WAYS TO FEEL INSPIRED

"Heyyyy...sexxyyyy lady!" -channeling my inner PSY {also known as the gangnam style pop singer, not to be confused with a PSL.}

Happy Friday friends.

Who's excited for 5 o'clock to hit? I'm more excited about this weekend in particular because Billy and I have some exciting plans to cross a few things off of my fall to-do list, that you read about last week. Eeek. I can't wait to share afterwards. 

Anyways...let's get to the point sometime today. I get a lot of emails/questions in regards to our grocery shopping, or favorite health items to buy, so today I'm going to share some because I did major damage at Trader Joe's the other day and stocked up on our favorites. As of this week, I'm trying really hard to eat clean for 30 days. If you aren't sure what clean eating means-refer to The Gracious Pantry (here) for a really good explanation. In a nutshell, it's pretty much eating food in it's most natural state-nothing processed, no sugar, etc. I will still have cheat meals here and there but if I can eat clean 90% of the time for 30 days, I will be happy (and feel much better!). 

Sidenote: I've found that even just browsing places like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's inspires me to eat healthier. You are surrounded by people who are fit, learn new healthy foods to try, and I always leave feeling better about the selections I bought. I can't really say the same about, let's say Walmart, where I see candy and cupcakes lining the outside of the aisles. I'm more tempted to eat worse when shopping at places like that. I know that these stores seem more expensive, but you really can find good deals on many items and it's worth it to eat organic, IMO.

Here's a look at what makes it into my cart (everything from Trader Joes):

1. Frozen Blueberries-always have on hand. Perfect to top on oatmeal or to use with granola and greek yogurt for breakfast.

2. Zucchini-In the fall, I use zucchini a lot for not just the boats I mentioned last week, but in soup. Cheaper to buy in bulk. 

3. Whole Wheat Bagels-I don't eat bagels often, but lately my absolute favorite breakfast has been HALF of a bagel, 1/2 cup liquid egg whites (not pictured), and hot sauce. YUM. 

4. Sugar Snap Peas-I can't rave about these little guys enough. Low in calories, crunchy, and delicious = the perfect snack or to put on salads.

5. Banana Chips-these would be considered a treat for myself because I love them and eat them by the handful. 

6. Raw Almonds-Eat 10 almonds as an afternoon snack. I also like to put them on top of my oats in the morning.

7. Reduced Guilt Pita Chips-I'm obsessed with pita chips, and these are lower in fat and calories than other brands. 

8. Pumpkin Spice Granola-AMAZE. Just go buy. Eat with greek yogurt (nonfat, plain)

9. Almond Butter-This is more of an acquired taste, but you will find that in many healthy fall treats they call for almond butter.

10. Organic Vegetable Broth-I typically buy low sodium. I use this for all of our homemade soup!

11. Steel Cut Oats-SO good for you. The regular oatmeal you buy in the boxes from the store are loaded with sugar...take the extra time and buy your own. Here is a good tutorial for making your own steel-cut oats in 10 minutes. 

{a typical breakfast for me}

12. Seasonings: my two favorites right now are Pumpkin Pie Spice and 21 Seasoning Salute. 21 Seasoning literally has everything you could ever want and goes on fish, chicken, beef, etc. A must have!

For my second edition of "around the www" and sharing what inspires me, I've decided to share some of the recent ways I've felt inspired to work out. I've mentioned my love for Jillian and the Tone It Up girls many many times here on le blog, but I've got an update!

Have you heard of Cassey from Blogilates?

Cassey and her workout videos are AWESOME! She is ranked #2 for most influential online personality right behind the famous (and killer) trainer, Jillian Michaels. Cassey is a fitness instructor that provides so many workout videos (cardio, pilates, yoga, etc) on her website, but not only that, she has FULL meal plans that you can print out. Currently, I have her vegetarian meal plan hanging on the front of our refrigerator. It helps me so much when preparing meals!

Cassey's POP videos are intense, short, and you rarely need any weights or other workout materials so you can do them in the comfort of your own home. I did her 5 minute tricep challenge last night and am feeling the burn this morning! This is also where you can learn the Gangnam Style cardio dance video that I did for my girlfriends wedding last weekend. Come on, I KNOW you want to. Don't even deny it.

Last but not least-we all know my love for Instagram. But have you thought to use it to inspire how you eat and/or exercise? If you don't have Instagram-I'm sorry but this won't apply to you. You should probably get it already.

Recently, I've started following @blogilates, @fitkitten, and @getfit_feelsexy (who both have healthy living blogs) on Instagram who post all of their meals and healthy recipes right to it. I check Instagram (probably way more than I should) all the time and when I see their healthy eating habits, it keeps me in check! Seriously, try it. You can find other awesome fitness guru's by searching hashtags like: #fitness, #health, etc.

You can follow me (@katiewkrysh) for some pretty awesome things too. Sorry I'm not sorry for posting all kinds of Rock Dizzle pics...like these:

I just love him. See that little Pom shadow?

On that note, I'm off to enjoy my ONLY iced coffee I've had for the week. I'm back to trying to drink it only once a week and I feel like I should be singing the song "rehab" right about now.

PS-LAST CALL: Use the code "CALM" to receive 25% off any jewelry item from Outfit Additions, valid only until the end of tonight.

What are your favorite ways to get inspired to eat healthy/exercise?

Have a fantabulous friday/weekend!