Diet

This salad was sooooo good.  Let me see if I can remember what's in it.  Arugula, baby kale, dried cherries (no sugar or additives, hard to find), broccoli slaw, avocado with salsa, organic quinoa, feta cheese and carrot.  I eat this at least once a day.  

You are working out.  You have taken the first step to getting fit and healthy.  Now, what about diet?  I use the term as the true definition, not the one that means losing weight.  Diet is simply the food that you eat.  There are many different types of diets from very good, very bad, weight loss, weight gain etc. etc.  But the term diet on its own does not mean to eat less calories or lose weight.  

So what is your diet like?  Are you expecting to lose weight by working out and still eating an unhealthy diet?  If so, you are going to become frustrated.  If you would like to lose weight you need to eat right.  I pretty much follow the primal food diet.  I try to stick with it for the most part; only indulging when I feel the need.  

Mark's Daily Apple Primal Diet  

I do not eat bread or anything else that is made from wheat flour.  That is unless I am indulging for something like fresh homemade bread.  You will not find bread in my house.  I do not eat sugar.  I eat a ton of vegetables, little meat and fish.  I eat fruit, seeds, nuts and healthy fats.  I do eat cheese but have reduced the amount by a lot.  I love cheese, it is one of my weaknesses.  But you can eat cheese, just not the whole block and expect to drop weight. 

Having done so much research on food and diet; I can no longer eat garbage and be okay with it.  If I indulge it is typically a healthy indulge.  Maybe too many sweet potato chips or fries, wine or extra bit of cheese.  No processed crap, you know, all that stuff in the regular grocery stores.  I walk down the isles on my way to purchase meat for my dogs and imagine all the preservatives and chemicals in the food that is brightly packaged to grab your attention.  

If I need to snack I grab an apple and some nuts.  The better you eat the less you have to eat, it's pretty cool.  A very small amount of great food can keep you going for a very long time.  But less food is not what it is all about.  Good food, quality over quantity.  I probably eat a giant salad every single day.  I LOVE arugula and it is the main ingredient in all salads for me. That and tons of other veggies.  I might throw turkey on top or feta.  Tons of nutrients to fuel the body.

Next time you pull up to a taco, sub or sandwich place at one of the undesirable fast food chains, think.  Is there anything in the food you are about to eat that your body can use as fuel?  If not, then why eat useless calories?  If it is a necessary indulgence then okay, but don't expect to eat crap on a regular basis and feel good.  

Got ball?

I didn't realize until well into my workout that I was very matchy.  :)

Stability balls that is.  :)  I got one and I LOVE IT!!!!  I had it out on the deck yesterday during my early morning yoga session.  I got my stability ball last week at TJMaxx because I wanted to add it into my workouts.  I knew I'd like it but I did not think that I'd like it as much as I do.  

The ball came with a small sheet of stretches, basics and strength moves, which I have done.  But I moved on far passed the beginner sheet.  Basically I'm thinking up anything that requires balance and strength.  It has amazed me that this 12.00 ball can do as much as it does.  This week in the evening as I was watching television, I hate a great butt workout.  Lying on my back I put my feet on the ball with my legs bent and did butt raises.  Holding it for as long as I could with each rep that I did.  Wow. 

This morning when I got out of bed, my calves hurt.  I thought about which exercise would have done this.  Hmmmm, get calf workout as well as core.  It was much warmer this morning so I moved my mat and ball out to the shady part in yard.  While I talked to my sister on the phone I worked my core, multi-tasking at it's finest.  The whole balancing thing alone is such a great workout.  The closer you keep your feet together, the harder it is to stay balanced.  

I got ball and I LOVE IT.    

Yoga and tranquility

Sometimes you need a little tranquility in your life.  Plus doing a few yoga moves can get you warmed up and ready to stretch.  NEVER stretch cold.  

Tranquility:  quality or state of being tranquil; calmness; peacefulness; quiet;serenity.

I remember waaaayyyy back when in school, we were taught to stretch before doing anything athletic.  Even now I see people walk into the gym and throw their leg up on a bar and stretch. I cringe thinking that their hamstring might just snap being that it is cold.  DON'T STRETCH WHEN YOUR BODY IS COLD.  The best time to stretch is after a workout.  So doing some core or yoga moves before hand is optimal.  Save the stretching for later in your workout.  

It is amazing what a good workout you can get without any weights at all, but you do have to push yourself.  If it feels too easy, then it probably is.  Getting into the above position is easy, staying there for a while is tough.  

Here I was doing the inch worm push up.  From this position I walked down with my hands into a push up and back up again.  If you can't do it with your legs straight then bend them until you achieve more flexibility.  

Balance, strength and stretch in one.  

Switch it up, yoga, cross fit, weight lifting, power walking/jogging.  Move.