Archive for July, 2009

5 tips to starting a fitness routine and healthier eating (Week 1)

July 26th, 2009

Let’s admit it, getting the momentum to start exercising regularly and also eating well doesn’t always come easy. Some of us can be at points where the other option (unhealthy habits) are just to painful to continue and that alone pushes us to change. I personally have started many times over the past year only to quit after a few days. It happens to many of us.

I heard recently that researchers concluded that January 24th is the most depressing day of the year. They had theories on why that might be:

- It’s the winter and the winter can be depressing to a lot of us. There’s less sun and more cold and darkness.

- People make new year’s resolutions and around the 24th they have normally already broken the resolutions. They might have gone to the gym for a week or two, they might have stuck to a strict diet for a week or two… but FAIL!

- It’s around that time that you will be getting bills for things that were used or spent around Christmas. Ouch!

- You realize (with all of the above) that this new year might be exactly the same as the past one.

Now, generally when people want to make a drastic change in their lifestyle, they do it drastically… I have 5 tips for that first week of change to help you get through it.

1) Don’t be drastic or extreme in your changes in the first week. Changes can come over time, not in one day. Let’s say you plan on eating healthy: an extreme diet that is completely different from what you are used to eating is just not the best way to do it. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is by changing your eating habits in the long term (as in for the rest of your life), but to be able to do that, it’s way easier to do it step by step. Changing eating habits means that you also have to learn a whole new array of recipes, get to know what healthy foods you like best, see what’s easy and convenient, etc. In your first week make three small changes, you choose.

For example: if you use mayonnaise on sandwiches, replace it with something else, or just take it out completely. If you feel the bread is too dry, then add some kind of vegetable that is juicy, like a tomato. Mayonnaise packs A LOT of unnecessary fat and calories. It’s totally unnecessary. If you eat just one sandwich everyday, then just taking out the mayonnaise will reduce your daily calorie intake by 200 calories!

Another example: Sodas. They are just terrible, but if you can’t initially live without them, then get diet soda at least. Sodas are packed with empty calories and there just isn’t a good side to them except that tingling sensation when you drink them. Really… sodas, in the end, really aren’t that hard to give up. Carton juices are just as bad. A good substitute is getting a natural herbal tea that tastes good, like raspberry tea, or any fruit that you might like the taste of. You can put a couple of tea bags in boiling water for a minute or so, then put that in a jug in the fridge with ice and you get a nice fruity ice tea (don’t add sugar). It doesn’t take that long to get used to drinking juices or teas without sugar. You’ll find that they taste better without it because you actually get to taste the tea instead of the sugar. Later (as in months maybe) you can just be drinking water and occasional teas.

Last example: When it comes to exercises, be realistic. It’s important to take care of your body and not strain it. If you haven’t been doing any exercise at all in the past 6-12 months, then you can’t expect to be running on a treadmill everyday for 30 minutes. You’ll be sore and it will completely drain you of all your motivation. Start easy. Read about the exercise you plan to do and look for advice from experts (online, in books, or at your gym). There is so much information out there. Just adding a 30 minute walking routine to your daily life (or just 3-5 times per week) is proven to reap HUGE health benefits. (My husband majored in Sports Science. I have the statistics and information on this but at the moment I can’t be bothered to look through his text book to find the data. I might post it in the reply!)

2) Start a log to track progress to the tiniest degree.

Progress is progress, but to be able to see progress, you have to track it. Don’t make hard to reach goals because that may make you ignore the tiny steps you are taking to become more fit and healthy. There are several ways to track your progress:

- Start tracking what you eat. It’d be good if you could also track the calories too, including how much protein and carbs you are consuming. I personally use the “Lose It!” app on the iPhone. It’s really handy. I just put in what I eat and I can see how many calories I’ve consumed during the day. I now have a 1,111 calorie limit per day. The app is great because if I do exercise then it can also tell me how many calories I’ve lost, so if I’ve consumed over my limit but done exercises that burns those calories, then I will definitely lose 2lbs per week.

- Track your exercise, no matter how insignificant it may seem. You can start out by just deciding to walk 30 minutes per day (which is a great way to start). Walk for 15 minutes and turn back. Track the distance your walked and the next time you walk you might find that you were able to walk further during those 15 minutes. That is progress and it’s important to track it because it’s a major motivation.

-If you want, you can start a journal to track your mood, motivation, diet, etc to see what might be contributing to better states of mind and a better general feeling of healthiness. The thing to remember is that the progress comes in small increments and that by tracking what works and doesn’t will eventually lead you to understand what is working. We are all different, so tracking your own state makes it all that more personalized.

3) Take a break and be easy on yourself.

