Post Thanksgiving Food Coma

   Hey Everyone! I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I had a great time with my family and ate a lot of good food. Too much, in fact! Which is why I am writing this post. 

I think this picture says it all! Haha. I've been feeling really bloated and uncomfortable from over-indulging since Turkey Day, and I am now on a mission to get back to my routine and feeling better. My work outs have been consistent and good the only thing that is lacking right now has been my nutrition! Which is a pretty crucial thing when it comes to overall well-being.

 I really love pie. Like alot.... So much so, that post-thanksgiving,  I had it for breakfast, and then again for dessert that night! Now even though it was fun indulging... I'm now experiencing the consequences, not just in how I look but in how I feel too. Because it really is a two-sided thing. I think sugar cravings will always be a struggle for me. I told my husband that I honestly would be happy just eating desserts for Thanksgiving! But I need to get out of this slump and back into my groove and into a healthy, happy, positive place. 

So for the next few weeks, until Christmas, I am going to do my best to nourish my mind and body in a healthy and positive way. I think this time of year, our bodies will naturally become depressed...and because of this we may tend to over eat or eat for emotional reasons. I wish I wasn't an emotional eater but I am...and I am always curious to learn the habits of people who are not! So here are some habits I am going to be adopting for these next few weeks:

1. embrace personal responsibility instead of blaming other people or factors.

2. patience... stop feeling the need for instant gratification.

3. consistency instead of 'only when Im motivated' to do something.

4. diligence and a desire to understand what I am doing, and why.

5. self-awareness.

6. self-love and positive thinking.

I always feel better writing things out. I feel like now that I've put it all out there, it's more real. That because I took the time to type this out, my brain will remember it and my body will too. This healthy living and weight loss stuff is as hard or as easy as I choose to make it. And I think....no, I know that I have been overcomplicating things in my life lately. I want to be the happiest, healthiest "best-est" (haha) me, and I feel this way when I am healthy...inside and out. Xoxo,

Brittany Marie Powell

****And By The Way****

 I thought it'd be a fun to get together a Christmas nutrition and fitness motivation group! The holidays are especially tough to stay on track, so I want to invite anyone who could use a little boost in finding balance for a healthier lifestyle. It's totally free to join, and it will be held here on Facebook. Let's help lift eachother up and give ourselves the gift of health for Christmas! :-)

facebook.com/brittanymariepowell

#mimm

Happy Marvelous Monday my Lovely Readers!

   Today was a "Cinderella Day", as one of my friends would say. Which really means I just did domestic wifely duties. Which consisted of laundry, dishes and making jam. I made some appricot pineapple jam, and I also made some Chia seed jam with it. I can't wait to try it out tomorrow.
   For today's workout I ran 3 miles and did Body Beast Bulk Back. I like the back workout because it is only 28 minutes long 8-). Both my husband and I needed a quick workout this evening because our son was getting pretty fussy. My post workout snack was something new to me. I had egg whites topped with a horseradish mustard and salt&vinegar almonds, it was delish!

  I also had to take Grayson to his 2 year check up today. He is 35 inches tall and 26 pounds. The Nurse and Doctor both thought he was a very well behaved toddler and that he was pretty tall! I am happy to see that he is developing good. 

   It was my Mom's Birthday today. Times like this make me really miss my family. They live in Upstate New York, while I live in Utah. I wish I could have been with her today to celebrate. She had a Marvelous Monday birthday celebration, which included a massage and hot yoga. Whenever I visit we do hot yoga together, it is for sure a good workout, HOT and challenging. She is considering doing Piyo and shakeology. I think that she would really enjoy both, seeing as how she is busy with her job, and on-the-go a lot. Plus Piyo seems like it would be right up her alley. 

   My quote for the day is: "Prepare for the BEST." I think often I naturally prepare for things to go for the worst. I am trying to be more of an optimist. 

   Well I am going to get ready for bed, I am hoping to wake up early and run. I REALLY want to get in the habit of doing that again. I am NOT a morning person unfortunately. But I am striving to change that. What do you early morning exercises do to motivate yourselves not to hit the snooze button in the morning?

  I've been lusting after this Alex&Ani bracelet. I just love the message behind it and feel that it really pertains to my weight loss journey and to my running training.
  I also REALLY want a wonder woman shirt. How cute is this one?!

Xoxo,
   Brittany Marie Powell

Sunday Funday.... Or not ;-)

I CUT MY HAIR!!! It's gone, #shorthairclub now. 

   This weekend has been crazy with two sick boys on my hands (Grant and Grayson). It's hard being a mom sometimes. I'm tired haha. But I wanted to talk about a long time pipe dream of mine...

   I've always wanted to do a healthy meal delivery service. It'd be a lot of work but I always think of how great it would have been for me, and even sometimes now to just have meals/snacks ready! And HEALTHY. I think it takes so much of the stress out of dieting, especially when you're first starting. It's hard to have 5-6 small meals a day, and track your calories and make sure you're hitting your macro goals. I want to help myself and others do this! I think shakeology has helped me a lot because that's one meal I don't have to think about and really helps energize me. 

   My game plan for this week and the next for weeks really is to give myself a sort of mock trial with this. I want to start cooking and preparing creations. Freezing them and seeing how they hold up. I just have so many ideas, and I really want to help others with nutrition. I want to take the guessing and stress out of it. I want to show others that it doesn't have to suck, and that it really can be easy and fun! Some of my meals/snacks this week are going to be:

Vanilla shakeology waffles 

Quinoa with a twist

Protein cheesecake

Homemade protein bars

Salmon burgers

Broccoli

Stir fry

Crockpot chicken

I'll be sure to post what I make each day this week (if it turns out good) ;-) I'm also BEYOND excited for bright night event this week!!!! I really can't wait I need a Me party day haha.

Xoxo, 

   Brittany