5 Tips For More Energy

Being thin doesn’t always illustrate the epitome of healthy. Ever hear of the term “Skinny Fat”? That’s right, just because you’re thin/skinny doesn’t mean you’re fit and healthy. Perhaps you’re feeling lethargic and don’t quite understand why. Have you looked at what you’re eating? Here are some quick and relatively easy ways to have more energy every day.

gummy-bears1) Cut out the sugar
It’s obviously okay to indulge once in a while, but having your afternoon pepsi, or morning iced coffee can give you too much of a spike in your blood sugar. Causing you to have a ton of energy but then you literally come crashing down and need another ‘fix’. Not only that, sugar is addictive and clearly doesn’t do you any good. Eat a balanced diet, preferably free from processed foods. What I’ve been doing lately to curb my sugar cravings is having a few mini m&ms sprinkled in my homemade raw nut trail mix.  It satisfies my sweet tooth without over indulging.

 nuts2) Healthy Fats
Avocado, oils, and nuts are both healthy fats which keep you fueled and full until your next meal. If you incorporate these into your snacks or meals you’ll be less inclined to reach for sugary snacks throughout the day. Don’t forget you can use avocado on your salads with some homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing topped with nuts or seeds.

water-bottle3) Hydrate yourself
Did you know that you should be drinking HALF your body weight in ounces of water, every day? Weight 140lbs? You’ll need 70 ounces of water. If you have a desk job like me, grab a cute water bottle and only fill it up half way. That way, you’re more inclined to drink cooler water (I’m not fond of room temp water) and bonus? Once you’re done you get to stretch your legs and walk over to the water filter/cooler to fill’er up.

4) Most important meal of the day
Please don’t skimp on breakfast.  It truly is the most important meal of the day. If you’re in a rush, why not cook up some egg muffins each week? The Boyf & I eat two every morning so the dozen doesn’t last that long in the fridge. Have some fresh bananas, fruit or tomatoes handy and pre-washed, ready to grab and head out the door.

5) Greens
I realize the most ignored and avoided foods are the dark green leafy vegetables. But they’re the most important super foods we have! Not everyone enjoys salad, so incorporate your green veggies into a smoothie! Thrive Juice Bar makes a delicious chocolate avocado ganche smoothie that tastes just as good as a McDonald’s chocolate shake. No joke.

What do you do to get more energy? Do you have any tips?

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My Paleo eats (week 3)

Three weeks of paleo. Done just like that. See what I ate during week 1  and two.

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paleo-day-15

Sunday April 21
Breakfast: 2 pieces of bacon, 2 egg ‘muffins’ (with chicken, mushroom and red pepper), mango and trail mix
Snack: N/A
Lunch: Leftovers: Salmon and roasted asparagus, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli
Snack: dried unsweetened mango
Supper: Sweet potato and coconut encrusted chicken strips
Water intake for the day: 56 ounces

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Paleo-day-16

Monday April 22
Breakfast: 2 egg ‘muffins’ (with chicken, mushroom and red pepper), and 2 pieces of bacon
Snack: N/A
Lunch: chicken spinach salad with carrots, bell peppers, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette
Snack: Leftovers: Sweet potato and coconut encrusted chicken strips
Supper: Chicken curry and roasted veg
Water intake for the day: 56 ounces

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Tuesday April 23
Breakfast: 2 chicken veggie and egg “muffins”, 2 pieces of bacon, with strawberries
Snack: N/A
Lunch: Leftovers: Sweet potato and coconut encrusted chicken strips
Snack: Chicken spinach salad with veg
Supper: Lemon pepper chicken stir fry (made with tamari/gluten free soy sauce)
Snack:10pm (we went to a movie) I brought dried mango + trail mix. Not shown
Water intake for the day: 64 ounces

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paleo-day-18

Wednesday April 24
Breakfast: 1 chicken veggie and egg “muffins”, 2 pieces of bacon
Snack: apple
Lunch: Leftovers: Lemon pepper chicken stir fry (made with tamari/gluten free soy sauce)
Snack: Trail mix
Supper: Pork chop, sweet potato and veg
Water intake for the day: 56 ounces

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paleo-day-19

Thursday April 25
Breakfast: 1 egg, 2 egg white omelet with spinach and veg. 3 pieces of bacon with veg on the side
Snack: Dried unsweetened mango
Lunch: Leftovers – Pork chop, sweet potato and veg
Snack: dried plantain chips and 1 coconut covered date
Supper: lemon pepper chicken stir fry
Water intake for the day: 40 ounces

 

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paleo-day-20

Friday April 26
Breakfast: 2 pieces of bacon and 3 scrambled eggs with mushrooms and bell peppers
Snack: dried unsweetened mango with trail mix and tea
Lunch: Leftovers: Lemon pepper chicken stir fry
Snack: Celery, bell pepper and chicken mixed with mustard
Supper: Portobella mushrooms as “buns” for my homemade beef burgers, with sweet potato
Water intake for the day: 56 ounces

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paleo-day-21

Saturday April 27
Breakfast:
3 pieces of bacon and an egg/chicken omelet ‘muffin’
Snack: dried unsweetened mango with homemade trail mix
Lunch: chicken and bacon spinach salad with veg
Snack: N/A
Supper: Coconut covered chicken strips
Water intake for the day:  56 ounces

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My Paleo eats (week 2)

Paleo week two is complete. See what I ate during week 1 here.

