"Friends: They are kind to each other's hopes. They cherish each other's dreams."
-Thoreau
Thank you all for being my friends.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Top Ten Get-Fit-For-Spring Tips
Days are gettin' warmer, gals! My biggest get-fit motivation this year is my wedding in October. Here are the things that have really helped me kick-start my fitness program. I hope they help you out, too!
1) Gear up with comfortable, ankle-stable sneaks, and work out clothes you feel cute and shapely in.
2) Make yourself an inspiring, fun cardio mix for your ipod or walkman, and update it regularly.
3) Eat VERY CLEAN six days a week. What does 'clean' include? Lots of fish, chicken, and tofu; vegetables galore (steamed or raw, plain or with a teaspoon of olive oil or fat-free dressing); apples, pomegranates, pears, grapefruits, and berries; brown or basmati rice (what fills your cupped hand is the perfect amount of this), beans, oatmeal, one avocado a week, and low-fat dairy products. 'Clean' does not include white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated fats.
4) On your seventh day, eat WHATEVER you want, breakfast lunch and dinner. This is your chance to bake and roast and fry, go out with friends to that delicious restaurant, or cuddle up on the couch with chips and sweets. Don't feel guilty, because this is keeping your metabolism high and active by not allowing it to get used to the same low-calorie meals. Also, life is about enjoying. This way, you can enjoy your favorite foods and still look just the way you want. Plus, at the end of your 'free day,' you will be glad to get back to clean eating, trust me on this.
5) On those six clean days, try to eat like a cow, the key phrase here being: GRAZE. East four to six small rounded meals a day. Try to include a portion of healthy carbs, protein, and non-saturated fat in each of these meals.
6) GET MOVING. Start with power-walking sessions from forty-five minutes to an hour and the pounds will melt off. As you get fitter, start to take jogs once in a while. These jogs will slowly but surely turn into runs. Believe me: I started out walking for an hour, and now, two years later, I am finally able to jog for an hour. It's amazing to experience your body's strength and adaption! Other great work-outs: jump rope, tae-bo, dance, swimming.
7) Use your own body weight for strength training (sit-ups, push-ups, crunches), or join a gym and hit the weights. If you only do cardio, you will lose weight but won't change your form. In other words, if you are a pear shape, you will just shrink into a smaller pear shape. Using weights, you can sculpt your body to be balanced and lean.
8) Meditate. Keeping a clear mind and a strong heart will help you let go of habits that are holding you back from becoming the person you have always wanted to be.
9) Drink tons of water. Hungry? Drink a couple glasses of water first. Also, make herbal tea with lemon, or caffein-free chai with skim milk. (Limit your intake of fruit juices, which are mostly sugar and will just make you hungrier. Instead, if you're craving it, eat whole fruits, which will fill you with fiber.)
10) This may hurt at the beginning, but it helped me: take a 'before' photo of yourself (or have a trusted person take it of you...Ramon took mine, what a guy.) In nothing but a bikini, pose standing with your hands on your hips and your feet hip-width apart. This is going to give you a 'YIKES!' experience at first, but remember, this is only temporary as long as you do something about it. And one comforting thing: your before photo could be someone else's AFTER photo! Be thankful for your body, that you are able to walk, run, jump, stretch. Now, go out and make use of those abilities!
1) Gear up with comfortable, ankle-stable sneaks, and work out clothes you feel cute and shapely in.
2) Make yourself an inspiring, fun cardio mix for your ipod or walkman, and update it regularly.
3) Eat VERY CLEAN six days a week. What does 'clean' include? Lots of fish, chicken, and tofu; vegetables galore (steamed or raw, plain or with a teaspoon of olive oil or fat-free dressing); apples, pomegranates, pears, grapefruits, and berries; brown or basmati rice (what fills your cupped hand is the perfect amount of this), beans, oatmeal, one avocado a week, and low-fat dairy products. 'Clean' does not include white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated fats.
4) On your seventh day, eat WHATEVER you want, breakfast lunch and dinner. This is your chance to bake and roast and fry, go out with friends to that delicious restaurant, or cuddle up on the couch with chips and sweets. Don't feel guilty, because this is keeping your metabolism high and active by not allowing it to get used to the same low-calorie meals. Also, life is about enjoying. This way, you can enjoy your favorite foods and still look just the way you want. Plus, at the end of your 'free day,' you will be glad to get back to clean eating, trust me on this.
