Tessie Tracy I Food I Fitness I Body Image

I started a linked in newsletter as a passion project, now it has grown to over 225 subscribers! I haven't posted my "bi-weekly" article in a while, so it really felt good to be back at it.

check it out!

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If you have tried and tried again to stick to a new healthy habit... remember that "failure" is not the end. It's about taking the next step, picking yourself up.

I was reminded of this in watching my 13-month old son learn to walk recently. It's such a cliche comparison, but I couldn't help but be reminded of the parallel between learning to walk and, well, trying to learn anything in this life.

He didn't stop trying because he fell 184 times. He kept trying and not only stood but walked on try number 185 lol. And now? He's everywhere!

Where might YOU be if you just don't give up on your goals?

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NEW article on the importance of corporate wellness... show your boss or read if you are an

3 Reasons Every Company Should be Investing in Employee Wellness With the stress of fast-paced life, living through a global pandemic, and navigating the demands of work, employees deserve to have their well-being supported. And it’s no secret that there are benefits to the company as well, like an ROI of $1.

NEW ARTICLE!

Healthy Summer Bucket List for Work Life Balance 10 Things to Do This Sunny Season Summer is a time filled with warmth (although the first half of June in Denver was super rainy lol) adventure, and joy. If you're working full time, it might not always feel easy to take advantage of the season.

It’s HERE! The six month weekly meal planning pad. Get ready to spend less time money and energy worrying about what to eat for the week.

🛒 Pre-order the meal planning pad today and get $10 off plus extra food, fitness, and mindset tips for me along the way. 

👀 NEW BLOG! Get my 5-Step Weekly Meal Planning Routine ✅
https://tessietracy.com/habits/meal-planning/

When I was creating my 5-Step H.A.P.I.E. Goal Method™️, I thought about what helped me achieve goals in the past.

One huge common denominator was that it didn’t happen overnight. It took regular small habits to add up to achieving a big goal.

Whenever I’ve felt like I wasn’t doing enough, and tried to do more, it wasn’t sustainable and as soon as I “fell off the wagon” I would get discouraged and sometimes give up all together. 😖

The “P” in HAPIE Goals stands for Petitely Progressive… aka baby steps!

HERE’S THE TIP 👇🏽

You know your habits are petitely progressive if every week you commit to doing something so small, it really feels like you “should” be doing more… but, what you’re committing too is also more than what you have been doing. 👍🏽

It’s that simple. Not always easy… simple 😉

This technique is also demonstrated in books like and 📖

The purpose of ending each week in celebration vs. failure is that it boosts our feel-good hormones and contributes to ongoing motivation and consistency to continue! 🎊

My book will be out… eventually 😂

✨ NEW BLOG! 🌤️

👀 11 MUST-DO HABITS FOR SPRING!! ⬇️

11 Healthy Habits Perfect for Spring | Tessie Tracy Spring is the perfect time to refresh and renew your health and wellness routine. The warmer weather, longer days, and blooming flowers make it the perfect time to take stock of your physical, mental, and emotional health. From getting outside and practicing mindful eating to incorporating affirmati...

🌈 HAPPY ST. PATTIES DAY! 🍀

to the last time I wore something green 💚

Leave a "🍀" if you're calling in some luck today! ✨

Why was this so powerful? Who else found themselves analyzing her decision to go no make-up? 👀

At one point I even got close up to the TV to confirm she was not even wearing mascara! 🫦 Her lips were chapped.

I realized in the moment that my whole thought process was also a product of our society's image expectations (full makeup and a designer dress for all performers, etc.)

💭 And then my next thought was...

This is F*cking Awesome! 👏🏽 Yes, her showing up in this way matched the song's vulnerable tone, "Hold My Hand".

But to me it also went many layers deeper. This bold and vulnerable choice invited us in. It felt like I could see her inner beauty in a new way. It reminded me that I can feel beautiful without make-up. ✨

🤍 What if people in your life are waiting to see an honest, raw, stripped down version of you?

And what if your brave decision to show that side of you actually allowed you to be more connected, supported, and even confident?

