tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63908894348426882082024-03-13T22:50:01.065-05:00Go Get S.M.A.S.H.E.D.Reviews and discussions of different things that will come up..books, movies, food, news, randomsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger535125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-89820429971689500202017-01-01T13:19:00.001-06:002017-01-01T13:19:07.289-06:002017 - Taking My Power Back<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm not making resolutions this year.<br />
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I just want to be happy and I wish the same for everyone else.<br />
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There are a few things that I'd like to do this year, but they're more of the long lasting, never going away type of things. Not a short deadline, nothing too specific.<br />
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I want to live my life to the fullest. I want to stop worrying about how I look or how I appear to others. Seriously - I spent most of last night fidgeting with a cardigan so that it covered my stomach. I was with people who (as far as I know) don't give a flying crap about whether I've gained weight, lost weight, or if my stomach is sticking out more today than tomorrow or yesterday.<br />
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I'm going to enjoy my food, take care of myself *IN WHATEVER WAY THAT MEANS*<br />
Have a migraine? Rest<br />
Didn't sleep well? Rest<br />
Don't want to work out today? Take the day off<br />
Really want that cookie? Eat that cookie<br />
Craving a salad? Eat the salad<br />
Feel like getting in to Dojo Leviosa and tearing it up with some WODs? Get in there and do it!<br />
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To me, it's no longer worth scheduling gym hours and counting calories...forcing myself to be uncomfortable when i'm not in the mood to be uncomfortable.<br />
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I want to read more, I want to get back into painting and coloring...watching movies, going on walks with Mitch and out dogs. I want more good moods and less bad moods. I want to accept my mood and work through it however I need to. Emotions are okay, we need to accept them and learn how to move on instead of ignoring them or stuffing them somewhere to hide and build up.<br />
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I want to take my power back so that I can use my power for more productive things instead of worrying about my body, my emotions, or my life being "acceptable" to others. Those "others" usually have very little actual impact on my life.<br />
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I'm going to change my thinking, change the way that I think about myself, and do my part to have a more positive influence on others<br />
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This year, I'm going to be kind to myself and be kind to others.<br />
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And if you're not down with that...I've got 2 words for you...<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-8890795462693500712016-08-08T23:08:00.000-05:002016-08-09T00:14:25.928-05:00Breakthrough! Mindset is Everything<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span data-offset-key="enrsp-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I had a major breakthrough today. I was driving to my chiropractor and thinking about what I was going to say when she asked me how I was feeling today (typical anxious Ashley, pre planning a mundane conversation)....She's been politely pushing me to lower my anxiety medicine- i know she does this out of care and concern for me, but she doesn't know the entire scope of why I'm on the meds to begin with... so I've been fluffing up my honesty with her on some things so as not to have an awkward conversation.. ANYWAY, the first thing that popped into my head was...wow, I feel great! except for the cramps, I actually feel great..my body feels good, I'm not stressed, I'm happy, I'm content. I feel great. It has been SO long since I've been able to say that and truly mean it and feel what I am saying and know that it's true. I feel phenomenal today and I am so happy about it. Literally bouncing.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4sfko-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">You have all seen our posts about our modified diet...yes, it's for health reasons, and it's done wonders for us. I know how it feels when I'm full, hungry, satisfied, and I know when I don't want to eat and I'm okay with that. I definitely have more energy, my body feels better, I felt better...With all of these awesome results came the flip side of the coin: I realized that I was developing another disordered relationship with food. I completely understand how important it is to eat healthfully and why this plan is so beneficial, and we've had great results, but going out and being social has been so stressful and miserable for me.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="7q741-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">In the past month, Mitch and I have loosened the reigns for when we go out and are in social situations which has definitely made everything more enjoyable..less to stress about, no reason to stalk menus or veto restaurants, and guess what...no bad tummy aches, no issues! I came to the realization that cutting out certain foods, while "healthier" internally could actually lead to us developing food sensitivities...We plan on starting a family and the last thing I want to do is let my eating habits give my future children food sensitivities. So loosening the reigns will happen, but so will eating foods that nourish our bodies; we both agree that we know our balance and won't "punish" ourselves for choosing a sweet goodie if we want it.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f3j0j-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I have also listened to several podcasts, done research, and spoken with my chiropractor about adrenal fatigue - in a nutshell, this is when your body is in constant fight or flight mode due to stress and anxiety. I've been super stressed and exhausted lately due to some things at work, but that's actually not abnormal. Truth is, I just don't handle my stress well, stress turns to anxiety and anxiety turns into bad news bears. Last week, our chiropractor had a presentation on adrenal fatigue and recommended some supplements. I know enough about adrenal fatigue to know that it's not a one size fits all treatment (there was only 1 line of supplements offered). I had a doctor's appointment the next day and she decided to do a full blood panel to see if my cortisol levels were actually crazy, or if anything else was going on. I got my results back the other day and aside from elevated cholesterol, everything came back in a healthy range (yay!) So I came to the decision that I am going to stop trying to find things that are wrong with me/things to blame for how I am and just take the responsibility for what I do to myself and handle it...when I'm feeling stressed, I am going to concentrate on mindset and reframing. It's okay to be stressed out, but I still have to function and I can be a positive person while I do that...Moreover, there are certain things that I stress about that aren't at all worth truly stressing over. This will take a lot of work on my end, but I know I can do it. I did it today!</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f3j0j-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I plan to see a family practitioner about tweaking my anxiety meds, I can tell that something is different, maybe off, but this is more to make sure that I'm benefiting from what I'm taking, I have no plans to get off my meds. When I was 16, I woke my mom up one night because I didn't want to go to a formal with the guy that I had asked to be my date and I didn't know what to do about it. My anxiety attacks (unfortunately) come straight out of nowhere; I can't predict them. I know I need help, and I am not ashamed that I need that help.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8v1td-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Last little thing (Wow, this got long!) I was getting ready for my friend's 1 year old's birthday party yesterday. As I was putting on each piece of clothing, I actually stopped and admired my body. Usually, I only try to do this after my whole outfit is on, but yesterday, it started from bra and undies. This is huge for me. Also, I had a cookie and ice cream at the party and the world didn't fall apart!</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2c51q-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I am beyond happy today, I can't wait for more days like this, and I am hugely proud of myself for finally getting to this place.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-5386153395965795182016-07-24T17:05:00.002-05:002016-07-24T17:14:37.768-05:00Why be Body Positive?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span data-offset-key="ukcu-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">There are times when I get super down on myself...this morning, Mitch and I were watching the Crossfit documentary (one on Rich Froning and the other, I believe was about the 2015 games). I love watching the athleticism of the competitors; I get inspired and it makes me want to get back on my work outs (migraines and strained muscles kept me down this week). BUT it gives me a bleak outlook on myself. I know that no matter how hard I work, how much time I spend, how heavy I lift, how much effort I expend...that I will never look or be that fit. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1ik35-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Now for the body positive reminder that I have to tell myself EVERY time i start thinking this way:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1) The elite set of crossfitters that I am watching don't have a 9-5 job where they have to sit/stay in one place. They have been able to make crossfit and fitness their job. They can afford the time and money that it takes to have everything they need to keep their fitness levels up and their bodies in competition mode. That isn't my life. Its awesome that they can do this...I can't; I should not feel ashamed of that</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="5e21g-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">2) My body make up probably most likely won't allow me to every look like that or perform like that unless I am willing or able to make certain lifestyle changes - IT IS OKAY that I am not 100% wiling or able to make those changes - I don't need to feel ashamed for these things</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="38hql-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">3) I am making great strides in my own efforts to become more fit. My slow train to weight loss and health gain is chugging along. I definitely don't see changes day to day, but from November, when we started this to now, there have been significant changes. My body can do things that it wasn't doing in November, I feel better, and though I have not seen my doctor since last July, I am confident that I will have made some internal changes that have improved my quality of life, even though it may not be outwardly noticeable.</span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="1hpvd-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I am sharing these feelings because I strongly believe that being positive about your body...wherever you are towards your goals is key to becoming a healthier and happier person. The happier you are with yourself and the more you can accept your body, the more you will take care of it. I believe that being healthy, working out, eating, should NOT be a punishment for something you did earlier or yesterday or on vacation or at work.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1hpvd-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Take care of your body because you love it; if you're fighting with your body due to health issues, give yourself a break; you are doing the best that you can, mentally and physically. Show yourself some love and do things that make you feel good. Good things will come. Change can be slow. And above all, don't let someone's negative or intrusive opinion about your body change how you feel about yourself.</span><br />
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image credit: <a href="http://pitsu-pitsu.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">http://pitsu-pitsu.tumblr.com/</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-91239824442882544542016-07-16T21:29:00.000-05:002016-07-16T21:29:21.772-05:00Our Adventures in Lima, Peru<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last month, Mitch and I took a wonderful trip down to Lima for my friend's wedding. We gave ourselves 4 days to explore the city and celebrate. Neither of us had been to Peru before (or South America), so we tried our best to fit as much in as we could that would give us a native taste of the city. Unfortunately, we did not have time to get out to Cuzco or Machu Picchu, but we definitely plan on returning and doing more exploring over there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We spent our time exploring 3 districts of Lima: San Isidro, Miraflores, and Barranco. It was winter in Lima, and the weather was breezy and cool (not cold, but so nice). We mostly walked, but used cabs for longer or later trips</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We stayed at Hotel Roosevelt in San Isidro which offered reliable and safe car service from and to the airport. This made travel so much easier as we did not have to worry about finding a reliable cab (though I read that Taxi Green is safe a reliable from the airport). The hotel was very comfortable and the staff was extremely helpful in offering suggestions and helping us coordinate our days. The food at the hotel was great as well, but we were excited to explore and experience and ended up eating most of our meals at local restaurants.</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0YgBjO2kChQ/V4rbtFPmWTI/AAAAAAAADQ8/ZtcCThWMFB4UHXJ4_rIYU9jc6dKmIflggCLcB/s1600/san%2Bisidro%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0YgBjO2kChQ/V4rbtFPmWTI/AAAAAAAADQ8/ZtcCThWMFB4UHXJ4_rIYU9jc6dKmIflggCLcB/s200/san%2Bisidro%2B1.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The district has a ton of municipal parks with ponds and trees. We walked over to Bosque El Olivar which has rows and rows of olive trees and extends quite a few blocks, There are a few ponds with goldfish and turtles and is a really nice area to walk around in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We went to Paseo Colon for lunch and had our first Pisco Sours and Ceviche of the trip. Peruvian Ceviche is usually white fish with lime juice and is served with sweet potatos and corn. The flavors of the sweet potato and the lime juice complimented each other in the best way. We also had another native dish - Lomo Saltado. It's beef stir fried with onions and tomatoes. We finished our meal with strong Peruvian coffee.