Friday, May 29, 2015

5 Tips to healthy eating

Healthy eating is not about DIETING, strict rules and limitations. I'm not the greatest all the time at healthy eating, but I can tell a big difference in how I feel, my mood, and my body when I pick healthier choices. With all the Diets/Weigh loss programs that are out there I think it confuses people with what they should do to lose weight. What one "expert" says to do the next "expert" is telling you not to do it. Calorie counting, high protein, low fat, fat free, low carb, no carb, Weight Watchers, Adkins, Jenny Craig diet, the list of weight loss options goes on and on.

That is why I choose Beachbody over all these other options. Not that any of them don't work, or aren't great substitutes for people. I personally just think if you want to lose weight and keep it off, stay fit, and get healthy you need to put in the work and make it happen. Some say Beachbody is the long, hard way of doing it, and you would probably be right. No, you don't get prepackaged meals in the mail, no, you can't just eat whatever you want as long as you stay under a calorie count for your body type. Its putting the work in to workout, taking the time to meal plan, and put thought into what you're eating. But then you say, "well eating healthy is so expensive." It may possibly be depending on how many you feed in your family. But think of it this way. Is what you eat, prepackaged junk that makes you feel sluggish, moody, tired, and you are sick all the time. Food is medicine. Fuel your body with the right type of foods. So your next question, "What is healthy? What should I eat? What should I get rid of? I'm going to give you some tips to help you!

-------------------------------------------------------5 TIPS----------------------------------------------------------

  1. Set yourself up for success: Make small manageable steps. As your small changes become habit, you continue adding in more healthy choices.
  • Prepare more of your own meals: Preparing your own meals at home can help you monitor exactly what goes into your food. 
  • Make the right changes: Replace unhealthy foods with healthy alternatives. Ex. switch butter for olive oil. Instead of a sugary fruit smoothly/high calorie frappe for breakfast from McDonalds, wash up fresh fruit and eat with Greek yogurt/make your own healthy smoothy/or/ have a cup of black coffee or tea. 
  • Simplify: Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories, think in terms of color, variety, and freshness. Avoid packaged and processed food and shoot for more fresh ingredients.
  • Read the Labels: Be aware of extra hidden sugar and salt in packaged foods that manufacturers claim to be "healthy."
  • Focus on how you feel after eating: The more healthy meals you eat, the better you will feel after eating. The more junk food you eat, the more you will feel tired and bloated.
  • Drink plenty of water: Water flushes our system s of toxins. You may not know it but you go through life dehydrated, which causes tiredness, low energy, and headaches. Its also a common mistake thinking your hungry, when really your thirsty. 
2. Moderation is Key: Only eating as much as your body needs. Balance between carbs, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

  • Try not to think of certain foods as "off limits": When you ban certain foods, you just crave those foods more often. Then when you fail and eat the whole bag you feel as though your whole day was shot. 
  • Smaller Portions: When dining out, choose a starter instead of entree, split the dish with a friend or put half in a box to eat later. Portion size examples. Meat- size of a deck of cards. half a cup of healthy sides.
  • Take your time: Stop eating before you feel full. It takes a few minutes for your brain to tell you body that it's full, so eat slowly. 


3.  Fill up on colorful fruits and vegetables: Low in calories and high in nutrients.

  • Greens: Branch out from lettuce. Kale, broccoli,  and cabbage are packed with calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K. 
  • Sweet vegetables: Corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, onions, and squash add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for added sugars. 
  • Fruit: Berries -cancer fighting, apples- fiber, oranges and mangoes- Vit C
4. Eat more healthy carbs and whole grains: Rich in antioxidants, which help to protect against heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. 
  • Healthy Carbs: Whole grains, beans, fruits, and veggies. Digested slowly, helps you feel full longer.
  • Unhealthy carbs: White flour, refined sugar, and white rice. 
  • Avoid: breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals that are not whole grain. 
5. Reduce sugar and salt: Too much sugar and salt has been linked to diabetes and depression. Reducing the amount of candy and desserts you eat is only part of the solution. Sugar and salt is hidden in foods like bread, cereals, canned soups and vegetables, pasta sauce, margarine, instant mashed motatoes, frozen dinners, low-fat meals, fast food, and ketchup. 
  • Slowly reduce the sugar and salt in your diet: A little at a time to give your taste buds time to adjust. 
  • Be careful when eating out: Look for low sodium meals. Lots of gravy's, sauces, and dressings have extra salt and sugar so get it served to the side. 
  • Eat healthier snacks: Eat naturally sweet food such as fruit, peppers, natural peanut butter to satisfy your sweet tooth. 
  • Check labels: Reduced sodium and low sugar products
  • Use herbs and spices: garlic, curry powder, cayenne or black pepper to improve flavor of meals instead of salt. 
  • Avoid: Sugary drinks like pop, energy drinks, and high fat/calorie coffee drinks.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Piyo




