20 Modules Down!

Mans, can you believe that I'm halfway through the IIN course?  I sure can't.  It's going by so fast and I'm learning so much.

That's all I had to say.

:)

Words I Hate

Diet.

Skinny.

Rules.

Bad.

Unhealthy.

Limit.

Can't.

Shouldn't.

Argh.  It's become painfully clear how conditioned we are to "go on diets." Or, restrict the things that we eat in an effort to look good on the outside.  I know most people say that they want to feel good, but I'm not so sure when they're so willing to limit the number of calories they eat (even though most of us need 1600-2000) for proper brain function.  I wonder about intentions when people will take diet pills that they don't know the ingredients but scoff at those of us who will drink a fresh pressed juice because of "all the sugar."  I'm concerned about people who will add chemicals to their water to make it taste good but say that essential oils are "just a fad."

It's like the addict I had who wouldn't take a cold pill because he "didn't like to take pills," but he would snort methamphetamine.  Which, in case you didn't know, has rat poison in it.

Mans.

I used to be one of those people.  And now it looks like I'm seeing what we're up against here.  My own conditioning takes over all the time and I'm constantly challenging the old diet rules that I was raised to believe were true.

There's no reason that one can't enjoy a treat and not want to poke their eyes up afterwards.

I hope that everyone takes a moment to challenge their intentions before starting anything.  Challenge those old beliefs you hold about yourself, challenge what you believe about food, challenge what you believe about your body.

99% of it isn't true.

Our bodies aren't out to get us.  They do the best they can with what we give them.  I know now that as I was conforming to calorie counting and other arbitrary rules based on nothing, I was just using it as a tool for self abuse.  Another reason to suffer.  Another reason to think that life is always supposed to be hard.

But you know what I learned??  After a recent metabolism test, I found out that my body (at my current weight) burns over 3000 calories per day.  For reals.  I'm not lying, I asked them to check again.

My body, that I hated for years, does WAY more than I ever gave it credit for because I was too consumed with punishing myself that I never understood all the cool things that it does for me every day.

I wish we would all just cut ourselves some slack.   And stop beating ourselves up for eating a freaking donut.  It's okay.

In the Four Agreements, don Miguel says that this is one of the fundamental ways that we differ from other animals.  When an animal makes a mistake, he shakes itself off and moves on. We punish ourselves for the same mistakes over and over again.

Stop dieting.  Just eat food.

Do You Have A Goal?

First off, I am now a Rockin' Wellness Affiliate!  I emailed them months ago to see if I could get in on the action but I was told no.  Boo.  But when the affiliate program became available, I signed up in 4 seconds. Love this stuff.  Need it every day.  Full of whole, live, superfood nutrition.  If you decide to order, I am humbly asking that you use my name or the link on my blog.  That'd be awesome!  I've already got a lot of people hooked... :)

But on to the main point of this post. 

I spend a lot of time reading food and nutrition blogs. That, in addition to school, it crams a lot of images in my head.  Images that I often use for comparison rather than for information.  

Most of these blogs are written by people who have accomplished many great things when it comes to their bodies.  They usually include a before and after photo.  You know what I'm talking about. 

I have no after photo.  I have a TON of before photos.  And....current ones.  And I'm not too excited about sharing them.  So y'all will just have to wait a little longer.  

Along with the after photo, you get to read many stories of triumph and transformation, usually culminating if the completion of some physical feat.  Marathons seem to be popular.  

I have no desire to run a marathon. But I thought I should make some sort of goal.  

So I do want to be able to do THIS:

That's it.


Thought I'd let you know.

Tried and True: Honey Chipotle Chicken from He and She Eat Clean

I have this thing I do, it's called buying the stuff to cook food and then not cooking anything. 

It usually ends with me up on a Saturday night, cooking all my food that I had planned for the week and eating it for every meal for the next four days.  Tonight I was feeling especially guilty, seeing as I ate out twice today....don't judge me.  

Tonight, I had the ingredients for Honey Chipotle Chicken from heandsheeatclean.com

Yay for iPhone pictures!  My chopping really needs improvement....

It's delicious!

For a few years in a row, one of my main goals was to enjoy cooking.  I have moved up a notch to nit *hating* it.   But cut me some slack: I'm a newbie.  :)  

Here is the recipe taken from their website.  I wrote it down on a 3x5 card that I keep in my purse. I have several recipes that have become favorites.  I carry them around so I always have them when I go grocery shopping.  

