2012 - Eat Clean (er), Train Dirty!

Eat Clean(er), Train Dirty!  This is my motto for 2012.
I'm doing pretty well with my compulsive overeating habits.  I havent' touched any of my trigger foods in over a year.  I think it's about time to take my eating to another level.  I am a bit nervous about it.  I'm a creature of habit.  I'm nervous about change.  My food plan is fine the way it is.  However, I still have about 50 pounds I would like to drop.  One thing I have learned from Overeater's Anonymous is facing my fears about food and eating because it's all about my character defects -- it's not about the food.

I am confident God will help me make these changes.  I am also confident these changes will help me on my goal to get to a healthy weight.

So, I'm trying new things with my eating.  I've increasing my calorie range and moving towards a clean eating plan.  I met with a nutritionist on Friday and she suggested I try quinoa. It sounds like a really nutritional staple to add to my diet.  For the next couple of weeks I'll be trying different recipes.  I found this really cool site - - Cooking Quinoa. 

As far as exercise, for the next couple of months I am going to be focusing my workouts on HIIT -- High Intensity Interval Training.  Let's see what happens.

Back to the Basics

I was so sick yesterday. Exhausted is probably a better word. I was tired, achy, shaky, and had a bad headache. As much as I wanted to, I didn't go out on my walk yesterday. I felt it was more important to listen to my body and get some rest.

I think I've been taken myself for granted. I've been doing well and trying to cut corners. I have been awful about getting to bed at a decent hour. My body is not used to all this moving and I need to give it adequate rest. I also think all that junk food I ate over the weekend caught up with me. I need to get back on track with my nutrition, too.

I should also look at my stretching program. I was feeling a bit stiff yesterday.

Anyhow, instead of Friday being an off day, I will walk. I don't want to miss any of my training time.

Breakfast for Champions

Breakfast has always been a challenging for me. When I was a child, I never wanted to eat breakfast. I wasn't hungry. All my life I've heard...breakfast is the most important meal.

I'm working on it. Anyhow, yesterday during my nutrition class, I made a note to research adrenal glands. I can't remember what the instructor said about them. However, here's an important piece of information that probably pertains to me:

But I’m not hungry in the morning...

As your mother probably told you, breakfast is important. But maybe you don’t feel hungry in the morning, and if so, it could be for the following reasons:

• Corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), which has appetite-dulling effects, begins to enter the bloodstream at a fast rate first thing in the morning.

• Decreased liver function, which can accompany adrenal dysfunction or a heavy toxic burden, can also dampen morning hunger.

Even if you don’t feel hungry, having a nutritious breakfast within an hour of rising — preferably with protein — will provide energetic benefits to your metabolism and cortisol levels that last throughout the day.

Source: http://www.womentowomen.com/adrenalfatigue/adrenalglandnutrition.aspx


I guess my health coach was right about telling me I need to have my breakfast within one hour of waking. I've been slacking off so this is a goal for this week.

Week Two Wrap Up

Today was I scheduled to walk 30 mins. I was so nervous about it. Again, I was allowing my mind to get me so worked up about it. Am I going to be able to walk that long? Why did you start this crazy venture?

It was the first thing I thought about when I woke up this morning. I have to walk 30 minutes today. I had to yell at myself to quit worrying about it Are you ready to go out walking now? No! Then, shut up about it, I told my mind.

After a very cold week, the weather was beautiful. I decided to go walking along "the professional path" as I call it. It's a path where people walk, jog, and cycle. I like it because there are quarter mile markers along the way. I was nervous. 30 minutes is the longest duration I've had to walk since beginning my training. I had a little trouble during the last 10 minutes. My hands starting getting cold, and my lower back started to spasm a bit. I was so tempted to stop. I refused to let my mind tell me my body couldn't to it. I ignored all that fear and kept on walking. I focused on my breathing and my stride and completed my session like a champ. I walked a little over 1.25 miles! I couldn't believe it.

I stood along the river for a while and stretched and gave thanks. Then, I went to my favorite little spot, meditated and watched the ducks for a while. It was a beautiful ending to a rather stressful week.

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I attended a nutrition class this morning. A lot of the stuff I already knew. For the most part, I am disappointed in the class. I like what she said about being in tune with your body, listening to your body, and asking it what it needs.