 


Seriously Chalene Johnson has it all. There isn't a program she doesn't have that I don't LOVE!!! I Gained all sorts of muscle. Toned up and added lean definition to my shoulders, back and legs.
My Results

 Take the Challenge




Morning Bliss



You know that night worth of sleep that you NEED but can't get because 

1. Having 10 different to do's/ideas running through your head that you can't fall asleep. 

2. Super excited for the event in the morning that You're glued to pinterest for ideas 

3. Once you do finally fall asleep you wake up every hour in a panic that You slept through your alarm.....👀

yep that was last night! 😴 But hey let's just say extremely pumped and ready w ideas to do hair and make up for a FITNESS COMPETITION! 💪 Morning fuel in hand and the BONUS in my book...it's a Fitness event...not a wedding. so cute yoga pants/ fitness apparel , day 2 hair and minimal make up is 100% Approved!👌



She is #3 in top left pic. #2 in other pics. Bright blue swimsuit!.



Here is the beauty her self! 

New Project sneak peak


Our summer is going to consist of projects. There is one specific project that I am so excited for!

As some of you may know I'm making a small garage into my little salon and spa. Now to give you a visual, because my own first thought when I think of a barber/hairstylist having their business in their house I think, old, walking through their house, down to a basement with no windows, so a tiny space they call their salon even though it doesn't really function properly. Now eliminate that thought!

When you come to my new salon you will have up close driveway parking right next to the salon doors. You will walk right in to the salon/spa space! No stairs, not even a step, handicap accessible. You will never see my living quarters outside of the salon.  There will even be a direct access to a bathroom! This picture is the design I will be doing.

On that note. Has anyone stained/painted pallets and wood to make an accent wall like this!? Tips would be appreciated!

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Where to spend your wedding budget

 I still haven't quite grasped the thought of being Mrs. Peter yet. There has been a time or two when I had to rewrite a check due to signing my maiden name. Ooops.. 
March 21, 2015 was the best day!! Literally (almost) everything went as planned, and we couldn't have asked for better weather.  For Iowa it was a beautiful spring day! 65 degree temps, not a cloud in the sky and a slight spring breeze. 
A brides dream right!!? 
All that preparation and work for a day that flew by. A day I had dreamed of came and went like a blink of an eye. One of the many comments  I got was wow your wedding was beautiful, you must have spent a ton. Well... to let the cat out of the bag.. my wedding was cheaper than most! Some spend more on their wedding dress alone than I did on my entire wedding. 
From my experience these areas are what I recommend spending the most on.

Spend the most on:
 The DRESS because every girl needs to love their dress! 
Highly recommend Pure Bridal from Ames. Owners where fabulous. Listened to what I wanted, stayed with in my budget, gave their opinion when I asked, but didn't overstep their boundaries, Great prices all around, nice environment, easy to work with. 
PHOTOGRAPHY.  life's pause button to go back and relive the memories. 
It's as simple as that. You want quality pictures. The only thing I wish I would have done is take all the "Pinned" pics that I liked and made an album so my photographer could have went through and made sure we got all the unique shots we wanted. There were some pictures that I later went through and thought, "awe man I really wanted a picture of ____ and i didn't get it. Your mind is going 100 miles a hour that day that you forget the little things like that. Jenn Hindman is my recommended photographer. She's great with lighting. Being the home grown country girl that she is, she's awesome  with outdoor shots, and is very creative.



FOOD. Satisfy your guests. Lets be honest no one cares if they have to go up buffet style to choose what they want to eat! In my opinion there is nothing worse than sitting at your table waiting for waters/waitresses to serve every single person, and when you get your food its cold. Hickory Park delivers 100% every time. Cheaper than almost every catering option, quick, they set up, they tear down, they put leftovers in a container for you to keep. Everyone is served in 90 mins, if not even quicker than that! 

DJ/Entertainment. Thats where the party either continues or fizzles out real quick! Spend the money for a good one that fits your style of wedding. Highly recommend Complete Music out of Des Moines. They have a complete login reception manager you fill out. You get the dances you want, you choose the tone of the party, you can have a no play list, they pick the best DJ from their company to best suit your traditional-club style reception.