Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Don't skip it, Rock It!

Love Your Body

Your body is the only one you have.  

Care for it. Love it. Nurture it.

Change Is A Good Thing

An Update On ME

In August, I found out I have a uterine prolapse.  After having two kids back to back, putting on extra weight and the added effort from the Mirena, it should have been expected.  So, my goal for September was "Strengthen my core and my pelvic floor."  I guess something is working out with all that core work, I'm down another jeans size!  And, we'll see how things are go ing with the pelvic floor next Monday when I go to see the gyno and have the Mirena removed.  Hopefully with a little added estrogen and some therapy, I can kick this prolapse's ass! 

What exercises am I doing?
Leg raises with toes to the side
Simple Basic Pilates

• Spinal Movement & Control
• Pelvic Stability & Hip Endourance
• Abdominal Strengthening
• Side Stability

Daily use of Ben-Wa Balls
Kegels

Eat Good. Feel Good.

This amazing thing happens when you put nutrient rich foods into your body.  You gain energy, lose weight and overall feel better.

Exercise.

Eat Intelligently

To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.

-La Rochefoucauld

Why Healthy?

I turned 30 this year (YEP, the big 3-0!).  I have a new outlook on my health that could be rapidly deteriorating if I don't step it up a bit.  Losing weight is one thing.  I've been working on that for a while.  But, with the mass amount of reading I've been doing lately on a healthy diet and exercise, I have a whole new outlook.  See, sugar is a HUGE deal.  No, I'm not saying that eating a couple of M&Ms sometimes is a big deal.  But, sugar intake, daily, won't get you anywhere you want to be.  Promise.  Ya, it tastes good for a minute, but it's not worth cancer or heart disease! 

Cancer THRIVES on sugar.  I'm not just talking about simple sweets either, look at baked goods too!  All those things you can put in your body that aren't nutrients your body NEEDS are things that cancer cells live on.  Without them, you lower your risks of developing cancer and by eating the right foods you can even combat those mutated cells. 

In our youth, we kind of take our healthy bodies for granted and over-indulge on things like beer, soda, fried foods.....I could go on forever about the crap I've put in my body!  But, it's time to put an end to it.  I'm not talking about occasional indulgences, but overall nutrition.  My goal for my life is to live healthy, live quality.  Trust me, I've seen enough people battle cancer (thank goodness not in my family) to make me realize that I need to make changes in my lifestyle.  No more pot of coffee when 1 cup will do, no more bottle of wine when 1 glass is more than plenty and no more fried foods, sugary treats and such kept in the house.

Daily exercise increases endorphins and makes you feel great.  If that's not reason enough to do it, it builds strong bodies, strong bones, strong hearts too!  Exercise for your health and quality of life.

Better Nutrition: What To Expect When You Improve Your Diet

Step One: Substitute foods of higher quality in place of foods of lower quality.
Step Two: Omit Toxic substances; coffee, tea, alcohol, chocolate, tobacco, salt, pepper, ect.

What begins to happen is quality food makes higher quality tissues in the body, then starts to excrete lower grade tissues and make room for healthier tissues.  Headaches are common during the period of detox where the toxins are transported through the bloodstream.  This usually does not last more than three days and you'll feel better.

After the initial detox, the body begins to rid the garbage you've put into your body that has deposited in your body tissues.   Some people experience skin rashes or acne as the elimination goes through the skin.  This process is called RETRACING.  Keeping these toxins in your body can lead to an array of other conditions, such as hepatitis, blood, kidney and heart diseases and disorders, arthritis, nerve degeneration and cancer.  Some people also experience cold and fever, headache, diarrhea, tiredness, nervousness, irritability and/or negativity.  Work through it and submit to the cleansing of your body, you'll thank yourself later.

Step 3: Drink LOTS of water to help flush out toxins.  Not 8 glasses, upwards of a gallon or more may be necessary to flush out your body.  It will help you feel better, faster.  The more you weigh, the more water you need.   And, it helps fight hunger.

Easy Peasy Meals for Weight Loss

LOVING Brenda's youtube videos these days.  She has amazing information, amazing ideas and it helps me add a little more easy to my life.  Love how cheap and easy these meals are!

10 Best Cleansing & Detoxifying Foods

Check Out Her Website - LOVE IT!

Food & Nutrition Trends

Food is all about fresh these days and I, for one, am extremely happy about this trend!  Not only is food being fresh on the top trend list, but simplicity.  How can anyone deny that a shorter grocery list is easier?!  Meat is no longer the center piece on our plates, make room for salads (not often even green).  And, kick the carbon and the sodium and you'll be right on trend with the latest food fashion!  Clean eating has made it's way mainstream and I couldn't be happier about that.  No more being looked at as the crazy health food nut, you're just on point with your yogurt parfait and spinach chicken salad for supper!

What else works?  Natural beef from single family beef producers.  Sustainability, grow your own food!  I have a small garden and 8 chickens in my little coop in addition to our family farm (we raise cash grains and beef) and I'm thinking about putting up a small greenhouse to heat in the winter so we have fresh greens that are SO expensive through the winter months.  Higher quality foods and locally grown foods are the focus, along with better value.

