Thursday, June 23, 2011

Food Revolution!!

I'm not much for TV.  A few years ago, my husband & I decided to kick satellite/cable out of our lives & we've never turned back since.  I've read that this "trend" is a growing one but we didn't do it because we heard it was a good idea nor did we do it because we lacked the money; we just didn't see the point anymore.

Anyway, not long after, I discovered Hulu & have been watching the shows I want, when I want, on there.  I guess that's all another blog but I've been keeping up with Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (ABC) & I.am.absolutely.in love with this guy.  Not IN love...no, but I definitely love his cause and his PASSION.

Moving from San Diego back to South Texas gives you a certain perspective on things.  My eldest always ate breakfast at home but the one day we were running late that I allowed her to eat breakfast at school, they served crackers, raisins and orange juice.  Here in the Rio Grande Valley, upon inspection of the menu, I noticed some familiar dishes from MY childhood such as breakfast pizza, waffle sticks and pop-tarts.  Now maybe it's just me but neither options aren't real breakfast in my book. How about an egg? whole grain toast?  But crackers?? Waffle sticks??  C'mon.

Needless to say that while I disliked San Diego's idea of breakfast, I really buckled down in making lunch for my eldest here in South Texas.  Some of those things I just was not down for being put into my child's body.  & so I started to wonder if there was a way to bring Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution HERE, to the Valley!  Well, apparently there is!

I've already requested to start an "Edinburg TX Food Revolution" & the good people at Jamie Oliver's FR have given me the page on Facebook. Visit HERE & I ask you all to join me by either "liking" or sharing the page.  Since it is new, exposure it greatly needed.  I've already partnered with Max Muscle Sports Nutrition of Edinburg TX & am in talks with my daughters new school, IDEA.

The wonderful thing about IDEA is that they are a charter school so they have more control over what is served in the school.  They have their own organic garden, serve salads every day & are truly making a difference.

I really want to get more into this but pending further dialogue with both Max Muscle and IDEA, I'll wait. 

I'm very excited though.  This is a great chance to make a change locally & I cannot wait.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

It's ALIVE!!

I've been trying to think about a subject to write about for this weeks blog but I don't like to write just to write so I figured I'd play it by ear & see what came up. Something always does, after all!


Well this afternoon, I was sitting down adding some flaxseed to my organic yogurt (that sounds very uppety, I know) when my sister-in-law & I got to talking about live cultures/bacteria. She was somewhat surprised to hear what I had to say & went on to ask, "You mean, there's a bacterial war in my stomach?" Ha ha. Well, in a way, YES.


I'm going to keep this as simple as possible, not because I don't think y'all will understand (I've tried keeping "y'all" out of my blogs. Can't do it) but because it can get REALLY confusing for anyone & it's easy to get lost in the terminology.


We all have bacteria in our stomachs. Some is bad. Some is good.


You may have noticed a relatively new term flying around in the world of dairy; "probiotic". When a yogurt claims to be probiotic &/or to include live cultures/bacteria, what it's basically stating is that the yogurt you are about to eat is ALIVE. This, believe it or not, is a GOOD thing. You WANT live yogurt & I'll tell you why.


Sometimes, when we put into our bodies the not-so-great stuff, our good bacteria team gets overwhelmed by the BAD bacteria team. Bad bacteria in our stomachs can cause many health issues such as diarrhea or yeast infections. You could even become more susceptible to other bacterial infections or develop food allergies. It could even make you fat.


Washington University researchers conducted a study that showed that when people on low-fat/carb diets lost weight, the "proportion of two key microflora - Bacteriodetes and Firmicutes, which compromise 90% of the gut flora - change." The study, by the way, was done first on mice then on humans. In both cases, obese subjects had more Firmicutes than the good ol' Bacteriodetes. They believe that the Firmicutes were actually absorbing more calories and turning them into fat because as the subjects lost weight, the Firmicutes - the ones we don't want - started to diminish while the Bacteriodetes - the ones we DO want - started to "flourish".


We have over 500 types of bacteria (probiotics) in our gut. We need the good guys in there and less of the bad ones so a good way to get some of these GOOD live probiotics is to make sure that you eat yogurt that contains these live cultures. The ones I eat and feed to my children are organic & I'll say which they are but, FYI, I don't receive any type of compensation for doing so.


I buy Stonyfield Organic Yogurt and Oikos (also a SF brand). These contain 6 live cultures and the Oikos contains five, & they are:



-Lactobacillus bulgaricus
-Streptococcus thermophilus
-Lactobacillus acidophilus
-Bifidus
-Lactobacillus casei
-Lactobacillus rhamnosus


There are other yogurts that contain live cultures so do your taste-bud research & I'm sure you'll find one you'll love.


BUT WHY NOT REGULAR YOGURT?


To put it simply, they are heat treated to extend shelf life but it kills the live cultures in the process.


And what of that flaxseed?


