Cravings...what you should be eating instead!

This is an interesting chart, I'm going to give these foods a try next time the sugar or chip craving comes around. Wish I would have found this a couple hours ago, I could have turned that bag of chips I just finished off into the yummy kale salad I have sitting in the fridge....

A Master Yogi on how to stay young

Cell by cell, you replace yourself. Thought by thought, you create yourself. Dream by dream you envision the universe. You create a million new cells every second: Impressionable,vulnerable cells. From what do you create them? With what do you imprint them? ~ Susun Weed



Cant say it enough, Attitude is everything!!

100-year-old Fauja Singh became the oldest person to complete a full-distance marathon

Source: news.yahoo.com via Andrea on Pinterest

100-year-old Fauja Singh became the oldest person to complete a full-distance marathon when he finished a race in Toronto. This man is 100, if he can do it so can YOU!!

Proof that age is only a state of mind! This mans mind definitely runs his body, not the other way around.

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."
- George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian

All About Burning Calories

Source: theboringrunner.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Ch Ch Chia Seeds!

I have been adding Chia Seeds to my breakfast smoothies the last few weeks and am truly amazed at how these tiny little seeds seem to fill me up to the point of feeling almost overfull and keep me feeling full for hours. I find the days I use the Chia seeds in my breakfast I am not craving sweets and salty junk foods like chocolate and chips. These wonderful little seeds can be added to smoothies, sprinkled on oatmeal even added to baked goods....the possibilities are endless!

I found a great article online with the Top Ten Benefits of Eating Chia Seeds that I want to share with you!

Top 10 Reasons For Eating Chia Seeds

1. Lose Weight Without Starving

The Chia Seed is a dieter’s dream come true. The tiny, healthy seeds can be made to taste like whatever you want, and their unique gelling action keeps you feeling full for hours. Hunger is a main enemy of real weight loss, and you don’t want to fight it with jittery expensive pills. When a chia seed

is exposed to water, it forms a coating of gel, increasing its size and weight. Since the gel made of water, it has no calories. It’s also difficult to remove from the seed, meaning that it helps your body think it is full, without adding calories!

2. Balance Blood Sugar

Keeping balanced levels of blood sugar is important for both health and energy. Blood sugar may spike after meals, especially if you eat high-starchy foods or sweets. This can lead to ‘slumps’ in your day where you feel tired and out of energy. By balancing your blood sugar, you not only lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, but you also ensure steady, constant energy throughout your day.

But how does the Chia Seed help with this? Both the gelling action of the seed, and it’s unique combination of soluble and insoluble fiber combine to slow down your body’s conversion of starches into sugars. If you eat chia with a meal, it will help you turn your food into constant, steady energy rather than a series of ups and downs that wear you out.

3. Help Prevent Diverticulitis / Diverticulosis

With the abundance of over-processed foods and white flour on the market today, rich sources of fiber are harder to come by. These foods of convenience have contributed to the rise of diverticulitis. Irregularity is a big factor in this risky condition. To help ensure regularity, you need plenty of soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet. If you don’t want to eat celery, and whole-grain everything…or piles of bran flakes, the Chia Seed is here to help. Each seed is coated with soluble fibers which aid its gelling action. The exterior of the seed is protected by insoluble fiber. The insoluble fiber is unable to be digested (it does not contribute any calories, or break down) so instead, it helps keep food moving smoothly through the digestive process. Soluble fiber, and the gel coating of the seed keeps the colon hydrated and ensures the easy movement of food.

4. Add healthy omega-3 oil to your diet

Omega-3 oil is usually thought of as “that healthy stuff in fish”. But, what if you don’t want to eat fish every day? What if you’re a vegetarian, or simply worried about pollution adding harmful substances to your fish dinner?
Chia is the richest plant-source of this healthy oil. By weight, chia contains more omega 3 than salmon, and it still tastes like whatever you want! Omega 3 oil is important in heart and cholesterol health. It’s also recently been targeted as a weight-loss helper. USA Weekend magazine also reports on a study where overweight dieters who included omega 3s in their eating plan lost 2 more pounds monthly than the control group, who did not.

5. Feel more energized all day long

Don’t want to feel like taking an afternoon nap? Your energy levels have a lot to do with what you eat. Chia is one of nature’s highest plant-based sources of complete protein. Usually protein from items like peanut butter and some beans are incomplete, meaning you have to combine them with other foods to get the full benefit. Not Chia though, it’s protein is complete to raise your energy levels. The combination of complete protein, vitamins, minerals and blood-sugar balancing gel all work together to make sure you have steady, never jittery energy.

6. Bake with less fat


Do you enjoy making baked goods at home, but hate all the butter and oil that has to go into them? Chia gel can substitute for half the butter in most recipes! The food will bake the same and taste the same (or better) from the addition of the chia gel. All you need to do is divide the amount of butter or oil in half, and then use the same amount of chia gel to fill in. The anti-oxidants in chia can even help keep the food tasting fresh longer. Everything from cookies to cakes to muffins, pancakes and waffles can be made with chia gel as your butter replacement. Which recipe will become your new favorite?

