Self Love is the Best Love

Here’s a little hump day break that I hope will encourage you to take a few minutes and reflect how great you are. We are so critical of everything and the most critical about ourselves! Constantly comparing, critiquing our minds and bodies to “fit in.” Before the days of social media you could just enjoy yourself and not be constant bombarded by pictures and posts about this and that. Sometimes I need to remind myself, that if you can’t love yourself, it’s impossible to love anyone else and fully live your life. You aren’t conceited or cocky because you love yourself, you are treated yourself the way you deserve to be treated; with love and respect.

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Here is are 30 Ways to Practice Self-Love from lifehack.org

So do yourself a favor, take a deep breath, give yourself a little hug and start practicing the following:

  1. Start each day by telling yourself something really positive. How well you handled a situation, how lovely you look today. Anything that will make you smile.
  2. Fill your body with food and drink that nourishes it and makes it thrive.
  3. Move that gorgeous body of yours every single day and learn to love the skin you’re in. You can’t hate your way into loving yourself.
  4. Don’t believe everything you think. There is an inner critic inside of us trying to keep us small and safe. The downside is this also stops us from living a full life.
  5. Surround yourself with people who love and encourage you. Let them remind you just how amazing you are.
  6. Stop the comparisons. There is no one on this planet like you, so you cannot fairly compare yourself to someone else. The only person you should compare yourself to is you.
  7. End all toxic relationships. Seriously. Anyone who makes you feel anything less than amazing doesn’t deserve to be a part of your life.
  8. Celebrate your wins no matter how big or small. Pat yourself on the back and be proud of what you have achieved.
  9. Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. It’s incredible the feeling we get when we realize we have achieved something we didn’t know or think we could do before.
  10. Embrace and love the things that make you different. This is what makes you special.
  11. Realize that beauty cannot be defined. It is what you see it as. Don’t let any of those Photoshopped magazines make you feel like your body isn’t perfect. Even those models don’t look like that in real life.
  12. Take time out to calm your mind every day. Breathe in and out, clear your mind of your thoughts and just be.
  13. Follow your passion. You know that thing that gets you so excited but scares you at the same time. The thing you really want to do but have convinced yourself it won’t work. You should go do that!
  14. Be patient but persistent. Self-love is ever evolving. It’s something that needs to be practiced daily but can take a lifetime to master. So be kind and support yourself through the hard times.
  15. Be mindful of what you think, feel and want. Live your life in ways that truly reflect this.
  16. Treat others with love and respect. It makes us feel better about ourselves when we treat others the way we hope to be treated. That doesn’t mean everybody will always repay the favor, but that’s their problem not yours.
  17. Find something to be grateful for every day. It’s inevitable that you are going to have your down days. This is fine and very human of you. It’s especially important on these days to find at least one thing you are grateful for as it helps to shift your mind and energy around what’s going on.
  18. Reach out to family, friends, healers, whomever you need to help you through the tough times. You are not expected to go through them alone.
  19. Learn to say no. Saying no sometimes doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you a smart person.
  20. Forgive yourself. You know that thing you did one time (or maybe a few times) that made you feel bad, embarrassed, ashamed? It’s time to let that go. You can’t change the things you have done in the past but you can control your future. Look at it as a learning experience and believe in your ability to change.
  21. Write it down. Head swimming with so many thoughts it’s giving you a headache? Write them all down on a piece of paper, no matter how crazy, mean, sad, or terrifying they are. Keep it in a journal, tear it up, burn it, whatever you need to do to let it go.
  22. Turn off and inwards. Grab a cup of your favorite tea, coffee, wine, whatever your choice of drink, and sit down for a few minutes on your own. No TV or distractions, just you. Think about the wonderful things that are happening in your life right now, what your big dreams are and how you can make them happen.
  23. Give up the need for approval from others. “You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” – Dita Von Teese
  24. Be realistic. There is no person on this earth that is happy every single moment of every single day. You know why? Because we are all human. We make mistakes, we feel emotions (good and bad) and this is OK. Allow yourself to be human.
  25. Get creative and express yourself in whatever way you like. Painting, writing, sculpting, building, music, whatever takes your fancy, and make sure you leave your inner critic at the door. There are no right ways to be creative.
  26. Let go of past trauma and wounds. This can be a really tough one and it may be one of those times you need to turn to others for support. The truth is though, when we let go of things that have happened to us it’s almost like a weight is lifted off our shoulders. We don’t have to carry that around with us anymore. We deserve better.
  27. Find your happy place. Where’s the one place you feel totally at ease, calm, happy, positive, high on life? Go to that place when you are going through hard times, or imagine yourself being there. Think about how it feels, what it smells like, what it looks like.
  28. The next time you are feeling happy and on top of the world make a list of your best qualities and accomplishments. It may sound a little corny, but it can be a wonderful reminder when you are having a day that’s less than amazing.
  29. Get in touch with your inner dialogue. If it’s anything less than loving, encouraging and supportive, it’s time to make a change. You deserve to be spoken to in the same way you would speak to your best friend, sister, brother, daughter, or son.
  30. Have fun! Get out there and do the things that light your fire. Enjoy them, enjoy being you and enjoy your incredible life.

