girl meets health.

5 lessons learned from my exercise rut.

Gracie — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:24:50 +0000

Have you noticed that I rarely ever eat flavored yogurt? I’m just not a huge fan. I find most flavored yogurt to be too sweet and/or runny, so I generally stick to flavoring plain yogurt myself. Some of my favorite mix-ins are cocoa powder, jam, and nut butter. This morning I found a new favorite: apple butter.

SO GOOD!

I naturally threw together a bowl of loaded yogurt, which included:

plain Greek yogurt + tbsp apple butter mixed in
Fiber One
Peanut Butter Puffins
sliced banana
spoonful of walnut butter

As Enrique would say, baby I like it!

what my exercise rut taught me.

I’ve mentioned a few times how I was in an exercise rut over the summer. My rut was due to a combination of things, such as living at the shore and simply lacking motivation. I’ve gone through exercise ruts in the past, but what was different about this one was that I just didn’t really care. I can’t tell you exactly why that is, but I can tell you how that has benefited me in the long run.

When I came across Angela’s What Have You Learned? post yesterday, I realized that now is a great time to look back and see what important lessons I’ve learned through my exercise rut experience. What I found is that “not caring” at the time has proved to teach me some valuable lessons for the here and now.

1. Trusting my body can be a reality. Like my exercise ruts of the past, I thought that ending this particular rut would be a case of pushing myself out it. That wasn’t the case at all. Instead, I slowly but surely just wanted to exercise again. There was no magical moment where I realized I was out of a rut. It just…happened. While I hear the phrase “trust your body” often and mostly use the concept in terms of eating, I was never quite on board when it came to exercise. However, this experience has shown me that my body was made to move and perform certain actions, so it will tell me when it’s time to take a break and time to get moving again.

2. A lack of exercise will not make me gain weight. I have definitely come a long way when it comes to separating my eating habits from my exercise habits in terms of weight loss/maintenance. For a long time I was convinced that I had to eat less on non-exercise days. But what my nearly two-month long exercise rut showed me was that exercise actually doesn’t have an affect on my weight at all. I understand that that might not be the case for everyone, but for me, it was. It’s good to learn something new about my body, especially because I want to continue on this path of truly trusting it.

3. Being sedentary kind of hurts. Yes, I mean that in the literal sense. While I did make an effort to at least remain active during my exercise rut, there were definitely days where I sat on my butt almost all. day. long. And you know what? It hurt! My body just felt so…off. And achy. It really showed me that my body is meant to be active. My body craves movement.

4. I’m a morning exerciser. There were plenty of days during my rut where I had the intention of exercising, but I kept on putting it off until I just gave up all together. I’ve found that when I exercise first thing in the morning, I don’t even give myself the time to make up excuses. In the past I stuck to a quite strict morning exercise routine, and I remember that as a time where I felt my best and enjoyed exercise the most. Not only is the morning when I seem to get the most effective workouts, but it helps to clear my head and set me off on the right foot for the rest of the day.

5. Exercise is a very personal thing. “Going to the gym” or “going for a run” have become such widely used and accepted concepts. I don’t mean to get all philosophical on you, but my exercise rut taught me that exercise is not something to be taken lightly. Instead, exercise is a very personal decision that says a lot about who we are. I realized that I never want exercise to become just another part of my day. I want it to be something I do because I want to better my health – to better myself. Everyone has their own fitness story, and I can only focus on writing my own.

Have you ever been in an exercise rut? Can you relate to my lessons-learned?
Do you ever create your own flavored yogurt?

more produce, please!

Gracie — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:26:09 +0000

Do you ever have days where you sincerely crave fruit and vegetables? I’d by lying if I said I often have days like that. While I do try to incorporate produce into most of my meals, it’s usually an addition rather than the main event. But today? Massive amounts of fruit and veggies sounded just about perfect.

dinner.

I’ve got to say that kale is my favorite vegetable these days. Well, second to sweet potatoes, of course Tonight’s dinner just happened to include both of those.

