Do you want to know what motivates me the most to continue a healthy lifestyle? It’s not the number on the scale. It’s not the way my butt looks in jeans, my arms look in a tank top, or my legs look in a skirt. It’s not the time I can achieve in a race. It’s not the number of push-ups I can handle. It’s the feeling – the feeling of health. Knowing how good I feel when practicing healthy habits will get my butt off the couch and get those veggies on my plate every time. You know what I’m talking about…and just how addicting that feeling is.

By the end of my vacation, I certainly felt happy about all the time I had with family. I relished the opportunity to not cook dinner every night and to indulge in an abundance of frozen yogurt. However, I also didn’t feel as healthy as normal – still good, but not quite as energetic, strong, and fresh. Wanting that feeling back had me hopping right back into my regular habits. I gotta say – the feeling of health feels good. Just two days of my standard meals and workouts has catapulted me back to that rejuvenated essence of health. I feel like screaming how good I feel at the top of my lungs! Just as this salad screams “healthy and scrumptious” at the top of its lungs.

In the mix, I have white beans, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, onion, avocado, goat cheese, mango, and Annie’s Naturals honey mustard dressing atop super fresh lettuce. When I say super fresh lettuce, I mean super fresh. Straight from my sister-in-law’s garden.

Who needs a green thumb when you have loving family only 2 minutes away? 😉

Another thing I don’t need – meat. While I still like grilled chicken or steak with my salads (and eat meat without worry a few times a week), I don’t have to have them anymore. And I have finally convinced Peter of the same! When I originally planned this meal, he asked if there was chicken involved. But then, HE suggested beans and the cheese as our protein sources when I brought up our grocery budget. Score for the budget opening Peter to more vegetarian meal options in this household! The veggie packed meals definitely contribute to my feeling of health.

Just as workouts that make me want to die from their hardcoreness add to my feeling of health. I completed one of the toughest strength workouts I’ve had at the gym in awhile yesterday. The workout focused on my back and biceps, with some legs and abs thrown in for good measure. I felt sore by the time I left the gym. Mission kick-my-own-butt = accomplished. 

Give this one a shot for a fantastic Pull Workout (hamstrings, back, and biceps). Or mix and match some of the moves from my push workout I shared yesterday to score a full body workout that will make you beg for mercy. Let me know if you use any of it!

Well, time for me to hit the ground running. Quite literally, in fact. Catch you later!

• What screams healthy to you?
• Of possible interest: If you entered the Physique 57 Giveaway and still want to try out the workouts, check out this great deal on their Facebook page!

Before getting into tonight’s post, I need to let #68 - Julie @ Savvy Eats know she won the Physique 57 DVD giveaway! Email me with your shipping address details so I can get your info to Natasha and your workout headed your way. Congrats!

Last week while at the beach, I opened up about my initial body image struggles at hanging out in a bikini for the week. Through expressing those thoughts, I wizened up and felt immediately better. Thank you for your support, because I think having this blog has helped me approach post-vacation with a much healthier mindset.

I enjoyed my vacation. A lot. I did my very best to remain as balanced as possible and I believe I succeeded. I kept up regular activity. I chose healthier meal options for breakfasts, snacks, and most lunches. I didn’t take a “to heck with it, let me gorge myself” mentality like I would have done in the past. I pride myself on those accomplishments. Yes, accomplishments – because I believe we should all pride ourselves on every healthy decision we make for our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls as an accomplishment.

Typically I would return from vacation feeling down on myself. Telling myself that I should have tried harder. Or that I shouldn’t have had that extra margarita. Or that I could have managed some additional workouts this weekend after getting home. No matter how many healthy decisions I accomplished, if I didn’t do “perfectly” it wasn’t enough. In the past, I may have taken a downward spiral upon feeling somewhat bloated from my trip and think I have negated any and all previous progress. Today, however, I feel good. Great, even.

I enjoyed my vacation. End of story. I enjoyed my vacation. I expect that my dietary choices over the course of the trip did add up to slightly more than my body needed. But, who cares? It can come right back off with a week or two of my regular habits. I’m still healthy. I’m still able to work hard at the gym. And now I’m also able to have many fond memories and zero guilt from my time with family at the beach.

Healthy living endures. Healthy living doesn’t halt because of a week with my fair share of frozen yogurt. Healthy living doesn’t negate itself because I decided to live my life by experiencing a quality vacation, including dining out and chilling by the beach. My lifestyle, the fitness goals I hope to achieve, and my “happy place” where I feel best all occur over time.

As the good ole cliché saying goes - “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”. The fitness and health I have will last because I stay forged on a path of balanced living. A path that can stroll along the beach while eating some key lime pie and have the steady pace to watch a gorgeous sunrise along the way…while still ending up in the same destination – only happier and more fulfilled.

• What is one of your favorite cliché sayings because it’s just so true?
• How have you seen small, healthy decisions add up over time?