7. Add age-defying anti-oxidants

Anti-oxidants have been in the news lately due to their super healthy benefits. You know that blueberries and several exotic fruits (that aren’t always in season) have them, but did you know that chia is extremely high in anti-oxidants too? These helpful substances are what makes the Chia Seed stay fresh for so long. At room temperature, they’ll stay fresh and ready to eat for over two whole years! And that’s all without a single chemical or preservative. This amazing ability is not found in other seeds like flax or sesame, because those seeds don’t have the same rich anti-oxidant content.

Anti-oxidants help prevent free-radical damage in your body. Free radicals lead to problematic conditions such as premature aging of the skin and inflammation of various tissues. Fight free radical damage by staying fresh and healthy with nature’s anti-oxidant powerhouse

8. Cut cravings for food

Being deficient in minerals or vitamins can create a craving for food. For example, if you’re low on calcium, you may feel compelled to eat lots of cheese and ice cream. This happens because your body knows that cheese is a source of calcium, and it hasn’t been getting enough. But what if dairy and whole
milk are a “Diet don’t”? You can always add calcium to your food by sprinkling on the chia. By weight, chia has more calcium than whole milk. It also has magnesium and boron, essential trace minerals used in the absorption of calcium and other vitamins. By balancing your vitamins and minerals with chia, you can curb cravings that might tempt you.

9. You can pack in more flavorful punch

How can a seed with NO flavor help the foods you already like to taste better? First, because they have no taste of their own, chia seeds will never cover up or add to the flavor of your food. Second, when the seeds hydrate, they magnify the taste of whatever they were added to. Put them in pudding?
Chocolaty! Swirl them into a smoothie? Fruity! The same thing goes with dressings, dips, salsas, sauces and more. These two factors combine to let chia seeds take on the taste of whatever you add them to. They distribute and never dilute, the flavors you love.

10. Save your money

Why should eating less cost you more? You already know diet pills are expensive, and ‘box meal plans’ can run up to $500.00 a month. If you’re buying ‘calorie counting packs’ or other individual portions in the store, you can also end up paying more because more preparation and materials go into these foods. More than enough chia for 1 month costs less than a dollar a day. You can use as much or as little as you want to achieve your own desired results. There are no preparations required for these simple seeds, not even pesticides need to be used to grow them. They’re always safe and 100% chemical free. A measuring spoon is all you’ll need when you’re ready to take advantage of chia for yourself. It doesn’t get any easier or more inexpensive.
(article by myseeds.chia)

Blueberry Bannana Chia Seed Smoothie

8 oz Vanilla Almond Milk
1 scoop protein powder
1 tsp Chia seeds
1 Cup frozen Blueberries
1 large handful fresh spinach
1 medium banana fresh or frozen (I like frozen chunks to give it a creamier texture)

Put almond milk, protien powder, chia seeds and Blueberries in blender Mix on high speed add spinach and banana. Enjoy!

Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? - NYTimes.com

Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? - NYTimes.com

7 Habits that Will Make You Happier, Healthier & Way More Likeable

7 Habits that Will Make You Happier, Healthier & Way More Likeable

I've got the motivation, now it's just a matter of getting in the habit again. I'm using this page to keep myself accountable and hopefully help others find the motivation to get fit and healthy also. :)

How to Keep Fit and Healthy at All Times

How to Keep Fit and Healthy at All Times

Working on this......

Everyone Needs a Battle to Fight

Everyone Needs a Battle to Fight

February Goals and weekly plan

(transferred from my Sparkpeople blog)


February Goals:
45 miles running, be up to a five mile run by the end of the month.
2000 fitness minutes
lose 10 lbs
No soda! (only had 3 in Jan, but when I have one it really throws me right off course)
Track Food

In March I have my 2nd degree black belt testing coming up and in April I am running my first half marathon so it is most definitely time to get focused and buckle down and make the changes that need to be made. No excuses this month! I need to come up with a better plan for strength training also, the one I am using now is all over the place. I would like to start incorporating the equipment at the gym but haven't quite figured it all out yet. If anyone knows of any websites that have good plans on them I would love to know. I have checked out the plans on sparkpeople and they are not quite what I am looking for.
In January I managed to get in over 2200 fitness minutes and I really watched what I ate and only managed to lose 3 lbs and 1 inch from the waist :( So I think in February I am going to have to get a lot stricter about what I am eating. Time to start watching the carbs and I'm thinking I might give up anything with gluten in for a couple weeks and see what happens. I have been sticking strictly to good carbs but I have a feeling that is not enough. So long to my beloved carbs



Plan for the week of 1/31 - 2/6
(I know I need a rest day, haven't quite figured out where to put it yet)

Monday ~ run 3 miles
strength train
pilates

Tues ~ Core training
snowshoe or cardio
yoga
TKD/escrima

Wed ~ run 3 miles
strength
TKD

Thurs ~ Core training
yoga
TKD

Friday ~ run 2-3
strength

Saturday ~ cardio

Sunday ~ run 5 & strength