3 Months Later…

Hello Everyone-

I hope that you have been enjoying your summer.  I know I have!  The past few months have been super crazy and that is why I have not been able to get back to this blog.  But now that things have calmed down, I am going to start it up again.

First… so what’s been going on?

I got married to my wonderful Husband, Ricky, on June 20th.  I was 3 pound above my target weight but I was happy either way.  I felt great and my wedding dress actually ended up being a little loose on me.  I also finished my classes at Woodbury but unfortunately they cancelled one class this summer so I am taking an extensive course right now.  So in 5 weeks, I will officially be done.  I plan to take the rest of the school year off to relax and then start my Masters program in the Fall of 2010.  During this hiatus, I have a little idea that I will talk about in posts to come.  Oh and did I also mentioned… I got a new job the DAY of my last post!!!  I love it!  Again, I will fill in the blanks later.

How has it been living healthier and easier since the wedding is over?

HARD!!!  It’s so important to have a goal in mind to keep yourself on track.  The first week after the wedding, I told everyone I wanted to eat a chocolate cake covered in bacon deep fried in everything bad for me. .. Well I didn’t have that but I let my eating regime go for a while… definitely more than a week.  But since the past year has helped my metabolism, it took about a month and half to start making a difference in my body.  The bad thing is that because I wasn’t seeing a difference I was getting ubber lazy.  I have only gained 4 pounds in the past few months but my clothes definitely don’t fit the same.

The past few weeks I have been disappointed in myself but then the other day I woke up and said… well just get off your ass and do something about it.  So I decided my next challenge would be to run a marathon.  I was going to do the LA marathon in March but my friend is getting married that weekend.  So instead I decided I want to do the SF Marathon next summer.  It gives me a full 10 months to train!  Still debating if I should do a 5K first just to see how I handle it.  But I need to do some research and find out when one happens close to me.

It’s only been 2 weeks since I started that and its been difficult for me to get back to where I was.  YES I AM HUMAN!  My friend reminded me about my blog, that I have been meaning to come back to, but I just didn’t want to come on here and be a hipocrite.  Then she said, “SO DONT!  Tell them what your going through!” 

Thinking about this the past few days, I realized that I really have this blog and the supporters to thank for my successes.  This blog really helped me keep track of my progress and kept me in check because… well i didn’t want to write something that wasn’t true and be a hypocrite.  So thank you ladies and gents!!!  thank you for being my support system!

So whats the plan stan??…

Well I am going to start writing again.  I don’t think I can keep up with everyday, but I promise to write something once or twice a week.  I am still plannin on sharing recipes and exercise tips.  Obviously I will be talking about training for a marathon and also the good and bad about getting back into an eating/exercise regime. 

I will also be talking about eco-friendliness!!!  This is something that I hold very dear to my heart and should be a concern of everyone in the world.  I have something planned and I will slowly reveal it as the blog goes on.  I have a big project in mind that is going to take atleast a year but with the new job and everything else, it’s going to be tough.

Well enough of this babble!!!  Sorry I am not going back to check spelling and grammar so please excuse the errors.  Check back soon to see the progress!!!

LIVE IT UP!!

Drea

INSPIRATION SUNDAY! 20 days

This weekend was an absolute blast.  I went back to Chicago for my bachelorette party and had an amazing time.  I love my friends dearly and really appreciate what Jen and Amanda put together.

Being that my wedding is only 20 days away… this inspiration sunday is my wedding.  Looking back at the pictures from last night, I really have lost a lot of weight and am very proud of myself.  I am not where I would like to be ideally but there is a definite difference between 155 pounds and 130 pounds. 

It’s not just my wedding that is inspiring me to live healthier its Ricky and my future together.  I want to be fit and healthy so I can live lnger and be able to play with out kids…. no we are not having kids any time soon (ask us when we have a 3 in our age).

