7 Things I'm Going To Do To Be A Happier, Healthier Me!

So, my birthday is next month and I thought what better time to make healthier decisions for myself than turning another year older?  I seriously have to make some personal commitments to myself.  I want to learn how to be more in tune with my body and learn better self control.

Work-out for at least 20 minutes each day -  In the very minimum, I want to shoot for at least 20 minutes each day.  Working out, especially when you're severely out of shape can be a very daunting task.  I think 20 minutes is a good start.  As time goes on, I will gradually increase my time goal.

Drink plenty of water - This has and will be a challenge for me.  I'm going to shoot for 12, 8oz glasses of water a day.

Make healthier eating choices - I really have to learn self control with this one.  I want to make it a goal to eat leaner meats, fresh vegetables, and whole grain.  I have to learn to get over cravings.

Learn self control and listen to my body - I really want to trust in my body to tell me what I should be doing.  I need to learn self control and learn how to control my anxiety. 

Stretch - I really need to start stretching.  The physical therapist told me that my muscles are shortened due to being so uptight with my anxiety.

Yoga - Eventually, I want to get into yoga.  I want to lose some weight before I get into it seriously.  I'm just doing easy, seated yoga for now.

Take my vitamins and krill oil pill daily - I'm really bad at taking pills.  I definitely need to work on that!

My goal is to lower my cholesterol and get off as many of the medications I'm currently on as much as possible.  I want to get down to a normal, healthy weight and maintain it.

On an ending note, HAPPY 31st BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL HUBBY, JASON!

A Half A Day Juice Cleanse

So, the juice cleanse lasted about a half a day -- thanks to Dawn at Dawn Rambles.  Just kidding.  It's totally not her fault.  I could have been a good girl and had the strength for mind over matter.  But seriously though, I think where I went wrong is I meal prepped for four days worth of food while I was doing the juice cleanse.  I should have never, ever did that!  I figured because I had way too many cans of tuna, an onion, hot sauce, and green bell pepper that I would try a recipe on Dawns page called, "Heat Me Up Tuna".  Oh my gosh!  I loved it so much!  I kid about how Dawn ruined my cleanse because that was the first thing that I cheated with.  There was some left on the fork after I had mixed it and I used cleaning the fork off as an excuse...but, I couldn't stop myself.  Thanks, Dawn for sharing that recipe!  I'm totally addicted.

I did like almost every juice that I brought except one.  I just can't stomach romaine lettuce and kale pureed.  So, that one went down the drain.  I also came across a website that talks about how people thing doing a juice cleanse is really beneficial and healthy for you when actually, it's not.  Personally, if you really want to juice cleanse, I probably wouldn't recommend doing it for more than 1-2 days.  Juicing isn't really necessary to purify your body and Amir over at U.S News talks more about it.  The best way to actually cleanse your body is to actually just fill it with plenty of water and whole, fresh foods like lean chicken, fish, whole grains and plenty of vegetables. 

I do have to say that I didn't cheat in the sense that I ate anything unhealthy.  I had that tuna dish for lunch, ate a salad with dried cranberries and sliced almonds for a light snack and will be eating tilapia, broccoli, and whole grain rice for dinner tonight.

Have you modified your lifestyle to be healthier?  If so, feel free to share your tips down below!

Juice Cleansing Day

Today I'm doing a juice cleanse with Bolthouse Farms smoothies.  I'm just doing a one day juice cleanse, mostly because this is my first time attempting a cleanse.  I made sure that my calender was pretty clear for today as you don't want to engage in a lot of activities that cause you to use a lot of energy because drinking smoothies all day is not a sufficient means of food nor energy.  The only thing that I was mostly concerned with by looking at the nutrition label was the fact that Bolthouse drinks are anywhere from 18-30 grams of sugar per 8 oz serving.  However, it says on the bottle, "No Added Sugar".  I googled how many grams of sugar are we suppose to consume per a day and this is what it said, word for word:

"According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are (7): Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons). Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons)."