Quick, easy, fresh, crock pot meals are HUGE with the number of working women out there whom want to have a nutritious meal to feed their family when they get home from work without having to cook it at the end of the day!  Heck, I LOVE my crock pot and I don't work outside the home.  If I still worked, I'd have something in my crock pot EVERY day!

What's out?

• rice cakes - these previously conceived "healthy foods" can be high glycemic index...as high as in the 90s!
• fat-free salad dressing - the regular dressings are a balanced food with healthy oils and the fat-free are contaminated with extra sugars or sweeteners and other not-so-good substitutes
• shark - used to be considered an amazing eat because of Omega-3 content, but it's mercury levels are through the roof....sub salmon for shark!
• refined and re-fortified grains - get your fiber and iron from your fruits, veggies and meats and skip the additives
• soda or any other sweetened beverage - sugar does bad things to you heart, skip the sweet stuff and go with water!
• grits - a staple food in the south that is often coated in butter and cream to make them taste good is made from processed corn and lacks much in nutritional value

Does "It's Complicated" Describe Your Relationship With Food?

I've always had a love-hate relationship with food and still do.  It's hard to end that kind of bitter-sweet friendship.  It tastes so good, but makes you feel guilty, bloated, lethargic.....the list goes on!  Many people are like me and have that horrid love-hate relationship because there's so many things in our culture that revolve around food.  Just think about it, every celebration in life and death people link to food somehow.  We should be eating to live instead of living to eat.  So, I've been really doing some searching lately on how to do that when for the last 30 years (yep, I'm 30) I've had this kind of relationship with food that isn't simply eating to live and is more like living to eat.  But how? 

First thing is to admit you have a problem.  Don't be in denial.  Like any other addiction, sugar addictions are tough to beat and are a life-long battle.  But, I don't want my children to have the same relationship with food that I do.  Now, when I say a sugar addiction, that doesn't just mean sweets either.  We're talking a broad spectrum of sweetened drinks, carbohydrates and baked goods too!  Which, makes it even harder.  Every time you eat a candy bar, muffin or slice of bread, there's a chance of those cravings coming back!  Ugh!

Pass on the cake, eat the strawberry.

Food is not the enemy.  Food is simply food.  So, don't look to it when you're sad, bored, happy and don't relate it to feelings or events.  Just because there's wedding cake doesn't mean you have to eat it.  And, when you get past that mentality, you don't eat every slice of birthday cake, wedding cake, graduation cake, cakes at showers....often with a side of ice cream.  Think of the calories you don't consume just in this per year!  I'm not talking about a few hundred, it's more like thousands for these momentary pleasures that have a high price to pay.

Don't reward yourself with unhealthy foods.  I'm guilty of this one.  "Hey, I worked out, time for a cinnamon roll."  Not exactly the best thing.  But, it's easier to not do it if you can identify it.  I'm all about rewards, but don't make them food!  Make your reward that awesome pair of boots you told yourself you couldn't afford or a good book or magazine....whatever, as long as it's not food.

Eliminate the bad foods from your house.  This helps me a lot.  Then, if I have a weak moment, I don't reach for bad stuff.  I'm more likely to grab a handful of grapes or some veggies and dip.  Then I don't feel so bad after eating it either!  I feel great for making a good food choice when I could have made a crappy one.

Reach for these easy snacks instead:
yogurt
apple or banana with peanut butter
veggies and dip
raisins
handful of nuts
fruit kabob
tortilla chips and salsa
popcorn
kind bar
frozen yogurt with peaches and honey bunches of oats
cottage cheese
string cheese
trail mix
orange
hard boiled egg

Healthy Habits to Pass On To Your Kids

• Portion size, and that it's ok to leave food on your plate if you're full.
• Recognize the difference between hunger and boredom.
• Don't use food as a reward.
• Don't eat while distracted - No reading, no music, no TV and only at the table.
• Buy only what's on the list while grocery shopping.
• Read Labels - it's a good habit to know what you eat.
• Find activities your kids love to keep them active throughout their lives.

At Home Workouts

We've all had our at-home workouts.  Statistics show that people become bored with a workout after 15 times of doing it.  So, there's a new trend in at-home workouts streamfit.com that's like the Netflix for home workouts!  For $19.99/month, you have TONS of workouts at your fingertips!  Gaiamtv.com has a similar thing for $10/ month!

The shape of fitness is changing to fit your needs, so keep looking if you haven't found a good fit yet!

Strawberry Chicken Poppyseed Salad

A while back I ventured off the farm to Bloomington and met up for lunch at Panera Bread.  I'm still drooling over the Strawberry Chicken Poppyseed Salad I had!  It was a nice bed or romaine lettuce, topped with pecans, strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, chicken and fat free poppyseed dressing.  I knew I should have taken a picture because I would probably blog about it, but I didn't!  Can't wait for my next trip to somewhere with a Panera Bread!

Fitness Vacations

I got to thinking about the blog I did on fitness cruises and I started wondering how many fitness vacation type things there are out there!  We LOVE to snow ski, but what other options are there out there?  Well, I came across some sites with some great ideas.