Freebie Friday – President Roosevelt

So on my way back to Chicago yesterday (for my wonderful Bachelorette party tomorrow) I was doing homework for a writing class I am taking.  We are reading different excerpts from “American Earth”.  The book is a collection of writings and speeches dating all the way back the 1850’s to the early 1970’s of the original and historical trail of environmentalist writings.  One of the excerpts I read was the chapter on President Roosevelt, it had two of his letters and a speech.  Now please understand, I do not in any way consider myself a tree hugger, hippie, environmentalist, any of those titles.  But I am concerned about the environment and the well being of humanity and the rest of the world.  I found his speech so inspiring and interesting that I wanted to share.  So this freebie Friday I want to share with you the speech President Roosevelt made at the Grand Canyon, Arizona, May 6, 1903.

“Mr. Governor, and you, my Fellow Citizens.  I am glad to be in Arizona today.  From Arizona many gallant men came into the regiment which I had the honor to command.  Arizona sent men who won glory on fought fields, and men to whom came a glorious and an honorable death fighting fighting for the flag of their country.  As long as I live it will be to me an inspiration to have served with Bucky O’Neill.  I have met so many comrades whom I prize, for whom I feel respect and admiration and affection, that I shall not particularize among them except to say that there is none for whom I feel all of respect and admiration and affection more than for you Governor.

“I have never been in Arizona before.  It is one of the regions from which I expect most development through the wise action of the National Congress in passing the irrigation act.  The first and biggest experiment now in view under that act is the one that we are trying in Arizona.  I look forward to the effects of irrigation partly as applied by and through the government, still more as applied by individuals, and especially by associations of individuals, profiting by the example of the government and possibly by help from it – I look forward to the effects of irrigation as being of greater consequence to all this region of country in the next fifty years than any other material movement whatsoever.

“In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which, so far as I know, is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world.  I want to ask you to do one thing in connection with it in your own interest and in the interest of the country – to keep this great wonder of nature as it now is.  I was delighted to learn of the wisdom of the Santa Fe railroad people in deciding not to build their hotel on the bring of the canyon.  I hope you will not have a building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel, or anything else, to mar the wonderfal grandeur, the sublimity, the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon.  Leave it as it is.  You can not improve on it.  The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.  What you can do is to keep it for your children, your children’s children, and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American if he can travel at all should see.  We have gotten past the stage, my fellow-citizens, when we are to be pardoned if we treat any part of our contry as something to be skinned for two or three years for the use of the present generation, whether it is the forest, the water, the scenery.  Whatever it is, handle it so that your children’s children will bet the benefit of it.  If you deal with irrigation, apply it under circumstances that will make it of benefit, not to the speculator who hopes to get profit out of it for two or three years, but handle it so that it will be of use to the home maker, to the man who comes to live here, and to have his children stay after him.  Kep the forests in the same way.  Preserve the forests by use; preserve them for the ranchman and the stockman, for the people of the Territory, for the people of the region round about.  Preserve them for that use, but use them so that they will not be squandered, that they will not be wasted, so that they will be of benefit to the Arizona of 1953 as well as the Arizona of 1903.

“To the Indians here I want to say a word of welcome.  In my regiment I had a good many Indians.  They were good enough to fight and to die, and they are good enough to have me treat them exactly as squarely as any white man.  There are many proglems in connection with them.  We must save them from corruption and from brutality: and I regret to say that at times we must save them from unregulated Eastern philanthropy.  All I ask is a square deal for every man.  Give him a fair chance.  Do not let him wrong any one, and do not let him be wronged.

“I believe in you.  I am glad to see you.  I wish you well with all my heart, and I know that your future will justify all the hopes we have.”

I have decided to add this book to my suggested reading.  Its very long and some of it is a little preachy, or depressing, or just loooong.  But all together it is a very great collection and as I am going through it farther and farther, I am starting to see the history of what was going on and how views changed and evolved.  Enjoy!

LIVE IT UP!

