You're Sentenced to a Lifetime of Diet + Exercise

Photo credit: Wonderfullifee

Today, we welcome Kym of Live Love Laugh Lift, who has spent the past ten months dedicated to getting in shape and figuring out what works best for her to do so. She's popping in at OffCultured to share her tips and tricks that have helped her make long-lasting changes.

 

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I used to think of exercise as punishment. Punishment for eating "bad" food and punishment for laziness. My idea about this "healthy lifestyle" was doing an exercise you hate and eating food you despise, not to mention very little of it. I often thought, "I love food too much! I could never do this!!!" Needless to say, I never succeeded with this kind of mindset. I always started out determined to make it through the torturous exercise and dreadful diet plan but would very soon after become "too busy" or "too stressed out" to continue. Things have changed since then and I can happily say that I love my new lifestyle and it's not torturous at all!

 

Here's what has helped me stay on track:

 

1) Find an exercise you love - Hate running? Hate that aerobics class you keep dragging yourself to? Don't do it! You're bound to quit sooner or later. Try out different things and see what it is you enjoy doing. Before I realized that what I actually love is lifting weights, I tried running, aerobics, cardio kickboxing, yoga, bootcamp, you name it... I've tried it!

 

2) Eat whole foods - If you're like me, you love junk food and desserts. Dieting doesn't mean you can never have a slice of cake again or never have your grandmother's deep fried chicken at the next family gathering. Clean up 90% of your diet with whole foods, lots of fruits, lots of vegetables and the other 10%, go ahead and have a treat! "Clean" eating doesn't have to be boring!

 

 

3) Keep yourself accountable - Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your Facebook fam if that's what will help you! Read my latest post for more on this: How to Stay Accountable To Your Health + Fitness Goals

 

4) Think long term - Don't go through the cycle of losing a few lbs for the summer only to gain back double of what you lost come winter time. Fitness is not a summer thing or a 2-months-before-your-wedding thing, it's a lifestyle!

 

In summary, drop the excuses, find an exercise you enjoy, be conscious of what you're eating, and stay committed. You won't regret it!

 

P.S - I just started a Facebook page, I would love to keep in touch with you there! [facebook.com/kymbantan]
 

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You can also follow Kym on Twitter @KymBantan

How 'Bout Them Apples?

An apple a day keeps the...well, you know the rest, and probably other variations of it, too.

Growing up, I wasn't so fond of apples. Oranges, bananas, blackberries, strawberries, plums, lemons, anything but an apple. Unless they were served with caramel or cooked in cinnamon and sugar, that is. So I was a little slow on the uptake as far as the benefits of apples outside of the general understanding that apples = healthy. And I was happy with my alternatives.
 

Eventually, I began munching on the fruit, but was very picky about it. (No red apples!) But once I made the decision to change my eating habits, I worked them in more. As a cookie monster, this video kind of put things into perspective:

But apples are great for so many other things, too! This article from Best Health lays it all out, but I'll post a quick list here:

 

 

15 Health Benefits of Eating Apples

1. Get whiter, healthier teeth
2. Avoid Alzheimer’s
3. Protect against Parkinson’s
4. Curb all sorts of cancers
5. Decrease your risk of diabetes
6. Reduce cholesterol
7. Get a healthier heart
8. Prevent gallstones
9. Beat diarrhea and constipation
10. Neutralize irritable bowel syndrome
11. Avert hemorrhoids
12. Control your weight
13. Detoxify your liver
14. Boost your immune system
15. Prevent cataracts

I'm still pretty picky about them, however, Granny Smith apples are my favorite. Princess apples are good, too! Gala? Not so much. Check out the article to get the details on the list, and why not have an apple while you read?

Photo credit: Inquisitr