So, I'm thinking that it's okay to drink these smoothies because what they're implying is that whatever sugars are in the smoothie are naturally from the fruit and/or vegetables.  It's very difficult to avoid unprocessed food, but I'm going to attempt to eat as healthy and unprocessed as I possibly can.  I keep having this battle on whether I just want to be a plus size advocate and eat all the junk food that I want or eat healthy, exercise, and actually be healthy.  All I know is, I shouldn't have all these health problems that I have at the age of 23 and most of them are either due to being overweight or my anxiety.  I'm going to give this another go and see where it takes me.  I'd love to wear some short-shorts or even just feel comfortable wearing a tank top.  As of right now, I will wear pants and a t-shirt all summer because I'm not comfortable with showing my legs or arms.  My ultimate goal is to get down to 135 pounds which results in needing to lose 140 pounds.

Here's to being healthier!  Have you ever done a juice cleanse?  How do you feel about them?

5 Things That I'm Going To Do To Become A Healthier Me

So, as I'm sure you all know from reading my blog, I have some of the worst anxiety ever.  You name it, it causes me anxiety.  Along with that anxiety, comes some really bad habits like not wanting to do anything or eating in excess.  I've always been the type of person where I'm not going to just dip my toes in, I want to go all in when I do something.  Unfortunately, I'm finding out that can't always be the case, especially when you want long-term results.  So each month, I'm going to pick 5 things to work on in order to be a better me and when I feel comfortable enough to move onto something else, I will.  Here are the 5 things that I have chosen for the month of April:

Drink more water -  I'm SO bad at this.  I just don't like to drink much in general, never-mind water.  With that being said, I'm a naturally dehydrated person.  My metabolism might not be as slow if I did drink enough water and phlebotomist might not have as much trouble trying to find my veins.  My goal is to drink twelve, eight ounce glasses of water per day.

Stretch - The physical therapist that I'm working with through workers comp said that my muscles are very short which is most likely due to my lack of mobility and anxiety.  I'm a naturally tense person and he said that stretching will help elongate my muscles.  He said that I could even find myself doing things that I couldn't do before if I stretch. 

Walk at least 20 minutes each day - It may not sound like enough, but I'm going to start walking 20 minutes each day.  It's definitely a start for someone who has lived most of their life immobilized.  I mean, it's not like I don't get up and do anything, but I probably move less than the average person.

Eat in proper portions - This is a difficult one for me.  I love to eat when I want, however much I want.  This is probably one of my biggest, baddest habits.  I really want to work on this.  Last time, when I started counting calories and found out the proper portion size for mac and cheese, I had a nervous break down and was so devastated.

Make at least one meal a healthy one - I didn't develop these bad habits over night and it's going to take time to change these bad habits.  If I can slowly, one by one, change to healthier eating, it will turn into a healthier, good habit.  Doing something is better than doing nothing.

The physical therapists aid told me that I can't change my thoughts or feelings, but I can change my behavior.  It's all on what I want out of life.  It's all mind over matter.  So, here is to a healthier Monday!

Are you doing anything to become a healthier you?

I'm Still Here, Ya'll!

I know, I know.  I've been very blog-neglectful lately.  "Tinisha, you were posting almost every day in December.  What happened?"  Well, I started school and a new lifestyle change.  Believe it or not, there is life beyond blogging!  No, I don't love it any less just because my life just got a bit more consumed by priorities.  I'm still just as obsessed and in love with my blog as before!  Promise.

So, what's been going on with me lately?

Well, I've lost almost 15 pounds in a month!  I'm doing so well with weight loss.  I've been creating and finding healthy alternatives to the things that I absolutely love to eat.  I've started doing tae bo which absolutely kicks your ass, but takes the weight off!  

These are the ingredients for Dr. Oz's healthy breakfast shake, but I've only had it once.  The next time I have it, I'm going to modify the rice protein powder and ground flax seed because the shake was just way too powdery for me.

Instead of using bread for your sandwiches, try a romaine lettuce leaf!  This is tuna fish salad!  It was really tasty and best part was, it was guilt-free!