Drea

News Wednesday: Planning a Diet Part II

Well since I did green Tuesday, I guess I will have to do News Wednesday.  Woops

Well Two weeks ago I started talking about making the correct diet for yourself.  We did all the math and figured out what our BF% was and our BMI.  Then we used that information to find out how much of Fats, Carbs, Protein, a person like you should have. 

This time around we are going to talk about Fats!  A common misconception is that fats are bad and you shouldn’t have them.  That is not true… we don’t need as many fats as most people eat.  Your body needs fats to give your body energy and to support cell growth.  They have that ever so important job of being a protector, they keep your organs safe and your body warm.  They are essential for producing important hormones and well as absorbing some nutrients.  All Fats have 9 calories in it per gram.  Thats a lot!  Thats why a little fat in your diet is good for you but too much or not at all is bad!

There are three types of fats.  Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated, and Saturated.  Mono and Poly are the good fats, its quite easy to remember this because they are unsaturated… so you can be like me and just remember that I dont want overdue my heart with fats!  Also, we have created a fourth type, Transfats.  Really quick let me explain something about Transfats… these are the worst!  They are worse than all Saturated Fats put together because your body cannot obsorb them, they just store themselves everywhere.  They also have no nutritional value and can throw your hormones off.  It’s man made and are found in many manufactured food.  Any natural foods (truly natural) will not have transfats.  I call it the super killing man made fat!  But be careful!!! Just because something says its free of transfats does not mean its healthy to eat!!!

Monounsaturated Fats GOOD!  helps lower total and bad LDL cholesterol.  These include:

• Olive Oil
• Canola Oils
• Peanuts and other nuts
• Peanut Butter
• Avacado

Polyunsaturated Fats GOOD! so known as Omega 3 fatty Acids.  These include

• Canola Oil again
• Cold water fish
• flaxseed
• Walnuts & Almonds

Saturated Fats BAD!!! are what you want to avoid.  Saturated fats have the reverse effect on your cholesterol.  If your trying to lower your cholesterol, avoid these at all costs.  These include

• Butter
• High Fat Red meat
• Full Fat Dairy Products
• Trans fats

POP QUIZ:  Which fats do you think are in Icecream?  Which fats do you think are in Pinkberry yogurt?

LIVE IT UP!

Drea

Green Tuesday: 25 days!

Sorry people, this is a short one today.  Everything is happenings: I’m starting my new job today, 25 days til the wedding, I’m leaving for Chicago the day after tomorrow, and praying that my laptop gets here tonight so i can take it with me.

My Green Tip today is waterbottles.  No not the Aquafina or Crystal Geyser water bottles that you recycle after you finish drinking the contents.  I’m talking about the three to five dollar water bottle you can buy anywhere.  My tip is to invest in one or two and use them.

I always felt okay with the fact that if I bought a bottle of something, as long as I recycled the plastic, I am doing my part to save the planet.  Which is semi-true.  It’s better than just throwing away into a dump.  But the truth is, it took energy to make that bottle and the label on it, it takes energy from your car to go buy it, it took energy for that store to stay open, it took energy from your car to take it home, it took energy from your house to hold it in your fridge, it took energy from the garbage truck to pick it up for recycling (or your car to drive it there), it takes even more energy to melt it back down to a reusable substance, and it tkaes more energy to reform it into a new water bottle or whatever.

Now when you guy a regular water bottle it takes energy to make it, to get it to the store, for the store to hold it, for you to drive and get it and take it home, and when you have to wash it.  It’s a lot less energy being used.  Plus have you ever been around a plant that melts and forms plastic…. that is definitely not clean air.  So instead of buying 100 waters from aquafina and crystal geyser, arrowhead, whoever!!  Just get yourself a 32 ounce water bottle.

The other benefits is (1) you’ll save a hell of a lot of money, especially in california with their recycle tax.  (2)  you do not need to buy water in a bottle that came from the same place  the water in your faucet comes from… don’t try to deny it, most of these companies barely filter their water.  (3)  It makes it a hell of a lot easier to get your 8 glasses of water a day.  I have my 32 oz bottle.  I know all I have to do is drink tha bottle twice in a day and I am good.  It’s a lot easier mentally to know you have to drink 2 of something rather than 8.

