Day 28-31 : Loving Yourself!

Hey everyone!  Sorry again for not posting hardly anything at all lately!  I just started with Zumba again and I have lots to do at school, on top of all of that I'm taking another Master's class....so I haven't had much time!

I wanted to get in a full 31 Days for :

Most of your journey is about learning to love yourself for who you are and excepting where you are now!  Celebrate the small goals or huge goals that you have accomplished, relish in what you have done everyday, and never forget where you started!

It's really easy to get caught up in the, " If only I could loose 10 more pounds" or "Man, I wish that my stomach was flatter.  So, I'll just do this and that to help it out."

Remember that you have come so far and already lost X amount of pounds. 

 Remember what type of exercise that you couldn't do before and what you can do now!

Remember all of the sweat, tears, and time that you put into this weight loss.

Remember the size that you started out in and the size that you dropped down to!

Remember the great feeling you had when you lost those first 10, 20, 30, 40, or X amount of weight!

Remember that feeling and never forget it!

Because you truly have come a LONG ways and you deserve to celebrate!!

Celebrate the weight you have lost and how far you have come.

Celebrate how good your life is and how much confidence you have in yourself now, to do just about anything!

Celebrate the love you have from your family, friends, and co-workers!

AND most of all

Celebrate to a Happier, and Healthier You!!!

Cheers to a new lifestyle and a different way of looking at life:):):)

Always remember, you can do this, all it takes is the first step and no looking back!!!!

Thanks for stopping by:):):)

Until next time!!!!

Day 27: The Ultimate Question!

In order to have a successful weight loss journey, you need to ask yourself "Why?"  Why have I put myself in this situation?  Why do I turn to food for comfort?  Why, is a very powerful question and one you must figure out in order to keep the weight off.

Via

I have asked myself this many times and I think that I have figured it out, at least for now!  I want to help others out the best that I can and I worry too much(or at least about things that I can't change or control.)  The first thing that has to be done is YOU need to help yourself before you can help others!  YOU need to be happy with your life and happy where you are in it.

This might include a lot of soul searching to figure out how you can change this and how you can go about this.  I believe the "Why" is something that will continue to be a constant question.  It will have to be something that you will need to work on throughout your life time.  It's definitely not easy, but once you come to terms with why you are turning to food then you can change the situation, the way you think about something, or try different things to help you.

So, what are you waiting for?!?!  Get started and ask yourself one question, "Why?"

Thanks for stopping by:):):):)

Until next time!!!!

Day 25: Running Frees Your Mind!

There's no doubt about it, they don't say you get a "Runner's High" for nothing!  Running is one of my favorite exercises because it gives me the feeling like I can do just about anything!  That's probably one of the reasons why I love it so much:)  There are so many benefits from running such as: reducing the chances of stroke and breast cancer, helps with preventing bone and muscle loss, helps with general health, gives you confidence, releives stress, "Runner's High", helps to train your mind, and improves coordination!  Running offers many benefits, but you need to start off on the right foot and learn what is the best way to train yourself to acheive success!

Are you new to running and just want to find out the best tips to keep in mind?  Then here is the article for you!  It gives you all sorts of tips to help when you are starting:)

Beginning Running Tips

 Have you been running for a little while and want some new and more advanced tips then check out this next article!  You will be glad that you did:)

25 Rules to Running!

Day 26: It's All In the ABs!!!

It is always a good idea to workout out your core to get the perfect abs that you are looking for!  You could try cardio that targets the ab area such as Zumba!  Or you could try different exercises that target your core!  I have collected some different types of AB Exercises that you could try out and use on a daily basis!

A-mazing core workout!

Via

Day 24: Out With the Old and in With the New!