To quote Gaga... "We all need a hero sometimes. There's heroes all around us in unassuming places, but you might find you can be your own hero, even if you feel broken inside."

If someone would have told me years ago that I should celebrate “progress” toward my fitness goals, I would have totally disagreed. 🙄

I definitely had a mindset of thinking nothing was worth celebration unless it was my end goal, unless I was “there”. Of course that made the journey to my goal less fun, often frustrating, and demotivating. 😣

One thing that helped me reframe this mindset? 👩🏽‍🔬 I learned the science behind celebration! 👏🏽

✅ When we acknowledge ourselves for progress and action steps along the way to a goal… it boosts our endorphins.

It gives us a hit of those feel-good hormones, which in turn tells our brain “Hey, you did good. Do more of that!” 😃

👉🏽 The way I explain it… CMMC… Celebration boosts Mood, Motivation, and Consistency.

SWIPE to see all 5 tips I give about how to stick to healthy habits… for good!

Share your fave tip to your stories 🙌🏽

HOW TO 🛑 STOP SABOTAGING 😱 YOUR HEALTH GOALS!

👀 First things first, let’s talk about your mindset.

If you keep telling yourself that you can’t do it, guess what? You won’t do it. Our thoughts become our reality, so start by shifting your mindset.

I know it’s totally easier said than done, but if you start practicing thought and language changes, it WILL get easier. Instead of saying, “I can’t do this,” try saying, “I am capable of achieving my health goals.”

I know it might sound and feel cheesy. But say it again: “I am capable of achieving my health goals.” Doesn’t it also feel better!?

This tip is first because it’s truly the most important one. Even if we achieve a goal (like weight loss, for example) if our mindset is stuck in negative body image… that goal weight is NOT going to make us happy.

So let go of that “once I do X, then I’ll feel Y” attitude. We need to start working on feeling “Y” (sexy, confident, lovable, attractive, good enough, successful) NOW!!

✅ Next up, let’s talk about goal setting.

It’s essential to set realistic and achievable goals. If you set goals that are too lofty, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Start small and work your way up. I’m talking, really small. Minute. Mini!

For example, if you’ve never run a mile in your life, don’t set a goal to run a marathon in a month. Start by running a quarter mile and work your way up. Or walk a mile and jog for 1min at a time.

I’ve built up my running routine in the past with the “5K Runner” app and it gives you a day by day training plan with interval timers during your workouts. You go on a run and it tells you when to run, when to walk, and builds the running time nice and slow.

It’s important to think about your end goal, such as running a marathon, working out 5 days a week, being toned, meal prepping 4 days a week, whatever is YOUR big goal.

But then your starting place needs to be habits and action steps so small, you feel like you should be doing more… but big enough that you are making progress.

[CONTINUE READING...] 🔗 in comments ⬇️

What I eat in a day: Protein Edition

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpL2GzcJFLK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

HOW TO GET MORE PROTEIN! 💪🏽

👋🏽 Hey there!

While I don't promote tracking calories or weight obsessively, something I work on with almost every client is GETTING IN MORE PROTEIN!

It helps us:
- feel full longer
- hold on to lean muscle and burn fat
- recover after workouts
- have more stable energy and mood throughout the day

Read this week's blog to learn more, and see an example day from me 👇🏽

How to Get 70-100 Grams of Protein in a Day | Tessie Tracy Learn 3 reasons why you should stop weighing yourself and throw away the scale. Hint: obsessing about weight can lead to weight gain!

Why the scale is causing more stress (and possibly weight) than not!

3 Reasons to STOP Weighing Yourself | Tessie Tracy Learn 3 reasons why you should stop weighing yourself and throw away the scale. Hint: obsessing about weight can lead to weight gain!

8 Ways to Stay Motivated with New Health Goals! 🙌🏽

5min read on the blog! 📖

8 Ways to Stay Motivated with New Health Goals | Tessie Tracy How to get started, stay consistent, and achieve your desired results! New Year's resolutions are a dime a dozen, but sticking to them is a whole other

3-Ingredient Brownies!

