📷 Long weekends, holidays, parties, vacation and travel were all excuses for me to fall off the bandwagon. I would tell myself things like, " There aren't healthy food options available and I'm sooo hungry" or " I don't want to be different and everyone else is enjoying their ice cream" or "it's ok not to be so healthy or exercise, it's just for these few days".
I believe in living life, having that balance and setting aside time to indulge. Life isn't properly lived if you're always restricting yourself. And, even more so, if you restrict yourself it only makes your efforts harder in the long run. So, of course, I believe in the "once in a while" indulgence. BUT the key is getting back on track. Very often those "once in a while" indulgences turn into, I'll start tomorrow, next week, next month and then before you know it months have passed and its even that much harder to get back on track.
Have you ever told yourself that to make up for that extra piece of cake, or that weekend of binging etc that the next day you'll eat really few calories?! Say. Maybe a plain greek yogurt for breakfast, a salad for lunch and a piece of grilled chicken and broccoli for dinner. What usually happens is that you end up restricting yourself so much and it's not a realistic way of eating so you end up "breaking your rules" and binging and promising yourself that you will "start again tomorrow." And this same cycle keeps on repeating itself. I know it because I've been there too! So.. DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF or eat only protein and no carbs etc. It will NOT work!! Instead of focusing on what not to do (which makes it much harder) here's what you SHOULD do instead.
3 simple things that you can do to get back on track after you've fallen off the bandwagon!!
📷1. Drink more water. Make sure to get in at least as many ounces as is half your body weight. Water helps to boost your metabolism, it cleanses your body of waste and curbs your cravings. If you do nothing else - drink water. It will help you get back on track, you'll feel much better and motivated to eat well. Place a water bottle on your counter to help you remember to drink up. If you have a hard time drinking water try adding lemon or mint to amp up the flavor + rev up the detoxing power!
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2.Eat more greens! Make sure you add more green veggies to at least one meal a day. Greens are loaded with fiber and don't have many calories. You can have a huge plate of greens without eating too many calories = eat more and lose more. Your body naturally craves what it just had. The more greens you eat, the more your body will crave them, the more you will eat them and you will be able to get yourself back on track to eating healthy foods. Check out some healthy salad recipes I shared here, here, and here. www.Salads2YourDoor.com or www.SaladKits.com is a great way to ensure that you have a daily delivery of a fresh salad, no matter what. Some times it takes a few days after vacation or travel to restock your fridge with healthy foods. Don't use that excuse. Rely on salads2yourdoor to make sure you always have the ability to have a fresh, satisfying and healthy salad ready to go!
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3. Move more! Sometimes its hard to get back into a workout routine. I get it. It's hard to commit that hour+ of changing into workout clothes, doing an intense workout, showering and changing again. Once you're not in the habit it's that much harder to get back into your routine. Even as busy people we usually love a lot less than we think. I was completely shocked when I started wearing a Fitbit and realized that even on days that I was busy nonstop - I wasn't really moving. Just like your body craves what it just ate, it also craves what it just did. So think of small ways you can get yourself to move more. Park farther from the entrance and walk. Take the stairs. Make a number of trips to unload the groceries instead of trying to fit as much as you can into your arms, make several trips to put the laundry away instead of loading it all into a laundry basket and making only one trip... get my drift?! Think of ways to get your body moving more ... and you will see you will start craving your exercise routine.
Sounds easy, no? Any time I come back from a vacation, trip, party etc. I immediately implement these things: Drinking more water, eating more greens and moving more! Don't wait to start tomorrow, start right now. I guarantee it will make a difference in your life!!
To learn more and for daily inspiration, check out the video I shared in the busy and healthy moms FB group!
to your health, xxx
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