LIVE IT UP

Drea

PS again sorry, I have to run so i cant check spelling and grammar

CATCH UP – INSPIRATION SUNDAY

Hey folks-

So sorry it’s been an interesting week for me.  I worked my last week at my new job, started by last semester for undergrad, and have been trying tie up loose ends for our wedding (((4 weeks to go as of yesterday!!!)).  It’s been hard to get to word press but I will be able to almost every day this week.  )Munix the weekend… my sister and friends back in Chicago are taking me out for my Bachellorette Party.

So anyways, I was going to do a catch up of all the things I wanted to talk about this week but after receiving an email from my future sister in law about a petition to save organic farms, I changed my mind.  The petition is close but please feel free to visit http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-organic-farming and read the petition.  The petition, I admit could of been writen a little better but if you go to the links they provide that give you the inforamtion on the laws they are trying to pass, you will see why I feel so strongly

So for today, my inspiration is organic farms. 

 I have grown up eating what ever food my mom put in front of me.  And honestly, if you have ever tried my mom’s cooking, by the time it comes across your mind to wonder where they produce she used came from, you already finished your first and second servings…. YES ITS THAT GOOD!!! 

Non-organic foods have been sprayed, injected and reconstructed with pesticides and other foreign chemicles so that they will grow larger, “pretties”, and supposedly healthier.  But lets think about this for a second.  Every year, hundreds of articles come out about how we shouldn’t put foreign things into our bodies because they enevitably cause illnes,, or cancer, or even death. 

Why the hell are we putting pestisides (that we have to wear gas masks to spray onto the crops) on the produce we eventually put in our mouth.  Don’t be fooled friends, your probably thinking, oh but it doesnt get inside and they are washed by the producers and wash them when I get home.  So again, lets think about this… farmers spray their crops with pesticide about once a week to once every other week (it may very but I know this to be true for the large commercial farms)  So two to four times  a month, poison is sprayed on the crops.  Then it is picked (either by human or machine…. most likely machine)) and thrown into a large holding container.  Where then, it runs through a sorting machine (that I doubt they disinfect very often.  Runs down a path where it gets squired with water for 0.3 seconds and then into a box to be sent to a grocery store.

Lets live in happy land for a minute and think that that one squirt of water and the water the grocery story sprays on it every so often, actually rinced off the poisons.  The actually plant that that tomato was picked from, is still alive and growing more tomatos for us to eat.  This is a good thing right?  The tomato we ate is okay and the plant is still alive, cant be that bad?

Lets move forward 6 months… that plant has grown atleast 2-3 generations of tomatos.  On top of the fact it has been sprayed with poisons 12-48 times (most likely in the 30s range).   The tomatos but just get it on their skin and then picked and rinced but the plant itself has that poison on its leaves, branches, and the soil it uses for nutrients for all 48 sprays with no rinse of period (unless maybe it got rain).  Now lets think about this… If you kept flicking dye on me once every two weeks and I never rinsed it off… not only would i smell horrible after 6 months… my skin is probably going to be that color.  How easy do you think its going to be to change my skin back to its normal color.

What if we did that for 5 years? 10 years?  30 years?  Using pesticides and other modifying agents have been going on a lot longer than that.  How easy do you think it will be to change my skin back?  How easy do you think it is to strip that tomato from the pesticides and other agents that it has been exposed to?  Don’t you think that maybe, just maybe it might change the workings and possible the dna of the plant which would in turn change the following generations of tomatoes.  If bugs bodies change to adapt to poisons we use to kill them, dont you think a plant is going to change.

Alright enough Drea…. I’m off the soap box part…. my metaphor isn’t even a good one but maybe it will make some sense.

