I don’t know about you guys, but April totally snuck up on me! March flew by! I swear I say that every month as I get older, but it truly does seem like the weeks and months just go by faster and faster as time goes on.
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[April 2011]
If you’ve been reading for awhile, you know that I like to make a few food and fitness goals at the beginning of each month to help me stay on track and not fall into a “slump”. I’ve said this before, but I’m a huge advocate of setting goals! If you ever need help setting your own goals, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. I’m here to help!
Throughout the month of March, I really focused on making some changes in my diet and reducing stress in my life. A quick run-down on how I did with them:
- We haven’t been buying soy milk anymore, so I haven’t even been tempted with it.
- I’ve been eating healthy fats in the form of avocados, nuts, and nut butter like they’re going out of style. No problems there.
- I’ve gotten in the habit of taking my flaxseed oil pill with my multivitamin each morning with breakfast, and then again after dinner with my calcium “chocolate”.
- I’m still eating my fruits and veggies like crazy. I love them too much not to!
- I think there were a couple days in there that I had an extra cup of coffee, but I was proud of myself for keeping my caffeinated beverages at a minimum.
- As you probably noticed, I’ve kept at the blogging only once a day. It’s working much better for me for the time being!
- I still am working on trying to get to bed at a better time. However, now that I’m slowing down on the exercise front, I’ve been able to wake up a little later than normal which makes for a longer night of sleep. My body is loving it!
- There’s been a day here and there that I realized I hadn’t started my morning with my devotions, so I made sure to get it in later on in the day. It’s becoming more of a habit to do it first thing in the morning though, which is what I like.
- I’ve been doing yoga more lately, and I’ve really been enjoying it! I hope to try out a yoga class at my gym this week too.
Ok, now on to my April goals! I still plan on sticking to my above goals as well, but below are a few more I’d like to work toward this month.
Goal #1: Eat at least 1800-2000 calories per day.
I talked about exercising less and eating more last week. Without my usual high intensity workouts, this seems like a lot to me, but I know my body needs the extra calories to repair what is “broken”.
Goal #2: Try out at least two new lower intensity fitness classes at my gym.
I’ve only tried high intensity spin or boot camp/circuit classes at my gym so far, so I’d really like to try out some new-to-me classes that are lower intensity. I’m thinking yoga, Zumba, or maybe water aerobics?
Goal #3: Truly enjoy some of the foods that I used to “restrict” myself from.
Through some of the lifestyle changes I’m making, I also want to focus on being a little more “laxed” when it comes to my diet. I’m not saying go balls-to-the wall crazy, but enjoy a piece (or two) of real cheese pizza if I feel like and enjoy it rather than feeling guilty about it.
Goal #4: Find a new hiking trail and try it out!
We are blessed with a ton of hiking trails surrounding us, so Cody and I have talked about making sure we take advantage of them this summer. We’ve already been on quite a few, but there’s so many more we have yet to try out!
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Goal #5: Don’t stress eat!
When I get stressed and/or anxious, I find myself wanting to reach for food for comfort. This is something that I’ve improved tremendously on over the past couple years, but I’ve found myself slipping back into it lately. It needs to stop!
I’m really looking forward to working at these goals this month! Wish me luck! Hope your first week of April is off to a great start!
Questions:
- What are some of your current health, fitness, eating, etc. goals?
- Are there any foods that you “restrict” yourself from?
- How do you deal with stress in your life?
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{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
I never knew you were brunette, you look great both ways! Awesome goals. I always tell myself I will make some but never do haha. I want to try Zumba too, I always think I will hate it!
haha i think i’ve been pretty much every color under the sun (except black and carrot red). my natural color is a “dirty blonde”, so i usually keep blonde highlights in it.
Great goals! Make sure your body is getting plenty of the food and nutrients it needs … after reading that article you sent me, I would think 2000 would be a minimum (which is sounds like that’s how you plan on it being, based on this post). And I love the idea of trying some more hiking trails! Since moving to Georgia, I’ve gone running/walking in at least 4-5 different parks, and I’m loving it!
These are some great goals! It’s all about moderation. Who cares if you have an extra slice of pizza if you eat so healthy almost 100% of the time. It’s not going to do much damage.
Reading every night before going to bed helps me deal with stress. It gives me the time to settle my mind down, which is usually going 1,000 miles a minute!
great goals! Don’t stress eat is a huge one for me.
I love all your goals girl! I am definitely trying to eat as many healthy fats as I can and focus more on my hunger cues rather than clearing my plate! My fitness goal is to keep training for my half marathon onMay 7th, while making sure I am fueling my body with enough food as I need! Definitely a change for me, but I have been adding a lot more snacks to my diet. My favorite way to handle stress is to go for a walk, get enough sleep, and maybe even have a good cry! Ha
great goals my friend!
Stress is the worst! Making sleep a priority, letting go sometimes (like not thinking about work all weekend, or blowing the diet on a fancy dinner), and sometimes a back rub from the hubs can all help me deal with stress.
Good luck with the goals!
sleep being a priority is definitely a huge one for me!
These are great goals! I’m running two 5Ks in May, so this month I need to add a couple of days of running to my routine each week. I want to make sure I train properly, because running is so different from other forms of exercise!
Nice job on your March goals!! It’s always a good feeling accomplishing the goals we set for ourselves
my current goals are to keep up running to build a base before I start training for the half I’m running in November and to make sure I am eating more to fuel all of that running!
I LOVE walking on trails and hiking! (as long as it’s not in the snow with my dad…). That sounds like a great goal to add!
LOL! your comment literally made me laugh out loud.
when Im stressed, I have to take a “day off” meaning no obligations. Do nothing, veg out watch tv whatever. it helps me. Usually when im stressed its because i have so much to do, so it can be hard to do nothing knowing that i have so much to tackle but ive learned that if i ignore everything for a day it helps me. weird but its true!