Taken from heandsheeatclean.com

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Chicken Breast 
1/2 cup Onion, chopped
1/2 Tomato, diced
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Chipotle Pepper Spice
1 tsp Oregano
Honey (drizzled over cooked meat - no more than 1 tsp)
Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Coat pan lightly with olive oil.
2. Place meat, onion, and garlic in pan, cook under medium-high heat until meat is cooked through.3. Turn heat to medium, add in cumin, chipotle pepper spice, oregano, and diced tomato and continue to cook until all ingredients are mixed thoroughly. 4. After meat is cooked, drizzle honey and mix into cooked meat.  Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

This time, I substituted a can of black beans for the chicken.  I don't really measure the onions or tomatoes either.  A half of an onion and 2 roma tomatoes seem to work out perfectly.  

Other "tried and true's" coming soon!  There are many recipes that I'm looking forward to trying!  Who am I....?

Here's to not hating to cook.  Finally.   :) 

It's Not About The Beans

I read a facebook status from an acquaintance of mine, who is a raw food vegan.  A friend of hers had made a statement on their own facebook page about how easy it is to miss the point in this 'getting healthy' thing.  

I guess someone posted a picture of inexpensive beans that they had purchased at Wal-Mart. I have no idea what this blogger intended to do with the beans.  Was she going to try a new recipe?  Make her own beans in the crock pot? Was she stocking up on some staples?  Who knows.  She was making a healthier choice than say, buying a huge cheeseburger.   Immediately, people jumped her shit about the beans not being organic and from Satan's big box store. 

This just in: Apparently, you're a bad person if you shop at Wal-Mart.  

This also just in: You're stupid if you didn't know that organic beans are better than conventional beans. 

But what if she was proud of herself for making a better choice? What if she was pushing herself to move just a little further outside of her comfort zone?  What if she was finally going to make her first vegetarian meal? What if she was about to make her very first veggie burger (which I could really go for right now)? 

What if she's just finally getting excited about nutrition and cultivating a healthier attitude towards food? 

Then, someone craps all over it. 

It pissed me off.  And it made me sad.  Because this person could very well have been me.  

I don't know this person's situation or eating issues.  But if this person is trying a new food that is healthier than what she was previously choosing, what's the point of telling her that she STILL made the wrong choice?

I come from a world of "There is one right answer and one wrong answer.  And you're wrong."  In my upbringing, there was one right church, one right way to dress, one right way to think, act, and speak. 

One right life to choose.  

You know what? It's a crock.  No one really knows what they're talking about, they're just making it up as they go along.  All those things I learned as a kid were simply someone's (well-intentioned) opinions.  It wasn't my own personal truth.  Sure I was taught that it's wrong to lie and hurt others.  But I was also taught that *I* was wrong.  I didn't know that people's priorities were different and this influenced the choices they made.  I was just taught that if someone made a different choice, they were wrong and that they would suffer eventually for it.  

All this over beans!  I know.  

After I calmed down, it really made me think.  

I have huge doubts and hesitations to share what I'm doing.  If you were to look at me, you may not see and drastic changes.  They all have been mostly internal. If I didn't talk about them, most people would think I was still approaching food the way I used to. 

My first thought if I were that woman would have been "Man, I can't do anything right."  After I called the commentor some really choice names....

Then this would follow "Should I even be telling people about what I'm doing?  Who wants a fat health coach? What if I never change? What if nothing ever changes? What if I fail?"  

A week ago, I had decided to put the sharing on the back burner and focus solely on the material.  I convinced myself that I had nothing to offer people because my outward appearance hasn't changed.  I don't have a snazzy before and after photo to show everyone how awesome I'm doing. I'm still at the beginning folks.  So I decided to wait on the website stuff.  And then I asked myself, "Do I wait until I'm at my goal weight before I take on a client?"  

When's the last time that that way of thinking did me any good?  Never.  

That's BULLSHIT and it keeps us stuck in cycles of shame and fear.  And ice cream. 

That woman deserved her beans dammit. 

And even though I will not be skinny at the end of the day, I deserve to make healthier choices than I did yesterday.  I deserve to be proud that I made a green smoothie with *gasp* conventionally grown produce.  I can be proud of myself for getting all my water in today. I'm pleased that I can make exactly TWO (cooking is still NOT awesome) more recipes than I could last week. 

