Today I want to talk about being healthy. Since middle school, I’ve always “struggled” with my weight. Struggled may be a strong word, but I’ve never had the body type that allows for an over-indulgent lifestyle. One too many breakfasts of peanut butter waffles and I could/can easily gain 5 pounds in two days. It’s just what my momma gave me, and you know what, I’m okay with that. But, with our wedding slowly sneaking up on us – 73 days!!!! – I’ve been really trying to focus on looking/feeling my best for our big day. It’s amazing what a few small changes can do for your body and overall wellbeing and I wanted to share 5 things that have worked for me, with you!

1. Find a workout routine that you love! This has been really important for me. I’ve always been somewhat consistent with working out but I am easily bored or distracted if results become stagnant or the routine becomes too repetitive. Until recently, I’ve always switched between hot yoga and running – both great, but both pretty much always stay the same. When a couple of my friends told me about The Dailey Method {or any barre class I assume}, I reluctantly gave it a try and I am addicted. I tend to carry my weight in my arms, lower stomach, butt and hips {joy} and The Daily Method really focuses on lengthening your muscles to create a long and lean look. I am a firm believer that becoming vain fuels a fire in weight loss and I saw a significant difference in my body after three classes. I’ve been trying to go 3-4 times a week and I feel like a new person. Also, my butt is legit 2 inches higher than it used to be. Call me vain but it works!

2. Healthy eating. Dave and I really struggle with this as we looooove to go out for dinner {and not healthy dinners}. Pizza, burgers, pasta, tacos – if it’s bad for you we probably eat it. So, we’ve made a rule to cook dinner at home Monday-Thursday and come up with fresh, healthy alternatives to our go-to orders when we eat out. A few of my favorite recipes include these chicken enchiladas {instead of cheese I use fat free cottage cheese low carb wraps!}, perfect turkey burgers {using 99% lean meat and skim milk cheese}, anything and everything from Gwyneth’s cookbook, this detox salad gets made at least once a week, zucchini noodles with turkey meatballs and pesto, and we’ve really cut down on sugar. If you still crave something sweet at the end of the night, frozen grapes make a great refreshing dessert!

3. Water, water, water. I’ve always been a big water drinker but I once read that if you’re working to lose weight you should drink as many ounces in a day as what you weigh. So if you weigh 135 pounds, you should drink 135 ounces. My BKR Water Bottle helps make sure I am constantly hydrating! This helps to speed up your metabolism and keep everything movin’! (; Plus, it keeps your skin glowing. Win, win.

4. Move. Having a car in the city makes it really easy to find excuses why I shouldn’t walk anywhere, but summer is too short to not enjoy the sunshine so I’ve been forcing myself to hit the pavement rather than drive. Dave and I rented bikes for the first time last week and rode 11 miles before stopping for a picnic along the lake, so much fun and much better than sitting in a car!

5. Buy new workout clothes. Not only do cute workout clothes make me get my butt to the gym, but once I’m there it helps me focus on my trouble areas and push a bit harder in my workouts. I used to never care about what I looked like at the gym {think oversized Nike shorts and enormous t-shirts}, but since investing in cute leggings tanks {Anthropologie, Nordstrom and GapFit are my go-to’s and this ONZIE brand has fun prints!} I go into my classes feeling more confident and prepared to kick my own butt. You can shop my favorites below!

I swear any small change you see gives you the extra push forward and hopefully these 5 things help you to feel like a better version of yourself, too! We all need a little help from our friends. Hope you’re having a great week!

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