Healthy Living

Cleanse Session 2 Meal Plan

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I apologize for the delay this should have been up a few days ago but alas I have a crazy crawling, climbing baby that is keeping me busier than ever.  For those of you who are participating in session 2 today is day two of your 10 day cleanse so make sure you refer back to the previously posted tasks to keep you on track.  If you haven’t signed up but want to take the challenge, which has a lovely prize box at the end, there are still two more sessions that you can sign up for here.

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For this sessions meal plan I decided to create a meal plan for those of you who really want to challenge yourself to eat fresh, clean and whole foods. The previous meal plan had a lot more cooked whole, clean meals while this one is more raw centric.

Every Morning

– Before you eat anything else enjoy a mug of warm water with a squeeze of lemon

Day 1.

Day 2.

Day 3.

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Day 4.

Day 5.

Snacks:

  • herbal teas
  • vegetable juices
  • whole fruit and vegetable smoothies
  • veggies with hummus
  • raw bars
  • fresh fruit
  • nuts
  • unsweetened or fruit sweetened dried fruit

See session 1 meal plan for more inspiration.

What cleansing recipes do you enjoy?

Five Healthy Goals for 2013

This cleanse has really got me thinking about what I need to do be healthier this year. I am working on cutting back on coffee and sugar. I am also making time to workout but there are five other goals I have for the new year which include:

1.Drink More Water. I have been awful about this lately. Water is essential for living a healthy life and feeling good. It is especially important for a nursing mom like myself. I am making sure to have a glass or bottle of water with me at all times and am drinking to thirst.

2. Eat more Veggies (and less carbs). If you know me you know I am a carb-o-holic. I could eat an entire loaf of bread in a day and pasta at every meal. My goal this year is to eat more veggies (and green smoothies) and less carbs.

3. Choose Better Snacks. I love crackers. Instead of eating crackers as a snack I am going to eat more fresh fruits and veggies. When I am feeling a craving for crackers I’ll try to choose something a little healthier like Quaker Popped Rice Snacks.

4. Run. It’s time to really get down to work I have a quarter marathon in May and I need to get back to running. I have a training plan ready to go starting this week and I am ready to run!

5. Relax More. I spend so much time working, being a mom and keeping house. I can’t tell you the last time I did something relaxing and for myself. I need to slow down and recharge my batteries.

What are you going to do to be healthier this year?

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My Fitness Pal: Friend or Foe?

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I know I have been talking about goals, New Years Resolutions and getting back in shape for the new year and I promise (but not really) that this is my last post. I usually don’t make specific New Years Resolutions but rather goals for the new year and ways that I can accomplish those goals.  This year I decided that if I really want to lose the baby weight I need to find a method that works well for me.

In the past I have found calorie counting to work really well for me and I was able to lose 50lbs over about 18 months and maintain that weight loss for 5 years. So my thought is if it worked back then maybe it will work for me again.

Now I’m not nitpicking when it comes to every little thing I eat and I’m not on a super calorie restricting “diet” but rather I have been using My Fitness Pal to record my daily eats and workouts so I can actually take a look at what I am REALLY eating and how often I am working out. It is so easy to overlook the things that we eat and by recording everything that I am eating I am able to figure out if am getting enough of the nutrients I need and also where I might need to cut back. Since I am still breastfeeding I really can’t restrict my calories too much so more of my focus is on making sure I am getting enough healthy calories and that I am making time to workout.

So far My Fitness Pal has been a such a help for me to really jump start my New Years resolution.  It really is true what they say “If it’s not broken why fix it” aka recording my daily eats worked before and it’s working now. The only thing I really don’t like about My Fitness Pal is that it points out my flaws. I mean really it’s not very nice to point out that I went about a billion calories over budget on Saturday because I ate one or three too many Voodoo Doughnuts.

