12 Days of Fitmas—Day 3

Posted by hellyontherun in Fitness, Healthy Eating and tagged with Big Gulp, Bottled water, Healthy, Water December 15, 2013

On the 3^rd Day of Fitmas

DRINK MORE WATER

I know you’ve been told this time and time again but it’s so important to stay hydrated, especially during these winter months when we drink less water than usual.

I know for me personally, it’s tough to drink the recommended 64 oz a day. One thing that helps me is that we only drink bottled water so I can calculate in my head by the number of bottles I drink total during the day.

Don’t drink bottled water? Go to your nearest 7-11, buy a Big Gulp, fill it up with your favorite soft drink and then dump it. Take a few seconds to relish the hundreds of liquid calories you’ve just kept your body from absorbing. Good job! Then, fill it up with water. Drink two of these bad boys and you’ve accomplished your mission! Easy peazy : )

I know sometimes the day is busy and before you know it, you haven’t had any water at all. But, make it a point today to drink eight 8oz glasses. Test it out; see if you can do it. And then see if you can do it tomorrow. And then see if you can keep it going : ) Let me know how it goes!

The 12 Days of Fitmas

Posted by hellyontherun in Fitness, Healthy Eating and tagged with 12 Days of Christmas, Christmas, Cookie, Fitness, Food, Holidays, Indulging December 13, 2013

I thought it’d be a fun to a little something leading up to the big day, Christmas. Starting today, when you come to my blog you’ll find your “task” for that day of fitness. Some of them will be easy, some will be hard, some will be silly, and some will make you think.

I hope everyone is enjoying this winter season and I look forward to hearing what you think about the 12 Days of Fitmas.

On the 12 ^th day of Fitmas…

ENJOY THE HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES

I know many have holiday parties to attend, family to visit, goodies being brought into the office—it’s okay to indulge every now and then. Really, it is.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m part of an online Healthy Moms group and every day it seems like a mom talks about how she feels guilty for eating a brownie or that they ate too many cookies. Hey, it’s not like you’re eating cookies every day of the week/month/year. It’s the holidays. Enjoy the cookie!

I never like to deprive myself of food. If something smells good, looks good, and tastes good, it’s going in. Part of staying fit is well, staying fit. I know that even though I might indulge, I’m going to still work out. Will I do something a little extra? Maybe, if I’m up for it. The point is, if you make fitness an integral part of your life, you’re able to have fun with food and not worry about having 2, 3, 10 cookies.

So on the 12^th day of Christmas, eat the brownie : )

—Do you ever feel guilty for indulging?

Or,

—Do you have fun with food?

Fast Food Struggles

Posted by hellyontherun in Healthy Eating, Running and tagged with Diet, Discipline, Eating, Fast Food, In-N-Out Burger, McDonald's, Running December 4, 2013

I’ve written about my love for fast food before, and I wanted to update you all on how I’ve been doing.

I have not eaten at McDonald’s in two months. I repeat, I have not eaten McDonald’s in two months!

This is huge for me. I was a crazy person when it came to the Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal and would have it 3-5 times a week. You read that right. Large size too (gosh, the McDonald’s fountain drinks are amazing–tackling my soda intake is for another day lol). I’ve tried quitting McDonald’s before, watching Super Size Me and reading Fast Food Nation to no avail.

But ever since post pregnancy I’ve become more serious than I’ve ever been with running and knew that if I wanted to improve, my diet would have to too.

CONFESSION: I still eat fast food.

I no longer eat McDonald’s or Burger King, KFC makes me nauseous just thinking about it, Arby’s has zero appeal but…. In-n-Out is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

I justify eating at In-n-Out by saying it’s the healthier of the fast food options but I’m not kidding myself, it’s still counts.

I think what makes it difficult to let go of fast food completely is that I love the convenience of it and I hate to cook. I’ve tried, but when what I attempt doesn’t come out tasty it’s such a blow to my self-esteem. I wish I had the same approach to cooking as I do running: practice, practice, practice. But, sadly, I don’t.

I wanted to tackle the biggest hurdle and I knew that was McDonald’s. If I could not eat that, everything else would be easier for me to handle and that’s proven true as I avoid all the other places I frequented.

I know eliminating all fast food, In-n-Out included, isn’t realistic. I believe in everything in moderation. I know someday I’ll probably drive thru McDonald’s again but it won’t be the same. It won’t bring me the satisfaction it used to. I’m so proud of how far I’ve come these past few months, not just in weight loss and training, but as a person. I’ve proven to myself that if I have a plan, I can be disciplined enough to follow through with it.

–What are struggles you face maintaining a healthy lifestyle?

–Do you like fast food?