plant based diet....aka Vegan.

so...I'm contemplating a change......a change in the way that I eat, and eventually maybe even the way my family eats.
for awhile know I've been looking into plant-based eating/raw foods....and for a girl that grew up on a dairy farm-I never thought I'd see the day.

I've always had some sort of animal on my plate, and I've always been told it's good for me.....but is it?

there are so many reasons to avoid animal consumption...the main ones being personal and environmental health. the animals we have available to eat now are not the same as years ago....evolution of the food chain....but does it really benefit us in the long run? big food companies have invested large sums of money in R&D in the hopes to produce inexpensive foods but still sell them at a high cost....bottom line is profit...and those big companies want it ALL!

in a nutshell they have found cheaper ingredients that aren't only void of any necessary nutrition for the human body...but these ingredients have the ability to trigger cravings in our body....almost mimicking the same effects as most hard drugs.

sickening isn't it?
....and what's even more disturbing....most of the meat we ingest is rotting inside your body as it's waiting to be digested! yum...?

now...don't get me wrong....i love steak, bbq chicken and ham at Easter...it's what i grew up on (especially being in a dairy farm) and what we perceive as "normal".

I'm trying to change my state of normal....I'm sure it will be a very hard thing to do....withdrawals from sugary and processed foods are much like withdrawals from drug dependency...headaches, low will power, irritable and so on....especially since I'm a "food addict"

a little while ago i watched a documentary called " Fat, sick and nearly Dead"...a man decided to document his journey from being fat,sick and nearly dead into a slim,healthy person....he did this thru juicing...for 60 days he did nothing but juice his "food". i was so inspired, i grabbed out my blender that had been gathering dust in the cupboard and went at it....though i only did it for 5 days....it was amazing......I was honestly impressed!

my skin looked better,clearer...i had energy....and the best thing wad i didn't have any major withdrawal symptoms that i thought i would have by only juicing.

people are kind of scared with juicing/vegan concept....
how do you get enough protein? simple...all veggies and even fruit contain protein....honest they do !
spinach contains 49% protein in a serving!....it's just plant protein instead of animal based...and this protein is much easier for your body to break down.

am I getting too much sugar? Yes and No. The sugars I'm getting are pure, unaltered sugar in it's natural state("white" sugar is bleached..)...but my juices are mainly veggie based...the fruit is just to add sweetness to the drink so it will be more palatable..
what about the fiber? I get fiber too....the "juicer" I use is a juicer/blender combo...so I still get some of the pulp into my juice...plus, I do eat other food...just going to be decreasing the processed kind...

The post above was one I started in the spring....I was sluggish, overweight (still am;) and feeling awful because of my food choices.

I would say that for a good portion of the summer, I remained a steadfast "vegan" (about 80/20)....for most/all of the day I would eat a full plant based menu...quinoa, greens, juices, salads, almonds, etc...but then once I started making my family dinner (which usually comprised of meat with veggies and such) I caved and had meat.
What I notice though, is that after the meat dinner...I am sluggish, tired and my tongue has a weird fuzzy feeling to it (honest!) and I usually have a headache......after my plant based meals...I wasn't "full", but I wasn't hungry, I had a ton of energy, my head was clear and I just overall felt great.


BUT...then WHY....when I know all this information about plant eating and how it makes me feel.....DO I GIVE IN AND EAT TERRIBLE! ugh....(as I sit in a chip and ice cream coma...yup, that's right)

So...for the MONTH of October I am going to try to go 100% VEGAN! Yup....I'll be going 31 days without eating meat, meat products, dairy, eggs (which is OK b/c 2 out of the 4 of the people in my house can't even EAT eggs due to allergies..)...luckily my family loves fruits and veggies, so the only thing I'll have to steer clear of is their dinner....

So....yet AGAIN I'm going to try and keep up with "tracking" my progress, with posts here at least twice a week!!
~happy (vegan) health~

Do you have any questions or thoughts about being Vegan?

Happy New Year!! (yes...I know it's March!)

So....as you can see my last post was December 31st...in 2012....and it is now March 6th 2013.

Where have I been??
...I have was sucked back into the "lazy, non-exercise, non-healthy lifestyle"...and I feel like JUNK.(also add in there a few bouts with being sick and such....ya know...life...just not in a good way)

BUT...where am I now!?
...back on track, taking it one day at a time...one workout at a time....one good clean meal at a time...
...and I'm not going to let one bad meal ruin my path to health and wellness.
 

I have taken these past few weeks...gone thru my Pinterest pages and written down ideas, meals, recipes, snack ideas and for workouts I've gone back to the roots, where I know I'll get quick results...Turbo Fire.

IF you FAIL to PLAN....you PLAN to FAIL!

and with that being said...I'm going back to my "plan" that gave me the BEST results....

