life

Make Healthy A Habit – Day Four

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Out of all the things I love to eat, sandwiches come close to being my favorite of them all.

And I love having chips on the side. They’re the perfect supporting crunch for the delicious main star.

But they are so not healthy for me. And I know this. But I’m not okay with giving up one of my favorite side dishes (and yes, I know I just referred to potato chips as a side dish.)

So I thought about this. How can I still have chips with my sandwich but make them healthy?

Kale Chips.

They are so easy to make and you can adjust the spice level to your preference every time you make them.

I used this recipe from the recipe blog, Oh She Glows, and absolutely loved it!

Sometimes, it’s about finding new ways to make the things you love healthier for you.

And those kale chips tasted just as good, if not better, than any kettle chip I’ve ever had.

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

**For the original idea, please visit here.

Make Healthy A Habit – Day Three

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As I was planning the list of errands I wanted to do today, I thought about how I would often bike ride instead of drive when doing errands but haven’t really done so in a while.

I realized it’s because the weather has gotten colder. And the day’s sunlight has shortened. And well, it’s been raining.

And then I felt like laughing at myself.

Really? Am I that soft that I can’t handle a little adverse weather conditions while on my bike?

I did not want that answer to be yes so I bundled up and hit the streets. My husband came along for the ride and we got all our errands done. In the rain. On our bikes.

At one point, we talked about how exercise shouldn’t only be when it’s convenient. Since biking is one of my favorite forms of exercise, I asked myself if I was going to do it only when it was easy.

A problem I think I have with making exercise a part of my life is that I only do it when I feel like it. When it’s convenient for me. But that’s far from being a healthy habit.

Today was a step in the right direction though. (See the picture above. Me in all my layers.)

While I don’t plan on exercising every single day, I do plan on staying healthy and incorporating it into my week –  whether or not it’s convenient.

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

**For the original idea, please visit here.

Make Healthy A Habit – Day Two

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I spent the afternoon with my two nephews, having fun painting and laughing and playing. And I adored every moment.

Well, maybe except one…

While I was hanging with them, my mother asked if I would like to take home a box of cereal bars that she had extra. My first reaction was “Yeah, I like those.” But then, as I reached across the table, I said, “Wait, I’m doing something for health and trying to not have fructose.” I quickly scanned the ingredients and yup, sure enough, fructose syrup was a main one.

And then it hit me.

To change daily habits, I have to be on them like white on rice.

I have to put my habits in check. I have to be conscious about the health choices I make.

I have to think about what I eat and what’s inside what I eat. I have to be aware with all decisions. I can’t do what’s best for my body on only the convenient ones.

I realize this is going to mean that I will not be able to enjoy some foods that I have grown used to…

Now, will I go to restaurants and ask for no fructose? No way. But will I use diligence to limit it? Absolutely.

So I passed on the cereal bars.

Tonight, my husband and I are going to have a steak dinner without drinking wine. For some, that’s no big deal. But for a wine lover like myself, I’m wondering what I did to deserve this.

Yes, I will have red wine again. But going a weekend without some should be no big deal. And a great dinner doesn’t have to include it EVERY TIME.

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

**For the original idea, please visit here.

 

Make Healthy A Habit

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I want to change some habits of mine. Things like not drinking wine as much and eating food that is better for my body (damn those french fries!)

New year. New start. The road is wide open.

It’s no wonder gym memberships sky rocket after New Year’s. It’s a great time to hit the restart button. Start of a new year. You’re ready to go!

But… that passion at the start of the year is rather difficult to maintain and the once-crowded gym of January becomes a much-emptier one by February.

So, how does one keep the passion alive for change well beyond the start of the new year?

I don’t know if there’s one magical answer but I do believe it has a lot to do with consciously trying to change one’s daily habits and making the life-changing commitment to do it. Therefore…

Welcome to my next blog project!

My husband mentioned he read it takes three weeks to form a habit. I did a little research on that and learned it’s a debatable claim loosely based on the work of cosmetic surgeon, Walter Maltz. I’m going to give it a shot, nonetheless.

For the next 21 days, I’m going to attempt to make healthy a habit, one that will become a lifestyle for me, not a short-lived resolution. I want to eat healthier, decrease my wine intake and learn new ways to treat my body and mind better. I’ve been reading up on the Paleo diet and while I don’t plan to eliminate all grains and dairy, I am very drawn to the idea of eating food directly from nature and returning to a simpler diet of meat, vegetables and fruits.

I’ll be posting daily (though exact times will vary) about my three-week journey of trying to make healthy a habit and I invite you to join me. After that, I’ll be posting weekly about how my habits have (or haven’t) changed.

We begin now.

I took a Kundalini yoga class this morning to help put my head in the right mindset. And now, I’m off to my local Sprouts to stock up on groceries for the week to help me make better choices. It will be tempting not to swing through a drive-through after I’ve worked all day or reach for a bag of chips rather than carrot sticks when I want a snack but it will only happen if I begin the process now and make the commitment to follow through on it.

Here’s to success!

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

 

25 Days of Spreading Love: Reflections

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Thank you to all who read my posts and followed along as I counted down the days until Christmas while trying to spread love in the world. (The original blog post can be found here.)