Yahoo! Top 10 Fitness Vacations

Guide to the Best Fitness Vacations

Goals

Yep, I'm on my soapbox again in regards to goals.  Why?  Because unless you look at your goals daily, you can lose sight of what really is important to you.  I do, so I know others do to.  My weight loss goals were the farthest thing from reality for me this week.  I had a bad day, it turned into a bad week.  Instead of pushing play on my favorite workouts, I sat and sulked.  Let me tell you, I should have pushed play on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday AND Friday.  However, I didn't.  That's right, you heard it from the horses mouth.  I did not work out this week.  And, how do I feel?  Lousy.

Had I looked at my goals when I was having a bad day on Monday, I may have pushed play, done my workout and overall had a better week. 


Time to start today off right and get on a better path...I'm pressing play!

Food Choices

I, like many others, have had times in my life when I've made REALLY poor food choices.  Unfortunately, our bodies require more than beer and pizza.  A nice combination of protein, good carbohydrates consisting of fruits and vegetables and good fats.  If you make good food choices, you don't have to work out so hard!

Shopping List

As a child, and still today, my mom always went to the grocery store without a list.  She goes to the grocery store daily.  I can't live like that.  We have a small grocery store, it's a little costly.  So, I make a trip every 7-10 days to get groceries.  Here's what my list usually consists of:

Peaches
Apples
Oranges
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Onion
Broccoli
Carrots
Peppers
Strawberries
Grapes

Juice Boxes (100% juice)
V8 Splash
Fruit Snacks (No Sugar Added)

Salmon
Chicken Breasts

Salad Dressing
Ketchup
Mustard
Croutons
Dried Fruit

Bread
Buns
Cereal
Marshmallows

Bottled Water
Orange Juice (Cartons)
Trop 50
Bologna
Yogurt
Milk
Lactaid
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Keep in mind, we have our own beef and I do order quite a bit of g-free flours, nuts and stuff from nuts.com.

Fitness Cruises

I didn't even know fitness cruises exhausted!  I do now.  My husband, Royce, has ALWAYS wanted to take a cruise.  With my weight loss goals, I didn't see how a cruise ship full of a schedule revolving around food fits into my weight loss plan.  Cruise Critic had this great article Best Cruises for Fitness that I thought I'd share with all of you.  I think Royce and I will be planning a cruise sooner than I thought.  And, I can't wait!

Fat Burning Foods

LOVE THIS BLOG!

Just clicked on this blog when I was looking for the fad fitness flops (which I decided was worthless to blog about).  And, someone else already did a great job of it!  And, these other blog topics I'd like to share with you.....

60 Healthier Drinks fo Boozing

31 Healthy and Portable High-Protein Snacks

27 Ways to Get More SH!T Done

88 Unexpected Snacks Under 100 Calories

Stop Emotional Eating

I used to be an emotional eater....sometimes I still am.  But, recognizing when you're hungry and when you're not is the first step.  Let me tell you a little story about last night.  My husband, Royce, and I hardly ever fight, but last night we were both tired and stressed out and we did.  I got upset and my stomach started feeling really weird, like I was hungry.  The thing was, I knew I'd just had supper a few hours earlier.  This weird feeling kept getting worse the more upset I became.  I realized I've struggled with emotional eating for so long and given in to the feeling of hunger that I wasn't sure how to deal with it.  There's a strong connection between mood and food.  And, not just any foods, foods that are high in sugar or fat.

So, I'm an emotional eater.  What can I do?
Stress Management Techniques
Keep a Food Diary
EVERY time you reach for food, ask yourself "Am I Hungry?"
Don't deprive yourself, but snack healthy.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Get Help

Look, I'm no expert on emotional eating, I haven't completely kicked it myself.  But, admitting you have a problem is the first step!  Emotional eating is the top reason diets fail.  Yes, sometimes a cupcake can make your day better, but stop at 1 cupcake!  Food can be one of the most powerful drugs when you're feeling down by increasing dopamine....talk about powerful stuff!  Like alcohol works for alcoholics, your body likes it.  But, food makes you feel worse in the long run because you feel guilty for eating, but your body keeps on craving the junk we're binging on.  You get hooked and at some point you get out of control consuming sugar and fat.  There's no way you can burn off all that!

See, you may have a food plan, a nutrition plan, a food diary, and you do great with it.  Then, you get upset or stressed and eat a pint of ice cream and a bag of chips.....some people say "Really?!"  Yep.  Been there.  And you feel sluggish to boot, so burning off the extra day worth of food you just consumed is pretty much out of the question.  The guilt that overcomes you for eating that amount of garbage sometimes can make you eat even more.

Break out of the rut!  Have a good day.  Think positive things.  Then when the urge strikes again, have a glass of water or a bowl of cereal and move on, work out, get the endorphins pumping and have a better day!  Tada, you can break the eating cycle.

Need More Help?
Here's a great article from Dr. Oz

How To Stop Emotional Eating by Morty Lefkoe

Stop Emotional Eating .org