Costa Rica June 2012

When I first decided that I needed to be more healthy I decided to cut out alcohol just to see how much that played a role in how I looked and felt. It was like my little experiment. The first week was hard because I was so used to having a bottle of wine with dinner or getting drinks after work.
The second and third week was easy because I was noticing results without really working out. I lost a good 7 pounds in those 3 weeks from no alcohol.

After 3 weeks I started enjoying my wine again but I incorporated working out and cutting back on little things that I ate.

Examples:
If I would get a hamburger I would only eat one side of the bun with the meat, throw out the other.
I stopped using creamer or sugar in my coffee and just used local honey.
Instead of fries I would get a yummy salad and then eat a few of my friends fries.
I would bring Marigold protein bars to work so I would never be starving.
Smaller portions is key. Still working on this.

Weighing in:
I know this sounds crazy but it works and it helps ME hold myself accountable for what goes in my body and how much it effects me. I weigh myself every morning and then I write it down in our office/workout room. It's funny because it will totally be obvious if I ate mexican food the night before I can actually feel when I am heavier. The scale doesn't lie. Or if I worked out really hard and ate really healthy the number on the scale would be dramatically lower. This helped me to want to eat healthier and workout harder because I was also seeing positive results.

Set goals for You:
I wanted to feel firm and confident in my bikini while in Costa Rica.
I want to be a better me the older I get.
DON'T throw away the shorts that are too small for you. Work your way back into them the healthy way. You fit in to them a year ago, you can get back into them!
Pick a healthy role model to look up to. Don't have pictures of runway models for your goal...
I am still working towards my goal... it never stops

I hope this post hasn't offended anyone. I am just sharing my story. I feel happier when I am working out and eating clean and I like the results.

More posts on my work outs coming soon....

You can find great gluten free meals and recipes over at
MARI METHOD (Gluten free)
ADVENTURES WITH VEGGIES (Vegan and raw)