Caution: Habit Forming

A lot of firsts all at once…

Today was the first day of my second semester of freshman year in college. It was also the first day of LISS training for Kayla Itsine’s Bikini Body Guide and the first day I realized how exciting sticking to a plan is.

There were some seconds too. Today was the second day of my clean eating streak and the second day of the BBG as a whole.

Essentially, there’s a lot happening all  at once…

But besides that I feel really good about it all! I’m proud that I haven’t broken my clean eating streak, even if it’s only been two days (progress is progress). I’m also proud that I am really sticking to the Bikini Body Guide and really doing it justice. I think that acknowledging any bit of progress is important to staying motivated on any self-improvement journey. But I also know that along the way it may be hard to find my motivation, hidden in the back of my mind clutching to some Goldfish and Netflix. However, I’ve come to realize that these first few weeks of my journey are going to be extremely crucial in how the rest of it will go. I personally am trying to form these healthy habits early so that in later weeks I won’t even question healthy decisions, I’ll just do them. So below I’ve listed some of my favorite “Habit Helper’s”, as I’ve so cleverly titled them, and hope that they can help you form some healthy one’s of your own.

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Habit Helpers:

1. Make a To-Do List

☞ This one helps me a ton. I make a list the night before each day of no more than 10 tasks I want to complete. No more than 10 so that it doesn’t become overwhelming. They don’t have to be big, just simple things you want to complete. I always include a workout and/or stretching and yoga. This makes me feel motivated to check everything off the list and complete a workout during my day ✔

2. Keep a Food Diary

☞ I used to be super reluctant (lazy) when it came to this one. I thought it was super boring to write down everything I ate in a day and I would always forget to include absolutely everything. So I made a new system for myself. If you find journaling all of your food boring, instead just do an all over reflection at the end of the day! I keep a journal of all my To-Do lists with the page next to it saved for that days food reflection. I just write a small amount about how I felt about today’s food choices and how I’m feeling about it at the end of the day. The key is to be honest with yourself and not fib about any cheat meals. 

3. Make a Weekly Schedule

☞ Prior to starting the Bikini Body Guide I sat down and looked at my class schedule/planner and created a weekly workout schedule that fit around or between everything I know I’m going to be doing weekly. Having this schedule gives me no excuse and no reason to think I don’t have time for a workout. This has already helped me stay motivated to complete Week 1. This schedule helps me feel on top of  my fitness and helps me keep track of the days I’m working out and how many rest days I’m taking. ☼

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So there you have it! My favorite habit forming guides. These little tools can help make sticking to your plans much easier. However, when it comes down to it, it’s all about perseverance and determination ➸

Bye for now,

Maddie ૐ

Pssssssst… I posted Week 1’s progress pics for BBG. Scary, but what the hell. Lemme know if you’re joining the challenge and we can struggle together ☺♡

The Waiting Game

Being stuck in a rut can feel like a waiting game…

Waiting to go to the gym till tomorrow because you’re so busy today. Waiting to make yourself that healthy breakfast on the weekdays because you just don’t have time in the morning for anything more than coffee and a cereal bar. Waiting, waiting and more waiting.

However, as a fellow rut resider currently, I have found some great tips to inspire yourself to slip on those bright nikes, shimmy into some leggings and get yourself to the gym. I’ve also come to find some great tips when it comes to diet ruts. Hopefully these personal suggestions can help anyone else experiencing rut-like symptoms and quit the waiting game! ⊛

So lets start with getting your butt to the gym. I’m a habit kind of gal. I like doing chores/tasks best when it’s just a habit and I don’t really have to think about it. However, even though a gym habit can be great, being a zombie once you get there isn’t going to help anyone. I’ve discovered that ruts usually occur when I don’t switch up my gym routine, try a fun class every once in a while or ask a gym buddy to push me while we’re there. Unconsciously making your way through the maze of treadmills and dumbbells without a second thought is only going to leave you frustrated that you’re not seeing the results you want.

So tip number 1. Switch up your gym routine in a challenging and fun way! It will keep your body guessing and keep you from being bored at the gym.

Second tip to help you make your way to the gym is to buy/wear some cute workout clothes and set them out the night before! When I wake up in the morning I usually barely roll out of bed before I realize I have to pee like crazy. That doesn’t make it sound like my day is going to be very productive, let alone make it to the gym. BUT, usually before I go to sleep I’ll lay out a nicely coordinated gym outfit that I feel great in. This inevitable gym reminder in the morning makes it one of the first thoughts I have and makes me excited to go and wear some comfy athletic wear (even though that’s 90% of what I wear anyways). This is a super easy way to put the gym in your mind early in the day and ensure that you follow through on those thoughts!

Tip 2. Layout a gym outfit you love the night before and make sure you see it in the morning! This will help you think of the gym early and give you motivation to get there.

