Y’all.
I got Erin Baker’s DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHUNK homestyle granola for Valentine’s Day (instead of chocolate, wooohooo!) and it is my new favorite! The bag is half gone already, I’m in love! There is some “junk” in the chocolate chunks but if you’re worried about that… they really are chunks so they’re easy to skip. And if you’re *really* dedicated you can pick them all out and add your own carob chips! Or just enjoy as is! (;

Current training schedule…

T/W/Th/F Mornings: 2-5 Mile Run
M/W/F Afternoon- 1 hour Cross Training
Weights once a week (MUCH to my dismay, LOL)
Daily- squats, calf raises, lunges, sit ups, push ups (haha, yeahhhhh right), and planks for general conditioning.

What are y’all up to? (:

Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins

1 Cup Whole Wheat (or other) Flour
1/2 Cup Oats
1 Medium Banana
1/2 Cup Liquid (water, soy/almond/coconut milk)
1/4 C. Peanut Butter
1/8 Cup Raw Sugar (optional)
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda

I blended my banana, liquid, and peanut butter together to form my frothy “wet” ingredients. In another bowl I combined my dry ingredients and then folded them into the wet ingredients until combined. I divided the batter up into 6 muffin liners and baked for 25 minutes on 350*.

This made for an awesome breakfast along with a naval orange & mustard green smoothie after a short run! Happy Thursday to all! (:

I was going to go for a nice run this morning and head to the Farmer’s Market but mother nature had other plans for me! Boohoo. So, instead I woke up and threw together a big pot of vegetable soup and headed back to bed with the hearing pad and some fruit. Hoping I start feeling better REALLY soon!!

Simple truth! (: Happy Thursday, y’all!

I had my flu shot today, did you?

Be sure to do research on every shot or vaccine, it’s history, the company, politics behind it, and alternatives before putting in your body. Be proactive in finding both pros AND cons!

And, as always, eat your veggies, everyone… eat your veggies! (:

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I’m starting to think I’ll never learn. lol.

#hardheaded

Wow. That was a long title. I can’t put into words how passionate I am about this subject. As someone who struggled with health, weight, and the title of “obesity” for some time, I tried many of these routes. I tried Atkins, South Beach, counting every calorie that went into my body, I tried low carb, low fat, drink mixes, “Protein” shakes and bars, magic fruit pills, “I won’t eat until after 1 pm,” blah, blah, blah. I’m embarrassed to even admit that but I hope that gives me a little bit of street cred with those of you interested in this matter. I’m not a dietitian. I have no PhD (unless you count hours on Google, Netflix Documentaries, and perusing Farmers Markets as residency. I jest.). And I am not a substitute for a medical professional (because they know it all. Again, I je— never mind). I am not critiquing users of these products or diets. Remember, I am a former user, ehmm… that sounds…. Bad. Nevertheless, this is my blog and therefore, I shall do just that— blog. If you care to read further, I encourage you… PLEASE do your OWN research before you put anything IN, ON, AROUND, NEAR (and other various prepositions) your body. Know the risks and the benefits and be proactive in your own diet, exercise, health, and habits. I beg you, don’t take my word for it. ;-)

Okay. I don’t have all the answers. I’m not always right (can’t believe I just admitted that publicly) but I do know exactly what worked for me: REAL food, REAL exercise, REAL time, and REAL hard work. Shocking. I know. Cliché as it may be, anything worth having is worth busting your butt for. Health included. I made a lifestyle overhaul. Any diet that promises a drop of weight, increase in energy, life changing results, and so forth, MAY do just that. But I can guarantee you, it will only last as long as you continue the diet. You may lose the guaranteed 20 pounds with a restrictive (Low Cal, Low Fat, Low Carb) diet but you will have to maintain the diet eternally to continue or maintain the weight loss. Not to mention, restricting necessary dietary components means you’re also restricting vital nutrients. Sound good? Eh, no. How do I know this? To keep my results I’ve had to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Duh. That means I needed to develop a plan that worked for me and my body and my needs that I could maintain indefinitely. A three week miracle weight loss (water loss, cough cough.) plan can never and will never do this.

These shake mixes, chemical cleanses, and processed “health foods” are the scariest to me. Fad diets often provide disappointing results but the damage can be reversed with healthy lifestyle but when you put chemicals and processed junk into your body the damage can often be permanent. They may provide you the results you’re seeking but at what cost? Psyching your body into thinking it’s getting nutrients when really it’s getting processed junk it can‘t usre. Altering your body chemistry by guzzling a chemical cocktail three times a day? Attempting to control your NATURAL rhythm with synthetic stimulants and depressants. Ummm. Okay? No. There are those who will argue passionately in favor of these “natural” cleanses, shakes, and products and that’s fine. Argue away. There is no skewed statistic or biased rationale from a pyramid scheme company that will ever convince me that these manufactured “products” are more beneficial than eating whole, natural foods, drinking water, exercising regularly, and getting adequate sleep the way our bodies were so intricately created to function by our Maker. BAM. When all is said and done, these are processed food like products, no different than processed junk food, they aren’t FOOD.

If you’re embarking on a fad or restrictive diet, cleanse, shake/mix/drink/pill/yaddayadda, I urge you… do a quick google search. Search the company or name of the product followed by “adverse reaction” or “negative health consequences.” Also, look for any lawsuits, pending lawsuits, or class action suits… red flags. READ THEM. Find out if the company operated under any former names and, if so, why were they shut down? Bad practice? Not meeting guidelines? FALSE advertisement? Research FDA guidelines for the product and manufacturer. Find out how the business operates. Is it a pyramid scheme? Does someone make money off your anticipated “results?” Research the CEOS & “big wigs” of the company or manufacturer. Not everything on Google is accurate, obviously. But you may come across some red flags to research more in depth. Call companies. Demand answers. Know the product you’re putting in your body and its maker. If you do all that and you’re okay with the product, more power to ya! ;)

Eat REAL food. Fruits and vegetables. Eat them all day long. Eat them when you’re hungry. Eat them for breakfast. Eat them for snack. Eat them. Prepared them. Grow them. Real food GROWS. Mind blown? I know. Eat whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes minimally processed. Eat local, organic, grass fed, antibiotic free meats, free range chicken eggs, drink water. Be mindful. Be thoughtful. Listen to your body. Eat REAL food when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. Think moderation. Exercise realistically. Get good quality sleep. Take care of yourself physically, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually. It’s simple, you see. ;)

Nobody got morbidly obese eating broccoli.