• The Recovering Pessimist | My Favorite Ways to Move My Body | www.therecoveringpessimist.me | #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimist
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    My Favorite Ways to Move My Body

    Exercising is one of those things that I know I should be doing, but I’m not consistent enough to make it a habit.  The first thing I needed to change was my mental approach. Instead of calling it exercise, I’m calling it moving my body. It may not seem like it matters, but I’ve realized that physical changes don’t happen if my mental isn’t aligned.

    Second thing I did was discover fun ways for me to move my body often. Here’s what’s working for me so far:

    Up to the BEat (YouTube)

    Gina B’s walking videos are so much fun to move to. She’s energetic and encouraging. Her workouts are organized into playlists on her channel, making it easy to explore.

    FitOn

    FitOn can be accessed as an app (Google Play, App Store), or their website via the free or paid versions. I use the free version, which is really good. FitOn has a vast variety of workouts (e.g., HIIT, yoga, no equipment, cardio, pilates, etc.) that can be filtered by time, intensity, trainer, etc. The FitOn trainers are personable, which is very motivating.

    Dancing

    On days when I want to move in a less-structured way, I dance. I play some high-energy music and start moving. I usually dance for 15-30 minutes and work up quite a sweat. It also feels good after a long day of work.

    That’s how I’m moving my body these days. What are your favorite ways to move your body?

    Until next time,

    Joy

  • Back to Center

    Back to Center: Update 2

    The Recovering Pessimist: Back to Center Update 2 -- Recognizing when I'm full is a huge part of this lifestyle journey. | www.therecoveringpessimist.me #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimistIt’s been a while since I posted an update. Since the last update, I  fell off the wellness wagon. My weight was slowly going up on the scale, but I didn’t really pay it any attention.

    My size 12 jeans, however, were my Come to Jesus moment. They were getting too snug for my tastes and I refused to go back to a 14.

    I started analyzing where I was going wrong and it all boiled down to two words:

    Portion control.

    My arch nemesis.

    Instead of having one glass of juice, I would have three. My plates were disproportioned. I wasn’t eating enough fruits/veggies and healthy snacks. When I would dine out, my food choices weren’t the best. Once I figured the sources of my weight gain, I focused on creating better habits so I could get back on track.

    Pay attention to labels!

    Sugar is my weakness and because of that, I have to pay special attention to labels. If an 8 oz. glass of juice (orange juice not included) has 20 grams of sugar, I only pour 4 ounces and add at least 4 ounces of water. I’m pretty sure this is why my jeans are snug again.

    Exercise

    I hate to exercise. In order to make exercise fun, I have to find a method that works for me. Three times a week, I exercise for 15 minutes using my Sworkit Pro app. Five-minute warm-up, five-minute cardio, and five-minute cool down/stretch. It may not appear to be much, but it’s better than nothing. Eventually, I want to increase my total workout time in five-minute intervals.

    Stress Less

    When I stress, my body reacts. I don’t sleep well, it’s hard to concentrate, and my eating choices are horrendous. While I can’t eliminate all stress, I not to allow myself to stress over trivial things.

    The Scale Isn’t the Standard

    For the longest time, the scale was the only way I noted changes. While I still weigh myself one a day in the morning, I rely more on how my clothes feel in order to get a real understanding of the progress I’m making.

    It won’t be easy, but after this recent setback, I’m even more determined to be successful. What healthy habits have you created this year?

     

    Updated March 4, 2016