Fashionably Fit

Eating Clean is the Key to a Healthy Lifestyle!

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jan 25, 2012 in Fashionably Fit | 0 comments

You don’t get bodies like this eating sugary foods!  Love the TONE IT UP girls!

Workout Wednesday is here and I have something that may come as a sensitive subject to talk to you.  Do you love  sugar?  I know I do!  The problem is sugar is addicting!  Once you cut out sugar you’ll be amazed at the natural sweetness of fresh foods like apples and sweet potatoes.  Sugar is in all of your processed foods and even in some “natural” foods.  Sugar hides under fake names on labels like high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, rice syrup, cane sugar, glucose, fructose, beet sugar, etc.  Sugar substitutes like Sucanat, molasses, fruit syrup, honey, maple syrup, rapadura, stevia, yacon and any are all good options, but they too must be consumed in moderation.  While they may contain more nutrients than the sugar, they can be just as addictive.  It is very important to stay away from all fake sugars like aspartame, acelsulfane, saccharin, sucralose, etc.  These fake sugars work against you just as much as white sugar does.  There are so many great books out there to read that will help you understand just how bad sugar really is for you!  I would highly recommend “Suicide by Sugar” written by Nancy Appleton.  The point I am trying to make here is to get sugar, in any form off your shelves and out of your food.   It is not good for you and is working against you!  I will say that its hard to get rid of sugar all at once, so take baby steps.  Get rid of soda, and little by little exchange refined sugar for natural sweeteners, you will be happy when you do and your waistline will thank you!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Celebrity Fitness Tips!

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jan 18, 2012 in Fashionably Fit | 0 comments

Welcome to Workout Wednesday!  Those of you who read my blog regularly know that today is dedicated to fitness.  If your new to Fashionably Living, welcome!  I hope you find today’s post motivational!  I know that we all look to celebrities and fitness experts to tell us the secret we need to lose those extra 10 pounds, but to be honest with you, no celebrity or celebrity trainer has a secret pill.  The ladies that grace the covers of magazines and star in our favorite movies work their butts off!  For so many of these woman, their body is part of their job!  Think if all of us had that pressure to stay fit, not to say, all that pressure is healthy, but we sure wouldn’t have the obesity epidemic we have in America!  I wanted to motivate you today, to stay with your new year’s resolutions or even get started with a fitness program!  I have to tell you I have been hitting the gym regularly and it makes so much difference in how I feel and my mood!  Working out for me is an addiction, but at least its a good addiction – that and my addiction to coffee!  I hope you find yourself motivated by what some celebrities have to say about staying in shape!

Hope you got a Fashionable Workout in today!  If you didn’t you can always start fresh tomorrow, but remember you’re responsible for your body and only you and the choices you make are going to change it!

P.S.  I came across this quote today and I thought it was fitting…”The most beautiful curve on a woman’s body is her smile!”

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Five Eating Principles You Must Know!

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jan 11, 2012 in Fashionably Fit | 0 comments

Note: Picture is NOT property of Fashionably Living’s

So, have you all seen the show called The Chew on ABC.  It is a great show with Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly, Daphne Oz, Mario Batali, Michael Symon. The Chew is an American talk show/cooking show.  It is similar to The View, though centering on food-related and lifestyle topics.  I stumbled across the show a couple weeks ago and I love it.  Daphne Oz is adorable and her father Dr. Oz is one my my faves, so what’s not to love.  Daphne Oz has a book out called the  Dorm Room Diet and she also has a great website.  She shares great information that women of all ages should know.  I thought these five principles I adapted/ paraphrased  from her site would be great to share with all you for Workout Wednesday!

Enjoy!

P.S. Make sure you workout today!  No Excuses!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

1.    We have been told for a long time now, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day! It is important to always have breakfast.  Breakfast ensures that your body won’t go into starvation-preservation mode and also provides your brain and body with energy so you can play full out every day. Don’t forget it also revs up your metabolism for all-day calorie-burning power!

