I'm not working out as much as I used to. Though I never come back from a workout saying "FUCK. I SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT", it is sort of nice to not constantly feel guilty for not going for a run.
And, obviously, because not working out means I have AT LEAST two more hours to spend on My Friends Are Married. And that's good for life, amiright?
I remember not too long ago when I'd constantly count calories, measuring my oatmeal in the morning, separating exactly 15 almonds out for a morning snack, and really craving office birthday cake, but knowing that if I had it, I'd be doomed to an eight mile run on the dread-mill later. Like, WTF? Cake? Put me into a panic-inducing state? So wrong.
The hardest part is actually finding that balance between shoving your face with cake and counting out your almonds to fit into your daily calorie allotment.
Here's my mini-guide to not being a total bitch to everyone around because you just want a piece of chocolate but you think you should probably have celery instead.
1. It starts at the grocery store. So eat an apple before you unload your reusable totes (you ARE using reusable totes, right?) because ain't nothing worse than cruisin' on down the snack aisle looking for low-salt salsa and instead winding up three bags of Fritos deep because you know how good those little shits tastes with melted cheese, on top of soup, as you're checking out.
My rule of thumb at the grocery store is (whoa, wait for it. I'm about to blow your mind.) to stick to the perimeter of the store (cue mind-explosion). I go for maybe five or six veggies (some variety of lettuce, avocados, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, onions, and maybe a pepper or two thrown in there), a few different kinds of fruits that I can throw in my bag and not worry about prepping before I head out for the day (apples, pears, peaches, plums...other fruits that begin with 'p'.), and one special thing for the week (this week it was beets. Beets! It's what's for dinner!).
Other things I buy weekly are one type of bean (lentils or black or my fave), one or two grains (brown rice and quinoa), oatmeal, a bag of nuts or seeds, peanut butter (eaten with a spoon while watching The Mindy Project, duh) and a carton of eggs (because I love me an omelette on a Saturday morning).
That's pretty much it to keep me full and loved every week and it's pretty much a bargain.
2. Eat the same things. Because I'm lazy and the grocery store is sort of a pain in my ass with moms pushing babies around in carts and knocking into my overstuffed backpack and me usually being sweaty and smelling like a gym locker. So if I can get grocery shopping done in like, four minutes, it makes me happy.
So I streamline. I buy the same. thing. every. week. I throw some variety in the types of grains or veggies, and if I'm feeling feisty, I'll buy some cottage cheese and plow through it in one sitting (that's what happens when I go to the store hungry. Cottage cheese down in one hour.)
Not only does simplifying your weekly shopping list make the grocery store feel like less of a chore, if you're picking good things every week, it becomes easier and easier to make it a habit in the longterm.
3. Use your body more often than you don't. Walk or bike in weather you can stand. Do yoga, dance around in your underwear for at least 30 minutes, trampoline, take your dog for a walk, take your neighbors dog for a walk, do some handstands, roll out your yoga mat and do a sun salutation every time someone on TV says "politics" (it's a fun twist on drinking games).
I know, it's getting to be fall and we naturally want to start cuddling up a lot more, but there are ways to get your body in the habit of moving now so that it doesn't get out of the habit come January when all the fuck you want to do is eat peanut butter out of the jar while planking on your couch. (This planking. Not this planking.)
4. Eat at home. Remember up there when you were at the grocery store, perimeter shopping and totally choosing yummy healthy things to go in your cute reusable grocery tote? If you eat at home more often, then you don't have the option to choose bad-for-you-foods.
If you're feeling like a social recluse and haven't seen people in weeks, invite someone over for dinner and cook for them. Even though I'm sure any potential dinner companions won't be impressed with my typical single-female dinner of steamed-veggies-on-top-of-rice-with-sriacha, a free, home-cooked meal is probably enough to entice some unsuspecting non-cooking friend over to share in the gloriousness of a simple meal and TV with you.
5. Relax and allow yourself some wiggle room. If that's a chocolate bar, go for it. If it's a piece of pie, I say have it. Peanut butter out of a jar with a spoon? I mean, I already done that twice this week.
I think the word healthy somewhere along the line got reduced to a synonym for the word thin.
The kind of healthy I like to talk about is the kind of healthy where you feel happy to wake up in the morning, you are excited to go do whatever you're going to do, and your diet, or your lunch, or your workout don't make you cringe and give you agita.