Prepping food in advance is so much easier, and if I plan to do this with paleo food, I know I won’t grab for anything off limits. Sunday afternoon I cooked up a whole package of bacon, and made more egg muffins. I’m not the hugest fan of these egg muffins, because I’m not the biggest fan of eggs – but it’s easy, quick and edible when I’m tired in the morning.prep fod

I cannot get over that I’m at the halfway mark (today). I don’t even want to be done yet! My pants are fitting a little looser and more comfortable, and I am seeing baby abs forming on my stomach. Heck yea. But at the same time I’m finding it hard to make my meals different each week.

I’ve also incorporated multivitamins and omega 3 pills with my meals each night. This little selection here is from Koge Vitamins* which I received to review.Koge Vitamins

How the hey do I review vitamins? Either way, I’m going to give it a few weeks to see if I feel different/better/noticeably blogworthy. I’ve already been taking multivitamins since January but I’m new to omega 3 capsules. There will be a discount for all my readers too.

*It’s a referral link to track how many people have clicked it. I don’t get a percentage of anything. Full review coming in a few weeks.

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paleo-day-8

Sunday April 14
Breakfast: 2 pieces of bacon, 2 hard boiled eggs, and raspberries
Snack: Almonds
Lunch: Leftovers: spaghetti squash with homemade tomato sauce/paste with ground beef & veg
Snack: honey crisp apple
Supper: Leftovers: Salmon, sweet potato with coconut oil with broccoli and cauliflower
Water intake for the day: 56 ounces

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Paleo Day 9

Monday April 15
Breakfast: 2 ham veggie and egg “muffins”, 2 pieces of bacon, and a pear
Snack: almonds
Lunch: chicken spinach salad with carrots, bell peppers, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette
Snack: Leftovers: lemon pepper chicken stir fry with tamari sauce and coconut oil
Supper: Sweet potato, chicken, broccoli and cauliflower
Water intake for the day: 64 ounces

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Paleo-Day-10

Tuesday April 16
Breakfast: 2 ham veggie and egg “muffins”, 2 pieces of bacon, with raspberries
Snack: almonds
Lunch: Leftovers: Sweet potato, chicken, broccoli and cauliflower
Snack: Chicken spinach salad with carrots, bell peppers, cranberries, sunflower seeds and tomatoes with homemade balsamic vinaigrette
Supper: stuffed peppers with ground beef with a sweet potato
Water intake for the day: 72 ounces

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paleo-day-11

Wednesday April 17
Breakfast: 2 ham veggie and egg “muffins”, 2 pieces of bacon, and a pear
Snack: almonds
Lunch: Leftovers: stuffed peppers with ground beef with a sweet potato
Snack: chicken, carrots and celery with a bit of mustard
Supper: chicken, sweet potato, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes
Water intake for the day: 64 ounces

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Thursday April 18

paleo-day-12
Breakfast: egg explosion in the microwave — don’t care, was too hungry and tired to make the photo look pretty. Decided on 3 pieces of bacon and 2 egg “omelet” things.
Snack: Pistachios
Lunch: Leftovers – chicken, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots + tomatoes on the side
Snack: 1 can of tuna with carrot, celery and bell pepper with some coconut oil. Then on the side I had 2 coconut dates, dried unsweetened mango, and plantains
Supper: Pork chop with spinach salad (sunflower seeds, pecans, bell pepper, 1/2 piece of  bacon, some cranberries & coconut oil as my ‘dressing’)
Water intake for the day: 72 ounces

 

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Paleo-Day-13

Friday April 19
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, carrots
Snack: dried unsweetened mango, plantains, and some trail mix
Lunch: Leftovers: Pork chop with spinach salad (sunflower seeds, pecans, bell pepper, 1/2 piece of  bacon, some cranberries & coconut oil as my ‘dressing’)
Snack:  Chicken, celery, carrots and red pepper coated in mustard
Supper: 1 piece of bacon, chicken, carrots and sweet potato fries
Water intake for the day: 64 ounces

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Paleo-Day-14

Saturday April 20
Breakfast: 2 pieces of bacon, 1 scrambled egg

Snack: N/A
Lunch: Sweet potato fries and a chicken spinach salad with veg
Snack: apple
Supper: Salmon and veggies
Water intake for the day: 48 ounces

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