One of the most important things to make sure you do after you have lost weight is to buy and invest in some new clothes that will fit your new figure!  You won't truly know how much you've lost until you go through your "old" clothes and see what fits and what needs to be sent to Goodwill:)

I had to go through my old clothes and try them on to see how much weight I actually lost because in my mind I didn't realize how much I'd lost!  It feels very cleansing when you are able to go through your things and pitch the ones that no longer fit you!  Here are some things that I had to get rid of:

Organize your dresser

Get rid of the old

Donate to Goodwill!

Organize your closet!

That's better:)

Day 23: Sign Up!

I'm sorry I'm behind with our:

I have been really busy lately planning for our Halloween party and everything else that comes along with work!  I might be a couple days late with finishing before October is over with!

Another bit of advice to keep you going is to sign up for some type of race whether it be a: 5K, 10K, triathlon, bike race or whatever you're interested.  This is  a great way to start a goal and it will keep you motivated to get to your goal weight.

I did a 2 5K's this year: The Color Run and a 5K that raised money to help out those who are victims of domestic violence.  Here are some pictures that were taken on the day of my 2nd 5K:

Before the race! 

It was a chilly one!  My sis and I did a 5K to raise money for victims of domestic violence.

My best time for a 5K yet!

Day 22: Feel Good!

Whenever you are ready to workout, make sure you have some fabulous workout clothes to do it in!  If you think and know that you look good when you're working out then you will have the extra confidence that you can push through the tough exercise and you will try you're best!

Via

These are definitely cute and would make me want to exercise!  LOVE:)

Via

How about some Zumba clothes?!?!  I think so:):):)  Someday, I'll be able to wear that outfit!

Via

Day 20: Fruits and Veggies!

We're so far into the :

Via

Which brings me to eating healthy and eating your serving sizes of fruits and veggies!  Before I was so caught up on "light" or "reduced fat" or "100 calorie packs", that I didn't focus on eating enough fruits and veggies!  You need to make sure you are eating your fruits and veggies to fuel your body and so you can be happy and healthy:)

Day 19: Skinny, Mouth-Watering Manicotti

Alright!  This recipe is seriously the bomb and it is very low calorie for pasta!!!  This has to be my all time fav healthier/skinny recipe!  This is a HUGE fav of the hubby and he eats ALL of the leftovers for this one!!

This recipe does take a little longer to prepare, but it's soo worth it, let me tell you:)  This is what you need to make this delicious dish:

Skinny, Mouth-watering manicotti

Day 17: Use Your Resources!!!

We're a little over half way through the 31 Days post...it's crazy how fast this is going!

I'm going to use my "teacher voice" for this, "Make sure you use your resources for your weight loss."  There are so many different types of technology that you can use to help you with counting your calories, keeping track of your workouts, or even having workouts with the touch of a button on your phone!  This truly has made losing weight that much easier because it makes it so much more convenient!  You have these tools with a snap of a finger, so there is no reason not to record what you eat or when you exercised!  The app that I use on my phones is:  Calorie Count! 

Via

You can keep track of your workouts and your calories!  It's a must-have for me right now:)

Day 17: Nutella Cookies!

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!  I'm so happy we're half way through the week because this weekend, I'm running my 2nd 5K in over 6 years...woohoo!!!  I can't wait:):):)  Lately, I will go for my run no matter how cold it is because having a goal keeps me on track!

In my last post, I told you how busy I was with baking and cooking over the weekend and how I tried some new recipes that I wanted to share with you all and share for my:

Overall, I think that I will make these cookies again.  The hubby didn't like these as much as my Healthy Banana Muffins, but you can't win them all, right?!?!  I did like these cookies and the good thing is that there isn't any extra sugar other than what is in Nutella, which I'm sure is quite a bit.  For a cookie they, they really are a little skinnier than most:)

It's really simple, quick, and easy to make these!  I mean anyone could do this within a matter of 3 minutes to get your ingredients together and then of course time for baking.

