RSS Feed (xml)
I hate when people who are faced with an obstacle come up with every excuse in the book to not being able to overcome their obstacle without ever trying. How does anybody know anything without trying? I am ashamed to say that I too have been guilty of this. But no more I won't be a victim to myself anymore.
This leads me to my current dilemma. In just 5 short day I will be volunteering to go back into hell. By this I mean that I will be starting school, and combined that with studying and work I will have virtually no time to do anything else. So what about my new resolve to live healthy and be more active? Well I am asking myself that same question.
This is what I know about exercising. You have to have your heart rate go above your normal rate and this is basic concept to losing weight. Yes it is this simple. So I wonder if just moving around my house while I cook dinner, clean my apartment, or getting dressed in the morning will do the trick. I will be conducting a mini experiment during the next week. I will be taking 30 min a day to just dancing, jumping, and/or running around my apartment. I wonder if by doing this I can lose weight. I know that I won't lose a ton of weight but if I lost just 1 pound then it would be all worth it.
So I am off, wish me! There is no stopping me now...
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Trying Something New!
Well today I like to call a learning day. Being that I am doing this whole low carb diet thing, I am limited to the food I can eat. That means no more pasta, pizza, or sandwiches. My meals need to consist of protein and veggies. This being said, I am a picky eater. There was a time when I wouldn't eat anything green. Strange I know, but it is what it is.
My mother came from a family where you ate what was put in front of you, and you ate it all. Growing up she swore she'd never do that to her child, but she was also under the notion that you should at least try something to know if you didn't like it. Well she had the unfortunate pleasure of marrying my father, who as a child had his meals specially prepared for him. My grandmother made 2 dinners every night, 1 for the family and 1 for my dad. My dad too was under the notion that if you didn't like something you didn't have to eat it. But where my mother wanted me to at least try it first, I learned that if I put up enough of a fuss, my dad would step in and exempt me from trying it. I used this power to my advantage many many times. If I didn't like the way something looked or smelt, all I had to do was say I don't like it, and my dad in his powerful, commanding voice would always come to my defense and say "She doesn't have to eat it". And to my mother's disappointment she would give up. I ate corn every night of the week because it was pretty much the only thing I liked. Where my brother would eat whatever you put in front of him, I ate 2 things, potatoes and corn. Of course I ate pretty much any protein out there, but my side dishes were limited to those two things.
As a young adult, I started to try some foods. Most of the time I tried these foods because I was at a friend's house and I didn't want to be rude. And you know what happened? I actually liked some of these new foods that I had sworn off as a kid. This all brings me to today, or rather two days ago.
My friend Beth and I went out to dinner. We went to a Japanese restaurant. In my stir-fry vegetables there was the usual suspects: onions, carrots, broccoli (which I now love) and an old nemeses...the green squash, also know as zucchini. Now my mother has been trying to get me to eat zucchini since forever, and I have spent sincw forever advoiding it. Honestly it never looked appetizing to me. But on the fateful night I accidentally ate zucchini. It was warm, smooth and full of flavor. Could this be? Could I actually like zucchini? The blinders have been lifted from my stubborn eyes, the culinary world has opened up a little bit more, hallelujah!! I can now officially say that at the age of 29, I will eat zucchini. Tonight, for the first time I made zucchini for dinner. And you know what? It was good!
Now that I have tried zucchini and liked it, I'm off to try something else new. There is no stopping me now...
My mother came from a family where you ate what was put in front of you, and you ate it all. Growing up she swore she'd never do that to her child, but she was also under the notion that you should at least try something to know if you didn't like it. Well she had the unfortunate pleasure of marrying my father, who as a child had his meals specially prepared for him. My grandmother made 2 dinners every night, 1 for the family and 1 for my dad. My dad too was under the notion that if you didn't like something you didn't have to eat it. But where my mother wanted me to at least try it first, I learned that if I put up enough of a fuss, my dad would step in and exempt me from trying it. I used this power to my advantage many many times. If I didn't like the way something looked or smelt, all I had to do was say I don't like it, and my dad in his powerful, commanding voice would always come to my defense and say "She doesn't have to eat it". And to my mother's disappointment she would give up. I ate corn every night of the week because it was pretty much the only thing I liked. Where my brother would eat whatever you put in front of him, I ate 2 things, potatoes and corn. Of course I ate pretty much any protein out there, but my side dishes were limited to those two things.
As a young adult, I started to try some foods. Most of the time I tried these foods because I was at a friend's house and I didn't want to be rude. And you know what happened? I actually liked some of these new foods that I had sworn off as a kid. This all brings me to today, or rather two days ago.
