saturday in madison.

This Saturday was well spent. Steven and I made our way to Madison, IN to spend the day together. That afternoon we walked around Madison exploring the little shops they have. It was fun to go somewhere so different from Louisville and we were lucky enough to have the perfect Fall weather.

Around 5 pm the shops began to close. (Crazy, I know!) Then, Steven and I went to this adorable little coffee shop called Madison Coffee and Tea. We sat around and talked for about an hour. I loved being able to sit by the window and see the scenery of Madison rather than a busy road like we are used to at home.

When we finished up our coffee, we made our way down to the river. There they had a "Scenic Tour." Basically, it was a lighted walking path along the Ohio river. Steven and I spent the majority of our evening walking the path. 

How exactly does this relate to "Healthy Living?" The whole point is Steven and I could have spent the day sitting around on the couch watching Netflix (which we love to do), but instead we spent the day walking around a new place. Just because you aren't throwing your running shoes on and heading to the gym or eating a salad instead of a hamburger, doesn't mean you aren't making "healthy" choices. I strongly believe one of the first steps to creating a healthy lifestyle that will be permanent  is to live a more active lifestyle. Don't spend all of your free time laying on a couch staring at a television. 

enjoy the journey.

It seems to be easy to get caught up in the idea of your long term goals. I want to be skinny. I want to be healthy. I want to be fit. I want to be... 

STOP

Take a breath.. It is important to not only look into the future at what you want to be, but enjoy where you are at now. You will never get this time back - don't overlook the present while you're focusing on the future. The process of finding a healthy lifestyle for yourself should be something that you enjoy. If you don't allow yourself to have fun doing it, most likely it won't take long for you to slip back into old habits. 

I am all for using working out as alone time, but some days working out seems like nothing but a chore to add to your seemingly never-ending to-do list. On days like this, look for ways to make exercise fun. After a particularly challenging week, I was ready to toss my daily exercise to the side. If it wasn't for Jessica, one of my very best friends and partner in this healthy lifestyle exploration, I would have spent my evening sitting on the couch behind a textbook. However, we encouraged each other and got to spend time jogging in this beautiful weather instead. That beats being cooped up inside any day. 

Two and a half miles later, we not only had managed to squeeze in a good amount of much needed girl talk, but a nice workout as well. That was a win-win in my eyes. 

Remember not to get bogged down with a routine. Do what you need to do to make this journey enjoyable for you. Mix things up, enlist a friend, or do whatever it is that will make the time you spend working towards your goals good for you. 

-Melody

welcoming fall.

Hello, again! Tomorrow is the first day of fall! This is particularly exciting for me because fall is my favorite season. I can't wait to break out my scarves, boots, and  pumpkin everything. Tonight I am getting together with a group of friends to celebrate the beginning of such a great season. It's a good excuse to hang out with some good company, don't ya think? 

Our hosts are generous enough to be providing us with white chili for dinner tonight - a perfect fall dish. The rest of us were asked to bring a side or dessert. I personally believe it isn't smart to try to completely skip out on eating what everyone else is at events just to "be healthy." It's all about moderation. 

Desserts are a weak spot for me.. To make sure I didn't go completely overboard  on the delicious, sugary treats that will no doubt be there, I decided to make a dessert of my own that was a little less fattening. In honor of tonight's theme, I am making Skinny Pumpkin Fluff Dip. It was my first time making this, but it did not disappoint. 

I used a recipe I found on Pinterest and adapted it to be the "skinny" version. The original recipe came from allrecipes.com. 

1. 16 oz fat free whipped topping
2. 1 box cheesecake pudding mix
3. 15 oz can pure pumpkin
4. 1 tsp pumpkin spice

Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl!

The finished product is pretty good - not gonna lie. I am serving mine with reduced fat graham crackers and apples I picked up at the farmers market today. 

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Fall!

-Melody