This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and All You, but all my opinions are totally my own. #lifeforless #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

That’s just sparkling raspberry juice in that picture above if you are curious. 🙂

In all honesty, one of the BIGGEST challenges (at least for me) while being pregnant, has been staying active and eating healthy.

In the first trimester, I only ate whatever I could even, for a moment, stomach. And more often than not, it would be something that was extremely unhealthy. My mind would just fixate on one particular food, and even the THOUGHT of something other than that particular food, would make me want to run to the bathroom. Not fun.

And in the first trimester and even for most of the second trimester, I was just so exhausted all the time that even the THOUGHT of working out made me tired.

And I mentioned in some of my weekly pregnancy updates along the way, it became a vicious cycle. The more tired I was, the less I wanted to work out. The more unhealthy I ate, the worse I felt. And the worse I felt and the less I wanted to work out, the more tired I became. And so on and so forth.

But, I fought through it a lot and continued to at least ATTEMPT to exercise. I would do my little prenatal workout in our living room or I’d take the dogs for a walk, but deep down inside I knew I could do more.

Then all of a sudden, I hit like week 26 or 27 and suddenly I had this burst of energy and this renewed sense of, “I can do better than this.” So, I joined the gym with my husband and I’ve been consistently going 3-4 times a week since then.

I’ve been making meals healthier balancing out proteins and carbs and all the nutrients I need.

Homemade cobb salads, FTW!! (I eat these ALL THE TIME)

I recently heard about All You magazine. To be honest, I had never even heard of it before because apparently it was only available at Wal-Mart stores, but it’s now available at a TON of places. I picked up a copy this week at my Harris Teeter and I’ve been really pleasantly surprised at how awesome it is.

READ: I LOVE magazines. I’m always that girl that stands in the magazine aisle for like 20 minutes trying to pick out a mag to read. So, discovering a new mag to read is exciting for me. 🙂

Anywho. So I picked up the July 2013 issue of All You at Harris Teeter and I’ve been loving flipping through it. Not only does it have some awesome fashion tips and MONEY tips (which y’all know I geek out over), this particular issue has some GREAT recipes and GREAT tips for getting healthy and STAYING healthy.

I’ve already torn out at least six recipes that I plan on making and trying out in the next few weeks.

One of the tips I was actually really interested to read about is the whole idea of eating early and eating often.

Eating breakfast has always been a tough habit for me to get into. I love sleep. I’m not a morning person. So getting up early enough to MAKE A MEAL is a challenge.

Now, since my husband and I have been going to the gym together in the mornings, it’s been a WHOLE lot easier to get into this habit. Having a partner to motivate me makes it easier, that’s for sure.

But, pregnant or not, breakfast really REALLY is the most important meal of the day. The latest issue of All You said that leaving for work on an empty stomach is like putting a huge pause button on your metabolism. Because basically, if your stomach is empty, your brain things it needs to start storing up all that fat instead of burning it – so you’re basically holding onto that fat longer than you need to.

I honestly had NO idea that was why you’re supposed to eat breakfast. Where have I been? hahah WOOPS.

The magazine offered a few tips though to give you a little jump start: have at LEAST a light breakfast within an hour of waking up. And it doesn’t have to be anything crazy or major. A banana and a piece of toast is a start! Or a bowl of Cheerios (my fave!) on your way out the door. Or even a smoothie. Just SOMETHING in your stomach first thing will get you revved for the day.

I’ve been making a super easy breakfast lately: a couple of eggs with some cheese on top with turkey sausage and grits on the side. Boom. Takes about 10 minutes and really fills me up. TIP: Meals high in protein = yay for preggo ladies!

It’s not always easy, but I’m doing it!

The next thing I can’t wait to try are some of the Yoga tips / moves the July issue had. My midwife actually recommended I read review on zoe bray cotton and to start doing some light yoga. All that stretching and those exercises will be good for childbirth prep. So, I can’t wait to try out some of the moves at the gym!

So I’d love to know: what things have YOU been doing lately to get healthier and/or stay healthier? Have you ever heard of All You Magazine? If you’re interested in picking up a copy, you can find out where it’s available here AND get yo’self a coupon for it!