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wedding was also in San Isidro and the reception was at the Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI). I wish we had been able to visit the museum while we were there and experience it; the grounds were beautiful. This wedding, by the way, was one of the most fun weddings that we have been to. The food was delicious (think ceviche shooter hors d'ouerves, , whisky and champagne served like hors d'ouerves, fresh seafood, sashimi). The music NEVER stopped. I'm pretty sure that the party was still going on after 2 when we left. They had "hora loca" where dancers came out on stilts and brought our fun hats, beads, and masks and "re energized" the party-it didn't need it, but it sure was fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is also a farmet's market every Sunday across from Roosevelt Hotel. You can get fresh food, coffee, and some cool knick knacks. We walked around there for a bit, tried some homemade hot sauces, cheeses and coffee.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On my birthday, we ate at Osaka, a trendy Nikkei (Peruvian Sushi fusion) restaurant. Holy crap, the food was delicious. We had some sashimi, ceviche, delicious wine and a bit of cheesecake. Our bartender and waiter were so friendly and helped recommend foods that were unique and delicious. </span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kpYz2DhR6NE/V4rbhplJn6I/AAAAAAAADRM/dcQp1yPhRyUsFJ1JujLNbGYXdFF0y68BgCEw/s1600/miraflores%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kpYz2DhR6NE/V4rbhplJn6I/AAAAAAAADRM/dcQp1yPhRyUsFJ1JujLNbGYXdFF0y68BgCEw/s200/miraflores%2B3.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We walked from our hotel in San Isidro to Miraflores which, once you get to Miraflores, ends up being a nice walk on coastal cliffs. We spend some time in Parque del Amor watching the paragliders and walking around the mosaic benches. We walked through the city towards Parque Kennedy and had lunch at Haiti. We had more ceviche and anticuchos de lomo (beef skewers). The food was great and our waitor was really helpful in finding some places that we wanted to go to (it's amazing what you can understand when only one of you has formally taken a spanish class).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also found a cigar shop with a decent selection. Since we can't get Cubans in the states, we bought a few (and some Peruvian cigars) to enjoy on our trip. We enjoyed a cigar on an overlook of the beach at LarcoMar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On our second day at Miraflores, we stopped at a small coffee shop called Dulce Ciudad and got a delicious cappucino before going souvenir shopping at the Inca Market. There is so much to look at and you can find souvenirs for all interests here. We had lunch at Magma, a casual Nikkei restaurant. The food was good and perfect for curing my major hangries. Later, we stopped by Puku Puku Cafe for another cappucino. This is another small coffee shop with very tourist friendly owners - a man trying to sell perfume followed us in to the cafe and started his pitch. She told him that there was no reason for him to be in there as it was her place of business and made him leave.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Barranco is another beautiful coast district of Lima. We cabbed here and ended up at a coffee shop called 11:11 (Once Once). We discovered an awesome twist on the coffee that we usually drink here (coffee+coconut oil, cinnamon, cacao butter, turmeric, and ginger juice). It was so delicious, that we have started to make it ourselves at home. 11:11 is also a vintage shop and an organic market.It had a nice little open layout and had the perfect ambiance to enjoy a coffee. The staff here is so nice and helpful; one of the staff and a friend of hers actually helped us call a safe cab later that evening for our return to San Isidro.</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PDYEdpsUhVE/V4rbgS0A8TI/AAAAAAAADRM/0gkPgCP4zgEdeKD5svF-GV08ojsapQvewCEw/s1600/barranco%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PDYEdpsUhVE/V4rbgS0A8TI/AAAAAAAADRM/0gkPgCP4zgEdeKD5svF-GV08ojsapQvewCEw/s200/barranco%2B1.jpg" width="150" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had brunch at Las Vecinas, a delicious vegetarian restaurant just a few blocks from 11:11. We had amazing pesto zoodles and these potatoes crisped in coconut oil and tossed with lemon and some feta cheese. I can't wait to make those at home. The staff was friendly and the restaurant is eclectic and comfortable. They also have an upstairs loft to lounge in and enjoy books or snacks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We walked towards the coast of Barranco next. The streets are quiet and we passed some beautiful street art and murals. We tried to cross the Bridge of Sighs without taking a breath-Mitch made it; I had to take a breath. There are a bunch of restaurants built into the cliffside near the coast. Javier's has a great overlook where you can get beautiful pictures of the beach. In order to get to the beach, you have to cross the highway (there is a safe bridge to do this). Barranco's beach is mostly rocks and really beautiful. We sat on a rocky pier and enjoyed our Peruvian cigar in the sun while watching some men fish. It was relaxing and nice to have that time and just watch everything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had lunch at Javier's: Pisco Sours, this delicious toasted corn, grilled mixed seafood, and Anticuchos de corazon (skewered beef hearts). I know this sounds crazy barbaric, but it was delicious. Try them if you are in Lima and have the chance-they are so good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tips if you travel to Lima:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't drink the tap water. Stock up on water bottles and drink those. It's worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tipping is not customary, but if you go to mom n pop stores or have awesome services, 1-3 soles is an appropriate tip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most restaurants are not open late on Sunday nights for dinner, so be sure that you have a plan or eat an early dinner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The exchange rate when we were there was 3 Soles to 1USD-we exchanged our money in a local bank down the street from the hotel. This was recommended by the hotel, but our hotel (and others) have the option of calling a person over to exchange currency as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easy Taxi and 3555555Satelital are cab companies that are safe for tourists and that the hotels can call for you. They also both have apps that you can use like Uber. Our furthest cab ride was between 15 and 18 soles ($5-$6 USD). Just make sure to confirm price/in Soles before you leave.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of our meals (including alcohol) were between $30 and $60 (90 soles and 180 soles) for 2 people. We ended up sharing a few entrees so that we could have a taste of everything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember that if you pay for your hotel with a credit card, you will be charged a foreign transaction fee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is an Inca Market near Parque Kennedy in Miraflores which is where you can find a lot of different kinds of souvenirs from t shirts, toys, clothing, alpaca wool scarves, blankets, gloves, mugs, to jewelry, art, etc. You will get a better deal if you pay in Soles and they may also work out deals with you if you buy more than one thing.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-14306057690861863752016-06-16T00:27:00.001-05:002016-06-16T00:28:08.950-05:00NYC Vacation and Stress Effects<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Stress stinks...I am so over it. but unfortunately, it's not going away any time soon. Today, I actually saw what stress has done to me. I had my 5 month evaluation with my chiropractor last week which involved taking x-rays that she compared with my original x-rays from my first visit. I got good news and bad news.<br />
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The good news is that my spine, which was literally tilted to the left, has moved back to being up and down. The curvature in my spine and lower back have drastically improved, and my hips have shifted to being even (one was behind the other).<br />
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The bad news: the lack of curve in my neck has gotten worse. I am honestly surprised that I have not had more migraines. (I'm almost a month since my last one). If the adjustments were wrong, then none of my issues would have improved; this neck thing is due to stress. I carry all of it in my upper back/shoulders/neck, and the past month has been super stressful for me.<br />
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I'm definitely frustrated and upset about this...I've made so many changes to facilitate fixing these issues, but clearly, i have underestimated the effects of stress and overproduction of cortisol on my body. I'm trying not to spiral and get too upset, so I am focusing on the fact that my other issues have been alleviated.<br />
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Work isn't going to shake out until probably September, and I've got 2 more classes left in my MBA, so this stress is going to be here for a while. I'm doing my best to focus on positive things and just take everything 1 day at a time (yay for vacations and bullet journaling!)<br />
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We were in New York last week to celebrate my grandparents' 60th anniversary. The trip was great and watching the montage of my grandparents' past 60 years today had me in tears..so beautiful and inspiring!<br />
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A few delicious restaurants that I definitely suggest you visit next time you're in New York are Flex Mussels and Good Enough to Eat.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senior Year Bar Crawl in the Cuse *6 years ago!</td></tr>
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I am still obsessing over how delicious <a href="http://www.flexmussels.com/" target="_blank">Flex Mussels</a> is! We went to the location on 13th and had an amazing meal. Basically, they have a choice of 23 pots of mussels; each pot is a different broth or flavor and has at least 20 mussels each. They also have a great raw oyster selection and their Oyster shooter is ridiculously delicious. We had dinner with my sorority sister and her fiance; glad that our taste in shots have changed from warm, cheap vodka to vodka, sriracha, and oysters. I can't believe that it's been 6 years since we graduated. It's always great to catch up with a friend and have it feel like nothing has changed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southerners taking on NYC!</td></tr>
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For brunch on Saturday, we went to <a href="http://goodenoughtoeat.com/" target="_blank">Good Enough to Eat</a> on 86th and Columbus; we got there around 10:30 and ended up waiting in line for about 15 minutes for a table. Glad we had nice weather and that it wasn't too hot yet! This place has a great breakfast..egg dishes, biscuits, pancakes, waffles...and strawberry butter! Mitch said that their coffee was great too. Definitely recommend if you have some time to spare and don't mind waiting a little for a table. We met up with my cousins who are all up in NY now...we're all from Texas and Louisiana and ended up monopolizing the hot sauce. Cholula reigned supreme.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skyline from Central Park</td></tr>
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We had some time to walk around the city as we made our way to meet up with Mitch's cousins. I wish I had taken more pictures, but I was preoccupied with not getting lost...since that's my specialty.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WO1DVu93H3A/V2IzJhWaj_I/AAAAAAAADOo/_rQmUAb0NY4Bm49a1CvIug7ASdHA-Qs3gCLcB/s1600/couple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WO1DVu93H3A/V2IzJhWaj_I/AAAAAAAADOo/_rQmUAb0NY4Bm49a1CvIug7ASdHA-Qs3gCLcB/s200/couple.jpg" width="200" /></a>We spent Saturday night celebrating my grandparents' 60th anniversary at their country club. It was so cool so see so many cousins, extended family, and old friends there. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Cousins, Best cousins</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-37009247479608796282016-06-08T23:30:00.000-05:002016-06-08T23:30:00.882-05:00Day 5: All We Need is Positivity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTzTw6A8Zbf3NF2Ns3Iryi_kX4Kt8CtysQIMYVX2B7zP-tIO2Ie" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTzTw6A8Zbf3NF2Ns3Iryi_kX4Kt8CtysQIMYVX2B7zP-tIO2Ie" /></a><br />
A few weeks ago, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and came across a brave and impressive picture that my friend from college had posted. Since she graduated, she has been on her own journey of getting healthy, gaining confidence, and being super body positive. I am so inspired (and always have been) at her ability to be so positive and her drive to stick things through and really put the work in. As I am still trying to lose weight for health reasons, her journey and hard work resonates with me. Lately, with all the outside stress from work, I want to give up on my health journey and go back to eating crap all the time. While yes, eventually, I'll be able to add some things back in, giving up when I actually feel much better really is not a viable option. Here's to you, SK, for inspiring me with your journey. I aspire to work as hard as you have and be as positive as you have. Thank you for being so awesome!<div>
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In addition to my dearest SK, here are a few other things that I look to and try to live by to remind myself to be positive about my body for Mission 5 of the 10 Day Body Confidence Makeover. We can be healthy at any and every size. We need to nourish ourselves and take care of ourselves and love ourselves. We don't have to look a certain way to be "allowed" to be positive about ourselves.</div>
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Photo sources: <a href="http://mashable.com/2015/04/14/quotes-about-body-image/" target="_blank">Mashable</a>, <a href="http://www.azquotes.com/quote/857069" target="_blank">AZ Quotes</a>, <a href="http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/slideshows/body-positive-quotes-150915/page3" target="_blank">Total Beauty</a>,<a href="http://www.zestnutrition.com.au/body-positive-friends.html" target="_blank"> Zest Nutrition</a>, <a href="http://yth.org/4-tech-tools-for-celebrating-body-acceptance-month/" target="_blank">YTH</a>, <a href="https://www.theodysseyonline.com/body-positive-not-better" target="_blank">The Odyssey Online </a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-47079066374839968272016-06-08T00:09:00.002-05:002016-06-08T00:09:53.944-05:00Day 4: No Apology Necessary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I apologize about pretty much everything. I am that person who will apologize to a person who was on the other side of the door that I opened, or just in general...about anything. I actually had a friend in college point this out to me. It almost seems like I am apologizing for my existence or for the fact that I have opinions.<br />
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There was a time where it was a thing to start any controversial statement with "I'm sorry but..." and it's time to grow out of that. We are all allowed to have our opinions and we don't need to apologize when we express it (hopefully, we are expressing a well thought out version of our opinions so that no apologizing will be necessary for other reasons)<br />
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Mission 4 on the <a href="http://summerinnanen.com/" target="_blank">10 Day Body Confidence Makeover</a> is being unapologetic.<br />
