What this is all about.

THIS IS NOT A THIGH GAP BLOG. I'm not here to tell you how to conform to unattainable and frankly unhealthy standards of beauty. If that's what you want, check out now. I'm here for me. I want to feel better about myself. Not my looks, but how I feel inside. I am sick of feeling sluggish and lazy and tired all the time. And if that means that I change on the outside too, then that's great. I would post to this blog if it was only myself reading it, and if I happen to motivate others while I do it, that's fantastic.
 You might think that I'm just a skinny girl who doesn't need to lose any weight. Thing number two about this blog. THIS IS NOT A WEIGHT LOSS BLOG. This is a blog about healthy lifestyle choices. I am a typical teenager. I eat like crap and I watch a lot of TV. I am trying to change my lifestyle and I hope you choose to as well. I hope to post cool links, yummy food and exercises that don't make me want to pull my hair out and cry in pain!

Last thing about my blog. I am ridiculously bad at keeping up with journaling type things, so I apologize in advance for bad posting  habits ;)

              I'm the one on the left :)

New goals for this school year

So guys, I'm coming up on my senior year of high school. Fast. That means new hair, new clothes and for me, I've decided to get in shape. I'm not fat, but I realized after sucking wind hiking up the same hill everyday at summer camp while everyone else basically sprinted up it (mind you they are crazy), I needed to start exercising regularly.

So I'm doing it! The new me will not just be a lazy couch potato eating cold pizza while her family is on vacation. 

Technically I started my goal yesterday with a little "interval training". I run with music. If I don't I die inside and get so bored I start doing math in my head. You always see those couch to 5k running plans, which are really good for me. But I don't carry a stop watch with me when I run. So I decided something. I was going to run for the whole song, then take 30 seconds at the beginning of the next song to walk. It worked! The intervals are different sizes, but it gave me the discipline to actually run most of the time instead of only when I saw people (seriously that's true and it's sad). Eventually I'll increase the distance bit by bit and then start shortening the walking sections. Hopefully at some point ill be able to run the whole time and not stop to walk on this giant hill in my neighborhood. If you are a beginning runner like myself, here's a really good training plan to get you back on track that I found on lovely ol' Pinterest.

Healthy eating is also on the agenda for my new life. I've been drinking more water which is really good, but the leftover pizza calls to me. I don't think I could ever totally give up junk food, but I'm going to start back up on my two non-healthy things a day. I've gotten pretty bad over the summer. I think last week I had a frosty from Wendy's and a bowl of ice cream every day. Plus snacks. 

I do better with motivation, so if anyone wants to join me on my quest to be fit I would love it! For awhile this will probably be updates on my goals and a few cool things I may learn in various health classes I'm taking this year for my degree. Bear with me as I get going again! I took a vacation hiatus but I should be posting a lot more frequently as school starts up again. Here's to senior year!

Smoothies. The ambrosia of life.

Because it has been so very hot lately, I would like to address a healthy and delicious alternative to ice cream.  They are also a good breakfast for those (like me) who are not a big food eater in the morning. SMOOTHIES.
They are delicious. They are fruity. And they can be healthy if you do them right!
Fruit is a good source of carbohydrates, natural sugars, and vitamins, and when combined with ice and some milk, they are pretty tasty too.
This handy guide that I got off Pinterest highlights some of the things you can put in smoothies to make them both good and healthy.

I am a fan of adding strawberries to pretty much anything, frozen or fresh they are probably my favorite fruit. Here is my favorite smoothie recipe:
usually makes about 2-3 servings
1 cup frozen (or fresh) strawberries. If you use them fresh you will have to add ice.
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk OR water
1 banana
1 tbsp. of orange juice concentrate OR 1/2 cup fresh squeezed oranges (in the late summer they aren't in season so that is why I use orange juice concentrate)
*optional* 1/2 cup spinach.  I like to add spinach because you can't taste it but its packed with vitamins, iron, proteins and omega 3 fatty acids (which are good)! However it does turn your smoothie green :)

Smoothies are pretty hard to mess up, so go ahead and add whatever you like. You can include protein powder to make them more filling as well, but go out and enjoy a delicious and healthy smoothie.

Exercise... Fun or foul?

A lot of people often look on exercise with a sense of dread and downright hatred. I know I usually do. But it doesn't have to be horrible! 

I know you must be thinking I am crazy for even suggesting that exercise can be fun. But it can. 

As my wise father told me the other day... "All you have to do is move." Obviously the worst way to get in shape is to sit in the couch eating popcorn and binge watching netflix. But any kind of activity can count as exercise. 

Mowing the lawn? Counts. Playing high intensity ping pong? You betcha! 

Find something that you like to do and get moving! Whether it's hiking, dancing or swimming, there is something out there for you. 

I happen to enjoy water activities. I got into an all out splash war with my cousins a few days ago, and I tell you I felt it in my arms. Swimming, kayaking, throwing your squealing cousins into the lake repeatedly because they love it.... All up my alley, and all can count towards exercise.

Incorporate regular activities into your exercise routine. If you spend a lot of time walking (to work, chasing kids, doing chores etc) don't feel like you have to exercise on top of that every day. Just pick up the pace a bit and it can count as an aerobic activity for the day. 

Good luck with your exercise! If you have any suggestions for ways to incorporate exercise Into daily activities I would love to hear them!

Let's talk about water.

 WATER! Water water water! It's good for you. I hate drinking it but I need to, as I'm always dehydrated. Plus it helps with a million other things besides preventing headaches. Which is pretty helpful for me The headache queen. 

If you're like me, you struggle with constantly drinking water. So I have to get creative with finding ways to consume it. You can flavor your water with fruit, drink fresh juice or... You can eat it! Here is a nice little picture that shows you some water rich foods to help with hydration. 

Something I've decided to try

I've been trying something new for the past few days. I call it "think before you snack". Recently I've decided I can't cut out junk completely. After all, I work at a Fro Yo place. I graze at the toppings constantly; I also lack major self control when it comes to food. So I'm trying something new. I am trying to limit myself to 2 junkish foods a day. Take today for example. I had some BBQ chips for lunch and a small bowl of yogurt at work. 

Some people may be able to cut out junk food completely. I envy you and your self control. 

I found this article that I think really helps out in the eating "empty calories" department. It's worth a read. Basically what it says is you can some empty calories a day, but not a lot. And if you exercise more, you can eat more junk and it won't matter. Hurrah for exercise!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/479487-is-junk-food-ok-in-moderation/#page=1