Today I’m sharing a few healthy tips for weight loss that work for me! If you follow me on snapchat you probably saw that 4-6 weeks ago I was really trying to focus on being a healthier version of myself. I had been back at my pre-baby weight for awhile but my body just felt different – softer, looser and unhealthy. I needed something to jump start this initiative so I decided to (somewhat) follow the Tone It Up Bikini Series (an 8 week program) for a few weeks. It is a pretty strict exercise/nutrition plan so I had to tailor it a bit because my current lifestyle doesn’t have enough hours in the day to completely dedicate to a schedule. Aside from morning videos and already being pretty active with Charlie and Webster, the biggest change was my focus on a more lean, clean and green diet.
In the 21 days that I followed this plan I lost 8 pounds and really noticed a huge difference in my body. I am still following this plan to a degree (the best that I can) but I currently feel stronger, my clothes are looser, my skin is healthier and I have been sleeping so much better since making an effort to do better for my body. I was posting my favorite healthy meals on my snapchat but the truth is, sometimes my meals are a handful of popcorn or a frozen veggie burger and I have 5 minutes to chow down before chasing Charlie again. At the moment I don’t have time to document everything I eat/do but I wanted to share five healthy tips that really helped me…
- Drinking 75-100 oz of H2O a day. I know this is a lot but I swear it not only keeps you fuller longer but it improves digestion, helps me to sleep better, helps replenished my skin and ultimately keeps your body balanced. I will be the first to admit that sometimes the taste of water gets old and I depend on my bobble Infuse bottle to help me get through my daily ounces. You can load it up with whatever fruit/veggie combo you like and it is filtered so all you drink is fresh, infused water. My favorite combos are strawberries and lemon before and after my morning workouts and then cucumber and mint throughout the day. This bottle is seriously the best and makes me feel like I’m at a spa all day long (a treat for this sleepy mama). I also keep the bobble Insulate bottle in my diaper bag for on-the-go.
- Hold yourself accountable. I have to say, sharing my short-lived (ha!) fitness journey with you all really helped hold me accountable. It’s not that I’m NOT doing it anymore, but I don’t put as much pressure on myself. Maybe I should do monthly checkins? That seems more doable. If it helps you, feel free to tag me on instagram or snapchat me (@lizadamsss) to see what I’m doing that day! Whatever helps.
- Make a to-do list for the week. You can see what a typical one looks like for me here. You feel accomplished when you can see yourself crossing something off of the list. It helps you to keep pushing forward.
- Start your day with an exercise. Tone It Up offers daily workouts here but I have been requiring myself to do 200 sit-ups (various styles), 30 pushups and 100 lunges a day (walking, reverse, jump, whatever!) per day. They don’t have to be done all together but throughout the day I stop and make sure these get done. I’ve noticed a HUGE difference in my core but it also keep my muscles working everyday even if I don’t have the opportunity to go to a class or take Charlie and Webster on a walk/run.
- Lean, clean and green recipes. This concept really helped me to think about what I was putting into my body. Whether I was cooking at home or Dave and I were going out to eat, I always said this to myself before ordering or deciding on what to make. I’ve also almost completely cut out white flour from my diet – goodbye pasta, bread, crackers, etc. Some of my tried and true favorite healthy recipes include:
- Taco bowls with cauliflower rice: you can buy cauliflower pieces at Trader Joes, put in a skillet with coconut oil and cook over medium/high heat until it gets brown and crispy. Season with salt, pepper, juice of one lime and chopped cilantro. Top with your favorite taco toppings! We love ground turkey (seasoned with chili powder, cayenne and garlic powder) or grilled shrimp, onion, tomato, jalapeño, avocado, black beans and hot sauce.
- Turkey meatballs on top of zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash
- Baked salmon with grilled asparagus, seasoned with lemon pepper and coconut oil
- Grilled tilapia over tomato and corn salad: cherry tomatoes, canned corn, parsley, sliced radishes, chopped jalapeño, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil and juice of one lemon.
- Turkey burgers and sweet potato fries. The BEST turkey burger recipe: in a food processor combine one portabella mushroom cap (remove the gills with a spoon first), one shallot and a bunch of parsley – blend together until combined. Mix in a big bowl with 1 lb of lean ground turkey, 1 tsp worcestershire, salt and pepper and one egg (be cautious, this recipe is sort of something I threw together and don’t know specifics!) – red pepper flakes optional! Form into patties and let set in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Grill up and use a gluten free english muffin as the bun topped with spicy mustard and avocado. Yum!
So that’s that! Feel free to email me any specific questions. It will always be a work in progress but right now any time away from Charlie is dedicated to catch up on work so trying to get it in when I can! What works for you? I’d love any tips you may have to making it more of a priority.
Shop my favorite bobble bottles here, you can find them at Nordstrom 🙂
In collaboration with bobble. Photos by Heather Talbert.
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