I get asked quite often how I stay motivated to workout and how I can eat what I eat on a daily basis. Well, I never used to have the habits I have today and it took me years to get to where I am today. Just six years ago I started changing up some of my health and fitness habits and little did I know it would take me to where I am today. Six years ago I was fresh out of college starting a grown up job and I quickly learned how much less I was moving and that I didn’t know a thing about cooking. I needed to create and adapt to a new way of living that was so foreign to me. The first thing I did was get a gym membership and created a workout schedule that worked for me. As I was able to be more consistent with exercise, I started to experiment more in the kitchen by trying out new healthy paleo recipes I found online. I quickly picked up on the paleo diet and my workout routine and was starting to see some changes that I was hoping for. It wasn’t an easy process, I stumbled, fell and got back up multiple times but I continue to push forward with consistent daily action.
Plus, as time went on the paleo diet become more popular, more healthier options were being added to restaurant menus and grocery store shelves and more health food companies were popping up. Society was making it easier to live a healthy life! Now today, there are tons of companies out there aiming to make living a healthy lifestyle more sustainable and easier. And you know what, it’s working! Local restaurants are popping up all over offering locally grown food sources, farmers markets have expanded, grocery chains are expanding their organic and natural section, there are now many organic and local grocery stores, and they are becoming more health food companies out there. Finding healthier options on grocery store shelves that add flavor to my meals and finding convenient clean ingredient grab and go items was a game changer for me and have been a huge reason I have been able to consistently live a healthy lifestyle. As the times have changed and continue to change I am also looking for easier, more convenient and simple options to make being healthy even easier. Here is what I have found what works best for my lifestyle and has given me the freedom to enjoy my health journey.
Where I grocery shop
It may be surprising, but I actually do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Target. They carry an all natural brand of foods called Simply Balanced, have been bringing in more and more natural and organic options in and I save a ton of money shopping with cartwheel (their coupon app) and their red card (credit card that saves you 5 percent on your entire purchase). Plus, it makes it that much more convenient when I also need other household items because I don’t have to make any extra stops.
Now that the farmer’s market is in full swing, I will purchase the bulk of my fresh produce and eggs at the farmers market once a week. I love farmers markets because everything is locally grown, natural, organic and I know I am supporting local businesses.
When I need an ingredient or item that I know Target doesn’t have, I go to our local grocery store Festival Foods. Luckily, the Festival Foods closest to my house has the best natural/organic section and I can find just about anything there. I also like to stop here when I need to pick up a quick dinner from their salad bar or snag a rotisserie chicken.
Most weeks, depending on the time of year I do my grocery shopping at Target and the farmer’s market and only stop at Festival Foods when needed. I am making more than one stop to get my groceries for the week, but I have been able to create a routine for these stops that fits into my life. If you don’t have the time to do two different grocery shopping trips, pick the store that will have the most and best options for what you need.
Brands and Companies I love
Thrive Market is one of the best companies to ever happen! It is an online grocery store with tons and tons of natural, paleo, gluten free, raw and vegan products that gets shipped straight to your doorstep. They have just recently started offering all natural and organic meat and seafood too. And the best part is, their prices are almost always cheaper than finding these products on store shelves. I get a ton of my pantry items from Thrive Market like:
- Purely Elizabeth Granola
- Hemp Hearts
- Ghee
- Coconut Oil
- Avocado Oil Spray
- Cooking Flours and ingredients
- Ground Flax Seed
- Chia Seeds
- Spices
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Coconut Wraps
- Justin’s Peanut Butter
- Jam
- Honey
- Gluten Free Rolled Oats
- Mustard
- Mayo
- Salad dressings
- Crackers
- Chips
- Rice Cakes
- Brown Rice Noodles
- Coconut Aminos
I have even started ordering some of their beauty/body products and they even have products for babies and kids, home supplies, pet supplies and more like keto, whole30, paleo, vitamins, supplements, etc. Thrive Market has been a huge staple in being able to be consistent in living healthy because they take out all of the excuses of having to physically grocery shop because it’s all online. I place an order about every 2-3 weeks, but you can order as much or as little as you want. I started using Thrive Market last August and have saved over $450. It is definitely worth trying out and they will even give you 25% off your first order using this link.
Primal Kitchen Foods is a brand that I have fell in love with! All the collagen recipes I have been posting like this Vanilla Coconut Collagen Morning Coffee recipe have been inspired by this brand and they are doing some big things in the health foods industry. The Primal Kitchen Foods products I love most is of course their collagen fuel, dressings and marinades, mayo and avocado oil/spray. They also have nut and seed bars which I do order, whey protein, keto and whole30 products. Many of these products can be found on Thrive Market, but if Thrive isn’t your thing, you can order straight through Primal Kitchen Foods website and use promo code kissbybrooke at checkout and save 10% on your order. I used to get bored with the flavoring of my foods and Primal Kitchen Foods and add flavor back into my meals and offer my even more amazing products to be and stay healthy as possible!
Other brands of food I love (most are found on Thirve Market!)
- Thrive Market (they have their own brand of foods)
- Purely Elizabeth
- Justin’s
- Siete Foods
- Simple Mills
- Jovial
- Kodiak Cakes
- Canyon Bakehouse Gluten free bread
- Bob’s Redmill
- Enjoy Life
Fitness
I am a very routined person so when I was finally able to figure out a workout routine that fit with my schedule it was pretty easy to stick to. Just like grocery shopping and cooking healthy meals, the more you can make working out a habit the easier it will be to stick to. I make working out a priority because it gives me endorphins, challenges me and motivates me to make other aspects of my life as healthy as possible too. Overtime I have learned to be flexible with my workout routine for when life happens or I feel I need an extra rest day. When it comes to fitness, the two things that have kept me going throughout all of these years is a consistent schedule and making it a priority.
Mindset
Many people miss this step and I used to be one of them and still have to remind myself to workout my mind. A healthy mind is a healthy body and when I focus a lot of my attention on creating a positive mindset I notice that it is much easier to stick to all of my other healthy habits. Ways that I workout my mind is by reading personal development books, articles and quotes, talking positively to myself, self affirmations, and surrounding myself with people that lift me up and support me. Mindset is one of the most important aspects of sustaining a healthy lifestyle and more commonly the one most forgotten about.
These are the steps I have taken and continue to take to live my healthy lifestyle. Some or all of these habits may or may not work for your body and life and it is up to you to figure that out. It took me years to become comfortable and feel like I knew what I was doing. I don’t say that to discourage you, I say that to show you that you can do it too no matter where you are currently on your health journey! If you don’t think you can do it alone, ask a trusted friend or family member to help you or hire a coach to help you with specific habit forming techniques, accountability and support. We only have one life ti live, let’s make it the best life!