Sundays

Over the last few months we have organically started a new Sunday morning tradition. I'm a traditions type of gal. I love the idea of  having certain rituals for holidays, special occasions or days of the week. I think that it helps create memories and a sense of belonging.

My problem is that I tend to force traditions by over thinking about what would be fun and awesome and then I do hours of research on the internet and declare "This is our new [fill in the blank] tradition!" What I have learned is that real traditions aren't forced. They just happen. That's what makes them special. A few months ago we woke up early one Sunday and decided to run to a local hole in the wall donut shop, which is so not like us. We eat at home all of the time. From the outside the place didn't look like anything special (isn't it always that way). That first time I bought an egg sandwich and had a bite of my husband's donut.

It was amazing.

The very next Sunday we woke up, looked at each other and said, "breakfast?" We haven't missed a single Sunday morning since. Of course now we have it down to a science: we split an egg sandwich and get a few donut holes to share. When we come home I cut the bagel in half (I'm not kidding-- this place is so basic they leave the bagel hole), Lenny grabs the napkins and the drinks.

Yes, I know that bagels and donuts are not the healthiest way to start the day but what I do know that this ritual is good for my soul and good for our little family. It's a nice way to make every Sunday a little more special.

This Sunday I went *crazy* and got a small coffee...

After breakfast we did some things around the house and then I decided to spend the afternoon doing "Fall" things. I went to my local nursery and bought a pumpkin and mums. 

When I got home I broke out the Fall decor, which included glittered up leaves. I can't be stopped when it comes to holidays. I have no shame. I cut out paper hearts for Valentine's Day, I put up fake ghosts for Halloween and string garland on my kitchen shelf for the Spring.

 This morning I made myself breakfast, which included peanut butter on whole wheat toast, grapes, iced water and a homemade vanilla chai latte. 

In other news, I weighed myself on Saturday and I lost two pounds from my weight last week! A small number, but I will take it. Here is the plan for this week. It's a little light only because we are having a BBQ on Sunday and Saturday and Sunday are going to be pretty booked up.:

• tonight: meal plan for the week
• tomorrow: go food shopping, prep foods/snacks, week 2 workout 1 of couch to 5K, a weight training workout found here.
• Wednesday: weight training workout, hour walk
• Thursday: off (we are babysitting our neighbor's daughter)
• Friday: week 2 workout 2 of C25K
• Saturday: off
• Sunday: off



Tornado Warning

Happy Weekend!

Let's rewind back to Thursday night. I got home from work, poured myself a huge thermos of water (with lemon of course), put on my workout clothes and went for a run to complete week 1 workout 2 of couch to 5K. It only took me 30 minutes and I got back with plenty of time to eat dinner and get ready for the next day.

It felt amazing and I was really proud of myself. Working out after work is not one of my strengths. I tend to come home and crash. I think the key for me is to change into exercise gear and put my sneakers on as soon as I come home. At that point I think to myself, "I already have my sneakers on..."

Yesterday was a busy, busy day. I drove to NY to attend one of my high school friend's bridal showers. I had to work today so it was a one day trip. I woke up bright and early, drove to my parents' house, spent an hour there, popped in to see my sister and nieces and then drove to my friend's apartments so we could carpool to the bridal shower. After the shower we went back to my friend's apartment and I headed back to Massachusetts. It was a long day but a really fun one. I got to see a lot of people crammed into a short amount of time.

While in New York I encountered some crazy weather which included storms, rain and a tornado warning. I felt like I should have been in a van tracking the storm:

The storm followed me home and around 9PM last night we got some heavy rain. It was nice to be inside hanging out with my favorite people. :)

I'd LOVE to do week 1 workout 3 today but I honestly don't know if I have it in me. On the agenda this evening: the first Patriots' game of the season. Someone in my house is super pumped! (and it's not me).

Breaking the Ice and the Benefits of Tea

My usual breakfast choices are pretty boring. Old fashioned oatmeal made with water, whole wheat toast with peanut butter, quinoa with cinnamon or on my days off-- eggs.

I have gotten SO sick of the rotation that last week I bought these organic Van's waffles. It's been a nice change of pace.

 

Lunch was a bit of a sodium bomb-- a veggie burger in a whole wheat wrap, cucumbers, pickle, green tea and water.

Last night I was a woman on a mission. I was determined to send out at least one resume so I took my lap top upstairs, got out my notebook and picked one of the organizations off of my list. I spent some time perusing their website and reading about their mission. It was definitely a place that I could picture myself at. They weren't currently hiring but I found a section about volunteer opportunities. I filled it out, attached my resume and said a prayer.

It was a pretty small step but it broke the ice. Now I'm officially new career hunting and it feels amazing. Tonight my goal is to complete Week 1 Workout 2 of couch to 5K. I keep telling myself, "it's only 30 minutes out of your day." Please hold while I do that calculation...

That is only 2.08% of the day, which is really not asking for much.

Also, on a side note I brought some green tea with me to work because I read an article about the health benefits of tea yesterday. I thought that I'd share some:

1. Tea can boost exercise endurance. Scientists found the catechins (antioxidants) in green tea extract increase the body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, which accounts for improved muscle endurance^[1].

