Lessons Learned: It's All About Control

I've gotten out of my routine!  When I don't have a routine I feel out of control.  I've been lazy with my workouts and lax with my eating and I've gained 3 pounds.  But I've learned a few lessons.  Sometimes I have to learn them more than once.

Lessons (re)Learned

1- When I'm eating good real food it's easy to keep eating good real food.  But when I start eating junk, I crave it.  My 13 year old makes delicious chocolate chip cookies and when he does I have no control.  And it all spirals from there. On the cookie day I also went for the Eclair dessert and the licorice.  Not good.

2- When I get up early and exercise, I care more about what I eat.  On the days when I sleep in, I feel out of control and like I'm trying to catch up all day. I love being up early to workout before the day gets hot.  It's just that I don't remember that I love it when the alarm goes off at 6:45.

3- If I plan my meals, (dinner especially) I feel in control and good about myself.  This means I need to plan ahead and shop for healthy meals.  I also need to have a plan for busy days when there's not a lot of time to prepare dinner. Read more about control over at TrainerMomma.com today.

4- I've also re-discovered Exercise TV. And now that it's "On Demand" I can do any workout at any time.  Today I did Pilates, Latin Dance and Butt Bible.  I had to mute the sound on that last one because she says ridiculous thing through the whole workout like "Treat your butt like royalty","We gotta make love to the butt." And "I have a super strong love for the butt." Really, she said that.  Annoying, but it was a great workout.

I feel like I'm back on track now.  I'm eating smoothies, salads and raw vegetables and I'm back on track with my workouts.  3 lbs to go!

Greek Chicken & Spinach Rice

I found this recipe in today's newspaper and it sounded healthy and delicious.  And it was! It could be a main or a side dish, depending on how much chicken you use.  I used less chicken and more mushrooms. Delicious!  Or skip the chicken completely for a vegetarian dish. 

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1  8 oz pkg fresh mushrooms, sliced (original called for only 1 cup)
1 cup frozen, chopped spinach
1 cup quick-cooking brown rice, uncooked
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 chicken breast, cut into 3/4 inch cubes (optional)
1 cup plus 2 TB chicken broth, low sodium
1 TB lemon juice
2 TB Feta cheese (You can leave this out too if you're avoiding animal protein)
2 TB slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 2 qt casserole dish with cooking spray.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in medium skillet. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and cook until tender, 3-5 more minutes.

Stir in frozen spinach. Cook until thawed and moisture evaporates. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Stir in dry rice, oregano and pepper.

Return skillet to medium heat and add remaining teaspoon of oil. Add chicken and cook 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently until chicken is done.  Add chicken to casserole and stir. Pour chicken broth over top.

Cover and bake 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with lemon juice, feta cheese and almonds.  Bake uncovered 10 minutes more.  Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

5K 2011

Well, we did it!  I was having a dilemma the night before, thinking I shouldn't have signed up my 6 year old.  I was worried he would give up.  I really wanted him to have a positive experience.  Also, my mom self was struggling against my competitive self.  I really wanted to beat my time from last year and I didn't want to get impatient with him.  I decided the night before that being his mom was more important than beating my time.  And I felt good about it.

The first mile, he stayed about 5 steps ahead of me.  The second mile he started to fall behind and we slowed down a little.  I kept encouraging him and he never stopped running.  He also never said a word.  He was in the zone!  My sister was waiting at the 3rd mile.  She held his hand and ran with him all the way to the finish line.  I was so proud of him for finishing.  He even won first place in his division.

Of course, my older kids all finished before me.  My 8 year old placed first in her division.  (She does every year).  The rest of us each took 5th place in ours.  Even though I was running slower that second mile, I still beat my time from last year by 47 seconds.

Gallstones Rock

      My gallbladder hates the month of April.  Or April hates my gallbladder. I’m not sure which.  Our annual 5K is Friday and I’m a little nervous.  I had big plans of training this year and not getting beat (as badly) by my children.

      But April came around and I quit running.  It’s hard to run when you can’t take a deep breath and it feels like someone’s sitting on your chest.  No, it’s not a heart attack. It’s my gallbladder.  This happened last April too, right before the 5K.  I went to the doctor and had an ultrasound which showed a few stones. I even consulted with a surgeon. He told me that 80% of people have gallstones and don’t even know it.  He said I shouldn’t have surgery unless it was really bothering me. By the time I met with the surgeon it wasn’t bothering me.  And since I would prefer to keep all my organs, I let it go.  I'd decided I was miraculously healed.

      3 weeks ago it came back to torture me for 2 weeks.  Now I’m pain free.  But here it is, time again for the 5K and I’m not prepared. 

Wish me luck!

How much should a salad weigh?

