WELLNESS: TIME FOR A TREAT

It's six months into my wellness journey and I've learned a lot! I've grown from not caring and living my life however I wanted, eating whatever I wanted, to being fascinated and excited about living a healthy lifestyle and being my "best me"! Everyday and week is not perfect. However, I've learned to keep myself moving forward and think of each day as a fresh start. There is still a lot to educate myself on and a lot of cooking skills I need to continue to develop! I'm exercising regularly and my body is thanking me for that. Using the phrase of my favorite wellness expert, Kris Carr, I'm learning to become a wellness warrior!

So, what about those days or weeks that aren't the best? Or what about that celebration or holiday with your all-time favorite dessert sitting in front of you? Or maybe it's a girls' night with a spooky movie and you are desperately in the mood for a bag of red vines and goldfish crackers? 

Let me just take a little time to tell you about my favorite meal of all time. Picture it with me...a lightly toasted and buttered sesame seed bun. A tender and juicy, perfectly seasoned burger with melted cheese, lettuce and a little spice. A side of fries, preferably a temperature close to the surface of the sun, with sweet honey mustard dipping sauce and a glass of very, VERY cold Dr. Pepper or Root Beer. Woah. This is my dream meal. I'm not usually a red meat fan but I could spend a day telling you my love for a good burger. So, how does this undying love play into my new lifestyle? 

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Personally, I've come to this conclusion. My goal is to live a healthy lifestyle from now until the day I die. I want to constantly strive towards wellness, not to be a certain number on the scale, but to be the very best version of myself mentally, spiritually, and physically. There are occasions and times where I WILL allow myself (guilt free) to indulge in a special treat. I think the danger of putting up strict boundaries with absolutely no wiggle room can cause a lot of undue guilt and issues if you decide to go ahead and have a treat. While I realize some people have made dieting decisions like being dairy-free or vegan, I think there are even ways that fit within those diets that you can still indulge in a special somethin'. :)

For me, treating myself looks like giving myself full permission to have something outside of the norm on a special occasion or every now and then. However, I try to live by this rule of thumb. If I'm in a "treat myself" situation, I like to ask myself, "OK, Savannah, it's time for something extra good, now, what is it that you would REALLY enjoy?" I try not to ever make exceptions for something I don't really want or isn't very good. If I'm going to treat myself, I'm going to do it right! For example, I've pretty much completely cut sodas out of my diet. But every now and then I really, really enjoy a Dr. Pepper. So if I am going to treat myself to a soda, you better believe it's going to be a Dr. Pepper and not a Sierra Mist or weird flavor that I don't even like. I like to save my treats for the treats I truly love and not waste my "treat yo'self" times on foods or beverages I don't care for. 

I should note that while treating yourself, you shouldn't go overboard. One slice of cheesecake is probably a better choice than the whole thing. Plus your body might not like you much for it later. ;)

To wrap up, here are some tips:

1. Allow yourself guilt-free permission to indulge every now and then. 

2. If you're going to treat yourself, do it right! Don't waste it on things you don't enjoy and are only convenient. 

3. Try not to go overboard, you'll enjoy your treat more that way. 

4. Watch this. :) 

Do you have any tips on treating yourself? What about your favorite treat yo'self recipe or meal? Please feel free to share in the comment section below!