So I haven't posted anything for the past few days which has caused me to reflect....do I really have enough time to post something on here EVERY DAY? At first I thought it was a very reasonable thing to do.....get on for 5-10 minutes every day and post my progress. But then life happens, and I'm not always close to my computer to put it on here. In fact, I'm at lunch right now at work posting this. Not sure if it's against company policy or not...but then again, I'm not really their employee. (I'm a temp). So we'll see what happens. :)
Here's a synopsis of the past few days:
Didn't eat all healthy foods.
Ate some junk food (it was Easter...and I don't have the self-control to not eat chocolate or sugar)....something I need to control....but figure out how to change without feeling like I'm depriving myself.
Saturday breakfast was good: buckwheat pancakes, 1 egg, 2 vegetarian sausage links, orange juice.
Sunday breakfast was good too: oatmeal, whole wheat english muffin, orange juice.
Saturday I weighed myself....not good. I was at 176.2lbs. I know, I know...that's more than 2 lbs higher than last Saturday! But, given the food that I ate, didn't exercise, and am retaining water because of my monthly cycle....I know where that 2lbs is coming from.
This week's goal: eat 1 salad every day. Walk on treadmill/elliptical 30 min. 3x this week. I don't want to waste people's time with reading this if I'm not willing to make changes to give positive reinforcement for what they may be doing.
I need to find someone to help me workout. I don't like working out by myself and the only time my mom is able to go with me is at 6:00am!! I don't like working out that early....I'm a night owl and every minute I can sleep in the morning before my alarm goes off at 6:00am is precious. Any suggestions as to how I go about finding someone to workout with? Post an ad at the gym in the ladies locker room? Would that be weird? Post a comment and let me know!
Have a good, fit and fabulous day!
-Emily
Monday, April 25, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Day 3....Got Stress?
I know I'm a day late in getting a post out, but I didn't want to miss a day. First, my report of food:
Breakfast:
Banana
Snack:
Almonds
Almond Joy Candy bar (Yummy chocolate, coconut, almond goodness)
Lunch:
More Veggies with rice and vegan cashew cheese sauce
Snack:
Almonds
Popcorn (microwave, w/butter)
Dinner:
Wrap with alfalfa sprouts, red bell pepper, mushroom, feta cheese, and black bean chipotle burger by Morningstar Farms.
Okay...so I definitely see where I can improve some food choices. Each day, I will make a better decision here and there. Baby steps. That's what I need, not a huge grand food makeover. I would probably resist, then rebel and binge on junk food.
On to my word of advice for the day: try as hard as possible to reduce and control the amount of stress in your life. Stress makes cortisol and cortisol is stored as belly fat. Belly fat stresses out your heart and thusly, shortens your lifespan. So.... reduce stress!
I took an online test on: www.realage.com to find out what a computer told me my "real" age was based on my answers to questions about all facets of my life. I was 31! So, not too far from my actual age, but it could be better. The #1 piece of advice/strategy they suggested to decrease my age was to decrease my stress. As a young person with a mild amount of debt, no health insurance, no permanent job, lack of exercise, interrupted sleep, less than perfect diet, etc, there are some things I can do to reduce my amount of stress. So I am slowly taking care of them. I filed my taxes yesterday (procrastinating caused me some stress). But having them done is very relieving. I continue to look for a permanent job that offers health benefits, so that will reduce some stress when it happens. And getting my debts paid off will reduce more stress. Oh, and of course, eating more healthy foods and being more active. I plan on taking my "real age" test again in a year to see what the results will be. I'm shooting for younger than my actual age.
Feel free to share your "real age".
Have a good, fun and fit day!
-Emily
Breakfast:
Banana
Snack:
Almonds
Almond Joy Candy bar (Yummy chocolate, coconut, almond goodness)
Lunch:
More Veggies with rice and vegan cashew cheese sauce
Snack:
Almonds
Popcorn (microwave, w/butter)
Dinner:
Wrap with alfalfa sprouts, red bell pepper, mushroom, feta cheese, and black bean chipotle burger by Morningstar Farms.
Okay...so I definitely see where I can improve some food choices. Each day, I will make a better decision here and there. Baby steps. That's what I need, not a huge grand food makeover. I would probably resist, then rebel and binge on junk food.
On to my word of advice for the day: try as hard as possible to reduce and control the amount of stress in your life. Stress makes cortisol and cortisol is stored as belly fat. Belly fat stresses out your heart and thusly, shortens your lifespan. So.... reduce stress!
I took an online test on: www.realage.com to find out what a computer told me my "real" age was based on my answers to questions about all facets of my life. I was 31! So, not too far from my actual age, but it could be better. The #1 piece of advice/strategy they suggested to decrease my age was to decrease my stress. As a young person with a mild amount of debt, no health insurance, no permanent job, lack of exercise, interrupted sleep, less than perfect diet, etc, there are some things I can do to reduce my amount of stress. So I am slowly taking care of them. I filed my taxes yesterday (procrastinating caused me some stress). But having them done is very relieving. I continue to look for a permanent job that offers health benefits, so that will reduce some stress when it happens. And getting my debts paid off will reduce more stress. Oh, and of course, eating more healthy foods and being more active. I plan on taking my "real age" test again in a year to see what the results will be. I'm shooting for younger than my actual age.
