My New Niche

Hey Everyone! I know it's been well over a year since my last blog post and I apologize for that. Things have gotten hectic in my life and I have changed. While I still love all things beauty and my new found love for weight lifting/strength training, I found my true niche! Gaming and Toy Collecting! Right now I am getting started on my Youtube channel for gaming (I will leave a link to my channel in this post). I am having a blast sharing my Sims and Roblox videos with the internet. Eventually I will be starting a toy channel as well. I am also working on a blog that will be collection of all of my favorite things! Like Bratz, Disney Animator dolls, Tsum Tsums, Ufufys, Monster High Dolls, and Pokemon Plushies! I will also be sharing gaming things like my youtube videos and news updates on new games and so much more. I would like to keep blogging on here when I can because like I said I am still all about health and beauty and that will never change! Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you check out my newest blog and my youtube channel! 

Thank you everyone!    

Love,  Alexandria Grace 

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT6zxty93tb27RKME-2tVhQ?view_as=subscriber

New Social Media:

instagram: alexxplays95

Twitter: alexxplays95

Disney Dedicated Instagram:

alexxlovesdisney 

New Blog

https://alexxgraceplays.blogspot.com/

Losing Weight and Body Positivity.

Recently, in my efforts to lose weight, I have heard a lot of things and seen a lot of things that do not make sense to me. "You are not body positive if you are trying to lose weight," so apparently there is this idea that body positivity is only about loving yourself as you are in this moment and never wanting to change that. I am all for loving yourself no matter what, but since when did trying to better yourself mean you do not love yourself? In my opinion I feel more body positive when I am healthy, making healthy choices and doing what is best for my health and body. Wanting to make yourself better does not mean you hate yourself now. I am making changes in my life because I love myself and I want to be healthy. I don't want medical issues that can be prevented just by losing some weight; I want to live a long prosperous life. To me that is the most body positive I can be. Now I know everyone has their definition of body positivity and you may not agree with mine, but it's important to let everyone love themselves the way they want to. If you are perfectly content with how you are then that's awesome! You are body positive, If you love yourself and want to change yourself to do what is best for you then that is great! You are body positive. Being body positive is about loving your body and yourself. No matter how you do it!

Health and Fitness Blog!

For a while now, I have been trying to figure out what I want to do with my blog. I have been so busy between school and work, I never have anytime to myself. Lately I have been feeling sick because of this: weak, tired, and stressed. With the new year starting I have decided I need to put myself first or I am never going to feel better. The first week of January I saw my endocrinologist and through some different testing we found out I have poly-cystic ovarian syndrome otherwise known as PCOS, along with that I found out I am becoming insulin resistant. Finding this out hit me pretty hard and I knew I needed to make big changes in my life. My endocrine told me I need to quit eating carbs and sugars, so as to repair my body and lose weight. I decided one way to help me through this and hold me accountable is to make my blog completely about health and fitness and body positivity. On my blog I want to post health updates and progress pictures. Recipes and stories about my journey to a healthy life. I want to have a healthy life, healthy body, and healthy mind. This is why I have chosen to put my life first. Yes I am still in school and striving to do my best, and yes I still have a job, but I am looking for a new job because my current one puts more stress on me than I can handle and I know it has a lot to do with why I feel so horrid all of the time.

For now I am transitioning to a low-carb lifestyle that is sustainable. My ultimate weight loss goal is to lose 100 pounds! I have stocked up on plenty of active wear which I may do a haul of on my blog. I am making a gym schedule, so I always know when to be ready to go and I am making a homework schedule so I do not procrastinate and stress myself out when the deadlines near. as for YouTube it is still something I really want to do but for now I want to focus on my blog and getting my life on track.

   

Health and Blog Update!

I have not blogged in a very long time. I miss blogging. Lately I haven't been doing anything. I have felt awful for months now. Like my hypothyroidism has been getting the best of me. I can't sleep at night then I sleep all day. I'm not hungry during the day but I am starving at night. I have had horrible headaches everyday and been moody and irritable. My energy is the worst of all though. I have literally no energy. I can barely push myself enough to get out of bed. This past week I went to see my endocrine and were working together to get me normalized again along with running some other tests just to make sure there are no underlying health issues to be worried about. I have been extremely stressed lately so my cortisol levels are going crazy so I am hoping I can find a way to destress and get back to normal.

