Busy...Busy...

Each day of my life is becoming busier than the previous. I am not even sure how this keeps happening to me. I need to figure out a way of organizing and managing my time better. There are so many things I want to do and so many things I am already doing most of the times I feel I am stretched and other times I feel I am not being productive enough..

Anyways on the workout front I am good.. luckily for me it has now become such an integral part of my life that I make time for my workouts. Healthy living is one aspect of my life that I have not comprised on even when I am very busy and even on days when I am very tired my food and workouts are still going as planned.

I start most of my days at the gym - My favorite workout - Legs

The one thing that really suffers the most is my blog. I am going to really start setting a schedule for my blog because I have so much to share and the only way I can do it is by keeping up with my blog.

This week was a long weekend plus we took two days off and also celebrated T's birthday :)

Getting ready for a night out with a few friends

Today I feel we should have taken more time off, even with a small break I have not been able to catch up with my to-do list. Anyways I promise I am going to get back to writing more often.

Brighton - part celebration for T's birthday

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Tanvee

I can also have fun

A lot of people assume just because I am very particular about my fitness and my food I don’t really have fun. I know a few people who are on their weight loss journey and get miserable at the thought of going out, they avoid meeting friends and family. Personally I don’t think that’s the right way, just because you are making healthier food choices or exercising regularly doesn’t mean you have to cut yourself from all the fun.

I go out for dinners, I love brunch on Sundays, I go out for movies and I also meet my friends over coffee many times. I have not reduced my social life I am having fun and still staying healthy

Here are a few things I do that help me

When I am hosting

If I am hosting I make sure my menu is interesting and healthy. My menu is always 90% healthy.  I might not eat bread but doesn’t mean my family or friends can’t have bread with their meal, that’s why 90% healthy. I will usually make two options for my dessert one which will be a healthier recipe (there are so many great recipes online) and the other is a regular option.  Over time I have noticed people usually always enjoy the healthier option more and most of them are pleasantly surprised. There are times when I make only the healthy option and nobody has complained nor have I had leftovers :)

The only issue is finding the correct recipes and making sure they are good. I don’t want to serve something that is only healthy I want to make sure people enjoy it too. These days I know the sites with good healthy recipes but initially when I had just started I would always experiment on T (that’s how I narrowed down a few sites that have perfect recipes for me)

When I am invited to a party

If I am invited to a party I have no control over the food that will be served but I have control over the choice I make when I get to the party and I am good at exercising that control.  

I eat only things I think are healthy, sometimes I might taste or take a small bite of the unhealthy stuff. If somebody is really forcing me to eat something I don’t want to I will usually smile and say ‘No thank you’ if that doesn’t work I will say ‘I will take it later’ and keep avoiding it.

The worst case scenario is when you lose control over what you eat. If I ever eat more than planned at a party depending on how much more I ate I balance it out in the following days. Usually I will add a few extra minutes to each of my workout for a week (I don’t compromise on my rest day) and I eat healthier than usual for one entire week.

Basically I either control my choices or I balance out my wrong choices with extra workouts

When I dine out

If I know where we are going in advance then I always check the menu and know what I am eating. If it’s a last minute decision I stick to chicken or salmon with different vegetables. I always look for baked or grilled options.

Drinks 

If I am going out for drinks I avoid cocktails, I usually alternate between a glass of wine and a glass of water. It’s good to be hydrated and I always plan an early morning workout the next day this keeps me on track. The next day I usually go for a long run and then for the entire week I add a few extra minutes to my workout.

 

Movies

If I can I carry chopped fruits otherwise I take a cup of coffee. Recently we went for an outdoor movie with a few friends. We had strawberries, apples, grapes, Olives, nuts, multiseed ryvita thins and flavored water I doubt anybody missed popcorn or nachos

I think I have covered most things I do when I am out socializing. Like the title says I can have lots of fun while choosing to live a healthier lifestyle I hope you can do the same

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Tanvee

Rushing through your workouts - Big NO!!!

I have noticed a few people rush through their floor exercises or their core training. I was one of them when I started. There are many reasons why we rush through our workouts two of my most common excuses for rushing through my exercises were No time and I wanted to do more repetitions.I focused more on the number but soon realized it was not really effective.
 

Here are a few reasons why you shouldn't be rushing through your exercises

You will lose form and could hurt yourself

When you do quick movements your focus shifts from the exercise form and you will injure yourself. For example if you rush through your crunches there is a possibility of you straining your neck or if you rush through your squats you could hurt your knee or your back and these injuries can stop you from working out for a long time...so it's not worth taking the risk

You don't really work your muscle
A lot of floor exercise need you to breathe properly and engage your muscles. If you rush through your exercise you do not give yourself enough time to complete the entire motion of the exercise (full range of the exercise). When you do your exercises quickly it's more like taking a short cut. Also a lot of core exercise focus on keeping muscles engaged through stability and balance but if you rush through these exercises it increases movement and reduces stability.

Over exertion (this is specially true when you are doing weight training)
If you don't give your muscles the appropriate rest time between sets you will get cramps in one of the later sets  or your pull your muscles because you will be straining your muscles. The correct amount of rest between sets is important otherwise each set will become less effective than the previous.

So what to do when your are doing floor/core/weight training
1. Focus on form not on number
2. Rest between sets (not too much rest. Too much rest is not very good either)
3. If you have less time do fewer exercises but make sure to do them properly (no short cuts)

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Tanvee

Running after a break

This year my running has not been as good as it was last year. Last year I was running at least 3 days a week, I had improved my distance and my stamina was constantly improving. This year I started doing other things. I joined new classes, lots of spinning, jumping exercises and I also started weight training in process I lost out on my usual running. I have been doing a few hill sprints but other than that no long distance runs. Somewhere at the back of my mind I was worried about my running stamina being affected but I also was hoping all my other workouts would cover up for the lost runs.

Anyways a few weeks back I decided to go for a run but I could not complete my run as planned. I got side stitches, my speed was not very good and I came back irritated. That’s when I decided I needed to include a few running sessions every week. It took me atleast 5 runs before I could get back to the point where I was last year. I needed a lot of patience because it did feel like a step back for me and it was very frustrating to stop at distance which I could pass comfortably a few months back. I was actually very disappointed with myself but being disappointed and crying about it doesn’t help I had to get up make a new plan that included running and get back out. Now I try to get in 3 running sessions every week.  

Early morning run /Empty streets

Does this happen to you? If you replace your run with a different cardio does your running get affected or am I the only one

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Tanvee