Push Yourself to Do Things That Scare You

Don't let fear hold you back. Let it be the reason, your inspiration to try something new and different. Don't be afraid to start working out. Start small, you don't have to immediately jump into anything crazy; and really you shouldn't. Just get your feet wet, try a little something. A great first option is any one of my 5 minute workouts, and I have a new one for you today...

5 minute cardio workout of: 
​5 knees to feet
5 jump tuck
5 burpee (with pushup)

Try it with me, it's only 5 minutes!

I completed just over 4 rounds. This one was actually really fun for me. Knees to feet is such a uniquely challenging move; nothing else feels quite like it. If you've never seen it before I hope, when you try it, you enjoy it as much as I do. Let me know, because this is definitely one of my favorite exercises ever.

​I'm starting to enjoy and get a little excited about cooking again. I've always loved baking because to me it's so much simpler than cooking, but cooking has a much more nourishing payoff. I've recently started looking closely at all the vegan cookbooks I've acquired the past few years and writing down all the recipes I want to try, and the ingredients that I don't typically have that I'll need. I'm hoping trying these new things will further inspire me to get creative outside of these recipes and make up some recipes of my own to share. I do frequently adjust and swap ingredients and spices in and out of recipes anyway, so I don't know why I'm always afraid to make something of my own. Something for me to push myself outside of my comfort zone and attempt! The inspiration largely started because I want to make a broader variety of meals and eat more of a variety of foods, and also because I've taken to making meals for my boyfriend at least once a week and I don't want to force him to eat the same salads again and again. He's a good sport, but vegetables are so much more versatile than to only ever be used in a salad. Not to knock salad though, because I love salad, and usually eat one most days of the week, but I like to challenge myself to experiment with new and different recipes.

Cooking can be a lot, especially after a long day of work and/or school. Having uncomplicated recipes handy that you want to make can really help. It's important not to rely too heavily on packaged, processed foods just because of their availability everywhere and their quick, easy preparation. Of course things happen and there are exceptions, and these are better than starving when in a pinch; but a better thing to do is make several servings of a meal at a time and save the rest in the fridge to eat all week; or for longer term storage you can stash it in the freezer to have in the weeks to come. I like to do both, keep some in the fridge to eat again a few times during the week, and then save the rest in the freezer; then I can just pop something out on those nights when I have no time or motivation to make something from scratch. Simple! You really only have to put a little work in a couple days a week with cooking; just make a lot and save the rest. This also helps to reduce waste, you can just put all the leftovers in the freezer if you know you won't be able to eat a particular meal again that week; much better than it getting shoved to the back of the fridge and you eventually finding it 2 weeks later. Yikes. You can also do a lot of food prep and/or cooking on the weekends or whichever days you're not working. If you can't make large quantity meals, then even just pre-portioning out fruits and vegetables and cooking meats, beans, and grains can go a long way to help you make meals much more quickly during the week, and without sacrificing nutrition. A little forethought can save you a lot of time with cooking. Do you use any of these tricks to save time during the week? How do you save time when you cook?