First I took an oddly whale and/or penguin-shaped sweet potato…

…which I sliced and seasoned simply with kosher salt and cinnamon. Then I baked it for 25 minutes on 375 degrees.

While the sweet potato was in the oven, I sauteed about 4 cups worth of kale (seasoned with salt and pepper) in coconut oil.

I topped the kale and sweet potato with with crushed walnuts and dried cranberries for what has to be one of the most comforting bowls of vegetables I’ve had in a while.

Veggie-tooth satisfied

daily recap.

I mentioned earlier how I was going to visit the gym before work this morning, and I ended up getting a great workout. After 25 minutes of weights and 20 minutes on the elliptical, I remembered just how much I love morning workouts!

On the way to work I stopped at the ‘Bucks for a first-of-the-season Pumpkin Spice Latte.

It was definitely delicious, but I think this one will hold me over for a while. I do love my pumpkin-flavored treats, but I kind of prefer a bolder and less sweet caffeination fix.

For lunch, it was more produce-action. I had a salad of romaine, spinach, peppers, carrots, cabbage, corn salsa, hardboiled egg, feta cheese, and chick peas.

Snackage included a Clif Bar and a honey crisp apple.

If you haven’t tried this variety of apple, you must! Honey crisps are pretty much in an apple-league of their own.

I also had a wrap filled with avocado mousse.

Sometimes I’m still not completely sold on the avocado mousse, but this was tasty enough.

I’m off to do some relaxing and track down something for dessert

Enjoy your night, babydolls! xoxo G

How often are vegetables the “main event” of your meals?
What’s your favorite variety of apple?

cereal to the rescue.

Gracie — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:04:18 +0000

Good morning, sweets! Welcome to the four-day work week

Today is the first day in a while that I’m heading into the office, and I also want to squeeze in a gym visit beforehand. Breakfast had to be a quick one, so it was cereal to the rescue!

My bowl included plain Greek yogurt, Fiber One, Peanut Butter Puffins, sliced banana, a splash of almond milk, and a spoonful of walnut butter.

Side note: walnut butter may just be my new obsession…especially considering the health benefits walnuts provide.

I also grabbed a Glo Bar to snack on after my workout.

Delicious, healthy, and easy? Check, check, and check.

Labor Day recap.

Reason #98 I have the best family ever: the food at our get-togethers is always out-of-this-world good. And yesterday’s Labor Day barbeque was no exception.

My plate included grilled chicken topped with fresh salsa and guacamole, potato salad, tortellini salad, a few shrimp, a slice of mozzarella cheese, baked beans, and corn on the cob.

I also munched on half of a burger with guacamole.

Obviously I left room for dessert I had a piece of Jewish Apple Cake, and two cookies.

Thank you, American workers, for a holiday that allowed me to feast so deliciously!

read it: easy fatigue fighters.

Have you ever wondered why you sometimes feel fatigued – even after meeting your 8-hour-a-night sleep quota? I sure have

I’ll leave you with 11 Fast Fixes for Instant Energy – an article from Prevention.com that gives some simple diet and exercise tweaks that can make all the difference when it comes to staying energized throughout the day. My favorite tip was to take a 10-minute walk. What’s yours?

Do you have any tips when it comes to keeping fatigue at bay?
Did you have any Labor Day indulgences? If so, what?

my issue with pumpkin.

Gracie — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:43:20 +0000

Good morning sweetpeas, and happy Labor Day! Despite the fact that I’m looking into a possible career change, I must say that I’m quite thankful to at least be employed. Although, I must also admit that I’m currently a bit more thankful to have the day off

breakfast.

Since today is the unofficial end of summer, that means it’s also the unofficial start of fall! In other words, it’s my excuse to start fully implementing pumpkin into my diet.

My oatmeal included:

1/3 cup oats
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (stirred in at the end)
toppings: crushed walnuts, apple butter

I HEART PUMPKIN.

