My Extended, Ongoing Nutrition Adventure

OK, so I guess it's time to write about the actual nutrition adventure I've been on this year.  (What? Not rocks, sidewalks or some other bizarre reference to nutrition/nourishment??)

In January, someone I highly respect gave me a look, pointed a finger at me and told me he didn't like what he saw, and I needed to make some changes or I was going to have issues. (For some of you who know me, you know exactly who said it - LOL) My body was unhappy, and it looked like it and felt like it.  

While I started working on (and continue to work on) several aspects of my life, a major contributor to where I was at that point was what I was eating and drinking.  Let's just say I had been rationalizing and making a lot of excuses. Huh, when you take that away, crap, you have to honestly look at your own behaviors.  Nuts.

Soooo - started by looking at my choices and seeing where I wasn't being congruent with being someone who promotes nutritional products and a healthy lifestyle.  Damn - there's that honesty again.  So much easier to help someone else see their choices!

Long story short, over the last 8 months, I have gradually changed how and what I eat and drink with the goal of having a happier, healthier body. Gradually started replacing my less healthy choices with better choices - nothing drastic, just a nice progression.

So how has my diet changed?  I'm now eating lots of fruits and veggies, nuts and beans, and I mainly drink water and tea (do you have any idea how many different teas there are to choose from?!).  I gradually moved away from bread, dairy and sugar.  Meat is the occasional side dish rather than the better part of the dinner plate.  (And yes, my dear brother, some of what I enjoy looks like it came from the bottom of your lawn mower...)

Do I still eat junk food? Of course!  Just not very often.  Do I still eat yummy desserts?  Of course!  Again, just not very often. So when I have a great dessert, I savor and enjoy every bite. 

The results?  I feel better than I have in a long time, I'm sleeping better, and I am now fitting into clothes I haven't fit into in a looonnng time.  (I don't own a scale and have no idea what I weigh, I just know it's a lot less than it was in January.)

So my advice?  Take a good look/listen to what your body is telling you. Everyone is different and needs to find what makes their own body happy. Experiment and try new things and see how you feel.

It's not just about making different choices, it's about making choices differently. Make loving, caring choices for yourself.

Rocks as nourishment....

OK, so I've already covered walking as nourishment, so, of course, the next nourishment topic would obviously be rocks....

Earlier this month, I was fortunate enough to be included in a small group of wonderful people who spent a few days in Sedona.  The experience was indescribable. (wait, here I am writing about it, so doesn't that make it describable??)

My only previous exposure to Sedona was driving through on the way from Flagstaff to Phoenix on a family road trip several years ago.  

This road trip was a blast with my daughter and our new BFF Geri - a day in the car with good tunes turned up loud, junk food, er, um, healthy snacks, and lots of good conversation.

OK, so the retreat experience of the weekend is the indescribable part.  No words can express the full experience, and we are still moving through it.

Soooo, what about the rocks?  Lots of rocks in Sedona. Rocks to see, rocks to climb, rocks to sit and feel the energy. The scenery and energy are something to be experienced.  This is not a bucket list item, this is a go and do item.  The photos below are fabulous and still don't do it justice.  (Thanks to my Sedona friends for some of the photos.)

The incredible energy of this place is felt at a soul level if you stop and let it flow through you.

Nourish your body, mind and spirit with nature as often as possible. 

New way to start off my 4th...

Sooo....in my continuing quest to do new and challenging things, this morning I rolled out of bed early, threw on my walking clothes and a hat, and participated in the annual 4th of July 5K in Lake Forest.  (For those of you who know me, getting up early on a Saturday to exercise?? Bwahaha!!!)   

No, I did not run the 5K, I walked.  Thought about running part of it a few days ago, so when I was on my evening walk, I ran for a little bit and started hearing from my body:  low back - um, no.  Knees - I don't think so.  Ankle - oh, hell no.  So, walking it is...

Got my necessary items:

Got my t-shirt on:

Crowd getting ready for the start:

Furry walkers of all shapes and sizes:

Half mile left to go!  Hmmm.....the crowd seems to be a lot thinner....

My goal was to finish, not be last, and feel good at the end.  Success!  Ended up walking 16 minute miles, so respectable time.

Photos of me you ask?  Did you read the first paragraph?  "rolled out of bed early, threw on my walking clothes and a hat."  No one needs a picture of that....

A great way to start my day - now to relax and then pig out on kraut dogs and apple pie later (apple pie is a fruit, right??). 

Have a wonderful Fourth of July! 

Walking as Nourishment??

Recently started walking in the evenings around my neighborhood. Lived in this neighborhood for 17 years (wait, how long?? sheesh where does the time go??!) And when I say walk around my neighborhood, it's literally a sidewalk that goes around the perimeter of my housing complex, and it's about a 2.5 mile loop start to finish.

Used to walk with a neighbor, walking and talking. Walking because I should. Walking because it's supposed to be good for me.  Walking because I hate running.  

Stopped walking for a while - many excuses: neighbor moved, too hot/cold, need better shoes, don't have time, etc, etc.  Finally decided to get my butt back out the door and outside.  Tendency is to walk head down, looking straight ahead, lost in thought.  Headphones on, music turned up to cover the traffic.  

An interesting thing has happened. I started to pay attention to the things around me while walking.  It's amazing what we walk/drive by on a daily basis and don't see.  It started by noticing the butterflies that started buzzing me several days in a row as I walked by.  I started seeing the plants & trees I was walking past. Started looking at the sky at sunset.  

