Journaling Day 4

I have been a little remiss in blogging - I tend to get out of my routine on the weekends...lots going on. Truth be told - what really threw me off was Friday night - I went to the Giants game with a friend of mine and drank. I actually drank way too much. I'll share my day so you can get a sense of how it led to overdrinking...

I started the day great - wasn't able to go to yoga as I had planned, but decided I would come home early from the office and get in a workout before leaving for the city.

Breakfast (9:30)
2 scrambled eggs w/ 1 orange sweet pepper & green onions
1 piece of sprouted wheat bread toast
1 tsp of hemp seed butter
1 tsp strawberry preserves

I got the office around 10:15 and had a bunch of random errands and things to get done before I left. I felt slightly unfocused and not terribly productive. I had a double shot of espresso around 11:15 w/ some soy milk creamer and 1/2 packet of stevia. I also had about 4 mini chocolate biscotti - not happy with myself, but I noticed I was feeling anxiuos, which is when I've noticed I crave sweets. They were kinda stale and not very satisfying - but it was the sweetness that I wanted - to help soothe me...same reason I crave the coffee - but I have noticed that it does the opposite! It makes me feel jittery sometimes and even more restless.

Before lunch, I had about 16 oz. of water, and then an organic green salad I brought from home just like the one I prepared last night for dinner(see day 4) plus 4 oz. of cooked black beluga lentils and 1 tbsp of hummus. It was good, and satisfying.

Journaling Day 3

Woke up feeling wonderful...so relieved my final is over and feeling very energized and focused on health and taking care of myself. I drank 16 oz of water first thing, and closed the door to my room so I could meditate for 10 minutes. Then I did about 5 more minutes of visualization - me in my ideal state of health, and the perfect mate by my side ;-) Not perfect - but at least it's a start, and I'm committing to spending those 15 minutes every morning.

Breakfast (8:30):
Shake -
1 c Clearvite Sugarfree powder (Apex Energetics)
1 c organic unsweetened Almond Milk
3 Leaves fresh organic Kale
1 c Organic Frozen Blueberries & Strawberries
7 Fresh Blackberries
1 Tbsp Hempseeds
1 tsp Goji Berries
1 Tbsp Sprouted Flax Seeds

1 c Rolled Oats/Oatmeal w/ 1 packet Stevia

Mid Morning Snack (11:00):
Double Espresso w/ splash half & half and 1 Packet Stevia
2 Mini Chocolate Biscotti Bites

Lunch (1:30):
1 Organic Mixed Green Salad w/ Tomato, Mozzarella & Balsamic Vinaigrette from Whole Foods
2 Handfuls Raw Cashews, Almonda & Pepitas
2 Squares Organic Dark Chocolate w/ Almonds

Afternoon/Pre-workout Snack (6:20):
Handful Raw Almonds & Cashews

After work I decided to check out a new class at Equinox - Latin Dance Groove - and so glad I did! I have been needing to dance for a while now, and it felt so good to move my body, feel sexy and break a sweat ;-) After the gym I went to Trader Joe's for a few things I forgot yesterday and WHole Foods to pick up some dried beans - black beans and Lentils.

Dinner (9:45):
6 Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers (wheat/gluten free - Whole Foods)
1 oz herb goat cheese (Madame Chevre - Trader Joe's)
1 California Veggie Burger (Dr. Praeger's)
1 Tsp. Hummus
1 Salad w/ Organic Spring Mix Lettuce (Trader Joe's), Organic Cherry Tomatoes, Shredded Carrots, Green Onions & Edamame
1 Tsp Sprouted Flax Seeds
1 Tsp Hemp Seeds
Dressing of Lemon Juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil, Celtic Sea Salt & Pepper

Journaling Day 2

Retroactive post for yesterday - I was on the road most of the day driving home from Santa Ynez, then headed straight to work, crammed for and took my final at 6:30 - and then crashed on my couch til I passed out around 9:30! I belive I can recall my diet...

Breakfast (8:30):
16 oz Water
1 Organic Fuji Apple
1 c Kashi GoLean Crunch w/ Almonds cereal
1 c Organic Unsweetened Soy Milk
5 Fresh Strawberries

Mid Morning Snack (11:00):
1 c coffee w/ a splash of half & half and one packet Sugar in the Raw
1 Toasted Nuts & Cranberry Luna Bar

Lunch (2:00):
1 Veggie Burger w/ 1 Tbsp Hummus
Organic Red Leaf Salad w/ sprouted flax & hemp seeds
1 Square organic dark chocolate w/ Almonda

On my way home from taking my final - I stopped and walked about 15 minutes with my friend Sheila at a park near my home, then headed to Trader Joe's for some much needed grocery shopping. Bought all the staples and some good olive oil as Eve suggested. At Trader Joe's I had a sample of some new salad they're carrying, and a shot of their coffee w/ a pinch of raw sugar and a dash of lowfat milk.

