Stuff I’m loving right now (and I think you will too)

So today I thought I’d try something fun and new by just sharing some of things I’m really digging on right now. Hope you enjoy! 🙂

Favorite Quote:

I love to read and I love coming upon a really good quote. I actually wanted to be a writer when I was younger, but then I decided I couldn’t do it (that’s a story for another day). Anyways, since starting my blog it’s been challenging for me to keep up with it regularly, but I’ve also experienced an even deeper love for words. That’s why when I read this quote the other day it really connected with me, both as blogger but also just thinking about how I talk…

“Child, to say the very thing you really mean, the whole of it, nothing more or less or other than what you really mean; that’s the whole art and joy of words.” ~C. S. Lewis

Food: Taco Salad

I love taco salad because it’s easy to make and a tasty way to get a good amount of protein and veggies.

A trick I’ve learned that I think really ups my taco meat game is to add a can of diced tomatoes instead of water to the taco seasoning. So I brown a pound of ground beef (with garlic and onion if I have them). Add the taco seasoning, but instead of adding water (which it calls for), I add an 8 ounce can of diced tomatoes.

tomatoes

Follow the directions on the seasoning packet and boom. It really adds that extra kick of flavor and moisture to the meat! Then I like to do a bit of a deconstructed taco salad with some iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, avocado, cheddar cheese, and plain greek yogurt (or sour cream).

Add some chips on the side (I’m love the Simply Balanced blue corn tortilla chips at Target. So good. :)) and you’ve got yourself a tasty meal.

taco salad

 

Fitness: Animal Movements

Whenever my body feels tight or achy, I’ve found that combining Z-Health with animal movements makes it feel so much better. It’s fantastic for waking up the nervous system, loosening up commonly tight areas like the hips and back, and working on better movement and mobility in a fun and playful way. Plus, you don’t need any equipment. I’ve been loving this so much that I’ve actually been using them as warm ups in my classes.

If you’ve seen my 5 minute flow videos, I’ve been playing around with it in there too, but here’s a video at regular speed of me practicing the basics.

If you’re interested in learning more about this, here and here are a few resources.

Book: Lean Habits For Lifelong Weight Loss by Georgie Fear

lean habits

I honestly haven’t even read the whole book yet, but the 4 core habits alone are worth the price of the book. After going through a huge mindset shift concerning nutrition over the last few years, this book was really helpful in healing my own relationship with food, learning how to master hunger (I’m still practicing 😉 ), and knowing how to better help my own clients. One of the biggest light bulb moments for me was this quote:

“Engaging in hunger prevention on a regular basis ends up becoming weight-loss prevention, so you want to avoid it when possible.

It’s certainly no problem to keep eating when hunger is nowhere in the picture- but that absence of hunger is a signal itself. It’s one that we can hear and translate into a useful message. When we don’t feel any hunger for long stretches of time (and we are perfectly healthy), we are likely eating above our energy needs. We don’t need caloires-tracking software, we don’t need to wait until our pants are too tight….We can hear our body’s language and know what it means to get the “silent treatment” from our hunger. Even in it’s silence, it’s looking out for us…

Preventing hunger prevents weight loss.…Eating only when you’re hungry is the number one lifelong skill you can learn for leanness, and in forming a healthy relationship with food.

It won’t get you lean in 21 days, but it’s some of the most sound and sustainable nutrition advice I’ve read in a long time. If you struggle with nutrition, if you want to be free from calorie tracking, if you don’t love the way you eat, then don’t settle. Check this book out.

Music: 10,000 Emerald Pools by Borns

This has nothing to do with health or fitness, but who doesn’t love finding good new music?!?! I heard this on a tv show and I’m kinda addicted…

September theme: Live in TODAY

I often miss out on a lot of good things because I’m too worried about looking ahead at what’s to come. So this is my “theme” for the month. Surrendering all my tomorrows to God and living fully and joyfully in today. 🙂

today