Guest Blogger gets into CrossFit

I have exciting news. All over my social circle friends of mine are getting fit. With social media I get to see all of them dive into it and share their journeys. My closest friend for college very recently got into CrossFit, something I have never tried. She has also been keeping great record of the progress she has made. In college we both were in the english program and she's a great writer so I felt like her story belonged on this blog!

So, coming soon...Jackie will be talking to us about her CrossFit journey and progress. Which is great because I have wanted to take a closer look into this type of work out.

I found our cover photo on this website http://fitting-it-all-in.com/ and really wanted to encourage you all to check it out as well. This girl's story is or overcoming an eating disorder and how she deals and continues to recover from it everyday. Since I started this blog to find a healthier way to live fit with out exercising for hours a day or crash dieting, I found this blog especially inspiring. The struggle with out bodies is always different for everyone but we can always find strength in other people's journeys.

Enjoy! And keep an eye out for our guest blogger coming soon!

What "They" Will Not Eat

Following up on the funny, last, blog post I wanted to put this out there. I read this because I really do like to know what insiders of the industry feel about their own products. I have also heard that microwave popcorn is really bad for you. I almost had some for a snack tonight but then thought otherwise after reading this.

Here is the Link to the site with the original article. I have said this before, but they have really great articles.
http://www.realfarmacy.com/8-foods-even-the-experts-wont-eat/

Take a look at what industry insiders look at when choosing their groceries.

The Healthy Eaters Battle

I read this article one a website that I found after reading about that invisible hemet. [see previous post]. I really found this hilarious. I laughed out loud at some parts because it just seemed to hit the right points for me. I feel for this person because I am them.

Just poking a little fun at how worked up I get about everything I read. The struggle to decipher what we read and take into our own lives is ongoing. I find that learning constantly changes my mind and grows what I eat and what I'm willing to try.

The website where is found the article is this...

http://www.realfarmacy.com/the-terrible-tragedy-of-the-healthy-eater/

Biking, and the New Helmet

http://www.realfarmacy.com/if-you-havent-heard-of-the-invisible-bike-helmet-yet-check-this-out/

Seeing everyone on the fitness blogs with the option to bike everywhere is often a point of envy for me. I would love to be able to bike all over the place. Unfortunately there are so many things standing in my way.
1. I don't own a bike.
2. I live in a region that snows about 7-8 months a year.
3. They don't do a good job plowing side walks or the shoulder of the roads.
4. The sidewalks are so uneven and the roads are often perilous to ride a bike on.
5. I can't make a turn on a bike with out slowing down to almost a complete stop.

However, one less excuse I will be able to use is that helmets are uncomfortable to ride in. The like I provided is to the video of this hemet. This development is truly amazing. You can read more on it all over the place but the video was neat.

I want to go on about the benefits of biking but I think I will just let you watch the video. I'll post some biking benefits later on!

On a side note, I resubscribed to all of my food and fitness magazines and feel totally excited for another year of reading and inspiration in the mail!
Take a peek.

Plate Goals

While scrolling www.onemedical.com I came upon a blog post where they broke down a plate of someone who was both a meat eater and not cutting carbs. I really enjoy this diagram because it really puts into prospective how backwards I would like to align my own plate. It would be half pasta and other two quarters would be lean white meat. I would laugh out loud if it was a joke.

The best part of this plate is that exactly half if veggies which is easier for me to keep in mind when putting a dinner together. I know that half of my meal needs to be green or some veggie variety. I of course, like you have probably read, have been struggling to love veggies. So this is my new goal. Instead of just fitting veggies in, I will be making them half of every meal. That's a lofty goal. Of course I don't know if that's going to be accomplished right away, but the best way to reach a goal is to set on and start trying for it.

So here's to a half plate of veggies. Every meal. And by every meal I mean lunch and dinner. I will be having fruit for breakfast instead of veggies. In my opinion, veggies have no place at my breakfast table. Mornings are hard enough to stomach already. Ha. But, if anyone has any delicious recipes for veggies at breakfast, feel free to share them!

Quick Yoga for those Who don't "yoga"

Some of the most calm people I know practice yoga. I am not always calm. In fact, sometimes I'm very high strung. But I do love a good yoga session to push my workouts a different way. I do not, however, practice every morning or even on a regular basis. 

I don't have to even research the benefits of yoga to know that it makes me feel good. It makes the people who do it on a regular basis feel good. I found this quick yoga sequence that I have been trying in the morning a few times a week. It only takes about ten minutes. I hold 1, 7, and 8 for a full minute. I  hold 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 for 30 seconds and then switch to the other side for 30 seconds. 

I feel stretched. Mentally and physically. After doing them for a few times they were easier to hold. Also, I found doing them in my bathroom right before I shower in bare feet was easiest because of the tile. 

After reading an article about how some very popular habits of successful people include peaceful meditation and exercise in the morning I thought, why no spend some time mediating? Well sitting quietly on my bed mediating only led to me quietly sleeping again. So I used my mediating time to do yoga. It's funny how quickly it clears your mind. It's a nice ten minute break in the morning. Try it if you like!

Workouts Feel Like...

Sometimes when I get into a week and I'm struggling to go to the gym, this is what I feel like. Haha. And that's alright. I have to force myself to go and sometimes just let myself do what I want at the gym without following a schedule. It feels good just to be there. Just not laying on the mat. That does not count as yoga if I do it for the entire hour. 

Enjoy the gym this week!