Llamas & Lace

Hello Friends!

I'm not one to normally talk about weight, working, out, and all that jazz,
but I've been working hard behind the scenes on getting healthy
and want to share some tips that have helped me along.

First off,
Everyone is different.
Different body,
different metabolism,
different tastes.
SUPER IMPORTANT.

As for my body, I'm 5'4" and more of an hourglass build.
I've never been a stick thin girl; I tend to have a bit more muscle and curves.
(Not complaining.)

Aaaand, I LOVE food. Big fan.

So, when I graduated from high school and ceased running,
my eating habits brought on the infamous "Freshman 15" and then some.
Since then, I've fluctuated over the years in my weight and struggled a bit with poor eating habits.
(Truth be told, I'm sort of a binger.)

About 15 months ago, I decided to rein things in, specifically in my diet.
Enter in MyFitnessPal.

It's a calorie counting app and website.
Crazy easy to use and has made a HUGE difference for me.

First off, I've never tracked my calories before.
Since I started, it's given me a greater consciousness of what I'm actually treating myself to.
Eating out of boredom was suddenly brought to light for me.
And then there's the fast food.
So many calories for something that left me feeling polluted, guilty, and unfulfilled.
True Story.

Lately, I've been using this app every single day and I LOVE it.
You can even scan barcodes with it to enter your food, sync up with other apps like Runtastic to take into account your workouts, and link with friends for support.

So yes, I recommend MyFitnessPal.
Here's my profile if you want to link up - click me.

Second game changer for me: ISAGENIX.

Isa-WHAT?
Yeah, that's what I thought the first time I heard of it.

The best way I can describe Isagenix is that it's a company that's produces a series of food systems focused on nutrional cleansing.
They have shakes, snack bars, chocolates, and my favorite part - the cleanse systems.

Last year, I tried a 9-Day cleanse for the first time.
It took a lot of discipline for me at first - I was eating fast food a lot prior to it and had virtually no self discipline.
The 9-Day has a structured plan to follow and was sort of a shock initially.
Aaaand, I made it harder on myself by browsing Pinterest in all its food and recipe glory late at night.
Didn't help my with my cravings those first few days...

It was worth it though and became easier over the course of 9 days.
I ended up losing 8.6 pounds and 16.75 inches.

Was I able to keep it off?
Yes.
Did I have to cleanse all the time to maintain it?
Nope.

I did eat healthier from that point on.
I also started getting more active.
Jogging here and there, walking, ballet classes.
My lifestyle was shifting.

Back in December 2012, I gave up fast food entirely.
I drink mostly water (with an occasional beer or glass of wine).
Fruits and veggies, quinoa and flaxseed, chicken and fish - these are more of the norm for me now.

Since January 10, 2012, I've lost 20 pounds.
It kind of blows me away.

What made it doable for me was making a daily effort.
A fail day here and there is fine and not worth giving up over.
Just make the general trend of your eating and activity a healthy one.
Tip: think inches, NOT pounds if you can.
And how do you feel? Well? Healthy? Try to be in tune with your body.

In my perspective, God gave me one body.
Just one.
I need to treat it like a gift.
Don't worship it or make an idol out of fitness.
Simply be a good steward of what you have.
And be realistic.

I'm now on day 2 of another Isagenix cleanse.
(I'm only doing two cleanse days rather than a 9-day system.)
My reason?
I've been breaking out with cystic acne the last few weeks and want to see if losing some toxins will help with it.
So we'll see how that goes!

I have to tell you, cleansing this time around has been so much easier.
I think it's because I have a much more disciplined approach now to eating than I did my first time.

All in all, these have been the two biggest catalysts for change in my health the last year or so.

I also run (jog/shuffle) with a Garmin.

That's my watch/gps/run tracker of greatness.
I love it because I don't have to drain my phone to track my running.
I just wear this and go.
It tells you distance, pace, calories burned, and more.
Big fan over here.
It even records your runs and records and congratulates you when you set a PR.
I love it!

So there you go.
Three things that have significantly impacted my health over the last year.
Feel free to ask questions or contact me.

What works for you?