No More Excuses!

Excercise is hard! Really, I’m serious, it IS! But I’m not talking about the physical aspect of exercise (although this IS hard). I’m actually talking about the motivation required TO exercise. I find it SO hard to get off my lazy behind and actually get to the gym, or go for a run, or do a cycle class in the morning. Why is this? Why can’t I just wake up in the morning and go exercise? Why can’t I go to the gym after work on my way home? This is a long time problem for a lot of people and I have come to realize that while, yes, I am losing weight, I am losing it a lot slower than I should be. So today I wanted to present a few tips that may assist in conquering the “endless list of excuses.”

First, people are good at making excuses. No, really! We are! We will find or fabricate an excuse to get us out of any situation we aren’t comfortable with or simply don’t want to deal with. “Well, I didn’t eat a lot today so I will just exercise tomorrow,” or “It’s raining out so I’ll do my run when the weather is better.” These are all to common. So if you find yourself making excuses frequently, try writing them down. Look at them and then see if you can actually justify it. If you write down that you got hit by a car and are laying in a hospital bed then you’ve probably justified it. If you put down that you had a big dinner and are tired then you’re just making excuses!

Second, it is good for people to plan ahead. That is, don’t just show up at the gym not knowing what you intend to do. Many a failure has come this way. I have failed this way! I showed up, didn’t know what I wanted, got on a treadmill for 2 miles and left unsatisfied. Planning out your routine, what days you intend to exercise and so forth can definitely improve your chances of exercise success.

Lastly, write out a list of goals. What is it you really want, what is your prime goal and what are your smaller goals. Reward yourself when you achieve those goals (i.e. go on a small shopping spree, allow yourself a sweet dessert that is out of your normal diet, etc…). The goal system is a boost in motivation and confidence for anyone trying to change themselves. The reward system is also a good way to push yourself. This concept helped me quit smoking and I am trying to make it work for my exercise routines as well.

Always remember that little things can add up to big results. Replace the sugary coffee in the morning with a simple “skinny” latte or a plain coffee. Ease up on sugary foods, eat more fruits/veggies, etc… Every change you make for the better is one small step closer to your ultimate goal.

So, that is all I have for today’s post. Sorry but I have no food to show unless Moose’s Tooth Pizza is consumed later. We’ll see! 🙂 Goodbye for now and good luck for tomorrow!

The sun is shining…

Well today, for a change, the sun is actually shining. Barely.

I think it’s gonna disappear pretty soon. It’s like we’re living in a sunless vacuum on a foreign planet up here in AK. We’re all going to migrate underground around a volcano and use the lava’s heat to stay warm! Anyways…

Breakfast:

Today is pre/post workout (yup, I actually woke up in time for a spin class this morning!). So, I had an apple and some water on my way to the gym, LOTS of water while sweating buckets on the spin bike, and now I’m enjoying some oats, coffee and cottage cheese. Unfortunately, my fridge is getting pretty empty and I have no fresh berries to top it with…

Nothing else to report so far… I forgot to get my starting week weight as I was awake late this morning and rushed out the door to get to the spin class. Overall, I enjoyed it and hopefully can make this a reoccurring event during the weeks to come. And also, hopefully the food gets better soon. Beans and Rice… here I come!! 🙂

Which leads to my question: What are some of the most creative dishes you’ve made when ingredients started running out?

Mostly success… and a recipe!

Well, lately I have been having a mix of success and failure in my attempts at self-improvement. Firstly, I have eaten many clean meals and I’ve even been exercising. Sadly, I worked out so hard on Monday that I chose only a mild walk Tuesday morning and have been so sore I haven’t done anything since. Hopefully I recover by Friday and I can do some workouts this weekend. So, I’ve been trying to watch what I eat and have been adequately successful except for a sliver of cheese cake yesterday (horrible, I know!) and some Costco pizza (even worse!). For those of you who frequent Costco (especially their food court), please check out this website and follow the PDF link to see the nutritional information. It shocked me at first and (until yesterday) I haven’t eaten there since. Unfortunately, I haven’t learned to navigate a social gathering’s buffet table.

But, overall, I’m voting it a job well done which is hard for me to say and harder to write because I am, naturally, a negative person. And believe me… I kicked myself hard for it! But looking at all the pictures of the good, clean food I DID eat, it is hard to say I haven’t been successful.

BREAKFAST:

I tried a new cereal today:

It wasn’t bad, but I think I prefer my Kashi Autumn Harvest. I topped it off with banana and strawberries and a delicious cup of Kaladi Brothers coffee!

Eating breakfast like this really has made a difference in the way I feel everyday. I now drink less coffee, more water and I’m not tired from the minute I wake up.

The finished product:

I had a simple snack during my day of an apple and some cottage cheese and a later snack of veggies and humus. And now for my favorite meal of the day…

DINNER:

Mexican Pinto Beans and Brown Rice (with a flair!):

2 Tbsp EVOO

1 tsp each: ground cummin, coriander, cinnamon

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 med. onion peeled/chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups cooked brown rice

4 cups pinto beans

1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (low sodium)

3 Tbsp chipotle peppers, chopped

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp sea salt

1: heat oil in Dutch oven (really big frying pan?) over med. heat. Add cummin through chili powder and heat until fragrant.

2: add chopped onions; cook until soft. Add garlic; cook 1 more minute.

3: add cooked rice, beans, stock, chipotles, tomato paste and salt. Mix well, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

So, I didn’t have chipotles, coriander OR chili powder so I nixed the coriander and subbed cayenne pepper for chili powder and Tabasco sauce for the chipotles. Also, I used small red beans instead of pinto (I hate pinto beans!).

On top I fried some steak meat and red pepper in garlic, pepper and cilantro and served that over top with a fresh pico de gallo.

Overall, a little mellow at first, spicy near the end and oh so delicious! The recipe was modified from The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook, pg. 354.

Also, I have been thinking about posting my weights and measurements soon so that I can better track my progress. My last weigh in was 220 lbs and hopefully I have lost something. But if nothing else, eating healthy and drinking lots of water (more water info in later posts) has leveled my moods and made me a much calmer and self-confident individual. Ahhhh the power of FOOD!

And for the question of the post: What foods in your life are your vice (the ones you can’t “live” without)? For me, it’s chips and pizza. So I decided healthier chips dipped in salsa (veggies in disguise) and I try to “clean” my pizza as much as possible! And now, off to bed!

Dinner anyone?

Well, it’s a late night post for me, not very tired at all and just finished watching the last season of Hell’s Kitchen! Gordon Ramsay is absolutely CRAZY! I just think it’s funny how much insanity he puts those poor chef’s through. But for a restaurant and 250,000 dollars, the hell would be worth it! OK, enough said about T.V. dinner and on to my delicious meal. Tonight we cooked up some steak fajita’s cooked with onions/peppers and topped with fresh guacamole and salsa. This meal was simply amazing!

Here it is cooking in the pan:

And here is the finished product:

They aren’t the greatest pics, but one of these days I might start using a camera that actually has a flash and no phone attached to it! 🙂 Tonight’s a short post, it’s almost 1:00 a.m. and I’m now really tired. Tomorrow is a new day with new food to cook and also my first ever Group Power class at The Alaska Club! I’m very eager to start trying new things in a new life instead of the same old comfy mess my life has been.

And of course, a question: What is important on your life’s goal list (big or small) and what are you doing to achieve that goal? OK, have a good night everyone!