Don’t Over-think Healthy

Do you ever find yourself getting caught up in over-thinking healthy and what it takes to live healthy?  In my journey of living a healthy lifestyle, I have found that over-thinking can lead to feelings of inadequacy of not doing things right, and getting so overwhelmed that it turns into something that is not enjoyed.  Living a healthy lifestyle should be about simplicity, enjoyment, fun, balance, and all those fabulous things in life that make life worth the ride. 

                                                                     

I come from a background of extreme athlete, competition, and counting every

Getting Back to Healthy

gram of protein, carbohydrate and fat I put in my face, in addition to the supplements taken at spaced out intervals throughout my day, and the intense workouts all tucked neatly into my very organized trainer binder.  Whew…I think about that now and remember how strict, stressed, and really undernourished I was during that time.  My body fat was not at a healthy level for a woman, I was not having a cycle and my hormones where so out of whack that it took months for my body to get back on track when I made the decision to discontinue treating my body that way.  Now…am I saying that competing is a bad thing…NO…I am not saying that and I applaud everyone’s goals for health and fitness, but what I am sharing is that it did not work for me for an extended period of time.  Further, this was not a life-long sustainable way of health for my body, mind and spirit.  I just wanted to make that clear before any backlash hit my page.  What I am sharing about this time in my life is that I did over-think health, but I was not really thinking about health per se as my goals were to look a certain way and not considering feeling a certain way.  Fast forward to many healthy years later…

I do not over-think my healthy lifestyle and teach quality over quantity, simplicity over difficult, and enjoyment over feeling overwhelmed.  I designed a very easy nutrition guide for my clients that I use myself and have received rave reviews, as well as fabulous results that are life-time maintainable. I never want healthy to feel like a burden to me or my clients.  I do believe in a health plan and structure when it comes to food prep and having food ready to go for the week, but that is the only effort required for a healthy lifestyle, alongside a consistent exercise program.   I put in the time to cook my food and enjoy what I cook.  I no longer count calories, keep a journal, although this can be helpful when first beginning a program, and simply eat healthy food throughout my day without calorie restriction….AMEN.   I believe in keeping food to their simplest form and eating it raw or close to raw if possible, and I am talking mostly about my fruits and vegetables here.  Of course, I crock pot chicken like no other, boil a boat load of organic eggs, crock pot large amounts of brown rice and steal cut oats every week.  This has become my habit or healthy eating life and feels as natural as breathing to me now.  I will also share that I do splurge in moderation, although I prefer to cook/bake my splurges because to me there is nothing better than a home-made cookie, pie, or brownie warm from the oven.  Also, I do not like how overly sweet, salted or incorrect fat saturated purchased desserts can be and prefer to control that part of my splurge intake.  So, the point I am driving home about my nutrition and how I think about it…is that I DON’T OVERTHINK IT…I eat to live and keep all kinds of healthy REAL food in my refrigerator and pantry and ENJOY my food.  I realize that my body needs all kinds of fabulous nutrients and I have no worry about eating anything healthy that will fuel my body in a great way.  If it is healthy, I eat it…that is how simple I keep it.  

Turning to my fitness program or exercise, I have come full circle with that as well.  I used to keep a journal years ago of my programs, weights that I lifted, gains, reps, intensity, duration, type, frequency, rest periods…OH MY.  Again, I am not insisting that doing this for anyone else is a bad thing, but for me, it became mechanical and going through the power intense motions of pushing my body to the limits without regard for ME.  This was years ago, and I now treat my body with more TLC and exercise to maintain a healthy body…that is now my goal.  The journey with my exercise has taken on a whole new meaning as I dedicate my programs to taking the BEST care of my body with the limitations that I have and do what works well for my body without aggravation, or flaring this or that up.  I no longer keep a journal but now enjoy workouts that I feel like doing on a specific day, and avoiding sore muscle areas, along with listening to my body if it needs a rest…I rest.  The body needs to move for health and my focus is to move my body for health, to maintain the muscle that I do have, stretch to ensure range of motion through my joints, and perform cardio enough to work my aerobic system.  I really enjoy my workouts and keep them fresh all the time with lots of variety…today was taking my puppy for a long walk/jog and utilizing park benches for step ups and squats along the way.  I go with what works, I do what it fun and don’t over-think it.  If I perform 15 squats instead of 20…so what…it is better than no squats.  That is what I am talking about…doing the BEST I can with what I have and enjoying the journey.

I can say that not over-thinking healthy has provided a much healthier and

happier lifestyle for me.  I believe if healthy feels like a burden, something is not being done right.  The beautiful thing about living a healthy lifestyle the right way and not over-thinking it,  is that it does feel good, makes my body feel strong, provides a confidence and happiness that is awesome, and overall allows me to be my BEST healthy ME.  Wow…what a journey and I like it!

