What inspired you to start your blog and how did you come up with the name “For the sake of cake”?
I had been reading healthy living blogs for about two years when I decided to begin For the Sake of Cake. I believed I had something to contribute to the community, as I had not always been so focused on living a healthy lifestyle. I had learned so much from some of my favorite blogs that I was hoping others could learn from me as well!
The name “For the Sake of Cake” came about because I thought to myself “what’s all this for?” Ok, it’s not all for a simple piece of cake, but I do try to maintain a primarily healthy lifestyle to be able to indulge in some of my favorite things – like cake! (Of course, this is in addition to the health benefits that come along with eating well and exercising regularly.)
What are a couple of your favorite healthy recipes? How do you come up with new ones?
Some of my other favorite healthy recipes are Baked Chicken Parm Bites, Black Bean Enchiladas, and a big, homemade taco salad.
I get most of my “recipe inspiration” from other bloggers. I also subscribe to various “e-recipe” services, which email me new ideas daily (Campbell’s Kitchen and Kraft Foods are two good ones). Pinterest is another favorite resource. I love tweaking a recipe to make it healthier and easier to make!
What advice do you have for someone who wants to start eating healthier? How did you start?
My best tip would be to stop purchasing unhealthy, super-processed foods. I find that if I don’t have my favorite “junk foods” in the house, I won’t usually venture out just to get them. However, if they’re around, I won’t think twice about eating them! I usually try to avoid the center of the grocery store (I stick to the produce, meat, and dairy sections) so that I’m not tempted to purchase foods that I know I’ll have trouble resisting.
For me, it was helpful to look at what other bloggers ate. While I didn’t necessarily compare myself, it gave me ideas about what I could – and should – be eating. I slowly started removing the more unhealthy items from my diet and started to add in healthier options.
What are some of your favorite exercises? Do you have a special routine you follow?
My two favorite forms of exercise are spin class and BodyPump.
As far as a routine goes, I try to work out about five days a week. Two of those days, I try to take BodyPump, as that’s my primary form of strength training. On the other three days, I complete some sort of cardio workout which may be a spin class, an interval workout on the elliptical, or running (more like jogging!) on the treadmill.
How do you stay motivated to continue eating well and working out?
All I have to do to stay motivated is think to myself how far I’ve come. As someone who used to never workout or think too much about my food choices, I can definitely say I feel so much better now that I’m exercising and eating well. I know that I don’t want to go back to my “old” lifestyle, so it’s important to keep up with healthy eating and exercise!
For more from Erica, visit her blog, http://4thesakeofcake.com/, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @4TheSakeOfCake