Organic farms do their best to keep from poisons and other foreign agents from entering our food.  So when you buy a tomato, it’s what a tomato really tastes, looks, and smells like.  You might be thinking, well I have been eating these “poison” tomatoes for years and I’m fine.  My challenge to use is to eat organic for 1 month.  That’s it, and just see how you feel after words.

Not only will you taste the difference between a “modifies” tomato and a natural tomato but your body will have its own reaction.  Ricky and I have been trying to buy as much organic as possible the past year I would say.  We are still learning what is real organic and what is not, but we have made big strides.  I would say that at least 75% of the produce we buy is organic.  After a year of this, I have put fewer and fewer foreign chemicals in my body.  I went home to spend time with my mom not too long ago when she made me a salad… simple salad, with non-organic vegetables.  I got a headache and felt sick for the whole rest of the day.  I slept great, felt great, was taking my vitamins I did every day, nothing out of my pattern except the non-organic salad.  That has to tell you something.

And believe me you will taste the difference.  We had people over for a barbeque last night and we ran out of tomatoes (sorry to use tomatoes but this is why its on my mind) and so we asked our friend to pick some up on the way.  They bought packaged regular tomatoes (non organic).  Didn’t really think about it.  I tried one triscut from the organic plate and one triscut from the non-organic.  The look, the taste, everything about the tomatoes were different.

I find organic farms inspiring because they allow foods to stay in their natural, nutrional form.  If taking a year off from pesticides changes my taste buds and my digestions that when I accidently or give in and put non organic food in my body, I get sick or a head ache… something is wrong with modern farming.

Thank you organic farms!

LIVE IT UP!

Drea

Apology 1 :  this is a little preachy

Apology 2:  I’m not going back to review spelling and grammar cause I need to run.

Brown Bag Monday: Sweet and Spicy Portobello

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet and Spicy Portobello – with mashed potatoes and lemon broccoli

 

 INGREDIENTS

• 4 tsps of garlic powder
• 1 tbsp of grill seasoning blend (or rib rub)
• 1 tsp of Paprika
• 2 tsps of Sweet Chili Sauce
• 1 tbsp of sweet baby rays
• 2 tbsps of red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 & 1/2 pounds of sliced Portobello mushrooms
• 1 & 1/2 pounds of white potatoes
• 1/4 red onion
• pepper to taste.
• 1 pound of broccoli
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice
• 1 cup of water
• 2 tbsp of butter

 

 

DIRECTIONS

Mix 2 tbsps of garlic, rib rub, paprika, sweet chili sauce, sweet baby rays, vinegar, and the extra virgin olive oil in a bowl.  Place the sliced Portobello mushrooms in the bowl and coat them evenly in marinade.  Let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile cut the potatoes into 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks.  Place potatoes in a small pot and cover with water.  Cover pot.  Bring Water to a boil, remove lid, and continue to cook the potatoes until they are tender.  (about 12 minutes)

Meanwhile chop the onion into small pieces and place them into a small pan. with a tbsp of olive oil.  cook onions on medium heat until they are tender and almost a clear color.  Then place the onions to the side.

Heat skillet over high heat.  Grill mushrooms on hot pan.  4 minutes on each side.

During the first four minutes  Break broccoli into pieces and cut off stalk if necessary.  Place broccoli into a bowl with water and lemon juice.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 6 minutes or until it is tender and bright green.  (When done, remove immediately from microwave and remove plastic wrap… you risk over cooking the broccoli if you don’t…. yes I did that… a few times)  Drain the water and mix with butter.  Put to the side.

During the second four minutes.  Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.  Add the onions and 2 tbsp on garlic.  Smash and mix together.  Add pepper for taste.

Serve Mushrooms Broccoli and Potatoes!

LIVE IT UP!

Drea

Inspiration Sunday: 34 Days To Do!

The color of food, to me, is absolutely beautiful.  Now that I have been cooking things on my own, how food looks home made compared to processed meals just completely blows my mind.    The color of food seems so important to me now.

