Health is a gift, not a given

My savvy hubby and I decided to go for an adventurous bike ride over the weekend.  After stopping for a bite to eat, we decided to go for another quick ride.  This time, instead of a bike path, we took to the side walks.  My spacial perception is not what it used to be and I learned, the hard way, wide open spaces work best for me...not narrow sidewalks.  Five minutes into the second leg of the ride, I went down.  I was not wearing a helmet, but fortunately my shoulder and knee took the brunt of the fall.

I didn't break anything, but putting weight on my legs wasn't happening.  I cut up my knee, bruised my shin, skinned my elbow and shoulder and now I'm down for the count.  I'm frustrated, annoyed and altogether grumpy.

I had to cancel all of my classes and tell my trainer I wouldn't be able to start the boot camp class for another two weeks.  What a major set back.  Her words to me, "EAT WELL."  I hung up the phone and took her message to heart.  As I lay here, allowing my body to heal, I can only consume calories and can't really burn any.  I cannot build any muscle.  I can just sit here and feel sorry for myself.  In the past this would have been my 'get out of jail free card' and I would turn to my good ol' friend...Kraft Macaroni and cheese, of course!

Thanks to my fabulous trainer, I got the message loud and clear.  Here's an excellent opportunity for me to practice what I've been preaching.  Carb overloading will not accomplish anything.  So I eat sparingly and make sure I'm getting protein, along with fruits and veggies.

I'm also taking the time to appreciate my health and realizing it's not a given.  Accidents can, and do, happen.  I'm investing in a bike helmet and trying to convince myself that I'll be as good as new in no time.  Here's to your health!

My right knee, with a healing balm

My injured left shoulder

What's holding you back?

I was in a spin class the other day and the instructor was trying to keep us positive as we tried to 'break through' the challenge.  He said, "Just know there is something in the universe that is always trying to hold you back from obtaining your goals."  Well smack my butt and call me Sally...he is completely right.  Nine times out of ten this 'thing' holding us back is fear.  Fear is a hologram, of sorts.  Some of us are so afraid of failing that we don't even try.


Run?  Yeah right, I'll ruin my joints.  Cycle? I'll go flying off the darn bike.  You want me to stand on my head?  I'll fall and break something.  Dance for an hour?  Are you kidding?  I'll twist an ankle or hit someone in the head.  Give up fried foods?  But I love french fries so much.  Make time to work out?  I'm afraid I'll be too tired and waste money on a gym membership.


If we get right up to the very thing that is holding us back, we push ourselves to the limit and realize that fear is just an illusion.  Unless you are into death defying feats (i.e. jumping off cliffs or out of planes) most of us will not perish by switching things up and facing our fears.  You get right up to the hologram of fear and realize its power is fictitious.

There may be some pain involved in adjusting our lifestyle.  If you're a perpetual couch potato, you most likely will not take well to moving your booty more often.  If you're a 'go-with-the-flow' eater (meaning you eat whatever you like and throw dietary caution to the wind), putting restrictions on yourself will be nothing short of irritating.  There will be something in the universe challenging your commitment to honoring your health and well being, trust me.

The old me hated:

• sweating
• washing hair too frequently due to sweating
• push ups
• running
• weight lifting
• eating vegetables
• not eating mac n'cheese
• not eating french fries
• gyms
• skipping desert
• not baking

The new me loves:

• sweating
• standing on my head
• standing on my hands
• push ups (even though I'm still working on doing a real man's push up without knee assistance)
• free weights
• veggie/fruit juice
• veggie smoothies
• not putting cream and sugar in my coffee
• gym
• baking once in awhile and sending the treats off with my hubby to work
• feeling and looking soooooo...much better!!

So you see, the pros outweigh the negatives.  If you're not having fun, you only have yourself to blame.  I make my exercise fun while I'm doing it.  I love going for bike rides with my savvy hubby.  I love taking my pups for a morning walk.  Going to the gym is something I look forward to because I have found a variety of classes that keep me motivated and excited to see what I can accomplish next.

Life is a challenge, no doubt.  My savvy friend recently joined a gym across the street from her work.  She and her husband have planned their schedules to accomodate gym time.  They have a little guy at home so they take turns going.  I think she's super savvy because she only takes it one week at a time.  Life does have a way of 'getting in the way', so they have a plan that ebbs and flows from week to week.  She plans her meals, her workout gear and her office attire the night before.  So when her 6am alarm rings, she already knows what she needs.  That's half the battle right there!  She's never stressed and she's looking and feeling great!  

I think it's brilliant to plan ahead.  If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  These are words I live by.  So plan out your meals, plan out your gym days and don't be afraid to change it if something comes up.  Just promise yourself that you will not let fear hold you back.  Make it work!

What to do when it hits the fan?

Today my sh*t hit the fan.  I usually have (relatively) easy going days and I'm not bogged down in crap...thank you Jesus.  Today, however, was an exception.  And no, it's not PMS related...I'll just squash that notion right now.

I realized, despite my 'do-good' intentions some people are just plain evil.  In my everyday life, I'm a social worker.  I thought I finally found a path that would allow me to help people share my passion for healthy living.  What I got caught up in are a bunch of legal road blocks.  For all of the wonderful people out there who need my help, I'm letting the few b*stards get me down.  Hopefully my funk will be just for one day.  I need to keep my chin up and press onwards.

But I had a funny thought come into my head - what to do when upset?  My immediate thought was to give up all my hard work and question everything.  Adopt a 'who cares' mentality and dig into a giant plate full of mac n' cheese with a large side of french fries.  Yup...that was my first thought. Then I looked at myself in my 'skinny jeans' and got a grip, real quick.

Why am I sharing this?  Well, my fellow savvy foodies, it is to confess that NO ONE is perfect.  I have learned so much information about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and there are moments when you just want to throw in the towel and say, "It's too hard to be good".

My alternative to throwing my car into drive and speeding to the nearest grocery store to re-stock my pantry with processed crap (with cheese)...I'm writing.  There in black and white staring me in the face, I have figured out a healthy channel for my frustrations.

So thank you for reading because writing, for me, is re-affirming my commitment to being a savvy foodie.

Negative calories?

Do you know what a negative calorie food is?  According to Wikipedia "a negative calorie food is a food that is purported to require more food energy to be digested than it provides".  The brief synopsis also says there is no scientific proof, but the list consists of none other than fruits and veggies!  Shocking, right?  Sorry, that cheeseburger didn't make the list.   My idea of heaven....mac n'cheese burning more calories than the calories it actually has.  Can I get an AMEN?!

So what does this actually mean?  Eat your fruits and veggies, regardless of the scientific proof, or lack thereof.  If you watch the news, read the magazine covers or hit the gym...you get a consistant message: eating fruits and veggies is truly the best thing for you.