      My salad weighed a pound today.  In Phase 2 of Eat For Health, Dr. Fuhrman recommends eating a pound of fruit and a pound of vegetables daily.

       Today's salad was a spinach and lettuce salad with strawberries, mandarin oranges, feta and walnuts.  I was full after I ate it, so I waited to make the rest of my lunch, which was a 2 egg veggie omelet with 2 cups of broccoli, cauliflower, chopped tomato & a tiny bit of grated cheese.  I forgot to weigh it because the missionaries came to the door right then.  But if I add in the apple and blueberries I had with breakfast, & the half banana snack, I know I've had at least 2 lbs of fruits and vegetables today.  And I'll have more with dinner. 

       As always, dinner is my challenge.  I have 6 other people to please. Nearly impossible! But I keep trying and every once in a while I get lucky.  Tonight will be spaghetti, french bread, steamed vegetables, carrot sticks and salad.  I'm thinking ice cream with strawberries on top for dessert.  (I'll probably pass on the ice-cream and do a green smoothie.)

       In some future post I think I'll take the time to weigh all my fruits and veggies in a day.  It could be over 3 pounds. That sounds like a lot of produce!

       Does anyone else eat this much produce or am I a freak of nature?  Don't answer that.  OK, do, but be kind.

I'm A Nicer Mom When I Exercise

I’m a nicer mom when I exercise.

I’m a nicer mom when I eat right.

        I believe that most moms (or people) don’t feel guilty about what they’re doing, they feel guilty about what they aren’t doing- that they think they should be doing. Which is probably why I’m a nicer mom, and wife, and person when I take the time to eat good healthy food and exercise. It just takes some of the stress away. Even if it’s just going on a walk. If I am feeling healthy, it’s easier to be patient, to serve others, and I feel ready to get things done.  Which is a mom’s job, right?

      This doesn’t only apply to exercise.  It applies to all aspects of our lives. We need balance in all areas.

      Last week I went to a Power of Moms retreat in Park City, UT.  It’s a day and a half retreat, kind of like a business conference for moms.  We learned about organization, creating margins in our lives, how to find joy in motherhood, the importance of creating family traditions, and about taking care of yourself.  I went with my four sisters and my mom.  I'm so excited to be back home and to apply the things that I learned.

      If that sounds like something you might like, there’s another retreat coming up in May.  Here’s the link.

I Need More Phytochemicals ~ And So Do You

photo courtesy diseaseproof.com

I've been reading a lot about the Standard American Diet (the S.A.D.) - That 85% of us will die of heart disease, cancer or diabetes. - That our children's generation will be the first generation who won't outlive their parents. - And that we are causing this by what we're eating.  Does this freak anyone else out?  Or is it just me?

Don't you think it's time we look at what's wrong with the way we eat and do something about it?

We already know that most of the food out there is high in calories, but low in nutrients.  We're hungry so we grab something to eat.  If that food doesn't give our bodies the nutrients we need, we aren't satisfied and we eat more food.  The cycle continues.  We end up eating way too many calories and we still haven't satisfied our need for nutrients.

Waste products build up in our cells when we eat foods that lack antioxidants, vitamins and phytochemicals.  Without nutrients, our cells don't function normally.  Our bodies can't remove normal cellular waste. Our poor diets lay the groundwork for obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other diseases that will eventually kill us.  The crazy thing is that this is something we can change!

"When consistently consumed in adequate quantity and variety, phytochemicals become super-nutrients in your body.  (Phytochemicals  are plant compounds that have a huge effect on human cell function and the immune system.) 
They work together to detoxify cancer-causing compounds, deactivate free-radicals, protect against radiation damage, and enable DNA repair mechanisms.  When altered or broken strands of DNA are repaired, it can prevent cancer from developing later in life."  (Dr. Joel Fuhrman in Eat For Health)

So how do we get these phytochemicals?  We eat lots of good real food like green vegetables, berries and seeds.  Dr. Fuhrman recommends setting a goal of eating at least 3 fresh fruits with your breakfast. I do this by having an apple, blueberries, strawberries and raisins in my oats every morning. When I'm eating a lot of good food I naturally tend to eat less of the bad.  It makes me happy to eat this way knowing that I'm treating my body right and strengthening my immune system.  I've also noticed that my tastes and cravings have truly changed.  When I've just had a huge delicious spinach strawberry salad and a smoothie, I have no desire for a donut or a Coke.

Over the last few weeks I've been a little lazy about feeding myself and my family good food, so I'm rereading "Eat For Health".  It motivates me and gets me back on track. My kids and I will be running a 5K in a couple weeks, so I'm going to need all the help I can get just to keep up with them.  My kindergartner will be running it for his first time.  It should be fun!