My new favorite dish -- lean ground turkey shepherds pie!  Once square slice is only 201 calories!

I had this delicious little number for lunch today!  I call it -- tomato parmesan wraps!  These wraps are only 81 calories!  The cheese is fat-free.

This is my new favorite snack!  Chocolate, peanut butter milk shake!  This was so good and guilt-free that I will even be generous and spill the recipe for ya'll!

1 cup of Arctic Zero, chocolate peanut butter ice cream

1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk

1 tbsp of PB2 (Powdered peanut butter)

Blend all the ingredients in a blender.  I blended mine in the Nutribullet.

Other than that, school has been going great.  I'm only two weeks into the semester, but I'm pretty sure that I will maintain an 'A' average.  I'm so loving my classes, especially macroeconomics!  Our fur babies have their annual check-up tomorrow with their follow-up shots.  Next Monday, I have my nerve racking appointment with the hand specialist up in Greenville.  The closer it gets, the more nervous I get!  I'm hoping that he will have good news for me.  I'm just dying to go back to work -- that is, if I still have a job to return to.

8 Things You Can Do To Cut The Calories

Since I have changed my lifestyle to replacing junk food with mostly nutrients and have had success with dropping weight at a good rate, I can officially give some health advice!  With that being said, I will tell you all right now that I'm not the type of person to deprive myself!  If I can find a healthy alternative to the things I absolutely love to eat, I will do it.  Granted, there are sacrifices that I had and will have to continue to make for the rest of my life -- maybe some of those things that I consider sacrifices now will be things that I can eventually adapt too.

But anyway, lets get to it!

Go out to eat less, cook at home more -- It takes 1000 sit up's just to burn off the calories in a small fry.  That's no burger, no soda.  Make healthier choices when you do go out to eat.  I love Subway!  I've been staying away from a lot of bread, but their salads are just as delicious!  Cooking at home is more time consuming.  In most cases, it can be very time consuming, especially when you're first starting out.  However, if you care about yourself enough, you will find the time.  Just like everything else you find time for in your life, you can find time for this as well.  If you want it bad enough, you will find a way.  I promise.  It gets easier the more you do it.  I promise that as well.

Discover healthy alternatives -- Like I mentioned before, I'm not the type of person to deprive myself.  Personally, if I feel like I'm restricted, I'm more likely to give up.  So, I discover new alternatives to the things I absolutely love to eat and guess what?  Those alternatives are completely guilt free!  You might be sacrificing a bit of taste, but remember, you're replacing all those "bad" things with good!

Drink plenty of water --You should at least try to drink 8 cups of water a day.  This is my biggest challenge right now because I absolutely hate the fact that doing so makes me have to pee very often!  Think of it this way;  When you pee, you are flushing out calories and bad toxins!  Also, drinking two cups of water a day alone boosts your metabolism by 30%.  Oh yeah, and most people mistake being thirsty for hungry.  Water keeps you feeling full.  To prevent over eating, consider drinking a cup of water before you eat.  Does that motivate you yet?

Count your calories -- You wouldn't believe how much you will realize that you are over eating by a lot.  To be honest, I realized that I use to eat 3 days worth of calories in one day.  How embarrassing is that?  It's really not that difficult to do.  It may seem like a pain to do, but again, once you're a week or two in, it gets much easier.

Stay out of the isles at the grocery store -- Okay.  So I don't completely do this.  However, I have cut back how much time I spend in the isles by almost 90%.  Almost everything in the isles of the grocery store is bad for you.  Think about it.  On the outer perimeter of the isles, you have meats, seafood, dairy, veggies, and fruit.  I go into the isles for my 100 calorie popcorn bags w/ light butter, Special K brownies, water (because my faucet water tastes dingy), Zevia (Stevia made diet soda), Arctic Zero (ice cream), PB2 (peanut butter), seasonings, vinegar, frozen vegetables, frozen fruit, and low carb tortilla wraps.  Light Progresso soups are okay, too.  Canned vegetables are okay if there is no salt added to them.  Believe it or not, I've also reduced the amount of time that I have spent in the grocery store all together and saved money as well!