Third tip for ultimate gym motivation? Goal setting. Nothing serious or long term, just weekly. I have found that setting three main goals at the beginning of every week helps me focus my time and be more productive. To achieve those goals I will write three mini goals a day, in a journal or just on my phone, to help me achieve those goals by the end of the week. This doesn’t necessarily have to just be about getting to the gym but it’s a great way to not lose track of exercising if you’ve got a busy schedule. I usually make one of my larger goals fitness related for the week and then at least one fitness oriented mini goal a day in order to achieve my larger one. This helps me focus on what I really want to achieve for my exercise each week and help me to feel like I am making progress! It’s also a great way to track your progress ☺. Just simply write these goals down each week and check in with yourself on Wednesdays to see how it’s going. Then reflect on what you did well and could’ve improved on for Friday’s.

Tip 3. Write down three larger weekly goals, one being fitness oriented. Make three small goals a day you want to complete to help you achieve your larger ones. Check in with yourself on Wednesdays and reflect on Fridays ☺.

Okay now onto those pesky diet ruts we all seem to find ourselves in from time to time. Here are some tips I have found helpful as I have crawled my way out of the occasional rut.

First diet tip to get you out of a potential fast-food-for-every-dinner-kind-of-rut, is to start your day off right, (with breakfast of course). Eating a healthy and balanced breakfast makes me feel motivated to continue the healthy train all throughout my day. If I’m ever craving an unhealthy snack or meal I think of how I started my day and it makes me feel motivated to continue my streak. If you know me, you’ll know I can be pretty competitive, so it almost becomes a game for me! Nothing psycho, like seeing how many kale smoothies you can down before 11am or adding 10 extra scoops of protein powder to your coffee *just to see if you can take it*. No, nothing like that. Just healthy friendly competition with yourself to maintain a healthy streak throughout your day after you’ve started it off right.

Tip number 1. Start your day with a healthy and motivating breakfast to keep you eating healthy all day long! (recipe for such a breakfast below ☺ ).

The second diet tip is to stay inspired. Boredom = senseless snacking and lazy meals. One way to avoid this is to always be tuned into new recipes and cooking hacks. The internet is a great spot for these. I’ll list some of my favorite food inspirations below! I often find myself searching through my kitchen cabinet bored and hungry. This is a dangerous period of time where some heavy duty snacking can occur. But, if I have a healthy recipe in mind I want to try, I’m motivated to put my skills to the test and try something fun! Staying inspired by healthy and fit recipes is easy if you have an Instagram or Youtube account. Just find some people who seem to be infinitely better humans than you and obviously have copious amounts of time on their hands to have such a put together life and follow all the beautiful creations they make! Stay tuned till the end to see some of my favorite beautiful humans ☆.

Tip 2. Have a source of healthy recipes you have easy access to. This will help you stay inspired and motivated to cook nourishing meals for yourself and not get sucked into the TV dinner lifestyle.

My last tip seems quite simple but a lot of people, including myself, seem to struggle with it. Simply put, if there is NO unhealthy/gross food in your house you will NOT eat it. Wait, what. It’s that easy? Apparently so. By not having these foods around you can’t satisfy those pesky cravings throughout your day. It seems so obvious and simple until you walk into Target and the Oreo’s are on 2 for 1 and the sour cream and onion Lay’s are on a price cut. To resist these infinite grocery shopping cravings I make a list of all the food I actually need and then personally commit to it. Make a little contract with yourself that you will stick to this list and not cave when you stare into the eyes of Spongebob on the outside of the Kraft Mac and Cheese box. It’s hard, I know. The shapes mac and cheese always tastes better but know that they won’t feel better 20 minutes later. Not saying you can’t indulge every once in a while, but know that every time you stop into your grocery store you shouldn’t be exiting with the sweets aisle in hand. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Tip 3. If the unhealthy food isn’t in the house, you won’t have to option to fulfill those late night cravings. Make a list and stick to it when grocery shopping! Sticking to a healthy lifestyle will be much easier if you’re not tempting yourself at every turn ✿.

So these are some of the my personal tips I have found along the way to help motivate myself and get my butt in gear. I hope they can do the same for you! ✌ ♥

Below is one of my favorite new breakfast recipes:

▽ Stir Fry Egg Scramble △

Ingredients:

1. 2 eggs (add more if you’d like)

2. 1/2 Pepper chopped (I use red)

3. 1 whole carrot chopped thinly

4. 1/2 cup of spinach minced

5. 1 tablespoon (or more if you want…) of Hoisin or Sriracha sauce

Directions:

Start by chopping and mincing all of your vegetables first. They take longer to prepare and cook than the eggs so do this first! Then grab your nonstick pan and some grape seed oil. Pour a tiny amount of the oil onto the pan and let that heat on a medium setting. Then crack however many eggs you choose into the pan and quickly dump your veggies on top. Grab a spatula and scramble those bad boys until fully cooked. Feel free to add some pepper but try to avoid salt (to keep the sodium intake low). Dump your sauce of choice into the pan, lower the heat and mix until satisfied.

