Guest Post: How to Stay Healthy in Your Everyday Life

via Birdie

via Birdie

Today's post is full of knowledge on how to stay healthy and active in your daily life through exercise. The knowledge in this post is better than anything I could try to make up for you-keep reading to see why! Jennifer McGregor and her classmate are both pre-med students and created PublicHealthLibrary.org as part of a class project.  They enjoyed developing the website so much that they decided to keep it running and continue to develop it. They are hoping for the site to become a go-to health and wellness resource online. 

Make a Schedule and Stick to It
Busy work schedules and personal life make it difficult to exercise. The truth, however, is that it is easier to make excuses than it is to make a commitment to an exercise schedule. By making fitness a priority in your life, you will find that it is much easier to create a schedule for daily exercise and to stick to it. Sometimes simply penciling this into your regular schedule makes it become an automatic part of your day.

Become a Morning Person (#teammorning-AT)
Okay, so being a morning person may not fit into your current routine. In getting up earlier, committed to exercising, your morning workout will soon become part of your routine. You can get your workout off your to-do list first thing in the morning, and not have to worry about squeezing it in later in the day. People who exercise in the morning often say that it energizes them and enhances their mood. That’s a great trade-off for getting up earlier!

via barre3

via barre3

Get Paid to Exercise
Money is a great motivator. If you think that making a little extra cash while exercising sounds like a good idea, there are several options available. One option is to become a dog walker and/or pet sitter. Not only do you get the benefit of hanging out with some awesome dogs, but you get paid to exercise in a fun way. Other great ways to work exercise into your day while getting paid include becoming a mail carrier, guiding walking tours in your area, teaching fitness classes, becoming a ski instructor, or volunteering as a coach or referee.

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Put Down Your Phone
You may be surprised by just how much time you spend on social media, e-mail, or playing games on your phone. If you put down your phone and devote that down time to working out instead of vegging out, you will soon find that exercising can easily become part of your daily life. When you’re done, hop back onto social media and tell the world about your physical conquests!

Move Every Time You Have the Chance
It may not be as structured as thirty minutes on the treadmill, but moving every chance you get will help work physical activity into your day. For example, instead of sitting on the couch while you watch your favorite show, do some squats, pushups, or lunges while you watch. If you keep a jump rope or weights nearby, you may get even more motivated to be active in that down time. Other ways to get active during the day include running in place while cooking, doing squats while folding laundry, or doing pushups with your kids.

Practice High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a quick way to work exercise into your daily routine. When you choose an activity, put full effort into it for 10-20 seconds, and then follow with 40-50 seconds of recovery time. You’ll want to include a 5-10 minute warmup, followed by 10-15 rounds of the activity, and then 5-10 minute cool down. You’ll find that you are burning loads of calories in a short amount of time with HIIT.

Once you start to really look for the time in your day, you’ll find that there are several options for working exercise in. You don’t have to drive to the gym and take an hour-long class to get active and fit. Simply choose some of these suggestions, and you’ll find that exercise quickly becomes a normal part of your day.

Jennifer

Jennifer McGregor has wanted to be a doctor since she was little. Now, as a pre-med student, she’s well on her way to achieving that dream. She helped create PublicHealthLibrary.org with a friend as part of a class project. With it, she hopes to provide access to trustworthy health and medical resources. When Jennifer isn’t working on the site, you can usually find her hitting the books in the campus library or spending some downtime with her dog at the local park.

It is so important for me to stay active and healthy, especially as I translate back onto the working grind. I sit most hours of the day. Waking up early and getting in meaningful workouts (barre3, HITT or cardio) is super important to me. If I don't do it in the morning the chances are slim I'll be motivated to by the end of the day. I'm also on my phone/computer allllll day (life of a social media job), so taking those breaks to get up and stretch, focus on something else, and rest my eyes is more and more apparent. Thank you for your knowledge Jennifer and for contributing to Take A Bite!

Annie

Barre3 Complete

Last Sunday marked the last day of the Barre3 January challenge. I completed 21 in class studios, several 10-minute workouts and tried a handful of new recipes. Looking back on the past few weeks, I definitely gained a lot. I gained more strength (whats up 3 pounders, this is heavy in barre3 world) and gained a better mindset. A mindset that when you work toward a goal, it actually can happen.

There were also some weak times. The last week was probably the worst. I didn't feel as vibrant and inspired as I did the first few weeks. My body was hurting and tired, and even after taking a class my body still felt heavy and not "fresh" like I usually feel after a Barre3 class.

This week, now that the challenge is over, I feel great. I think stepping back and realizing what I did for myself, on the inside and outside, has made me really proud. Committing to the workout, the lifestyle, and the community really worked. I've always been a Barre3 cheerleader and I still am now. 

