I’m going to call these mental health epiphanies rather than hacks, but they’ve been key for me:

Realizing everyone’s body is different and what works for one person won’t necessarily work for you - so if you try it and it doesn’t, don’t just assume you’re doing it wrong and failing. It also doesn’t mean it can’t work for someone else. Find what works for you and do you.

That being said, listening to people that tell you to back off a little so you don’t make an injury worse is ok too. Life is about balance.

Oh, oh. Also - biggie - realizing that people refusing to recognize your progress or trying to make you feel bad about the changes you’re making is more a reflection on how they feel about themselves than it is on you. It doesn’t mean you aren’t kicking a**, it just means they have some self reflecting to do.

Last one: Buying clothes that fit properly and are cut to suit you (not just the cheapest thing on clearance that fits) can do wonders for your confidence.

❤️

Thanks for the introductory post for today @donna25trinity — looking forward to following along today and learning from everyone.

I am really early on my journey, and have found a couple of things that I find helpful (and maybe someone else will too):

1. Measure out the milk I intend to use for the day for my coffee and tea into a smaller container and pre-track it for the day. I was surprised to learn how much I was using, was underestimating and had been hidden from my calorie count for the day.
2. Prep four days of raw veggies at a time and store them (layer with damp paper towels if their “freshness” would be improved by this). I am more likely to choose them as a snack if they are prepped. This also speeds up meal prep and makes them easier to measure.
3. I do the same with apple slices (sprinkle of lemon juice and water helps them from browning or use Ambrosia apples — they don’t brown).
4. Use your leftover prepped raw veggies or apples (if there are any) in soups, stews, and other dishes you cook (e.g., celery in egg salad, carrots and apple in salad each day).
5. Toast some raw walnuts and keep them in the freezer for salads or a boost of protein with your apple, etc.
6. Hard boil eggs once a week and store them in a marked carton (the happy face made with a sharpie pen on the top of an egg has always been the signal in our house that it has already been hard boiled). If you have an air fryer, it has never been easier to prep hard boiled eggs. I always have them on hand and love a sliced egg on two Wasa crackers with dijon and 1/2 tablespoon of light mayonnaise. Add them to salads. Just peel and eat one with salt and pepper. Delicious!
7. I pre-portion or buy pre-portioned serving sizes of any foods that are “risky” for me. We are all different in this regard. I can have the big Costco container of mixed nuts in the house but I measure out portion packs in advance. The “portion” pre-measured (i.e., 1/3 filled) teeny tiny Rubbermaid containers are a “rich” treat. 🥺Sometimes when I see them measured out this way, I’d rather have something else.
8. I always have fat free plain greek yogurt in my fridge. I love it and substitute it for sour cream, eat with canned peaches (or fresh right now), frozen cherries, etc.
9. I keep tins of water packed tuna and salmon in the fridge as I am much more likely to enjoy and use them if they are already cold.
10. Skim milk powder - yes it smells disgusting (to me). But, it is a high source of nonfat protein, natural, and not packed with chemicals, and can be added dry to soups, stews, my decaf coffee (along with some 1% milk is still my preference), or other foods. Honestly, I do not notice the smell or taste when I use it this way. I use the dry powder — not the powder reconstituted with water.
12. We eat as few pre-packaged and prepared foods as my time economy will allow. I love to cook, and I now really love to know more about and to control what my family is eating. Hidden fats, sugars, and other preserving chemicals are what they are. When I can, I prefer to cook or eat from restaurants or convenience food creators that don’t rely on pre-packaged ingredients or ingredients I wouldn’t allow in my own kitchen.
13. I always have pre-portioned healthy soups in the freezer. I do big batch cooking when I can and freeze them. My daughter “steals” them when she comes to town and I prep in advance for that theft. We all love lentils and legumes, quinoa, etc, but love them most when hidden in soups.
14. Canned chick peas, black beans, white kidney beans, any beans —rinse, drain, and store in fridge so there is no excuse to not add them. I cook up a batch of red lentils each week and store them in the fridge/freezer. Then they are ready to “hide” in foods.
15. If I am not able to manage myself around a specific food, or I if will obsess about it, I don’t bring it into the house.

Bring on your ideas - can’t wait to read them!

Happy Saturday everyone ☀️

Julie

18 Sept

✅✅✅

@mshwaki love ur epiphanies and I want to know are u reading minds these days? Ha ha cos before I went to bed last night i put all these cheap as clothes in my online Shopping cart ha ha! I won't be buying them now tho. Ha ha! Ur so right! Better to spend a bit more and feel great in them! Xo

WhatMeRunning wrote: »

@mshawski - Congrats on achieving "conversational pace", that is the most important thing to develop as a runner. The vast majority of your runs (80% minimum) should be at that effort. It is the sweet spot where your body gets all of the cardio and muscular development but with faster recovery time and less of a beating on your body, maximizing time you can spend running as well as maximizing the benefits.

@WhatMeRunning I know I like to complain that I am not improving, but the truth is the change in my breathing has been radical!

18th Sep
Pass day 3 used and really enjoyed it! Didnt go too over board either which I'm happy about. Went 250 over maintaince, used my exercise calories and I tracked everything so happy with that! Walk 30 min then took bub to the park and chased after him for another 30 min.

No grazing
Had me time
Xo

Yes X 3

Exercise was strength training.

I've mentioned it before but my biggest health change has been basing my diet around vegetables. Every recipe I used I challenge myself to add an extra serving of veg as it's often lacking.

Spinach is such a great and easy one to chuck into lots of food easily without changing flavour. Grated carrot, courgette and beetroot are useful too.

Adding to this roasted vegetable are so tasty. There's a series of books called the roasting tin. The green roasting tin is our favourite. Healthy and delicious and easy. Win win.