Fitness | Almost Ready Blog

I’m so excited to finally be working on a fitness post for you all! With it being one of my most asked questions I put it at the top of my to-do list for 2018. I don’t do anything drastic but I do make it a priority and try to maintain a healthy balance. So here’s a tidbit of what I do daily to keep myself on track that will hopefully encourage you, no matter where you are in your fitness journey.

Let’s start with the most important part for me – focusing on my WHY. This part is different for every person but for me it’s about feeling good in my own skin as well as finding a healthy way to deal with stress and anxiety. Because let’s face it, we all deal with life’s ups and downs differently, and sometimes it can get the best of us no matter how happy and fulfilled we seem to be on the outside. I find that when I am able to get a good workout in I feel less stressed, sleep better, and have more natural energy throughout the day. In one of my favorite workout videos the instructor says at the end to remember the way you feel right then – when you’re done and you feel great. That’s what you want to focus on. So on days when I don’t feel like working out I remember WHY I do it in the first place, and that’s usually enough motivation to get me going.

Let’s dig into the meat of the post – What do I do to stay so fit?

The answer is simple, I workout and eat healthy most of the time! You have to find a healthy balance to keep it going. Consistency is key. There are days when I spend 30 minutes on an elliptical and do free weights, and then there are days when I do some push ups and crunches while I’m catching up on The Bachelor. I don’t kill myself in the gym or beat myself up when I only do a little. I think it’s important to keep your body moving in some way each day and I do what I can. It seems like I’m always so busy and tired (I know you feel me) but I also know that being healthy is important and I’m worth that amount of energy. I love to get outside when the weather permits. Going on walks and jogs with girlfriends (or dogs!) is my fave! I also do most of my workouts at home so it feels less time consuming. There are so many sites with FREE workout videos that you can find. One of my favorites has become Fitness Blender and I am a huge fan of HIIT workout DVDs like THESE and THESE (which is lower impact). I have seen the quickest results with workouts like these! Also my two favorite pieces of workout equipment are workout bands and a yoga ball. I can get a full body workout in with these two innocent looking items and I highly recommend having these around! I suggest incorporating a lot of different activities – not only to keep from getting bored but also so your body never gets too used to one thing. That helps make big changes too!

Now let’s talk nutrition.

Again, this is all about balance. It might not be so obvious to some, but I love food. Like, I realllly love food! My husband says the most deceiving part about me is how much food I can eat, haha! With that said I make the most out of my meals and try to pack as much nutrition into them as I can. I definitely have my splurges (which you’ll most likely see on my IG Stories) but I try to incorporate lean protein and veggies into every meal. Oven roasted turkey, hard boiled eggs, and cut up veggie sticks and hummus are staples in my fridge – which brings me to my next point, keep a well stocked (healthy) fridge! If you don’t buy junk food it won’t be there to eat… A basic rule of thumb for me – the majority of the foods I eat come from the refrigerator, not the pantry.

I have also learned that there are foods that just don’t work so well with my body. When my daughter was born she was super sensitive to my consuming dairy while breast feeding. Long story short I gave up ALL dairy for the entire YEAR I was nursing… that was hard. But when that year came to an end and I began reintroducing dairy back into my diet I realized that maybe that was source of many issues I had experienced throughout the years. Breakouts, bloating, and overall indigestion. I had never felt better than when I had rid my system of all things dairy. So I decided to keep it that way. I’m not telling you to go dairy free, parts of it really suck (omg pizza…) but if you’re experiencing some of unwanted symptoms you might want to take a look at your diet. It can really change your life.

If you’re looking to do a total reset I suggest looking into some sort of cleanse. Please note I am not a medical professional and suggest you always check with your doctor before starting any kind of nutrition system or cleanse of any kind. For me the Advocare cleanse has proven effective when I need a good clean up (you can get the supplements I use here and here). I don’t do these on a regular basis but they do give me the results I need and make me feel great! You have to put the work in but it can be very helpful in getting your body back on track. There are tons of resources online with recipes and helpful tips to get you through it – Pinterest will be your best friend!

At the end of the day, living a fit life doesn’t have to be drastic or unattainable. Do what you can and have fun doing it! And because I always like to leave you with a takeaway, you can find my go-to eats below!

Xoxo

Amanda

Breakfast Shake:

One handful baby spinach

1 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

One scoop vanilla protein powder (find my fave here)

1 Tablespoon peanut butter (or any nut butter substitute)

Heavy sprinkle Cinnamon

Fill remaining 1 cup or so with Water

Blend

Sweet Snack:

1 Cup frozen peaches