Fitness is not a look. We as humans are wired to compare ourselves to others. I do it. You do it. We ALL have done it. But what does that do to us in return? Well, I can only speak on behalf of myself, so what happens when I compare myself to others? It makes me feel lousy about where I stand, no matter how great my progress. “Oh man, look at her.. she has a six pack, that must be nice”. “How did that girl get such lean thighs… I must not be doing something right”. We see perfections in others and only flaws in our selves. So, how do we fix it? Simple… stop believing the bullshit. That other persons life is nothing like your’s, not even a little bit.
Now one thing I wont do is go on and on about self love. Not because I dont think its important, but you guys see that enough to know that it is much easier said then done. Me simply telling you to “love yourself”, isn’t going to help you. So my advice is...RECOGNIZE your journey. What I mean by that is really analyze the progress you have made in your own individual life with your own individual struggles, and while your at it, give yourself some credit. Odds are, your doing better then you think you are. While you may be comparing yourself to that other girl or guy, someone else is comparing themselves to you. Admiring what you have accomplished and hoping to do the same. This advice goes for even the smallest of triumphs. Maybe you started taking brisk walks every day for 20 minutes.. or maybe you switched to black coffee instead of cream and sugar, or perhaps you decided to buy a bigger water jug and really concentrate on your H2O intake... whatever it is you're doing, you're DOING it. Small changes like those do help get things started. Now, are they enough? No. Is it what you want to hear? Probably not. But its the truth. You will need to push yourself a little more each day, week, month and year... because nobody said it was going to be easy. And if they did… they lied. So, before you start comparing yourself to that “other” person, remember... they are not you, and you are not them. We are individuals who were made to be unique for a reason, and that reason is NOT to feel inferior to others.
0 Comments
"Have a drink, eat an apple, and enjoy yourself" I don’t know about you guys, but lately life has been getting the best of me. Every weekend is something, and I have not been home a lot lately. And not to mention, most of these weekend plans are all revolved around alcohol. And, Ill be real honest with you, I love me a nice cocktail or cold IPA. So, with that being said, I have not necessarily been real concerned with my Sundays revolving around meal prep, planning, and grocery shopping… as much as they have been revolved around Tylenol, re-hydrating, and LOTS of sleep. And you know what, that’s OK with me. Because I’m only in my twenties once, and its all about balance. Have I missed some workouts? Yes, but my eating I am still able to control. It has been a little more “relaxed” then usual, but I’m still conscious of what I am stuffing my face with, and when there is room to plan, I do.
So, some tips I use to stay on track is to recognize the meals you can control, and pack for them. For instance, I went to put-in-bay this past weekend, and for those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a small island off of lake Erie near Ohio that is all about the party. So, I knew that I could control my breakfasts, lunch, and snacks. Now, dinners where a little harder because we ate out, however, there is always a healthy choice to be had no matter where you eat. Did I want a cheeseburger? Yea, I sure did… but I stuck to the kale & goat cheese salad because I knew my body was going to need all the nourishment it could get. (warning, you will probably get some backlash for your healthy eating choices, but laugh them off and go with the flow). So, some ideas for healthy eating choices when vacationing are:
Now some of these things I took, are not what I would usually eat, such as Quest bars or pre-packaged salads. One being, they are not as “clean” as I normally eat, but make it easy on yourself and do the best you can with what you have. A exact example of what I packed for this weekend trip looked like this: Breakfast:
Snacks:
Lunches:
Sometimes, paying a little extra for pre-cut veggies and pre-packaged salads are totally worth it when you are running low on time, as I was. But these things are also very easy to make ahead of time. So, with that being said, busy should never be an excuse to abandon all healthy eating habits. However, on the flip side, it is OK to relax a little, do what’s easiest, and enjoy LIFE. I always joke about how “if I didn’t enjoy craft beer so much, I would defiantly have a six pack”… but you know what… a six pack doesn’t define who I am as a person, and after a long day if all I want is a cold beer, then dammit I’m going to cheers to myself and do so! Have a drink, eat an apple, and enjoy yourself. When I first started this journey, I decided that I wanted to surround myself with the "fit" community. So, with that in mind, I pulled out my Instagram and started following tons of, what looked like, healthy and fit pages. After weeks and weeks of scrolling through endlessly on Instagram and viewing all of these peoples posts, I realized that I rarely ever came across something worth saving. Now don't get me wrong, I have my favorites and I follow them weekly to see what new recipes or workouts they will post. However, it seems as though Social Media sites have turned into more of a bragging, bikini selfie loving, egotistical place that was no longer there to help you, but rather show you how great THEY ARE for getting that workout in.