2.    Water is the second most important principle.  You need to be drinking half your body weight in ounces of water daily, including one glass before every meal.  One glass before every meal will help you eat less and fill you up sooner.  So, if you weigh 150 pounds, try to drink 75 ounces of water each day. I know it seems like a lot, but drinking an adequate amount of water keeps your complexion clear and skin glowing, flushes toxins out of your body, aids in good digestion and healthy teeth, and suppresses appetite.   Also, drinking a full glass of water right before bed helps prevent bags under your eyes, as this swelling is caused by an abundance of salt in the body; water flushes it out of your system.

3.    Eat at least every three hours (a good resolution is three meals and two snacks of fruit or veggies). This makes sure that you are fueled throughout the day so your body doesn’t go into starvation-preservation mode.  It also ensures that you won’t be famished at any point in the day, making it less likely that you’ll overindulge when you do eat or resort to eating something unhealthy just to put something in your stomach. Try eating a piece of fruit before going to any social gathering where you know there will be an overload of carbs, processed snacks.

4.    Count to your age before you “cheat.” Anytime you find you are about to eat something that would be classified as “unhealthy,” take the time to count to your age. Much of this sort of eating is hasty and you don’t actually take the time to think about whether you want to eat the item or not. You just cram it in and think nothing of it, until it shows up on your butt and thighs. If you still want to have a bite after your countdown, feel free: you’ve made a conscious decision to indulge, not a thoughtless gorge.

5.    Avoid eating within two hours of sleeping. Eating right before you go to bed is a problem for two reasons. The first is that you don’t have any opportunity to burn off the calories you’ve eaten before sleeping, so they are absorbed into your blood and transported around your body, and then eventually stored as fat. The second problem is that, while you may be able to fall asleep right away, the digestive processes going on in your stomach will require your brain to be partly awake, making your sleep much less restful and deep.

Reference:

Adapted From Daphne Oz’s – The Dorm Room Diet

http://dormroomdiet.com/about-the-book/excerpts/excerpt-5-principles-of-healthy-eating/

Uneventful Sunday Inspiration

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jan 8, 2012 in Fashionably Fashionable, Fashionably Fit, Fashionably Interior Design, Fashionably Organic | 1 comment

I woke up and went to Church, which was really good!  Came home and watched Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, because I wasn’t able to watch them on Thursday!  To be honest, I am being a bum today!  Don’t really know why, but feeling uninspired.  Don’t you hate how one day everything is peachy and then the next day your down and bored and don’t really know what to do with yourself.  Well, for me, that day is today!  I am bored, I need to workout, I am trying to figure out what I want to make for dinner, the list could continue, but I don’t want to bore you!  Feeling a little overwhelmed, not really sure why, and I hate to admit it.  I am so blessed, but yet I find myself sitting here typing away about my worries!  Geeze, I really need to go run then my endorphins will be elevated and I won’t feel so gloomy!  But one thing I love is how the little things in life can make your day so much better.  A quick workout can lift your spirits, a good laugh, a sweet compliment, a good book, etc. can make these gloomy days so much better. Well in honor of my gloomy day, I went straight to one of my fave websites, I think it is nearly every girls fave right now, Pinterest!  I love how you can be inspired in a matter of minutes by all the things you love.  My love of  food, fashion, interior design and fitness are pinned all over my Pinterest boards, and they inspire me so much!  Its a little silly I guess that Pinterest can put me in a better mood, but it really does!  Enjoy some of the inspiration I received today from Pinterest or go pin some of your own!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Please Note: Pictures are not property of Fashionably Living’s
Picture Credits: 1/ 2/3/4/5

Happy New Year- 2012!

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jan 2, 2012 in Fashionably Fit | 0 comments

I am excited to see what 2012 holds for me and my family!  There is so much that could happen this year!  As I sit and think about the things I want to accomplish this year, my mind starts spinning and my shoulders get tense.  Not a good sign that I get stressed out, but when I try to look to far ahead thats what happens to me.  The funny part is God already knows my future and He has great plans for me, which is always refreshing!  There are so many things I want to accomplish in my life, but I have to remember to take one day at a time and be thankful for everyday God blesses me with.  I haven’t officially written my New Years resolutions down, but I have been writing them in my head the past week.  I would like to take this time to publicly write down a few of my goals for 2012.