5:45am workout

ugh...but at the same time it's nice...I have such a busy day as soon as 7am hits that I don't have any "time" to workout...and I don't really feel like doing it at 7pm at night...so, seeing how I'm UP at 5am...

just finished a Fire 30 and Stretch 10....I feel great...now....this week is going to be the hardest hurdle to jump...one of the side effects of starting a workout is feeling the muscles....they are achy (but in a GOOD way...because of exercise and activity....not because they are suffocating under a thick layer of fat)

Also...earlier on in the year I was able to have an opportunity to become a part of a weight loss documentary......so I had to do some soul searching for a bit. Part of the outline of the contract (it was for a year, following people struggling and succeeding to lose weight) was that I wasn't able to discuss my weight loss on ANY social media...and that included my blog.
And I had just started my blog...and quite enjoyed it to be honest. (and I am very humbled about the number of people that read my ramblings...thank you.)

Needless to say.....I declined the documentary....why? Because THIS is what kept me accountable in the past...and will in the present....and will for the future. This is my journal....and while, normally my journals of the past included a lock and key...I want to share my ups and downs with everyone.....so in that I would hope to start seeing more UPS versus downs....more success and capture the holy grail of health and wellness....to the point where it is natural...

Here's to getting UP and starting again...

~happy health~

My Challenge "re-start"....

That's right....I'm going to pull out the Mulligan card....and "restart" my Challenge!!

The start of my week  was fan-freaking-tastic.....and then cupcakes showed their face in my house....and it all went downhill......luckily, I still managed to do a workout on Friday to minimize my bad eating habits....I was all over the 20% portion of my week (I do an 80-20 rule....80% of the week is clean eating and workouts, while 20% of the week I'm not so strict with what I eat, and I still workout)

But...on Sunday I sat down...got out my planner....and SCHEDULED the next 3 months. Done.

Today was my Day 4 in my TurboFire schedule (I wanted Sundays to be my day off, as I usually grocery shop and take the boys skating)....I stick Day 1 and Day 2 at the end of the schedule...it all works out!

So..........drumroll........I am pleased to announce........that I completed my workout this morning!!
Fire 30 and Stretch 10! Here's a little preview of what I did this morning:

Phew!

This is what I'm up to today....

 

 What about you?! In the first 6 weeks I was/am losing 1lb a week, and only doing 30 minute workouts a day.......it's as easy as pushing play everyday!

This month I'm dedicating my time to the WHOLE workout (for the days that I can!) scheduled!

As the saying goes "you are one workout away from feeling good!" (or something like that!)

(PS....I'm now OUT of the 200lb range and into the MID 190's.....haven't been there in 4+ years!)

WHAT?!?! I have to PLAN to be healthy!!???

Yup...you sure do!

No different then organizing your kids' hockey schedule, or completing your grocery list (you DO make a grocery list before going to the store.... right??) and when you have a plan...there's usually a goal/end result that comes along with it...and it's pretty good, isn't it?





I recently became "friends" with my schedule...and I'll tell ya...my days are a lot easier and I (physically) feel a lot better WHEN I stick to my "plan"....the old saying  "failing to plan is a plan to fail"...totally rings true. There is a lot that everyone squeezes into a day......right now I'm carving out 30 minutes/6 days a week to working out.... I have a schedule for my workouts that I follow...and man..when I do it I feel awesome and my days are great!! (long, but great!)

I just read a great article in the Harvard Business Review by Peter Bregman about managing time effectively.
Though this is about being "at the office"....but really, it can be applied to any/everyone.

He says that managing time needs to become ritual and not vague (or else you are just floating thru the day) with ongoing/regular things that we can/will follow no matter what, as that is what keeps us focused (ever lost 3 or more hours just "sitting at the computer"? Those are precious minutes that you'll never get back)


Here is how I have set MY schedule....and maybe this can give you some thoughts about how YOU can give yourself 30 mins for your HEALTH!!

What I USED to do: Make lunches the night before (and squish them into the fridge) and then I would stay UP LATE and watch my "shows"...going to bed maybe by midnight or so...the next morning I would hope that my husband remembered to grab his lunch from the fridge (and grab the right lunch...) and make his coffee and maybe a piece of toast or a bagel......50% of the time I ended up being too tired to make lunches at the end of the day (and so then, they weren't made...meaning my husband had to BUY his breakfast and lunch...cha ching!) and I still stayed up late, because I was just floating thru the day...getting little things here and there done, but really not making a dent in the real "work" I should have been doing.


What I do NOW: I get UP at 5am...make breakfast and lunch for my husband, grab a pre-workout snack, drink a big thing of water(to rehydrate my body from sleeping...and it seems to wake me up)...change into my workout clothes (which I keep all together in one place) DO my workout....by Pressing Play.....have a shower, and then I'm ready to start my day as my first daycare kids arrive at 7am.
 Yes...it's early. But...now I have the REST of the DAY to get everything else done!! Even a 20 or 30 min power nap (yes...you heard me...I nap...something I never could do, but now because I'm up so early...I have to)....now that my workout is OUT of the way....I get laundry done, dishes, and plan for dinner....AND I do/try to get into bed by 9:30/10pm the LATEST....luckily, most of my "shows" I can watch on the computer if I want, or On Demand, but most of the time it just doesn't bother me if I don't watch them.....I find it's very easy to get SUCKED in to sitting and watching TV all night....my husband is a PRIME example of that......but, hopefully I will get working on his workout schedule and carving out some time for him in the next few weeks....poor bugger...but at least he'll be fit;)

I know I'm lucky because I get to work from home...but trust me, there are some days where the time just gets away from me....

