It's January, so that means that you've probably set a resolution to eat healthier and exercise more. I know I have, though I don't like to think of it as a resolution because resolutions usually get broken, and I'm hoping that doesn't happen for me. I'm using my upcoming anniversary trip to Hawaii as motivation to stick with it and make this more of a life change. With that being said, this week's Friday Favorites are all somewhat geared towards living a healthier lifestyle.
What I'm Doing
I wish I was one of those people who enjoyed working out, but I'm not. I grew to like it prior to adopting Carter when my friend Erin and I would go to the hip hop and yoga workout classes at LA Fitness together, but with the birth of her son and Carter's adoption, we stopped going and I eventually cancelled my membership. We belong to the rec center in our community, and they offer some classes, so maybe someday soon I'll be able to talk a friend or two into joining me (it's more fun when you work out with friends), but for now I'm working out at home. We purchased an elliptical a few years ago, so I've been trying to work out on that at least four days a week. On days when it's nice outside I'll take our golden retriever, Beemer, for walks. We used to take family walks every night before bed, and I'm trying to work that back into our routine. Sophia and Carter enjoy doing yoga at night, so I join them when I can. If you have kids, you should check out
Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube - both kids love it!
I also picked up the
Fitbit Aria Scale, which I love. It's connected to my Fitbit account, and tracks my weight for me. Prior to buying it I told myself that a scale wasn't necessary - I didn't need to see a number on a scale to know whether I needed to lose weight/exercise more, which I still think is true, but it does feel good to step on the scale and see that the number is going down (or, at least, that it isn't going up!). I think part of my frustration with scales was that the ones I purchased never seemed to be accurate - when I'd go to the doctor the number was always higher there (while I preferred the lower number I was seeing at home, I wanted something that was accurate). So far the Aria scale has been the same as what I'm seeing at the doctor, and we've had it over a year now, so I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for something a little more high tech.
What I'm Wearing
When you workout, you need to be dressed for it, right? There's just something about having cute workout wear that makes working out seem better.
Le Mystère makes my favorite
bra, so when I saw that they made sports bras, I decided to give it a chance. It's very comfortable and supportive. It's designed for C-cup and up, so if you're an A or B cup you could get something a little cuter (like
this or
this). It's on the pricier side, though it seems that most bras are nowadways, so I'd suggest checking on
Amazon for a deal. I'll usually just throw on a t-shirt over it, and add my
Nike Half Zip if I'm going to be outside and it's cooler.
The
Lululemon Run Times Short *4-Way Stretch 4" are my favorite workout shorts! I have a few of
Nike Tempo Shorts, but I like my Lululemon shorts better. The waistband is smoother and they're more attractive on. My sister-in-law has several pairs of tempo shorts as does Sophia and they look great on them, but they just look weird on me.
I have two pairs of
Nike 'Free Flyknit' Running Shoes and I absolutely love them! Up until getting my first pair of these, I didn't wear athletic shoes because they just never felt very comfortable to me. When we went to Disneyland the first time, I realized that I probably needed something a little sturdier than my flip flops, so I picked up a pair of
Nike Frees. I really liked them, so when I needed a new pair I decided to stick with them, but when I went shopping I thought the design on the Flyknits was cuter, so I got those instead. I'm so glad I did because they are so stinking comfortable! And did I mention that everytime I wear them I get compliments on how cute they are? I don't wear mine with socks (I don't think you're supposed to - they're described as having a "snug, sock-like fit"), so being able to wash them is really important, and these wash and dry really well. They're not cheap, but every once in awhile you can find them
on sale. If you're thinking about getting them, now is the time to snap them up! I have two fun colored ones, but I think I'm going to pick up a
black pair for our trip to Hawaii this summer.
What I'm Eating & Drinking
Last year I shared that we had started ordering
Blue Apron boxes in
this post. I love it because it takes the guesswork out of what to cook for dinner! Up until this point, we've gone with the meals for two, but I just changed our subscription to the family meal plan. It's only two meals a week, as opposed to the three we were originally receiving, but that may end up being a good thing because with Michael's travel schedule, practices, school events, etc it was sometimes hard to cook all three meals (don't get me wrong, I make dinner almost every night, but I don't always have time to devote to the prep work that these meals require). I'm also counting on Sophia and Carter eating those meals, and they're both pretty picky, so two
fights meals a week is probably plenty. If you'd like to try it, let me know in the comments below because I've got free meals I can share with you!
I also just recently discovered the
Skinnytaste blog. So far I've only made a few of her meals, but we've enjoyed everything we've tried so far. We have also used the
Drop 10 Diet by Lucy Danziger, editor in chief of
SELF magazine, as a guide to meal planning. I'm not necessarily on a diet (I had Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream for dessert last night!), but I'm trying to be more aware of what I'm eating. The
Drop 10 Diet is perfect for this because it truly isn't a specific diet, it's more focused on adding superfoods to your current plan. There are several recipes in the book, as well as on the SELF website, and we have incorporated some favorite recipes from the
South Beach and
Sonoma Diet books. I sit down each week and come up with our meals, which makes grocery shopping a lot easier.
Here is a copy of a two week plan I created. If for some reason it doesn't work let me know in the comments below and I can email it to you.
I'd love to say that I have given up Diet Coke, but I don't think that's ever going to happen. I have, however, cut back to one (okay, sometimes two) a day, and am drinking more water. I find that if I have a big
tumbler I can refill throughout the day I tend to drink more.
What I'm Reading
I picked up
this daily devotional and have been trying to be more purposeful about taking time out of each day to read and pray. I also picked up
this journal, which has helped me to refocus and be thankful for the things I have. It's important to focus just as much on your mental health as your physical health.
I've also started reading for pleasure more. You can read more about some of the books I've recently read
here. I just discovered that our library is connected to
Overdrive which allows me to check out eBooks and read them on my phone, so I'm debating whether it makes sense to buy a
Kindle or not. I really enjoy holding a book in my hand, but I like the idea of being able to immediately check out/download a new book when I finish one and am not in love with reading on my phone (I'd like something a little bigger), so I'm considering getting a Kindle. If you have an eReader, which one do you have? Would you recommend it? Thanks in advance for your help!
I'd love to hear what you're doing to stay healthy this year!
