Healthy Cooking/Nutrition Class Review

Well I had to write a post in regards to the nutrition/cooking class that was put on by my head personal trainer Luanne Cobb.  She was wonderful and gracious to drive down to help out our little group get a grip on some healthy cooking skills.  She presented over 20 meal ideas!  Luanne showed us how to prepare many meals by taking the time once a week to get your meat ready.  When you have your protein prepared you're more likely to integrate it into your small meals. 

I can get a copy of the meals on the blog, but I need to type them out so give me some time. I thought the most valuable opportunity of the class was to see, taste, and touch the different ingredients. She handed around her favorite spices to smell, reminding us that you can cut back on salt if your food is seasoned properly. 

We had a tasters table with quinoa, basmati rice, diced artichoke hearts in a vinegar solution, sundried tomatoes in an olive oil, dried cranberries, and pomegranates which she uses to flavor her food.  I cooked up her daughter's recipe of dill crusted salmon and for those of us who enjoy fish we couldn't stop snacking on it!

I made up Georgia's healthy muffins for the first time and loved them and more importantly my kids did too! Hopefully I can wean my baby off his cookie addiction ;o) I did cook one batch with Truvia and agave syrup to sweeten and I could taste the truvia, but it wasn't that bad and the batch I cooked with just sugar and agave syrup you couldn't tell at all! I really am liking the agave syrup on my french toast, cottage cheese and plain greek yogurt, just a little bit though, it's not calorie free.

Valeen made a yummy apple chicken salad that was so simple and balanced, Luanne gave the recipe 2 thumbs up! She also made banana bread using blended white beans to replace the fat and it was so moist and tasty you would never guess was made with beans. 

Every shared their favorite balanced small meal which I'll be posting on the meal ideas soon and lastly we got to sample Melaleuca products to see which ones we liked. This was very helpful for me as I was hesitant to try some things for fear I wouldn't like it, even though everything is returnable, just tasting the Ruby red grapefruit Sustain electrolyte drink convinced me to order that next month! I also liked the Access Shake hot, like a hot chocolate drink, first thing in the morning before you exercise, just perfect for winter.

Luanne explained that while some of the ingredients she showed us may seem expensive, you only use a little bit to flavor your food and they'll last for months in your fridge so it really pays off.  This cooking class really helped open our eyes to different things to try to get us out of our cooking ruts.  There will be another class like this in Layton the end of January, so contact me if interested in attending!

Food Nutrition Class this Saturday!

This is going to be great! Bring a friend! It's going to be at Debbie Burrows' House 3599 S. 4700 W. West Haven.  If you want to make a healthy treat to share please do, but no pressure :o)
THE TIME HAS CHANGED TO 10:30 SO WE CAN HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO GET THROUGH THE CLASS!

Make a free invitation card

When life gets busy...

Life is always busy isn't it?  If it isn't one thing, it's another. Not that it's a bad thing, but learning how to not let the stress of it all ruin your goal for healthy living can be a challenge.  This past week I struggled with poor health and with my healthy living challenge I only got one point for keeping my personal goal which was to not let myself give up when I made a poor choice.  So to clarify, when I knew that I missed my point for the day, I did not stop trying to make healthy choices just because of my one mistake.  In this challenge we're focusing on portion control, balanced meals, getting our water, and exercising every day.  You have to get all 4 items focused on done well for the day to get your point.  Well, it seemed that for whatever reason, I messed up on at least one of those things every day so I didn't earn one daily point.  It wasn't for lack of trying though, I had every intention, but when push came to shove when I had the choice between healthy or not I rationalized in the moment that it wasn't a big deal.  You know all those "it's not a big deal"'s add up! Whether your just starting out on the healthy living journey or you're an old pro, that thought process can really nip you in the bud. One thing leads to another and before you know it you find yourself at the drivethrough ordering a double cheese with large fries and a shake (and it's not your day off ;o). 

