Screaming for treats

Let's be honest health eating is not easy. Most of us have junk food cravings. It's hard to say no to these things because we are stressed or heck it seems like it just sitting there staring at us. Trust me I know the feeling. I am just going to eat one. It will be easy. I will just eat one and the cravings will be satisfied. Done by no one ever. Well, at least that my case. That saying is easier said then done. Once I would take one it seemed to lead to another then one more then one more after that. You get the gist. Instead of allowing myself to continue to indulge in the bad habit of junk food, I learned to not buy any. It makes it easier to resist these temptations. After all, if you don't have something it makes it hard to want to eat it.

Junk food does not give us anything. Yes it may give us satisfaction for a little bit, but soon after you are left feeling the same way you did before if not worse. These foods leave you feeling lousy and sluggish. So why choose to eat things that you "want" when it really is not necessary? I may really want that donut, cookie, chips (or whatever it may be) right now, but it is not necessary. Cravings are just a suggestion not a need. So why choose to eat food that is not going to give you the satisfaction of being full as well as give your body the nutritions and energy?

Here are a few healthy snacks:

• No bake energy balls- I don't add the chocolate chips in mine as I am not big on chocolate. There are also other recipes out there too. 
• http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/no-bake-energy-bites/

• Peanut butter nacho apples- Again I don't do the chocolate chips. 
• http://www.madetobeamomma.com/peanut-butter-apple-nachos/

• Strawberry banana ice cream
• http://www.simplecleanfitness.com/strawberry-banana-ice-cream.html

There are many other healthy snack recipes out there. All you need to do is look.  Feel free to share your favorite treat recipes!

Spring ahead

Happy first day of spring everyone!

Today was such a beautiful, refreshing spring welcome. With spring at our presence, we all know it comes time to spring cleaning. No, I do not mean spring cleaning of your house. I mean spring cleaning of your body . There is no better day then starting spring off with healthy eating habits. It's time to clean up our winter habits. Get rid of the winter comfort foods and welcome spring with better food choices. Invite more fresh, colored produce to your body like vegetables and fruits. As you there are many options to pick from, so don't limit yourself.

What are some clean recipes to add to these spring produces? Here are a few of my favorites: stuffed peppers, chicken parmesan, and chicken salad.

Here are the links to these recipes:

• Stuffed peppers- you can use any color of pepper you want. I have tried it with both red and green peppers. I love it either way. 
• http://www.getfitwithnikki.com/2015/05/santa-fe-stuffed-peppers-21-day-fix-friendly/

• Chicken parmesan- make it a pasta night with zoodle noodles or just simply add a vegetable with it. Again either way is delicious. 
• http://www.fitmomangelad.com/21-day-fix-chicken-parmesan/

• Chicken salad- I just use plain greek yogurt rather than making the honey mustard salad dressing for it. You can also place it on a wrap.
• http://fitbabysteps.com/2015/07/awesome-21-day-fix-chicken-salad-recipe/

Be a goal digger

30 more days... eek! 30 more days until what you may be asking? In 30 days, I will be running my next 5K. It will actually be my 5th run not including the town runs I have participated in for our town celebrations. Ever since I participated in my first 5K, I made a goal for myself to continue to do one every year. Needless to say, I have stuck with it.

• 5k color run
• 5k inflatable run
• 5k rugged maniac run
• 15k terrain run
• next up- 5K hot chocolate run

I love doing them that I have an ultimate goal of participating in a marathon within the next few years.

Why did I go back to the 5K rather than the 15K? Well, I chose to do a 5K versus the 15k this year because I have special group of people joining me. With that being said, I am excited to say my family will be participating in this run with me. I do not know how excited they are about it, but I am pumped. No we will not be going at the same pace nor do I expect them to run, and they are aware of it. May sound weird and/or dumb that But it is just an amazing feeling knowing that they are willing to take on a new experience.

Do you have any goals? How about a fitness goal? Goals are vital in our lives. They are what keep us motivated. They make us work that much harder. They are beginning of our dreams and our accomplishments at the end.

Shopping tips

Have you ever looked inside your grocery cart? What did you see in there?

Last year, I learned shopping tips from my coach about how to shop for the correct foods to fuel your body.  Here are the tips:

• The first shopping tip is to write down a list and stick with it. Going with a list of the items you need prevents you from picking up unnecessary things. We all know it is easy to throw extra things in the cart, especially, when we are hungry. 

• The next shopping tip is to shop the perimeters of the store- shop the U. Try to avoid the middle of the store. The reason is the middle of the store tends to have a lot of boxed items. These boxed items tend to have a  unknown ingredients as well as sugars, preservatives, and fats. Read the labels not the carbs. Rule of thumb is the less ingredients the better. 

•  The last tip is look inside your cart. Can you actually see you food? You should be able to see it. 

 As the saying goes, you are what you eat. Choose healthy!

Stay accountable

Do any of use a calendar to keep yourself organized?  I do. Let me tell you the day I don't have it is the day I feel lost. My calendar is literally my life. It is what keeps me on track of the things I have to do for the day. After I finish the things I am able to put a nice check mark by it. And man does that feel good. It is such an accomplishment.

Including your workout on a calendar is a great way to keep one accountable. It also is a great way to keep you consistent with your workout plan. It is really easy too. I mean there is no special instructions. All you have to do is write the word workout then do it. Once you do your exercise, you get to place a check mark by it. ✔ Simply easy and amazing, right?!