No judging allowed...

First, and foremost, I am alive. Sorry for the hiatus. I had three finals (one of which counted as a qualifying exam) and about 60+ pages of abstracts and a lit review that, like always, I put off until the last minute. I really don't know if I work better under pressure or if I just realize that I can no longer procrastinate. Either way, I am back to blogging.

Yesterday when I was working out at the rec center at lunch, something hit me. And no, it wasn't a weight (luckily). I was doing strength training and watching another girl do some innovative exercises. She also happened to be in phenomenal shape, so I was paying attention to see what I could incorporate into my routines. Watching her got me to thinking.

I know myself and others have fallen into the trap of not going to the gym or exercising because we were afraid of what people might think... As in, they would laugh because we were doing something wrong, or  they might think that we shouldn't be there because we were overweight. When I was pregnant, I was self-conscious that the students would be grossed out or offended that I was there.

Well yesterday it hit me. Even when I was in the greatest shape I have ever been, I NEVER judged or mocked people who were working out. If they were overweight, my thought was "Kudos to them for changing their future and becoming healthier." If they were really in shape, I watched them to see what they were doing or asked them questions about their regimen. (Nothing is more flattering at a gym than when you are asked for advice on getting fit. It lets you know that someone is noticing your results.)

Not too long ago, another lady at the rec center was working out while she was pregnant. I never thought, "Oh gross." Instead, my thought was "That's what I want to be like during my next pregnancy."

I guess in all my rambling, my point is this: People do not judge you at a gym. They don't. We are all there for the same reason...to become healthier.

So instead of using weight as an excuse NOT to go to a gym, recognize it for what it is. Excess weight is holding you back from a happier, healthier, and fuller life. And when you see those people in incredible shape, don't resent them for it. They've worked hard to achieve it. Instead, watch them to see what they are doing to achieve those results. Or better yet, strike up a conversation about it. You'll learn something and be glad you asked for their advice.

The bottom line is this: measure yourself by your own yardstick and not others. Compare yourself to where YOU are and where YOU want to be. Comparing yourself to others will always leave you falling short because it's like comparing apples to oranges. If you have to be an apple, be the one at the top that is the sweetest and crispest instead of the rotten one on the ground.

My Chocolate Obsession

I am female. And like most females, I have a HUGE obsession with chocolate. When I was growing up, I could literally sniff out where my mom had hidden it away in the cupboards. It was like it was calling my name. I couldn't help but answer...

But over the years, my chocolate obsession has transformed. I have never liked white chocolate and still don't. It's too sweet and I don't think it tastes like chocolate. You can argue that it does. That's OK, but for me, NOPE. There is no way that white variety is a version of the decadent flavor I love the most.

When I was younger, my favorite type of chocolate was milk chocolate. Didn't matter who made it. My tastebuds were not skilled enough to tell the difference between Hershey's or Godiva. To me, both were just little drops of heaven....and the more, the better. Quantity over quality was what I wanted.

As I have gotten older though, my obsession has become more sophisticated. I prefer dark chocolate more often than milk chocolate (if it's the good kind). And as I have progressed on my journey to living healthier, my obsession has transformed into something else.....

This year was the first Easter that we dyed eggs, had an Easter egg hunt, etc. with my son. Since we live in Texas and it's already warm, we didn't hide the eggs we colored. Instead, I used plastic eggs and stuffed them with chocolate, bouncy balls, or money. For that reason, we now have an abundance of Hershey's chocolate eggs that are sitting on my counter. I swear they were calling my name this weekend, and I couldn't help but give in.... So, I selected a pink-wrapped egg (since boys don't seem to like pink), unwrapped it, and popped it into my mouth expecting a triumphant burst of satisfaction..

Holy crap! I couldn't spit that sucker out fast enough. It tasted waxy and gross! I couldn't believe it. Never before in my life have I spit out chocolate. The HORROR of it all. This stinkin' journey has made me picky when it comes to chocolate. Now because I have changed my tastes, the chocolate I eat better be so rich and decadent or else it will risk meeting the trash can.

Now, keep in mind that this event happened Saturday night. Well last night I was still craving chocolate, so I whipped up the following recipe. OMG!! They are good and as far as cookies go...they are healthy. The recipe comes from the March 2012 issue of Clean Eating. (Can I just say again how much I love this magazine? It's what we eat out of on a daily basis.)

