Start the week off strong by making healthy choices and doing what you might have put off throughout the weekend! You can exercise for 10 minutes today, you can eat some fruits and vegetables. Don’t put your health off until tomorrow, do it today!

What’s your plan for better health today??

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!!!

Hope you are having a wonderful Labor Day weekend!! Dare to start dreaming the impossible, your dreams always start with you.

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!!

Lindsey is a 2-year-old lab mix and was gifted to us by our friend Robyn, who already had two large dogs living in her home. They were a handful all together and Robyn thought it would be best to make sure Lindsey went to a home where she could get spoiled on her own. That’s where we came in. About a month ago, David and I were talking again about getting a dog and we both agreed that we wanted a female black lab. Less than a week later, we got an email from Robyn asking if we were still thinking about getting a dog, she wasn’t even aware of our earlier conversation! So I think the universe was bringing Lindsey to us and we are already spoiling her rotten. I’m still getting used to running with her, but I’m definitely doing more walking than ever. She’s going to be one fit doggy!

Try one of these ideas for a healthy, happy Valentine’s day or forward this to your significant other if they’re not sure how to celebrate the new healthy you!

1. Spa gift certificates - Find a local spa at Spa Finder, your valentine will love it!
2. Bath & Body gifts – From aromatherapy candles to scented lotions, there are lots of options to pamper your valentine.
3. Gourmet tea or coffee – Make your own gift basket by combining their favorite tea or coffee flavors with a beautiful mug.
4. Perfume – Indulge your valentine with a new perfume that they may not splurge on for themselves.
5. Jewelry – Whether your valentine likes silver or gold, jewelry is always a good bet.
6. Fitness Tools – If your valentine is a fitness buff, buy him or her the latest Garmin® “personal trainer”.

For an even better Valentine, check out Clearly Vegan’s list of healthy vegan aphrodisiac’s!

• 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??

Dips and salsas are great as appetizers, but processed chips and crackers are loaded with calories that can add up very quickly. Fill up on high-volume, low-calorie veggies and be sure you’re dipping into your favorite low-cal dip. Try a Mango Black Bean Salsa or make your own hummus for healthy snacking.

Here are some "chip" ideas to use for dipping:

• Jicama
• Bell Pepper
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Carrots (try slicing them as chips)
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Potatoes (baked or microwaved as chips)
• Zucchini
• Yellow squash
• Asparagus
• Snow peas
• Cherry tomatoes
• Radishes

Who will you be cheering for in the Super Bowl?? And what’s your favorite healthy dip & “chip” combo??

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??