Remaking Racheal #6

Alright, so a real substantial blog post regarding what is on everyone's mind...and by everyone...I mean my guilty conscience (Shhh, inner Racheal!)...my workout/eating regime over the past two weeks.

BASICALLY military pay is not an exact science...and we were overly underpaid a paycheck back. Overly. What this basically meant was no new food for two weeks. No fresh fruit, no frozen fruit, no fresh veggies, no frozen veggies. And while I was thankful to no longer drink my veggie shakes...my body rebelled and it rebelled badly.

The past two weeks my stomach has been werid, that place between upset and just gas, my face and back have been breaking out like no one's business. I haven't broken out like this since I was 13/14. And just when I thought I was getting nice adult skin. Nope. And my energy levels have been all over the place. Oh, and the pay was kind of a moral blow. All of this combined to make a less than achieving Racheal.

I know, I should push through, I shouldn't let these things effect me so much...but I find my diet and my exercise are directly related. The better I eat, the more motivated I am to workout. The more I workout, the more motivated I am to eat well. Also, when I eat well my body feels amazing. I don't think it works to eat junk and workout a lot...at least not for me.

So where does this leave me? Well, I still have been running over the last two weeks (unlike my personal timeline for p90x, I better be able to run in February. I can't push that back) but I have not been doing p90x regularly. I'm sorry, beachbuddy. =(

Today was supposed to be my day 30, with new measurments and pictures...but with how badly I've eaten over the past two weeks and not doing p90x regularly...I feel I need to push through for another 2 weeks. And I've lost my day 0 pictures and measurments when my laptop died. So...I don't think those pictures are happening today. I'm sorry blog world.

But all is not lost. I'm now drinking a health shake (yay!) which I believe I finally perfected.
Ingredients:
Banana
Apple
Orange
Broccoli
Spinach
Cucumber
Carrots
Avacado
Tofu
Green Machine (Naked Juice)
Acai Machine (Naked Juice)
Scoop of Super Foods

All you can taste is the fruit. YAY!

RemakingRacheal #5

ephemera-inc.com

Thank you, ephemera, for the wonderful and witty wake up call. It has been nearly a week since my last (substantial) post. And what has happened in that time? I have begun to see results. Though minor. I doubt anyone else would see them but I do, and the best part is I feel them. That's great, but my mind is going, "Uh-oh". Usually around this time I start to feel a lot better...and I think, "hey, I'm seeing results (though minor)...it's okay if I miss one workout, right?" Well one would turn into two, two into four...and by the end of the week I would lose all motivation.

It is SO much easier to not care. To not think about the food I'm putting into my body. To not push my body to sweat (it hurts!!). But where is that getting me? So, I promised myself 90 days of P90X. 3 months. Even though I'm feeling results (yay!) I'm going to maintain my commitment. Only 68 more workouts to go!

Today, I admit, was difficult. I craved EVERYTHING but (and I'm sorry readers because I believe it is due to natural reasons when once a month I NEED chocolate pizza sugar peanut butter chocolate chicken nuggets chocolate). I am happy to report I did not give into my cravings and stuck to my clean eating routine. For everyone who doesn't know what clean eating is, basically it's fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and lean proteins. It's avoiding anything artificial which is a food philosophy I LOVE because really, do our bodies need aspartame, preservatives, and added hormones? Sure, you aren't consuming as many calories, but our bodies weren't designed to consume these ingredients. If you're going to have a coke, have a coke. Just don't have one every day. That is my food philosophy.

Speaking of aspartame...I recently read an article that Penn State has been using the virus AAV2 to combat breast cancer. The virus is harmless to people but destroys cancer cells. I'm excited to see if they will be able to use this virus on all forms of cancer. Ken thinks we are now just waiting for a real life I Am Legend. Silly Ken.

Ken, my wonderful husband, just got home from taking his car in for an oil change...and a new serpentine belt...and other malfunctioning parts. We JUST had a bunch of work done on his car a few months back...and now we are having more. I realize that cars need maintenance but seriously?! We JUST did this. My car needed stuff next, not silly Ken’s car. And wouldn’t that money be better served on clothes and shoes? I would much rather spend it on a shopping trip. Oh, well. I guess that’s part of being an adult. Lame.

I had to groom the dogs today. Why? Because my dogs are super hairy. Don't believe me?

Brushed out Lynx (she really needed it)!

Brushed out Moose (such a sad face, Moose!).

Okay, I lied. We actually got a fifth creature. That's right. It lives in my vacuum cleaner. Look at all that hair! And it is like this every month! But I love them. Moose always takes it personally when I groom him. He sulks the rest of the day and hides behind Ken. He is such a sensitive dog.