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If you want to start, continue or revamp your fitness journey email maketimeforfit@gmail.com for your personalized workout program!

Invest in your health

Many of us wake up and think “today I’ll be healthy,  no junk food,  I’ll get a salad for lunch,  and I’ll get a workout in.” But as you go about your day,  things change up a little.  It’s a co workers birthday and lots of (delicious) cake flowing around the office. Or you get slammed and have to order pizza because you don’t have time to get lunch.  Then you decide to just pick up Chinese food on the way home because you don’t feel like cooking and the gym?  Ha no way, not today!

Once you realize that everything you put into your body will effect not only the way you look but the way you feel, you will be more careful or your food choices. “It’s too hard to plan ahead and really expensive to eat healthy.” Not really – when you think of how much you spend on fast food each week and not to mention the money you’ll be spending on medical bills as you get older.

There is no price for a healthy life and you are in complete control of it! Not to say you have to make every meal and go to the gym every day – just be aware of what you are ingesting and how much you’re exercising. Take pride in yourself and fuel your body with the right stuff!

Start today! Email maketimforfit@gmail.com for your personalized workout program! I will work with you to fit a program into your busy schedule!

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Tupperware Life

Living a healthy lifestyle takes a little planning, time and preparation.  In the super fast paced world we live in everything is thing “go go go” and planning takes a back seat. Some simple tips that can help you continue to ready healthy on the go!
•Make extra
When you do have time to cook dinner, cook enough for 2 extra meals.  It’s just as easy to make a piece of grilled chicken as it is to make 4.
•Staples
Have things you like in the house as ready go-to’s. For me I like string cheese,  clementines, bananas, grapes, edamame, fresh spinach and hard boiled eggs.
•Pack early
If you pack a lunch or dinner the night before you can just grab and go. Way easier than frantically putting things together lat minute.
•Single servings
When you store your left overs store them in meals. Don’t put all the chicken breats together, but rather the chicken,  edamame and rice. Again making it easier on yourself in the long run.

So I bring my lunch and sometimes dinner to work with all my Tupperware.  But if your health is important to you,  you find ways to make it work.  Plus, you can save a ton of money but not eating out! 👏👏👐👍👌

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Egg sandwich

I love the results I’m seeing from carb cycling – (if you want to know more about that email maketimeforfit@gmail.com). One of my favorite breakfast meals* is this egg sandwich – and it’s super easy to make.

I have an egg poacher (it was 4 dollars from Bed, Bath and Beyond here) and make two eggs with a quick stir and a little water – microwave for :45-1:00 and then put a little ham, cheese and couple slices of avocado the middle. Viola – super easy, and just as quick as a bowl of cereal!

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What are some of your favorite low carb breakfasts?

*I work out in the morning so I usually have a 1/4 c of oatmeal with this for enough energy to get through my workout.

Slider workout!

