Inspire Me: Guest post

Hellooooo...Sorry I've been so MIA lately....so much has been going on in my life the last few weeks...it's been a crazy roller coaster. 

ALL GOOD THINGS, I promise...and I promise to blog about them soon.

This week for the link-up of

with Raven and Kristen

I am posting a great post from one of my newly favorite bloggers, Danielle...she blogs over at Butler, Party of 2. Where she talks about living a healthy lifestyle, her faith and about her life with her hubby. They are such a cute couple.

See....ADORABLE.

I asked Danielle to do a guest post because I love that she makes living a healthy lifestyle a priority. Which is exactly what I, myself, have been striving to accomplish. She incorporates clean eating and working out.  Also, she loves Advocare products just as much as I do...and she is my go to gal for all Advocare questions. So...y'all go and check her out, she has great motivational posts, lots of work out ideas and food ideas and if you want to learn more about Advocare she has that too.

Now, speaking of clean eating...this is something I have been trying to do since I started the Inspire me link-up..however, like I said..I've had a crazy roller coaster couple of weeks...so the clean eating and working out has sort of fallen by the wayside...but I will get back with it soon enough. So, no updates on my progress this week.

Without further adieu...I give you Danielle...

Healthy eating is a lifestyle, and it may not happen overnight. Baby steps are awesome, and you CAN do this!!! 

Disclaimer: Every family is different….this is just what works for us! I’m not claiming to be a nutritionist…I have just read a lot of clean eating books and done a lot of research, so this is a mini-compilation of what I’ve learned and what works for me.

SHOPPING TIPS:

Shop the perimeter!!! I only go down the center aisles for a few things (natural peanut butter, Olive oil, spices/ground pepper), and I typically only have to stock up on these things every few trips.

Learn to read labels. You want as few ingredients as possible, and hopefully you can recognize the majority of the ingredients. The first few ingredients make up the majority of the product, so if high fructose corn syrup or sugar is one of the first few ingredients, for example, try to stay away.

Avoid packages and boxes. I try to buy as many whole, real foods as possible. Obviously that’s not always possible. My chicken/fish, peanut butter, eggs, etc. are all in “packages,” but not like pop-tarts, chips, cookies, etc. Frozen entrees are the worst! Well, along with the junk foods, of course. Even deli meat is highly processed and has a lot of sodium.

When buying bread, pasta, or wraps, I ALWAYS buy Ezekial. Most “whole wheat” breads are made with enriched flour, are bleached, etc. Ezekial products are all natural and have no preservatives. I keep them in the freezer and put them in the refrigerator when I’m ready to eat them. (They last about 2 weeks in the frig- a week or less in the pantry because they don’t have preservatives.) I’m not sure if it’s an acquired taste, but Big Jon is now on board. And seriously, for one of life’s greatest indulgences, try some Naturally More almond butter on a slice of Ezekial Whole Grain Sprouted bread. Oh.my.delish!

Watch out for “healthy” foods. If something is fat-free, sugar free, or lowfat, that means they have used some other chemical to replace whatever they left out. Food companies are very sneaky and have a lot of leeway when it comes to how they market their products, so be cautious, and be a smart shopper. Even things we assume are healthy, like juice and soup, aren’t really that healthy. Don’t be fooled by food marketing slogans.

Eat the rainbow. Try to incorporate a variety of fruits/veggies…the more, the merrier.

I know organic is expensive, so if possible, focus on trying to buy organic with the “dirty dozen.”  Other than that, I think you’re good with the regular stuff.

Here is my typical grocery list.

This is not exactly what you have to buy, but these are the foods we like and what works for us. Obviously I don’t have to buy all of these things all the time, but these are the main foods we have in our house:

Spinach, broccoli, bell peppers, kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, mushrooms, string beans, asparagus, apples, oranges, berries (usually frozen), sweet potatoes, brown rice, unsalted brown rice cakes, ground milled flaxseed, steel cut oats, local honey, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, sunflower seeds (all raw, unsalted), low sodium black beans & kidney beans, chickpeas, salsa, hummus, Lara Bars (check out the ingredient lists! awesome!), Ezekial bread and tortillas, Naturally More peanut butter and almond butter, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, olive oil (get a mister!), minced garlic, tilapia, salmon, hormone free & antibiotic free chicken breasts, canned tuna in water, plain Greek yogurt, chocolate milk (for Big Jon), 5 dozen eggs, green tea

And a list from good ole Dr. Oz…..

And one more food list I like:

{I know it’s hard to see, so here is the link to the PDF version!!}

Other Great Links:

Clean Eating Foods List

Calorie Counts

24 Day Challenge Food List

Clean Eating Food List

A few of my older posts with some really good info:

A Typical Day in My Diet

Eating Healthy on a Budget

My Typical Grocery List 

What Do I Eat?