My friend Beth and I went out to dinner. We went to a Japanese restaurant. In my stir-fry vegetables there was the usual suspects: onions, carrots, broccoli (which I now love) and an old nemeses...the green squash, also know as zucchini. Now my mother has been trying to get me to eat zucchini since forever, and I have spent sincw forever advoiding it. Honestly it never looked appetizing to me. But on the fateful night I accidentally ate zucchini. It was warm, smooth and full of flavor. Could this be? Could I actually like zucchini? The blinders have been lifted from my stubborn eyes, the culinary world has opened up a little bit more, hallelujah!! I can now officially say that at the age of 29, I will eat zucchini. Tonight, for the first time I made zucchini for dinner. And you know what? It was good!
Now that I have tried zucchini and liked it, I'm off to try something else new. There is no stopping me now...
Saturday, August 22, 2009
To Diet or Not To Diet, that is the question.
When anyone faces the thought of weight loss, they are perplexed as to how to lose the weight. With so many weight loss "programs" out there, which one is the right one? I'm not sure if I'll ever find the "right" one, just the right one for now.
Here's what I know about physiology, our cells are made up of protein, and they use glucose (sugar) as their primary source of energy. This is the basic function of our body. Now if our body has too much glucose, in the form of either carbohydrate or sugar, its converted into fat for storage to be used at another time. Now if your like me, you have too much fat in storage. Keeping this in mind I've decided that to start of my weight loss off I will start with a low carb diet. I chose this type diet because by eating less carbs and getting more active, my body will start to convert the stored fat into glucose so that it can be used for energy. Yes, this is the principle behind the controversial Atkins' diet, but there are many diets out there that are low carb. In fact did you know that the American Heart Association publically advocates The South Beach diet. The other day I bought "The Low-Carb Bible" published by Publication International. This book is heaven sent. It is not only a cookbook, but it gets into description, every type of low-carb diet out there, and how flexible any particular diet is. I recommend this book to anyone, it was very informational and the recipes are delicious.
I've decided to follow The South Beach diet, after all the American Heart Association advocates it. Now that I've picked the diet that I think is right for me now at this time, I believe that I have given myself all that I need for success. There is no stopping me now.
Here's what I know about physiology, our cells are made up of protein, and they use glucose (sugar) as their primary source of energy. This is the basic function of our body. Now if our body has too much glucose, in the form of either carbohydrate or sugar, its converted into fat for storage to be used at another time. Now if your like me, you have too much fat in storage. Keeping this in mind I've decided that to start of my weight loss off I will start with a low carb diet. I chose this type diet because by eating less carbs and getting more active, my body will start to convert the stored fat into glucose so that it can be used for energy. Yes, this is the principle behind the controversial Atkins' diet, but there are many diets out there that are low carb. In fact did you know that the American Heart Association publically advocates The South Beach diet. The other day I bought "The Low-Carb Bible" published by Publication International. This book is heaven sent. It is not only a cookbook, but it gets into description, every type of low-carb diet out there, and how flexible any particular diet is. I recommend this book to anyone, it was very informational and the recipes are delicious.
I've decided to follow The South Beach diet, after all the American Heart Association advocates it. Now that I've picked the diet that I think is right for me now at this time, I believe that I have given myself all that I need for success. There is no stopping me now.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Drama
Today I had a wonderful day out with my sister. We spent the day shopping, and relaxing on the beach. As I sit here reflecting on my day, I come to the sobering realization that today almost didn't happen.
To say our relationship has been strained is an understatement. It has been hell. We are 9 years apart, and too much alike in all the wrong ways, and yet so different in other ways. When growing up I could care less about her existence, I was too busy worrying about playing with my friends. Then I moved into my dramatic teenage years and I was too busy in my own world to care about her. When all she wanted to do was follow me and spend time with me, and I could care less. All of this I can now say I regret, maybe if I had been different toward her then, things could of been different between us. As she grew up she tried coming into her own, make her own way in this world, like I was doing. Unfortunately her way was nowhere near what my way was and she made some big and small mistakes, mistakes that have been a great source of strain on our relationship. Our fights are legendary. She being young, thinking she had all the answers, and me being an angry, negative person, well lets just say we were oil and water!!
As I got older, I started to think about the things that are important to me. I started to realize that although I have strong passions and a fighting drive in me, I don't need to fight all the time. I learn that sometimes people need to make mistakes, after all its how we all learn and grow as individuals.I learned that I don't have all the answers and that I cannot fix the world. And do you know what I discovered? That if you walk around with negative energy, you will live a negative life. There will always be conflict and misery in your life. The best answer to this is to let it go.
Let the drama go!