I am a very lucky girl to have such amazing friends and family.  These past couples days I have been humbled by my best friend and husband.  They know how to put me in check and get down to the nitty gritty of my heart.  They aren’t distracted by my accomplishments, but rather they know who I am and the desires I have and thankfully I have them to help guide me towards my future goals. The first day of the New Year offers a lot of promise and hope; it is a fresh start and with every year you feel like you have been given a clean slate. However, New Year’s resolutions fail more often than they succeed, and can often leave you feeling a sense of loss or discouragement.  I want to encourage you to really think about what is important to you and what you want out of life.  You need to sit down and think through your life values and decide what it is you really want.  As human beings we have been given the powerful ability to dream.  We can look deep within our hearts and dream of a better situation for ourselves and our families; dream of better finances and better emotional or physical lives; certainly dream of better spiritual lives.  But the key to all of this is the power we have been given to pursue our dreams!  The simple truth of this all is the major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get (thanks Jim Rohn for that insight).   I love that we have two decisions in our lives – we can make a living or a design a life!  My goal this year is to design my life and stop doing everything the way other people see fit.  I don’t think life should be done the same way by everyone, it would make everyone lose their uniqueness.  Our world needs change and people to step up and do things differently than normal.  I don’t want to be normal, my goal is to be extrodinary and I can only achieve that if I put others before myself!  I wish you all a bright and promising New Year!  Think bigger and dream bigger than you ever have!  “Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.” —Danny Kaye

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Running in a 5k

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Dec 28, 2011 in Fashionably Fit | 0 comments

{via}

Good Morning or should I say good afternoon.  After and early morning yesterday and another late night, it seems as though my body needed some rest, because I woke up late.  Last night I celebrated Christmas with my husbands family.  It was really nice to be with everyone.  We are all spread out across the country all year long that we all don’t get to see each other that often.  All of us chose a name this year for a gift exchange, which was a lot of fun.  I chose my sister-in-law and my brother-in-law got me.  Guess what he got me!?!  I got a pair of sparkly glitter silver TOMS!  I was super excited, as I have been wanting them for a while now!  The next pair of shoes I need are tennis shoes.  I am running in a 5k race on New Years day and I desperately need to find shoes that are comfortable, supportive,  and good for running!  Any suggestions?  There are so many shoes out there, and everyone has a different opinion about which shoe is best – I don’t really know where to start!  I will say picking out a cute pair of heels is so much easier!  Please share your thoughts on good running shoes that meet my criteria if you know of any.

Today, is one of my favorite days on my blog, its Workout Wednesday!  I love inspiring people to get in shape and take better care of their bodies.  God only gave us one body, so you want to make sure you do your best to take care of it!  I think starting the new year with a 5k run is a great jump start to beginning the year on a good note!  I have never ran in a 5k before, so it should be a lot of fun, plus the whole family is doing it, which is even better.  I love that my mom is going to join and she is going to walk it, so proud of her!  To be honest, I haven’t exactly prepared for the run.  I have been running and working-out the past several months consistently, but I know there are training programs that help prepare people for a run like this.  I love that a 5K run can add a new level of challenge and interest to your exercise program.  A 5K run is 3.1 miles.  I am not daunted by the distance, just more nervous that I have never participated in one before (nervous of the unknown)!  Although a 5K run is a great distance for a beginner and you can prepare for a 5K run in just a couple months.   Consider trying this training program if you plan on participating in a 5k anytime soon.  I ran across this on Mayo Clinic’s website!  Great tips and information!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

5K run: 7-week training schedule for beginners

Source: Galloway, J. Galloway’s 5K/10K Running. 2nd. ed. Aachen, Germany: Meyer & Meyer Sport; 2008:38.

*The Magic Mile is a training tool designed to help you find a realistic race pace. On the first Magic Mile, warm up as usual and then run or walk one mile (1,600 meters) slightly faster than your normal pace. Time your one-mile run/walk with a stopwatch. Run or walk easily the rest of the distance assigned for the day. On each successive Magic Mile, warm up as usual and then try to beat your previous one-mile run/walk time. Your 5K race pace should be one to two minutes slower than your fastest Magic Mile time.