"You need to have a redesign because familiarity breeds a kind of complacency." -Timothy White

Whether you're just starting your journey to a healthier you or you've been at it for a while, one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you is to consistently change. Yes, you need to adopt some sort of daily routine, some sort of eating regiment, but often you will find that your body has become weary of a certain routine, a certain exercise, or a certain food. This may happen after a few weeks, it may not happen until a few months have passed, but I can assure you it will happen. 

I can remember the first time I hit a mini-plateau and thinking "why is this not working now?" Well, the answer to that question was that my body had become bored and I had to change what I was doing. I upped my daily caloric intake by about 100 calories on top of adding in some extra exercise and I found that my body responded in a positive way by proceeding with further weight loss. You truly must pay attention to what your body tells you! And it will talk! Not only does my body get bored with doing the same thing over and over, and eating the same things all the time, but I personally get bored with it. I'll get stuck on a certain food for a long time and get so used to adding it into my daily eating habits that I think I'll never be able to eat it again! I got stuck on squash and zucchini for so long that I'm not sure I can ever even look at either of them again! Its so easy to stick to one or two things for a long time and not give it any thought, but then my body tells me its time to move on to something else. There are certain foods that I will most likely always keep as a "staple" in my kitchen like the ingredients I include in my smoothies, but I have to make changes from time to time. Its a good way to keep your body guessing and sort of "shock" it back into weight loss. 

As you progress, the amount of exercise you take on should also increase. As I've gotten smaller, of course its become easier and easier for me to carry myself through a jog, but its taken a lot of adding and changing to get to this point. I was only walking in the beginning, but as I changed, so did my exercise. Just recently, I've added crunches and planks into my daily routine, as well as jogging twice a day (if time allows) instead of just once. This has contributed greatly in my recent progression. When you decide its time to change your exercise routine, always add, not subtract! Don't replace an exercise, just add to what you're already doing. For example, if you're jogging/walking, just add distance or speed! Or do like I've done and add new exercises on top of what you're already doing. Always, always, always ADD! 

You can't change if your routine doesn't change. I can't give you a definitive answer about how often you should change your routine because every individual is unique and handles certain things differently than others, but I can tell you that YOU MUST SWITCH IT UP! I tend to go through routine redesign approximately ever 1-2 months. I absolutely encourage getting into a daily routine, I've come this far because of my habitual living and routine-oriented lifestyle, but every so often that routine must be rocked! When you feel you've become stuck, redesign what you're doing. Experiment, trial and error, figure it out, form a new routine. Complacency cannot become standard in this process. I just can't stress this enough! Listen to your body, it will always tell you what it needs!

And now I'll leave you with a few of my favorite recipes:

Apricot-Dijon Glazed Chicken Thighs

Serves: 4

Calories: 380 (2 thighs per person)

Preheat Oven: 425 degrees

-8 medium sized chicken thighs

-1 (12oz) jar Smucker's Sugar-Free Apricot Jam

-2 tbsp Honey

-2 tbsp Dijon Mustard

-Coarse Salt and Ground Pepper

• Place chicken in baking dish, season well with salt and pepper.
• In a saucepan, combine jam, honey, and mustard. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• Stir until all is combined and thick.
• Spoon the mixture over the chicken evenly. 
• Bake about 45 minutes, basting with mixture from bottom of dish every 10 minutes.

Ham and Cheese Crescent Sandwich

Serves: 3-4

Calories: 360 (3) or 270(4)

Preheat Oven: 350 degrees

-3 tbsp "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!" (this is the "butter" in the squirt bottle)

-2 tbsp Dijon mustard

-1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

-1 can reduced-fat Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

-16 slices Oscar Mayer 98% fat-free Honey Deli Ham

-5 slices Sargento Ultra Thin Provolone Cheese

• Unroll dough on to a floured surface. Pinch the seams together as best you can.
• In a bowl, combine"butter", mustard, and worcestershire. Stir well. 
• Pour 1/2 of sauce onto dough.
• Arrange ham slices evenly onto one side of dough (going long-ways).
• Arrange cheese on top of ham. Pour a little more sauce on top.
• Fold dough over onto ham. Pour remaining sauce on top of dough.
• Bake about 20-25 minutes or until dough is golden brown.
• Let cool, use pizza cutter to slice into 3-4 sandwiches.

Brownie Batter Pancakes

Serves: 1

Calories: 150 (plain)- Makes about 6-8 small pancakes (and they're delicious!)

-1/4 c flour

-1/2 tsp baking powder

-1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

-sugar substitute to taste

-pinch of salt

-1 tbsp "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!" (again, the kind in the squirt bottle)

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-5 1/2 tbsp Silk Original unsweetened Almond Milk

• Mix all dry ingredients well, then combine with wet ingredients. 
• Pour into small circles in saucepan. Cook over medium heat like a regular pancake.
• Do not make too big, will become difficult to cook through and flip.
• You can top with sugar-free chocolate syrup or with fat-free cool whip. Anything you choose! Just remember to take those calories into account, as well!

ENJOY!