My point is to encourage you to not minimalize the little choices you make everyday, and if you do make a poor "little" choice, don't give up, just move on and make the next choice a good one.  Planning ahead makes a big difference, especially when you're getting started, having good choice options in the house, car, and work, and schedualling in your exercise will all pay off in the long run. 

My favorite things on the run are an apple and cheese stick, a Fiberwise bar or Attain bar, and a water bottle to carry with me full of Sustain electrolyte drink (the products are Melaleuca). 

So here's to a new week and opportunity to make good choices even when life is busy!

Whew! Week 1 is done.

Isn't that always the case?  The first week is the hardest because your realize how far you've strayed.   I'm talking about the Healthy Eating Contest that just started.  We're actually in the middle of the 2nd week and things are going much smoother than last week.  I wanted to jot down observations in hopes that might help you recognize what's happening in your life too in regards to healthy eating. 

So as I said the first week was a toughy for me because I realized I'd slipped back into so many bad habits.  I caught myself putting a taste of everything that I saw into my mouth whether I was hungry or not. I was eating too big of portions, and eating off my kids plates as I cleared them. 

So in this contest there is a weekly personal goal and I decided this week to writed down everything that I put in my mouth.  Kinda like a punishment for getting out of control (cause I hate to do it), and it makes me think twice about putting things in my mouth because I know I have to write it down.  I suggest you try this if you're starting out and don't know where to start cause everything is so overwhelming. You can analyze your list and see what you need to work on, and if you're working with Georgia she said she'd be willing to analyze it for you. 

On a different train of thought...The workout with Lu last night at the Roy Complex was so much fun! It was my first superset ever, and although there were some very jiggly moments, I made it through and am only mildly sore today.  We will keep you posted on the next time and date. We missed all those who didn't make it! 

Who's on board?

It's been a couple months since I stepped off the train, well, more like slowly falling off.  Old habits come creeping back in little by little...but I finally realized what was happening when Sat. night came around and I was not even looking forward to my "day off"! Why? Well, because I had allowed little snitches and even outright "rule" breaking throughout the week.  I'm thinking that it's time to get back on the train, and wanted to take you all with me this time... :D  Who's up for an adventure in healthy living?!

Here's my thoughts, I'd like to do a 6 week challenge and it's not a weight loss challenge, it's a healthy living challenge and the more consistent you are the better your chances are of winning.
What do you win?  Well, I was thinking 2 tickets to the Time Out For Women Conference in Salt Lake City, November 19 and 20th, which is 2 weeks after the contest would end..
How to win: keep score of every day that you drink 8 glasses of water, eat good portions of food, eat good balanced meals, exercise. So 4 things to focus on a day, and if you do all 4 you get a point for the day, and you report your cumulative points every week.
It's consistency that I'm hoping to reinforce, an opportunity to develop habits over a long period of time.
I'd like to invite you all to join in on the contest, it's just 15 dollars to join in, and the more people who join, the more winners we can have, so invite your friends. Let me know if you want to sign up by contacting me or leaving a comment on this post and I'll get a hold of you.  Let's start next Monday the 27th. That will give us a chance to get the word out and get our money turned in.
Here's a link to the program for Time out for Women, I went in February and it was awesome!
http://deseretbook.com/time-out/event/113

The Journey of learning a new healthy lifestyle has been a beautiful one for me.  There have been many breakthroughs of mental brick walls that have been keeping me from getting on the road to health for many years.  I finally am gaining an understanding of what a healthy perspective towards food looks like.  I'd like to share one walls I'm currently knocking down:

For years I honestly didn't know how people could turn down seconds when it came to dessert. I have friends and family who are able to do so and I've watched them carefully and observed that it wasn't a painful decision, or one that was done because of social pressure, it was just because they "weren't hungry", or they
"just ate".  I am just now understanding that they were able to say no to food because they knew how to listen to their body.  What a wonderful skill to acquire!; one that children are born with but often lose somewhere along the winding road of life. 

I am working hard to relearn this skill of listening to my body, and to help my children not lose this skill!  Learning to listen to my body requires desire to change, and a love of self. 