Let me tell you something, guilting people into not doing there workout is not a way to inspire anyone. Telling people "whats your excuse?" is not helping anyone's cause. In my opinion, you are making them feel as though they don't belong. When you look at that person with a 8 pack, telling you "whats your excuse?"... its intimidating. They feel less then you. Instead, why cant we be more helpful. Post things like.. "5 ways to NOT make excuses" or "5 ways that helped me stay on track". Rubbing it in and posting a flexed after gym selfie is not helping people, you are doing that purely for yourself. And giving your self some self love is not a bad thing by any means, but lets call a spade a spade here, ok? Lets all just stop with what makes US great, and start with how we can make OTHERS great. I realize that a lot of people will not agree with this, but I also feel I have a right to speak my mind. This lifestyle is something I am very passionate about and personally have dealt with a lot of thoughts revolving around "why don't I look like that?". It turns out that by surrounding myself with "fit" people, I was constantly comparing myself to those people. And it was also bringing a negative energy when I would see these self indulgent posts, so with that said, I have decided to completely screen which pages I decide to follow. Technology is something I see every day, so if something doesn't make me feel good about myself, then I need to rethink why it is in my life to begin with. So what I want you to take away from this is:
Set up for success. Here's a few things to think about…
Don’t let it in! Lets talk about what we need to set up for success. First thing first, get rid of the junk food. You knew that was coming. For me, my fiancé is ok with the fact that no bad food comes into the house. But I know this isn’t always the situation for everyone. Maybe you have a stubborn husband who just wont let those lay chips go to the waste side.. if so.. put them in a cupboard you wont go to. Somewhere you can’t reach. Out of sight out of mind. Hell, put a lock on it that only he knows. Do what you have to do! There are no excuses for not giving your self the proper tools at our moments of weakness. As for children, I believe you should teach them your healthy habits as soon as you are able. There will be push back, I am positive. But what you haven’t done for yourself, you also haven’t done for them. Do them a favor, and change the way they also look at food. The fridge necessities I always have the same few things in my fridge. Let yourself always have something in your fridge you enjoy for when those moments strike. Bored? Stressed? Well snacking on a apple with peanut butter is a lot better for you then mindlessly munching on triscut crackers (and if you think those are a healthy snack, we have a lot of work to do). Things I always have in my house are: Five years ago I embarked on a journey of change. I wasn't sure what I was getting into, and defiantly had no idea this would be a life long commitment. But through those years, I discovered weight loss, a new and improved relationship with food, and how much I love fitness. I was not this person five years ago, no.. five years ago I thought iceberg lettuce underneath my pile of bacon and ranch, was healthy eating. I thought fitness was walking my dog a half mile, and then maybe skipping the “extra cheese” on my pizza. I was completely lost. I didn't think I was lost, but I am strong enough now to admit.. I WAS LOST. Everything I thought was the truth, was not. So, one day I decided I was going to start keeping a food diary (My Fitness Pal). This also came with a lot of emotions, and it helped me glance a day at a time, of all the crap (and calories) I was eating. My typical day was….skip breakfast (you know, to lower calories), frozen lean cuisine for lunch, starving by 4 pm so indulge in a pre-dinner meal, followed by a exquisite combination of frozen chicken nuggets and Kraft mac and cheese. No wonder at the age of 22 I felt sluggish and tired constantly. And to be honest, I didn't even realize how tired I was until I look at how I am now. I do more in a day, then I used to do all week.
If you are like my family, we grew up on a budget. Mom wasn't out buying organic produce and 5 dollar-a-gallon organic milk for all four of us kids. No sir, we got what was on sale and unfortunately that means your box foods, hot dogs, ground chuck, cheese, chips.. you name it. Years and years of this food is HARD to change, so don't beat yourself up. You have to change the entire relationship of everything you have ever known about food. And I’m sure, as you read this, you nod your head and say.. “ya ya easier said then done”.. and you're right, it is. It took me a few years to get this involved, so when you show a slight interest, don't think you are doomed because you gave up 2 weeks in. TRY, TRY, and TRY again. If it were easy, everyone would be healthy and our doctors would be out of business! Most importantly, don't do these changes for the wrong reason. Do it because you want to get healthy, NOT skinny. Don't fixate on your weight, please, I cant stress that enough. Just start by feeding your body with the proper amount of nutrients, and the rest will fall into place. And yeah, it has to be said…. MOVE THAT BODY. Exercise has so many benefits besides just weight loss, so why not give it a shot. You might end up really loving it just like I do! |
About Me
Hello everyone! My name is Ashlee Beach and five years ago I embarked on a life changing journey. Like most americans, I came from a household where food was cheap, fast and easy. Fresh produce just wasn't on the menu, which caused my relationship with food to be a very love-hate. Now at the age of 27, I am 60 lbs lighter, full of energy, and extremely passionate about my new lifestyle. From my own personal experiences I am here to share with you, delicious recipes, healthy living advice, and positive vibes! |