#LEAN14 january jumpstart: a month in review.

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I can’t believe January is already over! It was definitely an interesting month – taking on January Jumpstart while also planning a move, launching a new company, and keeping up with other life stuff.

Overall I would say that January Jumpstart was a success for me. Even though I didn’t stick to all of the goals 100%, it really held me accountable to keep up with healthy choices instead of letting them fall by the wayside a week in. I’m excited to keep up with LEAN14 for the rest of the year.

But for now, here’s a recap of how I did with my January Jumpstart goals.

1. Drink at least 64 ounces of water each day – YES

2. Eat at least 5 servings of vegetables each day – YES

3. Exercise 3 days a week (30-60 min combo of strength & cardio) – Eh, not so much. Some weeks I did great, others I did 1-2 workouts, or none at all. With the move and Speakable launch, life has been crazy!

4. Squats, squats, and more squats – see above

5. Eat more clean, whole foods – YES

6. Eat balanced meals and less snacking – Yes and no, I definitely cut down on the snacking, but not entirely.

7. Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night – YES

8. Limit soda/energy drinks to 3 per week (an improvement for me) – YES! I actually did way better with this than I thought. I haven’t had a single soda or energy drink all month.

9. Allow more time to walk/take the subway instead of cabs – Nope. I blame the Polar Vortex.

10. Track more of my meals/workouts here on GML – Not as much as I wanted to. At least I still have all year 😉

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And to wrap things up, here are some of my favorite #LEAN14 posts from January:

(Click the image to go to the post)

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Did you do a January Jumpstart of sorts?
How is LEAN in 2014 going for you so far?

#LEAN14 january jumpstart: my go-to treat.

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Does anyone else NOT know what they did before Pinterest? The thought of having to Google recipes instead of use the tried and true world that is Pinterest is cringe-worthy to me now…

Anyway, I came across this simple “recipe” recently on Pinterest as an easy treat that can be made ahead of time, and wrapped into individual portions. I’m never going to be one to give up on dessert, but it is nice to have something that a) doesn’t have to be cooked/prepared and b) fits into my January Jumpstart goals.

This is that something.

The original recipe calls for graham crackers, but I used Enjoy Life’s Vanilla Honey Graham Cookies instead (I’m sure you could use just about any cookie, but I’d think a thin, crunchier one would work best).

It also calls for peanut butter, which I omitted to keep things as simple as possible. That would be a delicious addition, though!

All you have to do is top one cookie with a generous dollop of Cool Whip, top it with another cookie, wrap tightly in saran wrap, and throw it in the freezer. It doesn’t get much easier than that! Each sandwich rings in under 200 calories.

And what’s even better? These little sandwiches taste AMAZING. They’re the perfect amount of sweetness, and the combination of the crunchy cookie with the creamy (almost ice cream-like) filling makes for the perfect “just one is enough” dessert.

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What’s your go-to sweet treat?