The Feel Of Health
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.
Move | Reps | Weight |
assisted pull-ups | 10, 8, 6 | 45 # assistance |
oblique twists with a medicine ball | 15, 15, 15 per side | 6 # medicine ball |
stationary barbell lunge | 12, 12, 12 per leg | 40 # total |
inverted row | 8, 6, 8 | bodyweight |
rear delt dumbbell raises | 10, 10, 10 | 10 # per hand |
back extensions / glute squeezes | 15, 15, 15 | bodyweight |
one arm dumbbell row | 10, 8, 8 | 25 # |
dumbbell bicep curls | 10, 10, 10 | 10 # per hand |
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!