Here at Sarah Stanley Inspired we are all about encouraging, motivating and empowering you to live a healthy life. And to do that we need your help! Would you please take 77 seconds and answer these questions? Thank you! 

Based on your answers, we’ll feature content that will help you live the healthy life that you desire!

peace, sweat, love: life

It’s only the first week February and I don’t know if people are SUDDENLY reminded that spring break is almost here OR they had an epiphany that they should drop some weight.

Perish the thought of actually living and breathing and sweating on a daily basis. That would be way too easy. Yes, because we want things BAM. Instantly. If you can’t get it at the drive thru or a four hour body (yes I went there) or in 29.3 seconds flat then it isn’t worth it.

The issue with a cleanse is that a cleanse diet is only short term. It doesn’t give your body the nutrients and minerals it needs. And energy (calories) to go about your day.

So if you want to try a juice cleanse or a whatever other cleanse that catches your fancy, stop right here. Yes, you might lose a few pounds (because you shocked your system, d’uh) but you’ll gain them all back again. WHY DON’T PEOPLE UNDERSTAND this? Maybe it’s the word “understand” that people don’t get.

So here is the Rocket Science Cleanse that you’ve been seeking all your life. Happy Valentine’s Day Yes, I like to spread love to everyone.

#1) Drink water every day, all day for the rest of your life. Stay away from soda, coffee, iced tea, juice (most are just filled with sugar & not really juice), wine/beer/liquor and any other beverage in a cup, bottle or jug.

#2) Eat fresh fruit in season. Buy from your local CSA or farmers market.

#3) Eat fresh veggies in season. Buy from your local CSA or farmers market.

#4) Limit grains, dairy and meat. If you consume them, make sure they are whole grains, grass fed and organic.

#5) Get sweaty daily. Jump rope, run, walk, hike, snowshoe, shovel snow, wash windows, dance naked (kidding), ride a bike ( #cyclenerds rule!), yoga- just do SOMETHING! Sweat that junk out!

#6) No processed food or sugar. If it comes in a package, put it back. If it has the word “corn syrup” or the “high fructose corn syrup” run fast and far.

#7) Life cleanse. Be swift to love, slow to get angry, quick to help others, flee from temptation, avoid judgement, be happy and always be kind to all.

Repeat steps 1-7 daily. Never stop!

There it is. The ultimate cleanse. Try it and tell me how you feel!

Photo by: andi.vs.zf

Day one of Celebration Ride!! Can’t really believe it! My day actually started at 1am when I realized my BB was corrupted. I had to call Verizon at 1:30am and wipe it clean & then reinstall. I wish I was kidding. Hopefully that is the only thing that will go wrong:)
Then it was on to last minute packing (and trying not to freak out!). I left to pick up Mike who was kind enough to be the driver and SAG. Could not do this w/out him. Then we headed into DC and got the car ready. Arts & crafts time:) On the back of the car it says “go Sarah” and info underneath.

Finally rode out at 8am. Or tried too. It took FOREVER to get out of the city. Thankfully it was a beautiful morning!!!

Rode into Annapolis and met up w/ Jon of Turning Points Sports & Web. Rode around the town en route to the Navel Academy Primary School. It was great to speak to all the wonderful kids there! Ann also met up w/ us. It was nice to have company on the road!

I had some issues around BWI (don’t ask). I had a lot of honks  & people yelling “Go Sarah” as they passed me/us. But for a change, it was actually cheering for me! Remember the car?! So that was cool. Finally made it out of the air strip. I must say, spending all day basically in the saddle (moving or not) is a really interesting experience. Use your imagination

I will also say that it is a neat way to see the country. I can’t wait for the full Run Ride Inspire project to happen! Anyway, back to present day pain, I mean fun. I had some pretty good hill climbs. I was def hurting and couldn’t wait to get to the hotel.

After navigating downtown Baltimore, we FINALLY made it!! 81.9 miles later! Exhausted. The sun was way hotter then I expected. I was pretty dehydrated. The town’s slowed me down. I was able to keep around 18-21 on the main roads. I am praying tomorrow will be smooth sailing (riding?). Stay tuned! Baltimore to Philly. Godspeed!

But first an ice bath. Lucky me.

I would be remiss not to mention how thankful I am for Nutrilite for sponsoring me & this ride!!

July 4th is Independence Day AND fireworks, beach BBQ’s, picnics, and cookouts. In other words food. It can be tempting to to eat all the junk that is usually a part of the food festivities. Here are 7 practical ways to eat your way through the weekend. Do you have other tips? Post them here!

#1) Fruit & Veggies Rule. Thankfully its Summer and that means fresh fruit and veggies are on the menu. Skip the dip. Nibble all you wish.

#2) Water Baby! Stick to water. If you must drink Lemonade, Iced Tea or Fruit Punch, add water to your cup. You’ll save yourself from a sugar coma.

#3) Eat Breakfast. Start the day off right. Don’t starve yourself and think you can pig out at the picnic later on. Your body needs energy throughout the day. Feed it properly.

#4) Don’t skip a workout. On vacation? Take a walk with the kids. Go running. Its fun to explore a city on your feet. Visit a local gym or yoga studio. Use this time to spice up your workout routine. You’ll feel refreshed. And besides its a great way to start the day.

#5) Balance. Don’t deprive yourself of something that you really MUST have. If you want to eat it, do so, but make sure it is worth it. It better be damn tasteful. If not, find something else! Don’t eat the whole cake, have a small slice and be content with that.

#6) Be Prepared. Does Uncle Bob always bring the loaded Potato Salad? Maybe Aunt Mary makes her to-die-for Three Berry Trifle. Plan ahead and bring something healthy to the potluck. You’ll have at least one healthy option to eat!

