: What's your favorite Herbalife product that you've tried? What product would you like to try next?

A: I have so many products from Herbalife that I love very much! If I had to pick a favorite product, it would definitely be the "Cookies and Cream" meal bars, which are very convenient to have when you're busy and not at home. I also love the coconut protein bars, which is a great snack that keeps me full. 

I would like to try the "Rebuild Strength" product next. It is a post workout product that you drink, and I heard it was very good. That is next on my list.

Q: How do you fund your Herbalife?

A: I work a part-time job, while being a college student, so that definitely helps me have a little bit of money on that side to afford my products. Herbalife can be expensive at some times, so I make sure that I save money on the side to afford them. I also buy products once or twice very month which helps me save a lot of money also!

Luckily, my mom and I enjoy the same products so we usually order products for ourselves and we split the cost, which helps tremendously!

Q: How do you balance a healthy lifestyle, work, and being a college student? 

A: I find that balance for a healthy lifestyle, work, and being a college student is extremely important. I make sure that my days are very productive. I always take an hour or so out of my day to workout, no matter what. I also work weekends, while going to school during the week, which takes off a lot of stress for my classes. I find the time out of the day to study and do school work and I also find time to workout during the day.

Q: What advice have you for me, an unmotivated, lazy bum?

A: If you are interested in starting your fitness journey, I would say give it a try! Make goals for yourself and always remember your "why." Remember why you started in the first place. Don't give up and stay consistent and patient. It takes time to notice results. Image where you will be if you don't give up!

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Whatever Wednesday

Image Credit: Ramblings on Readings
Hey everyone, welcome to "Whatever Wednesday!" Basically, on Wednesdays, I'll catch you up on whatever you've missed throughout the week.

I have started Herbalife! I'm honestly doing really bad at it, but I'm working on it. It is much more expensive than I anticipated. I am currently using five products: the meal shake, the protein (which you put in the meal shake), the Total Control supplement, the multivitamin, and the fiber powder that you mix with other foods like oatmeal.

Here's the thing: when I use my Herbalife products like I'm supposed to, I feel awesome. I have more energy, I nap less (if you recall, I have hypersomnia so not being tired is a huge deal for me), I've lost some of my stomach pudge. It's working.

The problem is that I just can't stick to it. I wake up and I don't want to eat or drink anything, and I miss breakfast, which means I also miss taking the Total Control and my vitamin because you're supposed to take those with every meal. Then I still snack constantly-- I defeat the purpose and feel like crap again.

My other problem is that I have absolutely no motivation to work out. I don't know how to get myself to do it. I work out once in a while, and I think "yeah, I feel good, I'll do this every day!" Well, that doesn't happen.

Do you guys have any advice? How do you motivate yourself to get up and do things? I thought feeling better would be enough but apparently I enjoy being a potato too much. How do I break this cycle?

On the bright side, since I've started this journey, I've only had Taco Bell once! McDonald's and Burger King are another story, but I have discovered that they both have pretty good salads.


Thursday, February 23, 2017

Food for Thought


Image Credit: Old Building Gallery
Buildings are kind of strange, aren’t they? When they’re built, they are extravagant and strong, even if it’s just a small and simple house. It's new and interesting.

After time though, the building starts to crumble and regular maintenance becomes needed. Without it, the building becomes decrepit and strange looking. Abandoned buildings are scary looking; like the image above, who knows the last time a human touched these walls? When did people stop caring enough to keep the building from falling apart?

Buildings need someone to take care of them, or they fall apart and become a distant memory.

Growing up, I was often told "your body is a temple." It didn't really mean much to me as a kid. I thought it was just fancy talk for take care of yourself, maybe for treating yourself like a god, but I never really understood the comparison.

But it kind of makes sense now, doesn't it? A body needs attention too-- someone has to keep up maintenance on the body just like the building. Without it, the body becomes decrepit and strange looking.

Bodies and buildings become weak when not cared for.

So treat your body like a temple. Take care of yourself, through eating well and regular exercise (both things that I myself am still working on). With buildings, when they get bad enough, they're torn down and rebuilt brand new. You can't do this with your body. So start now and repair the damage done before you're stuck picking up the pieces.

Just some food for thought.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Journey Away from the Bell

I was never the healthiest person, but I definitely used to be better than I am now. Gym was a requirement in school, so I  was forced to be active even when I didn't want to be. I was always home for dinner, where my parents had at least somewhat healthy meals ready for me. My sleep schedule used to... well, exist.

These days I live in the drive thru, spending too much money and eating too many calories. I sleep too much. The last time I actually worked out was in my freshman year of high school.
People all around me are jumping on the Herbalife craze and losing weight and getting in shape, while I watch others blow up like balloons. In fear of being the latter, I've decided to get myself together.

Image Credit: Don Roberto

My goal is not to lose weight-- my goal is to take back control of my body.

A flat stomach and no 'love handles' would be lovely, though.

I want my energy levels to improve, and I don't want to be out of breath from doing literally anything physical. I want to feel like myself again.

I'm probably going to try the Herbalife thing just to see what all the hype is about. I will set up some sort of workout regimen (I haven't put any real thought into that, so advice is more than welcome), and, as much as it pains me to say it, cutting back on Taco Bell. I'm not going to say I won't ever eat it again, because let's be honest, Taco Bell is life. But having it three times a week might be actually killing me.

So join me on my journey away from the Bell, if you will. Advice, criticisms, anything is welcome. I have no idea what I'm doing so I'll accept any kind of help.

I hope to see you soon!