Happy 2016!- New Year Resolutions+ Life Update!

     2015 has come and gone, making room for a brand new year! It seems like this past year just flew by so fast! So much happened, a lot has changed, I learned a lot, and had a lot of amazing experiences in 2015! I just can't believe the year is already over!

 

Looking Back

 

     In 2015, so much happened and changed, more so than the years before! For one, we moved from our 30 acre farm in Memphis to a neighborhood outside of Nashville. That was a huge change for all of us! It did take a while to get used to, but we are enjoying our new house and area, and I don't think any of us are regretting the move! We get to spend more time as a family, and that is really all that matters!
     I started babysitting a ton after we moved in to our neighborhood! It has not only kept me busy, but is a great way for me to make money, for shopping or saving for college! :)
     My sisters and I started taking music lessons again after we moved. Our music teacher comes to our house, which is so nice! We all take piano and I also take the violin! It is such a wonderful privilege to learn to play an instrument, and we are all very thankful for it!
     Of course there has been lots of little and big things, that all add together, to make up the year! My little brother has grown so much, my older brother starting college, my Dad went to school(which really is a big deal!), and  we took some great trips, some little and some bigger! Of course our recent trip to Washington D.C was a big highlight!
      My little brother had a trip to the ER room, which was the first trip we've ever had to take there as a family!
     We took an amazing trip to Canada, which is another huge highlight for this year!
      Even further back, last New Years we were in Colorado spending some time with friends and skiing!
Looking  back has really brought back great memories, and made me so thankful for a lot of things! I can't wait to see what this next year holds for me!:)

New Year Resolutions

     Around this time of year, most people make their New Year Resolutions, promises, and set goals, all in the hope that the next year will be better than the previous one. Most of the time, these resolutions have to do with losing weight, health, family, jobs, traveling...... depending on the person, they can be about anything! :)
While I don't have many(if any) regrets, looking back over 2015, I have made a few New Year Resolutions. They aren't really because last year was bad( because it wasn't) but because I have goals I want to accomplish!
No matter what your resolutions are, or why you make them, I do believe they can be a great motivator to accomplish goals in the year to come!

My New Year Resolutions

1. Read More Books- I tend to spend so much time watching cooking videos on YouTube, working on the computer, and Pinterest! I want to read more this next year!
2. Drink More Water! I am terrible about drinking enough water! I want to change that this year!
3. Do More Yoga and Stretching- I love cardio and running, but I don't do enough yoga and stretching! Hopefully that will be different this year!
4. Continue to Eat Healthy- Just keep going with what I am doing, as well as improving as I go!
5. Cook More from my Cook Books- Pinterest recipes are great, but we have so many cook books at home! I want to cook more from them this year!
6. Spend More Time Outside- I am terrible about staying cooped up inside all day, even if it is a pretty day, reading, on the computer, etc.. I want to change that!
7. Put More into my School and Music- Not that I didn't this past year, but there is always room for improvement! :)
8.  Grow my Knowledge of Health and Nutrition- I want to make a career out of it in the future, so the more I learn now, the easy it will be later!
9. Continue to Write Post and Make Recipes for the Blog- because, if anything, I really enjoy it!
10. Do More of What Makes Me Happy- After all, happiness is contagious!

Goals for the New Year

1. Run a Marathon
2. Learn to Drive
3. Read every book on my list
4. Do a Color Run
5. Become a better version of myself, everyday! :)
6. Have as much fun as I did in 2015

     I know that New Year Resolutions can get a bad rap, and people don't tend to stick to them long term! If you have a true passion behind your resolutions, you will go far with it! I hope that, in this next year, I can do a better job of sticking to my resolutions and continue to improve everyday! After all, we are always changing and there is always room for improvements( for myself anyways!)

Life Update

 

 

I Have Gone Vegan!

You might have noticed lately that my recipe posts have all been vegan or vegan friendly. This is because I have decided to change my diet and become a vegan. It is a big change from my diet before, but I haven't regretted the change one bit!

There are several reasons I went vegan! The biggest one is health! I have never felt healthier, better, or fitter before! I don't have anymore annoying stomach aches, and I have more energy!

Obviously there is a lot more to the story, and I hope to share more about Veganism and me going vegan in a later post!

 

You can expect a post about Veganism in the future! Also, most(if not all) of my recipes from here on out will be vegan or vegan friendly!

 

If you are not vegan, don't worry! You can still enjoy my blog! I hope my decision to change my diet won't turn you away from my blog! :)

 

 



I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and a great New Years Day! I can't wait to get started on great things to come in this new year!

Happy 2016!

Please share this post with your friend and family to help them accomplish their health-related New Year Resolutions, and over all become healthier!

You can follow the blog via email, Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood, Tumblr @ justrunningforfood, and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett. Its a great way to stay up to date on the blog!

I post every Friday!

Happy New Year!

Hannah Banana

Getting Ready for Spring Part 2

  

With Spring just around the corner, its time to start getting ready for the warmer weather! Soon(hopefully!) we will be getting out the spring clothes, planting our garden and watching the grass and trees turn green!

My last post (Getting Ready for Spring Part 1) was all about cleaning out the fridge and pantry and getting rid of food you don't need or want and making sure that what you do have in your fridge and pantry matches your healthy lifestyle!
This post is going to be about cleaning up your diet and making some changes! It is so important to examine you diet every once in a while to make sure that you aren't missing something!

#1
Detox or Cleanses. Spring is a great time to do a bit of deep cleaning for your body. Its a fresh start for the trees, grass and animals, so why not for you? Going on a Cleanse or Detox is a great way to do this. They focus on flushing out the toxins that have built up in your body and allows your body to heal it's self. My family and I went on a week long cleanse roughly based on the book Clean and I saw some great changes! There are of course plenty of cleanses and detoxes out there so look around to find one that works for you! Going on a detox or cleanse can seem a bit complicated, but it is all worth it when you feel and look so much healthier! The first 2 days are the hardest in my opinion because you aren't used to it yet, but after that it is pretty smooth sailing! I encourage you to try a cleanse or detox( 3 days is even enough to get started!) and do some Spring Cleaning for your body!

