FamilyInShape

Trying to be vegetarian

 

Last week I decided to be more like a vegetarian because I wanted to see what it was like to eat mostly fruits and veggies all day long, every day for a week. I did a little research and realized one thing, right away.  Being a vegetarian is not all about what one eats but about what one does not eat.  Does that make sense?  It's about the foods we DO NOT eat!  

Okay, okay, I get it.  Make a list and check it twice.  Eliminate animal products - meat, fish, chicken, milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt...ice cream? I have an issue with that, of course they do make soy ice cream and milk and yogurt, but eggs? Fish? Chicken?  These are all good for me or maybe they're just all good --yummy.  Either way, I wasn't prepared to give up ALL animal products and I know me, I will give it up for a day and then take three steps back like an animal whose afraid this will be his last meal.

A little more reading on the subject and I learned that there is such a thing as a Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian (LOV).  LOVs eat eggs and dairy, there is also a pescatarian and they eat fish.  OK this makes me happy.  

My experience as a LOV/pescatarian was fantastic.  I learned that....

1. I don't have to jump in with both feet, changing one meal a day is a better way

2. finding recipes in advanced makes it easier to stick to the meal plan

3. cleaning out the pantry and fridge before starting ANY new meal plan is most important

4. you can discover a million ways to cook vegetables and still please the palate

5. there's no rule saying you have to cook your vegetables

6. dark green and dark red are the best colors to look for when selecting fruits and vegetables

I also included more whole grain foods, brown rice, a lot less added sugar then usual.. I think my usual is about 3 teaspoons a day with my morning coffee.  We'll talk about eliminating the coffee altogether, but one addiction at a time please.

In my short experience I felt like I went through a detox program. The bloating, fatigue, and fuzzy brain syndrome all gone, in one week. I am looking forward to another week of trials and this will be a real trial because it's Thanksgiving week and come on, you know what is like here in the States - lots of carbs, lots of dessert, and appetizers. I will be challenging but I will give it my best shot.

Time to share the love - 

The Reluctant Vegetarian said this about the connection between food and chronic pain:

"it makes perfect sense that the food we put into our body has a direct impact on how our body performs. or, rather, how it doesn’t perform. and yet, most doctors have no clue. or would rather treat the symptom versus finding the root cause."

Visit her blog to learn more about food and pain. Imagine eating something you enjoy and eliminating pain and inflammation...what a concept!

I also visit very creative cooks like Kristen at Passion4Eating to find easy, very delicious recipes with vegetables I have never heard of before.

I think we all have food allergies in one form or another but we don't know it or fail recognize the symptoms as part of a reaction to what we eat because that would mean we'd have to give up that food and that would be terrible.  I'm learning a lot about food allergies from The Nut-Free Mom who reminded me that having food allergies is not something we do to ourselves, that there are ways to survive the holidays and that Emeril can show us how to cook a safe, nutty-free meal.  

Then there's the Lazy Vegetarian with easy, quick recipes for those of us who are too lazy busy to spend hours planning vegetarian meals.

So I don't really know what I am because all I've given up is chicken, beef and pork and anything associated with these animals but I do know that by eating more vegetables, more fruit, more whole grain, I am eating a lot less and craving a lot less of the foods that are empty and insignificant.  I focus more on foods that actually fuel my body and I try harder to be conscious of what I'm eating and why instead of simply satisfying a craving.

In the mean time I am going to rely on friends in the blog world to help me through the learning process, recipes, ideas, and support - there's so much, it can be overwhelming, but I will take it one step at a time, one meal at a time  - thinking in the now and go from there.

Have you recently changed your eating habits to vegan, vegetarian, octo, ovo or pescatarian?  What has been your experience?  Any ideas for me?  I want to hear from you and your stories.

Stay Well,

Stay in the game

 

Photo by Reluctant Torontonian

It's no secret that my life is hectic these days as I attempt to clear my closets and drawers and finish up a semester of school. Impossible to forget the kid's homework, fun family time, birthdays, and life goes on with or without THE BIG MOVE.

As we get busier preparing I find it more and more difficult to stick to my routines and stay in the game.  Eating, exercising, drinking water, and sleep sometimes take a back seat to what I THINK needs to get done NOW. 