Anyhow, here is the recipe:

Dark Chocolate & Chewy Cherry Drops
Makes 16 cookies

3/4 cup light spelt flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch sea salt
4 oz. dark chocolate (80% cocoa - any higher and they aren't very sweet)
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup organic evaporated cane juice
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsalted almonds, roughly chopped (I used pecans last night--YUMMY)
1/4 cup dried unsweetened cherries, roughly chopped

Instructions:

ONE - Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine flour,cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside. In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate on low for 1 minute. Stir and continue to microwave in 30-second intervals until fully melted.

TWO - In a separate medium bowl, cream butter and cane juice on medium speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beat well until well combined (about 30 seconds). Add chocolate and beat on low until just combined. Add flour mixture in 3 sections, beating on low and scraping down sides, until just combined. With spatula, fold in cherries and almonds.

THREE - With hands, form 1 Tbsp dough into a ball and place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, leaving 2 in. of space between each ball. With fingers, lightly press down on each to flatten slightly. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until top of cookies begin to crack. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes.

My 2 1/2 year old LOVED these too -- except for the cherries and nuts. :-)

Only one workout away...

One of the "pins" I have seen lately on Pinterest really hits home for me. Ironically enough, I haven't personally pinned it. But this one is so true that it really ticks me off most days. It says, "You're only one workout away from a good mood." Argghhh?!?!? Really???

There are not many days that I CRAVE working out. In fact, most days I would rather be curled up in our Love Sac with a good book. But since I'm a mom, we all know that's not going to happen any time soon. Even worse, my workouts tend to be on my lunch hour. So convincing myself to jaunt my grouchy butt over to the rec center so I can sweat it out is almost an impossible task. Add in the girls I refer to as gazelles, and my motivation plummets even further.

And we ALL know who the gazelles are. They are the ones jogging effortlessly on the track. Or they are trucking away at 7+ mph hour on the treadmill. They lift weights with ease and contort themselves into human pretzels when stretching. They are toned and tan and look like human barbie dolls. You know who I am talking about....the ones who make exercise look easy.

I have NEVER been that gazelle. I can keep a pace of 5.2 mph and go for quite aways. But if I were to run at 7 mph, you can bet that I would trip, slam my face on the treadmill, and be thrown off like a rock skipping across water. Yup, that's me.

However as much as I hate that saying, it is true. I have never regretted a workout, but always regret skipping out on one. That is when I have remind myself that this journey isn't a quick trip, it's about changing our mindsets to change our lives. To change our lives, we have to change our lifestyles. So no matter how many excuses we can come up with to not work out, the benefits are so much sweeter than the excuses. Because we all know what excuses are like.... and everybody has one. 

In a world without Photoshop, we'd all have better self-esteem

I love social media for various reasons. One of which, is that some people will include links to what they have recently read. The following link is one that several of my FB friends read recently. The headline was definitely an attention grabber and the slideshow did NOT disappoint.

This link just adds to the warped sense of reality and our society's pursuit toward a perfection that only exists with the help of computers and a program known as Photoshop. So if you want to feel better about who you are, you really need to check this out:

15 Photoshopped Transformations of Celebs and Models

http://mashable.com/2011/12/01/before-and-after-photos/

After seeing this, it makes me want to digitally alter all my photos. But since I have an extreme lack of time lately, I'll just continue to eat right and exercise. I may not be perfect, but then again, who is?

Skinny fat...

Awhile ago I mentioned that it was possible to be "skinny fat." Several people scoffed at this notion. While browsing the addictive site of Pinterest, I came across a blog that explained the concept better than I did and included pictures illustrating two women with approximately 12-15% body fat. Both of them are in the healthy fat range, but this also explains why weighing less isn't always better.

The first picture is someone who would look really good with clothes on. Enter the supermodel:

Can we all say "EWWWWW." That is NOT attractive. Sure, she's thin. But that is all she is. There is no muscle tone, she is bony, and that does not look healthy.

Now enter a woman who probably weighs at least 30 pounds more and has the same percentage of body fat:

Who would you rather look like? Thin and look good in clothes or Fit and look good naked. I, personally, would rather be the latter.

For a better explanation of this concept and more pictures, visit http://www.crossfitsouthbay.com/2011/05/skinny-fat/.

Must-have mags....

