image from steelmore

Where have I been and what have I been doing for the last two weeks? Well, I haven’t been posting here. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been productive, though. Despite what the casual observer may think, I have been busy digging. Digging!

Since May of last year I have managed to sink further and further into a fitness rut, and I swear this thing is made of quicksand. Every attempt to pull myself out of it has resulted in me sinking a little bit more into the depths. I haven’t quite been able to get enough momentum to keep going. It’s a slippery slope and it has been next to impossible to overcome.I think it started in May when I had a mechanical problem with my bike on an organized ride in Nashville. I became discouraged that day. The day my husband and I were riding bikes and he was actually bitten by a dog - not merely chased and scared to death, as we are accustomed to - only made matters worse for me. Mentally, I lost desire to climb on my bike. Fear was the emotion that ended up overriding all others. Hip and back pain that tied me down to weekly chiropractor appointments were the final straw. The simple act of doing my indoor cycling classes was enough to make me hurt for days. The thought of climbing on my actual bike eventually never even crossed my mind. I was beaten down and felt defeated. The rut grew deeper.

What happened next was a chain reaction that has gotten me into this big ass hole that started as a little pothole. Not riding my bike was an excuse not to exercise at all. Having hip and back and leg and knee pain that required regular chiropractic visits gave me the excuse not to do any other form of exercise. I stopped teaching my indoor cycling classes for a month, even. Thankfully, I decided to at least go back to that or I would be working on 10 months of absolutely ZERO activity.

The chain reaction was more than fitness related. It trickled down into my eating habits. The foods that once were off limits or limited to special occasions - such as white potatoes, cheese, sweets, sodas, etc. - soon made their way back into my everyday life. My portions were still reasonable, with the occasional exceptions of a second serving at dinner, but I totally lost my perspective when it came to eating. Couple that with lack of movement and energy expenditure and what do you have? A total mess, that’s what!

Truth is, I became depressed. There really is no better word for it. There is no way to package it nicely and make it look better than it really is. Coming to this conclusion has not been easy for me. Despite knowing better, the part of me that it programmed to live healthy, eat healthy, and be active has managed to stay somewhat in the forefront. While some may think this is a good thing, I beg to differ. It has been very detrimental to the whole process. It has blinded me to the reality of the situation and has prolonged the final diagnosis. But that isn’t the important thing. The important thing is that it finally happened and now I can do something about it.

Back to the first part of this entry -

I’ve been DIGGING! For the past couple of weeks, I’m gradually digging myself out of this rut that I’ve been stuck in for so long. I’ve already talked about getting back to eating breakfast every day and thinking more about the foods I eat. That was the first step. I’ve picked up the shovel, though, and started digging a bit harder. I’ve started a workout routine. I’ve even managed to take it slow so I avoid overdoing it and backsliding, which is what has happened in the past.

The process is a slow one. I’m basically starting all over from scratch. I have to remind myself that I can’t just jump into things and pick up where I left off. I can’t do my workout routines of running, cycling, burpees, heavy weight training, twice a week yoga classes. I’m not at that fitness level now. I have to start small and work my way back. I have to gradually dig away the deposits and slowly pull myself out. Doing much more than that will only hurt me, not help me. It’s a hard pill to swallow, admittedly. I want to just do what I was doing before. I want to feel like I felt before. But that person has gotten buried and I have to chip away slowly to reveal her again. It will happen. But I must have patience. It is going to take time.

If you are looking for me, I’ll be the one slowly digging the sand out from around her in the gym. I’m the one on the elliptical with the headphones on listening to some Xavier Rudd and smiling, happy to just be out from under the depression cloud for once - anxiously awaiting Spring because it’s time to climb back on that bicycle and ride.

image from budzywudzy

For the past couple of weeks, I have managed to eat breakfast every single day. Admittedly it is only because my husband makes me something and forces me to eat every morning. I’m getting better, though, and it’s slowly becoming a more commonplace event. I foresee me actually thinking about it on my own and taking matters into my own hands before long. I’m sure he’ll appreciate the break.