And guess what? I have a bag of those beans in my pantry and I'm going to eat every last one. And I'm gonna LIKE it.  

So there.  

2013

My last resolution post looked like this:

More talking, more listening, more reading, more writing, more creating, more sharing, more laughing, more hugging, more moving, more sleeping, more cleaning, more singing, more challenging, more learning, more planning, more traveling, more cooking, more growing, more watching, more loving. 

There.  I resolved.

I gotta say, I'm like 80% on this one! Check it yo's, I've been doin' shit.  Gettin' it done. 

2012 may have not affected my waistline like I wanted, but it definitely got my heart and my mind going. 

What else happened this year?

I read books.  Fictional ones even.
I started learning about a new subject and enrolled in school.
I cleared out even more of my apartment.
I started juicing and have eaten more fruits and vegetables in the past year than I have probably in the whole rest of my life combined.  I"m not sure if that sentence is grammatically correct...
Tried my first beet.  Yes, a milestone for any 33 year old.
I got a new kitty!  I needed him the most.  I know it's not cool to be the crazy cat lady but I don't care. He's the cutest damn thing I've ever seen. I still have Precious, who perpetually looks even MORE pissed off now that there's another cat in the house.
The Purty Skirts had their first show! And booked their first wedding! 
Started a website with my bestie.
Wrote my first crochet pattern.
It's year three of "handmade holidays" over here.

All in all, I'd call that a success.  Now onto this year.

1. Health. Upon enrolling in the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, it's become more clear that I know a TON about losing weight, yet nothing about doing it in a healthy way or about keeping it off.   I look forward to graduating near the end of 2013.  I haven't decided specifically what to do with the education professionally, but it's already helped me a great deal in my personal life.  Also, one green smoothie or juice a day, plenty of water, good sleep, and meaningful movement.

2. Mindfulness/Spirituality.  I spend a lot of time being angry at those who seem to not know the difference between right and wrong...or douchey and non- douchey.  I'd like to spend more time feeling happy about this world I'm participating in.  I'd like to spend more time in the moment.  I'd also like to let go of the things that I can't know for sure and learn to trust the universe more.

3.  Writing.  I'd like to write more.  About whatever strikes my fancy.

4.  Music. More music and singing is always welcome. Book more gigs with The Purty Skirts. Maybe do some recording. See more live music.  Do more karaoke.  Work on original arrangements.

5. Continue with getting my apartment in order. And maybe I'll label some crap to. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?  Paint? New floors?  More yarn?

6. Simplicity.  Be more with less.  Less stuff, less stress.  I also want to continue to make my own household cleaners.  Stop laughing, I like it.

7.  Money.  Save it and spend less.  Haha, it sounds so easy easy doesn't it....this plan needs it's own post.

8. Create. Focus on the etsy shop but not in an "all or nothing" kind of way. Find a pace that works for me and my life at the moment. 

9. Business. Work on the sites and set a workable routine for posting content.

10. Happiness.  Choose to be happy.  Needless suffering is for losers!

That seems like a huge list.  But a fun one!  Who's with me!?

Thanks for readin' nerds!!

What's In Your Bag, Baby?

Sometimes I have to go to meetings. I'm not a fan of them and most of the time I can pull it together to get my arse to where it needs to be.  But then some days....I just don't want to face it.  What's this "it" I speak of?

Parking.  Or lack of parking. 

So when I'm having a difficult time, my mom will give me a lift. I love her for doing it because she knows that it helps me not go nuts when I have to go "up there".  That's what we call the main campus of my employer.

So last night, I called her and said, "You wanna do me a big favor?" 

Silence.

"WWWWWWhat's the favor?"

She always says yes because she's awesome like that. 

She picked me up and while we're driving there I asked her what she's going to do for the hour. There's not enough time for her to go home. She usually runs errands or reads.  Or crochets.  I get it from her. 

She said, "I don't know. But I brought my bag of possibilities!!"

HA!

The bag of things to do is now the bag of possibilities and I will be calling it that from here on out.  I looked through it and it contained a skein of yarn, several crochet hooks, and a book.  That's a good day right there.

Gosh I love her.  She's funny AND helpful.  And helps me out even when she doesn't want to. 

Fill up your own bag of possibilties people!!  I hear they're endless!