1.  Eating at regular intervals - not because I'm not hungry but because I get so involved in a project in some other part of the house that I don't even look at the time or heed the signals my body is giving me like hunger pangs, light headed, sometimes I feel like I'm over caffeinated--shaky all over.  It may not be for everyone, but eating several meals a day is a great way to stabilize glucose and keep the metabolism from slowing down.  Eat more often, loose more weight is a great article with some tips that can help better understand this process of eating at regular intervals.

2.  Exercise and Energy - I do get to the gym, because I work there and have to teach classes.  That is a huge plus.  But I know what is like to get involved in a project at home and skip the gym or even the neighborhood walk just to finish this one project.  Unfortunately, we always manage to come up with other projects that take us away from this important part of our life.  So I go to the gym when I can and when I have to but when I find myself stuck I take a break and do one of my three 10 minute workouts.  

The Hundred Push Challenge is a really fantastic workout that attempts to get you doing 100 push ups in six weeks.  While my goal is not exactly to reach 100, although that would be really great, my goal is to get stronger and leaner and I can't do that just by cleaning my house.  Push ups work all the muscles in your upper body AND core muscles - I can handle 10 minutes.  I also like to add Yoga or Pilates to my routine and those I do on the days opposite to the Push up days.  Check out these two videos, Yoga by Meaghan and Pilates by Suzanne. What a great way to spend just 10 minutes on me. 

3.  Water - Well we all know the benefits of water.  It's no secret.  Water cleanses your body, your kidneys (filtration system), the liver (fat metabolizer), and your skin.  There's no excuse to not drink my daily minimum so I carry around a 24 ounce-bottle of water and make sure I refill it a couple of times throughout the day.  I found this article, it's long but very informative on the benefits of water.

4.  Sleep - I can't begin to count the days or nights when I either go to bed super late and/or get up super early.  I fill up on coffee and try to do it all before the kids get up to go to school and before I have to be at the gym or anywhere that day.  It might work once or twice, but after a few days of sleeping no more than 4 hours a night I become a zombie and everything goes downhill.  I can't concentrate or focus, I don't have energy to play with the kids, I have no desire to eat (healthy) or exercise for that matter.  I'm still working on improving my sleep habits and here are some great tips on the benefits of sleep.

I know it's going to take a little planning and dedication on my part but it is important that I take back my life and stay in the game.  My health is worth way more than cleaning out closets and drawers. Besides, we have such an awesome adventure to look forward to in the next few weeks.  I need to stay healthy if I want to enjoy it and show my kids a great time.  

I hope these tips help you stay in the game.  Take back your life, you only have one chance to live it right!

Stay Well,

Could be overwhelming - refocus

Photo by me... out of focus flowers

Out of time. Out of energy. TIME TO REFOCUS!

The Kids. My School. My Job. The Big Move to Cuba! Our House! It's a lot to think about. It's a lot to plan without loosing my mind.

We have a big move coming up in about six weeks and I wish I could say that I can just sit here and wait until the day comes.  NOT SO! A lot has to be done in between and with hubby already gone, it's all on me, again!! (not feeling bitter at all).  Part of my service to our country, to make sure his family is moved smoothly from the comfort of our home to a foreign country, as long as he is not stressed and can do his job well, that's all that matters.  (If you feel a little sarcasm in my *voice* you got it right).  Truly, I'm sure he would rather be here helping us get ready but he's not so I must adapt, right?!

Over the next few weeks I have to de-crap my closets.  Isn't it amazing how much stuff we accumulate over the years.  We have never been stationed in one place more than two years, needless to say, the 'toss-keep-donate' process happens easily and with much, much less hassle. This time we were blessed and stayed here four years -- a long stretch for us.  However, I have more stuff to 'store-toss-donate-keep' because during out stay we added a baby and sent a child into the grown up world.  He had a lot of stuff crap in his room.  Amazing how much I had to throw away, mostly school stuff.

