One thing that irks me as a training and nutrition coach is that people assume I never do anything “unhealthy”. I’ll be drinking a glass of wine, eating a roll of bread at dinner or adding cheese to my carb-loaded sandwich and people seem so surprised that I’m doing those things.
First of all, any fitness professional who lives a healthy, balanced lifestyle knows how to maintain their fitness level and happiness, which includes indulging in treats and skipping a workout every once in a while. We know our bodies and we know our minds, so we know when we need to skip a workout, or have a cupcake, or two. If a fitness professional wasn’t letting themselves eat certain foods or miss a workout every once in a while, then you probably don’t want to be getting advice from them. Because what kind of a life is a life with restrictions and rules?
Yes, I do a lot of “healthy” things for myself and my mind, but I also do some not-so-healthy things because they make me happy and I deserve to be happy.
So, today I’m sharing here are some of my healthy and unhealthy habits:
Some posts contain affiliate links. Please see my blog disclosure.
My Healthy Habits:
I eat several servings of vegetables a day…
Usually with lunch and dinner, but of course there are days where I get zero in.
I workout consistently five times a week, sometimes four…
Working out is a huge stress reliever for me. I workout on my own, in my element and it’s part of my weekly morning routine.
I drink a ton of water…
I don’t track or anything like that. I’d go crazy! I drink with all my meals and in between meals. I also drink a lot of decaf tea (this one is my favorite!)
I keep gratitude journal…
I have this 5 minute journal that I write in every morning. I write down three things I’m grateful for, three things that would make the day great and a mantra for the day. It’s just such a great way to start your day with a healthy mindset!
I eat lots of healthy fats…
Peanut butter, candied pecans, almonds, walnuts (I love these pre-made packs!), Perfect bars, Larabars, Avocado, eggs (yolks) I make sure to get several servings throughout the day!
My Unhealthy Habits:
I consume artificial sweeteners…
I put Splenda in my coffee everyday, I drink water with Crystal Light packets several times a day, I do have sugar free syrups every so often and other bars/snacks with sweeteners once in a while.
I don’t always stretch…
I stretch for 5-10 minutes after work everyday, but other than that, I don’t do any long stretching sessions or yoga sessions. I foam roll maybe once a week. Really need to get better at this…
I drink alcohol…
Guys, I friggin’ love wine. I love cocktails. I love it all. I don’t drink everyday, but you betcha I enjoy some drinks on the weekend.
I consume caffeine everyday…
I drink a Crystal Light energy packet during my workout, caffeinated tea in the morning and coffee in the morning. I love trying fun tea flavors and I genuinely love the taste of coffee. I know too much caffeine isn’t great for you, but I keep it reasonable.
At the end of the day, you have to do what makes you happy and makes you feel balanced in life. Everyone is different and it’s important to focus on you, not what others are doing.
Now you tell me…
What’s a healthy habit of yours?
What’s an unhealthy habit of yours?
P.S. Thanks to Jenna for the post inspiration—She did a similar one the other week!
Love your blog! I’m a new reader, stumbled acrossed your comments on Simply Taralynn and have been reading your stuff since! I like that you keep things real and don’t push the “24/7 health-nut” thing. Like you, I like to drink some on the weekends! I love my wine and I love craft beers so I value that you don’t eliminate it from your posts, it makes me feel normal 🙂
So I think we established that I drink alcohol, unhealthy habit #1. I cannot live without bread…I could eat it for dessert. I also need to stretch WAY more than I do.
Healthy habits, I drink a lot of water and I take time to take care of my mental health (baths, reading for fun, walks with my dog, enjoying the patio, etc.)
Aw thank you so much, Kelli! So happy you found me and thanks for your support 🙂 I loveeeee my wine and it’s very normal and healthy to have it. A happy mind is just as important as a healthy body. Oooooh, bread is so darn good–I eat that a couple times a week too! Love that you take time for yourself a lot– baths are so nice. I want to hop in one now, hah!
I love the idea of a gratitude journal, that is such a nice way to stay focused on the positive. I am a total coffee junkie, I regularly have around 3 or so (big) cups a day. I don’t usually add anything to it, but it is kinda a lot of caffeine.
It’s such a nice way to start my day! And coffee is my JAM, girl. I’m with you on that!
YAY!!! i love that you are sharing these aspects of your life. Sometimes I think even some of the habits you called unhealthy could even be healthy because they can be mentally or emotionally healthy, because it can be a blessing to enjoy some good coffee or sometimes a glass of wine with your meal. 🙂 <3
YES! Love that, Emily. While they may not be healthy ‘physically’, they are bringing me happiness and joy, which is important too!
What an awesome idea for a blog post! My healthy habits include drinking lots of water, eating a ton of veggies, avoiding refined sugars when possible and working out regularly. Not so healthy? Over-stressing and eating late at night.
That’s great that you do all of those things! Eating late at night used to be an issue for me too, but once I started eating more throughout the day, that habit went away!
LOVE THAT! I drink diet coke sometimes and I wonder to myself, what if someone saw me drinking it? I preach real food as much as possible but does that mean I’m not allowed a diet coke out at a restaurant? I brush my teeth after dinner so I don’t snack, thats my healthy habit lol
Oh heck yeah, girl! I drink diet coke every so often too. Gotta live our lives and stay happy 🙂
I love to eat my vegetables and big salads. I would say I hit my vegetable intake most everyday. I do drink coffee every morning. I do not consider it unhealthy….more like survival. =)
Hah, love that! It is survival!
Love this post!
Thanks, Anne!
Love this post! I eat a ton of fruits and veggies daily. And every once in a while I consume large quantities of ice-cream!
Heck yeah for ice cream!