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATION

 

 

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Stay Healthy~ Darla 

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FEAR

My 49th Birthday!

What a gripping word that can literally take the wind out of our sails, right? We have all experienced some sort of fear in our lives and it does not discriminate with gender or age.  In my journey of life and health I have definitely felt and experienced fear on all levels, physical, emotional, relational, financial, and spiritual.  Of course, when going through such feelings, it can be difficult to see any light at the end of the tunnel, and sometimes, just staying put in the comfort of a warm bed until the storm blows over makes perfect sense at the time.  Facing a fear is one of the hardest things to do in life, and it does take courage, inner strength, and the physical will to force the body to go, when the mind says to freeze. 

Emotional challenges and fears seem to be the most draining, at least in my

experience, and take time to process through, and figure out the best way to persevere.  It does not matter how long anything takes to get resolved, the important thing is to keep going, and never give up. I have found that prayer and a bond with a great therapist to get over emotional hurdles worked for me years ago.  I was able to heal from hurt and learn how to create boundaries that I now implement to take care of me.  It is amazing how years of moving through different emotional challenges and fear has created such a positive growth process, but that is all in how I was taught to respond to life’s circumstances.  Healthy creates healthy and that is what I am striving for each day.  Going through emotional difficulties and this is also linked to relational definitely opened my eyes to what I do want and do not want in my life, and how to now walk through each fear or challenge with a new pair of eyes that can see clearly the way to a healthy resolution.  No more rose colored glasses for this girl. 

Many things that cause fear are out of my and your control, but the feeling can creep in and try to steal away our happiness, create doubt, anxiety and other self destructive mind games that our inner selves again need to recognize, and respond in a healthy way.  When I was injured years ago and flat on my back, I felt so fearful of my life never being the same, being stripped of who I was as a therapist and trainer, extreme athlete, and person…I felt like a failure and I grieved the loss of who I was…this was gripping FEAR.  I was very humbled through this year long healing process and truly lost some faith in what I was going to do.  It was this journey however, that finally opened my eyes to who I really was, and what I could really do with my life, my knowledge, and my body.  It was painful and fearful, but each day opened the window a little more to my purpose and my hope slowly was restored.  Again, things did not happen overnight, just like with getting healthy in every aspect, patience and perseverance are required. 

What I am trying to share about FEAR is that it is a part of life, is not going

anywhere, and to say that it will not be experienced is well…an untruth.  The truth is that fear can be used to grow me and you in a healthy positive way, or take us to the ground.  Let’s say lack of finances has caused fear and believe me I have felt that sting as well, and sometimes this is not created by our own doing, and sometimes it is.  The point is…what is going to be done to get into a healthy place?  Having a plan to fix the problem is important, can provide a comfort and eventually remove the fear surrounding the circumstance.  I am talking about all areas of life where fear can rear its’ ugly head. 

I have found that keeping a journal helps with being a healthy person, and if I am feeling a certain way, or fearful about something, I journal about it, pray about it, and let it go.  There may be work for me to do, but I always feel more sure and able to work through the process when I have written about it.  I look back on my periods of fear in the different areas of my life and can now say that I am thankful for the learning journey, and the blessings along the way.  Letting go of unhealthy and embracing the healthy has opened many doors in my life, closed those doors that needed to be nailed shut, brought fabulous loving people to share my life, and a wonderful husband that I love and cherish dearly.  I no longer look upon fear as such a negative thing, but get through those feelings the best that I know how, and ask myself …why am I feeling this way, what is causing me to feel this way, and create a plan to remove the source further asking myself…what am I learning to better ME through this circumstance.  YES, there will be FEAR, but what matters is how I will be handling it.  Stay Healthy!

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATIONS

I dedicate this Blog to my fabulous husband Don who is celebrating his birthday next week!  Happy Birthday Babe and I Love YOU Forever and a Day~

Married to my Best Friend

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Stay Healthy~ Darla 

Receive My Stay Healthy Nutrition Guide as a Free Gift and Thank you when you donate to Stay Healthy Fitness...

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Fresh & Quick Summer Dinner

Summer is in full swing here.  Hot days, flip flops, pool time, and quick dinners cooked outside on the grill.  This meal is one of my favorite summertime suppers and is so easy to pull together.  Fresh corn is begging to come home with me from the grocery store and I can't get enough of it.  Tomato and avocado salad is a year-round favorite, and so colorful with this dish. And finally, a marinated skinless, boneless chicken breast is grilled to juicy perfection. 

