When did our society become obsessed with physical appearances? There is a lot of pressure put on young women to look “skinny.” Luckily though, there are also a lot of women in our generation who are making a stand for being healthy, for being beautiful. Meghan Trainor’s new song, “All About that Bass” echoes this message with lyrics encouraging young women to love and accept their bodies “’cause every inch of [them] is perfect, from the bottom to the top.” Celebrities like Colbie Calliat and Cassey Ho from Blogilates inspire young women with powerful videos, lyrics and workouts.
I have decided to take my health and beauty into my own hands. With the help of Cassey Ho and the Blogilates community, I have been following (or at least trying to) the monthly workout calendar and 12-Week Meal Plan. While I am only on the second week of the meal plan, the focus is all about clean eating.
What is clean eating, you ask? Clean eating, according to Clean Eating magazine, is consuming food in its most natural state as possible. Clean eating is tough; it is especially tough on a college budget because the refined and processed foods we enjoy (like tortillas) tend to be much less expensive than the ones you should consume (like egg whites to make your own tortillas) to stick to your clean eating meal plan. Another factor that makes clean eating difficult in college is the incredible time crunch many of us face. It is difficult to find time to workout, let alone consistently create meals from scratch. With the meal plan, the first week was especially challenging because I had to create new dishes for almost every meal (even though I ate the same foods on certain days). The second week, however, has proven to be slightly easier because I was able to make clean meals one day that have lasted throughout the week.
If you are interested in changing your body, start with what you eat. Research has shown that your physique is 80% of what you eat, 10% genetic and 10% based on exercise/physical activity. The cliché of, “you are what you eat” could not hold truer when it comes to clean eating. There are countless health benefits of clean eating! According to Tosca Reno, author of The Eat-Clean Diet series, “you’ll stay healthy and have more energy; your eyes will look bright and alert; your teeth and gums will be healthier; your skin will glow.” Your beauty comes from within; but, when eating clean, you can let your body be beautiful from the inside out!
Find some delicious clean meals by following this link: http://www.cleaneatingmag.com
You can also try these two recipes from the Blogilates 12-Week Meal Plan (to access the full meal plan, click here: http://www.blogilates.com/newbodymakeover-meal-plan):
Healthiest Quesadilla Ever
Tortillas:
6 TBS of egg whites
2 TBS coconut flour
1/8 tsp baking powder (for fluffiness; optional)
Meat Filling:
1/4lb (4 oz) of 99% fat free ground turkey
¼ cup of lite mozzeralla cheese
3 celery sticks
Directions:
1) Pour the flour (and baking powder, if desired) into the eggs whites
2) Chop celery and sauté over medium heat
3) In a separate skillet, over medium heat, pour half of the batter. After it has dried on top, flip it onto a plate.
4) Pour second half of batter into skillet.
5) In the meantime, once the celery has crisped, add the meat and desired seasonings.
6) Brown the meat and add the mixture into the tortilla on the plate
7) Sprinkle the cheese onto the meat and top with the other tortilla.
Chicken & Veggie over Spaghetti Squash
3 oz. sliced chicken breast
1 cup baked spaghetti squash
1 cup zuchinni, chopped
½ tbs of extra-virgin olive oil
½ Raw Marina Sauce (recipe below)
Directions:
1) Cook chicken and veggies in olive oil. Mix with marinara sauce and eat over spaghetti squash.
Raw Marina Sauce
3 roma tomatoes
12 pieces of sundried tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
5 fresh basil leaves
½ Tbs of oregano
1 dates (medjool)
Directions:
1) Blend ingredients to make sauces.
(I sauted the sauce and it was yummy that way too!)