The past month or so has been one of the busiest for me in a long time. At the end of July, I took my sister to Virginia Tech orientation. Then we took a trip to upstate NY for Chris’ family reunion. I went to a One Direction concert, and we spent one last Saturday at my parents’ house before my youngest sister left for Tech. Oh, and for the past two weeks, I’ve been helping out with our office move. Needless to say, I’m exhausted.
It’s been really hard to find time for myself lately. Between all that craziness, working, and being a mom…it’s a lot. I haven’t really done a good job lately of taking care of myself lately, and I’m trying to be better about that.
One of the first things I’m doing is making sure I drink lots of water. I got a new stainless steel tumbler with a straw for the office, and I know from experience that a cup with a straw is a surefire way to make you drink more. (It’s also a tip they tell you in Weight Watchers meetings.) When you drink more water, it helps flush all the yucky stuff out of your body, and honestly just makes you feel better. It’s an easy way to kickstart getting back on track.
Another thing I’m doing is taking back control of what I’m eating. It’s hard as a busy working mom, but it was especially hard during this office move… since there was food everywhere. (When you’re doing hard work like that, they tend to feed you.) Although it wasn’t all crap… it definitely wasn’t what my body was used to. I’m concentrating on simple, wholesome foods.
I would love to say I’m working out more, but I’m honestly just making sure I move more. Getting all my steps in has been pretty easy lately, so I’m keeping that up in an effort to make sure I don’t lose that momentum.
I am continually working on getting more sleep, and getting back on track makes that even more important. Sleep has so many benefits for your health, and plus, if you’re sleeping, you’re not stuffing your face full of junk. I mean, there’s ice cream in my freezer that I’ll eat at night if I’m not asleep. Just keeping it real here.
So that’s so easy, right? Yeah, not so much. It’s a lot of work to make sure you get back on track. It’s not easy, and I’m always looking for simple solutions that make my life easier. I recently got the chance to try out Zone Perfect’s new Perfectly Simple bars, and they fit right into my plans. They come in 4 flavors, are under 200 calories, and are made with simple ingredients.
I have to be honest with you guys – I don’t eat a lot of bars like this typically. I am usually much more of a “whole meal” person, but it’s hard when life is so busy. The Perfectly Simple bars are easy. Like, I can throw it in my purse and not worry about it going bad or getting bruised the way a piece of fruit does. Plus they’re full of protein – 10 or 11 grams in every bar!
I picked out the Almond Toffee Crunch and the Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk bars, and I’ve been keeping one of each in my purse at all times (in fact, I had one as my lunch yesterday). Since they have so much protein, they keep me full for a long time. So far, the Almond Toffee Crunch is my favorite, but I’m looking forward to picking up the other flavors to try too – and the Bing Cherry and Almond one for Chris – he loves cherry flavored things! I also love that they’re a snack I can let Abbie try…. even if I don’t really want to share.
Anyway, now that I’ve gone on and on about these yummy protein bars, you totally want to try them, right? Well it’s your lucky day because I’ve got a coupon for you! Click here for $1.00 off so you can try the delicousness too… and let me know what your favorite flavor is!
What do you do to get back on track? Any other tips for me?
12 Responses
I have been trying to walk more since I got lazy and stopped going every day. Yesterday I made it to the park and today in gonna try for farmers market!!
Nice! Keep it up!
I’ve been trying to drink a lot more water too. It’s so hard for me. I actually love those Zone Perfect Bars. The Dark Chocolate and Cashew is one of my favorites. I love sweets, so it feels like a treat when I’m still mostly eating healthy.
Oh I didn’t try those yet! They’re going on my list!
These look so yummy!
And I’ve been trying to improve my water intake as well.
xoxo, Jenny || Breakfast at Lillys
It helps a lot. Good luck on getting more!
Those bars look really good! How do you eat just one?! Seriously that is something I have trouble with. I buy bars that my sons can eat on the way to the bus in the am, and I’d feel good about letting them eat these. I agree that small changes can make a big difference. I’m drinking more water and only eating until I feel satisfied, then I stop. I’ve been losing steadily these past few weeks, and I hope I don’t screw up. I love autumn, too. Not that we get much of it in South Florida, but a cup of pumpkin spice coffee helps. 🙂
Susan
They’re SUPER filling. It’s actually not that hard to keep it to one! Small changes make huge differences when they add up, and so many people don’t realize that. I don’t have a ton of spare time, so I rely on lots of small things!
I wish i could get enough sleep. My 11m old still gets up 3 to 5 times a night! I can’t wait to sleep again!
OMG I couldn’t handle that! We sleep trained Abbie at about 8 months and it was the best decision we ever made.
Unfortunately, for some of us it’s seems to be a lifetime battle. 4 1/2 years ago I promised myself I would never stop trying to live a healthier lifestyle. Though some of my lost pounds have jumped back on board I continue the fight! Here are a couple of ways I sneak in some extra steps that are not too time consuming. When I enter a large store I do a complete walk around the entire store before beginning to shop. Also, when I am out with my husband, when we get back to the entrance to our neighborhood I get out of the car and walk the rest of the way home. (An added benefit, the groceries are unloaded before I get home!) One more… I only allow myself to use the bathrooms that are in the upstairs of our house. All that water can lead to a few extra set of stairs each day. Now that I have shared these tips I will begin using them again! Thanks for sharing your tips! Looks like you’re doing a great job at that “mom gig” you’ve got going on, Jessica!
Yep, I think for a lot of us it definitely is – and those are all great tips! Good to hear from you and hope you’re all doing well! <3