The flaxseed is, as everything, completely up to you. I encourage you to do your research on both probiotics and flaxseed but I add it because I can't really taste the difference & it's good for me! It contains omega-3 fatty acid ALA & it's a good source of SDG's (secoisolariciresinol diglycoside).


One thing I want you to remember, though, is that we're not putting anything in our body that isn't supposed to be there. If anything, what some companies do to their product to extend shelf life or to make it look "pretty", can really damage your health little by little. Yogurt wasn't MEANT to be heat treated so if you really want to get back to the basics, I recommend going probiotic. (& organic - at least on dairy - but that's another blog.)


Trend words come & go, especially in the health & fitness business but this one is gaining momentum for a reason. Knowledge is power! ;)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Down with the Sickness

For the past few days, I've been fighting to not utter the phrase "I'm sick". However, this morning, I could deny it no longer. My throat is scratchy, I'm congested, my head throbs and my allergies, albeit mild, are not helping.


I have felt like this &, yet, today was the first day I took some medicine for my headache. I don't usually take medicine because I figure my body's attacking the virus\bacteria on it's own & I prefer to just let it take its course. I do feel I should mention that I do check with a doctor first to be sure it's not something that truly requires medication.


Being sick always brings about the question, "am I okay to work out?". It's an important question to ask yourself because there ARE times that you really just need to eat some soup, lay down and rest. Of course, many people use the sniffles as an excuse &, when you have certain goals, that's just not really an ideal thing to do.


So how DO you tell if it's time to hang the towel, if at least for a day, or if you're okay enough for exercise?


The answer to that question should only come from two people: YOU &/or your doctor.


To help YOU make a better informed decision, I've compiled a small list of things to consider:


1. If you have fever or are throwing up, I'll tell you right now that you just need to give it up (until you feel better); you should not be exercising right now. Your core body temperature does not need to be higher if you have a fever and, if you're throwing up, a lot of movement is not going to be beneficial in any way. Not to mention, you could be contagious so if you go to a gym, it's just not nice gym etiquette to be spreading your germs. Sorry! & see your doctor for goodness' sake!


2. If you've got the cold or the flu, you could be feeling stuffed up, congested (as I am at this time), have a runny nose &/or have an itchy throat. Normally, these are not good enough reasons to not workout but, again, use your best judgment. If your cough or your congestion interfere with your ability to breathe properly, consider taking a break until it clears up a bit more. Normally, however, exercise helps in loosening up blockage and, if you have a headache, getting your blood pumping will open up the blood vessels that are causing the headache.


3. Muscle aches is also something to consider before deciding if you're going to exercise or not. Presently, I feel a dull ache on my shoulders which is accompanied by the stuffy head feeling. Not fun, but it's not too bad. If you have severe muscle aches, however, I would recommend you get yourself a good rest before continuing your exercise routine. My aches are not bad, like I said, but even I'm laying off the weight training for today & focusing on aerobics.


If you've read all this, have decided (hopefully, along with your doctor) that you're okay to workout but you just aren't feeling up to it, remember those endorphins & how working out can help in getting you into that feel-good mood for the rest of the day!


Exercise is FOR your health so don't think that working out or going for a run is ALWAYS the healthy thing to do. Sometimes, you have to listen to your body (AND YOUR DOCTOR) because it's what your body needs. As for me, I'm not feeling my hottest but it's not something a good workout can't help.


;)

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Self-Support

Well, today I was reminded of one reason as to why I created this blog; self-support.  I'm not really sure if that's a real word or not but it's a real action.

If you're like me and you lack support from almost everyone, one thing you DO need is the ability to remind yourself of why you do what you do.  Support needs to come from yourSELF, the drive needs to come from yourself, the will, the dedication, the motivating words, everything, needs to come from yourself.

While it's true that anyone getting ready to tackle their health and fitness lifestyle needs to, first and foremost, be doing it for themselves, I think most of us would agree that it's nice to have friends and/or family that can offer some emotional support.  We can also agree that hearing just a simple, "hey, you're doing great!" or "It's paying off" can feel really nice.  I don't have that.

I need to be able to brush away bothersome comments and remind myself that this is for me.  I enjoy this.  I want this.  I love this.  I support me!

Granted, it's not always easy.  Those pesky comments of "I don't see any results", the eye-rolling and questions like "when is this going to stop?" can really sting when they come from someone you love and, yourself, have always supported whether you agree with it 100% or not.  It's life, however.  It's not always going to be fair but in analyzing my particular situation, I realized something important:  Nobody else is going to take care of my health except for me so I need to do it.

I have two daughters and I can take them to the park, play tag with them, run and jump on slides and merry-go-rounds just having fun.  I can be in a swimming pool, show them how to do handstands under water and pretend I'm a shark.  I don't get tired.  I don't get out of breath.  Nobody else is going to replace me as their mother being "it" or the shark or any of those things.  I want those memories with my girls.  I want to be the example in their life.  I want to teach them to be kind, loving, healthy, ladylike, humble....all of those things.

