Let's blab -- I have tips to help you walk more!

How To Get In The Habit Of Walking More

I wear a Fitbit and I strive to make my daily goal but since I have a desk job it's a struggle on most days. I found these tips helpful and thought you would too.

Did you know we were designed to walk for miles and miles to hunt and gather our food? Yet, in modern society, we spend most of our time sitting down. That is not good for our bodies leading to a host of health problems. This is probably one of the most important reasons to make an effort to move around and go for a walk each day. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Most of us sit for our work as much as I try, I barely leave my desk I' m so busy some days. The after work there's homework, supper, baths and what ever else comes up that day. I really want to binge watch my favorite show until bed time. So I HAVE to exercise before I start supper or homework, once I'm on that couch I'm not moving.  A lot of girls who work at the office walk for lunch.

In other words, getting and staying in the habit of going for a walk each day can be a bit of a challenge. But that’s exactly what we need to do. We need to get in the habit of going for that walk just like we’re in the habit of brushing our teeth twice a day or taking out the trash on Tuesdays. Once it’s a well ingrained habit, it won’t be as much of a challenge to make sure we go for a walk each day.

• A great place to start is to find a walking route you enjoy. It helps to make it as easy as possible. Your favorite walk may offer beautiful vistas, but if it’s a 30 minute drive there and back, you’ll be less likely to do it every single day. Instead, save that walk for the weekends and come up with something convenient and pleasant for your everyday walking routine. If you can, find a route in your own neighborhood so you can leave right from your front door. Just lace up your shoes and start walking. I'll admit my neighborhood is not the most scenic route but I have to walk around the block or I'd never leave. 
• Taking the same route every day helps form that habit. It’s also encouraging to notice that you can walk the same loop faster or with less effort over time. It proves that you're making a difference and are getting stronger and increasingly fitter.
• Listening to your favorite music, podcast or audio books is also helpful. It will make the time go by faster and give you something else to look forward to. You can even use your favorite media as a way to bribe yourself to go for your daily walk. Let’s say you have a couple of podcasts you enjoy. Save them for your walks and only let yourself listen to them while you’re walking. It’s a great incentive to get out there even on days when you’re not feeling it. -- this was great for me at the gym. I would watch Entourage and actually look forward to going. That was the only place I could catch up on my episodes! 
• Last but not least consider walking with other people. Find a walking group in your area, or talk a friend or neighbor into becoming your walking buddy. Not only is it more fun to walk when you have someone to talk to, it also has some built in accountability. It’s much easier to skip a walking workout when you know that other people are waiting for you and relying on you to join them. So as much as I think this is a great tip, it has never worked out for me. My husband constantly flakes on me. But it worked well for my sister she would meet her coworkers for months to walk. 

Give these tips a try and see if they help you make walking a daily habit and an integral part of your health, your fitness, and your life.

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Weight loss tips I had to learn the hard way

When I was in my early twenties I decided it was time to lose weight so what I did was a little Tabo and instead of a Whopper I ordered a Whopper Jr combo and guess what I lost a TON of weight. I looked better than I had in my life. But then then life took over, I got married , got a full time job, and had five children.

For some reason when I had children and a husband for a split second i thought it really didn't matter what i looked like as long as my family was happy. Not to mention I LOVE to eat and had little or no time to exercise. So I gained a little weight and that was fine for a few years until I a little turned into a LOT of weight. Then i started to be unhappy with myself.  When mom's unhappy everybody in the house is unhappy, right?

So I decided it was time to do something about it. So I wanted to share  a few tips I learned a long the way. I know you will hear a million tips and probably a lot of the same things but these really worked for me.

1:     First of all there is NO such thing as I don't have time to exercise. That's right I said it... I don't have time is really just an excuse not to get up and do it.  I know you are sitting there thinking that I have no idea what your hectic life if like but I do, I have a blog, a full time job and five kids remember?

And I PROMISE you can make 10 minutes for yourself here and there.  It's a proven fact 30 minutes a day of exercise is really good for you. Not only physically but mentally  as well.  But what you were probably never told is you don't have to do all 30 minutes at one time. I know, I know it's been said if you raise your heart rate for 30 minutes straight. But trust me I have lost weight two separate times and I've done my workouts in 5 or 10 minute intervals. I just made sure to do at least 30 minutes a day. Trust me once you start and see how easy it is to fit in your schedule, you'll more likely do more than 30 minutes.

2:     You don't need to go to a gym to lose weight. You really don't!!! Do you have the internet? My guess is yes if you are reading this post. YouTube has the most amazing selection of workouts, short or long depending on what you are looking for.   The good thing is YouTube is available 24 hours a day and sometimes you can watch it on your TV so you can workout in the room you want.

With YouTube workouts you can work the part of the body that needs the most attention or you can work out your entire body. Some of my favorite YouTube workout come from Tiffany Rothe and PopSugar Fitness but there million out there so look for the ones that work for you.  All available with the click of a button, in your home, in your PJs if you want! Now I will say a gym helps get a different workout but it's not a necessity.

3:   One that really used to get me is you have to diet. I'm here to tell that is NOT true. You do have to watch what you eat. But you don't have to deprive yourself of anything. Do you have a Smartphone or computer? Download My Fitness Pal or go to the website and it will count calories for you!

Now that does mean you have to do some sacrificing on you part. I LOVE to eat and I love chocolate, cookies, and every other junk food you can think of just like the next person. But once I started reading calories it made me very aware of what I was putting in my mouth.  Once you are more aware of what you are putting in your mouth, it makes you less likely to do mindless snacking.  That brings me to the next thing I learned.

4:    If you want a brownie, eat a brownie but don't eat the pan or 1/2 the pan. No judgement, I love them too!  But don't stop yourself from having that little treat. Let yourself have one cheat day where you are more laxed on the calorie counting. I try not to go crazy but sometimes I just can't help myself.

But if you don't feel deprived you won't want to cheat. That makes sense right? I mean logically can you live your entire life and never eat junk again? I know I can't that is why most diets don't work. I'm not a squirrel so I can't live off of lettuce, no matter how much I like it

5:   Drink MORE water. Yeah I got tired of hearing this too. I couldn't bring myself to drink a lot of bland water. But I had to because water really has so many benefits. So I started icing it and then I was drinking more and I felt much better.

Better yet, treat yourself to a water infusion bottle. That will make it so easy to drink water. You will drink more water than you ever thought and it will taste great.

and last but most important

6:  Cut yourself some slack!!   Okay so you cheated, you went over on your calories or you didn't feel like working out today. That's OKAY start over again tomorrow.  Nobody is perfect and that one day is not going to mess up all the work you did before. If it's hard to get started, that's okay too just keep trying. 

The weights not coming off fast enough? It never does. Guess what happened to me? I GAINED weight first. Yes imagine my surprise. 

Just know Once you figure out what works for you, you will be so happy you took that time for yourself! 

If you are trying to loose weight ~~~ Good luck!! It's not an easy road but you can do it.  

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy!

Amber