Embracing the Healthy Lifestyle

So this is blog post #2 of 2013, already better than 2012!  One of the changes I made in 2012 was embracing a healthy lifestyle.  In the past, I would have spurts of dedication to exercising or healthy eating but it was more of a fad for me than a commitment.  Over 2012 I became increasingly focused on living the healthy lifestyle.  It really started with the desire to improve my overall health and fitness and a groupon.  Yes a groupon.  I have a serious groupon addiction....

Anyway back in March I purchased a Groupon for a 6-week bootcamp in Mountain View.  I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not but for $40 I figured I would give it try.  It meant getting up at 6:30 AM Monday through Thursday to make it to the 7 AM bootcamp class before work. This groupon turned out to be the best groupon I ever bought!  It was fantastic.  I loved exercising again for the first time since high school.  It didn't feel like a drag to work out because the class was fun and energetic.  It wasn't as nearly difficult to get up in the morning as I expected because I guess something about your friend asking where you've been the next time you show up motivates you to not be so lazy.

Fit for Life Solutions Bootcamp

I would highly recommend this bootcamp to anyone living in the Mountain View area! Tell Dan I sent you.  I think they also have other locations in the Peninsula and in Fresno.

This camp really emphasized that fitness is a lifestyle choice and not just an activity to add to your daily routine.  They also stressed that while exercise is very important, nutrition is even more important.  The healthy lifestyle and achieving the body you want is 80% food and only 20% exercise.   The trainers recommended logging food to check for nutrient and calories.  As someone genetically on the petite size, caloric intake hasn't been something I have worried about too much and I thought I don't need to track my food.  However, the trainers put more emphasis on tracking your daily intake of carbs, fats, and protein than on just calories.  I agreed to it and boy was a surprised to see how many wasted calories I had and how much I was lacking in key nutrients.

If you are interested in embracing the healthy lifestyle too, I highly  recommend tracking your food at least for a few months until you get into a routine.  I use MyFitnessPal.  It's a free online tool that allows you to add food from a database or add your own (you can even create your own recipe box with nutritional info) and then it calculates your daily goals for nutrition based on exercise and other personal data and then tracks what you actually intake based on what you input.

My Fitness Pal Food Tracker

When exercising and eating right, I have found that I have an increased amount of energy, something important for me as a non-caffeine consumer.  I feel better and I look better.  I hope to add more tips and recipes throughout the year about how I live my life.