My Daily Routine

Daily routines...we all have them...or should I say..."we all have one." I've had a few people ask me what I have changed about my routine in the last couple months...

Well here's the secret...

I stopped eating crap. All my life, I firmly believed in the statement "you can eat whatever you want as long as you work out."

YEAH...NO. That's a lie. I busted my arse at the gym and ate, basically, whatever I wanted. I didn't even eat a lot, just ate the wrong things. Which caught up to me. Now, this doesn't happen to everyone (lucky ducks!)...but even if you're not putting on weight and eating these things, it's still not beneficial in any way to you internally.

I never realized how awful things like crackers, cheese, a diet soda here and there, and certain "fast foods" really were...I mean, I have somewhat of an idea, but I figured, in moderation, I could let myself have these foods.

A friend of mine showed me an app that I could put on my phone to scan barcodes of foods/drinks to see their ratings. If they're healthy or not with a grading scale of A–F. Some things you think are healthy really don't have a good grade. Just don't scan mint Oreos...consider yourself warned!
It's called Fooducate:

http://www.fooducate.com/

So with that, here's my (average) daily routine...

*The night before: pack my herbal tea (in my shaker), pack healthy snacks: veggies, string cheese, whole wheat crackers, Greek yogurt *with dry ranch packet of course*, ect.

Prep is a huge thing for anyone looking to better their eating habits. I have a few friends that have a full day of prep on Sundays for their food for the week. Smart. Doesn't seem like my forte, yet. The night before will do for me thus far.

1. Up at 6am/shower/get ready
2. Make a protein shake (Herbalife) these range from 220–300 calories and 10–15g of protein
3. Usually I have my herbal tea with the shake (Russian tea) *see attached recipe* IT'S DELICIOUS! This basically helps burn cals & gives one energy. *The NRG and Original tea are Herbalife brand* 

Also, this recipe makes a batch. So leave it in a container (dry) and then add a tsp./8oz of water when you want a drink!

4. Work!
5. Small snack at 10ish...Wheat Thins, string cheese, peach mango drink mix from Herbalife, or veggies
6. Lunch at 12/1pm...This is probably my "worst" meal of the day. This usually ranges from pasta, a sandwich, grilled chicken breast, or a salad. My "carb load" of the day.
7. Snack again at 2/3pm—varies from the list above.
8. Hit the gym at 5–7pm. I have cardio drill on Mondays, a group lifting class and Heat (high intensity cardio) on Tuesdays, maybe my own work out, otherwise an "off" day on Wednesdays, and group lifting and kickboxing on Thursdays. Friday–Sunday usually depends on what my plans are for the weekend.
*Each of the classes above includes an ab workout...so that's where those go!
9. Shower & shake time around 6:30–7:30pm {by this time, I am tired and will be full after my shake!} Again, drinking the herbal tea with my shake.
10. An early (ish) bed time! This is more important that one would think...get plenty of sleep!

I have felt really good the last few weeks on this plan. There are still some things I need to cut out of my diet and unhealthy habits. But I am starting to see results, so I can't complain.

When it comes to the gym, I really think that incorporating some form of weights is very important. Even if it's abs with a medicine ball, body squats with light (dumbbells) weights, or even using bands that the gym should supply for resistance. Weights aren't really for me, but 2.5–10lbs added to a certain workout is really beneficial.

Yummy tea!

There's my "two sense"/ daily routine.

I have really come a long ways as far as control. With my parents owning a bar, I have access to every fried food and pizza you could imagine. Before I have to work, I go to the grocery store and pick up some fruit (apples, watermelon, strawberries), my own chicken breast, string cheese, or lettuce for a salad. This is very helpful when I suddenly have the urge to eat. Then I stay away from the fried foods! (Although, they are delicious...and don't get me wrong...my mouth waters at the sight of them.) But I have taught myself how to say "no."

I had a great weekend, I hope you did too! Hopefully the week will fly by since it's already Tuesday!