Day 16: Healthy Banana Muffins:)

Alright everyone, this weekend I was one baking and cooking woman!!!  I made banana bread, banana cupcakes, Nutella cookies, AND manicotti!!  Normally, I barely make 2 things out of the week and to make all of those within 2 days is unheard of!  What can I say, I'm on a roll:)

I'm definitely going to be sharing with you all, the above recipes and how they turned out, but today I just wanted to share with you all a recipe for some healthy banana cupcakes for my:

31 Days...

In order to be successful with your weight loss goal, you need some lighter, healthier, and more nutritious recipes to add to your cookbook and this would be one of them(if you like banana muffins!)

Here they are in all of their deliciousness:)

Yummy!

Day 15: Vocab No, No's

 Words really do have quite the impact on the progress that you have made and how you will continue to make progress.  It seems almost silly how only a few words can change the way you think and feel about yourself and your life in general!

So True!

I do believe that you have to believe in YOURSELF and never say that you "can't" because you CAN do what you think that you can't!  You can change your habits to healthy ones:)  If I can do this then just about anyone can because I was in a pretty dark place before!

I would cry for no reason at all, on a weekly basis. 

I would worry about things that I couldn't control!

I would be so negative about myself and others.

I never gave myself credit for any positive things that I did for others!

I would become anxious for more than a couple hours!

I would beat myself up for eating out ALL weekend!

Day 14: Top 10 Exercising and Diet Myths!

Hey All!!!  I thought that it would be a great idea to share some myths with you about your diet and exercise.  It's pretty important to get the right information to help you lose the weight along the way!

First myth:  Crunches will eliminate belly fat.  (False)

Via

You really can't pick which part of the body you would like to lose weight from.  So, with a combination of cardo and weight lifting will help with decreasing this issue.

Second myth:  Stretching before workouts is a must! (False)

Via

This one was hard for me to accept because I have always been told to stretch before I workout and especially right before I run!  There have been studies done and there really isn't much correlation between the two.  The studies have showed just as many people who don't exercise get injured as the ones who do!  I still stretch before my workouts.  I think it may also depend on your body.  In the study, it stated that if you have always stretched before a workout then it would be a good idea to continue to do that.  So, I'm sticking with stretching, but I just thought that I would let everyone know:)

Day 13: Skinny Chicken Stuffing Bake

Here is Day 12 to my:

Today, I have a recipe for you all and it is sure quite delicious:)  It is Skinny Chicken Stuffing Bake...yum, yum!!

DE-lish!

Trust me it tastes, oh, so good!!!  Plus, it's easy to make and it's relatively quick:)

Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts
Box of Stuffing
Fat Free Mushroom Soup

Ingreidents

 The directions are simple, first make your stuffing according to what it says on the box.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Then place the chicken breasts towards the sides of the dish and leave space in the middle for the dressing.  Next, place the dressing in the middle of the dish.  Pour cream of mushroom soup over the chicken breast.

Put tin foil over the dish and leave in the oven for 40 minutes and uncover the dish and put back in the oven for 5 minutes!  Enjoy and serve some of this delisiousness!!!

Add a little broccoli and you're set!

I hope you are enjoying the weekend!!!  I sure am because I have been doing a lot of things around the house this week!  My first FULL weekend home since July!  It sure is nice:)

Thanks for stopping by:):):)

Until next time!!!!!

I've linked up to:

Day 12: Motivation From...You Guessed It...Pinterest!!!

Yay for Thursday:)  Only 1 more day until the weekend, then I can FINALLY get out my Halloween decorations, clean the basement, and give the rest of the house a real cleaning!!!  It definitely needs it and pretty much every weekend since July has been busy driving here and there.  So, this weekend I will be SO happy that we're going to be home for the WHOLE weekend:)   Do any of you have big plans for the weekend?

On to 31 Days to a Happier and Healthier You!

I always post things on my blog about Pinterest and how much it has completely changed my life and that is so true, but I wanted to share a little secret with you!

Via

Day 11: Support Group

So, here we are on Day 11 of the 31 Days to a Happier and Healthier You!  It's crazy that we're already on Day 11.

