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“What Does A Healthy Person Like You Order At the Bar?”

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A while back at my company outing, while standing in line to get a drink someone came up to me and said “what does a healthy person like you order at the bar?”. I had to laugh to myself because my immediate response was “whatever I feel like drinking!”, but when I thought about it a little more, I understood what she meant in her question. If health and fitness isn’t a passion of yours, making “healthy” decisions and choices may not come as easily or naturally to you. In fact, it may even be totally overwhelming for you. I’m not saying they have always come naturally to me, but at this point after all of the articles and blog posts I’ve read, choosing the healthier option generally comes pretty easy to me.

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So, with that in mind, I responded saying that I normally drink wine, well, #becausewine 😉 But I also said I drink whatever I’m feeling… in moderation. I’m not going to go out and have 5 glasses of Sangria or 5 margaritas because those can be laden with sugar and calories, but one or two? Not going to erase all my hard work. A few beers? Same thing. If I’m going to have drinks, I want them to be something I ENJOY (again, which is usually wine!). I’m not going to drink straight tequila just because it’s supposedly the “healthiest” alcohol (Paleo approved! It’s got to be good for you! <– hope you can sense my sarcasm…). And I’m not going to slay back beers because everyone is doing it- I was the girl in college ordering wine at dive bars when that totally wasn’t the “thing” to do 😉

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But, as long as I’m enjoying what I’m drinking and being mindful about my decisions, I’m not going to worry about it or regret it… well, unless I have one too many of whatever I’m drinking! Here are some tips to help me make healthier choices at the bar or restaurant:

  1. Think about what I feel like: If it’s a hot, summer day, I’ll probably want a cold, refreshing beer. If it’s a cold winter night, a nice glass of red wine. If I’m at a Mexican restaurant- hello margarita! Cocktail hour- usually white wine. Out at a bar at night- definitely white wine- way less stains that way 😉
  2. Order a water with your drink: alcohol can cause some serious dehydration and because it tastes so refreshing on a nice, hot day, you will probably drink more than intended in order to quench your thirst. However, if you drink water consistently while you’re enjoying your bevvies, you’re likely to drink less and feel less of the effects the next day.
  3. Pick one “fun” drink and then switch to something lighter: If you’re really craving a daiquiri or margarita or something else like that, have one! … but then switch to something that’s maybe not going to be filled with so many calories.
  4. Don’t let others drink choices or drink quantities influence you to do the same: I get it- you’re out getting drinks with friends or coworkers and every time your drink gets low it seems someone is ordering another round. It’s so easy to get caught up in that and then next thing you know you’ve thrown back 4-5 drinks in a short amount  of time. Not only is that possibly a recipe for a hangover, but it’s also going to up your calorie intake and if you’re looking to monitor that, you might want to skip out on a few rounds of drinks.

These may not seem like earth shattering tips, but sometimes the simplest of tips/tricks to making healthier decisions can be exactly the ones that often get forgotten. Being healthy and making healthy choices doesn’t have to be boring and doesn’t have to be all about sacrifice. Sometimes it’s more about making small compromises in order to get the best of both worlds- consistency and splurging. And lastly, even if you don’t make the “right” decisions all the time and have a night where you throw back 6 margaritas, it’s ok. If you had a blast of a night then there’s no need to fret- you can always get back on track tomorrow!

Questions for you: What’s your “go-to” drink of choice? Do you prefer simple or do you order fancy drinks? Do you have a tip to help you drink and enjoy your night mindfully?

Supplement Sale at Whole Foods

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Disclaimer: I was provided with free product and a gift card to Whole Foods in exchange for this blog post. As always, all opinions are my own and I think this is a great deal worth sharing- thanks for your support!

Good morning! Today I wanted to share a little information about a terrific sale coming up this weekend, August 14th-16th at all Whole Foods store locations. Along with tax-free weekend in Massachusetts, Whole Foods is doing their yearly sale on all supplements in their Whole Body department- 25% off, which is a really great deal since many of the supplements in the Whole Body section can be a bit pricy.

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When they invited me in to check out their selection and to take some items home to try, I wasn’t really sure what to look for or ask for since I’m normally not one for supplements. It’s not that I don’t like them or agree with them, it’s more that I never think to take vitamins or probiotics or other things like that. I do love all Vega products, especially for post workout repair, but other than that I’m seriously lacking in the supplement area… or, should I say I USED to be lacking in the supplement area- the nice people at Whole Foods stocked me up with some great staple items:

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Thoughts on my “unplanned” rest day

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Good morning! I mentioned yesterday that I took an “unplanned” rest day last week, so I thought I’d share a little more about that with you today. I’ve talked about rest days in the past, and even though I feel as though I’ve made leaps and bounds towards improvement in this area, it can still be something I struggle with. These days, it’s not the actual REST that troubles me- trust me, I love and fully embrace my “rest days” now- but rather, it’s the need to take an unplanned rest day that really tests my progress in this area.