Also I have decided to make a change in the right direction so I can finally lose all of this extra weight I am carrying. I joined a gym! Right now I'm working full time and a full time college student. This has proved to be a challenge for me because I am always tired, but I know I need to kick my own butt and get to the gym.

With the holidays upon us, being healthy is hard to do, but I also know how important it is, especially being hypothyroid. Every pound I gain is another struggle I have to face. During this holiday season I plan on being conscious of my eating and making sure to get myself to the gym. I would prefer it if I can get to the gym 5 days a week, but since I am officially starting my new lifestyle 3 days a week is my current goal.

I do have some goals for the new year as well. First of all, I really want to keep up with my blogging. I love blogging and I feel so sad when I can't because I am always so busy. I want to get quality blogs up at least once a week.
Second I want to continue on the path of my healthy lifestyle. I will not make progress if I am not consistent and being consistent has proven to be a challenge especially during college.
Third I want to make more time for me as well as my friends. One thing I seem to neglect in my hectic life is me. I never have any time to myself to just be with myself and take care of myself and that is so important to have a healthy life and healthy mind. I want to be able to spend more time with my friends as well. I don't see many of them on a regular basis because we all work and are all in college, so I want to make time for friends.
Lastly and my biggest goal for the new year is YOUTUBE! I have wanted to have my own youtube channel for years. I just never have had enough confidence or courage to do it. Lately I have realized that I need to do it because it's something I really want and the only thing holding me back is me! So with that being said I have not decided what type of videos I want to make. I love fashion and beauty and I am leaning towards that, but I also would like to document my healthy lifestyle journey. Maybe I'll just incorporate a bit of both. This is something I need to figure out.

With all of that being said Thank you for reading and I hope as we head into the holidays you all enjoy and have a wonderful time!

College Graduation and Major Change!

On May 13th 2016 I graduated from my local community college with an Associates in Psychology. Psychology was not my intention when I thought about my future. The only reason I went for a degree in psychology was because I needed it to pursue a dental hygiene, which was not what I wanted either. When I first started college I thought I needed to get a job that is going to make good money. I do not want to clean teeth. That is not what I am passionate about.  and the truth is all jobs are going to make you money. Just going to college is going to help so much. I thought about many different career paths I could take since I had already started my degree in psychology, but I could never think of something that would make me truly happy. So after finally realizing what I truly want to do is teach I have switched my major to Elementary education. I will be starting school at my university in the fall and by December 2018 I should have my teaching degree. I love going to school. I am always excited to start school every year and I am sad when it ends.  I love school supply shopping and getting creative with my work. I enjoy working with children. I know this is the right career path for me.

Bye For Now :)

Fun and Simple Ways to Burn 100 Calories!

Hey Everyone! Now that I have decided to start my health journey, I would like to share some ways you can get active with me!

Sometimes getting up everyday and finding the time and energy to fit in a workout can be challenging. So today, I have decided to share with you some easy ways to burn 100 calories!

Working out on a schedule can be hard especially when you have to go be an adult, which with me involves school and work, so starting your day off with music can change your mood for the day. So while getting ready put on your favorite songs and DANCE! Dancing for 20 minutes can burn 100 Calories!

Cooking for 34 minutes can burn 100 calories as well! While you are meal prepping your healthy, delicious, and nutritious food you could be burning 100 calories without even trying. That's a great reason to quit eating out and start cooking at home, along with the added benefits of the healthy food you are making!

It is important to also make sure you are snacking healthy! There are plenty of healthy snacks that are only 100 calories! One of my personal favorites are Chobani Yogurts! These yogurts are so delicious and easy to grab and go!  Check out Chobani Simply 100 Yogurts and get a dollar off coupon here! 