You just can’t work out everyday from the beginning. You’ll wear your body out and that will affect your mind. You don’t want to tire yourself out because that will kill all your motivation, and without motivation, you have nothing. Three to five days of exercise in the first week is a good amount. For someone who is out of shape, walking three to five times the first week, for 30 minutes, will be enough. No need for a gym membership, just walk in your neighborhood. Remember, your body is a machine and it’s best to treat it as such. Listen to it. Days of rest are needed, so don’t overdo it.

4) Don’t forget about your mental health.

One thing that helped me change my attitude towards my mental health was realizing that the negative thoughts are created by my body… that being said, if you work on your body, it’s important to work on your mind. I’ve found that being quiet or practicing some kind of meditation helps. Clearing your mind, focusing on the positive, helps you recover and reset. Think about things that make you happy and do them. For everyone it’s different: it could be talking with friends, connecting with people you care about, doing something you enjoy… but the point is: make sure you make time in your schedule for this.

5) Don’t think about how far you have to go.

Looking at the long term goals can be depressing, especially if you see you need to lose 30lbs or much much more and for the first week you might have only lost 1 lb. That’s why it’s important to focus on the small steps, because they are significant. We don’t expect babies to walk as as soon as they crawl, so just relax and track the small steps you make. Be loving to yourself, keep that motivation, see what works for you… track it all…even the setbacks, so you can see what does and doesn’t work. It may take a year to get where you want, it may take two, but remember that you are on the path. It’s kind of like deciding to walk from NYC to L.A. You do it one step at a time.

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Posted in Fitness, Health, Mind, Uncategorized

Delicious Vegan Pizza (very customizable)

July 16th, 2009

Easy vegan pizza that's even easier to customize with your favorite toppings.

(Serves four, one pizza each)

I saw a recipe (which wasn’t vegan or vegetarian) and decided to make some changes of my own and just go along with my intuition. I’ve never posted a recipe before, or shared one for that matter, because I tend to just cook on what I feel might work. If I want to get ideas I look at random recipes and make them my own.

This Vegan Pizza can be customized (in regards to the topping) to your own taste/preference. I honestly didn’t think I could enjoy a pizza without cheese, but this pizza proved me wrong. My stomach didn’t feel heavy after eating it and I felt really satisfied without feeling too full. I think what make it really good (for me) was that last touch of squeezing fresh lemon juice on top, with some flax seed oil (rich in Omega-3 fatty acids… the good fat!) and some paprika and it makes it very juicy.

Vegan Pizza (full list of ingredients at the bottom):

First start on the dough because it takes a while for it to raise, but not to actually make. I made mine and then went of for a jog to get thinner while it was happily getting bigger.

Dough

1) Put one teaspoon (or one of those individual packs) of active yeast with 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl with just over 1/4 of a cup of lukewarm water. Let it sit for approximately 15 minutes until it becomes frothy.

2) Sift 3 cups of whole wheat flour in a large bowl and make a hole in the middle… like a volcano! Add the frothy yeast mixture and another 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. (I also added a tablespoon of oregano and a tablespoon of basil to the flour, but I wish I had added more… I’m going to see how that works next time.) Use your hands to draw in the flour and work the mixture into a dough. You can add more water if necessary. You’ll probably find you’ll have to, but just little by little and make sure the dough isn’t too wet and sticky.

3) Once you’ve made the mixture in the bowl into one big ball of dough, transfer it to a lightly floured flat surface (your kitchen counter, for example). It’s good to have some space. Knead the dough until it is soft, smooth and elastic. Add a few drops of olive oil into the bowl where you made the dough, place the dough back and roll it in the oil. Get a damp towel, cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place for approximately 1 hour. The dough will double its size during that time.

You can start making the sauce for the topping meanwhile and just before finishing the work on the dough, heat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 Celsius). Place two baking sheets in the oven while it’s heating.

4) Once the dough has risen, knead it on a lightly floured surface. Cut/separate it into four equal pieces. I just rolled it into a long cylindrical shape and cut it in the middle and then cut the two piece in the middle, to get four pieces. Roll each piece into a ball then flatten it with the weight of your body. Roll the piece until it is flat. I rolled each one until it was as thin as it could possibly get without breaking it. If you like a thicker crust, then you don’t have to roll it out so thin. I was able to roll it out until it was the size of dinner plate.

5) Light oil the baking sheet (once it’s hot) and place the finished/flat dough on the sheet. Spread the tomato sauce mix on the dough and add the toppings as indicated below. Bake for 10-15 minutes. The ones I made were done in 13 minutes, without getting too dry or burnt. They bake fast!

Topping

The topping is easy and should only take 5-10 minutes to make.

1) Chop up one onion into fine pieces. If you want chunky onion pieces in the topping sauce, then cut them into large pieces. It’s up to you. Cut up three large cloves of garlic into fine pieces and put them both (the onion and garlic) in a large, heavy skillet on high heat with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add 1 tablespoon of oregano, 1 tablespoon of basil, 1/2 a teaspoon of pepper, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce (or just some salt if you don’t have soy sauce), and one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Frequently mix the ingredients together until the onions look transparent and golden.