5) On those six clean days, try to eat like a cow, the key phrase here being: GRAZE. East four to six small rounded meals a day. Try to include a portion of healthy carbs, protein, and non-saturated fat in each of these meals.
6) GET MOVING. Start with power-walking sessions from forty-five minutes to an hour and the pounds will melt off. As you get fitter, start to take jogs once in a while. These jogs will slowly but surely turn into runs. Believe me: I started out walking for an hour, and now, two years later, I am finally able to jog for an hour. It's amazing to experience your body's strength and adaption! Other great work-outs: jump rope, tae-bo, dance, swimming.
7) Use your own body weight for strength training (sit-ups, push-ups, crunches), or join a gym and hit the weights. If you only do cardio, you will lose weight but won't change your form. In other words, if you are a pear shape, you will just shrink into a smaller pear shape. Using weights, you can sculpt your body to be balanced and lean.
8) Meditate. Keeping a clear mind and a strong heart will help you let go of habits that are holding you back from becoming the person you have always wanted to be.
9) Drink tons of water. Hungry? Drink a couple glasses of water first. Also, make herbal tea with lemon, or caffein-free chai with skim milk. (Limit your intake of fruit juices, which are mostly sugar and will just make you hungrier. Instead, if you're craving it, eat whole fruits, which will fill you with fiber.)
10) This may hurt at the beginning, but it helped me: take a 'before' photo of yourself (or have a trusted person take it of you...Ramon took mine, what a guy.) In nothing but a bikini, pose standing with your hands on your hips and your feet hip-width apart. This is going to give you a 'YIKES!' experience at first, but remember, this is only temporary as long as you do something about it. And one comforting thing: your before photo could be someone else's AFTER photo! Be thankful for your body, that you are able to walk, run, jump, stretch. Now, go out and make use of those abilities!
Comforting Words
"If you are not happy with the conditions of your life, you can change it in two ways: either improve the conditions in which you live, or improve your inner spirit. The first is not always possible, but the second is."
-Tolstoy
It's a gorgeous, sunny day here in Purkersdorf. Ramon and I just took a jog, admired the emerald green that has swept over the rolling hills of birch trees, and the white and pink blossoming fruit trees. What beauty! We are thankful for winter, which teaches us patience, and faith in Mother Nature's wheel of change. The gift of spring has finally arrived!
-Tolstoy
It's a gorgeous, sunny day here in Purkersdorf. Ramon and I just took a jog, admired the emerald green that has swept over the rolling hills of birch trees, and the white and pink blossoming fruit trees. What beauty! We are thankful for winter, which teaches us patience, and faith in Mother Nature's wheel of change. The gift of spring has finally arrived!
French Dressing
I've been using this dressing for my salads since spring burst its green and white and pink all over our little village. It's so delicious! Yesterday I made a salad with butter lettuce, tiny cucumbers and crisp radishes. It was divine. Even Ramon, who is very suspicious of anything green, gobbles down salads when it has this dressing over it. It was created by the wonderful children's book author Tasha Tudor, who wrote (and painted the most darling illustrations for) classics like Pumpkin Moonshine. She made a cook book that I treasure, "Recipes and Reminiscences from Corgi Cottage." I want to be just like her 'when I grow up!'
Tasha Tudor's French Dressing
1/2 cup oil
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1 small yellow onion, peeled and left whole
3 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
3 Tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon Coleman's dry mustard
a few drops tabasco sauce
a few dops Worcestershire sauce
thyme, chervil, tarragon, and basil (added for flavor, do not chop)
Combine all the ingredients in a covered pint jar. Shake well and keep at room temperature until serving time. Remove onion, gerlic, and herbs before pouring the dressing on the salad.
Tasha Tudor's French Dressing
1/2 cup oil
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1 small yellow onion, peeled and left whole
3 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
3 Tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon Coleman's dry mustard
a few drops tabasco sauce
a few dops Worcestershire sauce
thyme, chervil, tarragon, and basil (added for flavor, do not chop)
Combine all the ingredients in a covered pint jar. Shake well and keep at room temperature until serving time. Remove onion, gerlic, and herbs before pouring the dressing on the salad.