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This mission for me is a mental and internal self image/self worth matter instead of an external body image matter. I have never and will never apologize for my body or my weight as I have no reason to (no one should). We can be healthy and beautiful no matter what size or shape we are.<br />
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<a href="http://cdn.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/i-am-who-i-am-i-make-no-apologies-love-me-or-leave-me-dont-let-the-door-hit-you-on-the-ass-on-the-way-out-c8756.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/i-am-who-i-am-i-make-no-apologies-love-me-or-leave-me-dont-let-the-door-hit-you-on-the-ass-on-the-way-out-c8756.png" height="224" width="320" /></a>This one has to do with my self confidence and here is the biggest misguided apology that I have ever made: I was in the 5th grade and ended up being the only one in my math class who had done the homework for the night before. The teacher must have asked and I guess I was the only one who said that they had done their homework because I remember that the other kids in my class saying that I shouldn't' have said anything. Either they had a pop quiz that I did not have to take, or they had extra homework assigned, but I remember everyone being angry with me after that. So, 10 year old Ashley went home and wrote an email to the entire class apologizing..for making them look bad and not just saying I didn't do my homework like everyone else had not. I signed it "Little Miss Perfect".<br />
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I went along this path of apologizing when I did something right (not special, just something done as it was supposed to be done) and someone else didn't for a while...a long time...into the first few years of my job. Not okay! There is no reason for anyone to apologize for doing/completing tasks, being ambitious, doing a good job, or going above and beyond.<br />
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This is all passion; why should we apologize for being passionate or caring about where we will end up in the future?<br />
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Today, I almost apologized for making a point in a meeting at work-we have been dealing with a process that did not have a standard process which delayed somethings. The delays and errors frustrated the sales reps and would come back to my coworker and myself. Instead of staying silent, I presented the idea that we needed an SOP for this so that we would be supplied with the correct information at the beginning of the process rather than at the end or after the fact. I felt like I was a bit forceful with it as I am not too comfortable with being aggressive or push (reason why I got out of my sales position and into an analytics position), but my coworker IMd me after our meeting to thank me for what I said and how I said it. I'm glad I did it and I am so glad that I did not preface it with "I'm sorry but..."</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-78122812569317993432016-06-06T23:26:00.002-05:002016-06-06T23:26:50.776-05:00Day 3: Accepting Because You Can!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We spend so much of our personal time examining every inch of our bodies, trying to find flaws. If you were the kind of crappy person who would, if you asked the next person you saw to name their top 3 things that they dislike or want to change about their body, the list would probably go on and on. We focus so much about what is wrong or why this part of us is bad or why we need to look a certain way, that we forget that the combination of these things...flaws, imperfections, hair color, hips, etc make us unique...and that uniqueness is emphasized by our personalities.<br />
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Today's mission in the 10 Day Body Confidence Makeover is all about body acceptance. I won't list things here that I want to change, because a) that's not what this is about, and b) I am doing all that I can to not focus on that. I want to share what I like; you can call me self centered if you want, but everyone should do this exercise. Just because your jeans were tight today doesn't mean that you don't have a gorgeous curvy figure that probably looked awesome.<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13241327_10154149763384054_5169981998182960899_n.jpg?oh=6dd6238cea0bbf58149b23c7d73f3e00&oe=57C3C43F" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13241327_10154149763384054_5169981998182960899_n.jpg?oh=6dd6238cea0bbf58149b23c7d73f3e00&oe=57C3C43F" width="212" /></a>So this is the only full body picture of me that is up on social media probably in the past year. I didn't post it, so I didn't have a chance to crop it the way that I normally do..but if I had, we would have lost that we were at the Columns, which was totally awesome. So clearly, I need to relax on the cropping. This is what I look like now (well a monthish ago) and I am okay with that. In spite of whatever in this picture I might think looks bad, there are things that I like and things that can be turned around into a positive.<br />
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<li>My short hair makes me look more my age and less like a high school student - it doesn't weigh me down and I can try fun braids with it</li>
<li>I am curvy and I am proud of that</li>
<li>My legs are strong and muscular...I can squat 165 lbs; that is awesome</li>
<li>When I have a real smile, it's awesome; thanks to 3 years of braces for filling iben that gap. My smile is asymmetric because I am missing 3 teeth.</li>
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It's a short list, but it's a list of things that I like about myself. It's a good start and a big leap from where I normally am with full body photos of myself. Thank you Lori and Millie for posting this without cropping it. You've helped me a take a huge step and I appreciate it.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-42744437164269948172016-06-05T23:26:00.002-05:002016-06-05T23:26:27.324-05:00Day 2: Unconditionally<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Unconditional love is rare. Society tells us that unconditional love should be from a parent to a child or between two partners in love. We are given the idea that they can love us, flaws and all, but our mission in life is to get rid of those flaws. It is not 'main stream' or 'accepted' to have unconditional love for ourselves because we should be putting energy into normalizing our flaws so that people can love us.<br />
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The 2nd mission in the <a href="http://summerinnanen.com/" target="_blank">10 Day Body Confidence Makeover</a> is to get rid of the conditions that we have put into place for loving ourselves...and get rid of those conditions because the first person that we should give unconditional love to should be ourselves.<br />
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I am a perfectionist. If I screw up, do something weird, make a small mistake, or I do something that goes off of my plan, I cannot handle it. It actually happened today. What started as joking around about finding a lid to tupperware ended in a dent to Mitch's forehead and me crying in the middle of the kitchen. He's fine, it was plastic and I flung it towards him, expecting to hit him in the side, but the dang thing went up and hit him in the head. I felt terrible about it, and internalized it...back to growing up when it felt like I had to be serious all the time because when I did try to be silly and relax, things like this happen (there was a New Years eve in middle school where we had confetti and everyone was blowing it at each other and throwing it at each other..when I did it, I blew it into my friend's eyes and we spent a good part of the next half hour picking confetti pieces out of her eyes). So if anyone was curious as to why I'm so serious and don't seem to relax or let loose that often, here's your answer.<br />
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When things like this happen, I blame myself and essentially internally yell at myself as if I was the mother to a misbehaving child who should know better. It makes me love myself a hole lot less because I screwed up and because I clearly can't let loose without doing that. What I should be saying to myself is..shit happens, Ashley...apologize, do what you can do to help, and get over it. You didn't mean to do it, and it's done with.<br />
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I have been able to get over a lot of physical conditions to me loving myself (one year, I had a lose 20 lbs by 6/20 that failed..I felt horrible about it and I am pretty sure that I had no self love on my birthday because of that). I can love myself at any size, as long as I am being healthy and doing the right things for myself. A lot of my conditions are mental now and just require inner and outer dialogue to get over.<br />
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If I don't have to be perfect for my family, my boyfriend, my friends, and my dogs to love me, why do I need to be perfect for me to love me? I guess that since I gave up on a lot of the physical conditions of being perfect, this mental parameter of being perfect (always available, helpful, nice, etc) has gotten stronger.<br />
<a href="http://i.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/oscars-2014-idina-menzel-let-it-go-disney-frozen-performance.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/oscars-2014-idina-menzel-let-it-go-disney-frozen-performance.gif" height="144" width="320" /></a><br />
I haven't seen Frozen, but I probably need a good dose of Idina Menzel belting out "Let it Go" on loop daily until it gets through my head. You screwed up? So what...let it go, learn from it if you can, and improve. It's okay to mess up...just let it go.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-53737683872416607262016-06-05T01:21:00.001-05:002016-06-05T01:21:26.123-05:00Day 1: To Me of the Future<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The first mission in <a href="http://summerinnanen.com/" target="_blank">Summer Innanen's Total Body Confidence Makeover</a> is to build your future badass self. So let's start this journey.<div>
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I imagine that I am not the only one who feels uncomfortable on the regular...there is not one situation that I can think of where I can admit that there was not some lingering voice in my head zeroing in on a flaw that I picked up on earlier that day...pants too tight, the buttons on my shirt are doing that gap thing again, my hair is flat...whatever it is, I'm uncomfortable and I am convinced that someone else has noticed it. </div>
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I listened to Fearless Rebelle Radio today while I was lifting and the episode that was playing was a perfect introduction into this mission. If you'd like to check out Summer's 8 Fundamentals of Good Body Image, have a listen <a href="http://summerinnanen.com/frr-14" target="_blank">here</a>. Think about how we are seeing ourselves and why...and then realize that we can change it...and we SHOULD change it</div>
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This mission is designed to help us envision who we want to be and how we want to be in our most flawless, but in the body we have. How do we want to feel when we can embrace whatever we are hung up on and how can we be happy in spite of these petty things that don't matter to anyone but us?</div>
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My future badass self will not regret doing (or not doing) things on a daily basis. She will not feel bad when a lazy weekend passes and won't feel stressed if she did not get every single thing done that did not have an immediate deadline. She will be more steady and confident at work and with daily interactions. This will be different from me now, because she can handle things that are thrown at her more gracefully; she will accept when she needs rest and she will take it. She will push herself when necessary, but understand that it is not always necessary.</div>
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She feels positive about the day ahead in the morning because she knows that somehow, she is equipped to deal with challenges and that everything coming has pieces that can be figured out; she knows that in order to resolve things, she has to break them down. She does notworry about the way her clothes fit necessarily; as long as she is dressed appropriately, she is confident in what she wears and she wears things that she is comfortable in. SHE IS ABLE TAKE A COMPLIMENT WITHOUT SELF DEPRECATING. She ears when she's hungry and is conscious of those feelings. She will be sure to eat enough and not accidentally deprive herself when she gets busy or eat too often out of boredom. The mirror has always been a battle, but she will smile at the mirror and not let the lingering voice point out anything. She makes time for self care and herself...and her loved ones. She makes time for rest or a break above all else and not try to fit in "one more thing" because it won't take that long. SHE ACCEPTS COMPLIMENTS AND SAY THANK YOU. She never feels guilty about taking care of herself and focusing on herself when she needs to so that she can take care of and be there for others when they need her. She knows that her social anxiety might get the best of her in some situations, but she will try to enjoy herself and be as comfortable as possible. She practices all of these in every day life, but if she falls back a step, she won't be upset. She knows that we all err and we all have flaws and that there is always tomorrow to try again. She is conscious of the negative thoughts and try to reverse them with more positive ones. She is not hard on herself if she "fails". She tries to influence others to think positively about themselves and get out of the social norm mindset of how we should feel about ourselves and how we should talk about ourselves. </div>
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This is who I want to be and I am going to work so hard to be this person. Changing the internal conversation from pointing out flaws to seeing great things in myself is going to be difficult, but it is so necessary. I am hoping that I can also help others change the external conversation that we have about women's bodies, attitudes, and actions...but one thing at a time.</div>
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*ashley*</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-8373544324074939422016-06-03T19:36:00.002-05:002016-06-03T19:36:25.155-05:00Challenging Myself to Like Myself<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Society norms of beauty have messed me up. I have always been the chubby friend in the group and always felt like the only one who had to work at looking good..whether it was fitting into clothes, struggling to be trendy, working out, eating well, or being skinny. The girls that I was (and still am) friend with never seemed to struggle with these things. They were your classic visions of beauty on the outside and (thankfully) had that same quality inside. I always felt like (and still sometimes feel like) that ugly duckling/black sheep...still struggling to be thin, fit in...to be something that I might not be.<div>