I'm pretty sure that my cats believe they are dogs. Lola keeps going into the dog's kennels. She will walk in, explore, and come back out. But today I found her sleeping in Moose's kennel! It was so strange and silly.

We're hoping she grows into it. =)

And just because Mac is too cute.

The flash was too much for him...he had to cover his eyes from the light! Such a silly kitty.

It is THAT time of the week. That's right, Modern Family. So excited!



RemakingRacheal #4

"I'm a slow walker, but I never walk back."

-Abraham Lincoln

Things that made me smile today:

1.) A call from my grandma.

2.) A break through with my story.

3.) A 2.5 mile run and P90X yoga (Okay, this didn't make me smile while I was doing it, but AFTERWARDS I smiled pretty wide).

4.) My blueberry cheesecake shake.

I have come to the realization, as simple as it is, the habits you don't think about are the easiest to maintain and the hardest to break (like eating dinner in front of the TV? Guilty.). FOR instance, yesterday marked a week without soda...and I didn't crave one for the whole 7 days...and by the time I did realize I haven't been drinking soda (which put it in my mind and made me "sort of" crave one again) I had gone so long that I had a pretty good record going and didn't want to start over; it is added motivation to avoid all that sugar.

It is really hard for me to get into the habit of moving. I sit/stand/stare at and work up my work out to be so much more than it is...by the time I actually get around to doing it I have built it up to running up Mt. Everest and lifting a semi. Once I start moving I appreciate it isn't as bad as I make it out to be, that I actually enjoy working out, and I'm so much happier afterwards. It's all in my head. It's one thing to say, I believe in loving myself, and another to act on it. I love myself so I need to make life changes...and the biggest ones are mental...and the ones you don't even realize you are doing.

Tonight I cooked dinner (Yay! A break from the shakes, which, by the way, I am working on...no more Vile Greenies). I made a chicken, veggie whole wheat pasta dish with a vegan "alfredo" sauce. I added a bit too much garlic and didn't have a couple of the ingredients (mainly a Thai paste).

 The Veggies (Broccoli, Peas, Spinach)

My ingredients to make the sauce (yes, that is not vegan butter but I'm not vegan so it's okay).

FINALLY whole wheat ELBOW macaroni!

I think I got too excited on the noodles...too much macaroni.

End Product. Conclusion? Ken enjoyed it...I thought it was okay. I doubt I will be making this again, no matter how healthy.

Are you looking for a low calorie, super yummy, sweet, shake? TRY this! It's a blueberry cheesecake shake.

Ingredients:

3/4 c Frozen Blueberries (though I use fresh)

3/4 c Skim Milk
1/2 c Cold Water
1/2 c Cottage Cheese (low fat)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Cinnamon-ground
4 tsp splenda (though I will be using 2 tsp sugar, I hate artificial things)

Calorie Count: w/splenda 100, w/sugar 132 (give or take a few blueberries)

I want to start drinking these in the morning so I need to add some extra components. I don't like having just one type of fruit, so I'm going to add strawberries, swap the 1/2 cup of water with 1/2 cup of milk, and add some tofu for protein.

<3

RemakingRacheal #3

I woke up this morning, SORE, grabbed one of my Purple Power shakes (SO GOOD), drank half, walked my dogs...and looked at my TV...and waited...and waited...and thought, "I can't bring it today, I was crazy to try P90X"...and sat and waited some more. Around 1:00 I decided enough was enough and yes, I WOULD bring it. Even if I couldn't do much I could do something.

So I popped in Cardio X and was surprised at how much I was able to do and how much sweat I worked up...I'm still not able to everything (it drains me completely!) but I did most of it and I gave it my all. Go me. I now have a buddy on the Team Beachbody website...my Dad! That's right, he does P90X too and was a major motivator for me to start.

My eating has been really clean and healthy. My body is starting to respond to this: My skin is clearing up, I am no longer tired in the afternoons, and I just seem to feel better (less headaches). As much I as dislike my Vile Green Smoothies, they are doing some amazing things for me!

HOWEVER tonight I got to eat real food...food that wasn't so good for me...because I went to a babyshower. And you know what? I had some, I indulged, but I didn't have that much (I had mostly fruit and veggies...but also some other yummy things). The longer I go without junk, the easier it is to resist it. My contribution was a fruit pizza. It turned out MUCH better than I thought it was going to. Everyone LOVED it. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:
Premade Sugar Cookie
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups white chocolate chips
Strawberries
Blueberries
Kiwi
(or any fruit you want)

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread cookie dough to cover a pizza board. Cook the cookie dough for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool. Combine the heavy cream and white chocolate chips, melt the chocolate chips (gradually! Only heat in microwave for 15 seconds at a time...heat as often as need until the chips are soft and forms a liquid). Combine the melted chocolate with the cream cheese in a bowl and blend well. Spread on top of the cookie. Design fruit. Enjoy. Super Easy. I want to find a healthier version...but I was short on time and so I didn't want to experiment TOO much.

