Veggie Bee

Where has this week gone?! I’ve felt a little loopy since our weekend at Disneyland, lots of walking and apparently not enough hydrating. But at least it’s Friday, and even though technically the summer is almost over, I still want to believe that we’re going to get some warmer weather again. It’s been such an overcast summer.

So where have I been all summer? Although we started off the summer, after our trip to Mississippi, with some uncertainty in the job situation, the summer was still productive and lots and lots of fun. The biggest thing that kept me away from blogging was studying to get my Health Coaching certificate! Can I just rave for a moment about the Institute for Integrative Nutrition? I have found my calling with this place. Even though we are studying literally a hundred dietary theories in the courses, from Atkins to raw food to veganism, the bottom line is that no one diet, whether long-term or short-term, is suitable for every single person. It is up to each individual to explore what works best for them in terms of becoming healthy and adding in healthy behaviors in their life. That’s what I’ll be helping people to do, to find ways to add in new healthy behaviors in ways that can be maintained long term. I already love doing this!!

I also did 90 days of P90X and am thoroughly impressed with the program. I am now training for the Carlsbad Marathon in January (five days before I turn 40!!) with In Motion Fit, but I am still incorporating some of the P90X routines into my schedule for cross-training. Let me just say I love Plyometrics!! I plan to do another round of 90 days after I run the marathon.

But the true highlight of my summer is captured below, we love us some Lindsey!!!

I’ll be back next week, as I officially re-enter the blogosphere, with a little overview of what I’ve been up to the last few months. Until then, here are some of the things I found interesting this past week. Enjoy!

Inspiring personal stories about finding balance and getting healthier.

• Two Pink Lines: One Woman’s HTP
• The Curious Case of Casey Malone

More portion distortion. Regular sized portions are still “super” sized. Of course, it’s probably best to avoid all the items listed in the article and just stick with “super” sized portions of whole fruits & veggies!

Making healthy meals in schools a priority. From Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution to Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, attitudes & priorities are changing about making school meals healthier. Have you thought about what you can do?

Still drinking sodas? Here are 10 reasons to stop!

Vegan for a month. A Mississippi journalist takes the challenge to follow a vegan diet for September. Cheer him on and encourage his efforts to be a healthy vegan… at least for September!

Are you training for a marathon like I am? Here are three tips to keep your training runs fresh.

Salads are always a good way to get your veggies. Check out these recipes to help get some fruit in too!

Have a fun & healthy weekend!!

Where in the heck did January go?! In my effort to stay on a healthy track all year, I decided to have monthly resolutions rather than New Year’s resolutions and it’s a good thing, because I get easily distracted by new and fun things to do. So let’s check in with last month’s goals:

• Writing ~ still working on consistency on the blog, but I am going to be writing more for my job at IHMOnline in the blog section and on Facebook, so that should help me to stay on track at least with creative ideas. We shall see!
• Food ~ Vegan is easy! Well, it’s super easy at home and really the only difficulty when eating out is learning to not feel apologetic for taking my time and ordering something special rather than something on the menu. I also feel like I’m always explaining why I’m vegan, which isn’t terrible, it’s just sometimes I like to just eat and not have to explain myself. Even if you’re not vegan, but feel like you have to defend yourself when eating healthy, the lesson is to become unapologetic about asking for healthy foods, even when it feels like a spotlight is on you as you order.
• Fitness ~ I started trying the P90X DVDs while still running and walking regularly and they are hard-core… I love them!! I’m going to start implementing the schedule that they give you this week and I should be very sore by week’s end. I’m still working on the early morning workouts, this is harder than anything else!
• Health ~ I’m on track to get my blood work done in the next couple of weeks. I’ll let you know when I get my results and what you should be looking for also in your results. Have you made an appointment with your doctor to get a check-up?

So for February, I’m going to continue on track with what I planned for January. One thing I am adding however, is planning a weekly menu so that both David and I are eating healthy every night. This made a huge difference a couple of weeks ago when I did it, but it is still not a habit yet. So for this week, I present our simple weekly menu:

• Tuesday = Quinoa with Stir-fry Veggies
• Wednesday = Vegan Tacos
• Thursday = Leftovers or Amy’s Enchiladas (since I’ll be working late)
• Friday = Slow cooker Black Bean Soup
• Saturday = Tofu Curry (adapted from Spice Up Your Life, I’ll be reviewing soon!)
• Sunday = Healthy pizza and vegan Spinach Artichoke dip for Super Bowl!! WHO DAT?!

