Getting Back on Track with Health & Fitness!

Happy Monday friends! Feeling super refreshed over here after such a fun weekend. Saturday, we went into DC an explored the Wharf area. This area has been really built up over the last few years and we fell in LOVE! So many great restaurants and all along the water. It was the perfect day too--not too hot or humid. Sunday, we ran a bunch of errands and meal prepped for the week! It was definitely a fun and relaxing weekend.

Diving into today's post, I'll just be totally honest that for the last 3-4 months health and fitness haven't been a priority for me. This is the longest I've gone without working out in probably 2-3 years. Between the stress of the move, starting a new job, and being sick for almost a month (no joke)--hitting the gym just hasn't been a priority. My diet has been okay. It hasn't been GREAT but it also could be WAY worse. Now that we're settling back into life after moving and getting into a routine, Steven and I both were ready to get back to working out and eating a healthier diet! Aside from the physical aspects of working out/eating clean, it really helps me manage my anxiety and it also reduces digestive issues that I've had for years. If any of y'all are in a fitness funk, I wanted to share a couple things we're doing that have ALREADY made a difference.

Meal Prepping

Meal prepping on Sundays is something that we have tried to do consistently for the last couple of years. During summer, we'll typically throw chicken with veggies of some kind on the grill and we'll have that for lunch for the week or sometimes we'll just make chicken and then toss it on a salad for lunch. During the colder months, I'll always throw something in the crockpot on Sundays that we can eat for the week--usually some kind of soup (low carb/no cream) or chicken and veggies. For dinner, we've actually started up Blue Apron again and we just try to pick the healthiest choices on there. Their foods are so flavorful and I really enjoy them plus they are portion controlled which helps with limiting your calorie intake in the evening! It's so nice to not really have to plan out or think about dinner since we're already doing so much prep for lunch and breakfast.

The "Sweat" App

I have ALWAYS been a gym-goer when it comes to working out. I've never been motivated enough to do at-home workouts HOWEVER this has always been a juggling act for me. Steven has always worked longer hours than me so I always felt rushed to get home for the dog because I hate leaving him up for a long time during the day. Because of this, I found it really challenging to find the right timing to go to the gym. Somehow I made it work but it was never easy! Since moving back into a house, we've decided to make a little at-home gym and I also downloaded the Sweat app because I've heard so many people raving about it. I've only been doing it for a little over a week but y'all--I'm already seeing a difference! I'm doing the BBG program which I have tried before and didn't LOVE but something about using the app for it makes me much more motivated. It's a lot more engaging and I LOVE seeing my progress tracked within the app. We're also in the process of shopping for a treadmill to put in our basement so that I can do cardio on the days in between BBG work-outs. If y'all have recommendations for good treadmills that won't also break the bank, I would love to hear in the comments!!

Don't Keep Junk in Your House

This is something Steven and I struggle with because for some reason, we can't learn our lesson about going to the grocery store hungry. We almost always end up picking up some kind of sweet treat! Overall, I think we're pretty good about sticking to healthy grocery items but we'll tend to throw in a carton of Oreos or a bag of candy at the end haha. I definitely have a HUGE sweet tooth--it's probably my biggest weakness when it comes to food. Healthier options that I've found to satiate that sweet tooth are:
1.) Dark chocolate covered almonds with sea salt from Trader Joe's!
2.) These dairy-free ice cream bars. They're not "healthy" but the macros aren't terrible and I don't get a stomach ache because there's no dairy!
3.) Smoothies--typically any frozen fruit we have, a banana, and a little bit of almond butter does the trick!
4.) Greek yogurt (or dairy-free if you have a dairy sensitivity like me--I LOVE coconut yogurt) and fruit and granola. This little snack definitely satisfies my craving for sweets especially when I'm at work.

Being Active Together
Something we've always enjoyed (especially now that we're back in the 'burbs) is taking long walks with the dog or going on a hike. We have a trail and lots of parks in our new neighborhood to walk around and we also have a ton of local trails/hiking options within 15-20 minutes of our house. The last few weekends we've been going on 4-5 mile walks/mild hikes with the dog and I love it! I'm also trying to get Steven to do the BBG work-outs with me. I'll let y'all know if that ever happens and if he likes it lol! We try to hold each other accountable with our diets more than anything and I think that's pretty important. It's definitely much more motivating when your partner/roommate/friends/etc. are on the journey with you!

Taking Progress Pictures

Ok y'all--I thought for a LONG time that it was BS when people would say "Don't pay attention to the scale--muscle weighs more than fat." Honestly, I've always been a little scale-obsessed so I never bought into that mindset. However, when I was the happiest with how my body looked and when I was exercising very consistently, I actually weighed MORE than I do now when I haven't been working out and feel like I don't look my best. I look at pictures when I weighed almost 5 lbs more and I looked SO much better than I do now that I've slacked off on working out and have lost some muscle definition. Moral of the story--rely more on progress pictures and how you're feeling vs. what it says on the scale!

I'll definitely do more fitness posts if you would be interested! I can also do monthly BBG check-ins if you're considering starting the program and are curious how it works out for me! I found it really helpful/motivating reading reviews by a few other bloggers.