 

#2
Making a Plan, Setting Goals. While Cleanses and Detoxes are a great way to jump start your healthy diet, maintaining can be a task in itself! Making a meal plan is a great way to stay on track because, with a meal planned, you are less likely to grab for an unhealthy option! It doesn't have to be all cooking at home, but making your own food is the best way to eat healthy. Having premade snacks and meals is perfect for those who eat most of their meals away from the house. Pick a day to make all the meals you need for the week. Setting goals is a great motivator to eat healthy because you want to reach your goals. A few goals of mine this season are; Participate in Meatless Monday, complete a cleanse program and add yoga to my workout routine. Once you make a meal plan  and set goals for yourself, you will see the effect they have on your health and you will feel so much better! Make it a goal to do some Spring Cleaning for your diet!


I hope this encourages you to do some Spring Cleaning for your diet and body. Once you experience the benefits of a healthy diet you will never go back! Please share this with a friend and look for 'Getting Ready for Spring Part 3'!

Keep  Healthy and Safe!
H.Banana

Pictures from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

The 'Wear Yourself Out and Feel Good About it' Workout

A few days ago I wrote down a workout which combined a few parts from several workouts that I have been doing. I was wore out at the end of it, but proud too because when I read over it I was amazed that I was able to do all of this in a short amount of time! Before I go on, I want to say that this workout may not work for every one. Please be careful and stay with in your means to avoid injury. Make sure you can do these exercises without harming yourself.

Here is the workout, get ready!
*
40 Jumping Jacks
30 Crunches
20 Squats
10 Push-Up
*                                (Repeat from * to * 5 times)

15 Super-mans
20 Donkey Kicks per leg
20 Lunges per leg
15 Dips ( I call then Bridges dips....)
10 Squat Jumps
30 Kettle Bell Swings

#
40 Jumping Jacks
30 Sit-Ups
20 Plie Squats
10 Push-Ups
#                           (Repeat from # to # 2 times)

50 Flutter Kicks
20 Burpees
15 Bicycle Crunches
10 Plank Knee to Elbow per leg
10 Single leg dips per leg
10 Shoulder (Or V) push-ups

*
12 Lunges per leg
15 Squats
12 Step-ups per leg
5o second plank
*                                   (Repeat from * to * 2 times)

Garb you ankles and hold for 20 seconds.
Bring knees to chest and hold for 20 seconds per leg.
Take 10 really deep breaths.

Well that it! I was sweating up a storm when I finished this, but I also have new workout to add to my collection! Let me know if you try and it and what you think! If you have any questions, leave it in the comments or email the blog at healthypinner@gmail.com . Please be careful and stay within your abilities.
If you liked this post, let me know and share it with a friend.

Keep Healthy and Safe!
H.Banana

Turkey Burner

So, Thanksgiving was yesterday and you probably had a typical Thanksgiving dinner right? With the turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and so on. So now its time to get back on track again! Here is a great workout to help you jump start you workouts after Thanksgiving. Its called the Turkey Burner from Spark People .

Get ready, 'cause here is its!
                                                The Turkey Burner Workout:

                                                         50 Jumping Jacks
                                                         40 Plie Squats
                                                       30 Burpees (Groan..!)
                                                       20 1-leg push-ups
                                                       10 bicycle crunches.

Sounds easy enough right? LOL, that's what I thought too! Man, I really don't like burpees... But I felt it work and I worked up a sweat and that's what I was going for anyways! Try this workout even if its not after Thanksgiving. Use it in your daily workouts!

Let me know what you think about this post and please share it with a friend!

Keep Healthy and SAFE!
H.Banana

Ps. Remember to keep you health in mind and never do a workout that you aren't capable of.

Motivation!

Staying motivated is key to success in everything with no exception for working out and staying healthy! I know for myself motivation isn't something I get done one day out of the week, but its a daily thing that we need to do in order to have success. But sometimes we can't find the right things to motivate us or we can't seem to get motivated at all! What do we do about that? How do we get motivated? Here are a few tips that hopefully will help us all get motivated and stay motivated!

  Set a goal and reward for yourself! Having a goal to work to, even if its only a little one, is a great way to motivate yourself. And reaching that goal is a great and motivating feeling in itself! Reward yourself when you reach your goal, even if only in a little way like doing a yoga session instead of a tough cardio workout, or doing something you enjoy! Let me know what kind of goals and rewards get you motivated to workout and stay healthy!


  Workout with friends or family. You can keep each other in line and remind each other of what you are working for. Family and friends  can motivate you so much, so use it as much as you can! I have been working out with my sisters lately and I have found a whole new joy in working out because I get to spend time with them when other wise I would have been by myself. Do you like working out with friends and family? How do you keep each other in line?

Pinterest is a wonderful place to find motivational quotes! I love going on in the mornings while I eat my breakfast and ready all the amazing motivational sayings and quotes. Here are a few that I love and hope that you do to!

"You get what you work for, not what you wish for. "

Dear stomach, you bored not hungry. Shut up.

When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.

The only bad workout is the one you didn't do.

and finally....

One hour workout is only 4% of your day. No excuses. 

Another thing that motivates me is watching weight-loss stories on you-tube, The Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover Weightloss addition .


Let me know what motivates you! Hopefully I will be doing more of these kind of post in the future so if you enjoyed it please check back and share it with a friend.

Follow me on Pinterest!

Keep it healthy and Safe
H.Banana