I now look forward to my evening walks - I de-stress from my hectic chaotic job, and I get back in touch with myself and the nature around me - even in the middle of a fully developed area with traffic speeding past me.  

What does this have to do with nutrition?  Everything - we need to nourish ourselves on many levels, and my walks are now a source of nourishment.  

So, when you are doing your routine activities, take a look around.  See what you walk/drive past every day.  See how many things you can find.

Look up, look left, look right, ......here are a few of my walk views:

and when you pass by blooming jasmine, breathe it in....

Nourish yourself on every level - Have a wonderful day! 

Fully Charged with Joe Cross

Soooo...now that I'm getting back to blogging, I thought I'd write about something I did a few months ago. 

In my continuing quest to find new and fun things to do, I found out that Joe Cross would be doing a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach (an excuse to go to a book store!!). Who is Joe Cross, you say? I wrote a blog post many moons ago (May 2013) about a documentary called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  It is a wonderful, inspiring moving that I highly recommend, and you can now find it on NetFlix.  Joe is the subject/director/producer of the movie, and I was very excited to have the chance to hear him speak.  I was not disappointed.

Joe is a down-to-earth Aussie (love the accent!) with a great sense of humor, and he speaks as if he is talking to an old friend. He's been out on the road promoting his new book "Fully Charged" - a great summary of his philosophy to live a full, healthy life.  I recommend his book as well.

His message is basically to listen to your body, and his "7 keys" are: 1) understand / change your relationship with food, 2) change your diet, 3) understand / change  your habits around food, 4) the importance of community & support, 5) maintain your body with exercise/movement and sleep, 6) practice mindfulness, and 7) respect & love yourself. Simple formula? Yes. Easy to do? Well, it takes practice and support. He writes of his own struggles to maintain his healthy living in the real world.

What I love most about Joe is that he is a living demonstration that one person can make changes that ripple out and start changing the world.  He never intended to become a spokesperson and leader of the juicing movement.  He just wanted to find a way to heal his body and get off all of the medications he was on.  He made a movie he thought a few people would see and that would be it.  Never in his wildest dreams did he think that his little movie would become such an inspiration around the world.

Thanks for everything you do, Joe! and thanks for the hug and autograph...

Have a great day everyone!

Nutrition vs Nourishment

OK, so I knew it had been a while since I last blogged, however I am really perplexed at how fast we went from January to June.  Really?? How did that happen??

Ready to get back to blogging once again, and had actually started a draft the other day. However, I saw something tonight that bothered me, and I decided to save that post for another day and write about something a little different tonight.

Went to dinner tonight at my favorite vegan restaurant, Native Foods (thanks for getting a job there Marie!) and enjoyed one of my favorite sandwiches - the Chicken, Bacon, Avocado Club (and the not-chicken and not-bacon are delicious!).  

While enjoying my sandwich, a woman and an adorable little boy sat down at a table across from me.  I'd guess he's around 2-1/2 and was very well behaved. As the food was being delivered, she got out her phone, found something on it, then propped it up on the table in front of the little boy, and I could see that there was a video playing. She then starts eating her meal, while the little boy eats his meal staring at the video playing on her phone.  The only interaction they have is when she is correcting how he is eating.  This goes on for the entire meal.

How sad is that?? No talking about the yummy food, no looking at all the bright colors in the restaurant, no playing fun eating games - just staring at a screen while eating.  I am scared for the future since this is the new normal.

We are intuitive beings, and at one time we taught our children to be aware of their surroundings, to listen to their gut instincts, and to entertain themselves. Remember "go outside and play" and "turn that TV off"??  Now children are being inundated with electronics, both "educational" and recreational - why figure something out for yourself when you can just look it up? Why carry on a real, face to face conversation, when you can send a short text? Why interact deeply with anyone?  OK, rant over....

So, how does this relate to my "Adventures in Nutrition?" We need to nourish our body, mind and spirit.  Nutrition is one part of that nourishment.  Feeding our body beautiful, healthy nutritious food, is the first step.  Our body is our container, and we need a healthy vibrant container to house our mind and spirit. That woman was feeding the little boy healthy food, however the nourishment was lacking. There was no enrichment in that meal. There was no connection. There was no joy and laughter, just food.  

Whatever you are eating - bless it, and then enjoy it and let it nourish you. Enjoy and engage with those around you. Truly make it a meal for your body, mind and spirit.  Make the connection, and help others to make the connection. 

Have a wonderful day!

Fast (actual, real) Food

OK - first - I've decided that one of my healthy choices this year is to occasionally replace a meal with a green juice.  So, the other night I made a pretty good juice and was enjoying it while working on the computer. My husband turns on the TV and decides to watch an old episode of Huell Howser.  If you don't know who Huell Howser is, he had a show on PBS for years touring interesting places in California.  So, what was the topic and tour for the show that night?  In-N-Out restaurant #1.  The original In-N-Out restaurant and their distribution warehouse.  Really??  While I'm sipping on my delicious green juice??  I've never wanted an In-N-Out burger so bad.

On to tonight's actual post....

Come home late from work, hungry.  What would be quick, easy and better for me than a burger & fries....

Hmmm, let's see what we have in the kitchen.  

Rice cooker? Check

Variety of veggies?  Check

Pan with olive oil, onion & garlic?  Check

10 minutes of chopping...

10 minutes of cooking...

Dinner!

The official Marie rating:

Delicious!