Saturday Morning Musings (#3)

Good morning (afternoon now, really), everyone! Welcome to another 'Saturday Morning Musings'. I had to take the SAT this morning - definitely stressful, but it has to be done. I scheduled this post so that it didn't go up at 7:00 AM, but it never actually posted, so instead it is being uploaded now. Today's topic? A healthy lifestyle. I've been wanting to address this since I made a major change in the way I eat and go through everyday life, but wanted to give it a few weeks to ensure that results were there and I wouldn't be writing something I thought was true, but wasn't showing results, for you. It's about to get a little more personal, today.

It's been around five weeks since I've changed my diet and everyday activities. I first want to address what sparked this change and the answer to that is simple: complete and utter frustration. I've played softball for years, always kept a relatively healthy diet, and even after all of this, I never could lose the weight I wanted to. I went from playing softball five days a week over the course of four months to losing nothing and I became frustrated. It's not that I was so focused on becoming this thin person that could fit into the smallest sizes, it's the I was putting work into something that required me to be active and nothing seemed to change. It was discouraging - to work so hard and see no results has an effect on a person. There were times where I thought there wasn't anything I could do that could help, but I kept at it, figured out what needed to be changed, and realized that these things take time.

I changed the way I ate, entirely. I've cut down to one meal a day with carbs, so if I have a sandwich for lunch, I'll avoid having any bread for dinner. I've also cut out any fried foods and any thing processed. If I'm going to eat something, I'll make it from my own ingredients this way I know exactly what's going into a dish. This also means that if I'm making something, I can substitute ingredients to make it a healthier recipe. I do tend to use a healthy recipe to begin with, but sometimes there isn't one. I've substituted whole grain/wheat pasta for the normal pasta. I've pretty much avoided pizza, and since my family tends to have it every Friday night, I'll either just have one piece or make myself something with eggs, which can be made so many different ways. It's not a diet. It's a healthier way of eating that makes me feel better everyday. It helps me to have more energy.

As for breakfast in the mornings, for school I tend to have a granola bar in the morning or some fruit, such as an apple with a spoonful of peanut butter or almond butter. On weekends, I'll often have an egg and some fruit or if I'm feeling like something different I'll have a smoothie. I absolutely love smoothies because it's as if you're making your own delicious concoction. What's also great is that you can throw in some greens, such as a handful of baby spinach, and although you can't taste it, the benefits are there.

For lunch on school days I usually have a sandwich or wrap, or if I buy lunch I'll have a salad. As for weekends, it depends on what's in the house, so this often changes. I always tend to not eat a heavy lunch on the weekends, and if I do, I won't have a big dinner. It's all about portion control. Dinner is another thing that changes, but I will say that two nights ago I had a grilled vegetable wheat wrap that was delicious. And also, I only drink water.

Besides eating a healthy diet, I work out at least three days a week for 30 minutes. Sometimes, I'll workout for longer depending on the time I have. I won't lie, there are days where I have absolutely no want to workout, but you have to keep pushing in order to reach the goals you set for yourself. Find the workout program that works for you. For me, I personally either use the Nike Pro Training app from the Apple App Store or I'll use a video from Blogilates on Youtube. What's great about both these things is that they both have scheduled workouts for you. For Blogilates, you can find the fitness calendars on her website which can be unlocked by subscribing to her newsletter. You may find these useful or you may enjoy a completely different program. Either way, stick to it. You may not see results immediately, but you will.

I'm a very impatient person, myself, so when it comes to getting things done, I like to do it as soon as possible. Getting fit is something that definitely takes time, but this time helps you develop this lifestyle, change the things that aren't working. Most importantly, it helps you keep it. This is something you're going to want to continue for the rest of your life. Once you do feel like you're satisfied with your body, stick to your healthy eating, but you can do less intense workouts.

Lastly, be happy with who you are. We all have things we want to change and if that's your body size, work for it. Do things the right and healthy way. Self-acceptance is such an important thing, especially with the images put out by society. You don't need to look like the model in the magazine you saw or as thin as one of your favorite celebrities. This is all about you. Not trying to make yourself look like someone else. Everyone is different and has their insecurities, but this is about getting healthy for yourself, no one else.

I think that just about covers everything. I hope you all have a fantastic day or whenever you read this!

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ICYMI:
Reminder: CW Shows come back next week, which means episode recaps will be back! The Flash returns Tuesday. Arrow and Supernatural both return Wednesday.