Because I am a full-time mom, employee, student, etc., I subscribe to very few magazines. The main reason is because I am so short on time, but the other reason is that the magazine has to be worth my time and money. With that said, there are two magazines I subscribe to that I have set up for automatic renewal. I do that so I don't miss an issue.

The first one is Women's Health. It has recipes, helpful information, exercises, etc. I enjoy reading this one and it's a great all-around resource.

The second one is Clean Eating magazine. I LOVE this one. It is chockfull of recipes and tips for healthier living. All the hard work of revising recipes so that they are jam-packed with nutrition is done for me. I love this one so much that I hole punch each issue and place in a binder so that I have my own healthy recipe "book." So far this week, I have made two recipes from this magazine that I also tested on my in-laws.

The first was Pork & Sweet Potato Mole, with Lime & Cabbage Slaw. OMG!!!! Other than getting a little heavy handed with the Chipotle Chile Powder (my own fault), this stuff is out of this world. What's even crazier, my hubby and his parents were in love with it too (and they never prepare "clean" meals). Even funnier, my hubby is not a sweet potato fan and he had no clue that they were in it. All of the flavors blend together that well.

The second recipe was Mulligatawny Soup. This one looked really good, but I was a little skeptical of the ingredients. I was mainly skeptical because the soup called for coconut milk and Granny Smith apples. However, I wasn't going to let that stop me and decided to try it anyway. It, too, was YUMMY!!!! Even hubby enjoyed it, although he asked if those were apples or potatoes in it. :-)

So if you're looking to cut back on magazines, I totally recommend it. Just make sure you keep the ones you actually read or use. And if you're looking to add to your stash, I would highly recommend both of those.

I'd post the recipes, but I am not sure what the Clean Eating magazine's stance is on that. I'll just wait till they come out on their website. But if you want to check out some of their recipes for free, visit www.cleaneatingmag.com.

I have a confession...

That's right. I have a confession to make. And here it is: I am not naturally skinny. Yup, that's right. I am the size I am because I have to work hard to be skinny. And unfortunately, my working at it went on hiatus when I got pregnant and for a long time after having my son. (He'll be 3 in August for a reference for you.)

What makes this super frustrating for me is that one half of my family is what I would like to refer to as the "Land of Little People." Not that they are all really short. Although, my mom does claim to be 5' and I think she really is probably 4' 11". (Don't tell her I said that.)

Truth be told, I am the heifer in my immediate family. My mom barely weighs over 100 pounds. And on a BAD day, my sister MIGHT weigh 100 pounds. They both shop regularly in the Juniors section. This is truly frustrating for me, because when we go shopping, I wander aimlessly while they browse and just wait patiently till we can go to the grown-up section.

Now, I don't hold this against either of them. I could because it would be very easy to resent them for their genetic jackpot. But, I don't. Why? Because upon closer inspection, we are built differently. My mom and sister both have a small skeletal structure, whereas, mine is more average. Add in that I tower over my mom and have several inches on my sister just adds to my ogre-ish feeling when I am clothes shopping with them.

However, since my journey to becoming a healthier me began, I have noticed something and that is this:

No matter how skinny someone is, NEVER think they don't work at it.

That's right. My mom walks every day, golfs when she can, and eats only till she's no longer hungry. (We won't discuss her obsession with Diet Pepsi.) My sister works out probably six days a week. Her routine includes Insanity, running, weights, tennis, P90X, or whatever she can fit in. She also eats really healthy and has always practiced portion control.

So while the rest of us want to cuss the "naturally skinny" girls, more often than not, we can learn from them. Even the rest of the family on my mom's side do the things my sister and mom do.

Now my build will never let me be as small as my sister. Because if I were, I would look emaciated and gaunt. But I can still work at becoming healthier, leaner, and more energized than even now.

I know I still have a lot of work to do before I reach my "ideal" me. And that ideal may not be reflected in the number on my scale. That is why I think it is so important to measure our progress using other methods than just Trusty Rusty. This weekend, I plan on taking pictures in hopes of "seeing" a difference since I started. I took measurements over the weekend and found that I had lost more than an inch off my waist. (I know that's not a great deal...BUT, it's progress.) I had also lost from other areas, as well.

Knowing that I was improving really helped get my butt out of bed this morning to go running when I really just wanted to curl up under the covers. So if you're like me and are not naturally skinny, please raise your hand. Now, pat yourself on the back. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Having to work at it just makes the reward that much sweeter. And in this case, you will be so much stronger.