Does your schedule need to be more organized? Take some time to put your "regular" schedule down on paper...I bet you'll be able to find 30 minutes...if not...send ME your schedule and I can find it for you;)

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble.....Gulp!

For anyone reading this that ISN'T in Canada.....it's Thanksgiving Weekend here. And what does that mean for most families....FOOD. And Lots of it!

My family has 2 events this weekend.....currently we are up at my parents house and then we head to my husband's family gathering.......for me this is the start of SO many temptations!! And with my Biggest Loser weigh in on Wednesday...ugh!

But...I'll be honest....it's been so far so good....except for the last few days when I ended up getting NO workouts in:(.....some mornings I have an amazing amount of energy, and some I have NONE (that and a few new business things have come along my way and they have monopolized my time in the mornings....but not starting Monday....it's back to the grind!)

So back to the "feasts" that I will be exposed to......first....visiting my parents. Where my parents live, the community comes out to support everyone and everything......whenever an event/fundraiser is held, you know pretty much the community and surrounding areas are attending...so you need to get there FAST and early! We had to(my mom wanted to) leave the house at 10:30..now mind you the event didn't start until 11 and the Community Centre is only a 2 minute drive away......BUT there was a LINE UP to get IN!!

This weekend at my parents, the area Church holds their annual Thanksgiving Fundraiser....which comprises of a bake sale, crafts, and other goods that people in the church have decided to make and sell (all $$ is donated back to the Church)....there  is also a large donation table, where large businesses have donated amazing items, and for $1.00, you get 5 tickets to place infront of the item you'd like to win and then cross the fingers and hope to get a call.....we didn't get a call.......nuts.

Usually my mom does all her own baking...cookies, etc....but lately she's been backing off (which isn't a bad thing......then she has more time to take care of herself and do what she wants to do)....and purchasing pies, cookies and chocolate treats at this fundraiser.....so not only is she STILL supplying us with yummy treats....she's supporting her community.

So...after fighting (nicely) the crowds to get the pies...I took them to the car and then went back inside....met my mom at the chocolate table.....oh my....my mouth was watering!!! But...I resisted temptation and only got my boys a treat....well, I knew that whatever my mom got, some of it was coming home with us anyhow....
then later on, we had an amazing Thanksgiving Dinner....turkey, turnip, squash, peas, potatoes and my mom's yummy, irresistible crock pot stuffing....oh, and did I mention Cherry Pie and ice cream for dessert?
Needless to say...I ate. And ate. I even had a few extra bites of stuffing FROM the crock pot....at this point, my husband ``reminded`` me of the progress I`ve made in the last 4 weeks (thanks for being nice about it dear!:).......AND because we get to do it all over again Sunday, he didn`t want to see me spiral out of control (which would usually happen!)......so my game plan was to ``indulge`` some at my parents, and keep it in check at his family dinner......so I will REALLY need my strength for this one....that and I think I`ll take a veggie platter....that way I can just munch on veggies through the day.....then I`m back to the workout schedule and regular daily routine.

For me...Thanksgiving is the start of my busy time.....first, Thanksgiving, then Halloween (I know it`s not a holiday, but there is candy involved)....then my son`s birthday and party, and then 6 weeks after that...Christmas and New Year!! Phew....I`m already tired just thinking about it!!

But, in the end, it`s nice to be able to get together with family and friends and celebrate holidays and events. Unfortunately my brother wasn`t able to join us this weekend, but my parents are going to have Thanksgiving dinner and visit with him on Sunday....some times plans work, and sometimes they don`t...luckily I can talk to or see my brother whenever, so missing one family meal together isn`t the end..

but back to the grind Monday....
happy health

October...October....how did we get here so fast!!

 

So, a week or so has passed since my last post....sorry about that!

I have been taking some time to "educate" myself on having a good blog, AND on being healthy, happy and balanced....I was finding that I was posting the same things, just different days, and now I'm trying to organize my thoughts and make sure this isn't a "diary", but more of an inspiration/reminder to myself as well as to anyone else that stumbles upon this little blog!

so....please bear with me as it may be a few days or so between posts....it comes down to time management, and I can either manage my time to learn things on the computer OR I can complete a post....(and I still need to fit time in for those pesky things, like cleaning, kids and such;)

So....to throw a question out there...how do you get yourself balanced, happy and healthy??

Do you just jump right into it and start no matter what, or do you wait until "the next Monday", or wait until you have an eating plan/schedule in place??