2. Drinking tea might reduce the risk of heart attack. Tea might also help protect against cardiovascular and degenerative diseases^[2].

3. Tea is hydrating to the body (even despite the caffeine!)^[13].

4. Tea might provide protection from ultraviolet rays. We know it’s important to limit exposure to UV rays, and we all know what it’s like to feel the burn. The good news is that green tea may act as a back-up sunscreen^[15].

5. Tea could be beneficial to people with Type II diabetes. Studies suggest that compounds in green tea could help diabetics better process sugars^[18].

6. Green tea has been found to improve bone mineral density and strength^[20].

Rainy Day

What a perfect day to sleep in! It was one of those mornings that I laid in bed as long as I possibly could so I could enjoy the sound of the rain on the windows. Eventually I had to get my butt to work. The beautiful view from my car:

Once I got to work I made myself a Van's flax waffle and topped it with sliced bananas (it looks unappetizing but it was delicious). Bottle of water on the side. 

From Around the Web:

• Have some time to kill while traveling or feel the need to destress and stretch while at work? Try the poses in this yoga infographic.

• Did you know that about 80% of the sodium consumed by Americans come from processed foods, not from the salt that is added during cooking or at the table? Get more info on salt here.

• Ever look at an ingredient list and wonder what diacylglycerol or alginate was? Get the breakdown here.

• The Food Network just launched a new healthy food blog called "Healthy Eats". If you want to check it out, click here. 



One Thing Left

It's 5:30PM and I have done almost everything that I wanted to accomplish today. For lunch I made a wrap with black beans, salsa and some sliced avocado. On the side I had some cucumbers with pepper and vinegar.

 

After lunch I kept my eye on the sky and when it stopped raining I decided to take my chances and go out for a walk/run. I completed week one workout one of Couch to 5K. It felt so good to get running again, even if it was only 60 seconds at a time.

 

When I got home I took out the yoga mat and spent about 20 minutes going through poses.  I followed it up with a heating pad session and a huge thermos of lemon water.

I just finished packing up my meals and snacks for tomorrow and got some veggies ready for the rest of the week. I sliced some cucumbers and celery to snack on and trimmed the string beans to make it easier to steam them as a side dish.

The only thing left on my list.... send out a resume. I'm nervous about it. I have been working on my resume all week but I still don't feel like it's perfect. It's funny how scary it can be to put yourself out there. If you don't try something you can't fail at it. I know that once I start sending out resumes and hopefully get interviews, I'll either be successful or I won't be. Right now my plan is to keep knocking on doors until I get my foot (or hand or pinky finger) in the door.

C25K

Last night I decided that I was going to re-start Couch to 5K. I have been going for hour long walks on my days off, but I think that it's time to kick it up a notch. My plan was to start week one, day one today, but it looks pretty lousy out. I'm hoping the rain will break later today. I downloaded an app on my phone so I should be ready to go!

This morning I made myself a flax waffle topped with crunchy, unsalted peanut butter and poured myself a huge glass of lemon water. I am obsessed with lemon water. Can't.get.enough.

 

My plan for the day:

1. Couch to 5K
2. Send out at least one resume
3. Pack meals/snacks for work tomorrow
4. Yoga

My To Do List

As I was brushing my teeth this morning I created a "to do" list on my phone (can we do anything these days without multitasking?). My list looked like this:

1. Look up small containers for peanut butter
2. Blog??
3. Walk!!!!!

This list is actually pretty revealing about me (in addition to showing that I seriously overuse punctuation). Let me explain.

1. I pack all of my meals and snacks for work for several reasons. Well, actually two reasons. It's cheaper and it's healthier. I have acquired a reputation at work for bringing in "weird" things like green juice, seaweed snacks and quiona. I also have a reputation for using an assortment of items to contain my meals and snacks. I put my oatmeal in empty peanut butter jars, put salad dressing in baggies (how else do people bring salad dressing in?) and when all else fails I bring food in bowls and mugs from home. For example, I couldn't find a good way to transport a tablespoon of peanut butter to work so I put it in an espresso cup and slapped some aluminum foil on top. I need to find another solution so I can stop getting the hairy eyeball look from my coworkers.

2. I have decided that it's time to resurrect my blogging hobby. I don't plan to make money off of this endeavor or make a career out of it. Don't get me wrong, if it happens I will certainly be thrilled, but I also know that there are a ton of "healthy living" blogs out there. I'm starting this blog to keep myself accountable and to have a place where I can process my thoughts and record my journey. There is something so different about posting blogs than writing in a personal journal. It feels good.

3. Walk. I am trying to exercise more for a million reasons. To be frank, I'm overweight, I'd like to have a job working in public health, my husband and I are trying to have a baby and I just want to feel good in my skin. Not to mention that it's just important to be active to be healthy, regardless of what your weight is.
So there you have it. I'm a 28 year old married woman looking to start a family and become a healthier, more balanced, happier me. Watch me go.