#EveryDayFitness Recap: August Progress and Results

Hi lovelies!

Thank you so much for embarking on this #EveryDayFitness journey and sending me encouraging e-mails, DMs, leaving comments, and more. I'm definitely feeling the love. I'm super excited that August is over and done with -- one month down, 4 more to go! It definitely hasn't been an easy road, but I'm so here for September and beyond. If August has taught me anything, it's that your physical limitations are not what keeps you from your goals. It's your mental ones. But before I have y'all thinking the past 4 weeks have been all sunshine and rainbows, let's get real about it:

August: The Highs
I did something physical every single darn day of August. Even if y'all don't clap it up for me, I'm gonna clap it up for myself. That's a tremendous accomplishment for someone who pretty much didn't used to believe in physical activity of any sort. I also did a bit better in the eating department. Now, I've had my fair share of flubs in August, but all things considered I think I gave it a B-/C+ effort in the eating better department. As a result of my commitment, I dropped 4 pounds by the end of August. Not a tremendous amount, but definitely enough to keep me going. Don't take this to mean that I was extraordinarily motivated to work out, either. There were days that Samuel practically had to drag me, and downright force me to do a workout of some sort. His line? "You said you were gonna do it, so do it." Welp, you can't argue with that logic.

Some of my gym essentials, including @champagnepapi

Every day wasn't a full on, hard in the paint gym day. There were some days where 30 minutes on the elliptical was all I could manage, or brisk walking while running errands (yes, I looked awkward doing it) had to suffice. The goal isn't to work myself out to exhaustion, it's about finding some way to move my behind every day, and fight being sedentary while managing a busy schedule. For September, you can definitely expect me to kick it up a notch! As an aside, I've discovered that Sunday is my favorite workout day. The gym is virtually empty, and I get to spend lots of time doing pretty much everything I want to do as far as workouts go. I also love the fact that in one day, I'm combining elements of spiritual and physical wellness.

It ain't much to show, but here's a tiny bit of maybe progress that I'm documenting as I go. This is about 3 weeks work of #EveryDayFitness. I'm hoping that small changes really do start adding up!


On a related note, my psoriasis (especially on my face) is looking clearer as the weeks go by which is a blessing. Some of you guys may think that those lighter patches on my forehead look weird, but I'm proud of them. Those smooth-esque, light patches used to be raised, inflamed dark patches. All progress is good progress. I'll be sharing some of my skincare fresh finds and HGs a little bit later.

PC: +nessasarymakeup

August: The Lows
Everything about #EveryDayFitness isn't all physical. There's a spiritual and internal component to it as well. I'm still searching for balance, and trying to find ways to better manage and prioritize the things that are important to me. At the tail end of August, I purchased a journal with my favorite scripture on the front (Jeremiah 29:11). Unfortunately, I only wrote in it once before the month ended. For me, journaling and reading my Bible go hand-in-hand. During August, I struggled to carve out the amount of time I wanted to devote to spending time with God and writing. My goal in September is to find different ways to make that happen. I'm open to advice and suggestions :)

I also need to do better with drinking ACV nightly and taking my vitamins daily. I did it when I remembered, which means skipping like 3 days a week on both. Not good! I definitely need to get back on my game. How do you remember your daily vitamins? I keep mine in a 7 day pill thingie, but forget to pull it out and actually take them.

September Goals
Because there's no point in assessing without moving forward, I'm committing myself to the following for September:

• Reduce the "minimum activity goal" days to 2 for the entire month. August held 3 or 4, I believe.
• Follow the 80/20 rule daily when it comes to eating. 80% on point, 20% aiight. 
• Cook more -- start getting into meal prepping for the week.
• Carve out time for God and journaling daily
• Drink my ACV nightly
• Take my vitamins daily
• Get at least 6.5 hours of sleep every night (eventually I want to move to getting 8)
• Improve my time management skills (I have the tools...implementing them is another thing totally lol)

Cool Stuff I've Discovered
Throughout the month of August, I've made some pretty cool discoveries and used some pretty awesome things to help keep me on track. Here are some of my essentials from August:

Polar A300
This watch has seriously been workout BAE! I use it daily without fail. I'll do a full comparison and breakdown soon, but to catch more of the features, read my article about 5 reasons to wear a fitness tracker here. It's a good motivator, workout tracker, and must-have fitness tool in my opinion.


