Monday funday | I CAN DO IT!

You know what are the most used words in every one's life: "I can't do it" without even trying. It's just one of the lame excuses and you already know what I think about them.

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Life challenges you on daily basis, you get new opportunities, you set yourself a new goal ... And most of the time you don't want to take a risk and you just say "I can't do it", "I'll leave that to someone else" ... The opportunity didn't just come there for no reason, you attracted it in life. So, grab it. Without even trying you don't know how successful you can be. Maybe you'll surprise people around you, maybe you'll even pleasently surprise yourself. Nothing will happen if you don't go out and do it.

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So take a risk, just jump in to the water and start swimming, believe in yourself. Later, if you don't like the road you're walking, you can start paving another one. You're the only person complicating your life right now, it's actually all really simple. Your mission for this week is to change words "I can't do it" into "I'll do my best" or even better "I can do it". Because when you truly believe in yourself, nothing can stop you. :)

Have a lovely Monday and blessed week!

Saturday Fitness Tip: Excuses #3

Here we are again ... Talking about excuses ;) This is the last post about excuses, so make sure you check out part 1 and part 2, they are all connected :)

One more time - everything starts and ends with you :)

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7. Food keeps my stress levels down.
That's emotional eating and this topic deserves a post on its own. You need to substitute you self-destroying habit with something that will be good for your body. You can even just paint your nails, get a massage, meditate, draw, go for a walk ... everything that will calm your mind. Keep in mind that food is expensive "anti-depressive", there are many other healthy ways to keep your stress levels down. And I also think that your stress was caused by certain bad food in the first place.

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8. Someone forced me to eat that. People think that living healthy is lame and I want to be cool.
I still get strange looks when I say no to ice cream, if I order salad instead of pizza, if I say I workout every day, because I don't drink alcohol, coffee or because I order tea on a hot summer day ... If there is one thing I've learned living a healthy lifestyle is that people should mind their own business. I do it for myself, for my health and my well being.
Let me tell you something even better - living healthy is above average! Average people get wasted, eat crap and don't take care of their body. But you know the value of your health and take care of it. Yes, it is a challenge to live in world full of negativism, but you don't have to be a part of it. You eat for yourself and no one else. You're more awesome than you think! People who don't appreciate whatever you do, want to bring you down, are not really people you should hang out with anyways. So, don't worry about what others think, always do you! And I want to be like that old lady when I'm 90 ;).

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9. There's no such thing as organic food, because everything in the world is already poisoned.
And then you buy big corporation foods, which factories actually are poisoning our environment. So you are giving them money to continue to do so. Ironic, isn't it? Be part of solution, not a problem!
Maybe food is not as clean as it should be, but organic food is free from pesticides, chemicals, hormones and antibiotics, in that way is better than non-organic food. Best thing is to have your own garden, so you're 100% sure it's organic and you can also calm your mind with gardening :).
On the other hand, I personally rarely buy organic. Why? Because person's health is not measured by how a certain food was processed. You can still buy organic sugar, but it's still just sugar - empty calories and our body doesn't need it in the first place. Non-organic banana is still better than a chocolate bar. Non-organic almonds are still better than fries ... You get the picture. If you can get affordable organic vegetables and fruit, good for you, but you won't die from eating non-organic veg and fruits, just make sure you wash them really well. Here is a good article "Is organic food healthier than non-organic": click.


To sum up excuses, I would like to say that excuses are just another way of saying that your dog ate your homework :). If you want a change really bad, no person, no excuse, no ego will stand in your way. Also, making excuses is just creating negative energy, always try to be a part of solution not a problem!


I hope you enjoyed excuses series, I enjoyed writing them, even though they were quite time consuming. If you have any more excuses and solutions, please share them in a comment, maybe I'll write a similar post in the future.

If you have any other ideas what should I talk about in my Saturday Fitness posts, don't hesitate to write your suggestions in a comment, through Twitter, Facebook or e-mail me ;)

Hope you're having a happy Healthy Saturday! I love you ;)

Saturday Fitness Tip: Excuses #2

And here we are again. Making excuses and I argument them and I give you a "solution".  :)) Let's just start.

Make sure you read first part of excuses HERE.



Once again - everything starts and ends with you. It's time to shut your Ego up ;)

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4. The saddest thing to me is that people are selfish. For example, they get sick eventually (from bad food) and family has to take care for him/her. I've watched a show (I don't remember how it was called) where extremely obese people were losing weight and one contestant said: "I don't want to die from food. I don't want to be remembered as the one who has died from food." People live to eat and don't see any other (much more) meaningful purpose in life. Which leads me to excuse ... If I live healthy, I have no reason to live. All I have to say is, that how ungrateful that person is. Do you have family, friends, supportive followers (if you're a blogger/youtuber etc.), people who love you? Do you have bed to sleep in? Do you have home? Do you have a phone, computer, TV ...? Are you loved? I see soooo many things to be grateful for, many things you have to live for. People forget to enjoy in little things and are searching for body pleasures (food is one of them, because it's tasty). Maybe it's nice to eat chocolate cake, but to me going out in to the nature is much more enjoyable and relaxing. To me living just for food is an empty life. Yes, food is tasty and I love eating, but I feel so much better if I nourish my body just when I am hungry. I know I don't need any more than that. I am more productive, because I don't feel full and tired after a meal, I am more happy and my life is more fulfilled, because I know how to make every moment precious.

