Tips | All Things Gwen

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No Excuses, No Emotional Eating

February 22, 2011

Cupcakes from Ben's First Birthday!

“Good habits, once established, are just as hard to break as are bad habits” ~Robert Puller

My life, WAS a bunch of oxymorons — mixed up and confused. See, I love to work out, teach group exercise classes … and eat my face off. I’ve never been disciplined with eating healthy or followed an exercise plan. (I’m Filipino and all we do is gather around food.) I’d run a 10K without training, sign up for all kinds of races and just do them. I never felt strong while doing them though, and always chalked it up to — I don’t have time to do my own workout since I’m teaching so many classes. Regardless, no matter what I knew was right to do — for diet and nutrition with all that activity — I never did it. I’d answer everyone’s questions and be encouraging for them, but I was always a “fraud” so to speak. I always felt like it.

Bad Scene
In fact, I’ll never forget the time I drank one Diet Coke the day before a 5K. One Diet Coke and that’s it. No water. In the summer. On the way to the race, I barely drank any water for fear I’d have to pee (stupid excuse!) . The race was brutal. It was insanely hot and I felt horrible. I barely drank water after because it was a long ride home. I ended up getting crazy dizzy and barely being able to drive during a major storm. Yes, I made myself sick for days because I was dehydrated. Could barely get out of bed. Stupid.

Emotional Eating
I realize now that life is always going to be hard, there are always going to be challenges and I need to stop the emotional eating. During 2008 – 2010, I gained about 25 pounds from my stressful job from which I’d later get laid off from. I’d start at 7 am after an hour commute, be falling asleep all day, and when I came home just wanted to eat everything in sight and decompress. And, I did. My excuse then was — I work so hard, I deserve to eat this! I know now that that job sucked the life out of me and eating gave me joy. Life didn’t give me joy. Thank goodness the door closed there for me, because it was emotionally unhealthy for me and the other people in the department that were let go/left as well.

More Excuses
Here I am now, married. Before the wedding, I was watching what I ate (sorta) and lost about ten pounds simply by not eating late at night. I still look back and wish I tried a little harder … but again, I had an excuse. At that point, it was — I’m stressed! We have so many expenses! I got laid off months before and was bugging out about what to do with my life. I had a flood of emotions associated with losing my job.

More Unhealthy Habits and The Turning Point
Recently, we’ve been going to a lot of family parties. My hubs and I have tons of cousins, and we have a lot of close friends. That means first birthdays, showers, weddings … all that. Last weekend, we went to a first birthday and they had an insane amount of desserts — vanilla ice cream with caramel and toffee, ice cream cake, a candy bar and gigantic sugar cookie favor. I ate all of it. These aren’t even my favorite sweets! It was there and I ate it. Did the same thing at a baptism the day before. GROSS. I was really feeling like I was eating sugary stuff I didn’t need and felt like crap about it.
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Ten Things I Couldn’t Live Without in 2010

January 10, 2011

I’m very particular, and when I like something, I like something. Here’s a quick list of my 2010 essentials:

Asics sneakers — I finally found a pair of sneakers that seemed like they were made for me. I realized how essential it is to workout in sneaks that fit, and I figured out I needed a full size bigger than I normally wear. Not a half size — a full size! So, I learned that you should have a space about the size of the width of your thumb between the top of your shoe and your longest toe. Good to know!

Droid — Yes, I traded in my Blackberry, and boy am I pleased. Well, except for the fact that I got the original Droid as soon as it came out, I dropped it in a glass of water and had several replacement phones throughout the year. (Plus, I think the original is a bit glitchy.) But having a phone like the Droid (or iPhone) is where it’s at. I love the touch screen and easy it is to use Facebook and Twitter. Also, I use the camera on the Droid very often!

Camis with a built-in bra — Know how those biker shorts/girdle things are really popular now? Well, camis do the same thing, cheaply and simply. I wear one or two white camis (at the same time) on a regular basis because it smoothes everything out when you wear something more clingy. Got a whole bunch at Old Navy when they were on sale. Total wardrobe essential.

Toilet bowl cleaner wands with disposable cleaning pads — Enough said!

PickupPlease.org — Out with the old, in with the new. I sorted through my stuff several times and gave a lot away to the Vietnam Veterans. It’s so easy. You just go online, schedule a pick-up and they get your clothes, appliances, etc. right from your porch. It’s tax deductible too!

Coconut water — Drinking coconut water is so much better than Gatorade or any of those sports drinks. Plus, it’s natural and contains electrolytes. Typically, one bottle has more potassium than a banana — 15 times more than most sports drinks — to prevent cramping.

Nike dry-fit capri pants — Since I’m petite, I have a hard time finding workout pants that aren’t super long. I love working out in my black Nike capris because they come up a little high around the waist to hide the pooch while working out. Plus, they feel great and move with you. Flattering, functional and freaking awesome

Twitter/Facebook — Plain and simple, I’m addicted. I’ve met some cool people thought XX Fit Friends XX and on Twitter. I love that I can connect with people who have similar interests so easily.

Photo storage boxes — Above our washer and dryer is a shelf stacked with multi-colored photo boxes. I’ve labeled them and organized our stuff neatly. It really helps to know where all our “little” things are. For example, there’s the “school supplies” box filled with pens, paperclips, tape, scissors, etc. Then there’s a box of miscellaneous cords and chargers, one with sewing stuff like thread, needles and safety pins. I love this, and feel like it was such a “Real Simple” idea (that I made up myself!)

PINK sweatpants — I am addicted to wearing sweatpants, and I have found the perfect pair. They’re baggy, comfy and super cute. I may be a bit too old for Victoria Secret’s PINK sweatpants, but oh well. I wear the kind that have a drawstring and pockets.

Can’t wait to see what I can’t “live without” in 2011.

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Holiday How To: Baked Christmas Ornaments

December 27, 2010

This Christmas, my goal was to make homemade ornaments — for myself and for friends and family. The main reason was that this was our first married Christmas, and I wanted to do it up and have “stuff” to remember it years from now. That, and I wanted to give thoughtful, economically-friendly gifts that people could use.

Here’s the recipe for salt/dough baked ornaments. It’s a fun thing to do by yourself and with kids. You’ll need:
• 1 cup salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Rolling pin
• Cookie sheets
• Toothpick
• Acrylic paint – I used the $1 sets that have about five little multi-colored mini pots
• Paint brushes
• Puffy paint
• Glitter glue
• Ribbon or string
• Jewels, sequins
• Craft glue
• Triple shine spray

Place flour and salt in a bowl, add the water and oil, then stir until blended. Once the dough
holds together, make it into a ball and knead it with your hands to make a smooth texture.

Sprinkle some flour on the countertop and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Cut out
the ornaments with cookie cutters, design your own using a blunt knife, or shape dough with
your fingers. Use a toothpick to carve a hole into the top of the ornament to thread a string through to hang the decoration.

Bake at 250 degrees until hard — one to two hours.

Once cooled, paint and decorate. Thread a string or ribbon through the hole and hang the decoration on the tree or elsewhere in your home. Spray with triple shine spray, and you’re done!

These ornaments can be reused year after year. They are great for all holidays, just use different colors, shapes and designs.

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