Are You Complicating Your Health & Fitness?

It's funny how we Americans love to complicate anything and EVERYTHING.  Even when it comes to our health, we complicate it. We have to try the latest fad diet or the trending workout craze, join the fancy gym, or buy expensive equipment.

Guess what. You DON'T have to join a fancy gym or hire a nutritionist to get yourself healthy! Say what???!

The truth of the matter is, we already have everything we need to live a healthy life. It really doesn’t have to be that complicated. We were made to be active and to eat healthy food. Food is fuel so there’s no reason to stop eating it.

I’m not a doctor or even a nutritionist so I’m not going to give you any medical advice. {If you do need medical advice please see your doctor.} What I can give you is advice from a wife, mom of 3 kids, normal, real life person that is not blessed with a speedy metabolism that allows you to eat candy bars all day and do 5 sit-ups before bed to get a flat stomach. It takes work. It takes discipline. It takes trial and error.

First things first. What you put in, is what you get out. If you're feeding yourself junk, you're going to feel like junk. Now, I know you all know this already but you're just gonna have to make the decision to STOP EATING CRAP. I know. It's SO HARD! Believe me, I know. I had one too many Cadbury Eggs last week and now I'm paying for it :(

Food is not the devil. Your body was created to EAT GOOD FOOD! Food = fuel. Bad food = bad fuel. No food = no fuel. Get it?

If you start feeding yourself food that God has made and not all that processed crap, you're taking a HUGE step in the right direction. Drink TONS of water. NO SODA! See, you already know this. Nothing new here.

Make yourself a priority. Set aside time to go for a walk, run, lift some weights, anything you can do to get your heart pumping and your muscles working. Don't just do cardio. Cardio is good for your heart and you NEED cardio. But, strength work is going to build lean muscle and burn fat. So please, please, please do BOTH!

If you have the time and the money to get a gym membership, then by all means, get one. They're great and help keep you accountable especially if you have a friend going with you. But seriously. If it's going to put a strain on your budget or your schedule, do something else!

I go on walks with my husband and/or kids quite often. To get my strength in, I've bought some weights, kettle bells, and resistance bands. Since I'm not good at making up my own routine I use videos. I LOVE having Amazon Prime because there are tons of free streaming workout videos.

My favorite right now is Jillian Michaels : Shred it With Weight. I use a 10 lb Kettlebell with it and it's pretty brutal! And below are some other things I love!

Here are my top 8 products that I use to keep me healthy without paying for a gym membership or trainer.

Reduce WaterWeek BPA Free Bottles. - I love these because they're small and easy to hold or throw in my purse. There's one for each member of my family.

Jillian Michaels Shred-It With Weights - I'm loving this workout right now. There are 2 on the DVD {or Amazon Prime}. I'm still on the beginner one and it's only 28 minutes. ANYONE can get in 28 minutes right?

New Balance Backpack Running Shoes - Ok. So I don't own these yet. But they're on my wish list because I HATE my shoes that I have right now :(

Luna Bars {Caramel Nut Brownie is my fave} - I keep these on hand for when I'm in a hurry and need a snack. Better to give yourself some protein so you can help build muscle instead of starving and then making a bad decision like McDonald's French Fries when you're out an about.

90 Degree by Reflex Capri - Seriously, ladies! Get these! My sister-in-law got these for me for Christmas this year and I. LOVE. THEM! I've never been one to splurge on workout wear but these are amazing. The hold everything together if you know what I mean. Like, for reals. I can wear them in public and not worry about my "dimples" and they even have a little pocket in the top panel that is big enough for my iPhone and keys.

Resistance Bands - I don't know that there are any special brands but these are great and come with a door anchor.

Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydrowhey - This is my go-to protein powder. It was recommended by my friend who is a trainer. It's pricey but worth it. The reason being, it is a highly hydrolized whey protein isolate. That means all of the junk you don't need has been taken out. I mix the chocolate with water and we keep a vanilla on hand to mix with coffee for iced coffees. Tasty and doesn't make my stomach hurt. Win-win!

Kettlebells - The actual set I have is no longer available but I've done a little research and these seem to be good. You want to get iron ones because some of the reviews on others is that they are too bulky because they're made with concrete.

With all this being said, my health is not perfect. It's a journey and it will last until the day I die. In fact. At this moment I could probably drop 20 pounds. YIKES!  The only way to win is with discipline. So let's cheer each other on and lift each other up on this path to good health.

If you're ready to simplify your entire life, be sure to check out The Simplicity Project here.