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I actually started this process a year ago; ironically it helped me into this relationship because the night that I met Mitch was the night that I decided not to dress for the guy, but to dress as I was comfortable. I was actually at an outdoor concert before we met..it was a warm April night, so when we finally met up, I was probably sweaty, didn't have any make up to touch up whatever was going on on my face, and I was a tank top that isn't always the most flattering on me. These details are kind of important; the previous dates that I had been on, I was sure to wear something that was flattering, my make up was as perfect as I could make it, my hair was kempt. I was putting forth an image to those guys that wasn't 100% me...it was me with effort, but isn't it more important to find a person who can accept you on days where you don't want to/have to/don't feel like putting forth effort?</div>
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Even though it's been a year, I have a LOT of work to do. Years of being told that I need to be skinny, that I need to watch what I eat, don't eat carbs, scoop your bagel out, don't eat this, don't eat that, eat this way, eat that way...Really warped me. I remember that the worst feeling ever was when I tried to put on a denim skirt about 4 months before prom and it was too tight and you could see every fat roll through my shirt. I broke down and then, after confiding in family, who pretty much told me that I needed to be more careful about what I ate, I started Weight Watchers. I lost 15 lbs and that was the lightest that I have ever been in my adult life. Needless to say, 10 years later (4 years of those being college years), I have successfully gotten myself back up to 45 lbs above the weight where I thought I was fat in the first place.</div>
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I'm working hard to lose the weight now, but it's for a different reason. I ENJOY working out and I am enjoying eating healthy and our new eating habits. I love lifting and I love taking walks and with the dogs at White Rock or at the park. I love that I can do these things with Mitch.</div>
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I'm going to dissect this picture for a minute to illustrate these body image issues:</div>
<div>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kvq8FuC93AM/V1IhjoCTTWI/AAAAAAAADNk/Ix5Dv77hgWQNCiSfqSFA8IB-eGQjQe8PwCLcB/s1600/run%2Bfor%2Bwine.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kvq8FuC93AM/V1IhjoCTTWI/AAAAAAAADNk/Ix5Dv77hgWQNCiSfqSFA8IB-eGQjQe8PwCLcB/s320/run%2Bfor%2Bwine.png" width="298" /></a><ul>
<li>hat over eyes to hide that i look exhausted and have no make up/concealer on</li>
<li>shirt pulled out to hide that when it's hanging normally, i have a little bit of muffin top because it's more or less fitted shirt</li>
<li>cut my legs out of the picture - thick thighs aren't cute..even when they're full of quads</li>
</ul>
<div>
To most people, it looks like a cute, silly post work out picture..and on the surface, that's what it was supposed to be, I just wanted to leave out or hide the things that aren't "acceptable"</div>
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</div>
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<div>
My journey now is to learn to love this curvy version of myself. On some days, I am totally fine with being curvy, but on other days, I hate myself so much. It's not that I think I'll be better if I'm slimmer, but maybe, I'll have an easier time finding dresses that fit or buying bathing suits..Maybe I won't be as ashamed to wear a two piece outside of my backyard. Maybe I'll be more comfortable.</div>
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<div>
But maybe I won't..maybe the key to being more comfortable and at peace in my body is accepting it in spite of what society says "beautiful" is...so, for the next 10 days, I will be doing Summer Innanen's <a href="http://summerinnanen.com/" target="_blank">10 Day Body Confidence Makeover</a>. I am going to share my insights too. I hope that anyone who might be having the same issues that I have will considering Summer's challenge and start learning to love themselves as they are.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I found out about Summer Innanen from a podcast that Mitch was listening to (<a href="http://stupideasypaleo.com/category/podcast/" target="_blank">Harder to Kill Radio</a> with Steph Gaudreau). She was a guest and was talking about why breaking up with the scale is a good thing and about body image issues and about remixing body image. You can watch/listen to/read about the episode <a href="http://stupideasypaleo.com/2016/01/17/harder-to-kill-radio-037-should-you-break-up-with-your-scale-with-summer-innanen/" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Summer's message really stuck with me, so I started to listen to her podcast, <a href="http://summerinnanen.com/frr" target="_blank">Fearless Rebelle Radio</a> where she mentioned her 10 Day Body Confidence Makeover again.</div>
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I encourage anyone interested to check out both of these podcasts as well as Summer's website/social media. She knows what she's talking about, she's been through it, she's real about it, her message is real, and she gets it. She is inspirational and funny and really does a good job of capturing the struggles of fixing body image and our relationship with food and how we can improve on these things to become happier.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-28161318902640032992016-06-02T20:34:00.003-05:002016-06-02T20:35:22.602-05:00Let's Talk About Stress, Baby<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My kryptonite became apparent to me this week. If there is one thing that is going to kick my anxiety/depression/ability to function into oblivion, it's STRESS. A little bit of regular stress is healthy for the body and mind...keeps you functioning and working at things. A lot of stress...combined with no desire for self care results (for me) in the most trapped and frustrating feeling.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRRQt6eyvhCsWMRJX9FjA4uXupQfaqRM2uGrkLf7jrEYww3fwyA" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRRQt6eyvhCsWMRJX9FjA4uXupQfaqRM2uGrkLf7jrEYww3fwyA" /></a>I've suffered from depression and anxiety for a while..at least 17 years. When things are going well, I am now able to cope so much better and am not spiraling into tears and anxiety attacks at every little thing. Something last week was different...and it consumed me....it was awful. I felt like i was stuck in a hole, trapped in a body that wasn't letting me do what I wanted to do, and honestly unable to truly express anything without heavy emotions coming out. I functioned enough to get myself to work, be productive, and get home. I haven't worked out or been able to be active since Monday; my body was craving the activity, but my mind would not let me. My mind wanted me to lay down and diss<br />
olve into the knot that I was feeling in my gut.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Overall, things truly are going alright...there are some things going on that are not ideal, but there are always non ideal things going on. I've gotten a lot of responsibility in a short amount of time at work and my nerves and self doubt set in. Could I handle this...Will I be able <br />
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTm5P0-uwqUdwAzcN9XkkMIKtuWQmqvSk88P_TDzxTtpyUUkjus" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTm5P0-uwqUdwAzcN9XkkMIKtuWQmqvSk88P_TDzxTtpyUUkjus" /></a>to handle this? Things are changing, where will I end up? My mind went into what I am going to call "work fight or flight mode" basically...pour everything into getting it all done, be perfect, lather, rinse, repeat. We have a ton to do right now, so the only distractions coming in was more work needing to be done. I did what my mind told me to do, but I did it the wrong way. The rational part of my brain that tells me to get up, take a break, use the facilities, eat something!! was muted. The sleep schedule that I have been working on and actually had seen some improvement on went to crap...not because I was ignoring it, but because I could not sleep and had moments of panic and anxiety when I was trying to relax and fall asleep. I gained weight...due to not eating enough, stress, not sleeping..I was in this downward spiral cycle.<br />
<br />
I'm still fighting it this week, but this week, I am fighting back. I know that if I feel up to it, that working out will level out my stress levels, so I'm trying hard to get a work out in every day. I'm making sure that I eat when I'm hungry and really trying to get in bed at a decent time, so if nothing else, I'm as close to sleep as I can be.<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS5lBPrpfocIQpCbYe5W2Cozw-YmEkoSv2S9CXjjpospja6ghV2_b0W1Q" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS5lBPrpfocIQpCbYe5W2Cozw-YmEkoSv2S9CXjjpospja6ghV2_b0W1Q" /></a></div>
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One good thing to come of this: no migraines! This is usually when I would be plagued by a migraine a day until I could get over it.<br />
<br />
Does anyone else get into this stress spiral? I'm working on self care and looking for ways to calm myself down and even myself out. Yoga and meditation are hard for me because my mind doesn't like to stop.<br />
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What works for you when you're stressed? Has anything stuck for you?<br />
<br />
*Ashley*</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-38145585358443830172016-05-03T23:22:00.000-05:002016-05-03T23:50:20.999-05:00It Ain't Easy Being Cheesy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hey everyone!<br />
<br />
It's Mitch!!!<br />
<br />
So we're trying to lighten up the mood of the blog and one of the best ways I can think of doing so is by talking about food! yay food!!!!<br />
<br />
But before I get into the food talk I'll update y'all on the exercising. So we have been working on getting lean but one thing we wanted to include in our routine was strength building. We have not done any heavy lifting since we started with our chiropractor. This made easier for our spines to shift correctly. We decided it's time to add more weight to the bar. It made more sense to get into a routine rather than just lifting random weights and hoping for the best. So we developed a program, which is a derivative of the Smolov squat program and tested our maxes for squat, bench press, overhead press, and barbell row (since I can't deadlift until my sacrum is adjusted completely). My maxes were not what I expected. I was never the strongest, fastest, or largest, but I kept trying. Almost two years ago I clocked in my squat at #235. Not a lot! But I took those numbers and did the Wendler program for a few months and pushed up to a "projected" #275. When we squatted the other day I couldn't get higher than #225. I will get stronger through hard work and dedication. However, one positive thing I can take from this whole process is I can squat more than my body weight. Another positive thing is, even though I can't squat as much as before, I also lost about 28 pounds since the beginning of the weight loss process.<br />
<br />
Now, on to the good stuff!<br />
<br />
Holy crap do I love cheese! When I heard that we were limited on the cheeses we could eat I somewhat died inside. I can cut out the alcohol, the grains, and everything else, but don't take away my cheese! Ashley then told me that we could eat raw cheeses. Then, we found a recipe for cauliflower crust pizza. Then my sister told us about how she and hear friends make tacos using lettuce instead of tortillas. We borrowed her idea too and started using cabbage instead of tortillas to make tacos-a little more volume and crunch than lettuce. Then we decided to go brainless...since we both work full time and my schedule can get kind of crazy, we planned out Taco Tuesday and Wine and Pizza Wednesday. Two days a week where dinner is decided; it's something that we both can make and doesn't take too much time...plus, we can get as creative as we want with it.<br />
<br />
We may have given up a lot of fun and yummy foods, but wine is still okay to drink.. and we have new, healthy versions of our old ways to incorporate cheese! I'm okay with that.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WJf5hqI13iU/Vyl_TzS-xYI/AAAAAAAADM8/QExsWOVMmD4L2W3JAMKc23l1W4kv6vE7gCLcB/s1600/pizzas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WJf5hqI13iU/Vyl_TzS-xYI/AAAAAAAADM8/QExsWOVMmD4L2W3JAMKc23l1W4kv6vE7gCLcB/s200/pizzas.png" width="199" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-El2fHCfrCLo/Vyl_T1Pu6pI/AAAAAAAADNA/ubNhq-ubVlgdM8x36DdvAoc2yyILfkpogCLcB/s1600/tacos.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-El2fHCfrCLo/Vyl_T1Pu6pI/AAAAAAAADNA/ubNhq-ubVlgdM8x36DdvAoc2yyILfkpogCLcB/s200/tacos.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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There's something satisfying about knowing what you'll be eating for dinner. We'll make 5 pizza crusts at a time and freeze them. All we need to do is come home from work, load up the toppings, and pop it in the oven for 10 minutes. The tacos are even easier! Whatever you want in the tacos at night go into the crockpot in the morning. Turn it on before going to work and when you're home the house smells fantastic and all you need to do is serve the meats on cabbage and load it up with hot sauce and all the cheese in the world!<br />
<br />
Soon, instead of just rambling about the food I can eat and what I like, I'll post recipes and tips to enjoy food to the fullest without any guilt. Until then (and again) you can find the recipe for the awesome cauliflower crust <a href="http://detoxinista.com/2012/01/the-secret-to-perfect-cauliflower-pizza-crust/" target="_blank">here</a>. Make a bunch and pass the recipe on to everyone!<br />
<br />
Eat healthy, eat a lot!<br />
Mitch<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-33657287560160797922016-04-28T19:04:00.000-05:002016-04-28T19:06:33.738-05:00Triglycerides: the Unrelenting Dinosaur Giving Fats a Bad Name<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Carbohydrates and sugar intake are the culprits. Eating fats does not make you fat. Processed food and "short cut diet foods" aren't as good as they are advertised to be.<br />
<br />
What a journey this has been for me....let's go back the summer of 2007.<br />
<br />
When I was 19, I was told (in a pretty scary way) that I had elevated cholesterol and high triglycerides. "You could die of heart disease"...a surprising thing to hear over the phone...at 19...from one of the nurses calling to give you the results. First of all, SO out of character for that office...maybe she was trying to make me understand the gravity of the situation...and I'm sure that she didn't realize that I was a 19 year old with anxiety that could be set off at almost anything...that was a tough summer for me for many reasons, but it also was the true beginning of me seeing how my college eating habits had destroyed my health and vitals. (Okay, maybe not destroyed, but it was a step down a path that I did not want to go down).<br />
<br />
<br />
At that point in time, I had done South Beach diet (MEGA FAIL) and Weight Watchers (minor success for ideal prom weight, then stagnated and reversed in college). Granted, college did involve more food, drinking, and less restrictions, but just 1 year after Weight Watchers (which should coach you to a healthy lifestyle), the high cholesterol news came.<br />
<br />
