9 Tips For "Fitspiration"

I've seen the term Fitspiration (fit + inspiration) floating around Pinterest in regards to fitness, and while I don't know who coined the phrase, I have to say love it. I love it over "thinspiration" because I feel it sends a better message: that health is better than size. As you can probably tell, today I'm going to write about my fitness journey (in-progress), to hopefully motivate and “fitspire”!

I've been struggling with my weight, body image, and energy/motivation for years, like most Americans. Like many, I've done the research about nutrition and weight loss. I know the many physical/emotional benefits of exercise and fitness. And what I've concluded, from my extensive readings is that the messages of all the research boil down to two things: eat healthy and exercise.

That's it! It's that simple! So why do I need to constantly remind myself of this?! There's no pill that you can take, no crazy contraption that you need to buy, no magic food that you can eat that can do the trick; just plain ol' greens and sweat! In fact, the further you are removed from nature (like whole natural foods), the worse off you will be. While I've known this for years, starting a regular regime seemed impossible, let alone sticking to it for longer than three consecutive days.

Now, I'm not perfect, I have fallen off the proverbial bandwagon for a few years (try 10?) and haven't exercised (social obligations, life, the heat, other excuses), and I used to let that defeat me, but I'm not going to let it get me down anymore, I'm just going to keep on pluggin' away at it because I want to feel good in a bikini, darnit!

What finally changed? I started a cleanse that I wrote about in-depth here and I feel so good that I want to tell everyone! But that's just phase one of my health journey. My husband and I also got a gym membership, which motivates us to get out of the house and actually move.

I used to think the gym was a scary place where everyone judges "fat" people, but since I've been going, it's obvious no gives a crap about what you're doing since they are so focused on what they are doing.

I realized I didn't need to compare myself to these people (or anyone) since all that would do is suck my joy and self-confidence. The worst thing you can do is compare yourself to others. And I'd like to share with you a quote I recently read on a Disney shirt featuring my favorite plus-size villainess, Ursula, that hit home for me - "You can't weigh beauty!"

Let that sink in. 

 

since my cleanse and the increasing regularity of exercise, I now look forward to plugging in my headphones and losing myself to music while I walk on the elliptical. I barely notice the time. Also, during my walks I've noticed that my creativity increases and I'm filled with ideas!

 

So, here's some friendly advice that's currently working for me and what I did to prepare before-hand:

1. Visit your doctor to discuss an exercise plan and cleanse. I visited my doctor to discuss my weight loss goals and options and how to go about it safely. Previously I had absolutely no exercise routine and the most strenuous thing I did was deep clean the house. She wanted me to start slowly by walking at least one mile a day and eventually increasing to three miles (or one hour of exercise) a day over time. She also approved yoga.

2. Do a parasite cleanse, mucoid plaque cleanse, and liver cleanse, but not all at once.

3. Ditch the diet. Change your lifestyle. You've probably tried a bunch of different diets that never seemed to work in the long run, like I have in the past. There's scientific reason for that and I will probably write a post on it later, but in the meantime do the research for yourself. It's because most diets tell you NOT to eat certain kinds of food that you love, so when you finish the diet you might think, “Phew, now I can eat chocolate again!” But you can't just stop at one piece, or two, or three – I know I can't! Suddenly, all your hard work of refraining from those yummies has failed and you fall back into old habits! Diets don't work, especially when you're selectively starving yourself. Period. Instead, try starting by a) portion-controlling what you already eat, then b) add in more fiber (anything natural, grown from the earth), c) increasing fiber incrementally 'til the majority of what you're eating is natural (a great source for learning more about this is The Whole Foods Diet), and d) don't deny yourself treats, otherwise you'll crave them more. Instead just cut back on them or have a smaller portion. For example, I try really hard to make some of our meals from scratch, using fresh produce and lots of greens, but I LOVE sweets and I LOVE to have a little dessert everyday, so what I've been doing is I'll have a miniature size of my favorite candy (Snickers) so I can have a taste of it and be satisfied. Now there are days when I backslide, but I just have less junk the next day.

4. Read the labels. As a general rule, man-made products aren't healthy for you since they are loaded with chemicals. The further a food gets from Mother Nature, the more toxic it becomes. But that doesn't necessarily mean all boxed or packed products are created equal. Luckily, there are more health-conscious companies popping up lately that take a stand to make a quality, healthy alternative. You just gotta hunt for them! In general, avoid anything with HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) or anything with a huge list of chemicals. The smaller the ingredients list, the better, meaning it's closer to its natural state. For example, peanut-butter should only have an ingredients list containing peanuts, some kind of oil (not canola or vegetable oil!), and maybe a little salt. Once manufacturers start throwing in dyes, additives, preservatives, or words you can't pronounce, it's best to put it back.

5. Drink water instead and drink it all the time. Water goes with everything and you should have it at every meal (by doing this it can also keep you from overeating). Replace your usual soda or juice with water (they're just empty calories and sugar anyway). If you want to get fancy, add a slice of lemon, or buy flavored water (be wary though of added sugar/sodium. Remember, the further from nature it is, the more unhealthy it is). As an added bonus, water is free, which makes a difference if you eat at restaurants a lot since sodas and drinks can add up quickly. To encourage your new and healthy drinking habit, buy a nice reusable (24oz or higher) water bottle as you'll be filling it constantly.

