Adios Enchiladas

I had a blast in Mexico, but I am so happy to be back home. It’s amazing how a vacation can really make you feel “re-charged” and ready to take on anything! I didn’t think the day would come that I would be sick of delicious Mexican food and margaritas, actually, alcohol in general. While I was active during my trip, walking around town, and swimming daily, I hated the sluggish feeling I got after consuming such yummy yet unhealthy food.

About a month before Mexico I was on a health kick that involved balanced, healthy and clean eating with a decent amount of physical activity. I liked the way I felt and noticed the slight change in my shape. This of course made me happy. Now, when I got home from my trip I caught myself staring in the mirror and noticed that while I was quite a bit tanner (I swear I used sunscreen!), I felt like my body was a bit “softer” than I left with. I also noticed that I didn’t have my usual energy to get up and go in the morning. This of course made me a little sad and pushed me to take action!

Since early this week I’ve already been working on getting back into my weight loss groove. I’ve tried plenty of diets in the past and I have personally found that I am most successful when I do not deprive myself if I’m really, really craving something in particular. A little bit of everything in moderation is okay. I’ve been in an abusive, passionate relationship with food my whole life and I feel like I’m finally wearing the pants in this relationship. My issue with food is mostly mental. One of the things I’ve started doing that I believe helps is being 100% present while eating my food. This means no eating while watching TV or driving. I am very aware of what I am putting in my mouth to “nourish” my body versus inhaling all that is on my plate and look forward to what comes next. I also do my best to chew and taste every flavor to give my brain enough time to realize, “I’m eating- am I full yet?” Also, to help with portion control I’ve been only eating off of my smaller salad plates. I figure if I really want more, I have to get up, move my body and serve that little bit more.

I’m also a fan of the saying, “You can eat like a pig, but you’re going to need to run like a horse.” I actually really like to exercise; my problem is finding the time and just getting myself to the gym. I’ve found that squeezing in early AM workouts through out my work week has been working best for me. It is hard to wake up at 4:30 am, roll out of bed, throw on gym clothes and have a bag packed and ready to go with what I’ll need to get ready for work at the gym. I laugh when I think of a friend’s advice of going to sleep in my gym clothes. She said, “sports bra + capri + socks in bed = no excuses.” I have yet to do that though… I do have a bit of a commute to work so getting in town earlier has helped traffic-wise, not to mention I have a crazy surge of energy that lasts throughout the day with little to no coffee. I’m going to do my best to incorporate my little big lifestyle change while keeping my fabulous lifestyle (hahaha!). Wish me luck and please share any of your “Healthy Lifestyle Tips.”

Xoxo, V