Fitness and health are part of my life now.  It will be for the rest of it, too.  I'm not stopping because even if it ever stopped being about me, it would never stop being about them. 

I understand it can feel like an ongoing war always trying to remind others as to why you do what you do.  You can feel defeated and it can get depressing. But just as long as you always know why you do what you do, that's what matters.  Self-support is for yourself, from yourself.  Now that's support we can't go on without.

Friday, June 3, 2011

How the journey began...

First, let me begin by saying that I don't claim to know it all simply because I've started a blog.

No.

In fact, while I have studied to be a CPT and continually research different topics in the realm of haleness (health) and fitness, I would consider myself knowledgeable and, hopefully, helpful to all those who have questions or need guidance in this department.

Still, I have to admit that I hope to get a lot out of this blog for myself too.  In all honesty, I don't have a bad support system, but it's not good; I'd say it's more non-existent.  I am married to a Marine Corps veteran and while many would think that he would be all for my fitness craze; he's not entirely.  Nobody else around me, really, has a love for health, fitness or whole foods the way I do except for perhaps a few acquaintances.  And that's fine but it does get lonely in this little world of mine so, yes, I am eager to find more people like me.  I know y'all are out there & that I'm not alone so, please...make yourself known! Ha ha. :)

You might want to know more about me, I'm sure, and how I got on this path. Well, I've never really exercised growing up, nor did I feel I had to.  With my mom building her business, she stopped cooking and started carrying-out by the time I was 14 or so.  We were a low-income family so when we'd get food stamps, we'd go to wal-mart and stock up on oven pizza, microwavable burritos and, pretty much, anything with an abundance of trans fat.

I didn't know how to cook and fast food restaurants were our daily (yes, daily) poisons of choice.  Rest assured, my parents loved me but, like many other families, were uneducated on what these frankenfoods were doing to us.

But I was a teenager! and I *looked* healthy.

At 20 years old, I got married to my high school sweetheart while he was home on leave.  That's also when I got pregnant.  While he was away learning Marine stuff, his mom was teaching me to cook.  We are somewhat old-fashioned, by the way, so I like to take my role as traditional wife pretty seriously.  At about 3 months of pregnancy I moved to Southern California (SoCal) and had our first daughter in 2004.  Fun stuff, that labor.

Once I could, I started working out to Tae-Bo whenever I got a chance so it wasn't very consistent.  My diet didn't really change, though I was cooking home cooked meals by then (tacos, enchiladas, tortas = not that much better), but I was getting my sweat on.  Sort of.  I mean, the workouts weren't easy but they weren't that challenging so I lingered between a size 9/10.

Again with the making of the story shorter, we moved within SoCal a few times, had another baby girl, completed two deployments to Iraq and all that good stuff.

This is going somewhere....I swear.

The 2nd deployment, I moved back to Texas with the girls to be with family.  I also joined a new gym, 600+ GymSpa, here in South Texas.  Anytime Juan (my husband) was gone, I'd be out most of the day, keeping busy with running from the gym to ballet to museums and events for kids. I mean, I kept BUSY.  I got myself acquainted with some of the gym machinery and lost about 15 pounds.  Then I got hypothyroidism which really sucked cus it made it really hard to lose weight no matter how much or how little I ate.  That eventually went away but by the time my husband deployed for a third time, I had discovered *drumroll*, Beachbody.

No, I am not a coach.  I don't sell it. If you get it, I don't profit from it.  I.JUST.LOVE.IT.

Insanity was a personal challenge.  When it's telling you, "this isn't for the weak"...oh, it's a challenge.  I ACCEPT!  So I did two rounds and, wow, the results were awesome.  I had MUSCLE!  I could look down when I showered and...wait, no.  But this time I was in SoCal.  I hadn't moved back to Texas with family and so when I had nothing else to fill my time with, I filled it with research.  Research on exercise moves, muscles, foods, organics, aliens and UFO's!  I guess the last two aren't relevant but, let me just say, that researching those things when you don't have someone bigger and stronger to hug at night IS a mistake.  Also...don't watch "The Fourth Kind" alone.

Anyway, when my husband got home, I got on birth control for the first time EVER and made the even bigger mistake of getting the shot (depo; the only one where weight gain IS confirmed).  Eventually, I tried P90X and fell in love with Beachbody alllll over again.  Suffice it to say that I am on my 3rd round and my 1st round of TurboFire and I absolutely love it.

But it all began with Insanity.  It was then that I realized I had it in me to do these things and it was then that I began to study to become a certified personal/aerobic trainer.  I wanted to share what I'd learned!  I wanted to change lives and inform people!  I want to show people, especially low-income families, how they can make small changes and live healthier, better lives ON budget!   THIS is what I want.  That's why I got certified and that's why I'm here. 

I want to teach and I want to learn.