An example would be, I remember I had a Lean Cuisine a few months back with asparagus.  It was very dark and tasted rough and rubbery.   Yesterday, afternoon I cooked asparagus for part of my lunch and it looked completely different.  It turned into this bright bright green, was crisp and delicious.  I think how food looks can be a good warning of how it’s going to taste and how good for you it is. 

What inspires me is the color of food.  Remember when we talked about making everything into a work of art… Fresh vegetables and fruits are just naturally a work of art.  Any nutritionist would tell you that if your making your own meals, make sure you have a variety of colors.

If your sitting there thinking to yourself “but I hate vegetables”, have you ever had fresh vegetables.  Even further, have you ever had fresh organic vegetables.  Here’s an experiment for everyone.  Next time you go to the grocery store, pick up a regular tomato and an organic tomato… which one is more appetizing?  You can really do that with any food in the produce section.

NEW RULE TO LIVE BY:

LIVING COLOR:  The food on your plate should be colorful. 

LIVE IT UP!!

Drea

Wrap Up Saturday

This week, having a full fridge and extra time on my hands, has really helped me stay on track.  Friends came over and we made dinner together and the girls and work understood that I wasn’t going to go to pinkberry or around the corner to Abbots.  Plus Yoga in the morning has been wonderful.  My neck and shoulders are starting to get looser finally.  I have to think it’s because of yoga (and probably the balanced diet) that keeps my road rage and patience level at the norm.

There were two little mess ups.  1.  I love cheese, I would even say i am slightly additcted to cheese.  Don’t know how many of you know this but there is no good cheese.  It’s okay to have maybe a slice per day but it’s not recommended.  I know there is something behind this because when I was with my trainer two years ago, she had me give up cheese and fruit for one week, and I dropped five pounds.

Anyways so when cheese is in the fridge, I have very little self control to not eat a big chunk of it.  So my plan is to try not to use cheese all together, but if I must buy it for my other half, than I will put it in one of the drawers where it’s not always staring at me everytime I open the fridge.

The other UH OH is another sin of mine…. ICECREAM!  I went practically the whole week without icecream until last night.  Icecream is another processed Dairy product that is not fantastic for you that honestly we can eat every day!  (Especially Americone Dream)  If we don’t have it in the house, I am golden but it’s when we go other places and people get it, I can’t resist.  It’s worse than that even.  If I let myself, I would probably finish a whole thing to myself. 

So my fix for this is that if I do all my workouts and diets for the whole week, than I will allow myself ONE scoop of ice cream on freebie Fridays.  If I don’t do it, or forget to do it that day, I will have to just have to wait and earn it for next week.

On to next week!

LIVE IT UP!

Drea

PS  35 DAYS!!!!

Fit Trick Thursday: The Yoga Experiment

The last time I did yoga was in 2003, in my Movement class at Illinois State University (Conveniently the one and only class that Ricky and I shared back in those days…. Thanks Paul!… ps 37 days til our wedding).  I have never been very flexible but I was always strong and able to do tasks like sit ups and push ups. 

But since our class, I really haven’t done any type of yoga.  And it is quite obvious that I am not as flexible, not as strong, and definitely have a tense back.  So to attempt to improve my back, I am starting yoga every morning.  I started this past Sunday and I already can tell that my lower back is if feeling better.  My neck and shoulders are still tense but it might be because my form isn’t perfect, yet. 

The other thing I have noticed is that my patience has increased.   If you live in LA, or have even visited LA, you know how frustrating traffic is here.  Coming from Chicago, where I barely drove, and moving to LA, where I am forced to drive, my road rage has increased.  But since I started yoga, I am a lot more patient and don’t get pissed off everytime a Jerkie cuts me off or tries to ram my behind.

There is definitely something to yoga.  Yes, everyone says it (sorry I didn’t listen Paul!)  but if your like me you don’t believe anyone until you try it yourself.  I’ll come back to this in a few weeks and see what else has improved.

LIVE IT UP!

Drea