Well, after a two week hiatus, I finally found my way back to the Bikram room last night. It was pretty rough, and I felt nauseous for most of the class.
Somehow, it is now 8 am and I am already back from my daily 26+2. As in, I got up at 5:30 this morning to get my daily sweat on.
Over the last two weeks, I've really put my practice on the back burner because I was doing other fitness activities. What a poor choice.
Yoga is something special. It combines mind and body, and helps you achieve complete health. Even after just two classes, I've realized how much I've missed my "me" time. I think it's important to have time alone with your thoughts and yourself, and yoga gives you that opportunity.
Anyways, I am definitely looking forward to being more diligent about my practice, and I kind of like waking up early and getting my sweat on in the morning. It got my day going this morning, and I am now enjoying some delicious four ingredient pancakes (2 egg whites + mashed banana + cinnamon + vanilla) and blogging for you fine people -- all before work!
Good morning!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
How to navigate a menu without nutrition facts
You thought I forgot about my real food challenge, didn't you?
In the last couple of weeks, I've eaten from a restaurant more than several times. I've ordered everything from salads to burgers to french toast.
And I haven't looked at the nutrition facts.
Guess what? I still fit into my clothes. My arms are getting leaner. And I feel great.
As this experiment continues, I'll post photos, measurements, progress. My point is: you CAN eat out and still reach your goals, WITHOUT meticulously counting every calorie you put in your body.
It's all about thinking before you eat: about how the food is going to make you feel, about what you're craving, about what you can do without.
Here's a couple of easy modifications I've used on more than one occasion:
Good luck navigating the menu. As always, I try to track some of my eats on Instagram, so you can see what I'm nomming on :)
Happy weekend!
In the last couple of weeks, I've eaten from a restaurant more than several times. I've ordered everything from salads to burgers to french toast.
And I haven't looked at the nutrition facts.
Guess what? I still fit into my clothes. My arms are getting leaner. And I feel great.
As this experiment continues, I'll post photos, measurements, progress. My point is: you CAN eat out and still reach your goals, WITHOUT meticulously counting every calorie you put in your body.
It's all about thinking before you eat: about how the food is going to make you feel, about what you're craving, about what you can do without.
Here's a couple of easy modifications I've used on more than one occasion:
- Substitute steamed vegetables for French fries
- Ask for your protein to be cooked without added butter or oil (a lot of restaurants add oil or butter before grilling)
- When ordering a burger, order without the bun. If you're like me and don't love cheese, leave it off.
- Ask for your salad dressing on the side. Dip your fork in it before getting a bite of salad - I find I actually taste the dressing more this way, and I use a lot less.
- Just say no to the bread basket. Most places will gladly not bring it out, if requested.
- If they have sauteed vegetables on the menu, they can likely do them steamed instead or with light oil.
Good luck navigating the menu. As always, I try to track some of my eats on Instagram, so you can see what I'm nomming on :)
Happy weekend!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Taking on p90x
Over the last two weeks, I've really started kicking my butt back into gear. It's kind of amazing how that happens when you look at a calendar and realize that (surprise, surprise), Miss Virginia keeps getting closer! In fact, we're under the five month mark.
Luckily, I have a very supportive boyfriend (who will remain blog-anonymous for now :) ) who has decided to tackle p90x with me.
I actually got p90x for Christmas during my junior year of college. The first time I tried it, I lasted a grand total of four weeks before falling off the wagon. However, in those four weeks, I saw some pretty amazing results.
Kind of amazing what happens when you work out hard six times a week, combining cardio and weight training, huh? And then add in good nutrition?
Anyways, we're nine days in, and are on our second week of the first cycle of workouts. Highs of the week have included: Doing assisted pull-ups instead of using bands for the second time through shoulders and chest, Kenpo, and post-workout meals (gonna start featuring some of these on here). Lows were today's Plyo session (turns out Plyo on tired legs is not as fun) and Yoga X (turns out I'm not as flexible as I want to be).
I will say that p90x is way better when you do it with someone else. Plus, doing it with someone else certainly helps with accountability as well.
