Not Just a Mom

Hello and Happy Monday!

It’s time for our monthly Not Just a Mom link up, and the topic is Healthy Habits and Staying Motivated.

Healthy Habits:

The older I get, the more I understand the importance of *trying* to live a healthy and active lifestyle.

As far as healthy habits are concerned, I feel like it’s important for me to have quiet (alone!) time every morning before the rest of the house gets up and before we start the hustle and bustle of our days. This time is important for me to get my mind right and ease into the day.

Another healthy habit for me is trying to get enough sleep. I’d say I get close to 8 hours sleep every night. I’ve struggled with staying asleep in the past, but I’ve never had issues falling asleep. Before bed, I try to limit screen time, read a book, and Melatonin is the real MVP!

Exercise as been a part of my routine for years. I used to be the type to watch what I eat and workout January-October. Then, I’d let the wheels fall off the bus, give in to the temptation of holidays foods, and regroup in January. About four years ago, I started not letting November and December negate the work I’d done the rest of the year. I give myself grace, but I continue my workout routine and do my best to make good food choices.

To be honest, this past year has been very difficult. From the stress of Covid, quarantining, and my endometriosis issues, I definitely relied on comfort food, didn’t workout as a consistently, kind of let anxiety creep in, and ate my feelings a bit! I feel like I’ve done a really good job regrouping since January, and I’ve been intentional with workouts and making pretty good food choices.

Staying Motivated:

As far as staying motivated goes, I’m a task oriented, Type A, visual person.

I like to start the week off with a plan, and I’m motivated by seeing progress.

Before placing my grocery order, I plan our dinners for the week. Meal planning is essential for me to stay on track. That being said, I don’t necessarily meal prep, but I do keep in mind what foods we have on hand, so that I can make the best choices possible.

I know that I have to be flexible with what time I work out, but I typically factor in two mornings to get up early to get my work out in. Then, I choose a couple of afternoons when I know I will have time to get my work out in and adjust my schedule that way. I know some people do better getting up every morning extra early, but that doesn’t work for me. Also, I’m home by 4:00 most days (during a normal school year), so I know that I’m usually able to get a workout in without issue a couple afternoons a week.

I’m also motivated by down time and rest. I try to accomplish chores, errands, school work, emails, workouts, etc. and then take Sunday as my motivation with a day of rest.

Certain apps help keep me motivated and tie into my Type A/task oriented personality. Just seeing my calories and macros as well as my water intake, keeps me going to make good choices.

Lately, I’ve been focusing more on tracking my food and calories, but I also check out my macros. Most days, even when I think I haven’t made all the best choices, my macros are close to perfect. (50% carbs, 20% protein, 30% fat) (*I know this seems like a lot of work, but it becomes second nature pretty quickly, and I definitely see results when I track what I eat.)

I’ve been using this water app since December, and it’s been helping me reach my water intake goal most days.

In November, I purchased Beachbody On Demand and have been working out at home. Even before Covid, I only went to the gym a couple days a week. I’ve used Beachbody workouts in the past, but this is the first time I’m using the On Demand option to use at home while working out. Since November, I’ve completed 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme, and I’ve now moved on to Muscle Burns Fat.

Knowing that I only have to go to my basement, and these workouts take about 30 minutes motivates me to stay on track.

I’ve used strategies from Amanda Nighbert’s Lean program for years. I’ve been carb cycling and intermittent fasting pretty consistently for four years. Back in November, she shared this chart, and I printed it out to write my monthly goals.

My February goals are:

• workout
• drink water
• intermittent fast
• log food in My Fitness Pal app
• have a protein shake most days for lunch or snack
• Eat low carb on Tuesdays

Lastly, is anyone else motivated by cute workout wear?

I’m more picky about my workout leggings than workout tops because I wear them for more than working out. I basically live in workout leggings/tights when not in regular clothes or pajamas! Also, the perfect length for me is 7/8. I only own a couple of pairs of capri length leggings. 7/8 is where it’s at for me!

If I’m wearing something I’m comfortable in, I’m more likely to workout.

Cute story: A couple of months ago, Travis called me and told me he’d picked me up a gift. Well, I came home and saw he’d been to Fabletics, and purchased me a couple of pairs of workout tights. He went on and on, and said the selling point was that they had side pockets. He thought this was a new feature! 😆 ! So sweet! I guess he hasn’t seen my other five pairs of leggings with pockets. He’s very proud of the fact he’s a Fabletics VIP member!

I have this same pair of Fabletics leggings in teal, navy, and blue.

Recently, I purchased these leggings from Amazon…and they are legit. They come in a variety of colors….and have side pockets 😉

I know it’s silly but what made me buy them besides the fact that they are high-waisted is that I loved the angled bottom inseam. That feature is just a little “extra” that elevates these leggings.

I cringe at the terms “buttery soft” and “dupe,” but these are so good, and I don’t know any other way to describe them. I only have one pair of Lulu leggings, and these, to me, are comparable.

Memes:

To wrap up on a funny note…

These workout memes made me laugh, so I thought I’d share.

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I’m forever a work in progress over here, but I’ve been very focused lately on getting back on track with making good food choices (minus Girl Scout cookies, y’all!), and exercising daily since recovering from my surgery in October.

Let me know any tips and tricks you have for staying motivated and making healthy choices!

Next month’s topic is Favorite Phone Apps. Well, I know two of those already: the water and My Fitness Pal apps. Those two apps keep me motivated!

Thanks so much for reading. Don’t forget to check out the other ladies’ posts!

Take care,

{this post contained Amazon affiliate links…}

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