By letting the drama of my preconceived idea's go, I have learned to except my sister for who she is, flaws and all. I have learned to be a shoulder when she needs it, not a forceful hand I think she should have. I have learned that someday with support and understanding she will pull through and be all that she can be. I learn that I too have made mistakes and I ask for patients that maybe I should grant her patients. I learned that I am a happier person when I don't walk around with negative energy, and holding grudges. All this lead me to today.
Today I had a wonderful day out with my sister. Although we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, we have learned to just let our differences go. We may not always succeed, but we try really hard. After all we only have one family, and like it or not we are stuck together forever.
Let the drama go and you will see how much happier a person you can be, and then there will be no stopping you now...
To say our relationship has been strained is an understatement. It has been hell. We are 9 years apart, and too much alike in all the wrong ways, and yet so different in other ways. When growing up I could care less about her existence, I was too busy worrying about playing with my friends. Then I moved into my dramatic teenage years and I was too busy in my own world to care about her. When all she wanted to do was follow me and spend time with me, and I could care less. All of this I can now say I regret, maybe if I had been different toward her then, things could of been different between us. As she grew up she tried coming into her own, make her own way in this world, like I was doing. Unfortunately her way was nowhere near what my way was and she made some big and small mistakes, mistakes that have been a great source of strain on our relationship. Our fights are legendary. She being young, thinking she had all the answers, and me being an angry, negative person, well lets just say we were oil and water!!
As I got older, I started to think about the things that are important to me. I started to realize that although I have strong passions and a fighting drive in me, I don't need to fight all the time. I learn that sometimes people need to make mistakes, after all its how we all learn and grow as individuals.I learned that I don't have all the answers and that I cannot fix the world. And do you know what I discovered? That if you walk around with negative energy, you will live a negative life. There will always be conflict and misery in your life. The best answer to this is to let it go.
Let the drama go!
By letting the drama of my preconceived idea's go, I have learned to except my sister for who she is, flaws and all. I have learned to be a shoulder when she needs it, not a forceful hand I think she should have. I have learned that someday with support and understanding she will pull through and be all that she can be. I learn that I too have made mistakes and I ask for patients that maybe I should grant her patients. I learned that I am a happier person when I don't walk around with negative energy, and holding grudges. All this lead me to today.
Today I had a wonderful day out with my sister. Although we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, we have learned to just let our differences go. We may not always succeed, but we try really hard. After all we only have one family, and like it or not we are stuck together forever.
Let the drama go and you will see how much happier a person you can be, and then there will be no stopping you now...
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Taking Responsibility
The other day I had a lengthy conversation with a co-worker. Being that I work in a hospital it was about health are and the state it is in today.
Here are my thought on it. I believe that healthcare is a right not a privilege for those who can pay for it. That being said, I also believe it's every individuals duty to take responsibility for their own state of well-being. If you eat McDonald's consistently don't be surprised if your overweight, and in poor health. We can't keep abusing our bodies and then when something goes wrong expect it to be fixed and at a cost that is reasonable. This is what is wrong with our society today. We don't want to take responsibility for our actions. Why is that?
We need to start education ourself and the next generation about healthy living. We need to be proactive in preventative medicine. You would be surprise how many chronic illness can be prevented by simply getting to know that treadmill that sits in your basement, not being used as gym equipment, but rather an extension of the laundry as place to hang your shirts to dry!
I am just as guilty as everyone else, but I am going to change that. Just last night when faced with dinner choices, it was either the cafeteria staple of fried chicken and french fries, BBQ chicken with the fixing's, or pizza. I decided that none of it was healthy so I walked down the street away from the hospital and went to Subway to have a veggie delight 6 inch sandwich! Hey if it worked for Jared it could work for me. But see I made the choice to eat a healthier meal. I took responsibility.
Want to know what the cure for our current health care crisis is....It's responsibility. Its not the governments responsibility, it's not the riches responsibility, it's your responsibility! If you don't want to take responsibility for your own health, then don't complain when healthcare cost are astronomical. You have nobody to blame but yourself.
I understand that some, ok alot, of illnesses are not preventable and that's why I believe in a universal system. There are just somethings that will happen no matter how much we try to prevent them. But there is alot that can be prevented, and if we as whole, collectively tried to prevent them, this would reduce healthcare spending in America. It really would.
Off to walk. There is no stopping me now...
Here are my thought on it. I believe that healthcare is a right not a privilege for those who can pay for it. That being said, I also believe it's every individuals duty to take responsibility for their own state of well-being. If you eat McDonald's consistently don't be surprised if your overweight, and in poor health. We can't keep abusing our bodies and then when something goes wrong expect it to be fixed and at a cost that is reasonable. This is what is wrong with our society today. We don't want to take responsibility for our actions. Why is that?
