FIVE TIPS TO YOUR FITNESS GOAL

 

What's up wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you're doing great and not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day! Thank you for checking out my blog today.

It's a new day and I am so thankful for the blessings of God. The grace to stay fit and be in good health is a blessing that I will forever be grateful to God for. It is my joy and privilege to share five of my favorite tips with you today.

1. Park A Little Farther Than Usual

I used to fight for spots close to the door at the grocery store or places I go to. I understand the convenience to go quickly in and out of a place without having to wait. However, if you're trying to stay active and live a healthier lifestyle, I encourage you to park a little farther away from the door. Most people don't compete for the parking spots that are farther away because of the effort it takes to walk to the store. For someone whose goal it is to lose weight and live healthier, you know that is the real gem. Your metabolism increases as your activity level increases. High metabolism is what breaks down fats and carbs that lead to overweight.

2. Walk Back and Forth To The Kitchen or Dining Area

When we are at home, it is normal for us to want to sit down and be sedentary. We want our comfort such as eat conveniently on the couch and use the remote. We tend to sit on one spot for hours. To break this bad habit, we could get up and walk back and forth to the kitchen or dining area 10x per day. The goal is to get yourself used to getting up and moving in your house. Remember every step makes a difference.

3. Use Your Steps In Your House

If you live in a duplex or split level home, that's your opportunity to get fit. Sometimes it is hard to go up the  stairs, trust me, I understand. But if your goal is to be active, try going up and down the stairs 5X per day. You don't have to run up the stairs. A gentle walk up the steps will do you good.

4. Cut Soda And Replace It With Fruit Juice

Soda doesn't have any dietary value. It is full of sugar and not good for your health. You can simply try cutting down the amount you take per day and replace it with a healthier drink such as water or fruit juice over time. You will feel the difference in your body when you cut soda off.

5. Relax

I know some of the points I have shared may be a little overwhelming to follow. However, getting in shape shouldn't scare you. Don't overwhelm yourself with the thought of losing weight so much, that you begin to resent yourself. You should be excited about the steps you're taking and keep your eyes on your goal, with excitement, that you will get there.

I hope this helps you.

Have a pleasant day.

With gratitude,

Maryam 

YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS JOURNEY DOESN'T HAVE TO BE BLAND|| Veggie Noodle Soup Recipe

 

What's up wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you're all having an amazing day and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you for checking out my blog today.

Weight-loss doesn't have to be scary and boring. You don't have to eat tasteless and bland food in order to reach your goals. In fact, to lose weight, you can still eat what you like but in moderation and increase your physical activity . 

The reason why most people never reach their goal is because they try too hard and apply hard-to-follow techniques that only work for a few people. Being a fitness and health enthusiast, I can tell you from experience that you can still eat what you love but in moderation and be able to reach your goal. I have to clear up some misconceptions though.

Dieting alone will not get you to your ideal weight. However, dieting in addition to increased physical activity to burn calories and fire up your metabolism will get you there anytime. By dieting, I don't mean eating tasteless and unappealing foods. I mean cutting down on the amount of food you eat and substituting non-nutritional foods for nutritional foods. It takes discipline and commitment to stick with your plan and ultimately reach your goals. I believe you can reach your goal. There are days when you're going to feel like quitting but don't quit. Keep the picture of the person you want to become at the end of the journey on the screen of your mind.

Here's a recipe I think you might want to add to your list. Vegetable noodle soup!

My son and I just enjoyed a bowl of this delicious soup each. I tell you, it's very delicious. I find it fun to mix-up what I eat. I don't always eat meat. I love meat a lot but sometimes I just don't desire to eat meat. Yesterday was one of such days.

I decided to make this amazing pot of vegetable noodle soup. I am super excited to share the recipe with you.

What you will need:

1 pack egg noodle

1 teaspoon salt

a tablespoon of minced or chopped garlic

2 tablespoons of chopped onions

3 tablespoons of olive oil

a teaspoon of Weber's Kick'n Chicken Seasoning

A sprinkle of Ground black pepper

A teaspoon of Knorr Beef

2 cups of water

1 Green Bell Pepper

1 Red Bell Pepper

Slice Bell peppers into four parts each and blend until coarsely blended with little bits of pepper still showing.

Get a saucepan or soup pot. Place on the stove-top at medium high heat. 

Pour your olive oil into the pan. Let heat for about 2-3 minutes. 

Add your chopped onions and garlic and let cook until onions are translucent.

Then add your blended Bell pepper mix. Stir until content mixes completely.

Add your water and all spices. Cover your pot and let content boil. This should be between 8- 10 mins.

Add your pasta and let cook for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes extra.