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Sliders are all you need for a great full body workout! Sliders cause you to burn more calories during an exercise because it requires you to engage your stabilizing muscles. The more muscles being used during each move which results in more calories burned!

Mt. Climber [advanced: twisting Mt climbers]
Bear Crawl [advanced: add push up]
Scissors
In and outs
Single leg in with wiper
Push ups – all kinds a challenging variations.

Check out my instagram for video examples of some of these moves!

If you don’t own sliders you can use towels on wood for or even paper plates!

Teach kids the importance of exercise!

Did you know that children spend more than 7.5 hours a day in front of a screen – TV/Video/Computer.

The majority of kids are not active and not getting enough physical activity. Take your kids on a walk, work out with them, teach them HOW and WHY it is important to exercise daily! Plus teach them the impact food (good and bad) has on moods, headaches and overall well-being. They will follow whatever example you set – so be an example of what you want them to be.

Teaching your kids healthy habits such as daily exercise will help them stay healthy and help keep you accountable! Don’t forget they are always watching!

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Why wait until January 1st?

Go to the gym.

Go for a walk.

Skip dessert.

Grab an apple instead of party mix.

A  recent poll showed that only 59% of people stick to their health and fitness goals! Start incorporating simple steps into your daily routine RIGHT NOW!  A healthy lifestyle is an on-going progress – start with easy things and then keep working to add more things into your routine. Goals don’t have to start on a certain date or time – why wait? START NOW!

 

 
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Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day

No matter how many times it’s proven that breakfast is important to a healthy lifestyle, people still continually skip it.

If the choice to have breakfast or not the answer is ALWAYS have breakfast.

Now WHAT to have can be up for debate. It is very beneficial for your body, mind and muscles to start off the day with protein. Whether you exercise regularly or just with getting older protein is so important for building muscles and for older folks maintain muscle mass in general! Plus it helps you feel fuller longer and gives you the fuel boost to start the day!

Studies have shown that high protein breakfasts can be linked to weight-loss since you feel fuller long you have less desire to eat carelessly throughout the day.

Here are some high protein breakfast ideas:

  • Two slices of whole-wheat bread with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on each, topped with sliced banana. One cup of skim milk to drink. Total: 22 grams of protein.
  • Strawberry Smoothie: Blend together 1/2 cup of strawberries, 6 ounces Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup of uncooked oatmeal, a drizzle of honey (as needed) and 1/2 cup of skim milk or soy milk. Total: 21 grams of protein.
  • Mediterranean Sandwich: Whole-wheat pita with 4 tablespoons of hummus, tomato slices, 1 ounce of goat cheese and 1/4 cup of sliced almonds. Have a café latte to drink, made with 1/2 cup of steamed skim milk. Total: 22 grams of protein.
  • Cottage cheese
  • Greek Yogurt with fruit and honey
  • Breakfast Burrito: Corn tortilla filled with two scrambled eggs, sautéed onions, 1/4 cup of black beans and pico de gallo. Total: 25 grams of protein.
  • Apple Walnut Oatmeal: Cook 3/4 cups of dry oatmeal with 1 and 1/4 cup of skim milk, and add 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, plus 1 chopped apple. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with honey. Total: 24 grams of protein.

 
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Blueberry Vanilla Smoothie

Blueberries are FULL of antioxidants which are essential to a healthy body!  Blueberries are good for your cardiovascular health, brain health and can help lower cholesterol. After a workout blueberries give your body want it needs to replenish all the essential nutrients you burned during your workout.

This shake is light but filling and not to mention DELICIOUS! You can leave out the protein and give this to your kids as a healthy dessert or snack!

It’s super easy  to make!

Blueberrysmoothie

Pin the recipe and share it! Hope you enjoy this and much as I do!

What are some of your favorite smoothies? Leave it in the comments!

Cookie Dough Bites

I first found these on Healthy Fitness Meals on Instagram.  After making them a few times, I modified them and I really am pleased with this recipe. It is an all natural treat!  It satisfies your sweet craving without the guilt!

A great “on the go” snack! Store them in the refrigerator!  ENJOY!

cookiedoughbites

Pin and share!