Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The power of raw food and vitamins

I saw an amazing movie last night called "Food Matters." It's not as horrifying as "Food, Inc" regarding the genetic modification of our foods and treatment of our animals, but it is about nutrition and the importance of good nutrition. And what a lack of nutrition can do to us. And the numbers show it with now 13% of women getting breast cancer and prostate and colon cancers on the rise. When this movie was made there were nearly 600,000 people dying a year from cancer.

That is FRIGHTENING.

The movie talked about food digestion and nutrition and how raw (uncooked) foods were the best (granted, there is evidence for both sides of the coin on this one) and the benefits of vitamin supplements. They talked about cancer and disease and how the medical community has failed us in these regards. Did you know that nutrition is not taught in medical school? I know, for one, I'm never asked what my diet consists of when I go to the doctor for a malady. Unless I go to a naturopath. He always asks.

I'm angry and I'm revved up and, while we all know there is very little we can do on a grand scale of things, I CAN take charge of my own life and my own choices and my own nutrition.

Granted, I'm pretty good about eating a salad most days and doing my best to get my produce every day b/c I know how much better I feel, but you know what else I'm going to do? Start taking more Vitamin C. Cancer cells don't like Vitamin C and while it has shown to stunt and possibly reverse the growth of cancer cells, it is most certainly a potential preventative measure. I'm also getting a juicer for Christmas. I can get a lot of raw foods into my body in an easily absorbent way with a juicer.

I'm not a zealot. But I don't want to be sick and malnourished. I want to be healthy... and active... and happy. And I've known for some time that the quality of my food and the amount I move my body on purpose is directly related to my mood and outlook on life in general. I want to live the best life I can live without prescription medications, without pain, without disease.

Don't you?

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Injuries happen

2 weeks into boot camp, I'm feeling great, I'm having a wonderful time and I'm getting the hang of waking up early. The trainer is so supportive and encouraging as are other folks in the class. I've even heard a rumor that I've inspired folks by how hard the "fat girl" is working. Which is AWESOME.

But this week I hurt myself. Got myself a case of Plantar Fasciitus which is excruciatingly painful. Essentially my foot hurts and I'm limping around and am scared to death to continue to injure it by continuing boot camp. I can honestly say: this sucks!

So I'm taking the rest of the week off boot camp, I'm going to see a chiropractor tomorrow who works with plantar fasciitus and sneaking in some R&R by getting a facial and manicure with Megan at NW College.

So just wanted to check in and say officially, that injuries suck. But one has to take care of themselves to prevent further injury. Would love to know what others have done regarding this... have you taken time off, sought medical attention, pushed through it and kept up your exercise routine, etc?

Happy weekend!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Reward systems

I can't say I've spent as much time thinking about the intricacies of how one rewards oneself as I've spent thinking about other aspects of my diet and fitness self, but I think it's an important thing to start thinking about. Research even shows that using food as a reward or punishment with your children sets them up for poor eating habits as adult (DING DING DING!!)

A friend noted to me the other day that, in the few years that we have been friends, she's noticed that I regularly reward myself for food or fitness successes with food. I've spent lots of time sitting in weight watcher meetings talking about reward alternatives to food and here I am not thinking about or implementing any of that. When I have a good week, I celebrate with chicken wings. Or my favorite Hawaiian joint.

Frankly, I never REMEMBER to do it any other way. It's so ingrained. Just like sometimes, it honestly never occurs to me to order grilled chicken at a restaurant when I can order the cheeseburger (no joke, it rarely crosses my mind). But I'm making some really big and drastic changes in my life right now in regards to health and fitness and I need to be able to reward myself for milestones. A reward for my first 10 lbs. A reward for my first pant size lost. A reward for a month of consecutively showing up to have my arse kicked at 7am 4 days a week. But I don't want to continue to enforce poor eating habits by having those rewards revolve around food.

So I'm kicking around some ideas and would love yours as well. Mani/pedi is common for us ladies. Maybe a new book or some new yarn I really want. If I lose enough weight to have to buy new clothes, then a new outfit! I also thought of putting $20 aside for each milestone so when I hit a big stride, I can do something really special like a 90 minute massage or a spa day or a night at the coast. I believe rewards should build on each other... each one getting a little bit bigger and better with each goal you achieve.

So, I think my first reward, which will come when I lose my first 10 pounds or 30 consecutive days (whichever comes first), will be that I can go to Powell's and browse for however long I'd like and I can pick out a new book that I find there. I love going to Powell's and getting lost and reading backs of books and it can take me 20 minutes to 2 hours to find just the right thing. I'll even go to the Powell's downtown instead of cheating and going to the one on Hawthorne. I can't wait!!

What are your non-food rewards?