I love zumba I think you’ll like it a lot!
I used to have real and peanut butter on the do not buy list! But once I found a healthy weight and perspective on food, I found I could keep these in my pantry without consuming a whole box/jar at once (well, mostly!). Good luck on your goals!
I like all of these goals. You can do it!
I encourage eating more pizza, for sure.
It looks like you did great with your March goals!
I’m with you on the stress-eating! I’m actually going through a particularly stressful time at work, & I’ve been guilty of eating extra because of it!
Great goals– especially the increase in calories! It’s funny how we underestimate how much food our bodies require with an active lifestyle. Now I’ll be looking forward to your WIAW
Your goals are amazing! I love it. A lot of my goals are in my head. I do write them down occasionally but I really need to be a little more focused, like you. Thanks for the inspiration!
My immediate goals are to :
- heal and slowly integrate movement (I just had emergency surgery)
- continue to honor my hunger and fullness
- try a new recipe at least once per week
Eat Live Move: Intuitive Eating from A to Z
Your goals sound great! I LOVE Zumba. I am also used to pushing my body in spin and boot camp classes. When I realized I needed to tone it down I started Zumba. I smile and laugh my way through the whole class
Even though I miss the high intensity it really is a fun workout.
Stress eating is such a big one for me, too! That’s a goal I constantly have. I hope you’ll share any tips you learn along the way.
I’m also hoping to start training for a marathon this month, pending my injury situation . . .
I used to teach Zumba, and while it’s a ton of fun, I wouldn’t say it’s low impact. I was always DRENCHED by the end of class! I guess it would depend on the intensity of the instructor, though.
I definitely restrict myself from foods- but most of them I don’t even care to eat any more, which is great!
I did make a chocolate cheesecake with peanut butter ganache this weekend for a b-day bbq and debated back and forth about eating some….. ( I didn’t) Every time I debate back and forth like that I always regret eating it and never regret not eating it!
Aw, that picture of you two laying in the grass is so cute!! I sometimes wish that 1800-2000 calories was a lot for me, but I’m pretty sure I need more than that just to feel satisfied! I really need to work on mindless snacking. Lately I’ve been finding myself just eating snacks for no reason- I’m not even necessarily hungry! That’s something I need to work on asap
. Hope you have a great Monday pretty lady <3
unfortunately i haven’t been blessed with a fast metabolism, and i’m also trying to overcome some of the “number games” that my past ED has given me, so that’s why i set that number as my minimum. so far i’ve surprised myself and have easily eaten more than that thanks to lots of peanut butter.
you are so thorough with sharing your goals ashley! you are an inspiration to me…thank you for writing! seriously , thank you Ashley
i’m so glad jasper! thank YOU!
These are some great goals! I have some similar ones myself. Especially the stress eating.
I actually have a goal of incorporating more rest days into my week. This my body will love!
good for you! i have a feeling your body will love it too!
Great goals!!
My vote is to try Zumba….but, well, you just know me. Haha. I wouldn’t say that all Zumba classes are low intesnsity however….. 
I love eating foods that I can just enjoy and not worry about. It’s definitely a healthy way of eating–enjoy that, girl!!
yeah… i think zumba is one of those classes that YOU can determine how intense you want it to be though, don’t you think? i could be more on the “lazy” side and make it lower intensity for myself.
That first picture is so cute!
I just posted my fitness goals this morning, I’m only doing them a week at a time though.
I cannot believe it april already! I don’t know when that happened! Life does seem to fly by a lot faster as you get older, not a fan! ha
I love your new goals! I need to stop the stress eating as well! It’s a bad habit that only leads to more stress and more eating, endless cycle! ha
exactly!! stress eating truly is a viscious cycle!
Great goals! At the start of the month I always say I’ll make some goals and then never do! Oopsyyy. I am trying to reach that calorie goal as well. Sometimes it seems like so much other days not so much. Enjoy your day!!
I have some similar goals this month. I definitely want to try and ‘chill’ with my crazy control over my diet. Like you said, not splurge, just not freak out by eating a slice of pizza or a cupcake. Great goals! Good luck
thanks diane! good luck with your goals as well!
I don’t restrict myself from any food. I have eaten an entire large pizza by myself on a few occasions. I just don’t do it often, all about balance I think. I have yet to figure out how to handle stress in my life well. I seem to get very moody and snappy and I SO need to work on that! Food doesnt seem to help me much though so I am not a stressed eater.
good for you! you seem like you have a really normal and healthy relationship with food – i admire that.
Love your goals, Ash! I’m working on getting to the point where I’m able to *truly enjoy* eating “indulgent” foods too. It’s hard to move past the labels our society has slapped on foods (cheeseburger=bad, salad=good), but in reality, food is just food! Sure, some are packed with far more nutrients than others, but that doesn’t mean that occasionally eating for nothing more than for the sake of enjoyment is wrong! Life is just too short to not savor the simple pleasures.
My *unofficial* goals for the month (but maybe I’ll make them official on the blog…TBD) are: 1) reduce cardio to a minimum (about twice/week) 2) focus on foods that nourish my body and support healthy weight/muscle mass gains 3) branch outside my fitness comfort zones (I love your idea of trying Zumba!) 4) slow down and RELAX! (running from one thing to another day in and day out causes unnecessary stress, which affects my eating, my workouts, my relationships etc etc).
I love the photos of you and Cody! Such a good lookin’ couple! <3
I’m totally someone who eats comforting foods when stressed, so I just have to limit them from even being in my house. One thing I enjoyed recently while being particularly stressed was to have a bubble bath, light some candles and just relax. It was lovely! Give it a try.