TriDerma Psoriasis Control
OMG...can I just tell you how much of a blessing this stuff has been?! The shampoo doubles as my face wash, and has been instrumental in helping to calm my psoriasis. I use the Psoriasis Control Lotion daily on my skin and face. Talk about a blessing in a bottle. Read more about psoriasis relief with TriDerma here.


HydroFlask
Speaking of bottles that are indeed blessings, let me introduce y'all to HydroFlask. For the longest time, Samuel's mom has been raving about these bottles and I'm just like yeah, yeah, yeah... not really paying it any mind. It wasn't until Samuel and I were going golfing that she recommended I try one out. She gave me a second one she had stashed away, and I've been hugging that bottle ever since. If you're someone like me who does not like room temperature water, THIS IS FOR YOU. If you love ice cold water while working out, THIS IS FOR YOU. If you drink water throughout the day and you like it cold allllll day long, THIS IS FOR YOU. I took my HydroFlask on the golf course in 90+ degree weather, sweated like crazy, and all the ice was still in my bottle 2 hours later! I fill my bottle with ice water for work at 7am, and at 7am the next day I still have ice. Believe me when I say this thing WORKS! No more lukewarm water for me ever again! And because I like cold water, I find myself drinking it more which is perfect for #EveryDayFitness!


Be Kekoa Be Clean
Since August found me being more active than I've been like, ever, I had to kick my cleansing efforts up a notch. Be Kekoa Be Clean (Bae Clean) has been my A1 since day 1, and has not failed me yet. It's the perfect gentle, yet effective cleansing conditioner that actually cleans your hair. Because I have to wash my hair twice (and sometimes 3 times) a week, I need a product that saves me time on wash day. With Be Clean, all of my hair is cleansed and detangled in 15 minutes or less. No lie. Keep a staple in the stable, ladies!

BuffBake Peanut Butter
I spent the month of August trying to wean myself off of the delicious albeit nutritionally terrible snacks at work. Thanks to BuffBake, I've been fairly successful. Judge me if you must, but every day I take my package of rice cakes and jar of BuffBake to work. When I'm hungry for a mid-morning or afternoon snack, and trying to resist cookies, cakes, and muffins, I pull out a brown rice cake, and get a spoon of BuffBake. Buff Bake is a better for you nut butter enhanced with extra protein, chia, and flax seeds. It contains 11g of protein and only 3g of sugar per 2 tbsp serving! Each serving is 200 calories, but remember nuts in general are verrrrrrry dense nutritionally. I started with Red Velvet Peanut Butter and when that's done, I'm moving on to Chocolate Chip. BuffBake is super delicious, and puts a healthy spin on peanut butter while allowing me to indulge a little and not feel guilty. I'm a forever fan!


Muscle Pharm Combat Crunch Bars
I raved, and raved, and raved about Combat Crunch bars here. My rave continues. I need to get my hands on the Cookies & Cream bar, because apparently that's what's hot in the streets. I did order the Birthday Cake flavor, and while it is good, I'm all about the chocolate covered bars. I shared the joys of Combat Crunch with both my mom and Samuel's mom, and both of them are in love with them! They said the same thing -- it keeps them from wanting to eat candy. Yassss to Combat Crunch!

Ashley's Naturals Pumpkin Mask
My ride or die daily mask. It's a part of my daily facial care routine. It brightens, tones, eases inflammation, smooths, and just blesses my face. Read more about how I use it daily in my facial care regimen for psoriasis and troubled skin.

TruSelf Organics Detoxifying Mask
 TruSelf Organics Detoxifying Mask is a newbie to the rotation, that I've begun incorporating as a part of my weekend facial care routine. Packed with bentonite, rhassoul, kaolin, Moroccan, and other clays plus pure collagen, it revitalizes, detoxifies, and lifts impurities from the skin. I blend about half a tablespoon of mask, and mix in about half a teaspoon of aloe vera juice, and half a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. The result is a finely mixed, easily spreadable mask that I leave on for about 20 minutes. The end result is smooth skin that feels tightened, toned, and revitalized.


Well lovelies, September is already in swing, so look forward to more #EveryDayFitness updates! I think I'll be switching to twice a month (mid-month and end of month recaps), because weekly is a little more than I can manage. I update virtually daily on social media, so keep up with my #EveryDayFitness moves on:
Instagram @maneobjective
 Facebook Mane Objective
Twitter @mane_objective
My Fitness Pal - add me! TinaP17 

By the way, leave your comments, questions, feedback, and ideas after the "You Might Also Like" bar on this post! Keeeeeeeep scrolllllling!  XOXO