Get up off your butt and exercise -- This seems like a rather daunting task.  Just because you are required to "walk" at your job, doesn't compensate for proper exercise.  In order to really burn calories, you have to burn more than you consume.  Even if you only start out with slow pace cardio, 30 minutes a day.  A little consistent movement is better than nothing.

No eating 4 hours before you go to bed -- That's right!  No more late night snacking!  Your body slows down the more it gets to the time that you go to bed because you are not engaging in as much physical activity before you go to bed.  I stop eating after 8 p.m.  You can still drink water though!

Get adequate sleep --  Did you know that you burn calories when you sleep?  That's right!  Someone my weight will burn 800 something calories while sleeping, assuming that is 8 hours of deep sleep.  The less you weigh, the less calories you will burn while sleeping.

For every year that you sit back and regret what you didn't do, saying things like, "Would have, should have, could have..." , you would be that much closer to your goals.  It shouldn't just be about losing weight, it should be about being healthy.  When you change your mindset to making it about being healthy, losing weight comes naturally.

If you have any questions for me, leave them down below!  I look forward to hearing from you!

A Healthy Dinner Goes A Long Way!

Tonight, I made eggplant manicotti.  Now, eggplant is definitely not for everyone, but in my opinion, this stuff was delicious!  This little number serves at 1 cup per serving.  It only has 224 calories per serving!  What?!  I found this recipe on skinnychef.com.  Click the link provided for the recipe!  Here are my results:

My results after I took my piece of course.  A benefit of me taking my piece first is that you can see the actual thickness of it.  I doubled my serving because my calorie intake for today was significantly low (only 458.9 before dinner).  Don't get me wrong!  I'm definitely not depriving myself at all!  I've just found super healthy alternatives to eat more!  I also added 5 crushed butter crackers to the top of it which added an additional 90 calories, 45 calories for my 2 servings.

I've been looking for healthy alternatives for food and drink items that I love and completely can't live without.  With people wanting to eat healthy and still be able to eat what they love, there are tons of healthy alternatives out there!  So far, I have come across Zevia soda and PB2 powdered peanut butter.  Though diet soda's have no calories, Splenda is used.  Splenda has been proved scientifically to cause memory loss.  There are also a few other reasons why Splenda isn't good for you.  Zevia is made with Stevia.  Stevia is Dr. Oz approved.  The root-beer tastes exactly like "fattening" root-beer.  I've also brought orange and regular cola.  I haven't yet tried the regular cola.  The orange is a little off, but I can definitely get use to it!

The PB2 powdered peanut butter is only 45 calories per tablespoon and you mix it with water in order to get the consistency of regular peanut butter.  I have yet to try it, so I will definitely state my opinion when I've tried it.  It comes in regular and chocolate.

Oh, and I just remembered!  I love ice cream like most people do, so of course I had to find a healthy alternative to that as well!  I came across Artic Zero at Walmart and you can eat the entire pint for only 150 calories!

I've lost a total of 7 and 1/2 pounds since this past Friday!  I'm super excited!

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet to a Good Relationship

The above picture is Jason and I at a local park.

A lot of people always compliment Jason and I on our relationship.  We've only been together for 4 years this past November, but we are a match made in heaven according to other people.  I'm not denying that one bit, but it did take A LOT of work to get where we are today.  Anything worth having in life isn't going to be easy and the same goes for a good relationship -- it takes A LOT of time and A LOT of patience, but is totally achievable.  I'm also a person who believes that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough.

While people think Jason and I have this so-called perfect relationship, we do have our downfalls.  We have stupid fights and have real problems in our personal lives and relationship.  I will tell you that we don't just behave ourselves when we are in public.  If we don't like something, we aren't afraid to call each other out in public.  What you see is what you get.  While I always dream about that "fairy tail" relationship, Jason constantly brings me back to reality.  Haha.