#7) Love. Be kind to yourself. If you fall off the food and workout wagon over the weekend. Get back up again. Today is a new day to re-prioritise and continue on with the a healthy life. Don’t beat your self up.

Do you have a healthy tip that has worked for you? Please share with the rest of us! If you have a question, also post it and I will answer it.

Happy July 4th! And take a moment to thank someone that has/is serving our country.

Photo by tonythemisfit

I love interaction. I love asking questions. I love thinking (that’s not a surprise:)). I try to ask a daily question to my Twitter followers. And I love sweets. Duh, don’t we all?!

It may come as a surprise to you, but I struggle with food. Mainly sweets. I like chocolate brownies, cake, chocolate chip cookies. See the theme? Yeah, it’s bad. We ALL know that I have the determination to do pretty much anything. But why are sweets so damn hard to “say no to”?! So with that I asked my question “what is your biggest challenge when it come eating the right food?”. Here are some of the responses I received.

Ali: “My Effin sweet tooth”

Rachel: “The bad food you could be eating instead!”

Brian: “The bad foods are so good and way too easy to get!”

Ryan: “Having the time to cook vs the cost of having fresh all the time”

Liz: “Portion control. Oh and chocolate. I swear my body begs for it daily!”

Ashley: “Portion size!”

Kate: “Peanut Butter!”

Tyler: “Fresh food spoils too quickly and leftovers get old after a day or two”

Roxy: “Peppermint Latte from Starbucks”

Jason: “Other people. For some reason people like to try & get me to eat badly”

Oliva: ” Ditto! Portion control is my downfall! I will eat the healthiest foods, just too much because I love it all!”

Nathaniel: “The time it takes to prepare fresh and healthy meals every day. It’s hard to take time for yourself!”

Luau: “Getting my family to eat the same way I do”

Julie: “Portion size!”

Zoe: “The fact I love to bake cakes!”

Any: “Time. Or lack of it.”

Jen: “Boredom, Mexican food and office snacks are my downfall. Not necessarily in that order.”

Nahlan: “All the saboteurs in my family.”

I love the responses. Some of them are SO true. How often does someone give you an “excuse” to eat something that you know you shouldn’t? They convince you that you earned it (“you just ran 200 miles in an hour” or “you went to the gym, you deserve a treat” or “you only live once”). These are awesome reasons to eat whatever what is on your spoon. Or fork.

But here is the fact of the matter. In 9 years, did you know that the number one cause of death in the USA will be obesity? Yes, you only live once, but let’s live our life healthy. And with purpose. So here is what I am going to do. I invite you to join me:)

#1) Every time I am tempted to have something “bad” I will ask myself, will this make me faster on race day?

#2) If I had a Bikini shoot tomorrow, would I be ready?

#3) If a Navy SEAL were next to me, would I eat this?

#4) I am setting an example to all around me. Will this be positive?

#5) Knowing the feeling of the satisfaction, pride & determination that I said no.

Quick note. I am NOT saying to NEVER have chocolate. I am not saying to be a size zero. It’s all about balance. It’s a lifestyle. Makes yours healthy.

Sweetie, I love you, but only on birthday’s. Or Christmas.

Photo by Chotda

Q: Do you start the week off by thinking that “this is the week I am going to not eat junk food, cut out sugar, drink more water, say no to coffee, and workout 5 days a week”?

A: Raise hands

Ok, so, why do “we” fail with our GREAT intentions? Below are some reasons WHY (weren’t you just dying to know this info? )

#1) Too many goals at one time!

#2) Start SLOW!

#3) Go SLOWLY

#4) T0 succeed you must PLAN to succeed

#5) Make excuses (hard week, stressed, I “deserve” this ________ (fill in the blank)

#6) No support

Those are just a few of the reasons why our best intentions fail. Do you want to be successful? Go ahead, raise BOTH arms!!! YES!!!!! YOU CAN!!:)

THIS WEEK DO ONE of the following things:

#1) Define YOUR weekly goal (drink more water, less soda) really think about. What do you want? Will you be able to do it?

#2) Get sweaty for 30 minutes a day! Brisk walk, stair climber, jog, just MOVE!

#3) Set your clock 15 minutes before you usually wake up (yes, that is right). You will be surprised what those 15 minutes can do for your day ahead!

#4) Make a daily choice to make healthy choices (do I really need this 5th cup of coffee? Do I really need this cookie? Do I really need to stress about “this”?).

I hope these ideas sparked your interest & you are able to use them! Please let me know! Watch this week for more ways to make YOUR life HAPPY, HEALTHY and FIT!!

Photo by lepiaf.geo

We are all familiar with the WORD diet. It is probably the first word we learned about but never spoke. We watched our families, friends and others talk about how they needed to eat healthier or eat a pint of ice cream, then regret it later. Or making sure they got in their favorite foods during the month of December so on January 1, they could start the “diet” only to fall off the commitment weeks later.

Whatever the story, we know that our diet affects us & will make us gain or lose weight.

My approach to the diet is to take the word out of our minds, habits and any feelings we have about it and replace it with the words: healthy food. It may seem basic. But if we chose “healthy food” over “diet food” we will be more successful in maintaining a healthy life style FOR LIFE.

Over the next few weeks I am going to be writing about healthy food, what changes you can make to you daily eating habits, foods, ingredants to avoid, and ways to make healthy meals, snacks. If you have a specfic question, please let me know and I will answer it for you!

To YOUR healthy, fit AND happy life!:)

Photo by Pink Sherbet