Getting Healthy in 2015: Here's What Worked for Me

Do your New Year's resolution ideas involve getting healthier? Losing weight? Cutting out junk food?

You've come to the right blog to help you along your journey.

I've battled yo-yo weight loss (and gains!) for longer than I can remember. Thankfully in 2014 I made changes that helped me reach my healthy goal weight and feel better on a day-to-day basis.

So, I'm happy to share! It's no secret: make diet changes and exercise regularly.

Halloween at the pool! I'm the "carrot" on the end!

But, here's how I did it. I downloaded a cellphone app called My Fitness Pal. It tracks how many calories you burn when exercising and doing routine things like cleaning the house or walking the dog. It also tracks how many calories you eat at each meal and when you're snacking. This app has helped me realize my portions were out of control, even when I was eating healthy whole foods. If you stick to it, My Fitness Pal WORKS!

I also started exercising regularly. I hate treadmills and don't really care for the elliptical or stationary bikes. So, I found activities that I truly enjoy, including water aerobics, swimming laps, yoga and weightlifting. I try to do one of these activities at least five times each week for an hour at a time.

If you're thinking you're too old, have bad knees or won't fit in at a gym -- think again. I exercise next to 70-year-old women with hip replacements. The gym culture isn't all buff 20-somethings. There's a huge variety of people trying to get healthy.

If 2015 is the year you're going to make a change and get healthy, good for you! Take it one day at a time and remember that each day is a new chance to sneak in some exercise or pass on those second helpings at dinner. You can do this!

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

PS: Let's stay connected! I'm on Facebook and Twitter daily!

17 Things I've Learned While Using My Fitness Pal

Today is my 16th day of tracking my exercise, meals and snacks using the My Fitness Pal app.

When the hubby mentioned it to me I thought it'd be fun to try. I'm always looking for ways to be healthier and it might be a good thing to learn more about portion control. Well, I've learned about portions and so much more.

Here's 17 insights and thoughts since I started using the app.

1. Spices (such as ground cinnamon and garlic powder) do contain calories and should be logged.
2. Choose portions based on your needs, not what a food package says you should eat.
3. I feel guilty if I go over my daily allotment of calories and try to be better the next day.
4. Having friends to "like" your health achievement updates on the app is wonderful!
5. I've never eaten one portion of pasta in my life. I want a big bowl or none at all.
6. Celery does indeed have calories, contrary to popular dieting myths.
7. Olive oil is a healthy unsaturated fat but it's high in calories. Use it wisely.
8. I don't get enough sodium, potassium, or protein most days. I'm working to improve that.
9. I find myself snacking less since I have to be honest and log it.
10. I make everything I put on my plate count and strive to eat more nutritionally balanced meals.
11. I'm happy to see restaurant food and popular recipes are included in the food search feature.
12. Why is peanut butter and cashew butter so high in calories?
13. I love being able to track my daily vitamin and mineral consumption.
14. I feel proud each time I log exercise or physical activities, like mowing the lawn.
15. I can enjoy cake -- in moderation -- and still meet my daily health goals.
16. Alcoholic beverages and cheese have more calories than I realized.
17. A half cup portion is not very big. I've been eating too much of most foods.

Do you use My Fitness Pal? What feature or information has surprised you most since you started using it? Tell me in the comments below.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

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I Eat Too Much Fruit and Not Enough Fat

Who knew. Apparently I eat too much fruit. And vegetables.

Last week I downloaded a fitness app on my cellphone and started tracking my food, exercise and water intake. In less than 48 hours several things became very clear.

• You can eat too much produce.
• Fruits and vegetables are high in carbohydrates.
• I don't eat enough fat. (WHAT??)

So, as I begin this journey of really understanding my food, I'm completely blown away. Although I've had a healthy whole foods diet for several years, I never realized I'm not eating foods in healthy proportions. 

That means no more bowls of strawberries for lunch, I guess.

Has a health or fitness program helped guide your nutrition and health progress? I'm all ears! What did you learn? Why do you still use the program?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Why is My Weight Fluctuating When I Eat Healthy and Exercise?

I've been on this healthy, whole foods lifestyle mission for several years now.

Is exercising making you gain weight? Photo Credit: SXC

But unfortunately, I've been getting lazy.

Sure, I still choose fresh vegetables and cook from scratch as much as possible. But with the hubby getting on the healthy bandwagon, it's time to ramp up my healthy lifestyle and cut out the convenience processed foods that had crept back into my life little by little.

I need to use less canned beans and soak my own.

I enjoy making salad dressing from scratch, so why am I not doing it?

*sigh*

Ironically, over the last few months, the numbers on my scale have been creeping up. What?? I'm watching my portions closer than ever, exercising more frequently and eating even more healthy than when I started this blog. Something isn't right!

But my clothes still fit and some of my jeans are even getting a little loose.

Apparently I'm building muscle while losing fat! I can tell I feel stronger since I've started swimming and walking on a treadmill regularly. But, I never thought about the fact that my weight might creep up during this process.

So, if you're on an adventure to a healthier lifestyle, don't get upset when the scale doesn't plummet. If you're diligent with your nutrition and exercise, you might just be increasing your muscle mass!

Have you noticed your weight fluctuating despite making healthy decisions? Tell me I'm not alone in this discovery!

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Healthy Panties? I'll Try Those!

Photo Credit: Knix Wear

A week doesn't go by without kicking up my heels to a Zumba class, stretching my muscles with yoga or burning some calories in a water aerobics class.

Of course I try to pick out cute workout clothes, including colorful sneakers and comfortable swim wear.

But one bit of clothing I've never really given much thought to was my underwear. Sure, I own several sports bras, but what about workout panties?

I was recently approached by Knix Wear to try out a pair of the company's FitKnix boyshort high performance athletic underwear. They're supposed to help keep you dry and reduce odors when you're exercising. The panties are made of 75% nylon and 25% spandex with a 100% cotton liner padded with an anti-microbial gusset and leak resistant seal.

Time to Sweat!
I'm always up for a challenge, so I put the panties through one of my most grueling Zumba workouts. By the end of the hour, I was dripping sweat and reaching for my water bottle.

So, how did the FitKnix panties do?

The fit was surprisingly comfortable, despite the extra padding in the crotch. I didn't get any annoying wedgies or ride-ups. As a bonus, I couldn't see any panty lines when I peeked at my yoga pants in the mirror.

The panties are very lightweight, soft and flexible. They had no trouble keeping up with my moves. Even through they were the boyshort cut, they didn't roll up my near by thighs like other boyshorts have in the past.

When it was time to hit the shower, I was surprised when the panties slipped off easily. My everyday cotton underwear usually stick to my skin from sweating.

Yay or Nay?
Overall, I highly recommend these workout panties. Knix Wear also offers everyday undergarments in thong, bikini, boyshort and high rise brief cuts. There's even a line of lacy panties that are both cute and great at absorbing moisture.

Finally, there's cute undergarments ready to keep you dry and comfortable when you sweat, laugh a little too hard or get a surprise visit from your menstrual cycle.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Disclosure: The pair of Knix Wear panties mentioned in this blog post was provided free of charge from Knix Wear for review purposes. No monetary compensation was sought or awarded in exchange for the review. All thoughts expressed on Whole Foods Living are solely my own. This article was also published on Yahoo! Voices. ~Angela