Why the Gym Isn't for me!

Josh has been begging (okay, not really begging), but has been bringing up the subject of him joining a gym the past year or two.  I've been toying around with the idea and just wasn't digging it.  After all, I am a Beachbody Coach.  I live and breathe and BELIEVE wholeheartedly in at-home workout programs.  The gym isn't necessary and something I never wanted to step foot in again.

SO- I finally agreed to getting a gym membership, if we joined a gym that had ZERO contracts and that I actually liked.  So, we joined our local YMCA.  Josh used to go when he was in High School and I went until a few years ago.

So, we got all signed up.  We took our pictures, paid our "dues" and off we went.  Well, not before I asked if there was a spot I could stream my workouts on my phone and do my at-home workout AT the gym.  They said they had a "small spot" where I could do that.  It's in the middle of the gym.  Three people were already in the corner doing their thing.

It took me 2 minutes in the gym to realize I didn't belong in there.  I got on a treadmill and then got off and told Josh I was going home to do my workout and that I would be back to get him.

A wave of emotions rolled over me and I just couldn't help it.  For some-- the gym is a place of relaxation and a time where they can release and let go.  For me, it's a place of struggle and hard times, and honestly it's a place that I just don't fit in. 

Plus, I never got my results from a gym.  I got my results from my at-home workouts with my personal trainer telling me what to do every step of the way.

I hope I find somewhere inside of me the strength to go to the gym every so often with Josh.  It's just a struggle of mine that I will have to face in the days and months to come. 

I want to ask you---- are you a gym rat OR not?  Who loves it, who hates it?!

XO,

5 CLEAN EATING tips for beginners!

Today is Tuesday and it's not just ANY Tuesday. Today starts the first of many great things to come...  

Today is TIP TUESDAY! 

I'm here to talk about 5 tips to help a beginner start implementing and incorporating CLEAN FOODS into their diet! 

So, I started a 75/25 clean eating lifestyle just about two years ago. Although I strive to do my best day in and day out, I still LOVE what I call 'dirty' foods. That sounds so wrong, doesn't it!? Oh well. 

So, these are a few things that worked for me and that were EASY things I could do without too much work. Here they are! 

#1- STOP eating plain white bread. Choose 100% whole wheat OR whole grain. 

#2- REPLACE regular pasta with, again, whole wheat or whole grain pasta. 

#3- KNIX the soda. It's bad for you. You'll thank me later. Try flavored water with real fruit or try La Croix water if you need the carbonation 

#4- when grocery shopping, shop the perimiter of the store and not so much in the food aisles. This is the veggies, fruits, meats, and dairy. 

#5- when in doubt, if a food has over 10 ingredients or it has something you can't pronounce, just drop it. Don't waste your time, money, or health on it. 

Maybe you've already heard or read these before, maybe it's new to you. I hope that at least ONE thing I've mentioned is helpful. And for goodness sake, if you're just starting off and you drink 12 cans of coke a day, then please ease into this lifestyle. No one says you have to cut cold turkey (unless YOU want to, of course). This is a lifestyle change, not a fad. So, do what you can in your time. 

*please note that I'm not a nutritionist, expert, or a dietician. I am just a human who makes mistakes (ouch, that was hard to admit)