Life Is Beautiful

I think I will take a break from feverishly memorizing VBS Drama Skits and write up our experiences from yesterday.  It was a very long day, as anticipated, and I am so grateful it's all over! We didn't have to get up insanely early -- I had an alarm set for 5:45, but my husbands internal alarm went off much earlier.  He woke me up to tell me it was 5:06, thinking that I had set my alarm for 5:00.  Gratefully, never late.  I had my standard pre-long haul breakfast of half a peanut butter sandwich and a cup of coffee. It was absolutely pouring rain when we left for the YMCA.  We wore rain ponchos to cover our back-packs and precious contents within.  As far as getting wet -- we were going to jump in the pool anyway.  It's only about a mile or so to the Y from our house, so it was just annoying more than anything. We had to wait about 10 minutes for the guard to arrive and open the pool.  It was a good time to take a goofy picture or two and n...

During the month of September, I started taking 6g  fish oil per day.  I took 2 pills (2g) at each meal.  I didn't change much else - I noticed that my weight was creeping up, so I did cut out some treats.  September was a hard month with my health - and I missed most of my workouts in the 1st and 2nd weeks of the month.  My motivation for trying the fish oil was to see if I could cut some body fat.  I'm slightly less concerned about the number on the scale at this point.  I guess I will play the "genetics" card when it comes to that.  Sounds like BS, probably is. I should probably note that I eat about 1700 calories per day, eat lots of whole grains, low fat dairy and fruit and veg - and drink plenty of water.  I was pretty pleased with my results - especially given that I had less than perfect adherence to my workout schedule.  I actually missed my "A" race of the Triathlon season due to illness.  Okay on to my findings: Wei...

Sugar is poison.  Aspartame is poison.  Fat is bad for you, carbs are bad for you.  You should only eat organic produce, meat and dairy.  You should never eat meat and dairy.  Vegan, Vegetarian, Omivorous, Paleo, Low-Carb, Locavore.   What you eat, says more about you than it ever should.  What you feed your kids and what you choose for your family can even make you the subject of other people's conversations. I admit it.  I've done it.  I've seen the woman in the grocery store, pushing a cart full of sugared cereal, TV dinners, bottles of pop and bags of chips with her children grabbing candy bars and sodas at the check out.  I have judged that woman and felt like she wasn't giving herself or her children a chance in life by eating that way.  I've even gone so far in my mind as accusing her of neglecting her duties as a mother by feeding her family that way. No matter what the situation is, we all have a thoughts on food c...

Hopped on my scale today for the first weigh in in quite a while.  I figured as much - I'm up to the top of my five pound "acceptable" range.  Time to make some tweaks and back off the cliff.  If I take a good look at the last month or so, my water consumption has been very low and my fruit and veg have been terrible.  I drank a green smoothie every day for almost a year - and had to take a break. Oh well, time to get back to it. Just a few years ago, I could never imagined that I would be one of THOSE women.  You know, those women who don't weigh themselves or obsess over calories, fat and carbs.  Those women that go by how their clothes fit and how they feel to determine if they should cut out treats for a while. Those women without a weight problem. Okay - so while I haven't been genetically altered I do think that after 10 years of behavior modification and consistency I may have obtained a little more normal outlook on food and fitness.  I...

Here are a few things that every time I use them I think "Wow, this is totally great!"  I thought I would share them with you - AND - I would love the inside track on what you consider some of your favorite things. Continuous spray sunscreen!   I am a simple girl, and I don't usually buy into the latest and greatest thing.  In fact I am about 90 years old at heart.  If I haven't been using it "forever" then it's not worth the extra bucks to try.  Well, I was wrong about this one! One of my daycare clients brought a can of this to use on her little one and now it's ALL we buy for the kiddos.  My favorite sunscreen isn't available in the continuous spray (yet).  I love how well it covers and how FAST it goes on.  I am running around after the kids and spraying it on at the same time!  Oh, I'm gettin good... Yes, it's a multi-tool.  After using David's several times off of his bike, I asked for my own.  They are ...

Another great way to keep costs down when feeding your family is to meal plan.  I have been collecting recipes for years from places like SavingDinner , Cooking Light Magazine, and friends and family.  Each week I sit down on Friday and plan 6 suppers to have during the following week.  I shop on Friday evenings to ensure that I have all of the ingredients on hand. I don't bother planning around weekly sale ads.  My sale shopping is usually done in bulk, like when frozen vegetables or pasta or cheese goes on sale, I buy 20-30 units.  We have about 15 recipes that I rotate over and over with 5 new ones from magazines or pintrest or whatever thrown in there each month. I won't lie to you.  I really hate doing the meal planning.  And the shopping.  But I love the cooking.  And I love being able to write on the board what we are having for dinner each night. This week we will have chicken, ground buffalo, tofu, and turkey kielbasa.  Th...

