5 Ways To Stay On Track This New Year

This post is written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. All opinions are entirely my own. This shop has been compensated by Acorn Influence, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ClubTysonTwist

     Every year I would make a New Year's resolution to lose weight and it always started out well. I'd buy new workout clothes, a few DVDs, and I was pumped but by the third week of January I was slipping into my old habits and I definitely wasn't losing weight.

The same thing happened with my 2016 New Year's resolution but I decided to try again in April and I succeeded. I am OVER twenty pounds down and have built a lot of muscle. I'm wearing clothes four sizes smaller and I'm still going!

 I have 5 Ways To Stay On Track This New Year so you can lose weight and keep it off!

1. Start small – This is the so incredibly important. I've always been a hit it hard kind of girl but I would burn out then make excuses. Start with a walk, the next day do a yoga video, and go from there. Do 45 minutes of exercise every day, just keep moving.

2. Cut out the sugar – Wait, wait…before you click away hear me out. You can do it, you can survive without it. I lost ten pounds right away by taking it out of my diet. I use a stevia substitute and it doesn't have a nasty aftertaste. Sugar is a big part of the American diet and it seems to be in everything but there are things you can eat. A great book to pick up is Big Girls do it Running by Jasinda Wilder, she has a lot of great recipes in there (and you don't have to run if you don't want to.)

3. Drink water – You need to make sure you are drinking water for a couple of reasons. The first is sometimes you may think you are hungry but you are actually thirsty. The second is when you are exercising it is important to be hydrated otherwise you will cramp.

4. Change up your exercises – The point of this is to change your life, to become much more active and make sure you don't get bored. For me, I use exercise to battle depression and my entire family has jumped on board.

        Some days we go on a hike, others we go on a bike ride. We also take mixed martial arts classes together. What are you interested in? There are classes for everything! Some days we grab our bikes and load them up and take them to another town to do site-seeing. 

5. Make sure you get enough protein – You need plenty of protein to keep your metabolism running, your energy up, and your blood sugars stable. When you workout you need it for muscle recovery and to build muscle. I make sure to have protein with every meal and I eat six times a day. I like to have things to grab and go since I work from home, homeschool, and exercise daily. I make protein smoothies, eat yogurt, eggs, burritos, and salads with meat.

        I like to use Tyson^® Grilled & Ready® Chicken Breast Strips at Sam's Club. The 3 lb bag of Tyson® Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Strips from Sam's Club is available in the freezer section.

       I like to stock up then I always have smart options on hand. They are already cooked, cut up, and seasoned. You just need to warm them up. It only takes about 3 minutes and they are ready to add to whatever you like. Sometimes I even eat just the chicken. 

  My favorite things to add them to are salads and burritos. I already have everything prepped for them so my meals are super fast. I grab them to pack when I'm on the go or when we come back from a class and need something quick.

Better For You SALAD –

1/2 Bag of Tyson^® Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Strips at Sam's Club

1/2 bag of organic mixed greens

1/2 jar of green olives

1 container of organic cherry tomatoes

1/4 head of organic cauliflower

1/4 chopped organic onion

Balsamic dressing to taste.

If you are looking for a fast and delicious lunch this is perfect. All you have to do is warm the chicken and mix all of the ingredients together. We make this up to take on picnics or something quick to eat while we are at the gym. It is filling, nutritious, and will give you the energy you need.

Use Sam's mobile app reward and you get $5 off 2 bags!!

Visit Tyson^® Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Strips page on Sam's Club to find out more.