Are you still on track with your New Year’s resolutions?? Or is it time to refocus and get motivated again??

I’m sorry to be a little late in my new year wishes, I’ve just been moseying into the new year rather than hitting it head on, peeking around the corner to make sure it’s January. So now I’ve decided to come out of hiding, clear away the cobwebs, and get the year going full steam ahead. My first move, implementing "new month" resolutions, rather than the grand New Year’s resolutions that gets everyone fired up ever so briefly only to die a lonely death sometime in February. Maybe month by month we can stay on track together.

So, to get the party started, a complete list of January’s resolutions!

• Writing ~ my goal is to get more consistent with posting to the blog, which clearly is off to a lumbering start! I do have lots of great ideas and now it’s just a matter of putting "pen to paper" or more accurately, fingers to keys! I plan to post 2 or 3 times a week and will include some food pictures and recipes as well.
• Food ~ I am definitely continuing on my vegan journey. Although I know that not everyone will go vegan along with me, I am definitely using it as a way to inspire you to be more conscious of what you eat and how it affects you and the world around you. No matter what else you’re eating, the more fruits and veggies you learn to eat, the better you will feel, especially if they’re local and organic. I say "learn” to eat intentionally, because "knowing" is not "doing" and part of the learning process is developing new skills around incorporating them into your diet.
• Fitness ~ I struggled with this a little bit because initially I was going to make it a goal to join a running club to train for a marathon. However, I think I have some other fitness goals I want to reach first. One of those is finding a plan to follow for strength training. I am a cardio junkie and right now I will focus on developing strength. I’m starting the P90X plan next week and David and I are planning to do it together first thing in the morning. By first thing, I mean 5:30 a.m. Anyone who knows me, knows this will require divine intervention and daily miracles, but it can be done!
• Health ~ Although I am healthy and have no underlying health issues, I regularly have my blood work checked just to make sure that there is nothing out of the ordinary. Since I know my weight is within a healthy range, I’m looking especially for healthy numbers in cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose and blood pressure. The new year is a good time to do a reality check on your weight and to have your blood work checked out by your doctor.

So, there you have it, I’m focused on January and I’ll revisit my "resolutions" in February and revise as needed. I’ll also be reviewing some recipe books soon, I promise!

What are your resolutions this year or this month??  Anyone doing a "reality" check on weight or blood work??

I’m starting a new exercise challenge this month, courtesy of Roni’s Weigh. Yes, in addition to the vegan challenge with Vegan Hope! It must just feel like a good time to restart and recommit after the crazy schedule of summer.

So the challenge includes push ups, sit-ups (crunches) and squats. Click on the links below to find out more about how to do your initial test and definitely check out the “What is a…” section for proper form. I had David watch me doing the pushups and my form was way off! I completed the initial tests for the push ups and sit-ups but I’m going to wait until next week to start the squats since I’m running the Disneyland Half Marathon on Sunday. My legs need all the extra strength they can get!

My initial results:

100 push ups

Rank: 3 - 15 push ups (adjusted for proper form)

200 Sit-ups

Rank: Average - 40

200 Squats

Rank: TBD

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Wow, I have some work to do on push ups and sit-ups… Wish me luck for the half marathon, it’s going to be a fun weekend! Have a lovely & wonderful weekend!

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Now that I have your attention, I have to say I love Fitness Magazine and the fact that they have simple ab exercise videos right on their web site in a structured workout. I know that they know how to get your attention and sell magazines, or bring you to their site. I have no problem with that, I’m trying to do the same thing! I do however, want you to consider doing the exercises in their videos not just because they might promise you sexy abs, but because they will help you feel strong, confident and capable, no matter what your abs look like. You’ll strengthen the core of your body, the muscles that help you with your posture and the muscles that take care of your back.  These muscles give you the strength for “playing”, which is what fun workouts really are, things like dancing, swimming, sports or simply running around chasing after your kids.