One of the saddest statistics about obesity in the United States is that it is very closely tied to poverty .  The availability and relative low cost per calorie of fast and packaged foods translate to folks with limited income doing what they can to keep from being hungry, but winding up being malnourished. It's a crazy phenomena that a person can be 50lbs overweight and be considered deficient.  But when a person consumes a diet high in salt, sugar and fat, and one low in vitamins and minerals what you get is a body that stores excess calories as adipose tissue, yet remains in a state of hunger in an attempt to get the missing nutrients.  A cycle of over eating continues. There are a lot of different schools of thought regarding nutrition.  Low-carb, low-fat, Paleo, Vegan, and the like.  But for our purposes, we will assume a balanced diet.  One that includes 5+ servings of fruits and vegetables as the base, with a rotating feature of wheat, rice an...

So far, 2013 has been a year of discovery already.  I have been fortunate to experience the pain of growing into a few important principles.  I'm sure there's more to come - but here's what I've learned in the first two months of this year. 1.  That people WANT to help. I can't even list the many people in the last couple of months that have rushed to my aide.  Most of them don't really want to be recognized, anyhow.  Such humility is rare.  I've learned to practice a little humility myself.  Sometimes accepting  help is a hard thing to do.  From anonymous packages, to gift cards, to loaner vehicles and quite literally the kitchen sink...all things that have been needed have been supplied.  I always freak out a little and doubt, but I forget how big my God is AND how loving His people are. 2.  That I don't have to do it ALL. Sending the kids to public school and ending home schooling was such a hard thing to do.  I fel...

I've long been a proponent of good living.  Now, I know that's subjective, but just go with me on the generally accepted tenants of a healthy lifestyle which include: 1.  Eating a minimum of 5 servings of vegetables and fruits per day. 2.  Avoiding processed foods. 3.  Limiting "extras" like candy, fried foods and alcohol. 4.  Drinking water with your meals and in between to thirst. 5.  Moving your body at least four times per week for a minimum of 30 minutes. 6.  Getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night. These things are not easy in today's world.  Life moves fast, there are a million things to do and stress is a killer.  But with a little prioritization, you can make this work.  No need to strive for perfection, just being aware of your choices yields big returns.  But choices - so many choices!  What are the right ones? Last year I went vegetarian, and at the beginning of this year, I tried a vegan diet. ...

Aw, Happy New Year everybody! I know it's not "cool" to make resolutions - but I like the start of a year (or month, or week) to start charting progress at the least.  Last year I logged each of my miles and wound up with about 1,925 when I set what I thought was a lofty goal of 1,500!  If I hadn't kept track all year long, I wouldn't know how it turned out.  Even more than that, I wouldn't know that I needed to up the ante for this yaer!  2,013 miles in 2013?  Yah! I also think that the beginning of January is a fine time to see just how much improvement you can plan for the year.  If you sit around all year saying "Gee, I'd sure like to..." or "Maybe when the weather straightens out, I should..." you'll be to busy when the time comes and miss the opportunity! Here are my Goals and Resolutions for the coming year. 1.  Join a swim meet or club.  I just started swimming a little over a year ago and it is by far my weakest s...

In this video, I explain my method of making a delicious green smoothie.  Here is the recipe that I use, modify it to fit your tastes. Green Smoothie 1/2c ripe banana OR other soft fruit (frozen or not) 1/2c frozen berries 2 T milled flax seed 1 T honey OR other sweetener 1 T coconut oil OR other healthy fat Kale to the top enough water to make a desirable consistency

What an amazing day, the Lord has made! My day started out with my weekly weight in.  I am down another 1.2lbs to make a loss of 2.6 in two weeks.  The training in week 3 of Racing Weight  starts to ramp up the weight training - but I'm ready!  I've spent the last two weeks learning how to get 30% of my diet from protein, now is the time I get to use it. Apart from the weight loss, I've gained confidence in the pool, and increased my sprinting ability on the bike.  All of this goes together to make me a better runner (okay and a triathlete). Which brings me to my race report for this weekend. Now, I don't want to forget to add that we had a wonderful Sunday service, and some great discussion at Sunday School.  I confess, I did spend much of the sermon making origami for my girls.  But, they were quiet and at least OTHER people could listen! Okay - race report:  Governor's Cup 5k 2011 David and me, ready to run! This race is kind of s...

Week one of following the Racing Weight plan is hereby deemed a success. I can't say I followed it to a "T" but I did my best. I set my calorie limit at 1700/day and aimed to get 30% of my calories from protein.  That was harder than it sounds.  I had to go back to eating meat and dairy - and of course, the swelling in my feet and ankles is back. I'm going to stick it out and get this last few pounds off.  When I start training again for my next event, I will go back to the vegan diet.  It's got a great carb ratio for endurance sports. The Quick Start Guide includes Low Volume and High Volume training plans for runners, cyclists and triathletes.  Each 8 week plan has two days of strength training that is outlined and illustrated move by move in a preceding chapter. I am following the Low Volume plan for Triathletes.  I have not yet competed in a tri, but have been biking and swimming this year, and have high hopes!  The training days look l...

