Tag: tips

“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?

Guest Post: 7 Tips to Help Your Strength Training Journey

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Hi there! I am so excited to share this post with you. My gym friend (and birthday buddy), Ashley, is such an inspiration when it comes to working for something you want. She has worked SO HARD at achieving her fitness related goals (pull-ups, to be one of them) and the research and knowledge gained throughout this process can be portrayed throughout so many areas of her life, which is just one of the many reasons why strength training is so wonderful. Ashley is so honest, open, insightful and encouraging in this post and never mind this being a guest post, I just think it’s an incredible piece of writing and I hope you all feel as motivated to tackle your goals as I do after reading it!

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7 tips to help your strength training journey

Hey Burpees to Bubbly readers! My name is Ashley Parent, and I’m a friend of Monique’s from (you guessed it) the gym! Monique asked me to come on the blog to talk a little bit about how I got started with strength training, where I am now, and to share some tips. For the sake of transparency, you should know that I don’t have any sort of fitness, health, or training certifications. Because of this, I’m going to talk less about the specifics of exercises and programming and more about tips regarding how to get the right background information and how to get in the right mindset for strength training.

I have a few years of experience and lots of casual studying on the subject. I have a training age of about 7 years (I was 21 years old), and I first got started learning the very basics of strength machines and free weights at a college class at Hampshire College (man, I miss the days of free gym classes that actually give you credit towards a degree). Looking back, I knew pretty much nothing then compared to what I know now, but it gave me the confidence to know my way around the weight room and do some basic moves. Fast forward to 2013 when I decided I wanted to practice some more complex moves (i.e. deadlift, turkish get-up, etc.) and start to go much heavier, so I contacted a local strength coach for some assistance. I learned so so much working with a coach for about 9 months, but I couldn’t afford to do it forever. Luckily, he’s a great person and lets me check in every now and then to make sure my form is still on point.

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Currently, and for about the past 8 months, my main focus/goals have been sustainable fat loss and being able to do my first unassisted chin-up. Strength training should still be at the forefront of your training program when your goal is fat loss, so my fat loss goal has mostly been accomplished through my diet. I accomplished my chin-up goal on my birthday (April 14), so now my goal is just to do more chin-ups, of course! There are many articles out there about how to get started in the weight room if you’re a complete beginner, so I’m going to try to share some tips that are different from the ones you might see on those articles. If you want one of those, see number 6 below for some blogs where you might find one. Without further ado, here are 7 tips for strength training (I’m going to count them down, and number one is the most important, so skip ahead if you have to!):

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  1. Know your goals and what you need to do to get there.

    2. Continue reading →

Healthy Super Bowl Tips & A Commercial Workout

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I doubt I’m shocking anyone when I say I really couldn’t care less about the Super Bowl. Even if the Patriots were playing, I really wouldn’t care. What can I say? I’m just not a sports girl!

With that said, I’m sure a lot of you may be sports people, so I thought I would post some tips to make healthy choices during a not-so-healthy day of the year.

Don’t show up to the party hungry

I always hear people talk about how they will starve themselves all day if they have a big dinner or party planned for the evening. This is the worst thing to do because as soon as you show up to the party, you’re going to stuff your face, right? I’ve been there and done that and not only does it make me feel to rude to hover by the food, shoveling in as much as I can as fast as I can, I feel gross once my body registers that it was full probably 20 minutes ago. Yuck. You’re also more likely to binge on the less healthy options because, let’s face it, when we’re hungry, hunger rules over any smart eating plans, right? So, have a healthy snack or small meal before you go to the party.

Stay away from the food table

This stems right off of the tip above this. Even if I have a healthy snack before I go to a party, if I find myself standing by the food table, I’m going to munch. And much. And much. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? You’re not hungry and you know you’re not hungry but the buffalo dip/spinach and artichoke dip/chips and salsa/cheese and crackers/etc. are screaming your name because they smell and look so good. So, you let yourself have a small bite, right? And then what happens? You end up hovering near the food table and, again, eating when you’re not hungry. So, STEP AWAY from the food table and focus on conversations, people watching and game watching.

Make and bring a healthy snack option

If you know yourself and know you’re going to want to eat at the party you’re going to, pick a few healthy apps/snacks to make and bring so that you can eat those rather than some of the other unhealthier options. All of the blogs I’ve been reading have been showing “healthified” game day snack options and they look delicious!! Think: healthy buffalo dip, healthy spinach and artichoke dip, fruit or veggie platter, etc. There are so many delicious, yet healthy, options!

Make a plate of things to snack on

I never do this, although I probably should. Instead, I tend to “hover” near the food table and continuously grab things to eat. If you take a small plate and fill it with things you want to eat, you’ll probably end up eating less than if you just keep snacking. Seeing what you have to eat will help with portion control and sticking to that portion control.

Choose a lighter drink option

Beers are super easy (and fitting) to drink during a daytime game or party, but the calories add up reallll quickly with beers. Instead, try drinking something lighter like vodka soda’s or a lighter beer like some of those 60 calorie beers. Also, try drinking a water or seltzer water in between each drink… this will definitely cut down on how much you drink!

Work out before you go… or during commercials (if your friends won’t think that’s weird!)

I always get in a good workout before I know I’ll be indulging at a party. I also think it’s fun to do something during the commercials or half time, so that’s why I’ve made this workout for you. How convenient, right?! 😉

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So! I hope that helped. Are you going to a party today or are you hosting one? What are you making/bringing? What’s your favorite “healthified” recipe?