Tag Archives: sugar cravings

If you’re struggling…

The consensus isโ€ฆ. Weโ€™re struggling.
After checking in to my virtual fitness community a couple weeks ago, I’m getting the sense that the majority of us are struggling right now (myself included). Reality is, for so many of us, our lives and routines have been completely thrown out of whack over the past couple of years.
And while yes, one of the best ways to start to heal from the inside out, is to take care of you and prioritize your health, I also want to encourage you to give yourself grace.
You are doing just fine given the circumstances.
You are still showing up.
And instead of beating yourself up for where you’re at, I want to encourage you to shift that mindset to learning to love where you’re at.
Only then, can we really dive into the work of getting to where you want to be.
Let’s celebrate the small wins you’ve made. Whether that’s maintaining your progress during a chaotic time, or accomplishing other life priorities that have nothing to do with your health and fitness, or simply enjoying a fun season of life and experiencing a healthier relationship with food or your body.
They all matter.
I want you to stop and take a moment to cut yourself some slack. Pat yourself on the back for just being here. And then let’s take some small steps forward.
It’s okay to struggle.
It’s even more okay to admit that you’re struggling.
Itโ€™s not okay to quit.
Always here in your corner.
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How to Create Self Love & Acceptance

๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ๐˜บ ๐˜ช๐˜ง ๐˜ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏโ€™๐˜ต ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ? โฃ
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Itโ€™s really easy to say we need to love ourselves where weโ€™re at. Actually practicing it, thatโ€™s the tough part. โฃ
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When I shared that quote the other day someone justifyingly so, commented back, โ€œ๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ?โ€โฃ
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I want you to remember that self love doesnโ€™t have to mean always loving the way your body looks daily. In fact, you probably never will 100% of the time. โฃ
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๐’๐ž๐ฅ๐Ÿ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฅ๐Ÿ ๐š๐œ๐œ๐ž๐ฉ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐œ๐š๐ง ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ž๐š๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐›๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ฌ. โฃ
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It can mean appreciating your body for all that it does for you and choosing to focus on that. ๐˜‹๐˜ฐ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ด ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜บ? ๐˜“๐˜ฆ๐˜จ๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ณ๐˜บ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ? ๐˜”๐˜ข๐˜บ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฆ๐˜บ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด? ๐˜–๐˜ณ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถโ€™๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜บ๐˜ด ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ฑ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ ๐˜ถ๐˜ฑ๐˜ด? โฃ
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It can mean recognizing that we are so much more than how our bodies look, and choosing to see yourself as you would your friend, your sister, your child. Most certainly you wouldnโ€™t love them any more or less if they gained or lost 20lbs. Likely, the qualities you adore about them most have nothing to do with their 6 pack abs or lean legs. โฃ
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It can mean choosing to honor and be kind to your body even and especially when you donโ€™t โ€œ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆโ€ it right now. โฃ
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Self love can be hard but it is so crucial for not just making progress, but more importantly, sustaining it forever. โฃ
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Take care of you always. โฃ
๐˜๐จ๐ฎ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐œ๐ก ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ง ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐š ๐›๐จ๐๐ฒ.
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Mix & Match Snack Combosโ€ฆ with no Afternoon Crash

 

Do you struggle with an afternoon slump?ย 

Canโ€™t seem to break your cheez it addiction?ย 

Always reach for the office candy dish at 3pm?ย 

If this is you, itโ€™s not your lack of willpower, we just have to tweak your choices.

One of the biggest problems I see with typical โ€˜snackโ€™ options is theyโ€™re mainly fast digesting carbohydrates. The problem is, we digest them quickly, they spike our blood sugar, and we crash shortly after, leaving you reaching for more snacks.

Problem solved.

Try out this perfect snack formula to be sure you keep your blood sugar stable, and your afternoon snack monster at bay.ย 

  1. Pick a protein or healthy fat or both from the first list (theyโ€™ll slow down digestion and help keep you full longer)ย 
  2. Pick a fiber filled carbohydrate from the second list (the fiber makes them digest more slowly, and will help to keep you full).

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Protein & Healthy Fat Options:ย 

  • Antibiotic Nitrate & Nitrite Free Organic Turkey Breast Slices
  • Hard Boiled Eggs (eat the yolk for healthy fat & nutrients too)
  • Greek Yogurt (I love Fage or Two Good)
  • Cottage Cheese (I like Good Culture)
  • Tuna or Salmon Packets
  • Organic String Cheese
  • Protein Powder (look for all clean ingredients – always happy to recommend the one I use and love)
  • Chomps Turkey Sticks
  • Natural Nut Butter
  • Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
  • Pumpkin or Sunflower Seeds
  • Flaxseed
  • Nuts
  • Hummus
  • Yogurt Based Dips
  • Avocado