Here's the kicker...I wasn't HUGE on fried foods, I hated egg yolks, had eaten whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta for as long as I could remember, and ate my vegetables. I had my protein bars, fiber one bars, and other "healthy snacks" and most of my unhealthy habits were on the weekends. I also walked all over campus and worked out regularly...so what happened?<br />
<br />
I have always been a bit chubby and extremely susceptible to stress induced weight gain, so gaining weight in college wasn't a huge surprise for me. I always thought that aside from this, I was pretty healthy. I was blindsided by the news from my doctor.<br />
<br />
I knew that triglycerides is a scientific term for fat. All fat (even good fats) are triglycerides. What I did not know was that simple sugars, starches, and carbohydrates are converted into fat before the body uses it as energy. Knowing this now, I understand that eating carbs for energy can be redundant if you are already regularly getting your fats from nuts, meats, and healthy oils (like we are now. yay!)<br />
<br />
Going back...I stopped eating red meat, moved to low fat everything, and really tried to eat "healthier" in this sense. My caloric intake probably fell between 1200 and 1500 calories a day (not counting drinking, but I was actually really good about restricting that to the weekends). I even started going to Weight Watchers meetings to help my progress and get inspired. I had a few blips of weight loss for the next few years, followed by another big gain. I pretty much kept along with this process for the next 5 years.<br />
<br />
Looking back, I want to smack myself for how I tried to diet. The equation does make sense...restrict portions, cut out food groups, work out...the equation of several popular diet plans...but it wasn't working for me...I hit a wall every single time and I could not figure it out because everywhere I turned, I was given reinforcement that what I was doing was right and that if it wasn't working, I wasn't trying hard enough.<br />
<br />
Nothing against those of you who utilize these diets or weight watchers. While yes, they are GREAT to use to learn portion sizes, the aspect of using processed and over processed food to get all the "right stuff" into your body is ridiculous. Convenient, sure..but ridiculous and ultimately harmful to your body)<br />
<br />
Mitch and I have changed our eating habits which increases our fats intake and severely decreased our carb/starch/sugar intake. This makes sense when you look at the success that people have had on the Zone diet...and the INITIAL success that people had on the Atkins diet, South Beach diet, etc. IN THAT...when I did the South Beach diet and my dad did the Atkins diet, the focus was on get rid of ALL THE CARBS! EAT ALL THE MEAT! It didn't coach you to instead fill yourself up with low starch (complex carbs) veggies, green leafy vegetables, and healthy fats. It didn't coach you to look at the quality of your meats. It coached you to use these meal replacement bars and drinks and their line of foods because it has everything you need in nice tiny (500 calorie-OUCH) portions,<br />
<br />
Look at any container of low fat yogurt...sure, no fat, but look at the sugar and carbohydrate content. It's kind of ridiculous, right? Did you know that simple sugars which make up a lot of the carbohydrates found in your yogurt (or any carb that is processed or not from a fruit, vegetable, or nut/seed) is difficult for your body to digest? These carbs (well any carbs, but these super starchy or sugary carbs are the worst) also cause inflammation in the body and can turn into sugar which turns into fat...This is the fat that raises your cholesterol and your triglycerides.<br />
<br />
Our bodies should be burning fat and using fat as energy stores...not carbs; that's actually how we are built to work. Consuming clean fats (olive oil, coconut oil, fats from leaner and cleaner meats) along with vegetables will help LOWER your triglyceride level and your "bad" cholesterol levels.<br />
<br />
I know that this contradicts everything that we think we know about dieting, food, and what is good or bad for us, but it really boils down to science. Here are a few sources that I looked at when I started second guessing our diet:<br />
<br />
From <a href="http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/reducing-triglyceride-levels/" target="_blank">Dr. David Williams </a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Cut simple sugars out of your diet. In addition to excess sugar being a primary ingredient for triglycerides, research has shown that for several hours after eating sugar or high-glycemic foods, the elasticity of your arteries is reduced.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Reduce or eliminate your intake of vegetable fats and highly processed trans fatty acids. Instead, eat the more natural fats that are higher in omega-3 fatty acids like those in fish, grass-fed beef, avocados, seeds, and nuts. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Exercise. Weight-bearing activity, in particular, increases muscle mass and raises your metabolic rate. This will help your body burn more carbohydrates" *aka the simple sugars that are turning into body fat*</blockquote>
From a <a href="https://www.umassmed.edu/uploadedfiles/LoweringTriglycerides.pdf" target="_blank">UMASS Nutrition Class</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
" Decrease or eliminate sweets:
The sugar in sweets will quickly raise triglycerides in many people</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Decrease refined carbohydrate-containing food </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Choose foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids, the "good" fats! </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Eat more plant foods! Replace red meat with lower fat sources of protein" *lean, good quality red meats are also good! We mix it up between chicken, fish, beef, and bison*</blockquote>
From <a href="http://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health-pictures/why-triglyceride-levels-matter.aspx" target="_blank">Everyday Health</a> and Cardiologist, Dr. Frid:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When you eat fatty foods, your blood levels of triglycerides go up. Your body also saves energy it gets from eating carbohydrates, such as simple sugars, by converting them into triglycerides</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
'You can help lower triglyceride levels by choosing whole grain foods over processed foods' </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
'Omega-3 fatty acids lower triglycerides and bad cholesterol by increasing fat metabolism'</blockquote>
From <a href="https://www.onnit.com/academy/5-reasons-why-you-cant-see-your-abs/" target="_blank">Onnit Academy</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Here are 5 Physiological Responses<br />
1.) Carbohydrates and sugar raise your blood sugar.<br />
2.) Excess carbs and sugar that aren’t used for immediate energy (or converted to glycogen) are stored as FAT.<br />
3.) High fructose corn syrup has <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/">shown to increase triglycerides</a> (circulating blood fats) causing weight gain and increased FAT.<br />
4.) Insulin is a lipogenic hormone, so it causes you to store FAT.<br />
5.) Protein and dietary fat have no significant impact on raising blood sugar.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
I have a blood lab coming up in July to monitor my levels; I am hoping to be able to report back with those results to show a decrease in my triglyceride levels from the last blood lab that I had taken 2 years ago.<br />
<br />
As far as progress, I am down 7 pounds and I haven't had a migraine in 3 weeks (since that 1 blip in early April), My jeans are fitting looser and my legs are slowly getting some more muscle definition. I have so much more energy that I used to have and I have not had any nausea issues that were not caused by the car or Pepper's smelly farts. My skin has cleared up in terms of the acne that I get when I stress out.<br />
<br />
It's kind of interesting how popular diet culture takes pieces of scientific data and skews it to scare us. We've been listening to a ton of health and wellness podcasts and all of them have made reference to how backwards our society is about things like this. We focus on the outside, not on the inside. Let's reverse that.<br />
<br />
I hope that if you are interested in being more healthy, that you do take some of this information and our experience to heart. The scariest and most frustrating thing is trying hard to be healthy and then finding out that you're causing more harm than good to yourself.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-83201265178799492752016-03-25T22:46:00.000-05:002016-03-25T22:48:01.230-05:00Getting along Grain Free <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I wanted to give a quick update on how life has been since Mitch and I started our new healthy eating journey.<br />
<br />
He's dropped about 10 lbs and getting lean muscle definition. I haven't had a migraine in 6 weeks and have dropped about 5 lbs.<br />
<br />
We've been through a few speed bumps...my transition into grain free land was rough. It took me about 6 days to start to normalize. I think the toughness of transition was compounded by the fat burner that we were taking-once I stopped taking it, my body finally caught on to what I was trying to do.<br />
<br />
Then we both had sinus crap and colds that kept us from working out for about a week. Add some work and personal stress and some other stuff and honestly, I was doubting that I was making any progress after that.<br />
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Well, we did...we both did...I think that the cleaner diet helped our bodies have enough energy to function to the capacities that we needed them to. I definitely believe that the energy our body needs to deal with sickness, stress, etc also comes from the food we eat. It helps keep the mind clearer and at least keep things moving while our energies are focused on something else.<br />
<br />
So, what have we been eating?<br />
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A sh*t loaf (new measurement from the mind of Mitch) of kale, almond butter, brussels sprouts, berries, and granny smith apples. All in addition to grass fed/free range/pasture raised/wild caught: chicken, beef, bison, fish, eggs, and raw cheeses. Our food choices have become cleaner and more pure and our meals, though extremely delicious, have really become a lot more simple.<br />
<br />
Oh, and I can't forget the cauliflower crust pizza. Our wine and pizza Wednesdays are always something to look forward to. We pile different raw cheeses and whatever veggies are in our fridge on to the crust, sip on a glass of Tomassi and relax while playing board games.<br />
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I found the recipe on Detoxinista's website and I will link you to it. She really did a great job in perfecting this recipe and it's 100% a staple in our house. We follow the recipe exactly (let me tell you, I am SO glad that goat cheese is allowed in our food plan) and we get a crust that we can actually pick up with our hands..nothing falls apart. We make a few crusts at once and freeze them so that we don't have to make a new one every time that we have pizza.<br />
<a href="http://detoxinista.com/2012/01/the-secret-to-perfect-cauliflower-pizza-crust/" target="_blank">Detoxinista's Cauliflower Crust Recipe</a><br />
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Another super delicious discovery that we made was through trial and error smoothie making. Mitch put a few healthy ingredients together and made a creamy blueberry vanilla protein smoothie. No added sugars and lots of whole and healthy ingredients.<br />
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Creamy Blueberry Vanilla Protein Smoothie<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>frozen blueberries</li>
<li>organic/full fat greek yogurt - We use Wallaby brand because it has the least sugar content out of everything that we've found</li>
<li>Almond milk (we use Simple Truth from Kroger...probably better almond milks out there as far as organic goes...and I don't like real milk)</li>
<li>Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (cleanest whey protein powder that we have found is from About Time...highly recommend this-you can order on Amazon or their website)</li>
<li>Super Greens powder (you can also buy this on amazon, lots of nutrients, fiber, nutritional value of eating green leafies)</li>
<li>Chia Seeds -lots of fiber in these</li>
<li>Bee Pollen - helps with allergies as the bees are from different regions, also lots of multi vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, enzymes, etc</li>
</ul>
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Depending on how much of each you put in, taste ranges from a blueberry vanilla shake to a green tea frappucino (so I'm told-I've never had one)<br />
<br />
I definitely recommend this-I actually drank one tonight as my post work out shake...and it will be my dessert as well.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-3740052620728619432016-03-05T17:47:00.001-06:002016-03-05T17:47:54.940-06:00I'm Starting with the Woman in the Mirror<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
And of course, I find myself writing yet another blah blah woe is me, I can't lose weight, I'm unhappy with this and I'm frustrated with that piece. I'm pretty sure this is number 5 in the life of this blog alone..Well yes, I'm restarting..AGAIN....and AGAIN, I'm hoping for better results than the ones that I've seen over and over...and over again.<br />
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I just hit my 1 month of chiropractic care at Maximized Living with Dr. Bonilla. She is fantastic and her care and track for me has been fantastic. In just 1 month, I went from having migraines every day for a week to not having a migraine in 3 weeks (yesterday was the official 3 week mark since my last migraine). I've had maybe 3 headaches-real headaches, not an almost migraine but just a headache. I know it's crazy to get excited about having a headache, but going from excruciating knock you out migraines to a few little headaches..sporadically..is HUGE.<br />
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Along with that, my range of motion in my neck has gotten a lot better and more even than it was. My posture is still kind of crappy-I'm still "I'm a little teapot" slightly to the left, and my hips are still uneven, but it's going to take a lot longer than one month of adjustments and ancillary exercises to fix those.<br />
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She also performed a scan on the nerves in my back and again the results are already huge. The first scan showed inflammation (and uneven inflammation at that) on both sides of my spine..I had no "Green" (good) areas, mostly reds, purples and yellows. When I got scanned on Wednesday, I actually had some green areas! NO INFLAMMATION! and all of my reds have been reduced to less red or purple. None of the inflammation was as extreme or as bad as it was a month ago.<br />
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I love seeing proof of my progress, and these results are visual and palpable proof that I am taking steps in the right direction as far as becoming more healthy from the inside out.<br />
