What's Working for Me

It's been a little over a year since I started getting serious about my health and fitness. I've been a yo-yo dieter and half-hearted exerciser for as long as I can remember, losing and gaining the same 10 or more pounds year after year. Since I started going to fitness boot camp last year I've slowly begun to take my health more seriously, and I now feel more fit than I have in a long time. I've gotten a little leaner, a little faster and a lot more toned. I'm still not where I want to be, weight-wise, and I still struggle with bouts of laziness and wanting to eat nothing but ice cream, but I've come a long way, baby.

I thought I'd share a few websites, apps and products that have inspired and helped me along this journey thus far. 

Apps:

My Fitness Pal--This easy to use food tracker helps me record what I'm eating so I can stay close to my daily calorie goal. It also measures the amount of fat, sodium, cholesterol, vitamins and other nutrients with each food. Has a huge database of foods, including store brands and restaurant items. 

Ease into 5K--I use this mobile running plan on my iPhone. It's helped me go from couch potato to somewhat of a (very slow) runner. I have to admit that I have yet to finish the full running plan so I'm going back to the beginning. I love that I can create a playlist from my iTunes so I always have music to run to. 

Nike Training Club--Free workouts for various levels of fitness and time limits. I used it while traveling last week to do some short (15 minute) workouts in my hotel room, since I didn't have time to get a longer workout in. Even in 15 minutes I worked up a good sweat.

Websites:
Peak 313--Health and fitness from a Christian perspective

Skinny Taste--One of my favorite sites for healthy, low calorie REAL food (plus the food photography is gorgeous)

100 Days of Real Food--One family's commitment to eating real, non-processed food as much as possible

Books:

Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas--Inspirational read on how our health and fitness impacts our Christian lives

Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food by Christine Avanti--An eye-opening guide to the dangers of processed food and the benefits of "real" food, plus lots of healthy recipes

You: On a Diet by Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz--Uses great (and amusing) illustrations and plain English to explain how the human body works and the importance of a healthy diet. Includes lots of healthy recipes. 

Products:
Chilly Pad Super Cooling Towel--I got this for my birthday and it is incredible! Keeps me nice and cool during boot camp, especially on these scorching summer mornings.

Spibelt--I like this running belt much better than an armband. It's small but expands quite nicely to fit my phone and keys, plus it's lightweight and adjustable so it won't slip.


That's just a quick rundown of a few things that I've found helpful. What about you--any great books, websites, apps or other resources that have helped you get fit and stay that way?