 The truth of the matter is that abdominal exercises alone won’t get you a “six pack.” Those sexy abs you’re looking for are actually in the food you’re eating and the foods that work to get you sexy abs aren’t really all that sexy sounding: lots of veggies, fruits and lean proteins. I’ll just use Michael Pollan’s phrasing: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. And by food, he means whole food instead of packaged, processed food. If your “six pack” is hidden under some extra weight, you’re going to have to lose that in addition to toning your core muscles.  Sign up for the 6-week challenge and Fitness Magazine will send you menu ideas for losing the weight.

Having said all that, I do like the idea of a structured exercise plan for your core to help you build some momentum around working these muscles, which I need to do more of myself. I added the Week 1 exercises to my workout yesterday… are you ready to get started??

Check out the Sexy Abs exercises for Week 1

David and I, along with our friend Heidi, are already signed up and ready to start training for the Disneyland Half Marathon on September 6. I’ll post more about the training plan I’m using to try to beat my personal best half marathon finish, but here’s the recap of how our relay went.

First, however, five things to bring to the start line!  Here’s what I throw in my “throw away” bag for the start line:

• A sweatshirt, if necessary ~ I usually keep old sweatshirts specifically for this purpose. You may have to wait a while before you actually start the race, and it’s nice to be comfortable if it’s chilly outside, yet you don’t want to have to carry a sweatshirt with you during the run. Most races gather all the sweatshirts left at the start line and donate them to a charity.
• A Clif bar ~ in case I’m still hungry after my breakfast, which usually consists of oatmeal and banana. I’ll have half the bar and throw away the rest if I don’t eat it.
• Tissues or toilet paper ~ mandatory for the port-a-potties! You might end up in one that’s run out of TP.
• Antibacterial wipe ~ mandatory for after the port-a-potties!  Although, at the Rock and Roll last week, they had antibacterial dispensers outside, but I’m not going to rely on that.
• 5-Hour Energy Shot ~ I have this in case I don’t get to have any coffee the morning of the run. I typically drink coffee before I run, but maybe I just have an iron stomach. If you know of any all-natural energy shots, let me know. Since I only have this a couple of times a year, I’m not too worried about the artificial flavors or sucralose, but if there is another option, I would love to know about it.

Right before the race, I just throw everything away and set aside the sweatshirt on the corral railing for organizers to pick up. Easy breezy! 

Now for the recap… I posted this first on my other blog last week…

We actually had a lot of fun on Sunday, May 31, at the Rock and Roll Marathon… the relay is the way to go!!  Being there did make me want to run the whole marathon, until I got finished at mile 13.5 with what I had committed to do!  A full marathon takes so much focus and training, but the feeling of accomplishment is worth the few days (or more!) of recovery. At least we got a medal for the relay!  We’re already signed up to do the Disneyland Half Marathon on September 6, 2009 and by “we” I mean David and me!  Yes, he’s really going to do it. I am so proud of him!

Read the rest of this entry »

Check out this post at Clearly Vegan on Hula Hooping for Health. They’ve found some great videos to share on hula hooping. Be sure to check out Hoopnotica for all the info you need on how to hula hoop, classes available and special hula hoops for those who truly want a great workout!

Have you gotten a hula hoop for healthy fun yet??

I know, I know… many of you are probably like my sister-in-law, you’ll never run from anything but danger!  But in the event that some of you are thinking about adding running to your exercise routine, I wanted to share an article in Runner’s World, Running 101, to help you get started. The article includes tips for running as well as a 10 week training schedule to get started safely and without injury. 

Happy running!!

Mama Bee has been using a hula hoop for a while now for core strengthing. She uses a weighted hula hoop and spends about 20 to 25 minutes hula hooping during one of her morning shows that she watches daily. Apparently she’s a trend setter! Now I’m hearing about hula hooping everywhere and everyone seems to be trying it.

I got an email from Livestrong.com about how to hula hoop and now that I’m looking into it more, there’s a lot of info out there!  Here’s the video for How to Hula Hoop and more information from Livestrong.com on hula hooping.