Disclaimer: This isn't a "written in stone" cheat sheet guide to a good relationship, but this is a cheat cheat sheet based on what works for us.  Any advice that you take from this post or any in the future, I'm not responsible for any misinterpretations in which you experience reverse results from (which I believe my words are pretty clear) or failed relationships.  Use this advice and any advice I give in the future at your own risk.  All observations and opinions listed here are my own.

Continue to go out on dates even when you live together - Not all couples who live together are married.  I'm a firm believer that you don't need a piece of paper to confirm how much you love someone, but either way, dating shouldn't stop just because you live together.  Going out on dates gives you an outlet away from the house, so that you can destress and enjoy yourself.  If you have a lot going through your mind with the typical responsibilities of life, it will be good to go out and get away.  Though you still have to take care of your priorities, it's not good to attempt to do so being overly stressed.  You could potentially make hasty decisions and engage in unnecessary arguments, especially when you share those priorities with your significant other.  Besides, it makes you feel good to get dressed up and slightly feel those butterflies again like when you first started dating -- it keeps things fresh and alive.

Another reason to continue to go out on dates is so that you can spend "quality" time with your significant other.  Having brief, basic conversations with your other half just won't cut it.  I think this is especially important if you each work different shifts from each other.  Usually when a couple works different shifts from each other, they might only be lucky enough to read a note from the other person left on the fridge or can just barely exchange a few words as their walking out the door.  You need more than that in order to keep the relationship going.  If it's all work and no play, what's the point of being in a relationship?  If you want to make the relationship work, you will find time to reserve for your other half.

Take turns doing what you want - Don't be selfish.  Doing just what you want to do all the time will make you come off as you only care about your wants and needs.  You won't always care for what you significant other wants to do, but it works both ways.  Your significant other won't always care to do what you want either, but that's all apart of being together.  Besides, you might actually find out that you like what the other person is into . . . in the very least, it wouldn't hurt to at least learn something new.  If it's just all about you or just all about your other half, exactly how is that a relationship?

Share responsibility - Don't just sit around and make your other half do everything.  If you cook dinner, he does dishes and vice versa.  We don't believe in gender roles in our house.  Granted, Jason isn't much of a cook, so I do most of the cooking, but he does the dishes.  We pay our bills together.  It's not just his check or just my check; we utilize both of our checks to pay the bills.  When you're in a relationship, you work together to make a life with each other.  It takes two to have a relationship, so it should take two to do everything that is involved in having that relationship.

Never put the other down - I really feel like this is where most people have their problem.  We as humans tend to be very judgmental of others, especially when a person directly impacts our life.  If your other half doesn't understand something, don't call them stupid.  Instead, educate them when they don't understand.  If you make more money than them, don't try to come off as you're better than them.  Intead, encourage and motivate them to want to do better with their life.

Switch things up and try something different -  Practicing the same ol' routine is the perfect way to achieve the ultimate boring relationship.  People always want to know how to keep it fresh and exciting. . .well, don't be afraid to try new things.  Through trying new things, you get yourself out of your comfort zone and learn new things about each other.  You never fully know someone, ever.  If you never explore new avenues as it pertains to your relationship, you may miss out on learning something new about your significant other.  Who knows, maybe you will discover one more thing that attracts you to them than just the handful of things that attracted you to them before.

Keep your communication open - This is a BIG one!  Only when you know how to effectively talk to each other, will you be able to truly respect each other.  Don't walk away when you don't like something you hear and certainly don't assume things.  When something isn't right in the relationship, talk about it rationally and don't put yourself in the position to feel like a victim.  Along with trying to keep open communication, try to keep an open-mind as well.  Not everyone is an expert communicator.

Do and say things that make the other feel good - I'm a rather heavy-set women.  However, as pissed off as Jason could ever get, he would never, ever call me fat.  He respects me as do I with him.  We really try to not let our anger get the best of us when it comes to our relationship.  If he knows I spent a good amount of time in the bathroom putting on my make-up and doing my hair, he will compliment me on it.  It makes me feel good to know that my time wasn't wasted and unappreciated.  However, he does prefer my 'natural' beauty.  I always remind him that he is the cutest guy alive and that I would never trade him for anything in the world.  We also attend to each other when we don't feel good which is nice to know that both parties in the relationship genuinely care about each other and don't consider one another to be of inconvenience.  Jason and I like to believe that we are the perfect fit for each other because we find where he has deficiencies, I make up for it and vice versa.

