5 Things I’m Doing To Shape Up This Spring

I love Spring. Although we don’t technically have the season in Arizona, it’s still my favorite time of year. It’s an opportunity to clean, plant and refresh. Clean everything in the literal sense. Whip down all the nooks and crannies, wash everything you own and purge the overflowing closet. Plant in the literal and abstract sense. Plant flowers and gardens, replace the dead with the life. Plant new ideas in your mind. Fix your mind on a new goal or trim back the dead of the old ones and get back to them. Refresh in the abstract sense. Take time to appreciate the warm weather, shake off the winter cobwebs from the mind, body and soul. Get outside and soak up much needed vitamin D. Refresh your thoughts. Turn the negative into positive.  Spring is an opportunity for a clean slate and sets the tone for the rest of the year.

Today I’m sharing with you 5 things I’m doing to shape up this spring and if you like this, swing by next week to hear how other bloggers are getting their spring on!

Walk More

This one excites me most. Walking is my favorite outdoor activity and since I discovered my new love for hiking I’m hitting the trails more. Spring is the perfect time to get outdoors to walk, bike, hike and run and I intend to take full advantage of it. Now that I’m on the road to recovery, I plan to get out as much as I can before the triple digit heat and monsoon arrives. Walking was my first fitness love. I’ve been away from it 14 months and I really miss it. The peace, the serenity, the outdoor smell and even the dogs that chase me. I feel like a rat on treadmill and I actually think it’s harder on my legs than the pavement. My legs are used to the pavement. That’s where they want to be so that’s where they’ll go. 

Cut Back On Caffeine

I’ve always received my share of caffeine from drinking both coffee and green tea everyday. I got into the habit of drinking both when I was traveling weekly as a consultant and was under extreme pressure to always be “on.” The only way I survived was overdosing on caffeine. Coffee in the morning, green tea at lunch/afternoon. In recent months, I noticed I don’t need as much coffee to function. I also noticed I don’t like coffee anymore. I’ve been a coffee drinker my whole life, but now I take a few sips and I’m over it. I’m sure it’s my body’s way of telling me it doesn’t need it anymore. With less caffeine, I sleep better, feel less anxious and less hungry. For now, I’m giving up coffee and sticking to green tea and my usual apple cider vinegar concoction. Now that the days are getting longer and longer, I have the sun to keep me awake. 

Eat More Veggies

I love my veggies and I already eat many in my diet but I could always eat more. Sometimes I skimp on veggies when I eat too much of other foods->read overdosing on muffins. Since my focus is to drop 5-10 pounds and get back to my pre-injury fitness level, I need to sneak in more veggies wherever I can. I’ve been wanting to check out local famers markets and this will give me the perfect excuse to do it. Veggies are the secret weapon to weight loss and can help me drop those few pesky pounds not to mention they’re just so darn good for you.

Eat More Mindfully

I have a terrible habit of eating in front of the computer or phone. While Instagram is exciting, I end up racing through my meal or overeating. I never had this problem until I started blogging and it needs to stop. I’m always rushing through my meals. My eating has to slow down and I have to get better about making it non negotiable. My workouts are non-negotiable so why not my eating too? This one will be tough with all the demands on my time. 

Eat Less Nut Butter

This one truly pains me. I really love nut butter. I mean REALLY LOVE nut butter and I’m a NuttZo Ambassador. I’m sure you guys can relate to the deep passionate love affair I have with nut butter. At any one time, I have 2-3 jars in my pantry usually chocolate almond butter, cashew butter and regular almond butter. I use it for so many things breakfast, muffins, no bake bars, brownies, smoothies, snacking. The snacking part is the one that’s gotta go. The reality is nut butters are calorie dense. Two tablespoons will cost you 180-200 calories. That’s not much, but a spoonful here and a spoonful there can really add up. Instead of eating directly from the jar, I’m going back to my weight loss roots and pre-portioning spoonfuls on a plate until I get back to my ideal weight. 

Write Myself Affirmation Notes

Every week I plan to write down one thing I like about myself. I have a zillion awesome qualities and it’s time to remind myself of who I really am. Last year was h*ll for me. For months, my brain’s been in negative nelly quicksand. Even now as I’m on the path to recovery, I feel in the dumps starting over with fitness, re-training my body and strengthening imbalances. Everything hurts, everything’s tired. It’s physically and mentally hard. I’m not ashamed of feeling down. It’s normal considering everything I’ve been through.

Truthfully I know I will get to where I want to be. It’s not on my timeline though, but I need to be patient and keep at it. They say positive thinking helps you achieve what you want and I couldn’t agree more. I know a lot of the reason I was able to achieve my 80 pound weight loss was because I believed I could do it. I was confident in myself and had a positive attitude about it every step of the way. If you think it, it will happen. 

If you liked this, come back next week to hear how other bloggers are getting their spring on! I have an exciting roundup to share with you!

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 What are you doing to shape up this spring?

Lots of Health, Food & Love,

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About Megan

Megan is a certified nutrition practitioner, author, freelance food photographer and fitness instructor living in Phoenix, Arizona. On her blog, Skinny Fitalicious she shares EASY, gluten free recipes for weight loss. Follow Megan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.