When was the last time I did a fitness Friday?
**crickets**
Yeah, I thought so. For a brief recap:
- Exercise: January, I finished strong with my 3 workouts per week but fell off terribly this month. I worked out a total of five times this entire month.
- Diet: I really need to go back to tracking my calories...but..... I really despise the task. I am anal. I like to be precise. I like to eat my homemade meals without having to spend 10-15 minutes inputting all the details in myfitnesspal. I did dabble with the app a few times in the past week and realized in order for me to be more successful, I need to simplify my staple menus so I am not caught up scanning my entire refrigerator for each meal I prepare. I figure if I can rotate among 5-7 staple recipes that I have added and saved in the app, then when it comes to tracking my meals, I don't have to keep creating new recipe entries. Just a thought...
- Water: I bought a new water bottle, which has helped a lot with my intake. However, I still need to drink more water. The app I am using (rather halfway using)-Water Your Body-is okay, but there have been plenty of days where I just ignored the notifications on my phone and not log in a single drop of water. For a ballpark guess though, I am averaging approximately 5-6 cups per day.
So as you can see, things have been blah for me physically this past month, which have also affected me mentally. I have some body image issues on top of hovering over the overweight BMI category for my height. Yes, I am slightly discouraged, but I know that I can push through this rut if choose to do so in my mind first. Because honestly the culprit for my performance (or the lack of) is the absence of dedication. Point blank. I really don't have any legitimate excuses except for the fact I chose not to make my physical wellness a priority.
But then there's that beautiful grace. The one that says I can get up from where I am and press forward.
Therefore, this week, I have been focusing on increasing my veggie/fruit intake, which is kind of a big thing since I am vegetarian (slash leaning toward pescetarian because I do love salmon and tuna). I made a huge batch of detox soup (inspired by a recipe from the Oh She Glows Cookbook) that includes a melting pot of ingredients. The best part is that Z absolutely loooooves this soup! I mean, I can put beets, turnips, Brussels sprouts, onions, kale, broccoli, mushrooms, chickpeas, and etc and she would eat it up to the last drop and request for more. This brings me joy that she enjoys so many veggies that some children (and adults) would balk at the mere sight. So each serving of this soup gives me 2.5 cups of veggies. On top of that, I committed myself to drinking a green monster smoothie each morning this week, and I succeeded!
My base ingredients for my smoothie are:
- 1 cup of cashew or almond milk
- 2 handfuls of spinach or baby kale mix
- cucumber
- 1 banana
- 7 baby carrots
- 2 tablespoons of PB or 1/4 cup of cashews
- half a scoop of pea protein powder
These ingredients alone make a good tasting smoothie that is not too thick nor thin and not too sweet (but not too bland). I have added frozen strawberries, peaches, and blueberries in my smoothies so far and have found them to be really filling. I learned quick that as long as I remember to rinse my blender IMMEDIATELY after use, I am good to go (because I really dislike washing a dirty caked up blender). One tip I have read is to swish the smoothie around the mouth really quick before swallowing in order to allow the enzymes from the saliva to help break down essential nutrients in the smoothie for better digestion and absorption. Just make sure you don't walk out with bits of spinach between your teeth!
So this is my general recap of my fitness progress since my last update. I am still making out the plans for March, which is so right around the corner. I am hoping to return to make 3 workouts per week next month. I need the physical activity badly!
How have your fitness progressed since the beginning of the year? Making good strides? Struggling? Fell off? What are your plans to make this healthy lifestyle better work for you?
Labels: Diet, Fitness