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Great news, right? This progress is HUGE, even though I know I have a long way to go..the fact that I haven't had a migraine in 3 weeks and I am no longer having constant pain in my hips and lower back (constant like if the dogs stepped on my IT band or if I tried to roll it out on a foam roller or have Mitch work on it, I would scream and cry)...NONE of that is happening anymore. It's amazing how just one month of working on getting the body back to skeletal normalcy has reduced what had just been so chronic. So I should be in good spirits and optimistic, right? I was...for a day.<br />
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Then I had one of the biggest anxiety freak outs that I've had in a while. And it's been a while since I've had a freak out where I literally shut down and shut everyone out..and it was bad...and it was all due to my insecurities and Facebook stalking. So, what I should NOT have done was go down the rabbit hole and which completed ruined my perception of myself. The person who I ended up scrolling went from being the awkward and rough child that most of us were to a gorgeous, thin, successful young woman. So naturally my mind asked me "What happened, why couldn't you do this?"<br />
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It was pretty terrible. The facts in my mind: I have looked the same 20 years ago, 10 years ago, and toady..at almost 28, I'm still esssentially the annoying, chubby, average looking, averagely successful 8 year old. I didn't lose the baby fat, I didn't become especially exquisite, and I am definitely not a success story to write home about. I am average in all of these categories and I am tired of it.<br />
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I'll cover mental health and mental help another time, because there is a lot that goes with that in my story and that's not what this is about. This about changing the things that I think are wrong with me..and although a lot of it encompasses terrible personal perception of myself, today I'd like to focus more on the health and wellness aspect of it.<br />
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On Monday, I am going to have a nutritional consult with Dr. Bonilla. I am going to begin what Maximized Living calls the "Advanced Plan". The idea is to recharge and restart my metabolism. It entails giving up some of my very best food friends: grains. If anyone who is reading this knew me in high school, they may remember that I tried the South Beach Diet (And turned into a terrible person) and Weight Watchers (which worked). So, I'm trying again here...taking away grains and heavily starchy foods..and dairy. In addition to restarting my metabolism, these are also foods that might be migraine/headache triggers as they do cause inflammation, so it will also be an experiment in wellness through (Eventually reduction) though at first, restriction.<br />
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You can bet that Mitch, being so interested in health, wellness, fitness, and nutrition, has already discussed this with Dr. Bonilla and will discuss it again with her at his next appointment on Monday. He's fully on board to help me with this, and thank goodness, because this is hard, and my mental state with the height of frustration and stress that I'm at (again, I'll get into this later), is not in the mood to take on another challenge that could end in possible failure.<br />
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And yep, I have to add in more cardio and HIIT to my work outs..mostly because I sit a lot at work, and I need to enable my body to burn more fat...so he's been programming up a storm for me. I know I'm in for hell. I know it's worth it, but I know that I am going to need a crazy amount of support to keep my mind in the right state to get myself in the right.<br />
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So we did a soft start as far as beginning to eat better starting yesterday and will get more insight on Monday when the real deal begins. Mindset, mental health, and fitness wise, it's a recharge starting today.<br />
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I want to reiterate that I want to be honest and real here. I'm not a perfect person...I struggle...and even with things that honestly are embarrassing to share because they reveal so much weakness and insecurity, so please-if you're reading this be kind. I don't do this to get pity or attention. I am doing this because I know that there are more women and men out there with the same struggles and need someone to relate to and need a real story with ups and downs to follow. I know I do.<br />
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-16266246124213146552016-02-15T20:24:00.000-06:002016-02-15T20:25:58.381-06:00Staycation Happiness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I think that one of the biggest struggles that I had to get over after meeting Mitch was how our schedules don't always match up...rarely to never match up on the weekends. I know that I'm not the only one who works a 9-5ish job with weekends off while the person they want to hang out with most has a varying schedule that includes working weekends. I'm not complaining-I'm glad we both have jobs and I'm glad that we both are successful in what we do. The time we get to spend together has evolved for us; before we lived together, it consisted of a few drinks and staying up all hours of the night talking and watching movies. Once we started living together and got rid of the curfew of having to get home because one of us had work the next day, we had more time to relax and weren't so concerned about making sure that we crammed everything in to a short time span.<br />
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Lately, we have been trying to coordinate our time off so that we can have the same days off and use them to explore the city or get things done at the house. We moved into a house in November and I'm pretty sure we are only half way unpacked at this point. We've got a huge list of small home improvement/beautification projects as well as 3 more rooms to decorate. Had winter actually come to Dallas, I'm sure that we would have gotten more of that done in the past month. Since it's been absolutely gorgeous out, we've decided to nix the shopping for some walking...lots of walking.<br />
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This past weekend, we found 4 lovely areas around DFW to walk to the dogs. As much as I love our little home gym, it's so much nicer to get outside for a nice hike with the dogs and take advantage of this weather. We are hoping that by later this year or next year, we will be able to take the dogs on day trip hikes or even out camping (2 things that I have not done in a while but would really like to do).<br />
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I'm a city girl at heart, I've never been too outdoorsy, but it's never too late to step out and learn to know and love the land. Mitch is more athletic and outdoorsy than I am...he hunts, fishes, camps..I'm not sure that I could get into the hunting...and I'm scared of fish (but I have been fishing...I'll go again), but camping, hiking, and experiencing nature is something that I think we all need to do more of. We've become so dependent on electronics for information and entertainment and less in tune with what the world has to offer us. Walking and hiking with the dogs has given us a new and fun way to spend time together with less distractions-yes, we still have our phones on us; we actually use them to donate money to charities while we walk. Other than that, we talk, we breathe in fresh air, get some sunlight and vitamin D. and let the outdoors revive us from our daily life inside 4 walls.<br />
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In the past year, as I've gotten a little better at saving money, I have been looking into different ways to donate money. I'm trying to donate a little bit each paycheck, but when I can find a way that I can donate with out spending my own money, I'm pretty happy. We have downloaded 2 apps: <a href="http://www.charitymiles.org/" target="_blank">Charity Miles</a> and <a href="http://www.wooftrax.com/" target="_blank">Walk for a Dog</a>. Basically, this app lets you walk and companies will sponsor and donate on your behalf for the distance that you walk. Charity Miles has a list of about 36 charities to choose from while Walk for a Dog defaults you to your nearest local participation animal shelter, services, rescue, etc. With all of the negativity and selfishness going on today (that we all participate in whether we mean to or not), I feel that it is really important to give back when we can.<br />
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I may try to highlight some charities that I've been donating to if anyone else is looking for something to support or get involved with. I am in NO WAY telling you or forcing you to donate to or support a charity; I would like to get more people involved in doing good things in whatever manner they are able to. If you dislike a charity or do not think it is legit, please keep it to yourself or your own forum...I have no problem learning about new charities and definitely encourage anyone to share causes with me as well. If we all work together, we can help each other and everyone else in their own causes, fights, and futures.<br />
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Excuse the twists and turns that my mind goes down as I write these blogs. Moral of this one: Do good for yourself and do good for others. Make sure you don't stare at screens all day and be happy!<br />
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*Ashley*</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-44715288626029902442016-02-10T10:09:00.001-06:002016-02-10T10:10:12.241-06:00I might not understand, but I know it's right<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hey everyone!<br />
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Valentine's Day is around the corner and this story is somewhat a tribute to this day. Instead of rambling on I'm just going to dive right in to the story.<br />
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When I was a senior in high school I lost my mom to breast cancer. This was without a doubt the hardest thing in life I've ever dealt with. However, instead of staying sad and pained and incapable of existing without positivity, I continued to live my life. Just like my mom would want me to. I spent the next year in Israel where I learned about religion, and above all things, what I consider to be the most important yet hardest lesson in my life to understand. That lesson is, "everything happens for a reason." Whether i know the reason now, learn why ten years in the future, or maybe never know, there is a reason for everything in this world. I told my sister this idea, and naturally her response was, "what was the reason for what happened to mom?" Just the thought of the tragedy was, and still is a wound that may never heal/ I still don't know the answer why but I'm sure I will come to understand much later in life.<br />
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What really brought me to talking about this subject was a podcast I listened to this morning called, "Harder To Kill Radio." It's another fantastic podcast discussing ways to become the best version of yourself possible. Towards the end of the interview the host asked her guest, "what advice would you give your 20-year-old self?" This got me thinking. Though I'm only a few years over 20 I'm sure I could have done something better before. So I looked back the the cause and effect timeline of my life, especially in regard to health, fitness, and happiness, and then it all made sense. I should have told myself not to drink sodas. However, sodas caused me to gain weight and become unhappy with the way I looked which forced me to make changes for the better. I should have told myself not to drink so much alcohol, but I learned I prefer to live life through a sober eye with so many new adventures to experience and goals to accomplish.<br />
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A few years ago I was in a relationship. We were together while I was living in Israel and then when I started college in Mississippi. She moved away to school as well which made our distance greater. Through the years of our relationship we grew as individuals, but not as much as a couple. We'd grow so fast that during the one or two weekends a month we'd see each other it was as if we were spending time with a completely new person. There were things I wanted to do and activities to enjoy at school and in life. My issue was I didn't want to upset her in any way, so I would avoid having the fun I wanted. I hate being the cause of someone else's pain and chose to sacrifice my own happiness for her.<br />
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One night it all ended. We were skyping and she terminated the relationship. I was shocked, hurt, I even cried. But the next day, I wasn't completely devastated. Yes, my entire life just changed overnight, but I also felt free. Somehow I knew this wasn't the perfect relationship for me. We didn't have much in common toward the end and it was time for a change. Over the years my friends would ask why I never ended it, why I'm still with the girl and all those questions single friends typically ask their taken friends. I thought it was because I was happy but I now understand it's because everything happens for a reason and I was waiting for the right one; the perfect girl.<br />
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This is one of the biggest, most obvious examples in my life of the idea that everything happens for a reason. I was in this relationship for several years. I did poor in school (coupled with a concussion) which sent me back to Dallas. The classes I took in Dallas were not the best for me so I didn't pay enough attention and even skipped some classes, sometimes to go on a few dates. After all is said and done, all the pain and choices (some might have seemed bad at the time) have brought me to find the perfect girl.<br />
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On behalf of Valentine's Day, and wuv, twue wuv (whether or not you understand the reference everyone should rewatch the Princess Bride) I hope no one ever stops looking for their true love. And remember, no matter if you don't understand right away or even if you never will, if it's great or if it's horrible, everything in life happens for a reason.<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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-Mitch-</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-30555705772284556392016-02-04T23:03:00.000-06:002016-02-04T23:03:20.292-06:00That's one crossed off the list<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hey everyone!<br />
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Mitch here.<br />
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I've never written a blog pos, so this is a new learning experience for me. The other day I decided to come up with a bucket list and one item on the list was to create a blog or podcast. I definitely don't have the equipment, or funding, or a large enough following to justify a podcast, so here I am cowriting this blog with my lovely girlfriend Ashley.<br />
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Considering this is my first post and y'all don't know me all too well, allow me to give you a brief narrative of how we came to this point in time.<br />
