Eat Clean, Lift Weights.

I know a lot of people touch base on the whole "clean eating" thing, but I figured I might as well put my two cents in about it, as well. One can never have enough information on clean eating, in my opinion!

I've been eating clean for about 3-4 months now. My transition was rather abrupt, because with me it's "all or nothing". I have a hard time transitioning slowly, and it usually leads to me cheating far too much. So, I just quit everything cold turkey. Same way I quit cigarettes 2 years ago. But you have to do what's easiest and most comfortable for you, and that's just what worked for me. 

My advice? Start slowly. If you can, or want to. Starting slowly gets you used to the transition, and most people find it easier to slowly work their way into clean eating. Most of the time, if you start slowly, you won't end up crashing and burning due to feeling limited. That was my biggest thing. I always felt like I "couldn't have" things. 

Truth is, you can. Question is... do you really want it? Like, really, really want it. Yes, eating cookies, candy, chips, cereal (which is my weakness), cheese, etc.. is great, you will NOT see a change in your body if you continue eating those things. They taste delicious and it'd be perfect if we could eat them every day and not get fat. But, sadly, that is not the case. You will get fat. In places that you hate. The places that you long to get RID of fat. But how do you expect your body fat to decrease in those areas if you keep putting fat into your body at an extremely fast rate? Your body can't keep up with it. Which, in turn, makes your body sluggish, your weight rise. You get depressed, angry, anxiety, self conscious. You stop wearing clothes that fit you. You start wearing clothes that are baggy, that hide your rolls, your cellulite. You hate yourself. You look in the mirror and think, "Why can't I just be skinny? God, I am so ugly. Look at my love handles." You try and stay out of pictures. You untag yourself in pictures that make their way to Facebook. You stop getting ready, because who cares? You're fat anyway.
Honestly, I could keep going. Because that is exactly what I used to do. How I used to feel. What I used to think to myself. 
I was depressed. I was unhappy. I hated myself. My body. 

I knew I had to change. But how? Well, I'll tell you how. Eat clean, lift weights, and do cardio. I said cardio last, because that's just what it is, it's last. Do NOT make it your top priority. Cardio is supposed to be paired with lifting weights. It should never be your main exercise, ever. 

Now I don't hate cardio. I love it, which is funny since I would have NEVER said that before. Ever. I really enjoy running now, and the stairmaster (my go-to cardio). But the reason I say not to make cardio everything is because if you want that "dream body". You know the one.. You look at them all the time. The bodies that are chiseled, toned, thin, healthy looking. Where their arms are defined, abs are noticeable, butt is nice and perky. In order to get like this you need to LIFT WEIGHTS. It is the ONLY way. Cardio will NOT get you there. And I absolutely HATE when people say that it will! Seriously, cardio will only thin you out. That is it. It won't tone your problem areas, no matter how far or how much you run. I'm sorry, but it's true. 

Lifting weights is great for you, and I really wish that women were less afraid of the weight room. Who cares if huge bulky guys are everywhere? They aren't going to yell at you, or make you feel stupid because you're a girl lifting weights. Everyone is there for themselves, they are NOT paying attention to you. And if they are, it's because they're checking you out. And who doesn't love that? 
But back to the topic. When you lift weights, and I mean heavy weights, your body is building muscle. What's so great about that, you ask? Everything! When you build muscle, your body is burning more calories all-together. Even at rest, you will be burning MORE calories. Because, like everyone says, muscle burns more than fat. Which means, you will see results faster. You will feel results, faster. Trust me, you WILL see a difference in yourself. But you can't lift measly weights, like 3-5lbs. No, go big or go home! You want to feel that burn, you want to feel like you're going to give up. But don't! Don't give up, ever. Finish the set, with proper form. If you can't finish a set with proper form, then go down to a little lighter of weight. But always push yourself! Your body is a lot stronger than you think. And the more you push yourself, the stronger you'll get! 

I swear, I've become absolutely fascinated by bodies lately. Their capable of SO much more than we think. 
Think about overweight people. Their bodies are able to withstand so much sugar, fat, and carbs. And they still are able to function! They may not function as great as they could be, but they are still functioning! If your body can withstand years of abuse and neglect, you can bet your butt that you can withstand some weight for a few minutes! Don't give up on yourself, your body doesn't! 