What do you do to keep yourself healthy and sane? Situps every morning? Running after work?
And, obviously, because not working out means I have AT LEAST two more hours to spend on My Friends Are Married. And that's good for life, amiright?
I remember not too long ago when I'd constantly count calories, measuring my oatmeal in the morning, separating exactly 15 almonds out for a morning snack, and really craving office birthday cake, but knowing that if I had it, I'd be doomed to an eight mile run on the dread-mill later. Like, WTF? Cake? Put me into a panic-inducing state? So wrong.
The hardest part is actually finding that balance between shoving your face with cake and counting out your almonds to fit into your daily calorie allotment.
Here's my mini-guide to not being a total bitch to everyone around because you just want a piece of chocolate but you think you should probably have celery instead.
1. It starts at the grocery store. So eat an apple before you unload your reusable totes (you ARE using reusable totes, right?) because ain't nothing worse than cruisin' on down the snack aisle looking for low-salt salsa and instead winding up three bags of Fritos deep because you know how good those little shits tastes with melted cheese, on top of soup, as you're checking out.
My rule of thumb at the grocery store is (whoa, wait for it. I'm about to blow your mind.) to stick to the perimeter of the store (cue mind-explosion). I go for maybe five or six veggies (some variety of lettuce, avocados, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, onions, and maybe a pepper or two thrown in there), a few different kinds of fruits that I can throw in my bag and not worry about prepping before I head out for the day (apples, pears, peaches, plums...other fruits that begin with 'p'.), and one special thing for the week (this week it was beets. Beets! It's what's for dinner!).
Other things I buy weekly are one type of bean (lentils or black or my fave), one or two grains (brown rice and quinoa), oatmeal, a bag of nuts or seeds, peanut butter (eaten with a spoon while watching The Mindy Project, duh) and a carton of eggs (because I love me an omelette on a Saturday morning).
That's pretty much it to keep me full and loved every week and it's pretty much a bargain.
2. Eat the same things. Because I'm lazy and the grocery store is sort of a pain in my ass with moms pushing babies around in carts and knocking into my overstuffed backpack and me usually being sweaty and smelling like a gym locker. So if I can get grocery shopping done in like, four minutes, it makes me happy.
So I streamline. I buy the same. thing. every. week. I throw some variety in the types of grains or veggies, and if I'm feeling feisty, I'll buy some cottage cheese and plow through it in one sitting (that's what happens when I go to the store hungry. Cottage cheese down in one hour.)
Not only does simplifying your weekly shopping list make the grocery store feel like less of a chore, if you're picking good things every week, it becomes easier and easier to make it a habit in the longterm.
3. Use your body more often than you don't. Walk or bike in weather you can stand. Do yoga, dance around in your underwear for at least 30 minutes, trampoline, take your dog for a walk, take your neighbors dog for a walk, do some handstands, roll out your yoga mat and do a sun salutation every time someone on TV says "politics" (it's a fun twist on drinking games).
I know, it's getting to be fall and we naturally want to start cuddling up a lot more, but there are ways to get your body in the habit of moving now so that it doesn't get out of the habit come January when all the fuck you want to do is eat peanut butter out of the jar while planking on your couch. (This planking. Not this planking.)
4. Eat at home. Remember up there when you were at the grocery store, perimeter shopping and totally choosing yummy healthy things to go in your cute reusable grocery tote? If you eat at home more often, then you don't have the option to choose bad-for-you-foods.
If you're feeling like a social recluse and haven't seen people in weeks, invite someone over for dinner and cook for them. Even though I'm sure any potential dinner companions won't be impressed with my typical single-female dinner of steamed-veggies-on-top-of-rice-with-sriacha, a free, home-cooked meal is probably enough to entice some unsuspecting non-cooking friend over to share in the gloriousness of a simple meal and TV with you.
5. Relax and allow yourself some wiggle room. If that's a chocolate bar, go for it. If it's a piece of pie, I say have it. Peanut butter out of a jar with a spoon? I mean, I already done that twice this week.
I think the word healthy somewhere along the line got reduced to a synonym for the word thin.
The kind of healthy I like to talk about is the kind of healthy where you feel happy to wake up in the morning, you are excited to go do whatever you're going to do, and your diet, or your lunch, or your workout don't make you cringe and give you agita.
What do you do to keep yourself healthy and sane? Situps every morning? Running after work?
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