Feeling Better Already

You guys…we aren’t even three full days into April and already I’m feeling so much better from working on my April Goals.

Seriously, I felt bunk after getting back from Arkansas. I ate more butter and cheese during that weeklong trip than I had in months and months. And my body didn’t take too kindly to it either. This morning was the first morning that I woke up and felt good. No bloating. No constipation (TMI). No fatigue. No headache. I’m feeling like I’m on the right path for sure.

Today was also the first real workout I’ve had in over a week and a half! Sure, I did some farm walking (and donkey petting) in Arkansas and even took the dogs on a 3 mile hike for Hula’s birthday, but today I actually put on a sports bra and got my sweat on. It felt so good. I did the Love Your Body Kettlebell routine from Tone It Up. And speaking of TIU…they’ve announced this year’s bikini series starts April 13. I can’t wait! You should sign up today.

I’ve also finally been eating the way my body prefers I eat. I’m telling you…my gut was wrecked all through my trip and up until this morning (I’ve been home since Monday!). It took avoiding dairy, lots of digestion juice (water with lemon and ginger) and plenty of produce, beans and grains (aka ALL THE FIBER) to get me back to normal.

So OMG what do plant-based people (aka vegans) even eat?? Don’t you just sit around munching heads of lettuce or what.  Au contraire mon frere. I’ve been eating good.

mint chocolate overnight oats

mango cashew smoothie from deliciously ella (you MUST freeze mango & banana or it’s gross, otherwise it’s my current favorite green smoothie)

tropical daydream oatmeal…holla if you want the recipe

ginger chickpea scallion wrap

roasted broccoli salad with chickpeas and apple

hummus and avocado toast

Tone It Up 3 Ingredient cookie plus chocolate chips

And you can’t say “oh no wonder you’re feeling better all that food is so healthy” cause there’s also been copious amounts of oreos (yes they’re vegan), diet dr pepper and even Chinese food yesterday. It’s totally the dairy that’s been sabotaging my bathroom habits. RIP Pizza (for now at least).

Tomorrow starts my first preceptor day for school. I’m in a state of excited panic to be in the ICU. Wish me luck and happy weekend!

April Goals

A new month is upon us. I like to use each month as a new beginning…time to take inventory and to decide if there’s anything I want to work towards.

March brought me Whole Foods March and I so enjoyed getting into food and cooking again! I shared a lot of my favorite meals here on the blog and hopefully they inspired you as well. However, I can’t say I ate nothing but whole foods the entire month. There was candy, ice cream and plenty of junk food. When I started the “challenge” I knew I would eat only vegetarian foods as meat does not interest me anymore. However, I feel as though I relied too heavily on dairy and as a result didn’t feel as good as I know I am capable of feeling.

That being said, in April I am going to focus on eating a vegan, plant-based diet. For those of you that get confused (hey mom) vegetarians simply don’t eat meat/poultry/fish while vegans eat no animal products at all…meaning no dairy/eggs in anything. I feel like this will really help to cut out all of the vegetarian junk foods I’ve been eating (hello cheese-its, ice cream and candies) while improving my energy and digestion. I just can’t do dairy too well these days.

I also want to focus on increasing my daily activity. I’ve been wearing my fitbit and while I seem to hit 10k steps on the majority of days, sometimes I’m only at 5k by the end of the day!! I’d like to hit a total of 300,000 for the month which averages 10k steps per day. I will do this by walking more and adding more non-exercise movement in my day instead of parking it on the couch for hours at a time.

The Tone It Up Bikini Series also starts this month and I’m looking forward to it. It’s a completely free and fun challenge and if you’re looking for something to mix it up I highly recommend!!

I’ve also made the decision not to weigh myself in April. Just not feeling it.

Do you have any goals for the new month? Share below. 🙂

Arkansas and back

Hello, hello. I’m back from a whirlwind trip to Arkansas. It was so go-go-go that I took yesterday to recover. And by recover I mean I laid on the couch and caught up on my DVR while drinking ALL THE WATER.

I hadn’t been back “home” in almost two years so needless to say it was so nice to see my friends and family.

I also got to enjoy one tiny bit of Arkansas springtime which was lovely (otherwise it was cold and dreary while I was there!). I channeled my inner animal whisperer….

And reconnected with the flower child that I have always known I am.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom”

April goals to come. Have a wonderful day.