2) Turn down the skillet to medium and add 1/2 can (approx. 7oz) of tomato sauce and 1/2 a can of tomato paste. Mix for less than a minute and turn the skillet to low. You can leave it cooking so all the ingredients can blend slowly together. If it gets too dry, add a little more tomato sauce.

So, that above is the sauce you’ll be putting on the dough… now you have to think of what you want to use as a topping. I used (in the order I put them on):

- Canned sweet corn (a whole can for the four pizzas that come out of this recipe)

- Broccoli (fresh/raw) cut into bite-size pieces

- Spinach (fresh/raw) sliced finely and sprinkled over the broccoli

- 2 Tomatoes, slice and placed on top.

I then sprinkled some basil, pepper, oregano and some garlic (can be fresh or powdered). Put in oven to bake.

Once the pizzas are baked, do the following:

- Sprinkle some flax seed oil over the pizza, approximately 1 tablespoon.

- Squeeze the juice out of a slice of lemon (1/4 of a lemon… 1 lemon for the 4 pizzas) over the pizza.

- Sprinkle some paprika over the pizza.

- You can add some salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle some parsley if you want.

Ideas for other toppings:

Want more protein and some extra carbs for energy? You can get a can of black beans, wash them, put them in a bowl and sprinkle them with a little red wine vinegar, some flaxseed oil and salt and pepper to taste (or whatever other spices you might want to add… cayenne works!) The flaxseed oil helps keep the beans moist during baking. You can sprinkle the beans on the pizza. I actually use this mix on salads. One of my favorite easy/instant meals.

Sun-dried tomatoes would make it really tasty too, although it’d probably double the cost of the pizza.

Artichokes!

I can’t think of anything else now… but if you have any ideas for toppings or variations of this recipe, I’d love to hear them.

If you do try this recipe, let me know how it went!

—Ingredients—

Dough:

3 cups of whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon of active dried yeast

1/2 tablespoon of sugar

A few drops of olive oil

Topping sauce:

7 oz of tomato sauce

7 oz of tomato paste

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of dried basil flakes

1 tablespoon of dried oregano flakes

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon of pepper

Toppings:

One head of brocolli

A handful of spinach

1 can of sweet corn

2 tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

A sprinkle of paprika on each pizza

1 Lemon cut in four slices, one slice to be squeezed on each pizza

A few tablespoons of flaxseed oil

A sprinkle of parsley

Lots of love!

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Posted in Recipes

Tip: Change the words you use

July 12th, 2009

When we think of change, we tend to think of big things like losing 20 lbs, exercising everyday instead of never, being a completely positive person… oh, the list goes on. In reality, there are many small things we can do, just one small thing, that can make a world of difference in how we live our lives.

One thing I have found that can make a huge difference in how we live, and most importantly, how we PERCEIVE the world around us, is HOW WE DESCRIBE IT. It’s such a simple concept. So simple and effective that it’s nearly verging on ridiculously easy!

I first read about this concept in my late teens when I read “Awaken The Giant Within” by Anthony Robbins. To be honest, that was the first book on self-improvement that I had ever read and I took it seriously. Now I must admit that I forget a lot of it although I read it a few times within one year, but one thing that really stuck with me and that I really remembered was the part about the words we use to describe things or experiences.

It’s really quite simple. There are many words within the English language that describe how we feel. Unfortunately, there are many more to describe negative emotions than there are to described positive ones. It actually varies a whole lot between languages. I know from personal experience and knowledge of the Spanish language that there are many more words and sayings that express emotions, and I would say that at a certain level, it was easier to express what I was feeling in Spanish than it was in English. To be honest, at times I wish I could express myself in Spanish because I just can’t find the words in English.

But, that is besides the point… the words we use define how we feel. Or maybe you could also say that our feelings are defined by the words we use. One thing I have learned through reading books upon books, is that a lot of what we feel or think has to do with perception. If it has to do with perception, then if we use different words to describe what we perceive, then we can actually change how we feel about what we perceive. Again, this is ridiculously simple:

Let’s say you are driving and you tend to get angry about how others drive around you. It’s common and I know that a lot of us do this, but we have conversations with ourselves out loud about how those around us are driving. I could go into dirty language, but I’ll stick to the nicer stuff: “Doesn’t that person know how to drive?”, “I HATE people who don’t know how to signal before turning”, “It pisses me off that people just can’t look before….”

The list can go on.

Or let’s say you’ve been waiting in line for ages, in a bank probably… or maybe the DMV. In your head you are thinking out thoughts about how you feel. ”I get annoyed at how these people just take forever…” Oh, the list goes on… and to be honest, it actually tires me to think about all the things that go through our heads.

