If you follow me on Instagram (@besidebeth), you've probably noticed that my posts have been trending towards working out and eating healthy. Hopefully you're not sick of me already because I'll be continuing with those types of posts as I follow my journey towards losing weight and getting healthier. You might be asking yourself, "Didn't she just do one of those programs a few months ago? What ever happened to that one?" And yes, it's true. I have started and stopped a number of different programs in the past. Like most people, weight loss has been a challenge for me for a long time. So of course I've tried everything I can do to make it work. What's different this time around is that I'm also starting to work on becoming a happier, healthier person on the inside. I'm working on personal development every day in hopes that I can get one step closer each day to being happy, healthy, and confident. It's not going to happen overnight, but I am going to stick to it and try my very best to share my experience along the way. My plan is to use this blog as a way to share healthy recipes, weight loss tips & tricks, and lots of personal development ideas. I'll be continuing on with my Something For Yourself series so that you can learn something new about how to take care of your own wellbeing, whether that be spiritual, physical, or any other way you take care of yourself. So now that you've heard about my plan, I'll share a healthy recipe with you that I just tried for the first time. I was skeptical about making a recipe with brown rice because I've never liked it in the past, but amazingly I loved this recipe. I don't know if it's the type of rice I bought (which was Safeway brand long grain brown rice) or if it was the other ingredients, but whatever it was, I loved it! No surprise, I found this recipe on Pinterest, just like most of the other recipes I make, but it's originally from a site called Skinny Ms. Check out their site for the original post. Mexican Rice Ingredients:
Directions In a large skillet or sauce pan add oil, turn to medium-low heat and saute onion until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute one additional minute. Add remaining ingredients, cover, reduce heat and simmer on low for approximately 45 minutes or until rice has soaked up the liquid and is tender. NOTE: The time it takes to cook the rice will depend on the brand. Some brands take 35 minutes, while others take up to an hour. We prefer Uncle Ben's Long Grain Rice because it is tender in approximately 35-45 minutes. Remove from heat, leave covered and allow to set 10 minutes before serving. I hope you make this recipe and tell me if you like it in the comments!
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It's amazing how quickly things can change, isn't it? Sometimes it almost happens without us even realizing a change has occurred. And other times the change is so significant that you can't remember what life felt like before it happened. I've definitely experienced my fair share of change, especially in the last year. In December the company I had been at for almost six years announced that they had been acquired and we would be moving over to a competitor. It was completely unexpected and at first a little scary, but in the long run it has turned out to be a good change. Now I love the company I work for and appreciate how much they invest in each employee's growth and development, much more so than my last company. I feel like I've also changed my mind a lot in the past year. One day I'm completely certain I know what I want to do with my life and then the next moment I'm questioning everything and letting go of something that recently felt so certain. The biggest thing I can think of is my decision to move to California. Once I decided that's what I wanted to do, I was hard set on making it happen. I even flew to San Diego with a friend and went apartment hunting! Now, I realize that moving to California was my attempt at making change happen in my life for the wrong reason. I was trying to change the outside of my life instead of looking inward and changing on the inside. Ultimately, I would still love to move to California sometime in the future, but I just don't think now is the right time for me to make that change. I guess that's a lesson you have to learn the hard way; figuring out that something you think you want isn't the right thing at that moment. So although I am not pursuing a move to California anytime soon, I am working on some other changes that I think will really make me a better, happier person. Self-improvement has been on my mind a lot lately and is actually one of the main reasons why I started the Something for Yourself series. I had been spending a lot of time working on improving myself and wanted to share what I had learned. I would like to let you follow along as I continue on my journey towards being a happier, healthier person. So, stay tuned for more Something for Yourself posts and a bunch of other content I've got in the works for you. And now, let's get into the main purpose of this post. We've already talked about setting a morning routine and a night routine for yourself, but we haven't focused on a daytime routine. This is something that may seem obvious and somewhat unnecessary, but since creating my own daytime routine I have felt much more focused and centered. It's nice to feel like you have a set plan for the day, especially when you work from home like I do and need some extra structure to your day. Here's the routine I set for myself a few weeks ago, including my morning and night routine: 7:00am
7:30am
9:00am
12:30pm
1:00pm
5:30pm
7:00pm
9:00pm
It may seem silly to put some things on the list, like putting on pajamas or actually sleeping, but for me it's just nice to see everything laid out and to have placeholder for each part of my day. There are some things on my list that I've intentionally included in order to spend time on them and not forget about doing them. Some of these are things like writing in my gratitude journal, bible study, or eating without watching TV. These are things that I used to only do if and when I remembered to do them, so now I've got a nice reminder to make sure I make them a priority in my day. So that was a look at what my daily routine looks like. Again, you may not need to write down certain things that you're already going to remember to do each day, but it might be a nice place to start by just writing down everything you do and then adding in those bonus items that you sometimes forget to do.
I hope this was helpful. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions on easy ways to structure your day. Last week I talked about creating a relaxing morning ritual for yourself to get your day started off on a nice note. Today I will talk about ending your day with a "me" night that will let you relax before bedtime. Here are some ideas for your "me" night:
Here are some YouTube videos that have other ideas on how to have your "me" night: These are just some of the ideas you can add into your night routine for a "me" night. You can mix and match whichever ones you like and keep switching up your choices until you've created a routine that works for you. Let me know in the comments if there is anything else you like to do on your "me" nights.