I feel very fortunate to have love in my life and I want to make more of an effort to share that. And this project has helped me to do that.

Over the course of twenty five days (well, the twenty-fifth day was Christmas!) I found ways to spread love and by doing that, it became part of my day. Once the project stopped, I didn’t make such a conscious effort any longer, though it was something that had seeped into my brain and made me think of it daily and for me, that was something I was hoping it would do. Repetition… There is something to be said about the simplicity of its effectiveness.

I also learned a few other things that I thought I’d share with my readers…

Saturdays are a popular day to read blogs (at least mine…)

Love is a universal message.

Self-discipline makes things happen.

I can actually write everyday.

Never judge anything on appearance alone.

Love is your engine. It moves you. It stops you. It propels you to new heights. It sinks you to great depths. It gives you momentum to go on.

I can make a difference.

Thank you to all who supported this project and myself. I hope you consider joining me this coming week as I launch a new project… Stay tuned!!

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 24

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For the original idea, please go here.

1 Day till Christmas – spreading love by being with my family

In honor of the holiday this entire blog project has been written around, I chose to spread the love today but spending time with my family on Christmas Eve.

Thank you for coming along for the ride with me as I counted down the days till Christmas by spreading love in the world.

From my house to yours, Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 23

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For the original idea, please go here.

2 Days till Christmas – spreading love by participating in a potluck

At work today, there was a potluck family meal. We were invited to bring whatever we wanted to share with our co-workers.

Typically, I would grab something real quick on my way and be done with it. Potlucks have never been my favorite thing.

But  not today. In an effort to spread love (and food is a wonderful way to do that!), I chose to take the time to prepare a dish. I even looked up potluck recipes from which I selected a three-bean salad.

It was interesting to see what people brought. And it was fun to try things I’ve never tried before. It was also very delicious to have so many dessert options, not to mention these little unbelievable meringues!

Overall, the potluck ended up being good food, good company and a good time.

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”
-James Beard

Spread the love. #spreadthelove

 

 

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 22

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For the original idea, please go here.

3 Days till Christmas – spreading love by spending time with one of my oldest friends

And by oldest, I don’t mean age. I mean length of time of friendship.

There are a couple girls whom I’ve known since my college days that have remained a constant in my life. And while we don’t see each other all that often (living in different cities), it never matters. It’s quality over quantity. And as soon as we’re in the same room again, it’s like time hasn’t moved and we can pick up right where we left off.

I cherish this not only because it’s rare but because it’s valuable to me. A friendship that has spanned over the course of twenty years is not something to take lightly. It’s something to be appreciated for what it is.

And tonight, I was given the opportunity to show my love and appreciation for one of my oldest friends. We’ve known each other for twenty years and have seen each other at our worsts and bests. And I adore her.

She’s in town for the holidays and graciously made time to come visit me.

Tonight, I made her dinner. As she looked through my wedding photos, we chatted about our lives and the direction they’ve gone. She caught up with my husband. And as we ate cheese ravioli with a vodka cream sauce, we reminisced about days gone and spoke of our plans for the future.

Spending time with old friends is a most lovely way to spread love. And I highly recommend it.

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spread the love. #spreadthelove

 

 

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 21

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For the original idea, please go here.

4 Days till Christmas – spreading love by showing my appreciation

My husband and I do a lot of shipping for both business and personal needs. And we use the USPS for much of it, though we try to conduct the bulk of our transactions online because, well… come on. Have you been inside a post office lately? Those lines move slow…

But our postman does not. He is always helpful, always willing to climb up the stairs to our place to drop off a package or pick some up and he always has a smile on his face. When we came back from our honeymoon, our postman had our mail all ready for us, making the whole “hold mail” process seamless.

I believe acknowledgment of someone doing a good job will show that person that their efforts have not gone unnoticed and are in fact greatly appreciated. So, in an effort to appreciate the hard work our postman does, my husband and I decided to spread the love by giving him a Christmas gift. We picked up a Target gift card and wrote him a Thank You/Christmas card that we’ll hand deliver as soon as we see him.

“The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.”
-Dalai Lama

Spread the love. #spreadthelove

 

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 20

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For the original idea, please go here.

5 Days till Christmas – spreading love by supporting Wikipedia

Wikipedia is an online free encyclopedia.

Now sure, you probably already knew that. But did you know the site is run by a non-profit? And that it has remained ad-free since its inception?

Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, has purposely kept the site free of advertisements. He manages to sustain this popular knowledge site through donations from its readers. In Wales own words, taken from the site:

Wikipedia is one of the most visited websites in the world.
Commerce is fine. Advertising is not evil. But it doesn’t belong here. Not in Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is something special. It is like a library or a public park. It is like a temple for the mind. It is a place we can all go to think, to learn, to share our knowledge with others.
When I founded Wikipedia, I could have made it into a for-profit company with advertising banners, but I decided to do something different. We’ve worked hard over the years to keep it lean and tight. We fulfill our mission efficiently.

Every year, Wikipedia runs a fundraiser in December. 

And in an effort to keep the site ad-free and user-driven, I donate every year.

For today, I chose to spread the love by donating to a foundation that runs a website I use weekly, if not daily.

If you too would like to donate to keep Wikipedia the helpful resource it is for all of us, you can do so here!

Spread the love. #spreadthelove