Get your favorite bowl out and serve yourself. This is delicious.

The great thing about this meal is that it's very light and it satisfies your taste buds too. It's a very low calorie meal.

I hope this inspired you.

Have an amazing day.

With gratitude,

Maryam

AS A MOM, STAYING ACTIVE, IS A MUST FOR ME

 

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you're having an amazing day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you for stopping by today.

SO, how do I feel about staying active? I think it's amazing! Freaking amazing. I love being able to run around the house and at the park chasing my active kids. I love being able to jump as high and as often as I want to, without worrying about getting hurt. 

Staying active means keeping my and body mind in order. One way I have found that really helps me stay in a place of peace and focus is stretching and deep breaths. When I do these, I find myself suddenly in the moment. Not worries about the past and and not too concerned about the future either. Life is beautiful, my friend and there is immense power in the present.

If you are a mom reading this, I want to encourage you to take time out for yourself to stretch and breathe. You do a lot for everyone, now it's time to do a lot for you. You are constantly relied upon to keep everyone safe, fed and healthy and you almost forget that you are a person too. Well, here's your reminder mama, you are VALUABLE! Don't think you have to sacrifice what you would love, so everyone else can be happy but you. From my experience, that breeds contempt and you don't want that.

I love my kids but they can be very demanding sometimes. The way that I balance taking care of them and me is by making sure I am doing things I love to do. Staying active is one of the main things that I love to do. Workout with me today by watching my video:

To follow my fitness journey and participate in working out with me, please subscribe to my fitness channel:YouTube.com/therealmaryamshumate. I have dedicated this channel to inspiring you to stay active while at home with your babies.

I am rooting for you, girl! 

With gratitude,

Maryam

HOW REDUCING MY CONSUMPTION OF BREAD HELPED MY WEIGHT

Happy New Year wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely friends. I hope you had a fun celebration yesterday. I wish you a 2020 filled with love, health, bliss and opulence.

It is always exciting sharing with you what I am learning or enjoying at the moment. On the last post, we talked about how to start your weight-loss goals and I shared some personal tips with you. I hope your journey is going well thus far.

I have discovered that it is also helpful to be specific when sharing weight-loss tips. It is my goal to share specific tips that have helped me, hoping that it helps you also.

I love bread! Do you love bread? I have traveled a good bit and in all my travels thus far, I'm yet to visit  a place where bread is not served as starter. Bread is truly a staple in most places. At every location, whether it be a restaurant or home bread is usually served with a personal touch. I also have a multiple variety of ways that I serve bread in my home. Whoever invented bread is a genius!

Bread is usually the hardest to give up, by those who are trying to lose weight. When the discipline is applied to cutting down on the quantity that is consumed, the impact is almost felt immediately. If you are in the habit of eating a lot of bread, whether in form of pizza, doughnuts, subs, sandwiches, or pasta, you may want to start your journey by reducing how much of it you eat. If you are in the habit of eating bread during every meal, try cutting it down to 2 meals and reducing the size to a smaller portion.

When I first started my fitness journey, I cut bread from my diet completely for a period of 1 week and I could tell the difference. Bread is digested in the body as sugar. It is carbohydrate. Too much sugar in the body can make you lethargic. The body gets fattened from the increase of carbs and a decrease in physical activity. There's only so much carbs that the body can metabolize at a certain amount of time. If you consume more than the body can metabolize without any kind of physical activity, you are going to gain weight.

Whenever you plan on eating a lot of bread, make sure you follow it up with a high level of physical activity afterwards. I do this whenever I splurge. I can usually tell after eating too much bread. My body feels lethargic and I get a buzz in my head that I don't like. I usually find a good run afterwards very helpful.

I know it can be very challenging to go for a run if you're not used to being active. But don't be discouraged. Every great journey begins with a step. Try putting on your headphones while taking a 15 mins walk up and down your driveway or to/in the park. It does wonders. Try making walking a habit and watch how your body begins to enjoy it.

Do you want to know a secret? I ate a lot of bread before making this post. Can you guess what is happening after this post? I'm going for a run😆!

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you have an amazing New Year!

💛,
Maryam

Sandwich bread picture is from https://butterwithasideofbread.com/homemade-bread/
Other pictures are from https://redrosebakerynj.com/fresh-breads/

MY CANDID ADVICE ABOUT WEIGHT-LOSS IN THE NEW YEAR|| Feat Femme Luxe

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are y'all doing today? I hope y'all are having a great day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day!