I loved the chance to take Barre3 while I was in Tulsa. Connecting with people you've never met over something you mutually love is so inspiring. 

I also loved getting to take classes with so many of my good friends, sister, mother, and fellow challengers.

I can't deny the recipes were the best part of the challenge. I loved the challenge to try the amazing recipes Barre3 has created. Not necessarily a hard challenge for me, but more so a good excuse to take time and cook amazing dishes instead of throwing all the random things from the fridge on a plate.  

Recipes included Chicken Tikka Masala, Pistachio Crusted Tilapia, Zesty Chicken Salad, Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry and Maple Pecan Crusted Salmon. My go-to green smoothie got thrown in here-and-there for an additional nourishing meal. 

A month of great exercise and great food. I plan to continue the pattern moving forward. In saying that I can't send you off without another great recipe, so so keep scrolling for Maple Pecan Crusted Salmon. It has this amazing peppery yet sweet crunchy topping. Also to note, Kathleen is not a salmon eater so I made hers with chicken and it was equally as delicious. I served it with tossed mixed greens, red onion, roasted sweet potatoes and diced green apples.

Maple Pecan Crusted Salmon
serves 3-4

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. salmon (about 5-6 oz filet per person)
olive oil, for brushing
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup pecan halves
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the last four ingredients (maple syrup, pecans, pepper and salt) until it combines to a smooth texture.

Place the salmon on a lined baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Press the pecan topping evenly over the top of each filet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with a salad or roasted vegetable and enjoy!

Thanks b3, it was a great month!

Annie

Barre3 Challenge

image via @barre3

image via @barre3

This year I am striving to challenge myself more. Challenge myself in the kitchen, challenge myself at work and challenge myself in everyday life. Working out is a part of my everyday life. It's something I do almost everyday and honestly really enjoy. I didn't always like to work out until I discovered Barre3. Barre3 changed the way I look at working out. I crave it instead of dread it. Barre3 is often described as a combination of ballet, pilates and yoga. It is built on the three pillars of exercise, connection and nourishment.

Yesterday marked the first day of the Barre3 January challenge. In efforts to challenge myself more in 2016, I jumped on the bandwagon. The challenge is to commit to four in-studio classes, one 10-minute online workout and try out a new Barre3 recipe each week for the whole month of January.

Challenge accepted! My sister/instructor/barre3 buddy and I are living out the challenge by cooking our Barre3 recipes together each week. Up first is b3's Chicken Tikka Masala! Stay tuned.

We would all be lying if we didn't tell ourselves we were going to eat better and work out more in 2016. The foundation of a healthy lifestyle is what you feed yourself. Since this is a food blog I have rounded up a list of my most nourishing and b3 approved recipes! You can find more on the Barre3 website if you are a member and by purchasing the app

Anyone other Barre3ers out there doing the challenge? Never heard of Barre3? I challenge you to read into and try it out. The mind body connection is something you don't get anywhere else. If you are in the Oklahoma City area, grab me and we can take a class together!

Annie

Outfits by the Hour

Thanksgiving is definitely all about the food, but as most girls do, I also think about what I'll be wearing for this very important holiday. Oldest sis Claire, her boyfriend, and I are running our first Turkey Trot. We are trying to start the day off on the right foot by squeezing in a little festive workout! This means layers of warm running clothes for a chilly early morning run. 
After changing out of my running gear it's time for the main event, the feast. Printed wool shorts, tights, booties and an oversized sweater are packed in my bag to take home for the holiday.  
Lastly, it's post-feast/pie and wine on the couch time. The mass amount of creamed corn, dressing and sweet potatoes that will be consumed means one thing, stretchy pants. I usually go for a sampler of all the pies we have so comfy clothes that allow room for a food baby are a must as the last outfit of the night. 
Turkey Trot: The North Face down vest/Nike thermal running tights/Nike Frees 4.0 running shoes
Feast: Zara turtleneck sweater/Zara printed shorts/Dolce Vita booties
Lounge: Zara hooded poncho/H&M jogging pants

Annie


We Can Work It Out

So Stevie Wonder is not the point of this post, but do I love his version of The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out." His song did give me inspiration for the title of this post because I've been humming it ever since I decided to post about this new line of workout clothes by Outdoor Voices.
I can't take the credit for finding this brand because oldest sis Claire is Miss New York and is always ahead of the curve. She sent Kathleen and I a link to their site and "subtly" hinted they might make good birthday or Christmas gifts for her (noted). The three of us usually like similar things, so I too, quickly fell in love with their stuff. 

Everything looks above and beyond comfy. I love all of the light grays and heather fabrics. I'll go ahead and use my outdoor voice to tell you how much I love this stuff. 

"we can work it out, we can work it oooouuuuttt!"
Annie