**If you’re not already, USE THIS!!  

My Fitness Pal

A few other tips:

• Try preparing food different ways to find how you like it. Jonathan loves when I practically burn the asparagus and make is super crispy. Hey, it’s better than mashed potatoes or mac-n-cheese, so I’ll make it if he likes it!
• I put salsa on EVERYTHING. It’s an excellent choice as a condiment because it’s packed with veggies and is low in calories, yet adds an AWESOME kick (especially to protein).
• Get an olive oil mister so you don’t overuse olive oil.
• Use the stovetop rather than the microwave.
• Try to eat as many veggies as possible. Fruits are great too, but have a lot of sugar. If you overeat fruit and don’t burn it off, it turns to glucose and is stored as fat. A banana, for example, has around 100+ calories. That doesn’t mean do'n’t eat fruit, just be aware of the sugar content. Veggies are more filling and super low in calories.
• I cook ALL of my protein in olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, cracked black pepper, and Italian seasoning. It just works.
• Have a good prep day! Boil eggs, cut up veggies, grill fish/chicken, separate foods into portion sizes, etc.
• Drink 16 oz. of water (add lemon) FIRST thing when you wake up. Eat breakfast within 30 min of waking to jump start your metabolism. You’ve been sleeping for the last 8 hours, so you’re dehydrated and your body needs food to start burning fat and get your brain going.
• Eat every few hours, small meals, to avoid spikes in blood sugar. Your goal is to keep your blood sugar as stable as possible throughout the day. I love to snack on raw nuts if I’m hungry or between meals. I also love boiled egg whites, and DUH, peanut butter.

I know I’m super weird, but I LOVE going to the grocery store! I seriously wish I could start a business and do people’s grocery shopping for them, buying them healthy foods. I just LOVE health/nutrition, and I know since there is SO MUCH info, people feel totally overwhelmed. Hopefully this post gave you a good starting place and wasn’t too all over the place.

Happy Shopping!!!!

See...I told you she is super awesome and has some GREAT tips when it comes to incorporating clean eating while grocery shopping. Be sure to check out her blog for more tips.

Have a great day loves!

Inspire me 2

with Miss Raven and Miss Kristen

Week 2 of "Inspire me: Healthy"

First, thank you all for your sweet comments and your words of encouragement last week after my post. It means so much to me that I have y'all to keep me motivated and for us all to keep one another motivated as well.

That's what I love about this link-up...the huge support system behind it.

With that being said...I have yet to get back into a solid work out routine. The last week has sort of been a whirlwind of sorts, so I am taking to Pinterest today and posting some of my favorite work out finds that I like and that I have done in the past.

What I am going to try and focus on is HIIT--High Intensity Interval Training, and weight training.

Jillian Michaels loves some HIIT...it's such a good and effective way to shed the lbs and to get your heart rate high.

Here are a few HIIT workouts I plan on trying

The Tone It Up girls are really awesome and giving good work outs

Now for some motivation

Happy Thursday!! 

Time to get inspired

Helllooooo there.

Guess what...it's still hot here in Oklahoma...so hot in fact, my car has officially given up and the temperature in my car has been stuck at 88 degrees for days.

I haven't seen 88 degrees since January I'm pretty sure.

Well...car...I feel you, I want it to be stuck at 88 also.

Moving on 

Because I've been trying like crazy to get myself motivated and into a solid work out routine and eating clean  and trying to be good...but then I see a cookie or a piece of cake and it just speaks to me...I have decided I need to be held accountable.

Well, it just so happens that these pretty ladies Raven and Kristen are hosting a link up every Thursday called Inspire Me: Healthy

Let's face it...this is perfect for all of us...who couldn't use a little inspiration to be healthy plus we are already all bloggers and check out each others blogs...so this is the perfect way to keep everyone accountable.

This is a genius idea girls...and I'm glad y'all thought of it.

I love nutrition and eating healthy and once I get into a solid work out routine...I love the feeling after a great workout. It's those endorphin's people.
They are goood for you.
I love nutrition so much that is what I got me degree in from Oklahoma State...GOOO POKES!!
However, sometimes I love cookies, ice cream, anything that has 50lbs of sugar a whole lot more...plus eating all that and not moving your body...means lots of extra lbs on this ass.
Not anymore people.
I'm going to be 28 in like 24 days.
I want to finally have the body I've always wanted to have...and it will happen.
None of this self-conscious BS anymore...I want to fit back into my size 4 jeans that are just hanging in my closet waiting for me to finally get off my ass and do something.
Well, size 4 jeans...I'm coming at ya.

So...I will start posting every Thursday about my progress and some inspiration quotes, diet tips, etc. I have already begun this process last week...in fact...don't make fun, but I made my own inspiration board a week ago.

Whatever it takes, right..to be inspired.

I'm going to take my measurements later and I will post those too.

For now...I leave you with some inspiration to get healthy...to be at the best weight, to be toned, to finally run that race and complete that goal...whatever it is that you want to achieve...DO IT!!!

This is inspiring in two ways...who doesn't want those abs...and who doesn't want a guy with those abs...I mean, come on.

Ok...couch and DVR...I have to part ways with you...because it's time this ass fits back into those size 4's.

Peace out.