Okay I guess My Fitness Pal can’t be held responsible for my short comings and honestly I guess it’s doing it’s job – making me aware of where and when I need to make improvements so that I can be the healthiest and happiest I have ever been. Although daily meal and fitness recording is time consuming and I honestly probably forget things here and there I have found that it is really helping me. I also love that I am able to follow the progress friends who are also using My Fitness Pal and we are able to really support each other. I haven’t noticed a weight loss yet but I can tell you I am really starting to feel better and fit back into clothes that I wasn’t able to wear a few weeks ago.

Q: Do you calorie count? How are you making your New Years Resolutions achievable?

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Getting Back To Menu Planning

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I used to be so good at menu planning but with all of these big changes going on and the fact that we were living in an apartment with nothing to cook on and now I am at my parents it has been a huge challenge to consistently menu plan.  That being said I have noticed that my meals are not as put together or as healthy as they usually are, so needless to say I am ready to get back to menu planning.

I haven’t discussed it yet on the blog but you may have seen on twitter and instagram that I have been using the #StartClean2013.  This is a FREE program that was put together by Katie Heddleston to help get you started on the right and healthy foot for the new year.  The best part is that there is a facebook page where participants can share things and also receive support from others.  Anyways each day there is a new task and for this weekend it is meal planning, which couldn’t have come at a better time.

This week my meal planning is once again a little all over the place because Wednesday I (finally) move to Oregon and I am not sure what we will have in our fridge and pantry when I arrive so I will have to wait until I arrive to really plan any meals.  I am loosely planning my meals for the next few days though and will be getting back to regular meal planning starting next weekend.

I start my week on Sunday because I usually do our grocery shopping on Saturday or Sunday.

Do you meal plan? Do you find that it helps you eat healthier and save money?

Becoming My Own Client: Checking In

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So it’s been just over a month since I wrote about Becoming My Own Client so I figure it’s about time that I finally check in with how everything is going.  So lets check in on all of my goals.


Goal #1: Lose Weight. Well honestly I have no idea if I have lost weight because I haven’t weighed myself since November but I can tell you that physically I am noticing that my clothes are fitting a little better.  I am honestly not hung up on this one and I know that it will take time since I am nursing and that is my first priority.

Goal #2: Increase my Energy.  I am on my way to increasing my energy but to be honest the last 2.5 weeks have been the craziest that I have ever experienced.  I am hoping to be able to share why early next week. So I am feeling pretty worn down but I am hoping that after next Saturday I’ll be able to sit back, relax and enjoy the holidays.

Goal #3: Break my sugar craving.  This I have really made huge improvements especially considering this being the peak of the sweets season.  I enjoy a nice small piece of dark chocolate most days and about once per week I’ll have a cookie or share a cupcake with Neil.  I have to say that is a huge improvement over the 3-6 cookies that I could eat in one sitting right after Edith was born.

Goal #4 Sleep More. I have been doing much better about getting more rest.  Edith and I will lay down once or twice per day and nurse and nap/rest together in bed.  At night I have been going to bed by 10pm (most nights) and am up once or twice with Edith before finally getting up between 5-7am.

Goal #5: Eat less gluten.  I honestly kind of forgot about this goal but as I sit here racking my brain to review what I have eaten lately I have to say that I have reduced my gluten a good amount and the more I think about it the better my stomach has been feeling.


Goal #6: Increase the Intensity of my workouts.  I haven’t done as well with this one as I had planned.  I actually was right on track until about 2.5 weeks ago when…well I’ll tell you more about that later. I am have been getting light workouts in which right now is better than nothing.  After this week I am hoping to get back on track with this goal and start a new running plan; maybe I’ll do the Couch to 5k again to get back at it.

Goal #7: Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables and raw meals.  This is a work in progress but I have definitely increased my fresh fruits and veggies.  I now just need to work on eating more raw meals.  One of my favorite high raw meals lately is kale salad- kale, Tuscan olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast – so good!


How are you doing with your health goals? What is one health goal you have right now? How are you staying healthy this holiday season?

Goal #6 is to increase the intensity of my workouts

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Goal #6 is one that I am finding to be the most challenging.

