#HealthWarriorWay

“This blog post is part of a paid Megan Media and Health Warrior blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.” #HealthWarriorWay

We don’t want to sit here and bore you with the same New Year’s Resolutions, but we have a feeling that 2017 is going to be pretty awesome. Both of us continue to chase our dreams, each achieving different yet impactful milestones. With Sarah taking on the role of Style and Beauty Editor of Strong Fitness and Michelle embarking on motherhood, we have a new outlook on our health and well-being.

Sure, fitness is important, and we have expressed this multiple times, but how often do we talk about how our food intake actually fuels and energizes us? We all need that reminder and motivation, whether it’s to power through your CrossFit session or to keep that energy going after a long day at work followed by the craziness of motherhood. We want to start our 2017 fresh and mindful, which is why we are so fortunate to have discovered Health Warrior.

They are the first to include chia seeds as the #1 ingredient in the most delicious, convenient way as part of their amazing Chia Bars. What we love most about this brand is that they are committed to sustainable sourcing of their Premium Grade A Chia Seeds, using no-till farming methods and supplied with 100% traceability from farm to package. All Health Warrior products are certified gluten-free, kosher, and Non-GMO Project Verified. So if you are looking to focus on your health and well-being, remember it starts with your food intake. Health Warrior believes better health will build a stronger society. It is their mission to inspire healthy diet and exercise habits, and that is what we like to hear! Even better, they’re coming out with two new flavors this year: Vanilla Almond and Mint Chocolate Chip. You can check out all their Chia Bars and Superfood Protein bars on the Health Warrior website or on Amazon.

In keeping with the Healthy Warrior theme, we each wanted to share our health/nutrition goals for 2017 so that we both are able to fuel one of the best years yet!

Sarah’s Goals:

I have always been pretty active in the gym, but nutrition is something I have struggled to stay consistent with. I never seem to miss a workout, but I find myself skipping meals here and there and fluctuating with my eating habits. As active as I am with CrossFit, I  know that I am doing my body a disservice by not fueling it correctly, but sticking with a top-quality nutrition program has been difficult for me. I like my wine, my cheese, my candy, and Taco Tuesday way too much to give those things up entirely. Anyway, isn’t that the reason that I workout?

In the past year, I have seen my physique transform a ton, and that is all thanks to my strict workout routine and schedule. But after a year of working out 5-6 days per week–with 3 of those days being 2 workouts a day–I started to notice that I didn’t have as much gas in the tank as I used to. After feeling tired, failing at my lifts and even getting injured, I realized that I needed to make a lifestyle change if I really wanted to further myself.

Eating 3-4 meals a day with a good balance of protein, carbs and fat, seems like something we should all know how to do; but you would be surprised how many people (myself being one of them) have no idea what their bodies need to function properly. I love healthy foods such as salads, grilled veggies and lean proteins but getting enough of them is the real challenge. I learned recently that my body needs over 130 grams of protein a day for the amount of work I do, and I was probably taking in half of that!!

Meal planning and staying on track with nutrition takes work, especially when first getting started. Knowing that I needed some handholding and someone to be accountable to, I reached out for some help from a good friend and former figure competitor turned nutrition expert, to get me started with my program. Currently, I am two weeks into tracking my food and I am feeling great! I throw a few Health Warrior Chia Bars in my purse and gym bag at the beginning of the week so I know that I have a healthy choice when I start getting hangry. I can’t wait to share my nutrition journey with you and hope to provide you with some tools that can help you reach your goals as well. Because as they say, abs are made in the kitchen, and I can’t wait to see what we cook up for 2017 together!

 

Michelle’s Goals:

Let me tell you about these cravings. No, I haven’t had any wacky pregnancy cravings for ice cream with pickles, but I have certainly been indulging in a few dishes and treats that I probably wouldn’t have before I was expecting. I have always been a pretty healthy eater, but my priorities were different than they are now. Vegetables usually never made their way onto my plate unless disguised. Wine was my favorite and most consumed fruit. I drank 2, sometimes 3 cups of coffee a day, and my processed food intake was never a concern.

Now my priority is my baby girl growing in my belly and forever after when she enters this world. Eating right and living a more positive lifestyle are my New Year’s resolutions. My habits and diet will most likely carry on after I give birth, and I want to continue eating the right way despite the restless nights and little time for grocery shopping. Who knows how I will even get my exercise in with the little munchkin, which is why making a healthy, well-balanced meal plan even more important. This new year I want to work on being better about meal prep, rather than indulging in food that I want right then and there because I’m hungry and baby is kicking. Packing healthy snacks like Health Warrior Chia Bars is going to be my way to fight cravings and stay on track. Being conscious of what is going into my body hours before it happens will allow less room for these pregnancy indulgences and more time for baby snuggles come this April!

 

If you feel moved by Health Warrior and their mission like we do, please check out their Operation Farm & Run kickstarter campaign, which is running now through mid-March. The campaign is to raise money for Mexico’s Tarahumara tribe. All profits go toward sustainable agriculture projects on the Tarahumara’s farms so we encourage you to check it out and get involved if you can.

Now we want to ask you, “When Are You A Health Warrior?” We are excited to share an Instagram Sweeps with you! To enter you just need to upload an image that shows when you are a Health Warrior, use the hashtag #HealthWarriorSweeps on Instagram, and tag @healthwarrier. Photos may include healthy snacks, healthy meal prep, fitting in daily exercise to a busy schedule, making it to the gym for the 3rd or 4th time in a week – and all of those other “little victories” that add up to being a “super you!” The winner will receive $500 AND a 6-month supply of Health Warrior Chia Bars!

 

Let us know how you are going to live the #healthwarriorway! We would love to start the new year with ideas and inspiration from our readers that help keep us all on the right track.

xo

Sarah and Michelle

 

“This blog post is part of a paid Megan Media and Health Warrior blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.”