The desire to change is necessary if the skill has been lost because you can't learn something new if you're not ready to let go of old habits.

Yagottawanna :)

The love of self is a necessary key.  Think about it:  You're full and contemplating eating more, if you love the food more than you love yourself, you are going to choose food, despite the consequences of overeating. It requires a desire to take care of your body and not cause pain and discomfort to self to turn down the food. I guess this could work the other way around too if you struggle with allowing yourself to eat food when you're hungry (anorexia), but I've personally never had a problem with that : D

The guidelines that my personal trainer is teaching me are directions needed to get back on the right road toward healthy living.  Sometimes it's hard to follow because I've been off the beaten path for too long, but the closer I get, the easier it becomes because I can finally see the road I've been trying to reach. I understand why people choose to go on this road of healthy living and know it's worth it because the journey just keeps getting better!



"Everyday is a winding road,,,I get a little bit closer"

End of the Month Report:

Well, here we are at the end of July, it seems like just yesterday I was watching the 4th of July fireworks. There were plenty of BBQ's, family get-togethers, and festivities.  I knew that this month would be tricky as I just figured out how to eat healthy on my own, and taking on the social scene would be challenging.  Here are some things I learned:

1. You don't have to overeat just because there's lots of food.  Basic concept, makes sense, but for some reason in the past if I saw a huge pot luck I have felt a duty to taste everything and come back for seconds for the meal and get a plate full of desserts.  So now I've learned to grab a protein, a carb, and a bunch of vegetables and call it good. (Maybe a sliver of dessert:) 
2. Put the emphasis of the get-together on the people not the food! If I'm more interested in catching up with friends and family, I can't be stuck behind a plate of food.  The purpose of gatherings are to build relationships with people, NOT FOOD! (it is okay to enjoy your food though:) but also enjoy stimulating conversation because you aren't too busy stuffing your face!
3. People really are OK if you don't eat 5 desserts.  For some reason in the past I felt a duty to taste everything, so that I could tell everyone how much I liked their treats.  But I didn't this month, and nobody got in my face and demanded that I eat what they made, or made me feel bad for not trying what they made. Isn't it funny how your head can get wrapped around an idea and you can go years without challenging the validity of the concept?  
4. It is wonderful to leave a get-together and not feel gorged; just refreshed because you had time to catch up with friends and family. I enjoy not feeling guilty for eating too much.  Just don't eat too much and the guilt goes away. It's not easy when you've got a habit of overeating at get-togethers, but definitely worth trying out.

So I really want to hear from YOU to see how this month went.  Like I said, it was a tricky month and many of you are just starting, so don't be hard on yourself if it didn't go perfectly.  I would like to hear what you did try, and how it went. I would also like to hear what's challenging you, putting it into words makes it recognizable so you can make a plan of attack. 
Let's set some goals for next month and work on them together!  If you prefer to keep your comments with just me then shoot me an email, otherwise post your comments below on this blog. Perhaps your observations will help others!

just a thought....

I've been sick for 16 days, and I've got several weeks to go.  I spent the evening on the porch swing. Grateful for the opportunity to heal, but longing to go on a walk, or jog, or do a strengthening workout. 
(Those Access "candy" bars keep calling my name:)
I reflected on how thankful I was for the time I did get to spend improving my health before I got sick.

I just wanted to plant a seed in the mind of my readers tonight:

As busy as life is, and as many directions we get pulled, consider not neglecting your health. You owe it to yourself and those who depend on you and love you to take care of yourself. 

When you do take care of yourself, you send a message to yourself and those you love that you want to be the best person you can be. You also demonstrate to God the gratitude you feel for the body He gave you.

Every day is a new day, a new opportunity. There is time to eat healthy, and exercise, just make it a priority.  It's something you won't regret. 

And while you're at it, do an extra exercise count for me!

Open the Bag!