When I was making my plans for postpartum fitness (back before I actually had a baby) I had these grand plans of run/walking the half marathon that I had signed up for (before I knew I was pregnant).  I thought that around 4-6 weeks I would doing low intensity workouts and even start run/walking.  By eight weeks I would be back to consistent running and attending a weekly postpartum yoga class and of course getting out for daily 2-3 mile walks with Edith.  Here we are at almost 20 weeks postpartum and I have been on five runs and the only yoga classes I have attended are baby yoga and I don’t think taking three deep breaths and sounding ‘om’ once counts as yoga practice.

The only workout I was consistently doing were walks with Edith which occur 4-6 times per week and are usually 1-1.5 miles; so not exactly what I had hoped but it’s something. Then about four weeks ago I started Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp and although I feel like it has helped me to get back into a better routine I know that I haven’t been doing the workouts to the fullest.  I know I have a million excuses but it is really challenging to fit workouts in with a demanding 4.5 month old and a husband who works long hours.  At this point I am able to 10-20 minutes at a time and some days that’s all I can fit in.

Goal #6 is going to take some time and dedication to accomplish.  It is also going to involve working out a better plan with my husband so that both of us have adequate time to workout 4-6 times per week.  Right now my fitness intensity is around a 2 and I’d really like it to be at more of a 6 while I am still breastfeeding.

Speaking of breastfeeding that is also a factor that is making fitness a challenge.  I have been having issues with my supply (that’s for another post over on Naturally Family) and so I have to be mindful of the intensity of my workouts as well as making sure I am eating adequate calories and staying hydrated.  As you can see this goal faces a number of obstacles, however these are all obstacles that I know I can work through to get myself to the fitness level that I once was, and who knows maybe even increase that level.

So now is the time when I talk about the action steps that I am going to take to actually accomplish Goal #6

  • Make time. I know that I could make more time to workout.  This means I need to sit down and compare schedules with Neil so that we both have time carved out for our own fitness activities.  I know that I could do earlier morning workouts or even late night but I don’t.  It’s so easy to sink into the couch after putting E to bed, especially after a particularly long day and/or night. On the other hand if I do my workout instead of sinking in I know that I will be able to help myself to have more energy to make it through those tough days, so as much as I dread an early or late workout it’s either that or some mediocre workout that I try to fit in between playing, feeding, and changing diapers.
  • Try out 24 Hour Fitness. Down the road from us is a 24 Hour Fitness gym and often you can get free trial memberships.  I think it’s time for me to try it out and see if I can make it work because getting out of the house, away from the baby, the computer and household chores may be just what I need to get back to my fit self. Why haven’t I done it yet? Well honestly it kind of frightens me.  It’s in a strip mall, I would have to go early in the morning or late at night and who knows who is at the gym at that time and I really hate going to the gym alone but I have no one to go with me (I know suck it up and do it).
  • TBD. More steps to be determined as I go along.

Do you struggle with balancing life and workouts? Do you have any suggestions?

Goal #5 eat less gluten.

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Goal #5 eat less gluten.

I have done elimination diets a number of times in the past and I have come to the conclusion that a small amount of gluten doesn’t bother me however large amounts cause me to fell bloated, have a hard time losing weight and am often exhausted.  As you can see from that list those are all things I DON’T want.  That being said it’s time to make a change and reduce my gluten intake.

What I will be doing: Eating more gluten-free foods

  • Potatoes
  • Whole Grains (buckwheat, gluten-free oats, corn, rice, quinoa, amaranth, teff or millet)
  • Beans
  • Nuts and nut butters
  • Fresh fruit
  • Fresh vegetables
  • Herbs and spices

I will be replacing pasta with a gluten-free version, enjoying brown rice wraps instead of bread and enjoying more whole grains, vegetables and fruit.

What I won’t be doing:

  • Giving up gluten all together, especially things like Neil and I’s monthly homemade flatbreads and beer.

Do you have a gluten intolerance?

Have you eliminated or reduced your gluten intake? How has your mind and body changed?