5 for 5 Fit Lifestyle

And so the journey to a healthier life begins! For the next five weeks, Titziana and I will be working on our mental, spiritual, physical and emotional health by changing and eliminating some of our lifestyle habits. When you allow newness to enter your life, you will be changed and will allow the universe to send blessings and growth your way. 

Read more to see how it works!

ASn ode to be =ing in shap

1. Eliminate 5 Unhealthy Foods

Individually, we each decided on five things to eliminate from our diets. Then, we decided that since we live together and are each other's support systems, we would make a group list of five items to eliminate. This way, we can easily remember what we are both not eating, and our grocery list continues to sync. So, until November, we are banning coffee, pork, milk, cheese, bread, sports drinks, salad dressing and fried foods. 

Tomato wrap with light mayo, pesto, deli fresh honey turkey, avocado, spinach and tomato

Our new shopping list consists of items such as ground turkey, pesto, olive oil, spinach and tomato wraps, tilapia, an excess of vegetables, sesame oil, avocado ,etc. There are healthier ways to obtain good food. Balanced meals are not costly, and with the right products, they are just as effective for your tastebuds. So here's to the process of elimination!

2. Exercise 5 Times, Or for 5 Hours Per Week

GET UP AND BE ACTIVE! "VERB, IT'S WHAT YOU DO!" 
www.finishline.comThis one is simple; It means spend time doing something physically active as opposed to laying in our beds watching Grey's Anatomy or Law & Order. It means do something physical five out of the seven days in each week. It means to use our ILoveKickboxing groupons and start taking our classes! It means get up every morning and go walking before work like we did over the summer. It means get back to "Yoga in the Park" on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. It means re-comitting myself to the 10,000 step per day goal I set for myself. GET UP AND GO DO IT! (This is also the perfect excuse to buy new sneakers. For a limited time only, use coupon code HAPPYFALL for 20% off select items at Finish Line - You're welcome!) Below are a couple of exercise suggestions I saw via a RedRockApps promotion. 

3. Pray, Write, or Meditate for 5 Minutes Each Day

I'm usually a pretty reflective person, and since I returned from Haiti, I believe that taking time for yourself to just sit and think is extremely important. I learned recently (and wish I had learned this earlier) that it is not a good idea to only allow yourself you time when you are overwhelmed or going through something, just like how they say that you should not only run to God and pray when you need something. Generally, you will feel less overwhelmed or consumed when you take a moment to stop, think, pray and breathe. Inhale all of the great things in your life and take notice of all the small things that you may not normally see. Exhale negativity and eliminate toxic thoughts, people, and activities from your life.

Meditation can be physical and mental, so maybe some days, doing yoga will count for two of our daily steps. Prayer is powerful and I believe that we must Give it all to God. Speak and believe good things into the universe. Writing is therapeutic, so get a new journal and grab your favorite pen. There are so many beautiful things to find and to be thankful for in this life, despite the turmoil of each day. Appreciate it. Thank God for it.

I have also decided that reading and art should fall into this category. Reading enhances the mind and forces creativity to show itself. Art is a personal representation of thoughts and ideas. So Pray, Write, Meditate, Read or Be Creative for AT LEAST 5 minutes every day!

Need good book ideas?
1. Wherever You Go, There You Are - Jon Kabat-Zinn
I used this book to do my senior thesis on spirituality in undergrad in 2015. You can view my studies and how i interpreted Zinn's words in my studies, Here!
​2. Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Album
3. Any Poem book by Lang Leav
4. The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch
​5. Mastery - Robert Greene

4. Pick 5 Affirmations to Live By

I think this part is the hardest for me. I love myself and I believe that I am powerful, but I do not tell myself that every day. Usually, we wait on other people to affirm what we think that we know. So what is it that I can encourage myself to think or do by positively reinforcing myself each day? 

Affirmations are not only used to remind yourself that you are blessed beyond measure and okay despite your pain, but they are used to CONFIRM that something good will happen. So here it goes:

1. I Touch and Change Lives, Near and Far
2. I Am Destined for Great Things
3. God Uses Me in Magnificent Ways
4. My Black Life is Unparalleled
5. I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me

5. Commit to 5 Acts of Altruism

In general, people claim to be altruistic. We all feel that we are good people because we do good things, but which altruistic principles do we really practice? The key word in defining altruism, is SELFLESS. Do not be kind to glorify yourself or to let others know that you did a great thing for another. Love people because God intended for us to do so. Be good to people because that's the way your heart is set up. Even the most altruistic of deeds come with a sense of self gratification, and that is okay, but we don't have to run around and tell the world every time we play nice. With that being said, I may or may not update on my five acts of altruism. They cannot be planned out like the others, but they are forthcoming.