We need to start education ourself and the next generation about healthy living. We need to be proactive in preventative medicine. You would be surprise how many chronic illness can be prevented by simply getting to know that treadmill that sits in your basement, not being used as gym equipment, but rather an extension of the laundry as place to hang your shirts to dry!
I am just as guilty as everyone else, but I am going to change that. Just last night when faced with dinner choices, it was either the cafeteria staple of fried chicken and french fries, BBQ chicken with the fixing's, or pizza. I decided that none of it was healthy so I walked down the street away from the hospital and went to Subway to have a veggie delight 6 inch sandwich! Hey if it worked for Jared it could work for me. But see I made the choice to eat a healthier meal. I took responsibility.
Want to know what the cure for our current health care crisis is....It's responsibility. Its not the governments responsibility, it's not the riches responsibility, it's your responsibility! If you don't want to take responsibility for your own health, then don't complain when healthcare cost are astronomical. You have nobody to blame but yourself.
I understand that some, ok alot, of illnesses are not preventable and that's why I believe in a universal system. There are just somethings that will happen no matter how much we try to prevent them. But there is alot that can be prevented, and if we as whole, collectively tried to prevent them, this would reduce healthcare spending in America. It really would.
Off to walk. There is no stopping me now...
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Oh My Aching Body!
So three days into the new me and my body is aching, and i have a huge blister on right foot. But more importantly my legs are killing me. Who would of thought that just walking would do this to me? Well now that I am in pain I have decided to give the walking a rest for today, but just for today, so no fret I will be back tomorrow.
Being that I want to keep this train rolling I don't want to just sit here watch TV, waiting to go to work, I decided to stretch some of those aching muscles. Guess what happened? My aching muscles actually started to feel a little better. So my advise to anyone out there experiencing the same muscle soreness I am, I say stretch!
That being said, I am off to stretch some more. There is no stopping me now...
Being that I want to keep this train rolling I don't want to just sit here watch TV, waiting to go to work, I decided to stretch some of those aching muscles. Guess what happened? My aching muscles actually started to feel a little better. So my advise to anyone out there experiencing the same muscle soreness I am, I say stretch!
That being said, I am off to stretch some more. There is no stopping me now...
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Tip of the day
Well I'd like to start off by saying that Day 1 went well, I went for my walk, the beach was beautiful. Then on my way home I stopped to get something for dinner and at the check out I realized that I had bought 2 desserts, being lazy as I am, instead of putting one back I bought both. The end result..... My new 50 calorie dessert creation. Because I am not cleaver of thinking up cool names for things like this, this is what I am calling it, my 50 calorie dessert creation.
On to the tip of the day, well actually I have 2 tips of the day. The first being pockets... Yes I said pockets. Pockets are very important as they hold things. Things you yourself don't want to hold while gasping for breath on the beach because you decided your out of shape self could possible jog for a bit. Thank god for pockets!! Being that pockets are god sent they need to start putting them in workout outfits. I know the ipod has this cute little arm band holder, but what about my cell phone and the oh so important car keys!! One needs pockets! If I was a fashion designer I'd design the most cutest, stylish workout outfit there ever was, but at last I am not. So that means I don't own said outfit. But please if anyone in the fashion world is reading this please design one. Or if not someone design a workout belt that can hold all of these! I was forced to wear cargo pants that I rolled up into capri's just to utilize all the pockets!
That being said my second tip of the day is after my walk today, yes you will all be happy to know I walked 2 days in a row! Go Me! Anyways after my walk today I came home and started to make my dinner that I will take with me to work. Well I have discovered that plastic mixing spoons are not meant to be used to saute rice in a skillet, as it will melt said mixing spoon! What a mess that was trying to clean up. Luckily I didn't ruin the rice, how I managed to save it I do not know, but i did save it.
Now as for My 50 Calorie Dessert here is the recipe.
Ingredients:
4 Dessert Shell
1 Cup of sugar free chocolate pudding
4 Whole Strawberry's
1 tsp of artifical sweetener
2 Tbsp of water
You slice the strawberry's up and place in bowl with sweetener and water, and mix. Set aside for 1 hour. Next you make the sugar free chocolate pudding according to direction. You can also use premixed pudding. Take the dessert shells and place 4 slices of strawberry on the bottom. Spoon out one tablespoon of pudding on top of sliced strawberry's and then take another slice of strawberry to top. Ready to serve. Makes 4 servings.
See that was easy, simple and delicious!
There is no stopping me now...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