One of the key parts of having a successful, weight loss journey is truly the support that you get from friends and family.  If you are with people who understand why you are embarking on a new journey and try to help you with this new chapter in your life then it makes loosing weight that much easier!!!  This is the one thing that I needed an extra little push in my.  Let me explain what I mean....I needed someone to not only give me support, but someone who was my "cheerleader" and workout buddy to get me started.  If I didn't have that then I don't know where I would be right now!  It's the honest truth!  Support from others can either make or break your weight loss efforts.  I understand that you have the ultimate choice and that is true, but when you are having a difficult time with jumping on the bandwagon to begin with and no support there for you; it just makes losing weight that much harder!

Day 10: No Excuses!!

No excuses is a difficult one to get over!  I know I had a hard time with this because "I was too busy" or "I will just go out to eat this last time" or "well, I already had a cookie what's 3 pieces of pizza?!?" or " I will just plan on exercising tomorrow" and tomorrow never comes!

You have the choice to stop the excuses and start with focusing on getting in a great workout!The excuses have to stop!  There is no excuse for not being able to exercise and eat healthy.  You have to make it a priority and put yourself first because in order for you to be happy with yourself is to be confident and feel good about yourself!  You are so worth putting yourself first and don't EVER second guess that!!  You deserve it:)

How many of you have ever felt bad the next day after you decided not to get a workout in? Then you beat yourself up and decide to eat your sorrows away because of your choices the day before!  That can stop, if the excuses stop...believe me...I was in the same position and it's a vicious cycle that's hard to stop!  But YOU can do it!  Believe in yourself, nothing is impossible and everything is possible!

Via

You make the choice!  It's all in your hands to change the cycle.

Day 9: Colored Out!!!

Before The Color Run

Happy Monday Everyone:):):)  How was your weekend?  I had such an awesome weekend because we ran in The Color Run!!!  I have to say that I was a little skeptical that it would be the happiest 5K in the world, but I completely agree with that:)  It's so much fun you don't even realize how much effort you're putting into running!  If you are debating about whether or not to go, you should definitely book your spot in the race asap!

Wore my shades!

First of all, you get splashed with all different kinds of colors, you get to see many different crazy outfits, AND you get to rock out when you get to the finish line:)  At the end of the race there is a DJ that plays some kick butt music that makes you want to just dance.  Once the countdown for the color throw is announced, there is soo much energy.  When the dust is thrown into the air and the music is blaring, you start dancing like no one is watching, and you get the feeling of being a little kid again!  Something about this race is truly magical and you will never have more fun at a 5 K!  I have to tell you a little secret and that is I was skipping, fist pumping, and leaping everywhere after the race:)

The "After" shot!

Day 8: It's All in the Music:)

I don't know about you all, but whenever I workout, I need a killer music selection to get me pumped and ready to exercise it out!!!  I like all sorts of music when I workout.  Most of all I love music that makes me want to shake my booty and that has a great beat!

Via

Music can keep you going and keep you motivated to push your hardest throughout the whole workout!  So, I would like to share with you some of my fav songs that I rock out to when I exercise:)  Here they are:

Fighter by Christina Aguleria
Burning It to the Ground by Nickelback
Chasing the Sun by The Wanted
Some Nights by Fun
Bad Girlfriend by Theory of a Deadman
Dynamite by Taio Cruz
Break Your Heart by Taio Cruz
I Know You Want Me by Pitbull
Back In Time by Pitbull
Something in Your Mouth by Nickelback
Shots by LMFAO and Lil John
Burn it Down by Linkin Park
New Divide by Linkin Park
Let it Rock by Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil Wayne
Wild One by Flo Rida
Right Round by Flo Rida
Good Feeling by Flo Rida
Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship
I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas
Don't Stop the Party by The Black Eyed Peas
That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings
If We Ever Meet Again by Timbaland
We Found Love by Rihanna
Crazy Bitch by Buckcherry