It was a productive Monday and I love it!  I had an awesome workout with one of my closest friends, I did some much needed wedding tasks that I've been putting off, and I spent the afternoon with my dad while cleaning some areas of the house, which once again I have been avoiding.  

Cleaning windows is NOT my favorite thing, especially in the condition that they were in, yikes....

But I did it, and life goes on :)

I really wish I could have went back to my weekend though, which consisted of this...

and this...

and a whole lot of this...

I wanted to take a minute and share some Stay Slim Secrets that crossed my mind while I was up on a ladder scraping away spider webs from above our front door :)  These are things that I believe have truly helped me when it comes to balancing food and fitness and healthy living and while there are TONS of ways to stay slim, I wanted to write about just a few!  Take em' or hate em', as long as you're trying to be the very best you every single day!

START YOUR DAY WITH A BANG:  Exercising in the morning can help ensure a healthy behavior all day long.  It can help you move more for the rest of that day, eat healthier, and avoid having the foods that are tempting you, all because you had a healthy start.

WEIGH YOURSELF ONCE A WEEK:  This is often enough to make sure you stay on track, but not so often that you become obsessive over every number.  Step on the scale first thing in the morning when your stomach is empty.

BE PICKY:  Share with others that you are focusing on eating healthier and they can help you stay on track by having healthier options around.  When you're hungry, think about what you're in the mood for and PICK those foods first as you will become satisfied a lot quicker.  Involving others and being picky with yourself and your workouts will for sure jump start that weight loss or healthy living goal.

AVOID BANKING CALORIES:  Avoiding foods all day and saving your calories for "later" (indulging) will only set you up for failure.  Why?  You're STARVING by the time that time rolls around and when you're hungry it is very easy to get out of control when you're faced with a stocked pantry and fridge.  Eat three meals and a couple of balanced snacks a day!  (It's harder than it sounds, I know!)

CONCENTRATE ON BEING ACTIVE:  Even if you don't have time to get in a 45-60 minute workout or you can't make it to your favorite class, move your body for 15 minutes and you can maintain that fitness level.  The healthiest people are NOT the ones that spend hours and hours in a gym.  Healthy people are consistently active, do a variety of exercises, and indulge in a little chocolate and salt every now and then.  And frozen yogurt, do not forget frozen yogurt.

AVOID PIGGING OUT AT NIGHT:  When I wasn't eating enough during the day, I found myself so hungry by the time 9:00 rolled around.  I would eat the first thing I could find which often meant no preparation required which usuallyyyy means it's not very healthy to begin with, especially right before I was going to lay down for the night.  When you're eating balanced meals throughout the day your metabolism is consistently working and you wont have a huge spike in hunger when night time arrives.  If I'm hungry at night, I usually eat some greek yogurt, a couple bites of cottage cheese, a small glass of milk...(ok chocolate milk), or berries.  

I hope you had a fantastic Monday!

What are your stay slim secrets? 
What's your favorite snack before bed?