Next post I'll talk more about my diet and what I do on a daily basis. It's not very exciting, but it's getting me to where I want to be! 

And remember, treat your body right.. it's the only one you have! 

- J.

Healthy Go-To's

So, I decided to go ahead and start my fitness blog. I figured, why not? Couldn't hurt! 

I want to start off by talking about my healthy "go to's". If you follow me on IG, you'll know that I'm a huge snack person. Also, I'm a sweet person, which makes my snack cravings even worse. So, I do my best to find healthy alternatives to everything I know and love so much. It definitely isn't easy, and most of the recipes take getting used to, but it is SO worth it! Here is my ever growing list of snacky goodness. 

1. Smoothies. My biggest "go to". You have so many different variations of smoothies out there, from fruity to sweet.. the possibilities are endless! So, for me, I obviously go for sweet. My usual morning smoothie is 1 banana, ice, almond milk, cinnamon, cocoa powder, rolled oats, vanilla whey protein powder, flaxseed meal, and White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter. Sometimes I'll throw in some frozen berries, chocolate chips, or even some coffee for an extra kick. It all depends on what flavor you're going for, really. If I have my smoothie in the morning, I feel less prone to want something sweet later on. It helps keep me on track, without feeling limited. 

2. Steel Cut Oats. Again, another meal that you're able to pretty much put whatever you want into it. I've seen people on IG put cottage cheese, yogurt, Kashi cereal, Quest bars, etc, etc. Again, your options are endless! If I don't feel like a smoothie for breakfast, I usually go for some oats. They keep you full for a long time, and it helps keep my enormous sweet tooth at bay. I usually throw the same things into my oats that I would throw into my smoothies. It tastes pretty much the same, just more filling.

3. Egg Whites. Now, I love eggs. It was hard switching from whole eggs, to just the whites. But I get to eat a lot of egg whites, so I don't feel too deprived. I usually hard boil my eggs, and then save the yolks for my fiance. Occasionally I'll scramble them up with some peppers, spinach and coconut oil. It's really yummy! Especially with some turkey bacon on the side.. Mmm mmm! Anyway, with my hard boiled egg whites I throw on a little sriracha and call it good. (I'm not normally one for spicy things, my fiance calls me a "spice wimp", but it gives it just enough of a kick without being overly spicy. Also, it gives it more flavor! Which I am all about)

4. Peanut Butter w/Fruit. If you ask me, peanut butter is pretty much the closest thing to heaven on Earth. When you're eating clean, pb becomes your best friend. And I say that because before I started my clean eating journey, I wasn't very fond of peanut butter. Yeah, I had it on my pb & banana sandwiches.. but that was about it. There were better, more unhealthy, things I could snack on. But, peanut butter and Nutella was pretty darn good. Anyway, after I started my journey, I found my love for nut butters. Especially almond butter. Talk about yum! And there are so many different flavors out there now, it's great! I usually have a tbsp of White Chocolate Wonderful (by Peanut Butter Co.) with apples or bananas. It's delicious, try it! 

5. Banana Choc. Chip Cookies. These definitely don't taste too much like cookies, but it's close enough to it for me! The taste is definitely banana-y, but it's warm and chocolately and so so good. Especially when you're craving unhealthy chocolate chip cookies. I'm a huge baker, so my baking heart was broken when I started eating clean. I tried baking unhealthy things still, and just not eat them.... Yeah, did NOT happen. It went more like- bake unhealthy things and eat them all. And my waistline did not appreciate that. So, I had to change. I decided if I could find healthy alternatives to things, I could still bake! So I came across these "cookies" on Pinterest. (If you haven't already looked for healthy recipes on Pinterest.. do it! I promise you, you won't be disappointed). These cookies are just oats (or oat flour), bananas and then whatever you want to put in it. So for me, chocolate chips. Bake them til they're golden brown and then boom! Eat them. You could even put protein powder into them to make them even better. Again, endless possibilities. 

That's all I have for now, but I'll update this list soon! I'm always on my quest for finding healthier, yummy treats!