By: Laura Peill – (Check out her blog Chronicles of Passion & Facebook)
Hey you! Did you know there’s less than 90 days left of 2015?
That’s less than 90 days to achieve this year’s health and fitness goals and get your butt into gear. Or at the very least, bikini ready. After all bikini bodies are made in the winter so they’re all ready for summer! Don’t let the influx of cold weather and shorter days sabotage your health goals.
Here’s 8 food and fitness tips to keep your health on track:
Food and Diet
Make snacks and take them on the go – Once a week (or more), make a big batch of snack foods for the week. Things like muffins, energy bites, granola and banana bread all make great snacks that you can prepare ahead. Then, take them with you! Always have a snack on hand so you aren’t tempted to eat something unhealthy or so that you don’t let your blood sugar drop so much that you are tempted to overeat later.
Meal Prep – Find a time every week to meal prep (even if it’s just for an hour), and cut up some veggies, pre-cook some quinoa and lentils, do whatever you need to so that you can have dinner on the table (with leftovers for lunches), in minimal amount of time. For me, it works to do it the day of, where, if I know I am coming home late, I will prep everything for dinner, cook the things that I can and then just have a few things left to steam or heat up when I come home. If you want even more than that, do it on the weekend, for the whole week ahead. Here’s 18 (Healthy) Recipes as well as 10 Breakfast Ideas that are all meal prep friendly!
Fill your house with healthy food – If there is healthy food in your house and you are hungry, you will eat it. But if there is unhealthy food in your house and you are hungry, that’s what you will eat. Mostly because when we are at our hungriest, we want something fast and we crave sugar and carbs. Usually unhealthy foods meet all of these criteria and it’s easy to reach for them first. Instead, don’t buy it at all and you’ll set yourself up for success.
Fitness
Choose a type of exercise that you enjoy, or pick a new one if your go-to is getting boring – If you hate running, don’t join a running club and start training for a marathon. If you hate going to spinning classes, don’t sign up to the spin studio for a 10-week pass. Don’t start doing exercise, because you should, do exercise because you want to. There’s no better time than now to start. Yes, right now.
Find an exercise buddy – With the days being shorter and darkness sticking around for longer, it’s the perfect time of year to find somebody who you can work out with, and who will be the reason you get out of bed in the cold chilly mornings! Call/email/text with encouragement and reminders of exercise time, and give a little tough love when one of you is falling by the wayside. You may let yourself down and not exercise, but you won’t let someone else down!
Set yourself a challenge – Give yourself a push to get to the end of the year and set yourself a challenge or a goal that is big and scary and something that will take work and dedication to get there. This can be anything from a half marathon to a 30 day yoga challenge. It will be worth the reward in the end and will be a great motivator to keep you going when you are falling off track.
Schedule it in – Make exercise a part of your schedule like you would a meeting or your dentist appointment. Make it a priority. Put it in your agenda in pen, and if someone asks, no you aren’t available at that time. (Unless they want to come for a run with you!) Then set yourself up for success, and if need be, take your workout clothes with you to work, or put them in the car to go to your “appointment” on the way home. Your best bet? Exercise in the Morning! Doing it in the morning not only gets it done, but it also energizes you for the day and sets you up with a productive, healthy mindset. And it’s too early for excuses!
Try something new – Do you always run 5km? Try a 5km tempo. Try a 5km trail run. Better yet, try a cycling class or a yoga class. Sometimes, failing to get our daily exercise in is because the thought of doing the same thing you’ve done for the last 193 days is just so unappealing. Change it up and do something new that you look forward to and are excited to try. Not only will it motivate you to get out the door, but it is also good for your body to mix up your exercise routine: it helps prevent injury and it allows you to work new and different muscle groups and simultaneously increase your fitness level.