So, the simple tip is to change the words you use to describe how you feel. Change them for less harsh words, for nicer words, for words that described a lesser emotion.

So, instead of saying “I hate people who do that”. Simply say: “I get slightly annoyed when people do that”.

Instead of saying “People who do that are stupid”. Simply say: “People who do that aren’t aware of the rules or are slightly uninformed of…..”

Lessen the statement or judgement and you’ll see how your feelings towards those things just go down a notch. It works. You should see what a happy driver I am! Ha!

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Posted in Mind

Why Positip?

July 11th, 2009

I have been going through a long process of trying to understand how to get my thoughts and experiences out there, wherever that may be.

I have always thought that a more positive life would lead to a positive way of living, it’s just obvious. How could it not? The thing is that I love sharing and hearing people’s thoughts. I love feedback. I love to hear people’s opinions, what works for them, what doesn’t… and obviously: why?

I have read many books that one would think would lead to self improvement, but I have come to realize that we are all individuals and that also, beyond that, self-improvement becomes so much easier when you can share it with others, get feedback, and in the process, also get support. The human part of us yearns for interaction in both directions.

I realized that that I wanted to start some kind of blog or website geared towards positive steps when my daughter joined a “Girls On The Run” program at school. Well, my realization didn’t’ come the day that she joined; it came the day when I ran the 5K run with her at the end of the program.

Before she joined the program I was constantly struggling with my self-improvement plans. They ranged from losing weight, to managing my stress levels, to being more organized, to being more proactive, to being less depressed… the list just goes on! I had some progress on some levels, small achievements, but when I signed up for the 5K run upon request from my daughter (and she was already ready for me to say no), my goals suddenly undertook at different meaning. I looked into what the GOTR goal was (improving self-esteem and self-worth while teaching the participants, all girls, to understand the importance of regular exercise). That sounds good! Right?

The thing is this:

I had read so many books about fitness, health, exercise, self-improvement, etc, etc, that I think it had all merged in one and I didn’t know how to REALLY get up and DO something. I was overwhelmed about where to start, what to do, what to choose as the best option for me, etc. It was just overwhelming! So, my daughter starts a simple program that incorporates social understanding (how to deal with bullies, how to be yourself, etc) with physical exercise (along with it goals such as running a 5K). It seemed like a good thing for her to do just for her to have something to do, but I quickly realized that in just DOING something she was doing a lot; in just carrying something through, she was achieving something that meant a lot.

So, when I signed up for the 5K run (to run WITH her) I realized that I had to get in shape. At that point I knew I could survive a 5K run, but the question was: could I survive it respectably? I knew I couldn’t. I let my daughter know that I would be running it with her, because she thought I wouldn’t (because I wasn’t working out all that much), and that we needed to train. We were able to train together twice at our local gym, while she trained at the GOTR sessions and I also worked out myself at the gym. I suddenly had an eminent goal. There was no way to ignore it or to put it off… at least without risking having my daughter being severely disappointed with me. As a mother, having your children being disappointed with you is way to painful!

We went to the 5K. We had to get up early on a Saturday morning, which was significant because we both love sleeping in. It was exciting. It was great to be together. It was great to share that kind of experience together. I made sure I had charged my iPhone and loaded it with music and I made sure that I charged my older iPod and loaded it with music for her.

We ran the 5K. It was hard on my daughter, I must admit… but the moment the race started and I looked around me at the mothers and daughters also running… it was just an exhilarating moment. There were mothers and daughters from all walks of life. Just in front of me there was a mother with a daughter with an amputated leg and they ran much much faster that my daughter and me. There were short people, tall people, overweight people, skinny people… ALL KINDS; and everyone just ran with a smile on their face and every single mother ran while encouraging their daughter. So simple.

We finished the race. I had to encourage my daughter because I realized that she just didn’t have experience in pacing herself, breathing and all the other stuff that you need to know to run well; but she finished.

At that point I realized that sharing with others is what makes it all worthwhile. That is where the satisfaction come from. I had mothers give me tips for my daughter as we were running. There was a mutual understanding between us all. We only want our daughters to enjoy it and feel like they achieved something.

This is not about being the best. It’s not about finishing first. This is about achieving.

This is what my blog and website is about and what it’s for. I want to share, because you can know a lot but if you don’t share it with others it becomes an alphabet soup of knowledge that nobody can read.

I plan to share my goals and knowledge with others. I plan to share what brings me down and what lifts me up. I’d love to have input, comments and just general thoughts on what I share. I’m searching for the best path and I know that can always be changed, tweaked, improved… but my goal is to share what works and doesn’t for me and hopefully get input on the same level from others.

I want to be a better person in all aspects and I also want my children to see an example in me so they can also make the most of this world.

Need more information about “Girls On The Run”? Click HERE.