When I plan out my week of workouts (I don’t share this with you guys anymore because I wasn’t sure if it was boring you- if you’re interested in seeing what my weekly workouts look like, please let me know!), I also plan out my rest days. I look at what I have going on and when I think  I want to workout and rest and it usually works out quite well. Normally Fridays and Sundays are my rest days, but sometimes it’s Saturday and Sunday or maybe Friday and Saturday or sometimes just one day depending on what events I have going on for that particular week. Last week, though, I ended up taking a rest day on Thursday, totally unplanned.

Let’s back up a little, though. I started the week of strong with my workouts- on Monday, I got up and ran 4 miles (8:10/mile pace) and then did the first day of the #20x20challenge workout (forgot about it!) and then did a photo-shoot, which required lots of moving and holding and re-takes for various moves. I felt good throughout the day, but by the time I finally got home to eat (8:30pm), I felt unreasonably tired, but I chalked it up to a big, long day with lots of physical activity. Tuesday I woke up feeling good, again, and had another strong lunch break workout and ended up having to cancel bootcamp, meaning my day was cut short- awesome! Wednesday I went for a fast 3.5 mile run before class (8/mile pace) before teaching my UXF Burn class, which is a standard Wednesday for me, however I really had to work hard to keep my energy up throughout class, so I knew something was up.

That night, I could tell something was going on because I just didn’t feel right. I didn’t sleep well that night so by the time I woke up on Thursday, I was tired and sore and overall really lethargic feeling.

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My Legs Touch… And I’m OK With That

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Familiar with the term “thigh gap”? If you’re not, it’s something far too many women are concerned with and striving for- it’s the area of space between your thighs when you stand with your feet and knees touching. Supposedly, if you have a thigh gap, it means you’re “skinny”, which I think is a load of crap. Sure, back when I was in my teens and highly influenced by these types of things and achieving a certain physical appearance, mind you, not by healthy eating and working out, I wanted the thigh gap! My legs have always been something I’ve been a little self conscience about (much less these days, though!) because I just wanted them to be smaller. I wanted a thigh gap, I wanted little stick legs, and I definitely didn’t want this type of muscle:

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(nothing like post workout pump!)

During my research phase of this post, I googled “thigh gap” and was amazed and saddened by some of the sites that resulted from my search: “How to get a thigh gap” (<– what?!). But, as I scrolled through the page, I was happy to see just as many articles talking about why “thigh gaps” are not something to strive for.

The spark behind this post was during a conversation with RM a few weeks ago. I forget all the details, but somehow thigh gaps came up (likely from a dumb reality TV show in the background) and RM asked if I had one. He was actually a little surprised when I told him I didn’t have one, which I can only attribute it to the fact that the media portrays the thigh gap as common and easily attainable. Pair that with the fact that I am physically pretty fit, he seemed to think I would have one- they go hand in hand, right? Wrong.

Some people may naturally be built with a frame that creates a thigh gap, but the notion behind the idea that people actually WORK to get a thigh gap is what troubles me. We are all born with different bodies and because of genetics, there’s only so much we can do to change/alter that. Sure, eating healthy and being physically active helps, but if you put 10 women in a room and put them all on the same diet and workout plan, no two are going to look exactly the same. That’s just science and the nature of genetics, my friends.

Personally, I know I carry more weight in my legs- it’s just the way it goes. But, long gone are the days where I would spend deliberate time trying to do exercises to make my legs smaller and rather these days I’m trying to get stronger legs by upping my weights and doing lots of various leg exercises to build strong muscles. Are my legs bigger now as a result? Sure- a little! But it’s strong muscle and when I see a reflection of myself and see my strong muscle, I’m reminded that it’s so much more appealing to me than the skinny stick legs I used to long for.
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I Drank Wine On A Random Tuesday

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I know some of you are probably shaking your heads going, “ok, Monique. Big deal!”, which is exactly the point of this post! At the start of the summer, I told RM that I wanted to be more spontaneous and plan less and in general, be more easy going and ok with going off schedule. Halfway through the summer, I’ve realized I haven’t really been very successful in accomplishing this. So many nights RM will say “want a glass of wine?” or “I made a pseudo spritzer- want one?” and I politely respond with, “no thank you”.

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I will say that *most* of the time I turn down drinks during the week because I really don’t feel like I need or want one. Most of the time I’m getting home late because of teaching or some other fitness event and by the time I shower and sit down to eat, wine is not even close to being on my mind. However, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t turn down drinks sometimes because I didn’t want to drink extra calories. Or because I’ll feel guilty having a drink because my weekly goal Monday through Thursday is usually to not drink alcohol in order to give my body a little break (unless there’s a specified event during the week that will likely result in drinks- girls nights, sporting events, traveling, etc.).

But the thing is, what’s the difference between drinking on a Friday than on a Tuesday? Some Friday’s I don’t feel like a glass of wine but have one anyway because it’s Friday (#becauseFRIDAY)! And everyone drinks on Fridays to celebrate the weekend! Right? Maybe, but does it mean I have to? Nope. I shouldn’t feel like I need to conform to societal “rules” or my own rules instead of tuning into myself and listening to how I’m feeling and what I want on that particular day/time.  Which is exactly why on Tuesday night last week, I poured myself a glass of wine after my workout and shower. RM was over, it was HOT and we were grilling. What goes well with all of those things?
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