Well, I've been recovering from my illness up at my mom's house. I took it upon myself to be my mom and sister's live-in personal healthy lifestyle coach.  (Even though they say they are excited about that, I'm not sure how long the excitement will last :o)
Sooo, I'm sure you can imagine my shock and horror when I looked into their cupboard and saw the Attain Shakes had NOT BEEN OPENED YET, and had sat there for a SOLID MONTH!!!!
My mom said they didn't want to open them until they were 100% committed to eating healthy.
Uh, okay, I've got a problem with that!
Now let's be honest now friends, how many of you are just like my mom? Worried about taking that first step because it represents a committment you're not sure you can keep yet?
Here, let me figuratively hold your hand for a minute and tell you it's OKAY.  It's okay to not be perfect on the first day you decide to make some positive changes in your life.  Consider that making the positive changes in your life are like pushing a big boulder down the top of a steep mountain.  The first pushes are going to take some effort, and some of your pushing is going to feel futile and non-effective, but as the boulder starts to build momentum it gets a lot easier, and soon it starts to roll on it's own.  If your goal was to get that boulder rolling, the only way to get it started was to start pushing, even though those pushes were not 100% perfect. 
Don't beat yourself up if you don't eat every meal perfectly balanced and portioned. Don't stop trying to learn  how to develop lean muscle just because you didn't figure out how to breathe perfectly on the first day, (that can be quite confusing, but soon enough it becomes second nature).
DO take those first steps. Use the tools that make taking those first steps easier, like wedging the boulders with levers to unearth it, the Attain Bars and Shakes and Access Bars and Shakes are tools to make those first pushes and steps more effective. 
Now seriously if you have not opened your bags or boxes yet, please call me, I'll help you take that first step,,,OPEN THE BAG!

New Healthy Lifestyle Contest Daily Checklist

Healthy Lifestyle Contest Daily Checklist - Notepad


Here is a help to get you started as you learn new habits.  Setting a goal to achieve a healthier lifestyle is a worthy endeavor and one that can be reached by taking SMALL daily steps.  This checklist is a way to document the journey and help keep track of progress.
Print off this Checklist and keep it in a handy place, for me it would be hanging it on the fridge.  Print 2 copies per week and report back to me, if competition helps you stay on task, otherwise keep your own progress and see how daily decisions make a big differences in your life!

Come join me in the fun!

Well, before I dive in, I'd like explain where I've been.  You heard I had the flu, well, it ended up being West Nile Virus, and I got it bad.  It's gonna be a couple weeks at least to recover, and then some.  I'm just grateful to say I'm going to recover!!! Life changes on a dime, doesn't it :o)

So, I'd love to invite anyone intersted in sharing some thoughts about healthy lifestyle living to write up a paragraph or two and shoot me an email.  I find that the best ideas are those conversations you have in your head, or that you've shared with a friends, or family; just jot it down and share with us!  I'll put you as a guest poster for the day, and I've got some prizes for those willing to take the time to do this!

I really have enjoyed doing this blog and would hate to see the momentum die off when there is such great potential, I hope you feel the same and will share with me what's on your mind,,, it might end up as a post! 

Learn the ropes before the tough days come!

When I started working with Georgia the timing was just right for me, I didn't have anything major going on, no major crisis sapping my time and energy, and my health was fair.  It was the perfect time for me to put some effort into learning how to pair carbs and proteins, how to find the correct balance for my calorie needs, how to eye portions,  and discover new foods that provide the nutrients I need. I took advantage of that time and put the effort into learning the system and I'm so glad I did, because you never know what life is going to throw you, and when. 
For example today: I came down with the flu yesterday.  You know, the please somebody shoot me cause I know death would feel so much better than this flu. The chills, the sweats, and the insane headache and body aches. (okay,,, enough complaining,,,you get the picture:oP )
Well, I've been able to stay on target with my nutrition, even though exercise is out of the question.  I know there is no way I could have done that 10 weeks ago when I was just learning the ropes. 
But this is my point to all my friends who have joined me in this journey:  IT GETS EASIER! It becomes natural and just part of your life, and it's worth the effort.  Don't give up!  And don't be afraid to ask questions.  Many times I texted Georgia for random questions as I was figuring things out, and you are more than welcome to do the same for me,,,not that I'm an expert, but I've got a few on my team:o)
If you're are in the thick of life you can still do this, just focus on learning like 1 thing a week, and take it easy on yourself it's better to go slow than not to change at all!
If this post doesn't seem to flow as well as the others please take it with a grain of salt....like I said...I've got the flu ;o)

Why a day off keeps me on track....

