File under: art that imitates life

Real talk: no yoga today. In favor of couch time, drinking way too much coffee, and other things that are not as exciting (name changes are a bummer, but also another B word). To recharge before another week is a beautiful thing.

You do you.

If this is your motto also, you can wear it proud via this tshirt on Etsy.



(graphic was a link from pinterest that linked to the aerie website... sooo)

Ira Glass on the Creative Process (www.getoutthebox.org)

This is the truth. And it made me think of this silly blog. I wanted to start a blog forever, and then I did and I didn't love it the way I loved other blogs - but it was mine! It had MY thoughts in it, why didn't I like it. I just commented on a blog less than 5 minutes ago and there's that space for "website" - and I was embarrassed! So I skipped it. But then Ira comes along - bless Ira, and says this is normal. Oh snap. And that I should keep doing it anyway. Because there are still things I want to share.



Like how I am soaking up this current moment I am in. On the porch, on the couch (nevermind, we have a couch on our porch, it's white trash and I am never giving it up), with a cup of coffee in a blanket. It's 56 out! And I'm getting married in less than 72 hours. Wow.



Random, I know. But listen to Ira --- and keep doing, keep creating, it's good for you. And for others! Amen.





Oh and thanks so much for posting this and the inspiration, Ancora-Imparo.

#IWillWhatIWant

I'm currently in the midst of redoing P90X - Month 2, Week 2. So halfway... I decided to take the weekend off. My body is exhausted. Not just the workout regimen, but work, meetings, wedding planning - tiring. So, completely decided to rest this weekend.

But I woke up Sunday morning and after about a half cup of coffee, I looked outside and wanted to go on a run. It hit me so quickly. It's finally cooling off a bit in Arizona, and by cooling off, I mean the rest of the week it is supposed to be only 100. So I laced up my shoes, and went off for a mile run. It was nice out, beautiful even. 79 degrees, a bit humid for AZ, but it was delightful. Weather-wise. It felt like a herd of elephants on my chest. I haven't run in so long! I've been doing interval cardio with P90X, which is difficult - but this was a consistent mile. Ouch.

But it was worth it. My point is this. I will what I want. This is a great campaign from Under Armour Women. Love me some Misty Copeland. Listen to your body. No workout plan can speak exactly to what you need. If you are enjoying your workout, mentally engaged --- even when it is difficult --- your results will be better. You will be more consistent. It will lead to more personal bests. Do what you want.

Dietitian Habit #1

loving this

I love being a dietitian, it is my passion and I love it. Being a food and nutrition expert is amazing and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but man is it annoying to see all the "advice" out there of what to eat and what not to eat - every time you look at a magazines, TV, blogs! I'm sure people have good intentions, but a lot of it is encouraging people to do crazy things. Drink cayenne pepper and lemon juice every day, all day! Add cinnamon to everything! Don't eat after 5pm! I would like to look at the habits and behaviors that I see in the healthiest people I know who have fantastic relationships with food. Not saying that all dietitians have the best relationships with food, I know some who have very disordered eating habits. But I am lucky enough with my job to see many people on a day-to-day basis who are nutrition experts and have very positive relationships with food. 

Ok, so RD food habit #1:

Don't Count Calories. 

No RD I know counts calories. You know that everyone says that a pound is 3500 calories? Yea, that's a lie. It came from 1 scientific paper awhile back, and efforts to duplicate it have not shown that it is true. It depends on a ton of factors within your body, and it certainly isn't the same for everyone. Even if it is 3500 calories for you right now, once you lose a pound it will change. A study was done where people ate the same exact thing every week (in a controlled, monitored environment = no cheating) and they lost dramatically different amounts of weight. 

Therefore: A calorie isn't a calorie isn't a calorie. What matters is the type of food you put into your body and the amount - not the numbers. Can also lead to obsession and disorder. Delete the app from your phone. Listen to your body, not a number. Your body is fueled with nutrients - not simply numbers. You can eat your calorie requirement with cookies and soda. ORRR you can eat it with whole grains, fruit, veggies, lean proteins. 

What are you doing?!

So, I just mentioned, I have been participating in the Mindful Eating Summit this week. Jenna at Eat, Live, Run mentioned the other day that she is nosy and loves to peer into other people's schedules and days. I completely agree!!

So, other than the Summit, I thought I would share other things in my life currently!

What I made for dinner last night: Roasted Vegetable Lasagna via Greens and Chocolate. Spoiler alert: it was fantastic! Brussels sprouts in my lasagna? Sign me up! Oh, I used 8oz goat cheese instead of 16oz ricotta, because well, I really love goat cheese.

What I just finished reading: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Am I the last one?! I loved it, probably the best book I've read in awhile. Since Twilight. I didn't say that. Reading it at stoplights good. I tend to resist all things that everyone else is excited about, hence me not reading it until now. Case and point: I just read the Harry Potter series 2 years ago. I am trying to read books off of all of the pinterest lists for what books to read in your 20's. I am a little late, but it's okay. Others I have crossed off the list - Pride and Prejudice! Also good. Love the pinterest! I'm also reading Generous Justice by Thomas Keller. Very different from the novel, but loving both in different ways. 

Current exercise plan: P90X! Tony Horton is an addicting combination of obnoxious and motivational. I'm almost done with week 2, and I'm sticking to the schedule pretty religiously - except I think I'm going to start going to yoga class instead of doing the P90X yoga DVD. It's a little slow and I find it hard to stay engaged.

Mindful Eating Summit

Today and yesterday I have been tuning into the Mindful Eating Summit, hosted by Dr. Susan Albers. Lots of people from different areas in the nutrition world came together with different perspectives and talks. The talk that has stood out to me the most, and has got me excited was Dr. Katz's talk. He said all of the things that I get on a soap box about -- ie. dieting promotes unhealthy behavior; there is no one "bad" thing to avoid.

But also, he brought into light a different statistic ---

80% of chronic disease can be eliminated with 6 lifestyle factors. 

(MIND BLOWN) 

These factors are: physical activity, what you eat, whether you smoke, sleep, stress, and love. This kills me. In a world where everyone seems to be playing russian roulette with chronic disease - it's bound to happen - cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's... there are things you can do to take the chance out of it. This idea that you can take control of your life is a huge one. (I'm bouncing up and down in my chair just thinking about it)

He also talked about Nuval -- which is a scale assigned to foods. I had never heard of it, and upon research on the website it is not available in our supermarkets out here in Phoenix. So, taking into account many nutritional factors (added salt, added sugar, etc), a food is assigned a value - up to 100, clearly marked in the grocery store. Higher number = more nutritious. Dr. Katz talks about, that the idea here is that nothing needs to be eliminated - you need bread? get bread. You need yogurt? Get yogurt. But you can use those numbers to get the best nutritional value possible from your food. Great idea. He also mentioned that people have lost 100+# just choosing better choices.

Super exciting all around!! Ok, back to listen more...

Dietitian Confession

I hate overnight oats. I said it. I'm not sorry.