Get Fit in the Gym, Lose Weight in the Kitchen

Good ol' Pinterest-I just loved this quote... I wasn't always a believer, either.  As I discussed in my Beginning of Health post, I was a good deal heavier around my wedding 5 years ago, and I couldn't understand why.  Gym and swimming time?  Yes.  Doritos and Margs poolside?  Yes.  Ummmm, silly 25-year-old Becca.  You can't expect results by simply exercising OR dieting.  It's truly a healthy lifestyle you need to undertake to achieve true fitness and health results-whatever your goals may be... medical, physical, mental, material-whatever!  Typically, working out is so wonderful and necessary for strength, heart health, controlling blood sugar, toning, raising your metabolism, and being fit in general.  You need that cardio endurance training as well as to work your muscles in some way.  What I didn't realize is how important the other key, diet (I don't mean DIETING, I simply mean what we eat on a daily basis), is for us.  Our diet is just as important for our internal health, but also, for losing weight.

Pre-pregnancy, just to recap, I had already cut out a lot of grains from my diet-especially at dinner time-a very simple choice, nothing drastic, but somehow I was at my lowest weight (in the safest way I'd ever attempted.)  Actually, I wasn't attempting weight loss at all-I was just trying to live a healthier lifestyle and hopefully prep for a baby-to-be soon... I just wanted to feel cleaner, less bloated, lighter in general-and I did!  Anything more became an occasional treat-and that made it a lot more fun!  I was lucky enough to finally achieve pregnancy, and while I strayed a little during the first tri to ward off nausea, I quickly recovered; and then had to be super strict in my 3rd due to Gestational Diabetes and again post-pregnancy when I was still having blood sugar issues.  Going through all of this, though, encouraged me to stay healthy and eat the way our bodies were designed to-with limited carbs, especially from grains, throughout my pregnancy and thereafter.  I could've done better this past fall (and conveniently stopped testing my blood sugar), but am recovering in the new year and feeling great... hopefully this post will inspire me to continue to do better as well.

My point is in all of this is that if you truly want to do your body a favor, and if you truly want to lose weight (eventually without even trying, as it'll be all you know), you will watch what you eat, and not expect exercise alone to do the trick!  The last thing you want is a layer of fat to be covering up all that hard work you've been doing.  I enjoyed this article to back up this claim.  It's the little things-an occasional detox, juicing, cutting most grains from meals (try Paleo!), drinking healthy beverages, etc.  Hope this is a good reminder, and will help those stuck at a weight they're unhappy with and can't figure out why... Stay Chic, Stay Healthy;)