Maybe you know me as the delicious recipe creator, pumpkin-loving, graduate school girl who’s on her way to be a registered dietitian over here in the blog atmosphere…
Or the girl that challenges bouncers to push up contests…
More probable though, you remember me as THIS girl who made an appearance in Gigi’s Top 10 Fit Foods post and video…
Or our video of taste testing Whole Foods Frozen Meals that ended in this…
But honestly, the most likely situation is that you DON’T HAVE ANY CLUE who I am…
I won’t take it personally. You’re forgiven.
All that matters is that you know who I am NOW. Oh wait, I guess I better tell you then, huh?
I’m Sarah Grace, the lover of all things fresh, fit AND healthy. With the occasional {and by occasional I mean frequent} addition of any foods pumpkin, chocolate, coffee or wine flavored. Oh and I run this cool little bloggity blog, Instagram, and Youtube Channel along with coaching lots of fun peeps as a certified personal trainer! Not to mention I get to meet cool friends across the nation from me like this beauty…
ANYWAYS. With all my blabbing… You’re probably just wondering, where’s GiGi?!
Well in case you haven’t heard…she {& her NOW FIANCE} decided to take a selfish trip to Europe. I say “selfish” because she didn’t follow through about fitting me in her bag. RUDE.
But I, being the gracious soul that I am, offered to come make an appearance over here again to bring you another TOP list. Since you loved GiGi and my Fit Foods list… And her baseball hitting skills.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve come out of this holiday season a little more… Plump. Was I the only one that had a house full of heavenly chocolates and baked goods every corner I turned?! Not to mention, ice cream with it being 85 degrees in SouthWest Florida…
#SugarOverload.
Forget the Freshman 15, more like the #Holiday15.
Which is why I thought that sharing some tips you can be doing daily to have a fit and healthy 2016 would be of interest.
But I’ve taken enough of your precious time. Let’s just get to the…
Top 10 Daily Tips to have a Fit and Healthy 2016!
Prep Your Breakfast the Night Before
- All of us are on crazy schedules typically. If you wait until the morning of to make something, you are much more likely to skip breakfast just based on time constraints.
- I’ve got MANY healthy options over here. But I’ll also be including a GiGi-approved one below!
EAT Breakfast
- The diet mentality in this age tells you to skip breakfast to decrease your calorie intake. Don’t listen. When skipping breakfast, you just tend to overeat at other meals later in the day, which then only leads to feelings of guilt and failure (along with an unhappy, too-full stomach).
Keep Moving Outside of the Gym
- As someone who is typically good about working out, I thought I could consider myself having an “active lifestyle”. WRONG. As a graduate student, I’m sitting on my BUTT almost all hours of the day in class or studying OR blogging, except for my one hour at the gym.
- Sedentary job or a student like me? Take walk breaks.
- Going to the store? Park farthest away in the parking lot.
- Live on the top floor of your apartment like me? NEVER take the elevator.
Incorporate some of the fit foods GiGi and I mentioned in this post daily
- Sticking to the same ole’ foods every single day can lead to not getting certain minerals and vitamins in your diet.
- Try some of our favorites like salmon, nori seaweed snacks, pumpkin, greek yogurt, or winter squashes!
Meal Prep for the Week
- Along with prepping your breakfast the night before, try to meal prep some meal staples so that you don’t come home from a long day exhausted and just order takeout.
- Grilling a ton of chicken breasts, making a huge batch of turkey meatballs, cooking a huge squash or a few sweet potatoes at once, or making some snacks for your week (like these gigi-approved pumpkin protein donuts) can be a huge help in putting a meal together quickly and staying healthy throughout the week!
Set a Workout Goal of at least 4x/week
- There’s not much explanation needed with this one. To have a healthy new year, it’s important to have a constant exercise regimen in your day to day life, if you want to achieve it by boosting your energy, consider checking the new and Best male enhancement.
- Don’t have time to go to the gym? There are PLENTY of at-home workouts you can find on the web that only cost you about 20 minutes.
Be a Mindful Eater
- When eating, sit down and enjoy it.
- Eating mindlessly tends to lead to overeating, which then of course leads ultimately to weight gain in the end.
- Become an intuitive eater, listening to your body signals. Eat when you are hungry, and stop when you are full.
Fill your plate every meal with COLOR
- Try to get at much color on your plate as you can by adding colorful veggies, fruits, and even unique starches like purple sweet potatoes!
Separate Work and Home Life
- If you’re like me, you find it hard to STOP working when you come home, as there is always more to be done. Don’t allow work to cut into time spent with your family or friends. Keep your work mindset and life separate from your home life and mindset.
Set a Shut Down Time
- Going along with the above, it’s so hard to shut down at night and stop checking emails, responding to comments (if you’re a blogger), and other “work”.
- Make a time every night where you shut down your computer and phone, so that you can unwind, evaluate your day, and relax before going to bed!
I’ll get you started on completing this list by sharing the recipe to these delicious, make ahead brownie protein bars {GiGi-approved variation} for a quick breakfast on the go!
Sea Salt Brownie Protein Bars
- 4 scoops Chocolate Vegan Protein
- 2 tbsp Cacao Powder
- 4 tbsp Almond Butter
(Gigi-approved version, use coconut butter
)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Instant Coffee
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt + more for topping
- Sweetener as needed (I used 3 packets Stevia
)
- 1/2 cup Almond Milk
+ extra tablespoons as needed (use coconut milk
for GiGi-approved version)
*Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until everything comes together. Every protein brand will need a little different ratio of liquid, so start with ½ cup, and then add by the tablespoon until getting a dough like mixture that will come together and mold into bars. But be careful not to add too much liquid, you want a “bread dough” consistency versus a brownie batter consistency. Then, spray a bread loaf pan or small square pan with nonstick spray, and put the dough into it, pushing it dough and shaping it to get an even, bar-like thickness. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and then cut into 4 bars. Store in refrigerator until eating.
Hope you all have a wonderful 2016!
I’d love for you to come stop by, say hi, and let me know you’re coming over from GiGi’s blog!
- Blog: http://freshfitnhealthy.com
- IG: http://instagram.com/freshfitnhealthy
- YouTube: http://youtube.com/user/freshfitnhealthy
PS: GiGi will be back NEXT WEEK!
So Tell Us…
- Where on this earth is your favorite place to travel?
- What advice would you give to newly engaged GiGi?
- If you’re engaged/married… Recount when your man/woman asked you!
- How many of you are trying to re-start your life this year?
- What’s your ultimate goal for 2016?
- Would you rather own a mini giraffe or a white unicorn with a purple horn?