I'm also logging my workouts on Fitocracy now. You should join and follow me!
Anyone done the whole 90 days of p90x? Did you follow the nutrition plan as well? What were your results?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Food is supposed to be fun: the real food experiment
If you've been following me on facebook, instagram, twitter, real life, or this blog, you know that I'll be competing in Miss Virginia in June. You also probably know that my platform, You are HOW you Eat, centers around healthy eating habits, talking about disordered eating, and eschewing dieting.
In an effort to proverbially put my money where my mouth is, I will be following a "real food" eating plan in preparation for Miss Virginia. While striving to eat clean the majority of the time, I'll also be incorporating meals eaten from the restaurant group I work for 3-4 times a week. These meals are prepared from scratch, and include real ingredients like butter, whole milk, cream, and oil in their preparation.
Yes, I'm going to eat all of that and still walk on the stage fitter than I did when I competed for Miss Greater Springfield:
Sounds like disaster for a girl who's gotta be on stage in a swimsuit in six months, huh?
I don't think it has to be. I'm on a mission to prove that ANYONE can navigate a restaurant menu (even one without nutrition facts), make healthy choices, and even eat real dessert (not just frozen yogurt) sometimes, all while moving towards your health and fitness goals.
My platform hinges on the idea that food is supposed to be fun: fun to eat, fun to share with your family, fun to prepare.
I post everything I eat in a daily collage through my instagram account. Hold me accountable, get inspired, and check out some seriously delicious looking food.
PS: I just got a fitocracy account too... You can follow my workouts on there!
In an effort to proverbially put my money where my mouth is, I will be following a "real food" eating plan in preparation for Miss Virginia. While striving to eat clean the majority of the time, I'll also be incorporating meals eaten from the restaurant group I work for 3-4 times a week. These meals are prepared from scratch, and include real ingredients like butter, whole milk, cream, and oil in their preparation.
Yes, I'm going to eat all of that and still walk on the stage fitter than I did when I competed for Miss Greater Springfield:
 |
| photo credit: julius tolentino |
I don't think it has to be. I'm on a mission to prove that ANYONE can navigate a restaurant menu (even one without nutrition facts), make healthy choices, and even eat real dessert (not just frozen yogurt) sometimes, all while moving towards your health and fitness goals.
My platform hinges on the idea that food is supposed to be fun: fun to eat, fun to share with your family, fun to prepare.
I post everything I eat in a daily collage through my instagram account. Hold me accountable, get inspired, and check out some seriously delicious looking food.
PS: I just got a fitocracy account too... You can follow my workouts on there!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Demand more.
It has been a rough week for athletes between Lance Armstrong admitting doping to the whole Manti Te'o drama. Heck, it's been a rough week for us sports fans who follow them!
I don't really know what to believe, or how to get the truth. What I do know is that the Notre Dame football program found out on December 26th (22 days ago) that their star player had been tricked into believing he was dating a woman, that the woman had died, and then (on December 6th) found out she was not dead.
And, under pressure from an article exposing everything, the school finally talked.
Like I said, I am not an expert, nor do I have any ties to the story. But what I do know is that the only reason Notre Dame commented at all is because a third-party source released the story. I also know that the information the school shared - painting Te'o as a victim - is not enough, given they have apparently been investigating the situation for over three weeks.
So I've been trying to wrap my mind around the whole situation, and I just. I don't know. I think we need to demand more.
I think that a program, and a school, that thrives on money spent by football fans, needs to do everything they can to get answers. I think that they need to not draw conclusions as to what happened unless they have solid evidence as to what occurred, who knew what, etc.
I think that it's time for fans to demand that athletes act like the role models they become when they step on a field. I think that the expectations should be honesty, integrity, and transparency, with the understanding that when you're a public figure, your every move is scrutinized. I think that young men should be taught that, pardon my Harry Potter, with great power comes great responsibility.
And I think that when you know something shady is going on, it is your responsibility as an athlete or as a person in a position of authority to come clean about it BEFORE the expose article does.
But maybe that's just wishful thinking. And maybe in the coming weeks and months, the story with shake out and Te'o really is the victim. It just doesn't all add up.