A lot of us have pets. A lot of us have dogs, and naturally dogs need to be walked. Its good for them and good for you. Walking your dog for 26 minutes can burn 100 calories. This is so easy and refreshing. Most of us do this anyways so just make sure your take a 26 minute walk with your pup!
BTW: A 30 minute walk everyday is recommended to keep your heart healthy!

This one is for all the moms and dads out there. Playing with your kids for 23 minutes will burn 100 calories. This doesn't mean playing video games, it means get out and go to the park get outside and do something active with your kids. You and your kids will benefit from this together!

One of my personal favorite ways to burn 100 calories is SHOPPING! 38 minutes of shopping will have your reaching this goal in no time! I love taking out of town shopping trips with my friends and family. Visiting new malls keeps this interesting as well, and I know I will explore more too.

Something That burns 100 calories that I do not like so much is cleaning. Cleaning your house for 25 minutes gets the job done. I do not Like cleaning, but its necessary so at least burning 100 calories is a bonus!

23 Minutes of cycling is another way. This is very handy for college students who get around on bikes. Cycling that 23 minutes gets you to burn 100 calories quick!

So many of these things can be done throughout the day which means you will burn more than 100 Calories A day! Making your fitness goals achievable and you will be a more fit you in no time!

Here are a few other Fun ways burn 100 Calories!
9 minutes of Jogging
10 minutes skiing
15 minutes lifting weights
18 minutes iceskating
20 minutes of Yoga

And of course, I'm sure there are many more ways to burn 100 calories! Feel free to follow me on Twitter @SimplyGrace365 and my Instagram: SimplyGrace365, and message me some of the ways you burn 100 calories!

Weight loss Journey and Lifestyle Changes.

It has been a really long time since I have posted on here! Life has been hectic. Being a full time college student and working part time can really fill up your schedule quick!

Today, I wanted to talk about my weight loss journey and my lifestyle changes. I am just beginning on this journey. Now that I am full heartedly dedicated to changing my life I feel like I should document my whole journey.

 For a few months now, I have been working at getting used to a gluten free lifestyle and I've also started working out. My gluten free dieting has not been perfect, but this is something I need to do. I have been experimenting with different menu plans and items that I can make staples in my gluten free lifestyle. I feel like, over time, gluten has been present because I make up some kind of excuse as to why I can eat gluten that day and that I can just pick up the diet again tomorrow. Gluten does not work like that. It takes time for you body to be able to rid itself of all the consumed gluten. Eating one thing containing gluten can throw the whole process out of whack; I know this now. Eliminating gluten helps me personally feel so much better. The symptoms I have from Hashimoto's autoimmune disorder  seem to lessen when I cut out gluten. Even eliminating gluten for just one day, I can feel a huge difference, But the second I consume it again I feel like garbage. So now is the time I eliminate gluten for good!

Recently, my boyfriend and I have started working out. Working out feels great, as long as you do it! I haven't been holding myself accountable to working out everyday, but I am going to start now! Exercising is a key component to a healthy lifestyle change, and I know it is something I need to do, and often. If I want to lose weight to get down to a healthy point, I know I need to focus on having good nutrition and exercising.

Right now I am beginning my weight loss journey. There are many reasons I would like to lose weight. Mainly, I would like to lose weight because I need to. I would like to lose weight because I know it is whats best for my body. I want to lose weight because I love myself. I love myself too much to keep on living my unhealthy lifestyle. Losing weight means that my thyroid medication will be absorbed better into my body and will work better for me. Losing weight means I won't feel so ill all the time because of the junk I put in my body and because of the symptoms I experience having had Thyroid cancer. This means I can live peacefully knowing I did something to better myself, so I don't have to worry all the time if I'm going to develop a heart condition or diabetes. I want to lose weight because I want to live a long life and a happier one. Now that I am starting my weight loss journey I will document my progress every step of the way. I'll have a reason to blog more often and hold myself accountable.

My goals for documenting my journey is to blog my entire journey. I would like to share healthy recipes, exercises I am enjoying and weekly progress updates.