This week I'm going to talk about starting your day off right by establishing a morning routine for yourself. Each person is different, so there's not one perfect morning that will work for everyone. What I would suggest doing is writing down two or three things you can do each morning so that you can start your day on the right foot and set the tone for the rest of the day. Here are some ideas on things you can do:
And here are a few YouTube videos that have some other ideas for you: Hopefully after a week or two of following your routine you will feel like mornings are a time to get centered for the day instead of feeling like you're starting off the day by being frazzled. Let me know in the comments below which of the ideas you have incorporated into your morning routine.
Meditation is one of the most recommended forms of relaxation and stress reduction. It is easy to learn and only takes a few minutes a day, so even if you are new at it you can still enjoy the benefits right away. I have been meditating on and off for a few years now. As one doctor explained to me, meditation is a chance to do nothing for a few minutes of your day. While meditating you are free from worries and concerns that typically stress you out. Here is a great article by Daily Makeover on how to get started with meditation. Either follow the instructions listed in the article or try it on your own. There are plenty of ways to get started with meditation and different formats work differently for each person. The way I started meditating is by finding meditation podcasts on iTunes and doing guided meditation. This made it easier for me because I needed to hear a voice that would guide me along the meditation. For me, sitting in a quiet room is a perfect recipe to let my mind wander and start to overthink things, which is the exact opposite of what you're trying to achieve. One of my favorite podcasts is called Meditation Oasis. There are also apps you can put on your phone that can guide you through meditation. Here's a link to a previous article I wrote about the meditation apps I use and why I like them. Some of them include visualization to help you relax, which is another form of stress relief I like to use. Visualization is also great in helping you achieve your goals, similar to what we discussed last week with vision boards. However you decide to bring meditation into your life, remember that it takes time and practice to quiet your mind and relax your body. The more you do it the better the benefits you will see in your life. I am always looking for new meditation podcasts and apps, so if you have any favorites please share them in the comments below.
Next week I will talk about establishing a morning routine that will allow you to get your day started off on a positive note. Every Monday I plan on posting some motivational quotes that have to do with a specific theme. This week's quotes all have to do with fitness. It seemed like a fitting topic since I am spending so much time and effort on getting in shape and becoming healthier.
These are some of the quotes that have given me the most inspiration over the last couple of months as I've gone on this journey. I like the one above because it reminds me that my body is a gift to be cherished. I need to take care of it in a loving way instead of feeling like I'm working against something that I have hatred towards. Loving your body the way it is will allow you to love and accept yourself, which I think is the first step towards any journey. Keep reading and I'll explain below what the rest of the quotes mean to me and how they can hopefully help you as well. I have recently been trying to focus on relaxation and meditation to alleviate stress in my life. It turns out there are many apps out there that can help with guided meditations or sounds to play while relaxing. Here's a snapshot from my phone of all the apps I've downloaded: I'll give you a quick description of each app and how I've come to use each of them: Calm: This app is free and very easy to use. You're given pre-set scenes with relaxing sounds that can be used with a timer. Sometimes I'll just open this up while I'm reading or doing stuff around the house to have some background noise. There is also a series of meditations and a program of guided meditations to follow. I haven't used these yet, but plan on trying them out soon. End Anxiety: As the name implies, this app can be used to alleviate anxiety. There is a pre-recorded meditation session that lasts for almost half an hour. I found it to be very effective to help me relax and clear my mind. The free version has limited options for the settings, but they can be configured if you pay $2.99 for the upgraded version. Headspace: In the free version of this app you are given 10 days of meditations. They are each 10 minutes long and are guided by the same person each time. The app also has some handy animations to explain some of the principles of meditation. This program would be great for a beginner who doesn't have much time. There is an option to subscribe to the service for more programs. I have gotten through 7 out of the 10 days, but I don't think I'd subscribe for other programs only because there are other free options available elsewhere. Relaxing: This app is similar to the Calm app in that it has pre-set recordings you can easily choose. It also has a timer function so you can set the sounds to stop after a certain amount of time. There are locked sounds that you have to pay for and I find it frustrating that it gives you the option to unlock the sound but doesn't tell you how much it costs. When I click the unlock option it prompts me for my iTunes password without giving me any indication of how much I'm about to spend. I'll just use the free sounds if I'm tired of the sounds offered by Calm. Relax M: I think this is my favorite app for sounds. It has a lot of options that you can layer together into your own personal mix. My favorite right now is a combination of Thunder, Rain on Roof, and Wind in Trees. I like it so much that I haven't tried any of the other sounds. There are other sounds that are locked. It says you can get a lifetime access of all 108 sounds for $9.99. Your other option is to choose either the 3 month subscription for $6.99 or the 1 month subscription for $4.99. Simply Being: This is the only app that I paid money for out of all the ones I've listed. It