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Several months ago, three of my best friends and I decided to recreate a drinking game from one of our favorite tv shows. Needless to say, we had a fun time. This was one of the last hangovers I had and one of the last ones I ever wanted. There are a potentially countless number of times I've said the phrase, "I am never drinking again", but I guess I never really meant it. This drinking game was the catalyst for some great changes. I wanted to become the best version of myself, and the best part was that I didn't make this a new year's resolution. Resolutions never really stick, but I was determined to make this a permanent fix.<br />
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The first thing I did was cut out alcohol almost entirely (not completely, everyone needs to cut loose once in a while, but my once in a while has become maybe once every month or two (if that). The next thing I did was not only drink more water, but drink better water. My friend, Artie introduced me to reverse osmosis water and my recent obsession, alkaline water. I'm up to over a gallon a day. The next thing Artie and our friend Dylan turned me on to was ONNIT!!!! Onnit is all about total human optimization (their line, but I wish I thought of it myself). Onnit is one of my favorite companies and I encourage everyone to check them out; for everyone from supplements to apparel to food stuffs.<br />
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The most interesting enhancement move I made was listening to podcasts. I love music. I love making music, writing music, and listening to music whenever I get a chance. One day I came to a realization. I'm not currently in school, I'm not studying anything other than shoes and random fitness articles. If I'm too ADD to focus on reading for more than 10 minutes I might as well find a way to learn something new. A day without learning is a day wasted. I traded music for podcasts. I started with the Joe Rogan Experience and it is still by far my favorite. I also included StarTalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Stuff You Missed in History Class, and all the TED talks my phone could hold. Now my conversations become a legitimate discussion rather than small talk.<br />
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Of all the things I have done to make myself the best version of me possible is learn to be happy with who I am. I always want to be a better version of who I am but knowing that it's a long journey ahead I must be satisfied with who I am now and strive for success and improvement in all my endeavors.<br />
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This brings us to the present. Now that I see the world through a more sober eye, there are so many more things I want to accomplish in life other than getting drunk again and again. I came up with a bucket list and made the accomplishments a bit more specific thanks to some inspiration from a book and website called "Level Up Your Life." With this being my first blog post I can officially cross off one item from my bucket list and try to find new things to add. There's too much in this life to have an end to my list so just as this blog will continue, so will my list.<br />
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Here's to the start and keeping it going<br />
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-Mitch-</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-43151051669934602672016-02-03T23:28:00.001-06:002016-02-03T23:28:08.886-06:00Starting Up Again<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been nearly 2 years since I've blogged. A lot has changed in 2 years, but I'm back with a few new additions: my boyfriend, Mitch, who will be blogging as well, and our 2 dogs: Lemon and Pepper.<br />
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We met last April and fast forward to now, we have merged our individual journeys to be healthier and live a healthy lifestyle. I'm not going to go into the wonderful 9 months that we've had, but I will say that I am grateful every day for meeting him and so happy to be with him.<br />
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I'm back on a new version of my old journey to being healthy. Today marked an important, but pretty scary day. I'm 27 and having what I call random annoying health issues almost daily now: migraines, nausea, neck/hip/skeletal pain, thyroid issues, weight gain/plateaus, trouble sleeping, etc etc...all of this even in our new found resolve to eating healthier and living healthier. I was at the chiropractor today and found out that my neck has no curvature in it. A normal person's neck has a 45 degree natural curve-mine is straight and pre arthritic; NOT what you want to hear at 27 years old..or ever. Along with inflammation up and down my spinal cord, this is causing or aggravating most of the issues that I've been having for the past 10 years.<br />
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Basically when your vertebrae and spinal cord are compressed out of their natural curve, everything gets compressed and smushed; the ligaments and nerve endings are compressed like kinks in a hose, so the fluids, nutrients and impulses necessary to keep us mobile, feeling good, and functional don't get to where they need to go in the proper amounts. It's no wonder that I've been feeling so crappy for so long.<br />
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The good thing is, I have found a great (new) maximized living chiropractor who will be working with me to adjust my body back to how it should be as well as working with me to create a lifestyle that supports these healthy adjustments. I now also have Mitch who is going to make my lazy ass do whatever therapy I am given so that I can get back to normal. (Yes, I also see doctors who have prescribed medications to remedy these issues, but there are other things associated that can help relieve them-this is my goal here. I've been denied visits to doctors because my levels were not "bad enough" to warrant seeing a specialist, so here we are)<br />
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This blog SHOULD be chronicling our creative improvisations into leading a healthy lifestyle. I hope you enjoy it, I hope it inspires you. We want to better ourselves and enrich our lives. We want to explore, be healthy, and have fun. We are also normal people who hold jobs, struggle on occasion, but still want to enjoy all that we have.<br />
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I want to be honest about the difficulties of being healthy and staying healthy within the pressures that we put on ourselves; I want to explore different ideas, I want to share, and I want to take suggestions. Let's be real, because often what we portray to others isn't real and it creates a rift as well as the need to be perfect all the time. Let's face it, that's not possible<br />
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I'll stop here because I'm rambling; I have a lot to say, but it doesn't truly belong here yet.<br />
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Thanks for reading, let's get this thing going...but first, to work on getting an actual real night of sleep.<br />
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Still working on a new name for the blog.<br />
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*Ashley*</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-59840306358704740042014-02-16T23:40:00.002-06:002014-02-16T23:40:58.566-06:00Suddenly, Everything Has Changed + Green Lemonade<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I guess it only feels sudden when I start thinking about it. Last year, around the beginning of the year, I was angry and I was miserable. All due to a relationship that honestly I don't even know how to explain or categorize because it was just...apparently not a thing. I was probably in that rut for a good 4 months. It sucked and it took me so long to feel like myself again. In that time, I discovered a lot about myself with the help of some friends. I probably haven't shown enough appreciation for these friends, but I hope that they know how much they helped me. They supported me with tons of fun distractions, accepting me when I was having a low day, and always reminding me that I was worth more than how I felt after that blip on my radar.<br />
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I changed a lot of things. I started watching wrestling. This sounds so pointless and dumb to most people and I get that. I'm a 26 year old girl watching sports entertainment that is most popular with 12 year old boys. Get over it. It got my ass back in the gym; it still took me the better part of the year to find what worked for me and what I enjoyed (and honestly until just a few weeks ago to start seeing weight loss results). I realized that I love lifting heavy. I love love love it...I honestly feel that part of the reason that Valentines Day wasn't as obnoxious for me this year was because I made huge leaps and gains during the WOD that we did the night before. Even before, when I was going to 24 hour fitness, those classes were HARD and CHALLENGING and so EMPOWERING. I know that most women like to sweat and exert as little as possible when they work out, but just trust me when I say that the feeling at the end of an all out brawl of a work out is the most amazing and accomplishing feeling ever. All that the 'experts' say about endorphins and how exercising activates them is true. Even when I have a bad work out, I feel better overall because I worked hard and I did it. I truly believe that that was really what I needed after last January. I needed it in a big way, and it's finally really coming to fruition.<br />
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Things are different in terms of how you deal with stress, anxiety, frustration, and sadness when you live far from your family. Though the support is still there, sometimes a phone conversation doesn't cover it all. It's hard to learn how to support yourself when you are used to having those people near you for those times. It's easy to fall into unhealthy thoughts and habits when you live alone with your dog. No one is following you around saying 'hey, don't stay up all hours of the night upset..give yourself a break and sleep on it' or 'yeah, cleaning is a bitch and takes forever, but you will be so much less stressed in a clean apartment' or 'just go out for a few hours...you might feel better'. The hardest thing to do is then training yourself to do these things even when ever fiber in your body is telling you to screw it.<br />
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I've learned that it is really important to have and to find different kinds of things that make you happy and satisfy you. Get to know yourself better and pay attention to what triggers your ruts or your low days. Try different things to get out of them; lingering in a rut does nothing for you or your happiness. You deserve that happiness. Keep an open mind and find different things that intrigue you; look off the beaten path. I feel like I've lost my point within words so I'm going to post a recipe for yall and call it on this one.<br />
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Green Lemonade!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-82654884084801704832014-01-19T20:47:00.003-06:002014-01-19T20:47:46.219-06:00Realizations through my Fitness Journey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When I first moved to Dallas, the gym attached to my apartment complex offered a discounted membership and discounted training sessions. Always hopeful to get fit and lose weight, I immediately joined the gym and got a trainer. The trainer was a good guy and put a lot of effort into helping me out, but one thing that he said to me has really stuck in my mind and has really stood out to me in the past few weeks as something that's always bothered me. It really isn't anything awful by any means and I'm sure than most if not all trainers think this way or have said something similar to this to their clients.<br />
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He told me "My business is to make you look good. If you don't look good, I don't look good".<br />
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Totally makes sense, right? I mean he IS a personal trainer; his job is to help his client find visible results from his training regimen.<br />
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And so we trained, and so I saw no real results...like always, and I felt awful about it every time that I went down for our sessions. He tried to help me with my nutrition as well; I guess I look like I eat worse than I really do. It makes sense, but it's not true. I would say that since I graduated college, I eat about 80%-90% healthy each week. I don't do restrictive diets because they are miserable; I have realized that eating what I like or what I want, in moderation, and taking into consideration everything else that I eat, leaves me a much happier and more energetic person.<br />
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Here are several truths that have never helped my weight loss situation and how they affected me at that time.<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>sleep: My sleep schedule has been ruined since I was 7, I used to stay up reading, now I'm semi nocturnal</li>
<li>stress: I had just started my first full time job, in customer service at that</li>
<li>early mornings: I finally conceded that working out early in the morning was not for me; I need my sleep, I don't need to "get up and get it over with" because I will just end up tired instead of refreshed</li>
<li>LIVING UP TO OTHERS EXPECTATIONS: my trainer pretty much told me that if there are no visible results, that I would make him look bad...which obviously means that i look bad. I didn't want to let him down, so I worked as hard as I could. With the minimal results I was seeing, I doubt he felt that way.</li>
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I know my body well enough to know that it takes a LOT for me to start seeing any changes..it takes even more for my weight to drop. It's exhausting and it's hard, and I finally realized that I did not need someone making me feel bad about it being the person in charge of my training regimen.</div>
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4 years later, I am still (and always) working on being okay with taking baby steps to my goals. I HATE being on the slow train. It's not because i am not 100% committed to being fit and attaining these goals, it's that I know where I can commit and where I cannot. Theoretically and if I was talking about someone else, I would have no problem with that, but since I am talking about myself, I do have a problem with it. I just want to make sure that the changes that I make can be sustainable, and that the foods I choose to eat are something I can sustain for the rest of my life. If that means I can't eat 100%, 90% clean, I am okay with that. It's difficult, and not feasible in my life right now.</div>
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And in honor of me getting back to making delicious healthy smoothies this week, here's a recipe for a healthy and delicious green smoothie! </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-66680797228487551262013-12-16T21:04:00.003-06:002013-12-16T21:11:15.086-06:00Shame on Food Shaming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am scared for our children...yes, OUR...like the children that all of us in our 20s, 30s, even the teenagers...will have. If we keep thinking about food as "bad" and "good", we are going to warp their perception of nourishment from day 1. I'm not even worried about obesity at this point, I'm worried about how they will perceive food and "healthy" eating.<br />
