Quick, easy, tasty...and good for you!

This morning I ran like a crazy person and burned 534 calories in an hour. WOOT! And because of that, I was feeling all health-conscious this afternoon. I had a delightful lunch, and I have to pass this one on.

Baby spinach
Dried cranberries
Garbanzo beans--chilled.
Kraft Light Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing.

Blend it together and Wa-La! A lovely salad. I love it.

And I think our running "date" might need to change week-by-week. Whatever works...

I ate this

I am proud to say that I ate this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I bought poppyseed dressing (which others used) but I ate it plain. Spinach from my garden. Strawberries (from the store, come on now I'm not that good of a farmer) and almonds. The only semi-naughty part was that I candied the almonds with sugar and cinnamon. But that's what made it so I didn't need to waste all those calories on dressing. I also had some steak, a reasonable portion of problably 5oz. And...a not so good bunch of doritos while I was cooking. But be proud, look at that gorgeous salad.

And after dinner I went for a lengthy bike ride along the parkway and around the neighborhood. I worked up a little sweat, but mostly it was just energizing. Definitely, things are on the way up. Felicity, what would a better day be than Thursday for you to help me become a jogger?

I figured it out...

I gain weight when I eat too much. Therefore, to lose weight, I need to stop eating so much. Its funny because its true. No, I'm not wasting an entire post just writing about the amazing "discovery." More, this is my post to announce I'm recommitting.

As eating habits go, I'm a grazer. Unfortunately, my grazing habits aren't healthy. I like to graze on Dove chocolates, chocolate chips, cookies, and anything else sweet that I happen upon. Its pathetic, really. And I need to stop. It really is just a conscious decision. You know how in Young Women's they always said if we made the decision NOW to keep the Word of Wisdom, it would be easier when the moment came? I think the same thing goes for my every day eating habit. If I wake up in the morning and say, "Today I will not graze on chocolate. Today I will eat healthy, and I will not snack in between meals to excess" it really helps. I also find I do better if I have backup plans.

Backup Plan #1: Water. Every time I go to eat a treat, I instead drink a glass of water.

Backup Plan #2: Brush my teeth. Really, this helps. With my mouth tasting all tingly and minty fresh, I'm not one to immediately ruin that by shoving in a cookie.

Backup Plan #3: Leave. I've found my room is a good retreat from the kitchen and all the temptations that lie therein. And I have movies, books, and other things to keep my mind off a treat.

So there you go. I'm really working to drink more water and eat less.

And as for a once-a-week fitness "PAR-TAY!" I'm all for it. But I'm pretty much booked the next 3 Thursday nights. Oy vey... But hey, we'll work something out :)

New Supplement

So for years I have been taking some medicine that has made it very difficult to lose weight. Well recently the Elder's Quorum President came over to visit and he owns some nutrition/supplement stores (and has several degrees in that type of stuff so he knows what he's talking about). He mentioned a supplement that he thought I should try and when he talked about the 10 or so symptoms it could help resolve I elbowed Joe...because they were ALL me. Wow. I was impressed. So I nervously asked him how much it costs and he said $7.00 a month. Sold. Done and Done. So I went, got a bottle and stopped taking my pills. The pills are expensive and due to a gap in insurance I would be paying full price right now. So now is the perfect time to experiment. And so far it appears that the supplement has eliminated my sugar cravings (okay not eliminated, but reduced by at least 1/2). Since this is the major source behind much of my weight trouble I am delighted. It has also helped my mood (the other major source of my overeating/ eating improperly, I'm a total emotional eater). So there you go. The herb is called "Vitex" and you can buy it at Dave's health food / nutrition stores. He has one by RC Willey on 90th south and Redwood. Check it out. I'm in love.

Also, Felicity, I'm thinking it'd be good if we had a once a week workout time. I was thinking we could do walk/jog intervals on the parkway. You're probably busier than I am, but if you have time Thursdays would be a good evening for me.

Back on the wagon

Okay, so I went on vacation and metaphorically "fell off the wagon." I think the vast majority of our activities involved eating. And much of what I consumed was high in calories. Oops! Yesterday was pretty terrible with fried food for dinner and then a huge dish of ice cream late at night. Oy vey...

But I'm back in town which means we're back to the gym (YAY!) and back to healthy eating. I have fruits and veggies at my disposal, so I'll hopefully be able to get myself on to a scale sometime in the near future. Today I'm too scared.

Great Cardio Workout...High Fiber Breakfast

So the point of this Blog, as I understand it, is to talk fitness. And to confess our diet mistakes, revel in our successes, and make fitness fun all-around. Or something like that. Let me start by saying I didn't have seconds at dinner last night--WOOT! And I didn't have a late-night snack, either. I just had a glass of milk and went to bed.

This morning I had an awesome cardio workout. At my gym, the track is 1/16th of a mile, and to get there you climb 30 stairs. I ran 10 laps, and then ran the stairs 10 times. I repeat that doing 8 reps, then 6 reps, 4 reps, 2 reps, 1 rep. You end up running just about 2 miles, and then massive numbers of stairs. Its AWESOME. Totally gets the heart rate going, and it mixes it up enough that I don't usually get bored. Just running around a small track 32 times? BORING. So, there you go. One idea for you.

I sometimes end the workout (after a few walking laps) with a lap of lunges. They totally work your butt!!

And before I jet off to the airport (wish me luck on not eating too much/working out too little on vacation!), I'm pleased to report a healthy breakfast of Grapenuts (high in fiber!) and an apple. 3 Cheers for Me!