Learn to let things go - Jason and I have petty fights all the time.  We always have and we probably always will.  It's a really great excuse to have make-up sex anyway.  Jason and I have a rule of thumb for our arguments.  If it's not going to matter a week, a month, or a few years down the road, just let it go.  However, if it's going to make a difference a week, a month, or a few years down the road, stand your ground.  Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.  You want to enjoy your time together, not dread it.  If you fight every hour on the hour, you will short out the relationship.

Don't try to change the other - No one is perfect and there certainly is no such thing as the perfect relationship, so quit thinking there is.  There will always be something that you can't stand about the other person.  Like for example, I can't stand Jason's snoring.  It's horrible.  Oh, it's SO loud!  It literally gives me a migraine, but he's stuck with me and I'm stuck with him.  I'm trying to convince him to see a nose, throat, and ear doctor because it's possible that he might need his tonsils out as a cause to his snoring.  I'm not trying to necessarily change him, I'm just trying to better him health wise.  I mean, his snoring does wake him up a lot which affects his sleep.  In the event that you're trying to better the other person's life such as showing them responsibility toward paying off their debts, helping them seek mental help (if they need it), getting them to the doctor when something is wrong with them, or opening their eyes to potential educational or employment opportunities is certainly acceptable to do.  However, don't try to make them change in a materialistic manner in order to fit your standards such as how to cut their hair, what to wear, how to act, how to talk, what to like, etc.  If they aren't your cup of tea, just simply part ways and find someone else who is a better fit for you.

Be loyal - If you even doubt in the slightest on whether or not you want to be with them, feel like you have to lie, or can't trust them then you probably don't belong with them in the first place . . . staying with someone just because it's a convenience factor is not healthy.  Honestly, Jason is the first guy that I feel like I don't want to be with anyone else.  Jason is the packaged deal for me.  He is cute, smart, caring, loyal, honest and he loves me for who I am despite all my flaws.  We trust each other and remain respectful to each others privacy.

Having complete trust in each other took a while for us because we both came from poor examples of a relationship.  It's normal to have a difficult time trusting someone else when another that you cared about hurt you beyond repair.  However, you have to keep in mind that the person you are with isn't the person that has hurt you and if you can't give them a chance, especially when they don't do anything to make you believe otherwise that they can't be trusted, then you need to take time to psychologically heal.  Don't take it out on the other.  If you feel like you need to be sneaky and check their text messages and have access to all their social media accounts, you are loco and I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if they call the loony bin on you.

Fix something when it's broken, don't throw it away -  Jason and I are old fashion when it comes to this.  Too many people nowadays throw in the towel over very minuscule things that can definitely be fixed.  No one is expecting your relationship to be problem free and neither should you.  Let go of the things you can't change and work on what you can change.  Sometimes the problems are too serious to fix and not everything can be repaired, but at least make every attempt before you consider throwing in the towel.

Don't compare your relationship to that of others - Okay, so maybe so and so have a baby and you don't.  Maybe so and so have a house and you only have an apartment.  However, you don't know their particular arrangements.  They could have a baby, but be living at home with their parents.  They could have a house, but you don't know all their financial problems or problems with the house.  You don't know if mommy and daddy handed them everything on a silver feeding spoon, so don't worry about what everyone else has.  Worry about what you want and how you're going to get it for yourself, by yourself.  Have a little self respect to make an honest effort.  You will appreciate it more if you did the work to get whatever it is that you want out of life.  It make take the two of you longer than others to get to where you would like to be, but that may be for the better of things.  Instead of raising a baby in uncertainty or living in a busted house, take the time to do it right.

Take a deep breath, learn to speak to one another, and don't ever go to bed mad at each other.  Things will be okay if you have faith.  A relationship is only as strong as the wall you build together to protect it.