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My cousin, Jacob and I were enjoying a delicious challah french toast breakfast over Thanksgiving when we began discussing my plans for the [distant] future. The conversation shifted towards the eating habits of our contemporaries. He is 18 years old and I am 25 years old; the age difference has no effect on the perception of food and eating of our generation. To most everyone, food is bad, if you eat less food, you will lose weight, be "healthier", be "skinnier" and be "better". Everyone obsesses about counting calories, doing detox cleanses after holidays or before big events. Calories are drastically cut; I used to be in the 1200-1500 calorie a day mindset. I know MANY people who think that this is a healthy and beneficial way to lose weight and be healthy. Fat is the enemy, carbs and sugar are the enemy...When sugar is the enemy, fruit becomes the enemy. FRUIT?! REALLY?!<br />
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On top of all that craziness, there's food shaming..."are you really going to order that"..."do you really want to eat that?" Well, what if I do? What if I keep my eating balanced and in check and I want to treat myself...What's wrong with eating the burger with the bun? What's wrong with getting a side of fries..what if I only planned on eating half of it and who are you to tell me that I shouldn't be eating something?<br />
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--you go, Cindy! enjoy those fries!<br />
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Now let's look into the future. Are these habits that we want to pass on to our children? Do you really want to make your 10 year old daughter feel bad for what she orders? Those of us who are health conscious and do care will probably be providing our children with healthy choices at home. We will teach them how to make good choices and we should do that without making them feel bad for eating food that might not be so healthy every so often.<br />
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Food shaming can also lead to the development of eating disorders. If you've seen any "thinspiration", you see things that urge one to ditch the cookies for a thigh gap, ditch the ice cream for visible hip bones, ditch the chips for visible collar bones. These thoughts are unhealthy and so harmful. The last thing that I'd ever want to be is the reason that my future children have an eating disorder.<br />
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Calorie restriction in general is not good for the body. Most people use that as a reason that they don't need to work out. I get it-some forms of exercise are not fun...so what? You don't like what you're doing? Find something that you do like! There is so much out there and so many things for us to try that "i don't like working out" shouldn't even be thing. Find something that you enjoy and it won't seem like work. Some form-ANY form of cardio and strength/conditioning-your body will thank you for it every single day.<br />
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Food should be enjoyed; a diet is what you eat...it's not meant to be a temporary edit to what you eat, it should be the way you eat your entire lift. My crossfit coach looks at it this way: if you're choosing to do a certain "diet"-raw, no carb, paleo, etc, ask yourself, can you do this for the rest of your life? I am 25..am I going to want to and ENJOY eating this way for the next 70 or so years? Probably not, and that's reality. Unless your health literally depends on it (severe health conditions...), you should not have to or want to restrict your diet. I don't know about you, but whenever I "cannot" eat something, I only want it more, which leads to me eating crazy to get around it, or eating crazy amounts of what I said that I could not eat.<br />
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Sometimes, it takes a while to develop healthy eating habits. I was fortunate enough to have developed them growing up as my mom was interested in healthy and balanced eating. Healthy food is not bland and it is not boring. There are so many ways to make tasty, healthy food and I strongly urge everyone reading this to look into them. Treat yourself when you go out, but keep your home healthy. You'll feel better and you won't have so much unhealthy food in your house.<br />
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And be sure to drink water, lots of water...for every drink you have...EVERY drink you have, drink a glass of water...Get enough sleep, and be sure to decompress every once in a while...it's not difficult to lead a healthy life, we just have to get the right way to do it in our brain and keep going. We need to teach THAT to our children instead of calorie restriction and food shaming. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes; there is no ideal and none of that will get you to that ideal body.<br />
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Recipes of the day!<br />
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http://reasonstobefit.tumblr.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-16141692974694839552013-11-11T23:46:00.000-06:002013-11-11T23:46:13.714-06:00Make it meaningful, Accomplishments, Lungs for Life, and tons of WODs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was out in South Carolina for my yearly trip to see two of my best friends and run a 5K in memory of my friend's father. This came after an extremely enlightening and interesting week spend at my company's national sales meeting, which my team was so fortunate to be able to attend. To say I learned a lot would be an understatement. After being away from work and the meetings for almost two days, I have been able to let things really stew and bubble up inside of me. I definitely left more invigorated both professionally and personally.<br />
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My mission in life now is to make sure that everything that I do has value. I want to make every interaction that I have meaningful in some way. I want to get some value out of every single thing I do, whether it's something that I have to do, or something that I really want to do. I want to find ways that I can improve myself and ways that I can truly be the best person that I can be, for myself and for others as well. It is so easy to coast through life, to go through the motions and not really think about what kind of an impact you make on people daily without even realizing it. You may not even realize what kind of impacts your own actions and decisions have on yourself until much later. I want to make sure that my time is spent doing things that I love or spent doing things that will make me a better person and will make my life more enjoyable-even if I don't see that in the short term. I challenge you all to do the same.<br />
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I am working on creating better habits. We all know that my sleeping habits are awful-I refuse to let that affect my life any longer. I have so many improvements to make, but I can already see how far I've come from simple changes that I started only two or three months ago. Today, I'm proud of myself for many reasons, and I'm not ashamed to say that. I'm not going to hide it because some people around me might be struggling; my pride and happiness with myself should not be something that I deny. I sometimes forget that I can be a good friend through empathy instead of through sympathy.<br />
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I'm making great progress in Crossfit; I did have to take last week off due to a sales meeting and other travel, but I am glad to be back at it.<br />
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I finished the Lungs for Life 5K in 43:45. This was slower than my normal time, but it was cold and the course was hilly...and we did not get enough sleep before the race-this is normal.<br />
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This is a really bad picture of me, but I had so much fun with these girls! We do this every year and we are not stopping any time soon! A great cause and a great time to remember those who we have lost to lung cancer.</div>
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And here are the Crossfit WODs that I've done (and made pretty) so far...I have absolutely no regrets about leaving 24 Hour Fitness and joining North Frisco Crossfit. It's such a great box with great people around. They're very motivating and supportive...they stay with you and keep you going through your entire WOD...no matter how much you are struggling or how long it takes you. They understand that everyone starts somewhere and that not everyone is at the same level.</div>
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So, starting from the very beginning:</div>
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Foundations class began the week of October 1...</div>
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Then we got into the REAL Crossfit nitty gritty<br />
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So I definitely forgot to prettify some of the WODs that I've done, but this is where I stand today. It was a great work out. I'm feeling very accomplished tonight.</div>
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Links:<br />
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<a href="http://lungs4life5k.com/" target="_blank">Lungs for Life 5K</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.northfriscocrossfit.com/home.html" target="_blank">North Frisco Crossfit</a><br />
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<a href="http://instagram.com/machSHESmo" target="_blank">My Fitness Instagram</a><br />
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<a href="http://ftcy.me/FtXuf8" target="_blank">Fitocracy</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6390889434842688208.post-19126009442536131872013-10-22T21:27:00.001-05:002013-10-22T21:27:14.251-05:00Ruts, Stress, Crossfit, and Teriyaki Stir Fry Salmon with Rice and Vegetables<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wow...it has been a crazy few months. I feel like I am finally getting out of a rut by fixing things that I thought were getting me out of a previous rut. That probably makes absolutely no sense, but I will explain. My answer to any rut that I get in to is "clear your head, work out". I always feel better after I do and am usually ready to tackle whatever I have going on that I can control. I had been taking beyond full advantage of my 24 Hour Fitness membership: classes at least 4-5 days a week, free weights on the off days...I felt great, but I was still so stressed out. I chalked it up to a group project that I was working on for my creative problem solving class.<br />
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I definitely felt relief when that class was over with, but I soon found myself with the same lingering stressful feeling. This time, I looked to some major issues that I had been having with my car and my effort to overhaul needed personal improvements at work. Combine this with a traffic ticket, the process of buying a new car, and a new semester in a managerial accounting class. Obviously, my stress levels were through the roof. I started shaking up my workouts a bit; trading some of my classes at 24 Hour for social runs and other events and Luke's Locker and some heavy weight sessions at my friend, Sean's gym. I was still exhausted every day, rushing to do everything, and I felt like there was still something off.<br />
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I realized the other day, after a long drive to Forney, that I needed to cancel my gym membership. I recently decided that I wanted to try Crossfit out. I tried it for a 3 week foundations class and realized that this is what I was looking for. I am not going to preach Crossfit to you, don't worry, but I will explain why this change came about.<br />
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Though I loved the classes that I took at 24 Hour, I literally was doing the exact same thing every day:<br />
Monday-Body Pump-same moves to different music<br />
Tuesday-Spin<br />
Wednesday-repeat Monday<br />
Thursday: Kickboxing-same [awesome] routines rotated every week<br />
Friday-repeat Monday<br />
Sunday-monday+Thursday+yoga<br />
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Let's look at the timing: I get off of work at 5; these classes started at 5:30...BARELY enough time to run out of work, get to the gym, change, and get ready for the work out<br />
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Crossfit WODs are different every single day. At the gym that I go to, we work on a skill for the first half of the hour and then do a WOD to end the class. It's cardio, it's strength, it's skill, it's metabolic training, and it's ALWAYS CHALLENGING...since it's timed and measurable, you don't want to half ass it, you want to see your best, you want to be totally exhausted and accomplished by the end. Yes, this is possible in the classes that 24 Hour holds, but this is visible; each class is a test of where you are on that day at that moment. You don't want to slack and you don't feel the urge to slack off.<br />
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Crossfit is at 6 or 7: plenty of time to get home from, change, walk the dog, and even begin to prepare dinner on some days. I am so much less stressed, even I can't believe it. I never thought to reevaluate my fitness routine, but I'm really glad I did.<br />
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Lots more to update on, but I'll share that soon! I'll leave you with my recipe of the day.<br />
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<b>Teriyaki Stir Fry Salmon with Rice and Vegetables</b><br />
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So super easy and delicious! I'm actually addicted, I eat this all the time (And right now-no joke)<br />
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1 frozen salmon fillet<br />
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables<br />
3/4 cup of brown rice and lentils (cooked)<br />
Teriyaki Sauce<br />
EVOO<br />
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To make the salmon: Put the frozen fillet in a skillet and cover with water half an inch over the salmon; cook on med high for 10 minutes or until boiling. Take it off the heat and leave for a few minutes. Put salmon on a plate and cut it up into bite size chunks.<br />
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Empty the bag of frozen vegetables in a skillet with some EVOO. Cook on medium until steamed/not frozen. Add salmon and rice/lentil and a little more EVOO. Stir to mix around and add some teriyaki sauce. Stir and cook for a few more minutes until it is sizzling and steaming.<br />
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--hoping this will be me again soon! I'll post videos of my 2 big lifts from the summer soon!</div>
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<b>Links!</b><br />
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<li><b>join <a href="http://ftcy.me/FtXuf8" target="_blank">Fitocracy</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.northfriscocrossfit.com/home.html" target="_blank">North Frisco Crossfit </a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.groupon.com/deals/north-frisco-cross-fit" target="_blank">Groupon for North Frisco Crossfit On Ramp Classes</a></b></li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0