The system of healthy lifestyle I'm using advocates taking a 24 hour break from my health routine every week.  I usually do this from Saturday evening to Sunday evening.  Since I started following this system I've had about 10 days off, and I live it up every time!  It seems that by Saturday I begin to get a little tired of the routine and really start to count down the hours till my time off.  I love the fact that I don't have to say goodbye forever to brownies and ice cream, white rolls, butter, donuts, fries, ect. I just say "see you next weekend". I love that this really works, I'm able to continue to improve my health, burn fat, create muscle, and still have my cake and eat it too,,,on the weekend.
This weekend I went to the Burger Bar and got a cheeseburger, homemade fries, cherry lime rickey and a cookies and cream shake.  I shared it all with my kids, but I got to cure my craving.  I've actually not allowed myself to go to the Burger Bar in over 6 years, because in the past I was trying to lose weight and you don't go to the Burger Bar when you're doing that! But now that I know how to find balance I was able to go and enjoy myself.  It made me very happy!
A funny thing about the day off is that by the end of the 24 hours I find myself looking forward to returning to my healthy routine.  I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and on this healthy lifestyle system my digestion thrives, but throw in the unhealthy food and all the old symptoms come back.  It really helps me remember how well this healthy lifestyle is working for me and motivates me to stick with it for another week.
So for you that using this same system I'm on, what do YOU think about the day off?  Is it a help or hindrance?

These are a few of my NEW favorite things....

I've been exploring different options for lowering the carbs in my diet and increasing the healthy protein.  This is actually been quite fun for me. I'm one of those people who always orders something different at a restaurant. However, I'm married to one of those people who almost always orders the same thing at a restaurant.  The first year or two of marriage was quite interesting as it took me a while to grasp the concept that he doesn't enjoy spontaneity when it comes to food. 
Funny flashback story, the first time I cooked for him while we were dating, I made him an omelet with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, ect.  It was a masterpiece and I could tell he didn't like it, but I couldn't fathom why. Well, as I mentioned above it took a couple years of marriage for me to catch on,,,I'm a slow learner.
So fast forward 8 years, and I've got the hang of what he likes; and I like to cook what he likes, hence my cooking has become quite predictable and routine.  Well, I knew that me trying new things was going to be an issue and I talked it over with my friend, Melinda, who has a predictable husband as well, and she said it really hasn't been a big problem, she prepares her regular meals but when it's a high carb dish, she'll prepare a small pan of alternative just for her.  It doesn't take much extra time, because it's just for her, and she eats along with the family, no one's feathers are ruffled and life goes on just as before.  I decided to give it a try a couple weeks ago, when I was making spaghetti  with meat sauce.  Now you can eat pasta in small portions, but I'm looking for other lower carb alternatives so I tried spaghetti squash, I microwaves 1/4 of it in a bowl, with butter spray and salt, for 5 minutes.  It was sooo easy, and it was great just like that but topped with meat sauce was delicious, and it wasn't a big deal. The family ate their pasta, I ate with them. I felt much better afterwards without having a big carb sleepiness come over me, as does when I eat too much carbs, but more importantly I felt excited, knowing I got to order something new on the menu.  It was mentally refreshing to me!
So some other fun stuff I've ordered from my new menu is: eggplant, acorn squash, thin buns, lowfat cheese sticks, and greek yogurt.  It's exciting to know that there's many more things for me to try and I'm not completely rocking the boat of my family's predictable menu. 
What have you discovered that is working for you and your family?

I made cookies last night....

