Diet
Healthy Salad Recipes
March 21, 2011
Day 35 on Four Hour Body. I don’t like to weigh myself, but I will later this week. Please excuse this semi-boring blog post! I am tired, but I promised Aunt Lil’s homemade dressing recipe 
I like to consider myself pretty adventurous. I’m up for doing anything and I say yes to the unexpected. But, I like routine too. On Sundays, I always plan meals (based on what’s on sale in the circular), go food shopping, clean, cook and prep my hub’s and my meals for the week.
Yesterday, however, was a little different because I was up in Central Jersey with my cousins. We did a 5K, so I didn’t get everything done that I wanted. I made up for it today, though.
Here’s what I made tonight:
Cousin Rachel’s Bean salad
• Three cans of my/your favorite beans rinsed and drained
• Chopped red pepper
• Chopped onion
• Chopped celery
• Chopped green onion
• Your favorite dressing, but best with Italian or vinaigrette
Mix it together and enjoy! Use more beans or less beans depending on how big of portion you want to make, but this is easy to divide up for a quick protein side. I used black beans, kidney beans and cannellini beans with light balsamic and basil vinaigrette. It’s really colorful and awesome!
Aunt Lil’s Salad with White Balsamic Dressing
• 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin oil
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• Black pepper to taste
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Choose YOU. Get Healthy!
March 19, 2011
Day 33 on Four Hour Body. I feel sick since it’s my Cheat Day and my body can’t deal with junk food.
I’m that type of person who’s all or nothing. Until about 33 days ago, I approached diet and exercise just leisurely. In the rest of my life, however, I was intense. If I was going to be a kickboxing instructor, I had to be the best ever — motivating, creative, dynamic, fresh, new, challenging. If I was a dancer or cheerleader (hs and college), you better bet I was front and center and earned my spot there. When I started writing, I had no idea. So, I volunteered for things, took harsh criticism and made my best effort to just keep learning and growing with it. I wrote freelance stuff — sometimes for free — so I could get as much experience as possible. People took me under their wing and I’m happily still working in marketing communications for a hospital.
Learning more about myself and using it to my advantage
Now, I’m all about diet and exercise. I’m reading as much as I can. Talking to people, learning about their experiences and what works. In that, I’ve figured out what works for me. I’ve let go of the mindless, emotional or inconsistent eating. I’ve tried to eliminate foods that aren’t nutritious, and I love it! People say I’m really disciplined and determined, but it’s just my personality. I’m all in. 100 percent.
Determining a goal
My initial goal wasn’t to lose weight. It was just to change my lifestyle. I still don’t know what my goal weight is. All I know is that life was stressful, and I was overcommitted to things — as so many of us are. And, the things I talked about above, being the best EVERYTHING — wife, daughter, cousin, friend, sister, aunt, teacher, writer, blogger — is a lot. I think I was trying so hard to be good for everyone else — to be thoughtful, motivational, someone people count depend on — and it was too much, especially since there were many real-life stresses going on.
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Challenge: Sticking to a Diet with a Major Schedule Change
March 16, 2011
Day 29 on Four Hour Body and down 12 pounds!
I started a new job this week and was totally paranoid that they’d think I was some weirdo freak eating every four hours. Well, I survived Day One and Day Two and have been able to stick to my diet. The first day was interesting. We had a team lunch (cafeteria pizza). I ended up getting baked fish — some kind of florentine … although I didn’t SEE any spinach? — and mixed veggies. Someone else on the team got soup and a sandwich so I didn’t feel so high maintenance. And, another co-worker eats healthy and has even heard of the Paleo diet. That works in my favor! I also figured out that they serve fish every day in the cafeteria. So, that’s a relief — although I don’t know how it’s cooked and whatnot. It’s a good fall-back meal though in case I don’t pack.
The results are in
I am happy that I finally lost two more pounds! Last week I was at a total weight-loss halt. I think a lot of it has to do with me eating within the first half hour of waking, rather than the first hour. Granted, I am absolutely half asleep eating eggs, but I think it makes a big difference. I also barely ate beans last week; I am totally sick of them. This week, I’m giving it a go again. Still not enjoying them!
Last week, I also cut my activity out almost completely while my ankle heals. It will be two solid weeks of rest on Saturday. I’m feeling strong and eager now and actually have a 5K planned for Sunday with my cousin and the Phillies 5K the following week with hubs. I talked to my other cousin and he told me I could run Broad Street with my heart alone — like, just because I’m dedicated and strong minded. That made me feel good!
New and exciting
With this new job that’s 40 minutes North, I am in a whole new territory, exploring land like Christopher Columbus! There’s a whole bunch of new gyms, studios, etc. Can’t wait to dive into new classes/workouts and learn more stuff that I can bring to my classes.
More good news is that one my job responsibilities will be wellness for the hospital — my new job in healthcare. (Sorry, I’m not supposed to disclose the company name or location here because of their social media policy.) I was at our wellness center today and it was phenomenal. During my tour, I was smiling, glowing and feeling “in love.” Three aerobics rooms, a spin room, Pilates reformer room, TRX and heavy weight bag room, Olympic-sized pool … full-service salon with threading and even a hot shave for men! It was awesome.
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AllThingsGwen.com is my unofficial guide to health and happiness. It's a chronical of me finding my way.
I encourage you to think about “AllThings[YOUR NAME HERE]” and what’s really, truly important to you. Hope you enjoy my recipes, fitness tips, motivational posts and aha moments.
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