Ready, set, GO!

I LOVE new starts. A move, a new apartment, a new friend, a new season, a new year. I just love the idea of being able to start fresh on things. For me the end of the school year marks a new beginning for me. It means spring and summertime with (hopefully) more time, extra sun, and good old summer fun. As you all know, I've been working towards a healthier lifestyle in the past year and have done pretty well in some aspects. It's been hard work and has been harder to keep up during the school year but even with what I have accomplished this far, I can say I'm proud of myself. This being said, I still have some pounds to drop to get to my goal weight as I have done more maintaining the past few months than losing. I have found that when I journal/track my successes I do better at staying focused so for the next few weeks I will be updating you with my thoughts on this whole process. I'll try to keep up with other posts too to keep things from getting too boring ;) So here's to a fresh start on fitness!

   
One of the tools I've used to help keep everything straight as I work towards my goals is this free app for my iPhone called myfitnesspal- love this sucker.

myfitnesspal app

The app allows you to set a goal for your daily calorie intake then lets you know if you're over or under depending on what foods you've eaten for the day. It will also subtract calories based on the exercise/calories burned for the day that you enter in. You can also add water intake, and notes to keep track of your other fitness/health goals. Seriously, this thing makes "journaling" so easy. I almost always have my phone on me too so taking a couple minutes to enter in my meal after I eat is really pretty easy to do although it might take a couple days to get in a habit of getting everything in. I find this especially helpful because some times I eat more calories worth of food than I realize. This helps make me aware of the calories in my food and encourages healthier eating as I work to stay away from the red zone past my goal!

The only thing I haven't cared for with this app is that there is no estimate provided for calories burned during strength training. I guess I don't get that when I go to the gym either (as opposed to an elliptical or something). Also eating out can be tricky... all the more reason to skip it! :)

There are so many resources available to help people become healthier so I always love hearing about what works for others in the real world (not some paid bimbo in a magazine ad- ha!). What works for you guys??

For those of you done with yet another school year, I hope you too are enjoying this lovely summer weather. It is fantastic. end of story. 

<3 Kayla