Discipline or regret? What are you going to choose?

DISCIPLINE OR REGRET?

A quick read by Ashley Orem

Either way, you are going to be uncomfortable whether you choose to workout or continue to stay unactive and unhappy with your health. Trying to find an outfit when you are leaving the house and going through a million different outfits because nothing is fitting right SUCKS. I have been there and it is NOT a good feeling. So if you are going to suffer from being UNHAPPY with your fitness and health, then why not be uncomfortable for THIRTY minutes a day, working out, while moving towards a GOAL! Why not choose a HEALTHY meal over 2 minutes of enjoying an unhealthy one? Either way, its not going to be EASY so just go for it and make the struggle WORTH IT!!

"Eating for Health"

Eating for HEALTH!

By Ashley Orem

When I first started my fitness journey, I was more focused on the CALORIES than the actual health of the food. I started out drinking diet soda, leaving enough calories left in my goal for a snickers bar, and not leaving enough calories for things like FRUIT! My focus was strictly on losing weight and I didn't realize the importance of what I put into my body and how it truly does affect your health.

Now, I'm definitely not saying not to watch what your taking in, I'm just saying to really start paying attention to WHAT you are putting into your body and to not sacrifice the nutrients you put into your body! Become PASSIONATE about the foods you eat and you will find that you make this a lifestyle and not just a "diet."

So, what is wrong with diet soda? Well to start, what makes diet soda sugar free is an ingredient called aspartame. This is a VERY scary ingredient to be consuming. It is linked to increased risk of alzheimers, cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, depression, vision loss, and the list goes on! So in short, if you see the words "SUGAR FREE," RUN!!! 

So, what kind of foods should I be eating? Look for foods that come from the earth! A good rule of thumb is if you can't grow it, hunt it, or make it yourself, don't eat it! Start looking at ingredients before buying. If you don't recognize the ingredient, your body probably won't either and its most likely something you should stay away from. Look for WHOLE foods, buy most of your foods from the outer aisle (usually all the processed foods are in the middle of the store,) and try to get fodos in their most natural forms as possible. 

For the people reading this blog, I have a CHALLENGE for you to help motivate you to eat better quality food. Think of a food that you really don't eat very often that you probably should. For example this could be organic foods, veggies, sweet potatoes, whole grains, etc. Research the HEALTH BENEFITS of that food and read about it! This is what I do and I have found it has really grown my passionate to eat well and keep my body well nourished!

"Finding Your Reason" A tip on how to stick with fitness LONG TERM!

Finding Your Reason

by Ashley Orem

             Fitness really is more than just trying to fit in that 'itsy bitsy bikini' or fitting into those old favorite jeans you haven't worn in years. Of course, that is a BIG motivator in why people start, but once you really get going, you find something even more important than that. At least for me, working out relieves me of anxiety, stress, and gives me so much energy throughout the day! It is my most favorite form of escape when I am having a bad day and need a little me time. Whether thats running outside, doing my fitness program, or just focusing on MOVING and getting through the workout, I love the feeling of pushing myself to the point of not being able to think of ANYTHING else! 

Finding a reason MORE than just losing weight is KEY to actually sticking with it! Of course, inevitably, you will lose weight/tone/ or whatever it is that motivated you to start in the first place. But those results come from CONSISTENCY and TIME. A lot of people workout for a week and don't find those immediate results, get discouraged, and QUIT all together! BUT, if you find a bigger reason to workout WITH immediate results (like endorphins, the way it makes you feel, energy, etc,) you are a lot more likely to stick to it and that will lead you to those long term results that you wanted in the first place! 

 So. FIND your reason, MOVE your body,  and NOURISH it with CLEAN foods and you will end up with a HEALTHY, lifelong PASSION for health and fitness!! Hope this helps someone out there :)

Don't Think- A tip on how to quit skipping the gym!!

DON'T THINK

By Ashley Orem

The ONLY difference between the women who gets to the gym everyday and the one who doesn't is the way she views working out. Nobody loves working out ALL the time. Nobody WANTS to wake up early instead of sleeping in, to get to the gym. The difference is whether or not you look at it with "NO EXCUSES." Really, try it. Next time you SCHEDULE your workout, watch how you react when that time rolls around. Maybe you will say "I'm really comfy on the couch right now, but NO EXCUSES, time to throw my shoes on and GO." Or maybe you will come up with some kind of reason why you can't. Pay attention to your response and if you are the person saying "you can't,' change your attitude to "I'm going to do it no matter how I feel and I WILL make the time for it" and see how much MORE you will go and how often you will actually start wanting to go!!