One Month at a Time

Happy February! January went by so quickly.  I did not do as well as I had planned.  I just could not stay healthy.  I am still not 100%, but I am pushing through it.  I am not one for conspiracy theories BUT I am almost convinced that this year’s flu shot made me sick.  Each time I recover, I get different symptoms.  Now I am battling a sore throat and upset stomach.

Weights.  I laid off the heavy weights because I just did not have the strength.   I’ve been picking up the dumbbell here and there.  I’m going to try to hit the weights tomorrow. 

Plank.  I planked the entire month!  I got up to two minutes.  My goal is to do a five-minute plank, at least one time in my life.  Last week I struggled to do one minute.  Not sure what’s up with that, but I am going to continue working on it.  I know having a stronger core is going to help my running.

Pushups.  Last week my friend Bianca invited me to do 22 pushups a day for 22 days for Veteran Suicide Awareness.  The first day I did them I almost started crying.  It is so hard to imagine that each day 22 veterans commit suicide.  Each day I dedicate a pushup to the memory of a veteran and his or her family.  Yesterday, I figure I will have done a push up for 484 veterans and their families. It is a very humbling and sacred experience. 

Running.  I started my Couch to 10K a couple of weeks ago.   I completed Week One no problem.  I have had on and off days with Week Two.  I completed the first session with no problem.  The next time I could barely get to the halfway point.  I almost completed the third session.  Yesterday, I made it to the halfway point and walked the rest of the session.  I am not moving on until I can complete all runs in all three Week Two workouts.  

Swimming.  On back burner until I am feeling well and it is warmer!

Nutrition.  I am feeling really good about my nutrition.  Today I made quinoa vegetable “fried rice.”  Last week I made quinoa veggie patties.  Yummy stuff!

Fitbit.  Well, I decided to go with the FitbitSurge.  I need an extra-large band so it on back order.  I can’t wait to get it!

January Check In

Things are going well.  I'm down five pound so far this month.  I can hardly believe it. I am very grateful for the courage to make some changes to my food plan.  I am having fun trying different quinoa recipes.
I had to slow down on my physical activity.  My poor knees are acting up again.  So, I've been doing a lot of stretching and yoga.  This coming week I am trying something I never thought I'd try -- Zumba. 

I've put hiking on hold until it gets warmer.  I have to be honest.  I do not get much pleasure out of hiking in the cold or the rain. 

I'm so glad to start this year on a positive note.  I've had some emotional challenges this month but my OA program and meditation group are helping with that.  Life, being healthy and whole, is all about balance. 



Clean(er) Eating: Quinoa Protein Bars

I had so much fun making these.  First of all, I had to find quinoa flakes.  I went to Harry's, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods; none of these stores had them.  I give up and go to Publix to get the rest of the items on my shopping list.  I happen to go down this aisle and what do I see -- quinoa flakes! I was so excited! 
I love these bars! I froze half the batch for later so I wouldn't eat them all.  I'd never used brown rice syrup before. It's pretty good. I didn't add cinnamon because I thought I had some at home only to discover I didn't.  The next time I make these I'll definitely add cinnamon.  I also used crunchy almond butter instead of smooth for added texture.  Yummy!

Clean(er) Eating: Quinoa Patties

These patties were pretty good.  When I make them again, I'll add more cayenne.  I also think I'll find some low calorie, low fat sauce to go with these:

Clean(er) Eating: Quinoa and Black Beans

Yesterday was my first attempt at cooking (and eating) quinoa.  I was a bit nervous.  My OA sponsor eats quinoa and thinks it's best prepared in a rice cooker.  Great! I have challenges cooking rice and I gave away my rice cooker when I moved last year.  Anyhow, I boiled some water and hope for the best. 

It was fantastic! I adapted a recipe I found on CookingQuinoa. I’m so glad I omitted the jalapenos. The chili powder gave it just enough kick for me. This is differently a keeper!

Stay tuned for next week's recipe.

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.