http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
(Image credit: Emma Christensen)
You love Costco, I love Costco, we all geek out over this bulk-sized Narnia. But what if I told you there was something even better than Costco? Something that only people in a small-ish pocket of the country really seem to know about?
Well, I am telling you that! Keep reading to find out what I’m talking about.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Back in 2011, Athens-based architect Katerina Kamprani started working on her Uncomfortable series, which entailed reimagining everyday items into “uncomfortable” versions of their useful selves. Many of these everyday goods pertain to the kitchen: a double-cupped champagne glass, interlinked coffee mugs, a thick cutlery set, hourglass salt and pepper shakers, and even a slipper spoon.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Fun fact: Label makers aren’t just for the office. Bring one into the kitchen and start making everything more organized (and fun!). You can use one to label jars in a pantry, mark where items go on a shelf, or even to keep track of pre-made meals you stash in the freezer. And the options don’t end there (see: 10 Surprising Ways to Use a Label Maker in the Kitchen).
Which label maker to get?
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Not everyone can have a walk-in pantry, but with the lure of Costco and the convenience of FreshDirect, it’s easy to stock up on stuff you don’t actually have space for. (Whoops!) Cue these ingenious solutions for creating just a little more space from an absurdly small — or even just a normal — pantry.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
(Image credit: Joe Lingeman/The Kitchn)
Pulled pork is one of those magical meals that every self-respecting meat-eater should be able to prepare by heart. And when you say pulled pork to any Southerner, you’ll hear descriptions of luscious pieces of tender meat rubbed with secret spice mixes and doused in sauces of spice and vinegar, tangy mustard, or sticky-sweet tomato and molasses.
Although those classic smoky flavors are satisfying, sometimes you need a new spin on an old classic. With a few shakes from your spice cabinet, some flavorful liquid, and a slow cooker, you can transform a huge hunk of meat into a satisfying meal for a crowd without spending hours over smoldering embers.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
(Image credit: Lana Kenney)
From Apartment Therapy → This 30-Second Habit is Scientifically Proven to Clear Your Mind
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
(Image credit: Feed Me Phoebe)
The standard sheet pan meal is a weeknight lifesaver, but after a while the same old chicken and veggies with olive oil, salt, and pepper can get a little boring. Enter: this red curry chicken with sweet potatoes and crispy kale. It’ll give your sheet pan routine a much-needed jolt.
https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/
Several years ago, I was following a pretty strict meal plan in hopes of losing some body fat. I could only white-knuckle my way through the meal plan for so long before I started sneaking in extras, usually in the form of nuts and nut butter. I’d toss back a heaping spoonful of almond butter and was immediately hit with a huge wave of guilt.
I’d think, “Great, this day is ruined!”, and then I’d proceed to do what the majority of people do when they fall off their meal plan: swan dive into the pantry for more snacks, blowing the rest of the day to smithereens.
I viewed my success with nutrition and training as either “good” or “bad”, leading me to either feel like a total rock star or a failure. All it took was a small handful of chocolate or some extra nut butter to make me believe the day was a monumental waste, which then resulted in a landslide of poor food choices for the remainder of that day.
Without exception, I was expecting perfection from myself, which was a huge mistake.
Whether you are working towards improving your nutrition skills, losing body fat, or getting stronger, how do you set realistic expectations?
Two of the most common questions that we get in Strongest You Coaching are:
These are fair but tricky questions: we don’t have the answers, because they depend on so many factors.
By learning to better manage your expectations, you can help avoid becoming too emotionally attached to a specific result, and cope better if things don’t pan out exactly the way you envision them.
The One Thing You Can ControlLife is guaranteed to surprise you: it will surprise you in positive ways, and it will surprise you in negative ways. You can have your workout schedule in place, only to see the gym suddenly close for the week due to a burst pipe. You can plan all of your healthy meals for the week, and be surprised by your family paying you an unexpected visit and bringing over pizza for dinner.
When we set expectations, it’s easy to be let down because things don’t systematically happen as we predicted. No matter what happens, however, you can find peace in knowing that you are doing your very best with whichever situation comes your way. This means taking responsibility for your actions when things aren’t going according to plan. If you can’t go to the gym, can you take a walk instead? If you are served pizza, can you enjoy one slice and then eat later when there are different food options available?
The one thing that you can expect and control is that you are in charge of your own actions and reactions, regardless of outside circumstances.
It can be really easy to expect perfection in terms of nutrition and working out, but the fact of the matter is that not every day will be the right day to work on your goals. Some days are better for focusing on maintenance, and that’s great!
My colleague Josh Hillis once said on a podcast that “Not every day will be a fat loss day”, and it was a lightbulb moment for me. I realized I had been spent my dieting days expecting just that! This expectation set me up for failure, because not every day can be a fat loss day, or a day where we become stronger, or a day where we improve our eating skills. Know that life will happen, and the most we can do is handle it in the best way we can.
This is closely related to what I mentioned above about only being able to control your actions and reactions, but it’s worth mentioning in a different way:
Rather than focusing on expectations, what would happen if you poured all of your energy into simply committing to doing your very best with the hand you are dealt each day?
Ultimately, that is all you can control.
Zoom OutWhen our expectations don’t pan out the way we had hoped, it’s easy to lose sight of the good things. As I shared in the beginning of this article, I used to let an extra heaping spoonful of almond butter detract from the fact that I ate veggies at all of my meals that day, drank plenty of water, got lots of sleep, and exercised.
When it comes to expectations, there are a lot of variables at play. This means that we can’t always predict an accurate outcome, which can leave us feeling disappointed. It’s important to refrain from letting expectations steal joy from the experience.
The key is to focus on what you are able to do with what’s available, and commit to do your very best!
A message from GGS…
In our Strongest You Coaching program, we help women just like you reach their health, physique, and mindset goals. Strongest You Coaching is about more than just training and nutrition. It’s about changing your self-talk and inner dialogue, learning to let fitness enhance your life instead of rule your life, and finally healing your relationship with food and your body, all with the help of your Girls Gone Strong Coach, and your fellow Strongest You Coaching group.
The post Managing Your Expectations: How to Set Yourself Up for Success appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.
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