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5. Eating healthy tastes bad.
If we would be taught from an early age to eat healthy, simple, one-ingredient foods, we wouldn't crave junk food at all, because we wouldn't know the taste of it. We are just spoiling our taste buds (and raising our blood sugar few times a day). I think that the best way to fix that problem is to clear out your taste buds. I already covered that in Saturday Fitness Tip post few weeks ago: Beginner? No problem! Check it out HERE. And this also goes for previous excuse as well.
Also, try to find fun and tasty recipes, try to experiment in the kitchen, make cooking and preparing your food fun ... Most people who say that healthy food tastes bad are the ones who haven't even tried to live healthy. Try it out, it won't kill you! You can always ask a friend who eats healthy (hint: me ;)) to give you some recipes or recommendations and to motivate you ...

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6. I'll start tomorrow.
Ah, that never coming "tomorrow". You don't need tomorrow, Monday, new year, three months before summer ... to start changing things, you can start right away, because all you need is you and you only. The sooner you start the closer to your goal. Every day counts and you can choose to give yourself a "gift" today and decide to be healthy. Today. I said TODAY! :)
You start with the next meal and get a workout done ;), I am off to prepare myself an afternoon snack and go out ;).


I think that next time I'll cover last post of excuses, unless I get many more of them or I get über inspired to do more of them :D. So, if you have any, please share them in your comment, also, if you have solutions for all three excuses I covered today, please share your brains with us :).

Happy healthy Saturday!

Saturday Fitness Tip: Excuses #1

I asked on my Twitter and Facebook to give me the most pathetic excuses why people can't or don't live healthy. I wrote them all down in my note book and try to argument and give a solution for all of them. Well, that was much harder than I though it would be. I kinda got pissed off at some excuses and some were so me :D
This week I give you first round of excuses and solutions, let's just start.

Well, if you want a change - everything starts and ends with you really. Keep that in mind.

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1. I have no time. / I am so busy.


Have no time? Become more organized. Try to stick to daily plan, make sure there's a workout in there and arrange other appointments around that time. I do HIITs (high intensity interval trainings) and they take me all together with warm up, cool down and shower around half an hour to 45 minutes. It's the best to do your workout in the morning, so you don't have to think about it for the rest of your day. If you travel or are on the go, prepare your healthy meals for the day: salads, fruits, nuts ... are your best friends. But organization needs post on its own :).
Another thing: DON'T SAY YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME. YOU HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME NUMBER OF HOURS PER DAY THAT WERE GIVEN TO HELEN KELLER, PASTEUR, MICHELANGELO, MOTHER THERESA, DA VINCI, THOMAS JEFFERSON AND EINSTEIN. And look what they accomplished!!
Don't have time? You're online, my dear! If you have time for Facebook, than you have time to workout. I rest my case ;)

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2. I have no money. / Living healthy is so expensive. / I won't have money to buy cigarettes if I buy healthy food.

Money issue makes me sad. Yes, we don't have countless amount but people are usually never in doubt when they give money for a car or clothes. We take better care of our car than our body. But this car will go away one day, you'll buy another one, your body will stay. Some goes for a shirt you're wearing right now. Same goes for cosmetics, shoes, TV, mobile phone ... See where I'm going here? We give more money towards material things, but we so easily forget about ourselves. I guess it's easier to "show off" in front of other people and be respected by them because of your material power than to be healthy. So, if you really want to make a change with the money you receive now, you'll have to make sacrifices somewhere. I'd rather stop paying for cable TV, stop buying magazines, quit smoking ... I'd rather invest that money towards my health.
If you don't have a lot of money, you are actually in a benefit. You won't be able to overeat, because you have to budget your food, you won't be able to splurge in grocery store or you won't be distracted by watching TV and you'll move more etc. Everyone deserves to be healthy, everyone deserves to be lean and to be fit. 
Money, too, could be another whole post, maybe next time ;)

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3. I don't even get fat so why would I even eat healthy? 

