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One of the things that we are all trying to do is find a way to live a balanced lifestyle. Between getting enough sleep, spending enough time with your loved ones, finding some alone time and exercising and eating right we are all trying to find a way to do it all! I struggle with this a lot and since one of my goals for this year was to run the dirty dash I really need to get on the ball. One of the ways that I am getting ready for this is by making healthier choices with what I eat (hello Lean Cuisine) and trying to be more active in my day to day life. This is an ongoing goal and I am happy to say that a few years ago, after changing the way I eat and how I think about exercise, I have managed to lose and keep off 80 pounds! These are a few things I’ve learned along the way.
Drip coffee won’t kill you. I promise. It’s true. In fact, with the right coffee creamer, drip coffee will save your life. I mean think about how many calories are in a vanilla latte. A grande vanilla latte has 250 calories in it and 35 grams of sugar! 2 Tablespoons of CoffeeMate’s Sugar Free French Vanilla Creamer only has 30 calories and no sugar. Granted I probably use a weeeee bit more than two tablespoons, but who’s really counting. This one seems like a no brainer and a delicious one at that! We buy this stuff by the half gallon and I won’t drink drip coffee without it!
Fast food isn’t the only “fast” food. One of my biggest weaknesses when I was younger was the ease and convenience of fast food. Back then I also weighed 240 pounds. When I quit eating fast food I had to figure out what to eat instead. I fell in love with the lean cuisine meals. There are like 100 varieties and they are all so good. For breakfast I can easily grab a Turkey Sausage English Muffin and eat it while I drive the kids to school. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it’s the one that keeps me from getting hangry before lunch! For lunch I really love the Lean Cuisine Creamy Balsamic Chicken Wraps (because everything is better in a tortilla) and the Three Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Pretzels. Sometimes for dinner I’ll even make their Macaroni and Cheese or Sesame Chicken and use them as part of my meal. I love that they are quick and easy and on those busy days they are great to have around!
Exercise doesn’t have to suck. Did you know that by actually doing all those annoying household chores you can burn some calories?! You can wash windows for 14 minutes (45 calories), vacuum for 10 minutes (37 calories), and wash dishes for 7 minutes (19 calories) and burn 100 calories! Or how about those little people who call you mom? You can burn 100 calories running around with them for 19 minutes or by carrying a small child for 31 minutes! So put away the phones, tablets, computers and remotes and go do something!
Treats are not optional. If you spend your whole day everyday trying not to eat chocolate you are going to end up eating half a chocolate cake by yourself. If you allow yourself some guilty pleasures every once in a while you are going to be way more likely to resist all those over indulgences! I really love the Skinny Cow Divine Candy. They have two different flavors: caramel and peanut butter. They are so ridiculously good, that I only need to eat one serving to get my chocolate craving satisfied. Best part is the whole package is only 130 calories! I keep them in my car for those emergency moments!
I found all of these products at my local Walmart, which meant that not only was I making healthier choices I was also saving money! If you are still a little skeptical about the awesomeness of the Lean Cuisine meals they are ready to put their money where their mouth is! They are offering a Money Back Guarantee*! You can try any 10 LEAN CUISINE® entrees from Walmart for ten days and if you don’t believe you feel great after 10 days, they will refund the cost of your 10 days of entrees, up to $25.00. So what do you have to lose?
*LEAN CUISINE Feel Great Money Back Guarantee (“MBG”) available to residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C. only and only valid at Walmart. One MBG per household/address. Cash register receipt(s) and UPC codes required; no copies accepted. Register receipt(s) must be dated no later than 2/15/14, nor be postmarked later than 2/28/14. MBG covers Walmart price of 10 LEAN CUISINE entrées and any tax thereon; postage required to mail in MBG request not included. Official MBG Form (required), and full terms can be found at Walmart.com/nestle. Offer ends 2/15/14.
I love your 4 ways to stay healthy!!! They are all so true!!! I’m working on them now! #client
Thank you so much! I am a big fan of breaking things down to make them easier! Sometimes things get easier if you just take it one step at a time!
This is great! I really love all of these tips except I don’t know what drip coffee is. Expect me to google the crap out of it after I finish writing this comment.
Anyway, what I REALLY wanted to ask is your opinion on wraps/baby carriers/baby slings/etc. I really, really hate infant car seats. I plan on using mine for as short a time as possible, if at all, with baby #3. I like the idea (in theory) of having a wrap/carrier/sling to put baby in straight from car to me (whether we’re going in the grocery store or somewhere else).
What do you think?! I’d definitely love to hear some advice/opinions.
Hi Amanda! so drip coffee is just coffee you make at home in a coffee pot rather than an espresso like from starbucks! I have a lot of opinions about baby wearing!! I have done it differently for all three of my kids and so I have definitely figured out what works best for me in my life! When my littlest was a newborn-3 months I wore her in a Moby wrap . Once she got a little bigger and squirmier (3 months to about 1 year) I used an Ergo carrier. Most all of my friends are baby wearers and so I know that the Boba Carrier is also amazing. We also had a hard structured Kelty backpack from the older two that I would use when I wanted something with more storage/carrying ability, but it was definitely not one I carried around in my car for everyday use! My littlest is 2 now and I still carry her more than half the time in the Ergo. I love how easy it is to put on and get her in. It doesn’t hurt my back at all like the hard structured backpack did and she almost prefers it to walking or riding in the shopping cart. I know that they are a chunk of change, but you can often find them at children’s consignment stores, facebook swap/shop sites or even craigslist. I totally think it’s worth the investment as I’ve been using mine for 2 years and don’t have any plans to stop.
Something I learned after my my older two were completely done being carried is that the traditional carriers you see where the baby is facing forward are actually really bad for the baby’s hips. I totally used that kind (a Bjorn specifically) for the older two and they managed to survive 😉 but my littlest was born with hip dysplasia so I got a whole education on proper baby wearing.
Thank you! Thank you! (Yes I’m late, I know). I’ll definitely be keeping this in mind for my baby registry!