Feel free to share your "real age".
Have a good, fun and fit day!
-Emily
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Day 2....I found a good resource today!
Today was an okay day. I had to sleep at my grandpa's because his health hasn't been so great, so I have the privilege of helping him....a lot! He is 85 going on 86, so that's a pretty good life-span. I attribute some of his health and longevity to his work ethic. He has always been a very hard, dedicated worker. I hope some of his dedication has rubbed off on me. Oh! I forgot to report my lunch and dinner last night:
Lunch:
Sandwich wrap (with 1 Tbsp Miracle Whip, 1 sliced mushroom, feta cheese, 1 leaf romaine lettuce, and alfalfa sprouts).
I wasn't totally full after that, so I had a pear about 45 minutes later. Then, after going and doing service for 135 people with some friends, I had dinner.
Dinner:
2 bean burritos from Taco Bell (not a good choice, but my mom had bought it for me, so I can't totally complain).
I didn't really do any exercises yesterday and today. I know that exercising, getting my heart rate up, and burning calories through exertion is good. I could give lots of excuses for why I didn't exercise, but the truth is, I just didn't make time for it. Sundays I give myself the day off from exercising anyway. It is called "a day of rest" for a reason. But when the weather really gets nice, a nice stroll through a park or something would be appropriate. You just won't find me at the gym getting my sweat on.
Now to report my meals for today:
Breakfast:
Cornbread (with a SMALL amount of butter and some syrup)
Glass of orange juice
Snack:
2 oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (I couldn't resist....a nice lady at church made them)
Late Lunch:
Small helping of rice with veggies and vegan cashew cheese
fruit salad with little bit of cool whip
4 almonds
Dinner:
more rice with veggies and vegan cashew cheese
1 bite of ice cream with strawberry and chocolate sauce. (I know, you don't actually believe I had one bite...but truly I did. My friend was eating some and offered me a bite, so I took it.)
My newest obsession is: ALFALFA SPROUTS! They are so easy to grown and have some amazing nutrition contained in that little seed. If you want to know the nutrition content of them, click here: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2302/2
(or if you can't click the link, simply copy and paste it into your browser). This website is a helpful tool in getting the nutritional information on the foods you eat. Okay, so since I love them so much, I will tell you how you can grow them:
Get 1 wide mouth canning jar, a 5"x5" square piece of small mesh screen, rubberband, 1 Tbsp of alfalfa seeds. Put the seeds in the jar, put the screen on, and secure with rubber band. Then add half a jar of water and let soak for 4-5 hours. Then, without removing the screen, dump the water out of the jar and with TEPID water, rinse the seeds a couple times. Dump the rinse water out of the jar, so only the seeds are in the jar. Lay it on it's side under a dish towel. Every morning and night for 4 days, rinse the seeds then lay the jar back on its side and cover with a towel. You will be able to see the seeds starting to sprout. Finally, on day 5, after you rinse the seeds in the morning, place the jar on its side in a windowsill so it can get some sunshine/ambient light from outdoors. The sprouts will look pale and need the photosynthesis of the sun (even through overcast skies) to green up. Rinse again in the evening of day 5 and morning of day 6. By the end of day 6, when you rinse the seeds/sprouts, you should be able to take the sprouts out of the jar and drain/dry them on a piece of paper towel. Fold the towel over and press the sprouts to remove any excess water. They can be slightly damp, but most of the water should be removed to prevent mold. Put them in an airtight container and place them in the fridge. Enjoy at your leisure. Because it takes 6 days from start to finish for the sprouts to be ready to eat, you may want to start a 2nd jar on day 3 so that you can have a more steady supply of sprouts. They disappear pretty quick in my house. We put them on sandwiches and salads all the time. They are so tasty!
That is all for now. Have a good, fun and fit day!
-Emily
Lunch:
Sandwich wrap (with 1 Tbsp Miracle Whip, 1 sliced mushroom, feta cheese, 1 leaf romaine lettuce, and alfalfa sprouts).
I wasn't totally full after that, so I had a pear about 45 minutes later. Then, after going and doing service for 135 people with some friends, I had dinner.
Dinner:
2 bean burritos from Taco Bell (not a good choice, but my mom had bought it for me, so I can't totally complain).
I didn't really do any exercises yesterday and today. I know that exercising, getting my heart rate up, and burning calories through exertion is good. I could give lots of excuses for why I didn't exercise, but the truth is, I just didn't make time for it. Sundays I give myself the day off from exercising anyway. It is called "a day of rest" for a reason. But when the weather really gets nice, a nice stroll through a park or something would be appropriate. You just won't find me at the gym getting my sweat on.