What's on the menu for tomorrow night? A vegan alfredo whole wheat pasta (we will be adding chicken and broccoli, peas, and spinach). I am using the vegan recipe because the sauce is much more healthy than a traditional alfredo sauce. Hopefully it comes out yummy!

RemakingRacheal #2

I have been drinking my vile green/brown veggie shakes & FANTASTIC fruit shakes for 5 days now. Yes. You read that right. Veggie=Vile. Are they really vile? Maybe. Maybe not. BUT I am one of those people who have a natural aversion to Cilantro. I hate it, it makes me sick, and if you are cutting up some in the kitchen I will leave the house. What is it about Cilantro I abhor? There is a bitter, sterilized earth scent that turns my stomach. What does Cilantro have to do with my shakes? I am finding that I have the same reaction to some vegetables (like squash); after I drink my smoothie I have an after smell (yes, after smell) that reminds me of cilantro. Maybe I'm just allergic to the earth.

My fruit shakes are SOOOOO much better. The one I made today included: a mandarin orange,a banana, an apple, a peach, 6 strawberries, 1/2 cup blue berries, 1/4 cup black berries, half a serving of acai Juice, 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt, 1 cup milk, 1 scoop weigh protein (vanilla ice cream flavor). Definitely something I can drink all day. And no earthy after smells. YAY!

I lied in my previous RemakingRacheal post...while my Brazil Butt Lift DID come in on Friday (it's awesome!) I am going to do P90X 6 days a week WITH my running program 3 days a week. It is possible, I just have to bring it. (I'm still trying to figure out what IT IS!)

Today I ran 2.5 miles (it was my easy run day, didn't kill me or leave me feeling tired) and I did Core Synergetics. This did kill me. I am currently a zombie writing this. I was drenched in sweat by the end and I wanted to collapse and not get back up. I'm glad only my dogs saw me this way.

As hard as it was, as much as I had to dig deep...I still LOVED it. Core Synergetics is the best workout I've had in a looooong time...if the rest of P90X is the same, I am both terrified and tantalized for the next 89 days!

RemakingRacheal #1

Starting Point: 5K in 30 minutes.
Flexibility: Pretty limited...like a log...or the tin man...or a ruler.

Food Intake:
Breakfast-2 slices toast with peanut butter and banana. YUM!
Lunch-Shake (2 cups spinach, 1/2 cup spring mix mesclun, 1/2 bell pepper, 1/2 tomato, 1/2 oz of soy, 1 can V8 ((low sodium)) and 1 scoop super foods supreme.) Super healthy and doesn't taste TOO bad...especially when you don't breath through your nose. I split it in half, drink the first half 2 1/2 hours after breakfast (breakfast was at 9:00) and the other half at 2 hours after the first. Keeps me full through the day.
Dinner-Mini Chicken Pot Pies (Eee!! I'm so excited!!) and peach slices. Yuuuummmm!!!
Dessert-Cup of chai tea latte.
*And lots and lots of water throughout the day.

I think I can keep this up. I like to eat hearty breakfasts (like pb banana toast or unflavored oatmeal w/ nuts & fruit, gives me lots of energy) so that isn't a change in my everyday diet, and I enjoy cooking meals (like Mini Chicken Pot Pies!!! EEEEE!!) so that's not a change either. The hardest part of my day is lunch. If I make a sandwich I have to include chips...and a pickle spear...and a cookie (just like at a deli!) and I HATE frozen entrees (That's right, Lean Cuisine. I am not a fan). So the shake is the biggest change to my everyday food intake. We will see how often I can keep this up.

Exercise:
Ran 2.5 miles and walked 1.5 miles. Walked my dogs for an hour (Hey, it counts!). Skipped the pilates...Maybe later? I doubt it.

BUT I am super excited. A few nights ago I ordered Brazil Butt Lift from Beach Body. We have P90X but it honestly is way beyond my current abilities. I'm hoping that 90 days from when I receive the BBL dvd set (along with my training program for the Disney Princess Half Marathon--running, yoga, and pilates) I will be ready to start P90X.

This WILL be a common theme in my blog. My road to fitness. My path to a healthier, more holistic lifestyle. It will be a public account of my exercise, my diet, and any other inspirational/motivational/tips I learn along the way. I will be calling these entries: RemakingRacheal (I saw a blog called LosingLuisa last night and I LOVED it, so this is my take).