....does this sound like a confessional?  This IS a healthy lifestyle blog....Well you might be thinking I made healthy cookies, but no I didn't, they were regular chocolate chip cookies.
For my husband they are a mainstay of his diet.
(he's one of those guys who can eat 12 cookies a day and still look great in a pair of Wranglers...don't be jealous, just be happy for him....)
More importantly, cookies are significant demonstration of love.
(if all kids had a mom as great as my hubby's the world would be a better place :o)
Making cookies
(or buying cookies...let's keep it real friends...:o)
has and will be a constant part of my life as I travel around the sun with my incredible eternal companion...
AKA...husband.  
Referring back to yesterday's post I'm working on retraining my hands while making cookies.  Before I started the cookies I prepared by making myself a chocolate blueberry Attain shake . It was delicious, filled me up and it was perfectly balanced between protein and carbs. 
I did pop a piece of walnut in my mouth and one chocolate chip, but I did not eat a hot cookie right out of the oven. I really wasn't even tempted to, because I was so full from the shake.  But I noticed my hands wanted to reach out and grab a cookie and I had to tell my hand: NO!
My message with this story is that there will be temptations in our daily life that we can't remove, a challenge we have to face head on.  It takes contemplation, preparation, and execution, not just once but many times to give our hands and mind opportunity to relearn actions.  Every time we go through the new motions we rewire the circuitry in our brains so that it gets easier and easier.  (This is science according to Charity, but it makes sense, right?)
So I guess I should thank my dear husband for this opportunity go grow stronger...I know I'm getting somewhere because that sentence never ran through my mind a few months ago...
So what are your challenges you can not remove from daily life and how are you facing them head on, let's share and help each other!

Retraining My Hands

I've been working on taking notice of all the unconcious movement my hands do when it comes to food.  One of the biggest challenges of learning a healthy lifestyle is UN-learning all the years of bad habits!

For example, one habit I've been working on, is not eating off my children's plates.  My sister-in-law helped my change my perspective, instead of thinking, "look at all this food going to waste", I now think, "my body is not a garbage disposal", and I clear the plates after meals without putting my kids' leftovers in my mouth. 
I've learned to keep the counters clear of food, because if it's in sight, my hands just grab for it and insert into mouth.  It doesn't matter if I'm hungry or not.  It's just a bad habit. 
One habit I currently working on is not taking a bite of food before I hand it to my kids.  I guess it started with wanting to make sure it wasn't too hot, or I would tear off the crust because they seemed to eat the sandwich better without it, but I realized it was a habit when my little boy noticed I didn't take a bite of his food first and offered it to me, as if it had become part of his ritual too!  Good Grief!!!

UN-learning years of bad habits takes focus and perserverance.  It often requires stopping myself midway through a motion of picking up food and setting it back down again with a mantra running through my head of: You don't need those extra calories, they add up! or sometimes the mantra is a little threatening: Set the food back down and no one will get hurt. :o)

I want to teach my hands to be nice to myself, by not forcing me to eat things I don't need.  (I have this mental picture of my left hand slapping my right hand for picking up unnecessary food :o) How are you re-training your hands?  What are some tips that make daily life easier when unlearning years of bad habits?  Let's help each other!

A New Start Every Day!

Today feels like a fresh start for me. Last week I was getting over a cold and not up for exercising regularly. This weekend I was on a road trip and although it was a good experience learning how to travel and eat healthy, I'm glad to be home with my stocked fridge and cupboards.  I woke up today and exercised while the kids watched cartoons (I love that I can fit in my strength training without leaving the house) and with each healthy meal I eat, the more empowered I feel.  
I am so glad to have found a road to healthy living that works for me. I can't remember the last time I've felt so good.  Giving up the treats that come along in daily life is less and less of a sacrifice because I know that staying on course feels so much better. (Although I'm very glad for my day off, who's with me?)

I'm so glad to have friends join me in this journey and invite you all to leave a comment and let me know how it's going today. 
What's on YOUR mind?  What's working? What's not? 


Feel free to comment on each others notes if you have some advice or you're in the mood to commiserate.
Let me know if you're having technical difficulties:)