Voila! A quick, healthy and delicious scramble for breakfast ☼ (To make it even quicker, prepare your veggies the night before! Then all you need to do is dump them in the pan ☺).

And now some of my favorite inspiring people who I hope bring you lots of inspo too ❁

Instagram:

@kayla_itsines      @wayofgray      @ellefitactive      @elle_fit      @yoga_girl

Youtube:

KymNonStop      LoveHealthFitness      FitnessBlender      Sarah Fit

Until next time,

Maddie ☮

And So it Begins…

So here it is… The very first post on this blog. I’m almost in disbelief that I am writing this. But anyhow, I guess I should give a little background as to why I’m making this blog!

So I’ll start with the title. My Fit Hit is supposed to my “hit” or kick in the butt to really take health and fitness seriously. I like to consider myself a pretty healthy person overall, however even with this in mind I’ve never been totally happy with my appearance. I’m one of those people who will go to the gym 5-6 days a week for an hour plus and be frustrated after a few months of hard work with little to no results. In doing some research I’ve found that I have been in a massive plateau for quite some time. Also from research, I have found that one of the reasons I have plateaued in my fitness is diet. DIET. Such a hated word. But it can be the biggest reason people are not seeing the results they want from their workouts, myself included. So I’ve started this blog to help hold myself accountable for eating healthy and maintaining a healthy and positive mindset throughout. Because honestly… I have the biggest sweet tooth and hate anything revolving around restricting food intake, BUT diet is super important to gain and maintain a healthy and toned body and I hope this blog will help me maintain a healthy lifestyle.

So now that the title is explained I’ll give a bit of background about myself. So I have been active my entire life. I played basketball and did dance as a kid and well into my teens. However, after high school ended I wasn’t in any organized physical activities and was responsible for my own fitness. I started off great! Took my diet seriously, went to the gym regularly and eventually saw some serious improvements. I also took up a serious love for yoga. I’ve been practicing regularly for almost a year now and absolutely love it. However, after about 6-7 months into this routine I began to take my diet for granted and somewhat fell off the clean eating train. I didn’t totally lose track but that combined with a plateau in exercising created a ginormous rut. Currently I am 18 years old, a freshman in college and am still residing in this rut. Again, I’m hoping this blog will help me crawl my way out and help me avoid plateauing in the future!

Now onto some of the boring stats. Just so I can keep track of all this accurately and give anyone reading this some context I’m going to post my height and weight. My weight has always been a touchy subject for me. I never knew what a healthy weight for someone of my body type was and although it hasn’t been the freshman 15, the freshman 10 has certainly happened. Initially I freaked out. The words “fat”, “overweight”, and “out of control” all ran through my head. Pretty harsh words for 10 pounds. But nonetheless, I still felt that way until I came upon Kayla Itsine’s Bikini Body Guide. If you haven’t heard of Kayla, make sure to check out her instagram @kayla_itsines for some awesome workout tips and inspiration. She’s an Australian personal trainer who has created a couple of extensive eguides that you can purchase on her website. I personally purchased her first Bikini Body Guide alone. I didn’t purchase her eating plan because I know how to eat healthy, it’s just the motivation that I lack occasionally. Anyways, I came across her instagram and guides and was totally inspired. It’s hard not to be when looking at all the amazing transformations on her insta account. So I’ve decided to blog and keep track of my progress using this guide.

So here are the stats:

Height: 5 feet 9 inches

Weight: 137.6 lbs

Now I’m not necessarily trying to lose weight here. I know that this is a healthy weight and that I feel healthy at it. The issue I have is that going from 130 to fluctuating between 137-140 pounds has caused me to lose definition all around my body and feel overall less toned. Being a few inches above average height makes weight gain a little less obvious on me to other people. However, I notice it a lot in the way I feel and look and in the end your opinion about yourself is all that really matters. But that is why I have taken such an interest in Kayla’s guide! It seems to be extremely successful in helping girls tone up their bodies and get themselves on the right track. That happens to be exactly what I’m hoping to do.

So to sum it all up, I’d guess I’d have to use one word: faith. As cheesy as it sounds I’m going to need a lot of faith in myself, my abilities, Kayla’s program and faith in the journey to get where I want to be. A healthy and fit lifestyle isn’t a destination but more of a constant work in progress. I’m hoping that this blog will help me along this journey and help me appreciate all the bumps along the way.

Bye for now, 

Maddie ॐ