Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Work It!

Today started out pretty awful for me, I struggle with depression and was having a really "low" morning. I usually go into work between 7:30am and 8:30am, but didn't go in until 3pm today because I work on Saturday. I think laying around and being lazy all morning was getting me down - I typically don't do well with disruptions to my routine.

Then, magically, a blog post by @KarlaBond popped up on my Google Reader about depression. It was exactly what I needed - to know that I wasn't alone with my struggle.

Then I found out @BookieBoo had invited me to be an official Mamavation Sista. Talk about being EXCITED!!! In fact, I was so excited that I decided to kick myself in the rear and work out for the first time in a long time. I walked my dog (ok, she walked me) for about a mile around a park close to where I live. I think I'll work my way up to running the trail in the park. The walk to and from the trail to my house is perfect for a warm up/cool down. I tried P90X Core Synergistics after the walk, and could only make it half way through (still a 30 minute work out though) before I was sweating profusely and feeling light headed, so I decided to stop before I passed out. I think I'll do another walk and the second half of the video tomorrow.

As far as food goes, I'm trying to be conscious of what I eat, but not do any extreme dieting right now because I'm quitting smoking. I did discover that a piece of boneless, skinless chicken breast drizzled with some EVOO and Mrs. Dash original spice is healthy, delicious, and easy to make. I especially like Mrs. Dash because there's NO sodium.

Sorry this post has been a little all over the place, but I just felt like I had a lot to say today. Until next time!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Food Discovery

This is my first time ever creating a blog, but I felt compelled to share my new food find with people who may be in a similar situation to mine.

First off, I've been struggling with weight my entire life. I'm 21 years old, and can't remember a time in my life when I was a "normal" weight. I've also developed some other bad habits in recent years, such as smoking. This blog will be about my journey to take back my own life, and finally be happy with myself.

As a struggling college student, I'll also be addressing the financial aspect of dieting, exercising, and going green, because I feel there are lots of people out there who would like to do this things, but don't find it monetarily feasible. I'm no expert on any of these - this is simply a record of my progress and advice to others as I discover things on my own.

Now that my introduction is done, lets get down to business. I went to Whole Foods today for the first time, and as I figured, it was EXPENSIVE$$$. I saw lots of wonderful products, but none that fit into my monthly budget easily - so I headed over to Wal-Mart instead.

Now, Wal-Mart certainly isn't known for being environmentally friendly or selling lots of healthy food, but certain things are there if you look. Today I found a Great Value (Wal-Mart) brand of dried fruits and trail mixes. I bought a bag of "Tropical Trail Mix" and am already in love with it! Ingredients include: Pineapple, banana chips, golden raisins, papaya, raisins, coconut, sugar, and sulfur dioxide (for fruit preservation). It's absolutely delicious and absolutely cheap ($1.48/bag). I particularly like it because a lot of trail mixes include several different types of nuts, which I'm not a huge fan of. It may not be completely organic, as it doesn't express that label, but the ingredients tell me it's pretty close. It also has a somewhat high sugar content, but has a decent amount of iron and protein in it as well (like I said, for a non-nut containing trail mix).

This may not be the best, most nutrient-rich, healthiest trail mix ever, but I feel like it's a big improvement over a lot of other things I could be snacking on instead. One step at a time.

Also, I've decided to quit smoking as soon as the pack I have now runs out (I don't trust myself to just throw it away). I figured at $5/pack and 1 pack/day I'm spending about $150 a month on cigarettes. $150 on cancer causing, disgusting, smelly, cigarettes. I can't believe it took a financial shocker like that to get me to quit - but whatever works, right? My plans with the saved money are to be able to buy healthier, more organic, and "green" products that are more expensive than the refined carbs and boxed food I live off of now. Maybe I'll get a gym membership as well.

Wish me luck in all of my new endeavors! Slow and steady wins the race...

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