Now to report my meals for today:
Breakfast:
Cornbread (with a SMALL amount of butter and some syrup)
Glass of orange juice
Snack:
2 oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (I couldn't resist....a nice lady at church made them)
Late Lunch:
Small helping of rice with veggies and vegan cashew cheese
fruit salad with little bit of cool whip
4 almonds
Dinner:
more rice with veggies and vegan cashew cheese
1 bite of ice cream with strawberry and chocolate sauce. (I know, you don't actually believe I had one bite...but truly I did. My friend was eating some and offered me a bite, so I took it.)
My newest obsession is: ALFALFA SPROUTS! They are so easy to grown and have some amazing nutrition contained in that little seed. If you want to know the nutrition content of them, click here: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2302/2
(or if you can't click the link, simply copy and paste it into your browser). This website is a helpful tool in getting the nutritional information on the foods you eat. Okay, so since I love them so much, I will tell you how you can grow them:
Get 1 wide mouth canning jar, a 5"x5" square piece of small mesh screen, rubberband, 1 Tbsp of alfalfa seeds. Put the seeds in the jar, put the screen on, and secure with rubber band. Then add half a jar of water and let soak for 4-5 hours. Then, without removing the screen, dump the water out of the jar and with TEPID water, rinse the seeds a couple times. Dump the rinse water out of the jar, so only the seeds are in the jar. Lay it on it's side under a dish towel. Every morning and night for 4 days, rinse the seeds then lay the jar back on its side and cover with a towel. You will be able to see the seeds starting to sprout. Finally, on day 5, after you rinse the seeds in the morning, place the jar on its side in a windowsill so it can get some sunshine/ambient light from outdoors. The sprouts will look pale and need the photosynthesis of the sun (even through overcast skies) to green up. Rinse again in the evening of day 5 and morning of day 6. By the end of day 6, when you rinse the seeds/sprouts, you should be able to take the sprouts out of the jar and drain/dry them on a piece of paper towel. Fold the towel over and press the sprouts to remove any excess water. They can be slightly damp, but most of the water should be removed to prevent mold. Put them in an airtight container and place them in the fridge. Enjoy at your leisure. Because it takes 6 days from start to finish for the sprouts to be ready to eat, you may want to start a 2nd jar on day 3 so that you can have a more steady supply of sprouts. They disappear pretty quick in my house. We put them on sandwiches and salads all the time. They are so tasty!
That is all for now. Have a good, fun and fit day!
-Emily
Saturday, April 16, 2011
A start....just one day at a time.
Fitness. When I think of fitness, I think of guru's like Jillian Michaels or Bob Harper. Oh wait! That's because I watch The Biggest Loser every week when it's on. I love those trainers! But for a while now, all I've done is WATCH the show. I've not really put into practice what they teach/preach. I'm not what you would call "contestant" material for that show. I only have 30 lbs or so to lose to be at my "ideal" weight/size. But enough is enough! I want to be a fitness guru! I want to have the ability to do anything and not feel self conscious in my body and how I look. Now....how to do it? There are lots of resources, programs, and gyms to join. In fact, I've had a membership to a gym for over a year now and have only gone about 10 times! Talk about wasting money! Not anymore. I need to stop making excuses and take control for and of myself. And I will start... Today. I have many tools and resources. So I will dedicate this blog to just that. Sharing my tools and resources with you. And I will have you holding me accountable. I will share my weight with you weekly (on Saturdays) and my food journal. As well as recipes, my workouts, and other bits and bites that I learn along the way. Who knows...maybe I will be able to help someone make the same decision. So, here are my stats for 4/16/2011.
Age: 30
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 174 lbs.
Breakfast:
2 - Sausage breakfast burritos from McDonalds. (not a healthy decision)
Snack:
1 thin piece of Pumpkin Cheesecake (I was at a bridal shower)
1 small piece of bread
2 Tbsp hummus (finally a good choice!)
6 oz fizzy, fruity punch.
Kind of dreary when I look at it. But if I don't write it down, I won't hold myself accountable. And if I don't hold myself accountable, I won't ever change.
So first piece of advice:
WRITE DOWN EVERY PIECE OF FOOD YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH. If you don't journal it, you won't know your calorie intake and you won't be able to make better decisions.
I'm off to eat lunch. I haven't decided what I'm going to eat yet, but I will keep you posted. If I find any good recipes along the way too...I'll share them with you.
Have a happy, healthy, fit and fun day!
-Emily
Age: 30
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 174 lbs.
Breakfast:
2 - Sausage breakfast burritos from McDonalds. (not a healthy decision)
Snack:
1 thin piece of Pumpkin Cheesecake (I was at a bridal shower)
1 small piece of bread
2 Tbsp hummus (finally a good choice!)
6 oz fizzy, fruity punch.
Kind of dreary when I look at it. But if I don't write it down, I won't hold myself accountable. And if I don't hold myself accountable, I won't ever change.
So first piece of advice:
WRITE DOWN EVERY PIECE OF FOOD YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH. If you don't journal it, you won't know your calorie intake and you won't be able to make better decisions.
I'm off to eat lunch. I haven't decided what I'm going to eat yet, but I will keep you posted. If I find any good recipes along the way too...I'll share them with you.
Have a happy, healthy, fit and fun day!
-Emily
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