Friday, April 13, 2007
A Cuter Place
When you're feeling down, put on a floppy sun hat, a flowered cotton summer dress, and paint your toenails pink. Spritz on a delicious, fruity perfume, slather on coconut lotion, and don huge jackie-o sunglasses. Do your part to make this world a cuter place. Even if you're sad, offer people a smile, remember the blessings in your life because they are numerous. Be an inspiration to the people you love. Memorize good jokes and tell them with gusto. Surprise a girlfriend with flowers. Give that nice waitress at the coffee shop a big tip, chances are she needs those few bucks more than you'll miss'em. Call your mom and thank her for everything. Call your dad and tell him about the good things he has taught you. Play fun music with french or spanish lyrics and make up your own opinion what the songs are about (how wonderful chocolate is, how sexy a plain white tank top can be, etc). Feed the birds. Be happy. As Paulo Coelho says: "We are a part of His dream, and He wants His dream to be a happy one."
You Know You're a Grown-Up When...
Ever have one of those moments when you suddenly realize, "Oh my gosh, I'm a GROWN-UP!" Here are a few of my 'woah' moments. I'd love to hear yours!
You know you're a grown-up when:
1) You open your fridge and see things like a jar of marinated roasted peppers, asparagus spears, or chicken stock
2) The kids at the park say "Hello, Miss!" (you turn around to see who they're talking to... and guess what, it's YOU!)
3) You meet a seventeen year old and realize you're ten whole years older than her
4) You say things like, "Yah, it's a nice house, but kind of far away form the local kindergarten"
5) You wake up early to meditate or take a jog
6) You see amazing shoes, try them on, and don't buy them because they're not comfortable enough
7) Your dad says, "Boy, I'm really looking forward to being a grandpa. When's that gonna be?"
8) A car goes by banging techno and you say, "Geeze, kids listen to the worst music these days!"
LUCKILY, THERE ARE ALSO MOMENTS WHEN YOU KNOW YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A CHILD AT HEART:
1) You do a little dance when you eat a cupcake
2) You crouch down to look at ladybugs
3) You want hot chocolate when you come home on a cold day
4) When you channel surf on a Sunday morning, you stop on the kid's channel to watch some classic Bugs Bunny and still think it's one of the most entertaining things ever
5) You get giddy when it's time for cake at a birthday party
6) You still love Dr. Seuss books
7) Sometimes, you would like nothing better than to sit down with a coloring book and some crayons and just GO FOR IT (after all, you are finally able to draw within the lines, which used to be a really big deal, remember?)
You know you're a grown-up when:
1) You open your fridge and see things like a jar of marinated roasted peppers, asparagus spears, or chicken stock
2) The kids at the park say "Hello, Miss!" (you turn around to see who they're talking to... and guess what, it's YOU!)
3) You meet a seventeen year old and realize you're ten whole years older than her
4) You say things like, "Yah, it's a nice house, but kind of far away form the local kindergarten"
5) You wake up early to meditate or take a jog
6) You see amazing shoes, try them on, and don't buy them because they're not comfortable enough
7) Your dad says, "Boy, I'm really looking forward to being a grandpa. When's that gonna be?"
8) A car goes by banging techno and you say, "Geeze, kids listen to the worst music these days!"
LUCKILY, THERE ARE ALSO MOMENTS WHEN YOU KNOW YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A CHILD AT HEART:
1) You do a little dance when you eat a cupcake
2) You crouch down to look at ladybugs
3) You want hot chocolate when you come home on a cold day
4) When you channel surf on a Sunday morning, you stop on the kid's channel to watch some classic Bugs Bunny and still think it's one of the most entertaining things ever
5) You get giddy when it's time for cake at a birthday party
6) You still love Dr. Seuss books
7) Sometimes, you would like nothing better than to sit down with a coloring book and some crayons and just GO FOR IT (after all, you are finally able to draw within the lines, which used to be a really big deal, remember?)
The Good Eating Philosophy
"Good eating is a philosophy. I know a French lady who muses, 'I am the keeper of my sacred body. I carefully guard everything I put in my mouth.' She eats entirely by the seasons."
-Alexandra Stoddard
Yes! Eating by the seasons is a wonderful philosophy indeed. Eat asparagus and tender salads in spring, come summer endulge in melons and berries. In autumn, bake pies chock full of harvest-fresh apples or pumpkins, and boil sweet ears of corn. And when Jack Frost comes knocking, warm your tummy with hearty soups, crusty breads, and home-baked cookies.
-Alexandra Stoddard
Yes! Eating by the seasons is a wonderful philosophy indeed. Eat asparagus and tender salads in spring, come summer endulge in melons and berries. In autumn, bake pies chock full of harvest-fresh apples or pumpkins, and boil sweet ears of corn. And when Jack Frost comes knocking, warm your tummy with hearty soups, crusty breads, and home-baked cookies.
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