Posted on January 4, 2010

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Welcome to the first Slightly Indulgent Tuesday of 2010 where we celebrate fabulous food make healthier! Last year was incredible and I’m positive that 2010 will be even better. I am looking forward to working with all of you this year to help show people that you can eat well and eat healthy.

My Submission: Staying Healthy All Year, No Resolution Needed

I got to the gym yesterday morning about 6:10 am and the parking lot was packed. The New Years Resolution Group was back at it. They show up once a year for about a month, maybe two, and then disappear until the next year. It makes it a little more difficult to get at treadmill but knowing that there’s an end makes it do-able.

The first time I heard about this phenomenon, I was completely offended because I was part of the new Year’s Resolution Group. How could anyone insinuate that I was not totally committed to this new way of life? Well, in a month I was back to my old ways, no exercise and eating foods that didn’t nourish my body.

Over the years I learned that resolutions and fad diets just didn’t work. The only solution I’ve found that has enabled me to almost effortlessly maintain a 60+ pound weight loss is a simple decision to live healthier through regular, maintainable exercise, nourishing foods, and moderation. Over the next few weeks at Slightly Indulgent Tuesday I’ll share with you foods I eat and ways I stay healthy throughout the year so that a New Year’s Resolution is unnecesssary.

This week’s tips and recipes:

Eat 3 smaller meals and 2 -3 snacks a day. Don’t eat between meals. This has been my saving grace. I don’t get too hungry between meals which keeps me from overeating.
Find a doable exercise regimen that works for you. Don’t set yourself up for failure by trying to do something that doesn’t work for your schedule. I walk in the mornings. Most of the time it’s warm enough that I can just throw my shoes on and go. If it’s not, I make time to go to the gym. On the days I don’t walk, I do this Pilates videoto help keep my muscles strong. (I happen to be awful at exercise but I do it and that’s what counts.)
Balance your meals with a healthy carb, protein, and a fat. Eating all three keeps your blood sugar level and you’ll feel full longer.
A few of my favorite healthy breakfasts or snacks so I don’t feel deprived are Cherry Banana Frozen Yogurt, Blueberry Banana Ice Cream, and Cottage Cheese & Fruit Salad.
Check out Kalyn’s Kitchen for recipe ideas – she’s posting Phase 1 South Beach Diet recipes this month. Though I’ve never been on this diet many of her recipes are naturally sugar free and gluten free and right up my alley. I use her recipes quite often.

Last Week’s Submissions

Last week we had so many fabulous submissions – a granola bar recipe that could easily be made sugar free and gluten free caught my eye as did this divine double chocolate clementine cake.

What are you doing to stay healthy?

When you link, please tell us who you are and what you’re cooking . For example, I would enter:

Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten Free – (Cherry Banana Frozen Yogurt)

Please link to your individual post, not your homepage and link back to this post so that your readers can find the recipes here.