Peyton Kathleen

I can't believe it's the last day of March! Having a week off of work definitely helped it fly by, but I still cannot believe it's about to be April! When it comes time for me to reflect on my goals from the beginning of the month, I remember that this is just about me. Not who I think I should be, not who I wish I was, just me as I am. Looking back on this month, I thought about where I started on March 1st to where I am now, 30 days later. In February I was in a major slump. I felt like I was living day to day life on autopilot. Wake up, go to school, leave, work out, come home, sleep, repeat. Just by tweaking a few things, like seeing friends on week nights, reconnecting with my spirituality, and fixing my diet, I feel much more balanced. In one short month I feel happier, lighter, and more confident. I accomplished every goal I set for myself, even exceeding them in a few areas! My continual mantra: "I am worth keeping a promise to."  What kept m...

I hardly ever go to Whole Foods, mainly because I live off of a teachers salary, and because there isn't one close to me. There were a few items I had been searching for but couldn't find at my local grocery stores. Sure enough, Whole Foods carries them. There is one near my boyfriends house so I made him go with me and holy paleo heaven! I could have spent hours in there.  I have been searching high and low for Malk. It's the only almond milk with just almonds, water, and Himalayan salt. Nothing else. Other almond milks have all kinds of ingredients that I can't even pronounce. I was also in need of some Kerrygold's Butter... And then grabbed some grass-fed ground bison, chicken thighs, bacon, and pasture raised eggs. Cutest egg carton of all time. I loved everything about my Whole Foods shopping finds. If I lived near one, I am fairly certain half my paycheck would go there. 

I often feel like weekends are what derail my healthy living progress. Between drinking, eating out, and my "treat yourself" mentality, the calories can add up quickly.  Being on this food plan the past two weeks and kicking butt at the gym, the last thing I wanted to do this weekend was backslide. I decided no matter what temptations came my way, I am sticking with my meal plan. I made a commitment to myself and I'm worth keeping a promise to! Even though I wasn't going to eat unhealthy or drink, I still wanted to see friends and have a great weekend. I had a little bit of anxiety that people would be put off that I wasn't drinking. Saturday afternoon I went with some friends to the pool. Everyone drank, I chugged about half a gallon of water. I had a BLAST and no one even seemed to notice that I didn't have a sip of alcohol! Later that night we all went out in Midtown, Houston and it was the same deal. I chatted, drank water with a lime in it (cocktail...

I had to double check my calendar this morning before I wrote this; am I really already half way done with this challenge? Sure enough, today is day 11 of 21. I took a picture this morning to track any noticeable progress. Day 5 Day 11 Terrible quality! But my first full body pic. I don't know if my arms are slimming down or if I was just flexing better in today's picture haha but I definitely am feeling great! I am not sure how much I weigh or how many pounds I have lost. I didn't have a great idea of what my starting weight was, there was about a 2-3 pound difference between my scale and my boyfriends. If I had to guess I would say I've lost around two pounds. I have not felt hungry at all, the opposite actually. I feel much more energetic and motivated. The hardest part is the weekend when I want to let loose, but I have a great support system to keep me honest and on track. The most drastic change is my food list! Here was the first list I show...

Eating clean is gorgeous. I once had a trainer tell me to "eat the rainbow". Every color should be represented in our daily diets! Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple: find it and eat it! Pork chop, avocado, salad Ahi Tuna cabbage salad from Del Frisco's Grille (ask for no noodles) Prepped meals are beautiful too!

I've gotten such positive feedback from my last post! I cannot express how happy the texts, messages, and Facebook comments made me! What a great community I have surrounding me! I have had a lot of requests to post a clean eating grocery list. There are a ton you can find on Pinterest or in any paleo book you buy. Here are just the basic things I get on my weekly shopping trip. **Keep in mind with meat, poultry and seafood: look for grass-fed, free-range, or wild-caught. Sometimes I have a hard time finding them, so just do your best!  Meat/Poultry/Seafood: Grass-fed ground beef Chicken drumsticks or thighs Salmon Tilapia Bacon  Dozen Eggs Vegetables: Broccoli Cucumber Zucchini Squash Bell Peppers Jalapeno Brussel Sprouts  Spinach  Leafy lettuce Onion Tomato Avocado Fruits : Green apples Berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries) Lemon Other: Egg White protein powder Olives Olive oil Coconut oil Coffee Yellow m...

This week I was on spring break and went home to Keller, TX. I had a health-filled week, continuing my meal plan and working out daily. It was heaven! One morning I came in from a run and was feeling encouraged about the progress I was seeing in my body. I decided to open up Instagram while I made breakfast. The first things I see are spring breakers in bikinis and tiny sunning outfits; immediately, the positive feelings I had toward my body started to fade. I starting feeling envious and almost angry that those girls got to look that great while I was out here busting my butt looking half as good! Closing my app, followed by closing my eyes, I reflected and remembered this saying: This could not have been more true for me in that moment. I decided to stop the negative and bring about the positive: I decided to celebrate me. Celebrating MY journey through healthy living and MY progress. I can never be anyone but myself so why not love every second of it?! So I took a no ma...