6. Set aside workout clothes. I have several workout outfits that I alternate for laundry. Knowing that I have special clothes that I don't have to worry about getting sweaty takes my mind off of the negative of added laundry. Plus, it's a no-brainer because I already know what I'll be wearing, I don't have to dig through my closet trying to find something appropriate. I fold them and leave them on my bed console so I don't have to hunt for them and they're among the first things I see when I wake up, another reminder of my goals. I've read that some people sleep in their clean workout clothes the night before to eliminate hassle and to remove any excuse, and that might be another option for you to think about. 

7. Don't let it get you down. If the scale hasn't budged, if you didn't exercise for a couple days, if you had a binge session the night before, don't let yourself think you failed! You didn't! You're human! None of us are perfect! I have to tell myself this often! Just pick yourself up and start again! The best mindset for weight loss (or everyday life) is a positive one, so what I like to do to help hype myself up again is to look for inspirational weight loss quotes (my favorite place to go for that is Pinterest). Having a mantra to cling to during difficult times can be empowering.

8. Don't get on the scale. I know this sounds contradictory, but it's probably the most important thing you can do, at least it is for me. Take your measurements instead, it'll give you a more accurate depiction of your weight loss. I get discouraged easily, especially when the scale and I don't agree, so if I've been literally working my butt off and the scale hasn't gone down, I get depressed. BUT, that doesn't mean I'm not losing weight, or, more precisely, fat! We should all know that muscle weighs more than fat, and if you're exercising, you're shedding fat AND building muscle, and because of this, it's not uncommon for the scale to say you've gained weight! It's healthy weight! So you might be tempted to get on the scale to check your progress, and if you do I caution you to remember that muscle weighs more. Here's a picture that illustrates my point perfectly! Keep this picture as a reminder of weight versus health!

Used from Pinterest.

A lower number on the scale doesn't always mean a fitter, healthier body.

9. Keep track. If you can. Any way you can do it, write it down, mark it, check it off, cross it out. Keep a written journal, make a list, or get an app for your phone. I personally suck at keeping journals, so I just write a tiny snippet about my workout in my Notes on my iPhone. Super simple, which is why I love it!

What tips or tricks have helped you stay on track?

~Nicole A

Getting Inspired With "Forks Over Knives"

About five days ago my husband and I watched Forks Over Knives (which is available on Netlix), an amazingly informative documentary on the link between meat/dairy-focused diets and the rise of heart disease (and other illnesses). "We are sicker than ever by nearly every measure," states forksoverknives.com, and really, who of us can argue? Two out of three Americans are obese, myself included.

I, personally, have been battling my weight for years - in high school I weighed 135lbs and I thought I was fat (compared to the majority of cheerleader-build peers), but now I would give just about anything to weigh 135lbs again! Years later, weighing about 150ish, I moved out on my own and got engaged and that's when I really started to pack on "Happy Fat." Since then, I've ballooned up about 30lbs - the equivalent of carrying a one-year old child around constantly! - and I have the symptoms that follow weight gain; asthma, acid reflux, back pain, trouble sleeping, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem. Recently I've gotten concerned about heart problems (my family has a history of heart issues) and cholesterol - I had it checked and it could be a bit better.

I'll overeat for taste rather than hunger. I crave fatty, sweet, salty foods, and I have indulged more than I should, and every time I imagine my arteries clogging up - it's scary and anxiety-inducing and I want to stop putting this junk into my body - but the craving is so hard to fight! In Forks Over Knives, they likened this craving for heavily processed, hyperpalatable foods to a drug addiction, and in fact your body responds similarly to the food like a heroine addict would to drugs...pretty soon one hit won't get you high, so you have to eat more for the same fix. I had read about this in other articles such as in First for Woman, but it was really eye-opening for me! Hello, my name is Nicole and I'm addicted to food!  Processed, hyperpalatable foods, specifically...and it's harming my body.

Watching this documentary gave me hope with this message: all this damage can be reversed. The doctors and specialists on the film had heart patients, diabetes patients, cancer patients, ect., some who were on Death's Door, adopt a whole foods diet (with doctor supervision) and just about everyone saw their disease enter remission, completely heal, or become more manageable, and the majority no longer needed their medications for treatment. As Hypocrates said, "Let food be thy medicine...." Weight loss was just a symptom of their healing. I was so relieved watching this documentary that I cried.

In Forks Over Knives, they showed when a person eats meat, it fills the stomach less than vegetables/fruits, so they end up consuming more empty calories in order to feel full. Other graphs showed the rates of coronary heart disease and cancers increased dramatically with the consumption of meat and dairy products, versus nations that had a primarily plant/whole foods diet. Thinking about this, it makes sense...my vegetarian friends look about ten years younger than their meat-eating peers and seem to get sick less often.