Tried these this week and I thought they were pretty good! It was Bruce’s idea and he wasn’t the biggest fan lol 😆

Will def make again.

https://thebigmansworld.com/healthy-3-ingredient-flourless-brownies/?fbclid=PAAaYIRD7sQ_wF8hguZxYcKtnMe7_wM3Zqqcp8_8V8o1Uaw_5nJdnY9I21Kl4%23recipe

Healthy 3 Ingredient Flourless Brownies (Paleo, Vegan, Gluten Free) Healthy 3 Ingredient Flourless Brownies made with banana and no butter, no oil and no sugar! Easy whole30, paleo, vegan and gluten free recipe!

End of Year REFLECTION & GOAL-SETTING Exercise! 👇🏽

STEP 1: REFLECTION
Answer the following questions about the past year. Focus on areas most important to you.

Here are some example categories:
Food
Fitness
Mindset/Mental Health
Family
Romantic Relationship
Finances
Career/Business
Purpose/Legacy
Spirituality
Hobby/Passion Projects
Community/Social

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
1 – What went well this past year?

2 – What didn’t go well?

3 – What would I consider my top 5-10 achievements this year, whether personal or professional?

4 – What are the 3-5 things that brought me the most happiness this year?

5 – What are the top 3-5 things, events, interactions, or relationships that sucked my energy this year?

STEP 2: GOAL-SETTING
Don’t worry yet about the details of HOW it will happen, simply allow yourself to envision an ideal year-to-come!

QUESTIONS:
1 – If I could choose 3-5 big things to happen next year, what would they be?

2 – If I were designing the perfect week, what would each day look like?

3 – What professional initiatives would make next year a 10/10 kind of year?

4 – What personal activities or experiences would make next year a 10/10 kind of year?

5 – What do you want/need to put on your “To Don’t” List?

6 – What needs to happen for me to unapologetically prioritize this vision next year?

STEP 3: MAKE IT REAL
Now it’s time to bring the daydream back to reality.

I want to offer my 5-step goal-setting process here: The H.A.P.I.E. Goal Method™.

H = HABIT-BASED
Write down the routines and habits you’ll need to take on in order to achieve your end goals.

A = ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PROGRESS
Celebration is scientifically proven to increase motivation and consistency.

When we acknowledge progress, it helps us step out of self beat-up mode for not being “there” yet.

P = PETITELY PROGRESSIVE
Petitely progressive means you are choosing action steps and habits so small you feel like you should be doing more, yet big enough that it is more than you are doing now.

I = INNER TRUTH FOCUSSED
This means you want to make sure your goals are for YOU, not your boss, your parents, your significant other, or society.
They are not for external validation. Rework or get rid of any goals that don’t feel like a HELL YES!

E = END OF MONTH REFLECTION
Revisit your goals, action steps and habits at the end of every month.

SCHEDULE YOUR ACTION STEPS:
1 – Choose NO MORE THAN 3-5 GOALS for the year.

2 – Write down any initial action steps or regular habits that need to be created.

3 – Put those habits and action steps into your calendar/planner.

4 – Can anything be delegated? What do you need support with?

5 – Break down your 3-5 goals so that you have a clear plan for the first 30 days with each of them.

6 – Create accountability: a mastermind, community, coach or buddy who will help hold you to it.

Comment below with a GOAL for 2023! 👇🏽

I’m all for a delicious pastry, cupcake or cookie! 🥐 How about you?

I think it’s important to create balance & freedom w/ food, not rules & restrictions.

That being said, it’s also important for our health to eat as many high quality, nutrient-dense foods & ingredients as possible. So what if we can combine both worlds?

📝 I have 8 ways to use alternative ingredients for white sugar to make healthier baking recipes. It’s perfect for healthy holiday baking, or any time of year!

If you try a healthy alternative for sugar, & you don’t like how it turned out, switch it up the next time until you find what tastes good.

👀 Swipe to see the first 4 sugar replacements for healthier baking.