Thoughts?
I don't really know what to believe, or how to get the truth. What I do know is that the Notre Dame football program found out on December 26th (22 days ago) that their star player had been tricked into believing he was dating a woman, that the woman had died, and then (on December 6th) found out she was not dead.
And, under pressure from an article exposing everything, the school finally talked.
Like I said, I am not an expert, nor do I have any ties to the story. But what I do know is that the only reason Notre Dame commented at all is because a third-party source released the story. I also know that the information the school shared - painting Te'o as a victim - is not enough, given they have apparently been investigating the situation for over three weeks.
So I've been trying to wrap my mind around the whole situation, and I just. I don't know. I think we need to demand more.
I think that a program, and a school, that thrives on money spent by football fans, needs to do everything they can to get answers. I think that they need to not draw conclusions as to what happened unless they have solid evidence as to what occurred, who knew what, etc.
I think that it's time for fans to demand that athletes act like the role models they become when they step on a field. I think that the expectations should be honesty, integrity, and transparency, with the understanding that when you're a public figure, your every move is scrutinized. I think that young men should be taught that, pardon my Harry Potter, with great power comes great responsibility.
And I think that when you know something shady is going on, it is your responsibility as an athlete or as a person in a position of authority to come clean about it BEFORE the expose article does.
But maybe that's just wishful thinking. And maybe in the coming weeks and months, the story with shake out and Te'o really is the victim. It just doesn't all add up.
Thoughts?
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Some thoughts on willpower.
I'll admit, the start of a new year is pretty inspiring.
Which is why we're inundated with diet commercials, flooded with suggestions of cleanses, sold on the idea of cutting carbs for weeks at a time. At the beginning of the year, you name it, we're open to it.
So I was thinking: how much willpower does it take to follow a juice cleanse for a week? To limit yourself to cereal for two of your three meals each day? To commit to cutting out fruit, whole grains, potatoes, and all other forms of carbohydrates for weeks?
To me, all of those things sound absolutely miserable (and, coming from personal experience, some of those things definitely are ABSOLUTELY miserable). And yet, at the start of the new year, people somehow find the willpower to tackle these dietary restrictions, and they probably are successful at losing weight.
Which begs the question: if we're able to have the willpower to strictly follow crazy diet restrictions in the beginning of the year, why can't we find the willpower to make (much less restrictive) lifestyle changes during the rest of the year?
Isn't it much easier to, say, commit to limiting dessert three times a week than it is to commit to eating only vegetables or cereal for a whole week? Or to focus on what you can eat rather than what you can't?
Which is why we're inundated with diet commercials, flooded with suggestions of cleanses, sold on the idea of cutting carbs for weeks at a time. At the beginning of the year, you name it, we're open to it.
So I was thinking: how much willpower does it take to follow a juice cleanse for a week? To limit yourself to cereal for two of your three meals each day? To commit to cutting out fruit, whole grains, potatoes, and all other forms of carbohydrates for weeks?
To me, all of those things sound absolutely miserable (and, coming from personal experience, some of those things definitely are ABSOLUTELY miserable). And yet, at the start of the new year, people somehow find the willpower to tackle these dietary restrictions, and they probably are successful at losing weight.
Which begs the question: if we're able to have the willpower to strictly follow crazy diet restrictions in the beginning of the year, why can't we find the willpower to make (much less restrictive) lifestyle changes during the rest of the year?
Isn't it much easier to, say, commit to limiting dessert three times a week than it is to commit to eating only vegetables or cereal for a whole week? Or to focus on what you can eat rather than what you can't?
What's the craziest diet you've ever attempted? Did you get the results you wanted? Did they last?
One time, I did Nutrisystem. The food was disgusting, and I lost the weight I wanted to lose for a hot second, but it all came back once I started eating real (non-packaged-and-preserved) food again. Plus, it took all the fun out of eating. Lamesauce.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
What’s inspiring me this week
Do you follow me on Pinterest? If not, you should start! Here’s my weekly dose of inspiration found on the web.
Give up on giving up and fight for happiness. :)
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