Working on My Fitness, You’re My Witness.

It’s been a little over 8 months into my fitness journey. It’s been a busy several months and I haven’t blogged in a hot minute. (Hey! Keeping up good eating habits, working out, making moolah, getting enough sleep, and keeping up relationships is a lot of work!) My health goal was to: 1. Lose at least 10 lbs. 2. Begin to build muscle. 3. Gain overall strength. 4. BE CONFIDENT and AWESOME. 

To recap the start of my journey, check out my original blog post on my fitness journey. I wanted to reach my goals before Stephen and I went on our first anniversary trip to the Dominican Republic. Thankfully, I reached my weight goal and then some within a few months. I spent the next little while before the trip increasing the amount of weights I was lifting during my gym sessions so I could tone up. You can see my steady progress in the pictures below!  

Now the the trip has passed (which was AMAZING), I’ve tried to be more lenient within myself regarding my diet and gym time. Instead of going to the gym 5-6 times a week, I now try to go every other day, or 3-4 times. I’ve still been slowing increasing my weights and adding in heavier machine exercises to my workouts, as well as decreasing cardio. In order to make sure I’m fueling my body enough to build muscle, I increased my calorie allowance by nearly double. Surprisingly, that’s been the most difficult part: keeping up with the amount of calories I have to consume each day. I used a nifty app on my phone (S Health) to track my meals and make sure I’m meeting my calorie intake, as well as water intake, sleep cycles, daily steps, and exercise routines. It’s actually a great way for me to have a well-rounded view of my health and makes it easy to manage day-to-day health info.  

It’s been nice not having to be as strict with my diet and exercise, although I really enjoy my gym time and I look forward to reaching new goals! 

March 2017

March 2017

April 2017

May 2017

July 2017

Foodie Update #2

Whelp, I veered away from my home-cookin’ diet.  I ate out A LOT this week.  Ugh.  I cooked last Sunday (yes, a week ago).  I made a delicious spicy chicken dish with pasta.  And, it was so good that I fell asleep right after lunch.  But the past week was stressful and busy and I fell prey to my old habit of running to Chick-Fil-A for dinner.  Today, I was feeling pretty defeated and lethargic.  I had the worst headache and needed something to eat.  I had an iced-coffee early in the day and my stomach grumbled for sustenance.  

So, when I got home from church I decided to whip up something with the ingredients in my kitchen.  And the result was YUMMY!  I made spicy, breaded chicken breast with fresh avocado topping and pine nut couscous as a side dish.  

So while I haven’t been cooking at home as much as I’d like, I hope to continue to set realistic goals for myself.  

Sneak Peek – Mexico Trip

Here’s a sneak peek of my Mexico Trip blog post, coming shortly.

…Sometimes your wanderlust is satiated.

If only for a moment…

My Body is a Temple

Hi, my name is Juana.  And I’m a junk food-aholic.  And a fast food-aholic.

Anything with lots of cheese and salt that I didn’t have to cook or clean up.  My mouth waters just thinking about delicious McDoubles, thick shakes, greasy waffle fries, and oily beef tacos.  All of which I can get for a few bucks here and there.

But recently, especially since I got my own car (which means easy access to fast food chains), I realized that I hardly ever – and I mean EVER – cook for myself.  The items in my fridge consist of weeks old milk that I never even opened, spoiled veggies that I swore I’d saute into healthy stir-fry, butter, and leftover pasta that I proudly cooked a week ago.  My dishwasher never gets used, but my trash cans is always filled to the brim with greased spotted paper bags that held my fast food dinner.  My car is filled with receipts from Mickey D’s, Sonic, and 7-11.  And my bank account?  Don’t get my started on my bank account!  I could probably have saved hundreds of dollars a month by driving right past the places that so often call my name enticing me to partake of their foodie goodness.

But looking into my bleak fridge, watching the pile of receipts float into the wind as I open my car door, and my sluggish nature makes me wonder how I could change my eating habits.  I’ve figured three things contribute to my current habits:

1. Convenience (It’s easy; there’s no cleaning involved!)

2. I don’t like cooking for just myself, so I only cook when I’m entertaining others

3.  I really do love eating at restaurants

But, I realize that keeping my body clean will help energize me and protect me against sickness.

I was inspired tonight to go grocery shopping and buy ingredients to cook my meals for the week.  I ended up spending what I would probably spend on three or four days of fast food purchases.  I bought plums, peaches, a bunch of asparagus, sausage, ground beef, and fresh mint among other things.  I couldn’t wait to get home to cook!

Due to the late hour, I didn’t make a whole meal but instead made mint cucumber yogurt (my take on something I ordered at a Turkish restaurant last week) and basmati rice.  For convenience sake, I wanted my food to be prepared for when I actually want to eat it.  I added butter to the rice cooker to flavor the rice.  Everything has been neatly stored in my fridge.  And I’m happy to see my fridge is shaping up.

Later in the week, I plan on making several small ground beef patties with fresh mint and parsley pressed in.  I’ll add it to the rice and mint yogurt for a filling, but light meal.  I also look forward to a pasta dish with penne, tomato rosa sauce, and spicy sausage meatballs.

Do you have a favorite dish that you swear by?  I’d love to know what it is!  And are there ways to keep from eating out too frequently?  Share your tips with me 🙂  I want to be continually inspired to cook on my own and not depend on the convenience of fast food.  I’m sure my body and wallet will thank me.

Here’s to new healthy habits!