Head to the blog at tessietracy.com to get all 8 sugar substitutions, plus recipe ideas!

🧁 8 SUGAR ALTERNATIVES TO USE FOR HEALTHY BAKING:

1 – MONK FRUIT: I like the brand Lakanto.

They have various types of no-calorie sweeteners that you can use as a 1:1 substitute for sugar, such as powdered sugar, brown sugar, white sugar, & more. I like this over stevia because to me it has less of an aftertaste.

2 – ERYTHRITOL: Swerve is another brand that makes zero calorie sweeteners. They use erythritol in their sugar replacement products, a naturally occurring sugar alcohol.

I love the brown sugar substitute because the texture is so similar to brown sugar. I usually use half Swerve and half regular brown sugar.

3 – COCONUT SUGAR: This has a lower glycemic index than granulated sugar, so it doesn’t spike blood sugar as fast.

Another benefit to 🥥 coconut sugar is that it retains minerals like iron, zinc, calcium and potassium, along with some short-chain fatty acids like polyphenols and antioxidants. It does still have the same amount of calories as regular sugar, but has some healthier benefits.

4 - MAPLE SYRUP OR HONEY

Yes, these 2 are still sugars, but they are also more of a “whole food” version of sugar.

I recommend finding a specific recipe that uses honey or maple syrup as a sweetener instead of sugar.

Get the last 4 and the recipes! tessietracy.com

I was thinking about relationship to food today because, well, I’m currently 6 months pregnant and had a hard and fast craving for cookie dough earlier! 🍪

My kitchen was already a mess, and yet there I was pulling out all the ingredients and my mixer to make edible cookie dough.

Craving satisfied! 😋 I ate a good 6 or 7 spoonfuls, and put the rest in the fridge.

Pregnant or not, a craving like this would have gone VERY differently years ago. 🙉 First, I would have tried to suppress and ignore the craving. Then I would have been in my head about how much exercise I’d done that day, or could plan to do, to “justify” indulging in the craving. Then, I would have finally caved, after I was even more starving, eaten in a state of guilt, and probably have eaten the whole bowl of cookie dough until I felt sick. on any level. 😣

The difference is purely in my relationship with food. Instead of fighting food, now I’m friends with food. Instead of trying to control my body, I focus on balance and self-care. Instead of tracking and counting obsessively, I’m simply intentional and intuitive with my eating.

If you’re looking to get to a place of freedom and peace with food, keep reading!

I know first hand how difficult it can feel to work on relationship with food or body when you’re caught in the middle of diet mentality.

It’s like you know 🧠 intellectually you need to work on body image and food freedom, but for some darn reason you keep going to the next diet, weight loss strategy, or promise of a quick fix. 🌀

Interrupting this cycle is the first step. Your first decision is to choose another approach. It might feel scary. And it might feel like it won’t get you the “results” you want.

But if some of the results you want are:

🥰 More body confidence
☮️ Peace of mind around food
🥦 Consistency with balanced eating
👏🏽 More joy, empowerment and ease around your healthy habits… IT’S WORTH IT!

Try the 3 tips I give on the blog. You can start these right away!

How to Improve Your Relationship with Food: 3 Tips | Tessie Tracy I was thinking about relationship to food today because, well, I’m currently 6 months pregnant and had a hard and fast craving for cookie dough earlier! 🍪

4 NUMBERS TO STOP TRACKING!

Want food freedom, body confidence?

AND a healthy body? It's time to STOP obsessing over numbers that either...

Don't matter in order to be healthy, or are keeping us stuck in self-judgement and frustration with food and fitness.

Here are 4 things NOT to track:
1. Calories
2. Weight
3. Exact Macronutrients
4. Points (or any other similar system)

To see why, and to learn what to track or do instead, check out this quick 5min read on the blog!

4 Food & Fitness Measurements to STOP Tracking (if you're trying to ditch dieting and love your body more) | Tessie Tracy Most people I talk to who are trying to lose weight are at a point where they are frustrated with fad diet approaches. It sounds enticing to "lose inches