As I was reorganizing the closets and going through our clothes I realized that half of our clothes would be unsuitable for our new home..ya know... winter clothes in a tropical country, probably a good idea to let these sit in storage until we return to a place with more than one season.  Then there are the toys, kids clothes, shoes, old coats, baby items...wow.  By the way, if you hate to throw out the stuff you don't use you have a few options.  One, of course is your local thrift store.  Another option is www.freecycle.org.  I offered several items, left them on my driveway and later whomever wanted them came over and picked them up. How cool is that.  Recycling is the way to go.  I know another option is having a yard sale but to be honest, I hate hosting yard sales, I don't have the patience, it's a lot of work so if I have something worth selling I go for Craig's list, where I sold my Van by the way or eBay.

So finding the time and energy to clean up the house and get it ready for the packers, write my papers for school, get the kids where they need to be on time and still manage to laugh has been a bit of a challenge these days.

Well, a few things help me stay focused regardless of how tired I am or what chores need to get done:

I am keeping my date at the gym constant - it is my place to find sanity and the one thing I can control. I have also added a 2 -3 mile walk at night with one of my neighbors, Maria.  We have a chance to talk without kid interruptions and I have a chance to clear my head.

I am going to bed at a reasonable time so that I can be well rested to take on the next day.  It's not all that uncommon for me to stay up late and get up super early just so I can catch up, but in the end, I end up so tired that I get less done.  So I'm working on 7 hours of sleep being my norm, not four or five.

I am being careful about what I eat and when because I already know that when I'm stressed I could easily breakdown the walls and go for whatever I'm craving - that could be really ugly.  So I just don't buy the stuff I know I'll crave and stick with my healthy foods.  It's easier to avoid my potential stress related train wreck with food.

Last, but not least, keeping up with my to-do list and calendar.  They are my compass right now.  I like the idea that I don't have to store anything in my head or try to remember if or when I did something. Just write it down and set a little electronic reminder, done!!

I'm committed to stay motivated and treat myself well because if my (mental, physical, spiritual) health fails I can't take care of my precious little people.

Stay Well,

Honor the Veteran's today and everyday!

Video by Romans1vs20

It's Monday - Day one ... again!

 

The Noland Trail in Virginia.  I went for a walk with the kids only to realize this was a five mile trail. There was no way out, we had to finish the walk/run/skip/jump/race. We had a great time!

Hey, yes it is.   It's Monday and time to get back on that 'ole wagon again.  Skip the treadmill, jump on the elliptical; skip those light 10 lbs weights and go for 12 or maybe even 15. Why not? Just get out there and do it!!

OK well, maybe it's not so simple to just jump into a fitness routine after being gone for a while so let's back it up a bit.

Your average person exercises because they have to; whether they do it to get in shape for a race, to lose weight, to improve health or reduce stress; it is an act that must be done or we pay the consequences.  But what happens to our psyche when we skip a day and then another and another....

First we say it's just one day.  I need a break anyway. Ha! 

Then after a few days we say we needed a longer break and we can always start back up Monday, right? WRONG!

Monday comes around and a list of events falls from the sky and lands right on on our laps.  Oh no, now we have to shampoo the rug, cut the grass, the kids are sick, blah blah blah.... can we come up with more excuses? Of course.

But now we've missed an entire week and we know that going back is going to hurt so we find other reasons why we wont go exercise and that one week turns into one month and then three months.

Cut the excuses out of your vocabulary and realize that this is not a chore or a task you do then resent having done it.  Your exercise should be fun, enjoyable, and something you look forward to doing everyday.  

Get out there and enjoy the weather, enjoy nature, take the kids, take the dog, invite your friends. Get on a bike or push the stroller and have a great time.  You wont even know you're exercising but in the end you will feel happy and the kids, well they will remember these days more than anything. Trust me, I know!

 

This was the view at the end of our walk.  Breathtaking, isn't it?

So what are you waiting for? You know the challenge to not gain weight over the holidays is still on and first on my list of things to do is FITNESS! So let's get to it. In or out of the house, it doesn't really matter if you're at the local park or in your back yard collecting leaves. Every minute you spend being active counts and before you know it, that minute becomes five minutes, then ten...etc. You get my drift.

How many miles do you think you'll walk, run, bike or skate this week? How many minutes?

Stay Well,