So this is my new favorite wintertime pasttime to avoid eating total CRAP at night time.
Lets face it, when you have your favorite winter time TV shows on, or if its been a go -go day and you just want some unwinding time, the pitfall is THE MONSTER MUNCHIES!!
Its never the craving for celery, spinach, or broccoli…its generally the things that sit all night in our bellies and pack on the pounds like crazy in the wintertime – like brownies, chips, cookies, etc.
So I feel as I am on a neverending quest to prevent that and find fun exciting things I can eat that will not make me regret it 20 minutes later.
Last winter it was “orange peel herbal tea.” or “tangerine peel herbal tea.” It is loaded with nutrients and VERY simple to make. You can buy these in stores dried with other herbs…but why if its soooo darn simple?
You just take your orange or tangerine peel from your kids lunch or breakfast or snack (or yours) and just pour boiling water on the peel. Let it set for 20 minutes and WHALAA!! Its a very orangey herbal tea FANTASTIC for digestion. Put 1 teeny tiny scoop of stevia to sweeten it if you want.
My other new favorite I got from a friend from her “YOGI” way of living book. But I am HOOKED!!
1 tsp anise
1 tsp mint
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp rosemary (opt)
Just pour boiling water on those ingredients. Wait 20 minutes and strain it with a strainer. Put 1 tsp of stevia if you want and YUM! Its so good. Its great to make you feel GROUNDED according to the Yogi book. Also the mint is excellent for the complexion and the digestion.
Its great to curl up sipping something warm and nurturing in the wintertime when everything is so cold. I LOVE IT!!!!
Do you have any great herbal tea recipes? Do you have other tips for avoiding wintertimes munchies?
So this is a question I get periodically – and I got tonite while teaching one of my classes. The woman in my class was mentioning her friend who just had twins opted to get a tummy tuck rather than just “take the class.”
So a discussion commenced on what the downside is in basically stitching two muscles (the recti) together that are weak. Technically this is one of the three parts that happens in many tummy tucks. The first is liposuctions, the second is raising the skin up to the ribs just below the breast before tightening the muscle, and the third is the diastasis operation, which is bringing the two muscles together without stitching the muscles themselves, but stitching the fasica that houses the muscles instead. In other words, tightening the diastasis.
So apart from all the normal risks of swelling, bruising, pain, numbness surgery , tummy tucks involve a MASSIVE scar from hip to hip, as well as a lengthy recovery.
But what I REALLY want to address, is what can be the danger later if the muscles are not strengthened and they get a tummy tuck. THERE IS NO GUARENTREE THAT YOUR DIASTSIS WON’T OPEN UP AGAIN AFTER A TUMMY TUCK IF YOU EXERCISE INCORRECTLY, or do a jackknife getting out of bed. So even if you’ve had a tummy tuck, you should do the Tupler Technique in order to strengthen the abdominal muscles.
The best bet LEARN TO DO ABDOMINALS CORRECTLY!! For most women, this will save you the cost and inconvenience of pricey, many times IMO not necessary surgery. If you learn to do them correctly, you can TOTALLY get your abdominals back.
I have seen woman after woman close their diastasis in a matter of weeks in my classes or sessions. AGAIN and AGAIN! People who have been told by doctors and surgeons that they needed to get SURGERY to repair them.
So women out there, education yourself. There is a BETTER WAY!!
I am SO excited that one of my all-time favorite fitness blog gurus is posting for us. This Stay at home mom of 2 1/2 and personal trainer with a love of nutrition (including sneaking those veggies into her kid’s food), has great insight on fitness and how to balance being a mom and balancing the fitness routine. Here is FITMEPINK’S outlook on investing in yourself:
“There are few investments I’ve made in my life that have reaped greater benefits than joining a gym. I had just returned home after living abroad (in cold, dark Finland) for 18 months. I was 30 lbs. heavier than when I left. One day soon after returning home, some guy friends invited me and a girlfriend to the beach. I was mortified as I watched my friend take off her clothes to reveal a cute, slender, tan, perfect beach body. I’ve never wanted to be the girl who refuses to wear a swimsuit, so I removed my clothes to reveal a chubby and white-from-literally-not-seeing-the-sun-for-a-year-and-a-half– body. I wanted to hide. I wanted to be ANYWHERE but at the beach, wearing ANYTHING but the full-coverage, black one piece swimsuit that didn’t hide enough.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t believe that a perfect body is the key to happiness. But I was depressed. I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin. I wasn’t healthy, and I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t sure what to do with my life at that point, and at that yucky beach moment, I was miserable…and feeling fat and ugly didn’t help.
A few mornings later, I woke up and made a decision. I was joining a gym. I didn’t care how much it cost, I was going to join. Yes, I was the perfect walk-in-potential-member. I walked into the gym (with my little brother who I coerced into joining with me), and started looking at my options. When the guy-hoping-for-the-sale told me about the “lifetime membership,” (which included 5 sessions with a Personal Trainer), I was sold. I knew that fitness had to be a way of life. I wasn’t going to be in this for the short haul. I wasn’t going to lose the 30 lbs. and quit. I was going to start doing something that I would continue forever. So I paid a nice chunk of change (especially for a girl who’d spent a year-and-a-half giving service AKA making no money), signed some papers, and started chipping away at those lovely extra pounds.