So my husband and I been inspired to model our lifestyle change similarly to the Full Plate Diet (recommended to me by a friend), a whole foods diet which focuses on the use of fiber and teaches one how to pack their meal with nutrients, fiber, and protein (yes, all vegetables and fruits have protein, meat is not the only source, nor is it the best). For example, if I'm eating a Caesar salad, the Full Plate Diet would probably suggest amping it up in nutrition by adding tomatoes, cucumber, corn, maybe fruit, or beans, ect. I've done this and the taste is so much better and I feel more satiated for longer. I particularly like that the creators of the Full Plate Diet (doctors and nutritionists) are a non-profit organization, offer free membership, and give you the eBook for free as well as other weight loss tools.

My vege-packed quiche, low fat, low sodium!

If you're a meat and potatoes kind of person and don't think that recipes that call for only vegetables could be satisfying or tasty, I'm here to prove you wrong! I dare you to take a bite of my Vege-Packed Quiche and tell me you don't like it...

Here's the recipe. Feel free to substitute with whatever kind of vegetables you have on hand, and remember that the measurements are approximate (I usually just eye-ball it) and do not have to be exact...

Basic Pie Dough Recipe From Martha Stewart (or you could nix the dough to make it gluten free)

1 medium zucchini

1 medium onion

1/4 of a whole cabbage

3 celery stalks

4-5 kale leaves, stalks removed

2 cups spinach

5 eggs

1 cup Almond Milk

1 cup cottage cheese (you could substitute a vegan cheese for lactose intolerance or nix it completely)

2 tbsp butter (or coconut oil)

2 tsp garlic salt (or sea salt/himalayan salt with fresh herbs)

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp ground flax

Prepared Pie Crust and roll out for a 13inch pan. Preheat oven to 375 (or 350 if your oven is like mine and runs a little hotter). Mince onion and saute with butter (or coconut oil) in big pan over medium-high heat until translucent. Halve zucchini and celery and dice slightly thin and add to onions (add more butter/oil if necessary), cook on medium for about 10-15 minutes or until tender (alternately, you can boil them ahead of time). Chop cabbage, kale, spinach somewhat finely and add to pan for a couple minutes until well wilted. Season with garlic salt, chia seeds, flax seeds, mix and simmer on low for a few minutes. Then take pan off heat.

Prepare eggs in separate bowl, add almond milk, cottage cheese and mix. Add to vegetables and mix well. Then pour into pie crust and bake for 55 minutes.

Enjoy!

Have any hearty, tasty vegetable dishes to share? Any inspiring weight loss stories?

~Nicole A.

About The Author

Nicole A.

About The Author

So, I’ll get down right to it - who the heck am I and why should you read my blog? I guess I should introduce myself - isn't that what polite strangers do?

I am not a doctor, healthcare provider, or scientist, but I am passionately curious, a student of the world and of life, and I question everything. I don’t believe in accepting a detrimental status quo or taking much of what we’re led to think (by the media) at face value. I feel everyone, person or agency, has an agenda and it’s best to be aware of it. My personal agenda is spreading Truth (with a capital T), open-mindedness, justice, equality, maybe challenge the way you been taught to think, and shine a light on a few subjects that we should have been taught in school.

I feel it is my duty to compile and share this amazing information in the hopes that it could change a life, like it’s changing mine. I try my best to write accurate information on both sides of an argument and I’m open to changing my opinion if presented with better information (especially if it’s backed with science). And I’m open to respectful discussion and constructive criticism, but not conflict.

While on my own journey to lasting, holistic, natural health, I am discovering so many things that I wish had been taught in high school. I’ve never needed to use Geometry, but I wish I’d known about in-depth nutrition and environmental toxins because that’s going to affect my whole life – whereas math won’t. I think if the information I’ve been researching, backed by science and medical studies, were more wide-spread, then America wouldn’t be in such a health crisis. More people would be energetic, less obese, vibrantly healthy, even joyful. If we educated our kids to be healthy, happy, and kind over cramming for tests (for things they won’t use in adulthood), we’d have a different kind of generation altogether; I think we’d raise people that would go out and change the world for the better.

My passionate curiosity has led me down many roads of study: holistic and natural health, alternative medicine, ancient practices, simple living, minimalism, Zero Waste, Plastic-Free, eco consciousness, self sustainability, natural earth building, tiny homes, real education, politics, social issues, science, medicine, anthropology, psychology, spirituality, meditation, and mindfulness. And I feel, like most things, they’re all intertwined and not separate disciplines.

I'm a perpetual-learner, writer, wife, and foster mom. I don’t like to put myself in a box because I am so many things. I like to think of myself as creative, artistic, and practical. I’ve been an artist since I could hold a crayon, a writer since I was 11, and an eternal avid reader. I have struggled with my health, depression, anxiety, weight and body image since I was 16. I’m currently turning my struggles into strengths, but it has (and continues to be) a long, uphill battle. I am focusing on my health journey, writing about it and sharing the important science with you, and enjoying life with my husband, cat, and any foster kids we might have.

In my hope to educate and heal myself, I’ve stumbled upon many great sources that I wish to share with you if you have similarly struggled. Stay tuned, subscribe, and share the knowledge if you, too, are seeking sustainable health.

Glad to have you along for this journey with me,

~Nicole A.