Fiber Filled Carbohydrateย Options:ย 

  • Any Fruit fresh or frozen with no syrup/sugar added (bananas, apples, grapes, berries, etc… all travel well)
  • Freeze dried crunchy fruit (only ingredient should be the fruit)
  • Snackable Veggies (cherry tomatoes, snap peas, baby bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, etc…)
  • Brown Rice Cakes
  • Whole Grain Cereal (I love three wishes for a little extra protein) with at least 4 grams of fiber
  • Siete Tortilla Chips
  • Lesser Evil Popcorn
  • Lesser Evil Power Curls
  • Whole Grain Crackers (I love Simple Mills)
  • Oats
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Chickpeas
  • Granola or Protein Bar with at least 4 grams of Fiber
  • Birch Benders Pancake Mix
  • Whole Grain Bread (at least 4 grams of Fiber)

Mix & Match Ideasย 

  • Snackable Veggies & Hummus or Greek Yogurt Dip
  • Cereal with a Scoop of Protein & Unsweetened Nut Milk
  • Apple Slices with Nut Butter & Lily’s Chocolate Chips
  • Oats with a Scoop of Protein Powder & Nut Butter
  • Hard Boiled Eggs & Dried Chickpeas
  • Brown Rice Cakes topped with Hummus, Cottage Cheese, Nut Butter, or Protein Frosting
  • String Cheese & Popcorn
  • Whole Grain Crackers with a Tuna Pouch
  • Greek yogurt with Fruit & Flaxseed
  • Cottage Cheese with Sliced Tomatoes and Everything but the Bagel Seasoning
  • Lesser Evil Popcorn with Pumpkin Seeds & Nutritional Yeast
  • Whole Grain Toast with Avocado or Nut Butter

P.S. Still want to reach for the cheez its too? Add in a handful or a hershey kiss if youโ€™ve got a sweet tooth, but portion out and consume it last having your healthier snack combo first ๐Ÿ˜‰

No foods off limits around here! Whatโ€™s your favorite snack?

Food for Thought…

๐ˆ๐Ÿ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ€™๐ซ๐ž ๐œ๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ก๐ž๐š๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ž๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ. โฃ
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๐˜™๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ฏ. โฃ
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We know our daily Starbucks addiction isnโ€™t getting us closer to our weight loss goal, but we continue to cling to that habit. โฃ
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๐˜ž๐˜ฉ๐˜บ? โฃ
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Because in some way itโ€™s serving you. โฃ
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Whether itโ€™s your morning wake up jolt. โฃ
The one reward you treat yourself with. โฃ
Or the one time you feel warm and cozy all day. โฃ
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It has a purpose and in order to get to the bottom of how to change that behavior we need to first figure out how it is serving you.โฃ
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Then we can start to seek to gain that same benefit in some other, healthier way. โฃ
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Weโ€™re very quick to judge ourselves for doing the things we shouldnโ€™t be, but itโ€™s rare we actually stop to look at why theyโ€™re actually serving us. โฃ
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When we choose observation over judgment we can start to make positive steps towards actually changing the not so positive behaviors that are serving us in some way. โฃ
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Little mindset hack for your Tuesday and reminder to show yourself compassion and grace instead of constant grit, judgment and negativity. โฃ
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๐˜‹๐˜ฐ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜บ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถโ€™๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ค๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ? ๐˜ˆ๐˜ฏ๐˜บ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ?

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Life Update

Iโ€™ve gained weight these past few months and Iโ€™m purposely trying to stay here.
Itโ€™s taken me a long time to address this fully because itโ€™s been something Iโ€™ve been fighting hard to accept, but this is my reality right now and Iโ€™ve decided to embrace it.
Iโ€™m not really comfortable in my skin. Iโ€™ve been battling the mess that is my hormones, a move, loads of anxiety, medication induced depression, you name it Iโ€™ve faced it. My hunger ramped up, Iโ€™ve tried to find a healthier relationship with food and in turn have gained a good bit of weight.
And you better believe Iโ€™ve schemed up all the diets, tactics and things to do to get back to where Iโ€™d like to be, but reality is, itโ€™s not time to get there just yet. So instead of continuing to put up a fight Iโ€™m embracing it.
Iโ€™m deciding to prioritize my health and mental health over the way Iโ€™d really like to look right now and that is entirely okay.
This has been a huge life reminder for me that your body will face many different ups and downs and seasons and we can choose to grit our teeth and fight it, potentially prolonging things further or lean in, accept and learn.
So thatโ€™s what Iโ€™m choosing to do right now. Itโ€™s not easy, itโ€™s been messy, uncomfortable, and took me a long time and a lot of stubbornness to get here, but here we are.
My goal with my social media is to forever be honest and transparent so here’s my update for you โค. If youโ€™re in a similar spot or the complete opposite spot, know that Iโ€™m here for you and we can do it together. One day at a time. โœจ
Iโ€™m deciding to choose health first & I hope you do the same ๐Ÿ˜˜
Do you have any health goals youโ€™re focusing on right now?
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