It's New Year's Eve and there's this craze about weight-loss goals. I have been receiving questions about my weight-loss journey. While there are millions of posts and advice on social media about weight-loss, I didn't follow any particular advice. I have learned that the best way to be the ideal self you aspire to be is to start right where you are. You can be inspired by someone but never let your goals be someone else. The real success is being better than you were. In essence, you are your own inspiration. You want to weigh lighter, start working on being lighter. Don't be discouraged that you are not like Maryam or somebody else. You're always your best self! I hope you see that. Don't think of someone else as a competition or idol because that can be dangerous.

The journey to lose weight is not just a physical one but more so a psychological one. You must understand that your weight can be increased or reduced by you! If your issue is binge eating anything and everything, you must know that discipline is very important. If your consumption is more than your physical activity, you're going to gain weight. Here's my simple formula for starting on your journey. I must say that you should get rid of the mental pressure to lose weight fast, first!

Try eating less portion and the frequency of your eating. For instance, if you're used to eating every hour, try eating every two hours and less quantity. Next, if you're not used to taking walks or going for a run, try walking 15 minutes everyday. Combine that to eating less frequently, you should start seeing some improvements in your weight-loss within 14 days of starting.

Here's a most important tip: Don't be discouraged if you don't notice any difference. Don't compare your journey to somebody else's. You are your own unique person. Approach life from the perspective of complete love and appreciation for yourself. be conscious of you, my friend and your journey will get easier, better and exciting!

I hope this helps you in some way.

Are you in the market for fashionable affordable clothes? Check out these pieces from Femme Luxe Finery

This beautiful Mauve Satin Long Sleeve Shrilled Waist Crop Top is a change from my regular wardrobe pieces but I love it! The color goes very nicely with my shiny chocolate skin.

This gorgeous Black Mesh Panel Wide Leg Jumpsuit Wendy  is my very first black jumpsuit. I love how easy it is to put on and take off.

This  Silver Metallic Long Sleeve Bodycon Mini Dress is a night-out in the town kind of outfit. It's shiny and glittery. You sure will be like the stars in this number.

This Black Iridescent Gold Strappy Bodycon Midi Dress is my favorite out of all the recent pieces I ordered. It fits perfectly and it's soft on my skin. The glitter gives it an added character that makes me my own favorite eye chocolate 😊.

I enjoy dressing up and sharing pictures of my new pieces with you all. If you like any of these pieces, check out Femme Luxe Finery today.

I hope you have an exciting New Years Day and a very successful 2020!

💖,
Maryam

HOW TO GET TO YOUR IDEAL WEIGHT AND LIVING HEALTHIER

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are y'all doing today? I hope y'all are having an amazing day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day!

There's a whole craze buzz about losing weight and getting to the ideal shape. I have heard many women say that they won't be happy until they have lost weight. I have learned that waiting to be happy only when your wishes or goals have materialized, is not natural to who you really are. The essence of you is happy NOW! If you're not satisfied with your current weight, your goal should be for you to be happy NOW! Here's what happens if you are happy NOW; Not only will you have the inspiration to workout, you will be content and happy with your result. The need to maintain your goal weight will be natural to you. You will then overcome the pressure of trying to compare your progress and body to others. You should strive to be better than YOU were!

A happy heart makes everything easy. When your heart is heavy with dissatisfaction with how you look, you won't have the energy to move forward towards your ideal weight. Even if you get there, you'll still not be happy. The reason for this is you were a happy being. This happiness that is you is not dependent on your physical world or form experience. It is the true nature of your being.

I have always loved being happy. I am not consciously aware of the very nature of my being. It's wellbeing, joy, expansion, harmony and love. Be interested in your own happiness. Your choosing happy should not be in comparison to somebody else. You are God's highest form of creation. Embrace you! Sit in silence and just focus on nothing and watch how happy you start to feel.

Practical Steps to Staying Fit and Losing Weight:
1. Get a comfortable bra top. My personal favorite is Nike brand. You want your boobs held in place, comfortably while you walk or run.

2. Get a comfortable t-shirt or workout shirt. I like Nike Tank Tops. They are breathable and easy to wash.

3. Get a pair of comfortable workout shorts or pants. You can find a variety of these at different stores.

4. A comfortable pair of running shoes. There's a thin line between enjoying your workout and being frustrated by it. That line is called your shoes. Always get a paid of comfortable workout shoes. I suggest going to the store and trying on a variety from Nike to Adidas and Puma to Under Armor. Look for a pair that you can comfortably run in.

Finally, Don't wait for the perfect time, day or space. Get out there and start your journey to your ideal weight. You could start with a 5 minute brisk walk in your driveway. Increase that to 10 minutes the next day. Keep doing it until you can start adding more varieties to your routine and watch what happens.

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoy your new journey.
💖