Just a few of my favorite things...

Healthy eating. Just those two words themselves can cause a person to have a mild panic attack. For some reason, healthy eating has become an impossible and dreaded task for most people. Why is this?! Most likely because everyone has their preconceived notions about what healthy eating HAS to be, and it seems like a rigid and unsatisfying way to eat. But, eating in a more healthy manner is all about exploration and finding things you enjoy eating that also serve your body well. Hate spinach? Then don't eat it! Find another green that is more enjoyable for you. It's all about YOU!

Through my quest to be a more healthy eater, I have incorporated a few new staples into my diet that I always keep on hand and are things that I actually want to eat. Let me share a few of them with you.

1. Chobani Greek Yogurt: There are SO many different flavors, and every single one is delicious! Not only will this yogurt satisfy a sweet tooth, but one 6 oz container packs around 14g of protein and around 140 calories (calorie amounts depend on flavor but do not vary greatly)! Protein helps build and maintain lean muscle mass and also helps to make you feel fuller for longer periods of time. Also, without getting into too much boring detail, protein has a very high thermic effect. This just basically means that you burn a high amount of calories (around 20-25% of the protein calories eaten) just to digest that protein. This yogurt is a great, healthy snack that also tastes delicious!

2. Low-fat Chocolate Milk: Okay, I guess I'm on a dairy product kick here. But chocolate milk is a definite staple in my diet! I mainly use chocolate milk as a post-workout drink. It is high in protein which helps build muscle that has been broken down during a workout session. It also provides a good amount of carbohydrates in order to refuel your glycogen stores after they have been depleted during your workout. And it tastes delicious! I am not a huge fan of "fake" supplemental type drinks that people will often use after workouts (although I do like Orgain). I tend to lean more towards "whole foods." So, consider chocolate milk a good replacement for other types of protein post-workout drinks you may find yourself using.

3. La Tortilla Factory Low-Carb Wraps: I don't know about you, but sometimes a salad can be somewhat unsatisfying (especially when I'm craving "bready" carbohydrates). So, when I know I need to eat my greens for the day, but I am just not really feeling a salad, I'll make a veggie wrap using a low carb tortilla! The La Tortilla Factory Smart and Delicious Whole Wheat large wraps have been my favorite that I have found so far. They are only 80 calories, have 12g of fiber, 8g of protein, and are surprisingly very delicious!

4. Kale: Now, I have never been a huge veggie eater. But, when deciding to become a healthier person, I knew I was going to need to find some veggies that I liked because they are so essential for our bodies! After hearing that kale was one of the healthiest veggies on the planet, I thought I would give it a try (even though I was SURE that I would not like it). But, I found it to be quite delicious! It is an excellent source of the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K. It also has lots of fiber and other vitamins and minerals that our bodies need. I often just include raw kale in my veggie wraps or salads, but it is also delicious when baked with olive oil and made into kale chips.

5. Vita-Top Pizzas: These are a new discovery I have recently found. When I was browsing the local health foods store in Provo, a Vita-Top personal pizza box caught my eye. I have always been a fan of the Vita-Top chocolate muffin tops, but I was unaware of the fact that the same company also made pizzas. And then, after looking over the nutritional info., I was sold! Only 190 calories for a decent sized personal pizza with lots of fiber and protein. And seriously, the pizza tasted very good. Pizza is a food that I love but often don't eat because nutritionally, it is really not the best. The discovery of these low calorie, high nutrition pizzas was a life saver! I eat at least one a week. :)

Ok, I could list WAY more than 5 of my favorite items, but I'll just leave you with that list for now. I hope you can try some of these "healthy" foods and realize that healthy eating can also be delicious! It is all about consciously knowing what you're eating, and choosing foods that make your body feel good.

I recently celebrated a birthday and "splurged" a little. I started out my morning with pancakes. For dinner I had salmon fish tacos with dessert to follow, then went home and also had birthday cake! Ahhh! But, I include this picture and story to let you know that it is totally, 100% okay to eat "unhealthy" things from time to time. You should not feel guilty for having a piece of cake at a birthday party or going out to dinner and eating a somewhat unhealthy meal with friends. It's all about moderation. I like the 80/20 rule. (80% of the time I eat very well, but the other 20% of the time I allow myself some "treats.") And, what would life be without dessert, anyway?! :)

Finding Happiness

Happiness. It seems to be the ultimate goal that everyone wants to achieve, the motive behind all of our actions. Yet, so many of us do things daily that we know will make us unhappy. We crave happiness, yet aren't willing to do the harder things in life that bring us joy. It is an odd phenomenon that I have attempted to dissect. Here is the conclusion I have come to:

True, lasting happiness comes from consistently doing things that bring long term joy, and avoiding things that provide instant gratification. 

We all have things that instantly provide us with some sort of temporary happiness. Not all of these things are bad. For example, if I'm in a bad mood or feeling down or depressed, I will text or call a loved one and instantly feel better. But, many things that provide a sort of instant sense of satisfaction do not provide long term happiness. The euphoric feeling lasts seconds, minutes, or hours, but by the next day, you're back in a slump.

I have found that by doing things that initially require a little bit of uncomfortable work, but ultimately provide some sort of reward, bring true lasting happiness.

Which brings me to my story of finding happiness in my everyday life. I have been on quest to feel better about myself, to find joy in the little things, and to just be comfortable in my own skin. The whole process has required much work, and I often wondered if it would all be worth it in the end. But, by consistently doing these slightly uncomfortable, hard tasks, I am finally able to say that I am truly happy.

Starting college as a freshman, I really embraced the whole "freshman 15" thing. In high school, I was extremely active and could really eat however I pleased without seeing any effect on my body. But, this did not ring true when I entered college. I was eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, without a second thought about what it was doing to my body. And, I rarely exercised. I gained weight, lost energy, and had an overall poor outlook on life through my entire freshman and sophomore years of college.

Then, the summer before my junior year, I had a reality check. I was at the doctors office getting my final check-up before my sinus surgery. The nurse did her the typical things, like check my height, blood pressure, and then my weight. And I was utterly shocked by the number I saw on the scale. I truly hadn't realized just how bad things had gotten with my body. I was overweight, and was seeing the effects of this in many aspects of my life.

That is when I decided it was time to make a change. Time to treat my body the way it deserves to be treated. And time to feel better about myself and find true happiness.

Over the course of the next few months, I lost weight, exercised often, ate healthy, became more religious, and, you guessed it, FOUND HAPPINESS! These things I was doing daily, like hitting the gym, paying close attention to exactly what I was eating, and working hard to develop a relationship with God, were not easy by any means. But they have ultimately brought me what I was looking for: happiness.

So, I am starting this blog in hopes to inspire others who have found themselves in a slump and want to get out. Because I have ultimately found happiness through gaining a greater self esteem by treating my body right, I will focus on healthy eating, recipes, and exercise. Whether you want to lose weight or just want to be an all around healthier person, I hope you can find some inspiration within this blog. Find your happiness and then feed your happy! :)

My little brother Ben and I. Shortly after I had finally starting treating my body right and had gained that amazing feeling of realizing I was happy.