Healthy Living Beginner Goals: Meal Prep & Exercise

Can you believe it’s already April!! Ugh where did the first quarter of the year go?? Although time is rushing past me, I’m very happy with this first part of the year. First and foremost, my boys and family are healthy! I turned 34 and Jose turned 35! I finally shared my blog with friends and family and I feel so blessed with the amount of positive love and support I’ve received. I did moderately okay with sticking to a healthy living style in January and February but I regressed in March. Moving into the next stage of the year, there are so many exciting family events coming up in just the next few months and I can’t wait! My little brother is going to be a Daddy for the first time! Elias’ is turning 4 next month! Tommy will be playing in his first parks and recreation team! We’re taking 2 vacations this summer! Elias will be starting school in August!!! With busy schedules and so much greatness happening however, it easy to lose sight of our long term goals.

For this reason, I’m writing down monthly goals and creating a plan to keep me on track. I’ve identified a few areas I want of focus on and commit to throughout the year. Since this is my fist month trying this, I’m sure I’ll have to make modifications as I set my goals for the upcoming months. Nonetheless, for this first month of April 2019 I’ll be focusing on personal growth in the following areas: health living, parenting, marriage, home and dedicating time to myself. Today however, I’ll be discussing health living since this a big one!

Healthy living is a priority on my list right now, it’s a HUGE ONE!!! This is an area I keep falling short on and I’ve been neglecting for far too long. I’ve started this journey so so many times… too many to count. I’ve become exceptionally well at identifying one excuse after another to explain my continuous failure here. In the past, I’ve blamed lack of time, tiredness, lack of resources, lack of support; and while all these “excuses” have some validity to them, the core reality stems from lack of discipline and commitment on my part. It’s been years since I’ve led a healthy lifestyle… to be honest, I don’t think I’ve lived an intentionally healthy life in the past. I was more active in my early twenties but not with the intent of living healthy. I simply enjoyed and treated myself to more outdoor and active interest such hiking, walking, dancing. I miss having that energy and that “let’s do this” attitude. I don’t want that energetic vibe to become a long-lost memory. I understand the hardest change is changing my mindset and changes need to and will be be made! I want this attempt to healhty living to be the last, I’m tired of starting over and over and over again! For this reason, I’m not doing  fad diets, no shortcuts, no immediate results, I want to do it right, I want it to be sustainable, realistic and I want to stick to it. It’s a lifestyle change.

My healthy living goal this month is to lose 15 pounds. To do this, I will be meal prepping on Sundays for the work week and exercising 5 days per week: Mondays, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On workdays my workouts will take place when I get home from work and on weekends, I’ll be working out first thing in the mornings. I will not be waking up early to exercise, I’m not a morning person by a long shot and as I mentioned earlier, I want to be realistic and telling myself that I will wake up early to workout is an absolute lie and a set up for failure. Jose agreed to help me with workout routines a few times per week, and I’ll be doing Jillian Michaels workout videos the days I work out on my own, additionally, I’ll be going on 45-minute walks during my lunch breaks at work. I want to embed cardio, strength training and muscle building in my routines (are the latter the same?).

For meals, I’m sticking to a small portion, low carbs, low sugar diet. Initially, my diet will be basic but diverse, it’s important that I give myself options as I venture into my new healhty living journey.

Breakfast: For my first meal, I’ll be selecting between egg bites, avocado wheat toast, oatmeal and a small cup of fruit with cottage cheese. Breakfast will be served with coffee!

Lunch: I’m sticking to healthy salads and wraps. I usually use leftover protein from dinner to make a salad for lunch; the great part about this is that I can make it my own and my liking. However, I will also be treating myself to pre-made salads and wraps from my local grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s, Sprouts or Vons.

Dinners: My last meal will consist of lean proteins with green, or whatever healthy delicious meals Jose cooks. My last meal will be at 7pm, if I’m running short on time, I’ll supplement dinner with a meal shake.

Snacks: In between meals, I’ll be having small healthy snacks such as nuts, celery with nut butter, edamame, cucumber, seaweed or berries.

Water: The biggest commitment I’ll be making is drinking water, I’m awful at drinking water. To start, I’ll be drinking at least 100 ounces of water per day and I’ll work my way up. I’ve found that mint and lemon infused water taste delicious!Beverages: In addition to water, I’m going to limit my liquid intake to primarily sugar free teas and 1 cup of coffee per day. On occasion I will indulge in sparkling water, I’ve notices that the bubbliness in sparking water satisfies my craving for soda. I’ll also continue drinking whiskey as my choice for adult beverage, however, instead of adding soda I’ll drink it neat.

Schedule: In order to help me feel full and not starved throughout the day, I’m going to eat smaller portions more frequently throughout the day. I’ve created this simple schedule to keep me on track  with my healthy living plan; I’ve also set alarms to remind me to keep to it! It seems extreme and perhaps even unnecessary, but I honestly feel I need to do this until I become accustomed to these changes.

• 6am: 10 ounces of water
• 7am: 10 ounces of water
• 8am: Breakfast with Coffee
• 9am: 10 ounces of water
• 10am Snack
• 11am: 10 ounces of water
• 12pm: Lunch with 10 ounces of water
• 1pm: Tea
• 2pm: 10 ounces of water
• 3pm: Snack
• 4pm: 10 ounces of water
• 5pm: 10 ounces of water
• 6pm Dinner with Tea
• 7pm: 10 ounces of water
• 8pm: 10 ounces of water

 

Wowsers that’s a lot! But I’m excited and I’m looking forward to the positive healhty living changes. I want to be able to visit my niece when she’s born without running out of breath from walking up two flights of stairs. I want to play “haya haya” (swords) with Tommy without needing a 5-minute break after 1 minute of chasing him around our den. I want to dance to PJ Mask workout videos with Elias. I want to feel healthier overall. I know that tackling my eating habits and weight will create a domino effect which will help strengthen my emotional and mental wellness.

I’m confident that once I get thought this first month, I’ll feel ready to modify and further challenge my healthy living routine. I know I’m not the only person whose struggled to wholeheartedly commit to making healthy living choices. I’d love to hear what challenges you’ve encountered in your journey and what helped you overcome them. What are your favorite go to healthy meals or snacks? Do you have any tips or suggestions that may help? If so, please please share, many of us are just getting started and have so much to learn and do, any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

Until Next Time…Much Love!!!