Closing up the racing season, I've decided to try another approach to weight loss.  After loosing 60 pounds in 2010 using calorie counting and exercise, I've struggled with the last 20 in 2011.  I lost 7 pounds in the first few months of the year, but have been in a holding pattern since then. I realized in the last several months, that my endurance sport activities were somewhat hindering my weight loss efforts.  I went looking for sound advice and found plenty of weight loss advice out there for those that are looking to get off the couch.  But not much to go on for those that are already working out 5+ hours per week.  I guess it's assumed that "those people" are already at an optimal weight.  Simply increasing my activity and lowering my calories is not sufficient at this point. I knew that I need to "clean up" my diet, and was curious about timing my nutrition around my workouts.  I've been swimming and cycling more, and don't want to ...

Nothing gets a burr under my saddle like blame.  Recently, we've been inundated with media placing the blame for the obesity epidemic on ...  ready  ...  it's really evil and out of control ...  SCHOOL LUNCHES! Are you okay, or did you faint from the shock of it all?  I mean, who would have thought that Stop Sign Pizza, Rubberoni and Glue, Chic'n Nuggets, and Instant Taters would be bad for you!?! Waaahhh, I thought that milk fortified with gallons of a lab created sweetener was GOOD FOR ME!  All these years I thought that french fries were a vegetable and that green beans were supposed to be grey!  I feel so lied to, so deceived!  I'm angry and want someone to blame!! The Government!!  Yes, yes, it's all clear now.  I shall blame The Government.  USDA = evil.  Free public education = evil (I knew that one was to good to be true!)  Oh, I feel so much better now.  And less responsible. I do agree th...

Okay all of you scrambled egg lovers!  I think I may have a solution for going egg/dairy free.  I tried this recipe from VegWeb.com .  It's called: The Best Breakfast Scramble Ever !  I made it exactly as the recipe calls for the first time around, but deviated a little bit from the original recipe the second time.  I didn't use nearly as much oil as it called for. Onion and garlic in a pan sprayed with Pam. Add the mushrooms after the onions are a little cooked. I also used mushrooms instead of green pepper.  I like green pepper, but didn't have any on hand.  It worked out just fine.  Just make sure that you sautee the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes first.  Mushrooms are soft and will cook down to mush if you cook them for the same amount of time as the onion. Mmmm...looks like feta. Extra-Firm Tofu isn't something that I'm terribly familiar with working with.  It comes in a solid hunk.  I crumbled half ...

Miss A loves her some butternut squash! I was pretty impressed with the sales on produce today!  Our local grocery has fabulous 1 and 2 day deals sometimes, and this was the time.  They had 4 different fruits for near $1/lb and several varieties of squash for .69/lb.  I love squash, and just recently learned how to cook it up so that kids love it...what a great way to stretch a dollar. I hear all the time, how expensive it is to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. But really, if you stick to the basics, buy what's on special, and stay out of the fresh meat case, you can get away with spending the same money for healthier choices as you would on crap. One neat phenomenon about eating high nutrient foods - is that you aren't as hungry as often.  Yep, you read it here first.  Eat 5-7 fruits/veggies and you won't be as hungry even on less calories.  Now, everyone knows that dietary fiber fills up your tummy and helps that physical sensation to c...

I know that eating green stuff can be scary. For me - it's the "how the heck do I cook that!?" part that is a stumbling block. BEHOLD - the answer to my problems! These veggies are clean, cut and ready to dump in the pot. Also, there are recipes on the back of the bags. Could it be much easier? We eat what's on sale around here, and most varieties of these bagged beauties rotate sales each week. So this week - bags of spinach were 4/$5, Cut N Clean Greens were $2.69, and the sliced mushrooms were on sale for $1.49. So, no excuses - fresh veg is affordable and easy if you want it to be.

This is a "Salad as Big as My Head!" One of my strategies for eating low calorie/high protein is to fill up on the veggies and meat. Here's my recipe for a very filling salad for around 400 calories. 3c. spinach petite carrots 1/2c. sliced mushrooms 1/2c. raw broccoli 6oz. cooked chicken breast 1/2c. lowfat cottage cheese You probably noticed there's no dressing, croutons, crackers, nuts, or cheese on this salad. Yep, that would be more fun, but the calories would jump real fast. The cottage cheese provides enough moisture to trick you into thinking there's dressing. This salad can be easily put together in the morning and taken to work. Just keep the chicken and veggies separate from the cottage cheese to avoid limp spinach. Enjoy!

What do you do to cope with the stress of daily life? Listen to music Take a bath Watch a favorite TV show or movie Go for a walk Read a book Pray What about when things get really hard to handle? Talk to a friend or family member Go for a longer walk Read your Bible Eat Drink Isolate Stop talking Sleep to much Stare endlessly at TV that doesn't really interest you The later of the hard to handle list used to be my way to cope. Essentially, not coping at all. Just trying to weather the storms of life until it passed. How did that work out for me? Not well. Things do pass with time, but you never grow unless you learn to cope. While I disagree with the theory of evolution of species, Darwin did get it right when he asserted that "survival is ultimately dependent on the ability to change and evolve." Change in a positive direction is labeled "growth" - spiritual maturity. And if you want to survive your life, you have to change. Back to the question: What...