However. I do have this bizarre issue with eating pumpkin when it’s not the fall or holiday season. I feel like it’s…blasphemous, or something Actually, the real reason is that I just don’t want to get sick of my favorite flavor/ingredient, so I generally try to stick to it during the months of September to December. Obviously that’s a “rule” that is often broken, but it does make pumpkin-flavored-everything another reason why the fall is my favorite month!

work it.

My plan for yesterday was to do a 60-minute full body workout, but I went all the way to the gym only to find that it was closed It’s difficult for me to stay motivated with at-home workouts (especially when it’s more than 30 minutes), so I ended up just doing 20 minutes of strength training in the basement. And today? Time for some cardio! On the basement treadmill I rocked out:

5 minutes warm up: 3mph
20 minutes HIIT: 90 seconds at 4mph, 30 seconds at 9mph, repeat
5 minutes cool down: 3mph

I forgot how much I love HIIT! It’s perfect for BFYB workouts, which is key for me when it comes to exercising at home. I’m perfectly sweaty and energized for the day ahead.

weekend recap.

After a trip to NYC and a Saturday night out with the girls, I was running out of steam…

Ha! A relaxing Sunday was just what the doctor ordered. In short, it looked a little bit like this.

For brunch I got a massive omelet. It was packin’ spinach, peppers, onions, tomato, and feta cheese.

I inhaled. Along with a slice of rye toast and some taters.

Other notable eats included this hodge-podge of leftovers.

In the bowl: spinach, chick peas, tomato sauce, and a tasty new flavor of Laughing Cow cheese.

And for dessert? A bowl of cereal…

…which I turned into a cereal sundae

Can whipped cream count as a favorite food…? I vote yes.

Plans for the rest of the day include spending some time on the job search and a barbeque at my aunt’s house. Enjoy your (hopefully) day off! xoxo G

Do you eat pumpkin-flavored foods during the “off season?”
Any fun plans for this Labor Day?

no fresh food? no problem.

Gracie — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:06:12 +0000

Hi dollbabes! Hope you’re all enjoying this holiday weekend

After a great day in the city, I’m back home in good old Pennsylvania. I was pretty hungry by the time I got home, only to find that there was barely any food in the kitchen. I didn’t feel like going to the grocery store, so I tried to make do with what I could. The result? One of the best dinners I’ve made recently.

I started by boiling this kamut pasta, which has been sitting in my HLS swag bag for weeks now.

Then I jazzed up a can of plain tomato sauce by adding salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil, and 3/4 package of thawed frozen spinach.

After heating the sauce through for a couple of minutes, back into the pot went the pasta, 2 sliced Jennie-O turkey meatballs, about 1/2 cup chick peas, and topped with parmesan cheese.

Who would’ve guessed this dish was made of frozen and canned foods?! Not only was this delicious, but it was also super filling. Mental note: have frozen spinach on hand at all times.

daily recap.

Rewind to around noon today, when Gabriela and I met up with my Long Island lovah Amanda. The three of us headed straight to lunch at Whole Foods. I had brown rice avocado + cucumber sushi:

I also got a salad, which included…everything that looked good at the time

After about 30 minutes of walking and an hour or so of shopping, we all decided to sit down and rest for a bit. And when I say rest, I actually mean eat the biggest, most delicious cupcake I’ve ever had.

The cupcake pit stop took place at Crumb’s Bake Shop. With varieties like Samoas, Half Baked, and Red Velvet, it wasn’t easy deciding on a flavor…

…but I ended up going with the Cookie Dough Cupcake. It was a baller decision, if I do say so.

See? I wasn’t kidding. Best. Cupcake. Ever.

Good company, good food, good weather, and a successful shopping trip? I’d deem today a great one

I’m off to get freshened up for the night ahead. Buhbye, babes! xoxoG

What frozen and canned items do you always have on hand?
Have you ever had a gourmet cupcake? What’s your favorite variety?