Well, we made it to week 12! This is the start of our last week on the 12 Week Tone Up and it’s been SO good for me! I hope some of you following along have seen healthy changes from all these tips.
Sometimes it’s just the small little changes that make all the difference in living a healthy lifestyle. Like swapping out processed meats and produce with fresh ones, getting enough sleep and avoiding sweets. For our last week, the challenge is to research restaurant choices!
WEEK 12
Research Restaurant Choices
In a perfect world, McDonald’s would not exist (except maybe as punishment for criminals), restaurants would all serve healthy delicious whole foods and the weather would always be a balmy 78 degrees. Sorry to disappoint, but in today’s world there are a LOT of really, REALLY crappy food options out there. Even worse, these restaurants get away with touting that something is “healthy” simply because it has processed chicken in it instead of beef. Do your research and be familiar with your really healthy restaurant choices.
Let’s face it: we’re going to eat out. We live in too fast-paced a world to be able to cook every meal from scratch. The least we can do for ourselves is know which dining establishment won’t tattoo our chromosomes (there’s your ‘80’s movie reference) and give our grandchildren cancer. I’m always shocked when I find out how many calories are in my favorite fast food items. But it’s not just about calories either. Find out what restaurants use evil trans-fat laden oils, super processed meats and add sugar to everything. Check out this website for some ideas! (Although it’s a great article, I obviously disagree with their McDonald’s pick. I don’t care if they offer apples with their kids’ meals! Don’t feed your kid those chicken nuggets!!) It’s so helpful to have some choices in your back pocket for those crazy days when only fast food will do.
GIVEAWAY CLOSED. Thanks for entering!
Now, on to the fun stuff…it’s time for our giveaway! I have really come to love exercising over the years so I’m giving away a couple of my favorite things that help make exercise not only bearable but enjoyable!
1. A Hydroflask water bottle – this thing is amazing! I’ve left cold water in mine for over 6 hours, in a car parked in the Phoenix summer sun (and car temps here can reach 150!) and I come out to water that is STILL cold. It’s incredible!
2. A box of Kind nut bars – I LOVE these! My favorite go-to snack for after workouts or to stash in my purse. They are made mostly with nuts and fruits, and always have less than 5g of sugar per bar. Plus this chocolate flavor is delicious.
3. Bluetooth headphones – this style headphone is seriously the only kind to stay in my ear when I run. Plus, a bluetooth hookup makes it less likely you’ll trip on a cord and embarrass yourself at the gym 🙂
4. Runners Waist Pack – sort of like a streamlined fanny pack, these things are a game-changer! I stash my phone, credit card, key and any other necessities in it every time I go running…and it works great for the gym too. Don’t know how I survived so long without it!
Thanks SO MUCH for joining me on this fitness journey and I really hope you saw some improvements, like I did! If you have any other tips or successes to share, please comment or email me! Let’s get, and stay, healthy together!
3 Comments
Erika
June 1, 2016 at 8:38 amSigh, I’m guilty of hitting up the golden arches too often (two or three times a month). With two little kids it’s so easy to swing by and grab dinner when things are super hectic. There aren’t a lot of restaurant choices here but I can try to be a little more conscious about what I’m putting into their little bodies.
I’ve enjoyed the 12 week program. I didn’t meet my goal but I do feel that it has helped me to become more conscientious about my choices and how they affect me. Still struggling with that sugar though!
Bonnie
June 1, 2016 at 8:51 amWell I admire you for sticking with it the whole way! And don’t give yourself guilt over fast food…we eat stuff we shouldn’t too (It’s like that Jim Gaffigan sketch where he talks about how everyone has their
“McDonald’s” vice – LOL). Even within restaurants there are vastly different choices. So maybe this week you just get on their website and figure out which sandwiches are on the lower calorie end? Then you at least won’t blow all your hard work on one meal!
Week 11: Sit Down to Eat
September 21, 2016 at 12:18 am[…] If you’re ready for our LAST weekly challenge, you can find week 12 here! […]