I definitely don’t think joining a gym is the only way to a fit body and life, but for me, it was an investment in myself that I wasn’t going to waste! By purchasing a “life-time membership,” I knew that I was in this for life. I wasn’t going to work really hard to lose the weight only to fall back off the wagon. I wanted to be healthy, and I was literally committing myself for…well…forever!
The Best Decisions I’ve Made On This Lifetime Fitness Journey
For me, joining a gym that day was the FIRST best decision I made in the beginning of my on-going fitness journey.
The second best decision was signing up for those 5 Personal Training sessions. Before working with a trainer, I really only did cardio. Working out meant running. Period. (OK, and Tae Bo with Billy Blanks). After my first few sessions with a trainer, I was sold on the benefits of resistance training. I was sore in places I didn’t know existed on my body! I loved it! I loved knowing that I was making changes on my body that couldn’t be made any other way. I fell so in love with resistance training, that I went on to become a certified personal trainer.
The third best decision I made on my fitness journey was stepping foot into a group fitness class. I used to watch from the outside and feel totally intimidated by the barbells, steps, and free weights. I vividly remember my first experience in a lifting type class (strength endurance training). I looked to see how much weight the other ladies had on their bars. Being the overly-competitive girl that I am, I foolishly matched the ones with the most. I barely made it through class, and couldn’t walk normally for days. I’m sure the instructor cringed as she watched my form…I had no idea how hard the class would be. But now, the classes are honestly what keep me going to the gym. They’re on my schedule, and I plan many of my days around these workouts. I work out longer, and harder than I probably would on my own. I’ve made friends in the classes. I heart group fitness!
The fourth best decision I ever made was signing up for a race. Mind you, signing up for a full 26.2 mile marathon as the first organized race probably wasn’t the smartest thing. A 5- or even a 10-K would have been better. But regardless of how long the race, I had a goal to work towards. I couldn’t NOT run knowing that I would probably keel over and die on the race course if I didn’t train. Running soon became an addiction with which I have an ongoing love affair.
The fifth best decision I made was asking for a heart rate monitor for Christmas two years ago. I probably go a little overboard by wearing it for each and every workout, but it has truly helped me understand my body. I know what it truly feels like when I go anaerobic. I also know when my perceived rate of exertion is a lot higher than I’m actually working. I occasionally feel like I’m working at a level 10, but my heart rate tells me I’m working at more like a level 6. The heart doesn’t lie!
The sixth best decision was starting a fitness blog. I love that health and fitness is always on my mind! I love that I get to learn as I research. And I love that I get to glean insights from other healthy-minded readers and writers. Plus, it keeps me accountable. Having even a friend to check up on you and your fitness goals can be life changing!
I hope to continue making new life-altering decisions as I crawl along in this on-going fitness journey. However, the most important thing for me is knowing that I’m doing something that I feel I can sustain for life. I don’t work out for hours upon hours each day. That’s not a pace I can maintain. But I can chug along, go to the gym, and not be completely mortified at the thought of wearing a swimsuit on the beach! Yes, I definitely have some post-baby-body issues, but I’m a happier, healthier, more confident me.
Investing in your health, your body, and your overall well being is ALWAYS worth it!”
THANKS SO MUCH, ROBYN!! For more great insights, tips, recipes, and strategies, go to www.fitmepink.blogspot.com.
So, I must say first – I am sorta swiping my sister’s recipe to post this – but it is my NEW FAVORITE THING, HAS A TON OF VEGGIES, GREAT FOR YOUR WAISTLINE, and is SO great to elminate CRAVINGS!!!
1 Avacado – slightly soft to touch 1/4 cucumber, peeled and cubed 1/4 green and/or red pepper, cut into tiny pieces 1/4 cup green onions, sweet onions, or red onion, chopped finely 1/3 cup grape tomatoes cut into quarters 2 TBS cilantro, cut finely 1 clove garlic 1 1/2 TBS mayo – to meld together 1/3 cup LIME JUICE (THE MORE THE BETTER!!) 1 – 3 tsp sea salt (to taste) 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp garlic powder (opt)
Cut the avacado in half, and carve out how thinly you want to cut them with a knife against the hard peel. I cut across, downward, and then diagonal. Then take a spoon and lift the avacado out. You are left with tiny pieces of guacamole already pre sliced for you. Add the LIME JUICE NEXT – and let the avacado absorb all the lime juice. This part MAKES the recipe. This is the Chilean component I LOVE (I lived there for 1 1/2 years). Then add everything else and stir it to combine and let the flavors meld.
You are left with the most flavorful and citrisy light guacamole with lots of crunch. Instead of trying it on fried corn chips, put it on a RICE CAKE.
My personal favorite are (BIG SURPRISE!) Trader Joe’s lightly salted Brown Rice cakes – $1.49 at the one by me. We get like 8 bags every time we go. I love that they are whole grain. My 2nd choice would be Quaker…by a long shot. Other Health Food Stores will have similar ones, but usually more expensive.
GENEROUSLY spoon the guacamole on the rice cake and YUM! Everything will be a little crumbly but SOOO good. And after I eat it, I find the avacado has calmed my glucose metabolism and I am not craving sweet, and I am SERIOUSLY FULL TO THE BRIM after eating this. I have it for dinner sometimes – its THAT good!
So this is my new favorite wintertime pasttime to avoid eating total CRAP at night time.
DVD.
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