Happy Motivation Monday! I thought what a better way to kick off the first MM than by showing my year-long progress photo. The picture on the left was taken in May 2013. The picture on the right was taken around March of 2014. I thought that sitting these two pictures side by side would accurately show my progress while living an active and healthy lifestyle. How did I get from point A to point B? I began by exercising 5 days a week and by eating healthier (yes, that meant I had to cut out the Poptarts and Muddy Buddies.)
I unfortunately went through a point in the winter of 2013 where I lost all motivation. I really did not see any difference in my appearance. However, like most people, I made a New Year's resolution to go back to the gym. Then, in late January, I had the crazy idea to start eating a vegan-based diet. The reason I call it a vegan-based diet is because it is almost impossible to eat something nowadays that does not contain any sort of animal byproduct. For example, the ingredient "whey" is in so many things. I did not know that this was a form of milk until I did the research. Even gelatin is made from animal byproducts. I cut out the foods that had the most obvious animal byproducts first and tried my best to avoid meats and dairy.
However, I love ice cream. I love chocolate. I love yogurt. I love cookies. And I love pizza. There is no reason why someone who is transitioning into a healthier lifestyle should cut off their favorite foods completely. To do so would be to go insane. I made a promise to myself to designate a "cheat day" during the week. For me, it was Wednesdays. I would allow myself to eat some form of dessert (cake or pie) so that I didn't feel like I was being cut off completely. By doing this, it was so much easier on me because I looked forward to Wednesdays and I could see the end goal in sight.
Though I am still not where I would like to be, I am in a much better place than I was at the end of my senior year of high school. I still eat meat and dairy products every now and then, but I make sure to keep it to a minimum. I encourage everyone to begin exercising more and look into eating less foods that contain animal byproducts. Have a great rest of your Monday! Check back on Wednesday for Workout Wednesday!
--Laura
I unfortunately went through a point in the winter of 2013 where I lost all motivation. I really did not see any difference in my appearance. However, like most people, I made a New Year's resolution to go back to the gym. Then, in late January, I had the crazy idea to start eating a vegan-based diet. The reason I call it a vegan-based diet is because it is almost impossible to eat something nowadays that does not contain any sort of animal byproduct. For example, the ingredient "whey" is in so many things. I did not know that this was a form of milk until I did the research. Even gelatin is made from animal byproducts. I cut out the foods that had the most obvious animal byproducts first and tried my best to avoid meats and dairy.
However, I love ice cream. I love chocolate. I love yogurt. I love cookies. And I love pizza. There is no reason why someone who is transitioning into a healthier lifestyle should cut off their favorite foods completely. To do so would be to go insane. I made a promise to myself to designate a "cheat day" during the week. For me, it was Wednesdays. I would allow myself to eat some form of dessert (cake or pie) so that I didn't feel like I was being cut off completely. By doing this, it was so much easier on me because I looked forward to Wednesdays and I could see the end goal in sight.
Though I am still not where I would like to be, I am in a much better place than I was at the end of my senior year of high school. I still eat meat and dairy products every now and then, but I make sure to keep it to a minimum. I encourage everyone to begin exercising more and look into eating less foods that contain animal byproducts. Have a great rest of your Monday! Check back on Wednesday for Workout Wednesday!
--Laura