Это предварительный просмотр рецепта "6 Products I’m Using to Keep Myself on Track".

Рецепт 6 Products I’m Using to Keep Myself on Track
by Our Best Bites

First of all, we are SO excited about the HUGE response to yesterday’s post. Sara and I are going to work all weekend to figure out how to make this fit club thing work and we’ll be announcing how it’s all going to work on Monday, so be sure to check in then!

So both Sara and I are focusing right now on being healthy. I started and stopped another post about 5 times about what I’m eating right now, but it kept winding up way too long, so once I find a Reader’s Digest version without all the emotional baggage (I’ll just leave some of the emotional baggage…), I’ll share that, too. But for now, I wanted to share 5 things I’m using right now to help keep me on track.

I started using the Fitbit Flex and it’s my favorite of the activity trackers (I’ve tried quite a few of them). I wanted one that would track all my movements, not just exercise, I wanted one that was easy to use and easy to sync with my phone, I didn’t want to pay a monthly subscription fee, I wanted it to sync easily with My Fitness Pal, and I wanted one that didn’t look like a medical device. Yes, it has its shortcomings–it doesn’t automatically record your sleep (you have to tell it you’re going to sleep), I wish it recorded heart rate, and it’s not great at recording stationary exercises or stairs climbed (but you can enter that information manually). I’m considering upgrading to the Fitbit Charge HR, but for the last year, the Fitbit Flex has been a great tool to keep me motivated to stay active.

I have a confession: I don’t love the gym. I’m not a social exerciser. I think it stems back to me being a VERY athletically uncoordinated child (okay, let’s face it, adult) and the thought of failing in a room full of people gives me hives. After I got married, I lost 30 pounds and I did all of it working out at home in my living room (I’m sure much to the delight of the people who lived underneath our student housing apartment.)

I really, really love Jillian Michaels 90 Day Body Revolution. It’s hard enough that I feel like I’m getting a good workout but not so hard that I want to die the rest of the day (although I will say that moving on before I feel totally comfortable with each level has led to incredible soreness, like not being able to move for a week, first-day-of-spinning-class kind of soreness–I don’t move on every two weeks like she recommends; I just keep going on the same level until it all kind of feels easy.) Plus, I can do it at home and the workouts are short–about 30 minutes each. I don’t do the cardio workouts that come with this program–I just don’t really like them. But on Tuesdays and Saturdays, I’ll just do a cardio workout that I do enjoy (I really like kickboxing and dance-type workouts…but not when people can see me.)

I’m not usually into sugar-free stuff. I hate artificial sweeteners and I can always taste them; I’d rather just have a little bit of the real thing. But. I do love Torani’s Sugar-Free Coconut Syrup. I add it whenever I feel like I need a little flavor boost–oatmeal, sparkling water with a squeeze of lime, even plain Greek yogurt with berries. Don’t buy it on Amazon–it’s super overpriced. If you don’t have a store that sells it locally like World Market, buying it from Torani is a great option–they are super quick and very professional with reasonable prices.

If I don’t carry water with me everywhere I go, I’m terrible about drinking it. And I’m picky about my water bottles–I like them tall and skinny, but I also like to be able to get ice into them. This glass water bottle is a great size, comes in adorable colors, fits in the dishwasher, your car cup holder, AND your purse/diaper bag.

I know. Supplements is a loaded word. I’m kind of using it on purpose just to be scandalous. But I’m not talking weight loss supplements or Dr. Oz stuff–just vitamins and minerals that help keep you healthy and strong.

In the morning, I take two probiotic Pearls, Calcium Citrate, additional Vitamin D3, and a Vitamin B Complex. Then at night, I take 100% of the daily recommended value of Magnesium Citrate and sometimes zinc (but it upsets my stomach, so it’s usually only once a week, and I take the zinc with dinner.) Aside from the Pearls (the only probiotics I’ve ever taken where I can definitely tell a difference when I’ve taken it), I don’t have any really strong feelings about what brands to use (and I know some people do), but I do recommend magnesium citrate and calcium citrate–other forms of those minerals are very difficult for your body to absorb, but the magnesium and calcium citrate are bioavailable, meaning your body can easily absorb and use them (thank you, college nutrition classes!)

When I’m making conscious decision to eat better, snacks are absolutely key to keeping me on track. I try to make it a fruit or vegetable combined with fat and protein so it will have staying power, so these are some of my favorites that I keep stocked:

I try to listen to my body and eat what sounds good–if the thought of broccoli is making me gag, I don’t eat the broccoli. If I’m craving something sweet, I go for the fruit and that usually does the trick, but if it doesn’t, a square or two of really good dark chocolate usually does.

I hope that gives you some ideas about what’s helping me! Keep thinking of ideas for the OBB Fit Club and be sure to check back on Monday to see what we have planned!