was recommended by one of my favorite YouTube channels, so I went ahead and bought it for either $1.99 or $2.99, I can't remember which. As soon as I heard the voice for the meditation I realized it was from Meditation Oasis, which is a podcast I've been using for meditation for the last couple of years. So if you want to save some money and not buy the app, just go to the Podcast app and subscribe to Meditation Oasis. They have plenty of meditations for different purposes, so I can't imagine that the app is much better. Sleep Pillow: I have had Sleep Pillow for a long time and had kind of forgotten about it until I got back into listening to relaxing sounds on my phone. It is easy to use and gives you the option to either use pre-mixed sounds or the option to create your own. Smiling Mind: At first I really liked this app because it has set meditation programs for you to follow and gives you badges as you complete the series. I also like that it tells you how many minutes you've spent meditating with the app and how many meditations you've completed. I started with Mindfulness 101 in the Adult section of the Programs menu and really liked it. Then I went to Mindfulness 102 and things started to get weird. One of their meditations is called "Where Did My Food Come From" and another is called "Mindful Eating". Maybe these are common meditations to some people, but it seemed weird that they were in the generic Adult section. I stopped following the program at that point and have yet to get back into it. I just looked ahead to Mindfulness 103 and it looks a little better. Maybe I'll keep trying it. Unwind HD: This is another sound app that I've had for a long time. I find it a bit clunky and not as user friendly as some of the other ones, but it is possible to create your own scenes and sound mixes. I've got mine set to Waves after playing around with the other options. I turn it on when I miss being on a cruise and want to remember how relaxing it is to listen to the waves outside my balcony. So those are all the apps I've found that I would recommend to anyone who is hoping to relax or meditate. I also just found Happify but have not had time to play with it very much, so I don't know if I would recommend it or not. If you have any apps you think I would like, please let me know in the comments below!
I've seen a few different posts on Pinterest for using Bento boxes for packing snacks or lunches, so I decided to get some containers and make my own version. I also put together a list of some different types of food you can combine together to make a well-rounded snack. My plan is to pick one item from each category to make sure you get a healthy combination: Fruit: Grapes Apple slices Mandarin orange Blueberries Watermelon Strawberries Cherries Cantaloupe Nectarine Peach Plum Kiwi Pineapple Boxed raisins Dried mango Apple chips Veggies: Cherry tomatoes Celery sticks with peanut butter Carrot sticks Sugar snap peas Sliced bell peppers Cucumber Broccoli florets Cauliflower Mini salad Edamame Protein: Hard boiled egg String cheese Jif peanut butter cup Hummus Rolled lunch meat Yogurt Laughing Cow cheese wedges Almonds Veggie dip Olives Cashews Pistachios Pumpkin seeds Roasted garbanzo beans And here are some of the ones I put together for myself: I have pre-packed enough snacks to last me the week, so now I can just grab and go without preparing anything. Let me know in the comments if you have any other healthy snack ideas!
Last week I made a goal of drinking at least 60 ounces of water a day. I did pretty well all week, until yesterday, when I only drank about half of that. My hope is to get back on track and hopefully increase to 70 ounces a day for this upcoming week. This week, my goal is fitness related. I will be completing 30 minutes of cardio three times a week. My plan is to do this cardio on the treadmill in intervals. Typically, I will warm up for five minutes and cool down for five minutes, with 20 minutes of intervals in between. I usually switch between 90 seconds of high-intensity and then 60 seconds of low-intensity, for a total of 8 intervals. By the time I've cooled down I am at a total of 30 minutes. My goal is to do this three times a week. I'll be traveling for work all day on Wednesday, so I've got to keep that in mind when scheduling my workouts. I'm aiming for Monday, Thursday, and Saturday…but we'll see what happens! So that's the goal for this week. I'll let you know how it goes next Sunday!
Like a lot of other people at this time of year, I have decided to make some goals related to my health. I wouldn't call this a resolution because they tend to get broken and this is more long-term. In the past it seems like I have usually taken an "all or nothing" approach to health, so this time I've decided to break my goals into smaller, more manageable pieces in order to slowly improve my health and well-being. The goals I have chosen include both nutrition and fitness, with a new goal every week so that I can work on one item at a time. My goal is to add to these goals every Sunday so that eventually I'll have a much healthier lifestyle. I'll be posting each goal on Sundays so that you can join me if you'd like. I believe they are things that will benefit my life and also almost anyone else's as well. Feel free to modify the goals to match your lifestyle. For the first week, I've decided to focus on something basic and obvious, which is to drink more water. I use a water bottle that fits 20 ounces at a time, so my goal is to drink at least 3 of these every day for a total of 60 ounces a day. Hopefully, I'll eventually work my way up to 80 or more ounces a day, but for the sake of starting out small I'm aiming for 60 to begin with. Next week I'll add something that is fitness related in addition to continuing to drink more water. The week after that I'll add something else nutrition related while continuing the first two goals, and so on. I'll be adding goals through the end of March, at which point I'll have a total of 13 goals that I'm working on. So that's my plan to get healthier in 2015! Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments section!
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AuthorMy name is Beth and I live in Denver. I am a single lady in my 30's and wanted to start sharing my awesome and amazing life through a blog. Categories
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