Since getting back into the habit of a daily breakfast, I’ve been thinking more and more about what I am eating as opposed to the simple act of eating something. While I was content with a daily peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast for a few days, it didn’t take long for me to realize that there are healthier and more beneficial options. The recent reminder of the superfoods via this article gave me a nice little kick that I needed.

Do you know that “an apple a day can keep the doctor away”? Well that’s what this famous saying indicates. Now maybe it won’t keep the doctor away completely but it sure has some tremendous health benefits. It’s considered by Dr. Steven Pratt, MD to be a “superfood.” A “superfood” is a whole food. And whole foods are foods that are unprocessed or are minimally processed in such a way that none of the nutritional characteristics have been intentionally modified. For example, canned foods are processed.

Not only have apples been proven to be potent weapons against cancer, heart disease, asthma, and type 2 diabetes but other fruits and vegetables have some remarkable health benefits as well. For instance, strawberries and raspberries contain a compound called ellagic acid. One of the best cancer fighters Mother Nature ever created. When eating these fruits this compound enters the bloodstream to help vanquish cancer cells on contact.

Did you know that just by eating a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast or eating pears you can regulate your cholesterol? They can help keep your LDL (bad) cholesterol below 130 and HDL (good) cholesterol above 65. There are a host of other fruits and vegetables and many other foods that can be attributed to assisting in developing a healthy body.

Here’s some other “Superfoods” that can improve your health and even boost your immune system to a healthy level:

* Avocados are believed to help lower cholesterol and they are rich in magnesium (an essential nutrient for healthy bones)

* Beans such as pinto beans, black beans and lentils are another series of foods to lower cholesterol, combat heart disease, stabilize blood sugar, reduce obesity, relieve constipation and lessen the risk of cancer.

* Blueberries are a small but mighty nutritional force. They combine more powerful antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetables. Although they have many health benefits, the one thing they are known for most is the ability to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.

* Broccoli is a great cancer fighter and very beneficial in many other ways as well.

* Dark chocolate is a real surprise to most as being a healthy food. I’m glad its regarded as healthy to eat because I love the taste of it. It’s a source of phytonutrients which act as an antioxidant that helps protect our DNA and inhibits the growth of unwanted blood vessels. Make sure you buy the right kind of dark chocolate, one that isn’t as processed and has a high cacao content.

* Garlic is a great food for fighting cancer.

* Honey is beneficial in maintaining optimal blood-sugar levels.

* Kiwi is an antioxidant all-star. It offers an unusual array of health-promoting substances. One very important thing it does is it promotes heart health by helping to lower triglycerides levels and reducing platelet hyperactivity.

Other superfoods that weren’t mentioned above but also display health promoting properties are - oranges, pomegranates, pumpkins, wild salmon, soy, spinach, tea, tomatoes, turkey (skinless breast), walnuts, and low-fat or nonfat yogurt. These, along with many other healthy foods, have been described as “Miracle Medicines”.

In an effort to concentrate more on the quality of food that I eat, I am going to start having some oatmeal with nuts and dried fruit for breakfast. Thankfully, we already eat most of the other foods listed when they are readily available (such as berries, avocados, etc.). I still think it’s important to make sure that we eat them on a regular basis and do away with the other stuff that doesn’t offer as many benefits to my overall health and well being.

The next big thing is going to be to convince my children of the importance of the superfoods. I’ll let you know how it goes. Stay tuned.

Do you get up in the morning and break the fast that your body has been in since your last meal?

Do you prepare and consume a healthy meal before starting your day? Or do you simply grab a cup of coffee on the run and hold off on eating until somewhere around lunchtime?

In other words, which of the following closest represents your “breakfast of champions“?

What’s for breakfast - coffee? Most mornings, we barely glance at the kitchen. Fixing breakfast takes up precious time that’s in short supply. But there’s ample evidence that the simple act of eating breakfast — every day — is a big part of losing weight, lots of weight.

source

It’s confession time.

*takes deep breath*

Despite knowing the benefits of eating breakfast every morning, I have spent my days living strictly on cups of coffee until lunchtime for the past few months.

[ That’s only part one of the confession. ]

Despite knowing the harm that no breakfast does to the body and metabolic rate, I have continued doing this and - thus - managed to gain some very unwanted pounds.