Marinade (Finger Lickin' Chicken Marinade from Food.com)

-for 4-6 chicken breasts

• 1 cup oil
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Miracle Whip Light
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt

Mix all the ingredients together and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight in the refrigerator.  Grill the chicken for about 8 minutes on each side, depending on the size of the chicken.  

This marinade makes for delicious chicken friends, really moist and flavorful. 

Tomato & Avocado Salad

• Tomato (4)
• Avocado (3)
• Red onion (1/3 cup) 
• Light ranch salad dressing (couple tablespoons)
• Tony Chachere salt-free seasoning (to taste)

Dice the tomato, avocado, and red onion and toss together with the dressing and seasoning.

Corn-on-the-Cob

• Shuck the corn and boil for about 8 minutes.  

Happy summer friends!

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My Responsibility

Life comes with responsibility and I am surely not going to sit back and not take that seriously.   My health, relationships, financial obligations, emotional and spiritual life all depend on me to take care of business.  If I were to sit around and not take care of my stuff then all of ME would be a big mess and that does not sound like a great place to be nor do I want to even go for a visit down that road.  Sometimes in life, and I have been there, we can be placed in a situation that is not in our control and the best we can do is to go through the process of fixing the problem which can take years.  I am thankful for the patience that it takes to get through those sticky scenarios, but the point is, I am responsible to persevere and take care of ME.

Imagine sitting back and thinking life is going to take

care of me without my daily choices and actions to make things happen…my health would be a mess, my finances would be in the toilet, I am sure my hubby would not like that person, and any other relationship for that matter would steer clear, and I would be an emotional and spiritual blank slate…YUCK and OH MY…NO WAY.  I am sharing that it is up to me to make the choices to be a healthy person, to put in the work to GET IT DONE, to plan, to cook, to move my body, to sleep, pay the bills, take my job seriously and be thankful,  love and appreciate my husband,  family and my God each and every day.  I am owed nothing and responsible to give everything…in a GOOD HEALTHY WAY.  Life has taught me to not believe in the “golden goose” that is to magically make everything fabulous, but to be my own “bronze goose” and do the best I can with the choices I make each day with the goal of not making magic happen, but making a HEALTHY life happen. 

I have said this before that life does not promise easy, but the effort put into your/my/our life is worth all that we give and put into it.  I do not sit around blaming my past, people, or circumstances and use that as an excuse to not be my BEST me and remain an unhealthy person, but utilize the circumstances of life to become a BETTER me, learning what I can through all journey that is good, tough, happy, sad…you get the point.  Let’s take a credit card for example, instant gratification without the work and it may feel great at the moment, but at what cost when the card runs dry…the inability to pay the bill, ruin my credit, stress me out, and ultimately make me an unhealthy person.  The other side of that coin and my preference is to be patient, save enough to afford the item and then make the purchase, and sometimes, I no longer need or want the item I have saved for.  My health is the same way, I can think that there is some quick fix pill that is going to make me into some fabulous fit thing, but just like the card, it is only instant gratification that comes at an unhealthy cost to my body.  I take the responsibility for my health very serious, and invest the time to take care of my body, prepare healthy foods, and exercise with what works for me.  This is a life LONG journey of patience and persistence to create the BEST healthy me and ultimately, my responsibility.  

I make the choice to WANT a healthy body and that

does take effort to commit to my exercise routine, plan my meals, and cook healthy foods daily.  I am a very busy gal and I have learned that time management skills are important in life, and choosing to say “NO” can be a good thing to not overburden my calendar and not allow for a healthy life.  It is about choices and responsibilities and knowing what I want and what I do not want, and going a step further to recognize the needs versus the wants in life.   The “old Darla” used to be a “YES” to everything gal and trying to please everyone under the sun…GUESS WHAT…unhealthy and why put myself through all that and for what point?  Being responsibly balanced has become important and allows me to live each day feeling accomplished, not overwhelmed, and have the ability to enjoy precious time that is meaningful. 

Being responsible means throwing all laziness aside and not waiting around thinking that someone else is supposed to do this for me.  Life is not about what others can do for me, it is about what I can do for me and should do for me.  The straight up truth about life is that “it is tough” as my Dad would say, and “it takes a tough person to get through it”.  The responsibility to be healthy in all areas is my decision and the choices I make determine how my body is going to look and feel from the inside out.  No magic involved, just responsibility.

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATION

I dedicate this Blog to my Dad for Father’s Day and also my beautiful Daughter to wish her a Happy Birthday!  Love to you always and I look forward to spending meaningful time with you.

Happy Father's Day Dad

 

Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Daughter

  

Thanks for stopping by my Blog. Remember to subscribe and never miss a free update. Be well and Stay Healthy!

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