This goes for naturally skinny people, who can't gain weight easily. But can you genuinely say that you feel healthy and good in your body? Do you get ill easily? I think last time I was ill was about a year ago, after that I had some days when I didn't feel my best, but I knew what kind of food I need to provide to my body to cure that problem. I even cured my allergies and I was a really ill child. Even my hips don't hurt me as much anymore ... With healthy lifestyle I try to prevent diseases and injuries ... I think that eating healthy is more than you being skinny, more than being fit. When you provide good food to your body your mind gets calmer, focused, you feel more connected ... When you exercise on daily basis, your functional strength gets better, your body gets tighter, you like what you see in the mirror. No skinny person has a guarantee s/he will be that way whole life. No one has a guarantee s/he won't have a diabetes, clogged veins, heart attack ...
I think that skinny people who eat (excuse my French) crap can't gain weight because they don't provide nutritional foods to their bodies. Calories don't equal nutrients. Junk food is empty calories anyways.
Living healthy is not just skin deep, but it's about being healthy, happy and feeling good.


I think it was enough for today.

Please, share any other arguments on certain excuses. If you have any other fun and pathetic excuses, don't hesitate to write them down ;)

Hope you're having a healthy happy Saturday so far!

Saturday Fitness Tip: Beginner? No problem!

I am bringing Saturday Fitness Posts back! Who's excited? ;)

I asked you on Twitter if you have any ideas what should I cover in my next post and @Rbeautythoughts asked me to do "tips for beginners". Well, it's your lucky day, because I'll cover that today :). Let's just start ...

So, what can you do when you're a total beginner in healthy lifestyle and don't know where to start?

 

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1. Start doing baby steps.
Make small changes in your everyday meals or fitness. For example: first week: start including fruit and vegetables in every meal, start moving, second week: eliminate sugary drinks, drink more water, third week: eat 4-6 times per day, fourth week: substitute white flour with whole wheat or try to eat gluten free, fifth week ... You get the picture, you can adopt this to your own needs and you know your body best, so you're your own best nutritionist or fitness trainer. Just don't let your ego win ;)

2. Clear out your taste buds.
We tend to spoil our taste buds. Pizza, for example, is very tasteful and flavourful dish, that's why we don't find simple, one-ingredient foods exciting anymore. The more you're used to man made food, the more you crave it, the less you like real food. I suggest you try to eat fruit and vegetables as much as you can during the day. Don't limit yourself, try everything at anytime. This will help you clear out your taste buds, after some time you'll find them tasty again as your taste buds will get used to them.

3. Cook for yourself.
When I started with 90 day separate diet for the first time, I started cooking for myself, because no one in family ate the way I did and no one actually supported me at the beginning. Since then I've been cooking for myself even though I still live at my mum's. They got used to it, I like preparing my own food - that's the only way I know what I put in my body.

 

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4. Do not keep junk in your kitchen.
If you don't have it at home, you won't be able to eat it, will you? Don't go grocery shopping with an empty stomach, keep your food shopping simple - buy fresh (preferably organic) fruit and veg, beans, chickpeas, lean chicken, turkey, tofu, eggs, (dairy, almond, soy) milk ... One ingredient food, no man-made packaged foods. Simple as that.

5. Do not diet!
Even though I started my weight loss journey with a diet and learnt a lot from it, I don't recommend it to anyone. Why? Because diets are for certain period of time and you're forced to start eating completely different in just over the night. Once it's over, you'll be more likely to go on your old unhealthy lifestyle. There's no finish line in Fitness and Health. It should be life long journey ... so return to the first point - baby steps and clearing out your taste buds will do the trick ;)

6. Read food labels.
I keep repeating that and I know it may be annoying, but let me tell you: it is NOT time consuming, because when you see a long list of ingredients, put it back on the shelf. Don't waste your time reading ingredients that are unfamiliar in the first place.

7. Keep a food journal.
This is not just for beginners, but it can help you to be organized with your meals and is an effective way you know when, how much and how many times a day you eat. It can help you even with any health problems - maybe you'll discover if you have any food allergies etc.

 

If you cheat, you only cheat yourself.

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8. Take before and after pictures.
When you'll see results, it will keep you going, you'll be more motivated, you'll continue with exercising. Also, take measurements or you could even weight yourself. I wrote about how to know you've progressed here.

9. Educate yourself.
Read health blogs, magazines, fitness sites, like them on Facebook ... (or just read my blog :P) It's good to be educated about food you're putting in your body, maybe you'll stop eating certain food this way or maybe it motivated you to start moving.

10. No excuses!
I think I'll cover excuses in next Saturday Fitness post, but in short words: If you want something so badly (fit body, health, look and feel better ...) no excuse/person will stand in your way. You're creator of your own life, every detail of it and you deserve only best.

 

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11. Think positive!
Yes, you can do it, yes, you are worthy, yes, you are beautiful the way you are at any weight, but you'll feel better if you take care of your body - and your body will thank you! And keep in mind - we are all amateurs at the begining, no one can know everything overnight.


I hope this helps to some of you! I really enjoyed writing this post! :)
If you have any other tips and ideas ofr complete beginners, please share them in a comment!

P.S.: If you have any ideas/recommendations for Saturday fitness posts, please share them in a comment section ;)