junk in/junk out

It's a windy, rainy, Hurricane Sandy kind of morning in the wee size state of RI today. Since I'm working from home in light of said storm, I have the luxury of working on this blog entry without having to rush through it. That said, I'm going to tackle a few different things...you know, since I have the time:

First, knowing that hurricane was going to be greeting me today and tomorrow, I made a point to go for a run yesterday. I literally had to MAKE time to do it. Between Halloween parties, birthday parties, approaching holidays and a cruise in November...I really did force 20 minutes into my day yesterday for me. Something I generally suck at...but there are no excuses, yesterday proved it. It really is a matter of learning to put yourself first when it may seem sort of inconvenient to those around you. But hey, it was 20 minutes and afterwards I was in a much better mood. So its a win/win for everyone i think! here are my results...so excited, over two miles in just under 20 minutes...woohoo!

Next up? Let's talk a little about FOOD. You know the stuff you put in your body - and most of the time with no thought of how it will affect you and little thought to the calories, fat and carbs that are making a home and settling in to every area of your body...yeah, let's talk about THAT kind of food. Get ready...

Let me start by saying that since i've turned to a healthier lifestyle, meaning the majority of what I eat would be classified as "clean" (no processed or fried foods, no meals from a box, no white carbs, etc) - when I decide to "splurge" on food I used to eat all the time, I am learning I pay a price.

Yesterday was a birthday party, and I decided to enjoy some pizza (bakery style) with lots of grease and tomato sauce (2 pieces), I had slices of a spinach and pepperoni calzone (3 slices), and a huge piece of cake with buttercream frosting and chocolate ice cream.

Within 2-3 hours of consuming i thought i maybe had a stomach virus.

Or food poisoning.

I did not.

What I had was this...a body that has become accustomed to my feeding and fueling it with healthy, clean foods. It is no longer used to grease, to high sugar content foods or carb overload. I literally thought my stomach was going to implode. I felt lethargic, tired, achy...and i was bloated up like a Macy's Day parade float.

Not a good look. Nor a good move on my part.

Lesson learned. This is no longer about "oh that piece of pizza and cake/ice cream" won't kill me. I know it won't, but what it does do?...It hurts me and my body (which apparently I'm somewhat in tune with, finally, after 42 freakin' years!!!). It reminds me that my body is designed to run on foods that fuel it, provide me with energy, that sustain me and keep me feeling strong. I am truly in shock at how severely my body reacted to the crappy food I ate yesterday. It was a huge wake-up call and re-affirms my love for this new lifestyle. There really is no going back and I'm perfectly okay with that. Will I still enjoy a delightful dessert once a week? Of course. But I just can't eat like I did yesterday, my body spoke up, loud and clear. For the next couple days I am detoxing with lots of lemon water. I plan to enjoy some fresh fruits/veggies, brown rice and sweet potatoes.

Despite the fridge filled with leftovers.
It's not even tempting anymore...just not worth it.

And lastly, if you are up for a very cool challenge that will give you an awesome booty...check out Holly Perkins 30 Day Lunge Challenge! Click here to check out her super helpful "how to video" with all the details - she posts stuff like this all the time...lots of complimentary advice from a 20 year health & fitness industry professional!

I already did my 20 lunges today....how about YOU?

And once again...what blog entry wouldn't be complete with a bunch of quotes and helpful tidbit tips to get you through another day?

On the subject of sugar: Knowledge is power. Very helpful article from Prevention.com - 10 Sneaky Names for Sugar

And check out this super cheat sheet for portion control!

keep this handy!

And in the interest of posting something I really need to start making and consuming...I give you the healthy smoothies reference sheet! You will need to click it and then download it with a right mouse click so that you can read it in its full size. its pretty awesome.