The Five Tools I Implemented to Lose 20 Pounds

Hi everyone! If you’ve been following along on my journey, you know that in the recent months I have lost around 20 pounds. Now I am not trying to promote anybody feeling like they need to lose weight or need to change the way that they look. You are beautiful just the way you are! But, I have always been an active person and I was beginning to feel constantly fatigued, uncomfortable in my own skin, and just not like myself. Losing weight is definitely not the most important step in being comfortable in your own skin… I also learned to love myself at every stage instead of only consuming myself with losing weight. Getting healthy + fit again was the goal… losing weight can come with implementing more healthy decisions (usually). These are the top 5 habits & apps I implemented into my life to get my results– I am not a doctor or have any kind of degree in nutrition & fitness– this is just what worked for me and maybe you can find an app or habit that you can add into your own lifestyle!

Tracking
Some people track macros or calories and some people just intuitively eat. I kind of do a mixture of all three! I use the app My Fitness Pal. I find that the calories they suggest for you are far too little, so I did my own research based on my lifestyle to see what calories/ macros fit for me. I like that you can create your own calorie amount and are not stuck with what they suggest. At the start of my health journey, I was tracking every meal to be sure that the calories I was taking in was less than the calories I was burning off. Present day, I don’t track as strictly because I have learned what calories and macros I eat regularly.

Exercise
You hear it all the time… nutrition + exercise are the key components to losing weight and getting healthy and that is for a reason! With my ever-changing, demanding work schedule I decided that 3-5 days a week would be sufficient for the goals I was trying to achieve. On days when I can’t make it to the gym or fit in a workout, I make it a priority to still be moving throughout the day. I try to get at least 10,000 steps on those off-days. If I have any advice when it comes to exercise… it is to find a type of exercise that you ENJOY! Whether it’s weight lifting, running, Orange Theory, Yoga, Boxing, Biking… as long as you enjoy it, it’s going to be something you are going to WANT to do and not something you feel forced to do.

Sleep Cycle
Sleep is very vital to living a healthy life. Adults need between 7-9 hours of sleep a night (I thrive when I get a full 10 hours of sleep and am a monster if I don’t– LOL) and I can guarantee most adults do not get that. When you are exercising consistently, your body needs rest to repair your muscles. Not only is it vital to your exercise routine, getting enough sleep helps with brain health, is linked to a decrease in heart disease, and reduces stress. I am someone who likes looking at patterns and what I can do to improve any situation so I have been utilizing the app Sleep Cycle. It tracks your night’s sleep and determines how long you were in REM sleep. It also allows you to set an alarm with a 20 minute increment so it can wake you up gradually and not abruptly which can often leave you feeling super groggy at the start of your day.

Waterlogged
It’s shocking to me how many adults hardly drink water throughout the day… HOW?! At the start of my health journey I made the goal to drink a gallon of water a day. Drinking water helps with so many aspects of health and fitness, but I find I crave a lot less when I am constantly replenishing my body with water, my skin is clearer, and I don’t bloat as much. As I’ve said before I am super visual and like to track patterns, so I use the app Waterlogged to track my water intake throughout the day. It has a cute water bottle you fill throughout the day 🙂

Notes
I am super organized and need to have a plan in order to do anything 100%, so I utilize my notes app A LOT when it comes to creating and following a workout. Throughout my workout I check off the exercise once it’s done and it helps me to stay focused and on track during my workouts. Failing to plan is planning to fail!

Again, these are all just tools and habits that have helped me in my health journey and this is in no way saying these are the only ways to do it! In all, I think being mindful and recognizing bad habits and patterns can really help you on your journey of health!

Happy healthy-ing!
XO