[ Ok. Almost there. Hang with me. ]

Despite knowing that no one is perfect and accepting the extra pounds as part of me and learning to love my body for what it can do instead of what it looks like, I want to get rid of these very unwanted pounds. Now!

[ Now I’m done. ]

Believe it or not, I have proven to myself (instead of just relying on the numerous articles and studies confirming it) that eating breakfast aids in fat loss and maintaining a healthy weight. When I started my journey to health, I learned all I could about proper nutrition and the very first thing I discovered was the importance of eating breakfast. I incorporated into my daily routine gradually and guess what? I started feeling better physically, I had more energy throughout the day, I was more focused and productive, and I found that a light dinner in the evening was enough to satisfy me. The best part was when I noticed that the more regular I was with eating breakfast, the more fat (weight) that would drop off each week.

Eating breakfast was a habit that I had to form and it didn’t happen overnight. To be perfectly honest, I fought it tooth and nail for months before really giving it a fair shake. I also didn’t start out eating a bowl of multi-grain cereal with chopped walnuts and raisins with a drizzle of flaxseed oil and honey with a side order of fruit. I had to work up to a breakfast of that magnitude and it took almost a year. In the meantime, I felt accomplished just to inhale a banana as I was running out the door, always five minutes late for work.

Just as easily (or not) as habits are formed, they seem to be twice as easy to drop like a hot potato. As much as I hate to admit it, that is where I am at right now with breakfast. I dropped it. I dropped it hard. I dropped it so hard that it shattered into a million pieces. I am back to the point of nursing a pot of coffee every morning and eating my first bite of food somewhere around lunchtime. Now my midsection is showing the ill effects of an important habit come undone.

It’s time to renew the breakfast commitment. The benefits are too great to ignore. The results are too desirable to resist. It’s my hope that renewing an old habit is much easier than developing one from scratch. Scratch is where I will start, though.

Are you ready to develop the healthy habit of eating breakfast?

Here are some simple rules that I will be following in order to renew my breakfast habit. Please feel free to join me if you are looking to do the same.

* Start Small. Don’t stress over how much you eat for breakfast in the beginning. If it’s just a handful of nuts, a small bite of toast, a quarter of a banana - it doesn’t matter. Just get into the habit of eating something for breakfast every single day.

* Keep taste buds happy. Don’t try eating foods that aren’t familiar to you or that you don’t like. If breakfast food doesn’t appeal to you at all, then - by all means - eat whatever is appealing to you. It will be difficult to form the habit if you are forcing down food every day that makes you want to gag. Never do that.

* Get Bigger. Once you are to the point of easily consuming something in the mornings to break the fast, build up to a bigger portion gradually until you are having a regular sized meal in the morning. This will actually be easier than you think. Once you are putting something into your body every day, you will naturally become hungrier and hungrier first thing in the day. This is a good thing.

* Make Healthy Substitutions. When you become very comfortable with your morning routine, then (and only then) you can start looking at your breakfast choices and make healthy substitutions. If you are having a slice of cold pizza every morning, maybe now you can start choosing something a little healthier like a turkey on wheat sandwich. Your mileage will vary with this step, obviously, because we are all different and we all have different preferences when it comes to food. The key is to focus on moving forward constantly, always improving upon your options.

* Become one of those people who preaches on why everyone needs to be eating breakfast. Believe it or not, you will become one of those people. Don’t resist it. Your efforts will be futile.

* Don’t backslide. The most important part of the equation is right here. If you do end up backsliding and find yourself nursing a pot of coffee for breakfast every morning, then you’ll soon find yourself with some layers of fat around your midsection that bug the crap out of you and eventually writing a blog entry like this one in an attempt to regain a little bit of dignity and self respect.

Any undertaking is much easier when broken down into smaller pieces. The same goes for developing the habit of eating breakfast. Truth is, I’ve already started. Every morning this week I have had a peanut butter (100% Organic and All-Natural) and jelly (actually, it’s 100% spreadable fruit) sandwich (on 100% multi-grain bread). While I look forward to the days of my multi-grain cereal with nuts and raisins, I will take my baby steps and work my way up. After all, it doesn’t matter what I eat as long as I eat. Right?