healthy habits – Fit Body Fit Budget

Starting Over

September 15, 2021fitbodyfitbudget

There have been a few times in my life where I’ve needed to start over; both physically and financially. In my early 20s I went through a financial crisis that lead me to Dave Ramsey, and Financial Peace University. It was around that same time that I was also going through a lot physically and realized I needed to make a change.

Through each job change (including being unexpectedly let go twice) and each pregnancy/child born I have had to reset and go back to basics. In 2019 I got divorced, which is a whole different kind of starting over. The last few years have felt like a physical, emotional, and financial roller coaster. The last 2 years have been some of the hardest of my life. I’m the unhealthiest that I have ever been physically, and though I am definitely not at my unhealthiest financially I have let my budget get lower on the priority list too many times.

At the end of last year I started over. I dug my heels into the sand and again decided I was ready to take control of my physical and financial health again. I lost almost 20 lbs, started an extra side hustle during the holidays, started contributing to a Roth IRA from the side hustle, and was feeling like I was getting back on track. Cue life happening.

I know that I can’t use “life” as an excuse, and I’m not making excuses, but following a series of life events I have found myself back at the starting line again. I’ve gained back the 20 lbs and let my nutrition and fitness routine fall to the wayside. I have also seen a new shift in my primary business as the COVID-19 Delta variant spreads, and gotten far too comfortable with spending money on eating out while I should’ve been stock-piling cash.

Starting over is hard. First, it’s hard to even admit that you need to start over. The thought that I lost those 20 lbs and have to lose them all over again is so defeating. I’m angry with myself for letting my health fall lower again on my list of priorities, when I’ve always known that it should be at the very top along with my fiancé and children. Second, all of those habits that I had worked to create no longer feel like habits, and the temptations of eating out or watching Netflix instead of working out are fierce.

So now I’m faced with starting over. It’s time to reset my focus on my health and finances, and bring those healthy habits back into my life. There is absolutely zero shame in starting over or admitting that you need to start over. The famous self-help author, Napoleon Hill, said “Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.” When you feel like you’ve failed, the first step towards success is to get up and start over. There’s no way around that.

I’ve started by trying to drink more water (I love Sprite, so this is a good place to start for me). I also took a job working the front desk a couple of mornings per week at a local yoga studio. My shift ends just as a daily class begins, so I will have the opportunity to take the class following my shift. I have committed to training for another 5k. I’ve done countless 5ks in my life, so it is frustrating to start training and realize how far I’ve let myself get behind where I have been in the past, but I’m just going to take it one day at a time using my tried and true Jeff Galloway 5k training plan.

My business, though still feeling the effects of COVID-19, is having it’s best year yet, and between that and my gig at the yoga studio I am looking forward to contributing more to savings in advance of the holidays and 2022. I am really hoping to spend these last 90 days of 2021 with a fresh start, and gearing up for an AMAZING 2022!

What do you hope to accomplish in these last 90 days of 2021? Are you gearing up for 2022? There is no better time to start than today.

Healthy Habits During an All-Inclusive Vacation

March 27, 2021fitbodyfitbudget

I should preface this by saying that my recent visit to Jamaica was not really a “vacation.” I’m still calling it that because I was visiting a place that most people would only visit while on vacation, but because I am possibly the luckiest woman alive, it is my job to visit beautiful destinations and show them off; to learn about them and share my experience so that you can make the most of your own visit.

I recently stayed 5 nights at Sandals Negril in Jamaica. I traveled alone and met with a group of travel advisors who were all there for the same reason I was, to learn and network. So I can’t say that I was there to enjoy a lot of R&R with someone I love like most of you would be, but I was still exposed to the same temptations, ate the same food that any other guest would eat, and had the same number of options for staying active.

I definitely took advantage of the unlimited bar, but for the most part I tried to stick with lighter drinks. I even used Google to look up some of the lowest calorie (and “cleanest”) drinks you can order. We won’t count the night we had “off” from work where my new friends & I went to a silent DJ party, had a BLAST, and maybe one too many shots of tequila. 🤣 Other than a few splurges, I often chose Red Stripe Light, wine, and champagne (with a splash of some juice). Those all fall somewhere around 100-150 calories vs. the common drinks like daquiris and pina coladas, which can pack upwards of 500 calories. A good choice for a cocktail if you’re really looking for a beachy mixed drink is a mojito! 🍸

There were also plenty of opportunities to indulge in some delicious food. I allowed myself a 2 cheat meals: the first being at Cucina Romana, the Italian restaurant, for a carb load before my 5.5 mile run, and I had to try one of the famous Jamaican beef patties. Otherwise I made the following types of food choices (note that I almost always was served potatoes with my order and opted not to eat them):

Breakfast – Corn Flakes/Raisin Bran with 1% milk, Vegetarian Omelet, Eggs Benedict removing the hollandaise

Lunch – Veggie Wrap, Thin Crust Brick Oven Cheese Pizza, Jerk Chicken

Dinner – Swordfish w/vegetables, Sea Trout w/vegetables

And I also splurged on my last night and had the best Creme Brulee I’ve ever had in my life. I didn’t eat the whole thing, but I intended to only eat a couple of bites and ate more than half. 😆

There are plenty of ways to stay active at these resorts including the water sports, and many offer fun group fitness classes. During my visit I ran 2 miles barefoot on the beach, did some weightlifting in the gym, and ran my long 5.5 mile run around the resort. It’s an absolutely beautiful resort, so I had PLENTY of scenery to enjoy on those runs.

All this to say that, you can definitely stay on track with your goals even if you’re in a place where you are “eating out” for literally every meal, there are temptations around every corner, and lounging by the beach/pool might sound a lot better than lacing up for a run. I had a healthy balance of both indulgence and moderation, and I did not gain any weight during my trip. 😊

No Longer “Obese”

March 20, 2021fitbodyfitbudget

Of all of the metrics that I track, BMI is probably the one I want to pay the least attention to. It’s merits have been debated amongst health experts for eons, and I personally know several people who fall within the “obese” limits of BMI, but their percentage of body fat is less than 20%.

BMI is a simple calculation. It’s is your weight (in kg) divided by your height (in m) squared. That’s it. It doesn’t take any other factors into account like your lifestyle or body type. This is why most body builders who have a lot of lean muscle are “obese” by the standards of BMI. BMI doesn’t measure health, it measures your weight compared to your height and spits out a number that shows where you fall on a scale of average underweight to morbidly obese people.

Nonetheless, I am not a body builder, and I still take note of my BMI. Though it is a simple calculation and does not measure health, it can be a quick and easy tool to identify that you may have a weight issue that can lead to weight-associated health problems. For almost the last 3 years I have fallen within the “obese” range on BMI.

This week I am officially no longer “obese” by BMI standards. I am still at the top of the “overweight” range, and have about 28 lbs. to go before I fall within “normal” range, and another 38 lbs. before my goal weight, but I am excited about the fact that when I look at that BMI chart it no longer says “obese” anymore! It’ll be a while before I leave the “overweight” range, so I won’t be paying much attention to BMI for a while. I will instead be focusing on my weight, percentage of body fat, and fitness level to measure my progress.

And of course all of those non-scale victories that I have to look forward to!