Dinner (9:15):
1 Handful Raw Cashews and 10 Raw Almonds
4 oz. Black Beluga Lentils w/ 1 Tbsp Hummus & 1 Tbsp Salsa
Big Green Salad w/ Organic Red Leaf Lettuce & Arugula, organic cherry tomatoes, sprouted flax & hemp seeds

Overall - for an incredibly hectic day - I think I did pretty gosh darn good...normally would have stopped and had something not so great on the road - thought about buying a chicken salad sandwich at Starbuck's in King City - but decided I didn't need it!! Proud of me...and so happy that school is done! (for now)...;-)

Journaling Day 1

Today has been a wonderful day so far! Sunny, beautiful day - still down here in Santa Ynez visiting family...it's harder and harder to leave every time...

As for food - it's a little tough to eat 100% well when I'm here - simply for the fact that I am not at my home and my mom doesn't necessarily stock the stuff I'm supposed to be having ;-) But I have done as well as possible. Woke up around 8:30 today, drank 16 oz of water over the course of a half hour as I prepped and then participated in a 60 minute conference call for work. Then I sat down for breakfast with my mom and had:

* 1 cup Kashi GoLean Crunch w/ Almonds
* 1 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
* 1/2 cup raw strawberries
* 1/2 cup coffee
* 1 tbsp half and half
* 1 splenda packet

I worked a little more - then at noon met my girlfriend Michelle for her lunch break and went to a great sandwich/salad place called Panino and had:
* 1 Curry Chicken Salad salad on a bed of mixed greends & balsamic dressing
* 1 Plain unsweetened iced tea

I then went over to my aunt's house she just bought and spent some time hanging out with her. She offered me a drink and I just had water - another 16 oz. I was craving something sweet, so she offered me her candy drawer. I opted against the candy and decided to have a small peruvian chocolate that has peanuts in it - comporable in size to two mini candy bars. Not the best - but satisfying ;-) I spent 15 minutes outside in her backyard admiring her growing garden and just sitting out on the back deck.

I then focused on studying for the rest of the afternoon. I drank another 16 oz. of water, and around 5:00, I had an organic gala apple, and wanted to have some nuts or almond butter with it but it was not available. 20 Minutes later, I remembered I had a half can of organic black beans with mixed vegetables I had brought with me in a tupperware, so I heateed them up and had those. I decided to add some fresh salsa to them instead of cheese, and they were delicious. I feel good! I decided to enjoy a little more sun so I studied outside for about 30 minutes.

For dinner - my mom, sister and I were a bit rushed because we had to help my mom pack for her trip to Peru the next morning - so we had some leftovers from her birthday party the other day. I went to the market and bought some great produce for a salad - organic red leaf lettuce, organic tomatoes, and avocadoes. AS we made dinner, I had about 6 wheat/flax seed water crackers from Trader Joe's with about an oz. of goat cheese and a glass of wine. For dinner, we had our salad with a little balsamic dressing, and made a version of peruvian "tacu tacu" which is Peruvian beans and rice grilled into a "patty" and a fried egg on top. YUM. I had another glass of wine with dinner - and 2 more glasses of water before bed. I am not proud to say this - but I had two cigarettes with my sister before and after dinner ;-( One was a camel light and the other a benson & hedges gold - the last one tasted so gross...so I am officially done. I realize I let myself go when I go home - partly because I am on vacation, and also because of my tendency to "go with the flow" and blend into my environment...since my sister, mom, and friends down there smoke - I just did too...but I was able to abstain around my friends this weekend, and it felt fine - great actually since I feel so much better when I don't smoke. So tomorrow I am a non-smoker - officially! ;-)

Embarking on Project Health!!

To be continued...

Target Heart Rate

To manually calculate your target heart rate zone, first determine your maximum heart rate, which is 220 minus your age. (This calculation represents a general guideline only.) For example, if you are 35, your maximum heart rate is 220 - 35 = 185. Next, calculate your target heart rate zone. This is generally 50% to 75% of the maximum heart rate for most people during the first six months of regular exercise. For example, 50%-75% of your maximum heart rate of 185 is (185 x 50) ÷ 100 = 93; (185 x 75) ÷ 100 = 139. So your target heart rate zone for exercise, in this example, would be 93-139 heartbeats per minute.

If you haven't been exercising, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that you then start at 50%, with the goal of gradually building up to 75% during this six-month period, but only after checking with your physician. People who have not been exercising or who intend to change their exercise program significantly need to get their physician's approval. After exercising regularly for six months, some people might be able to exercise comfortably at up to 85% of their maximum heart rate, according to the AHA. However, the AHA notes that you don't have to exercise that hard (at 85%) to stay in condition.

Because I am 29 - my maximum heart rate is 191 beats per minute...

Low Intensity:
Based on your age, you will work at 50% to 75% of your maximum heart rate when your heart rate is 96 to 143 beats per minute. Working within this range is an excellent goal for most healthy people. Doing so will improve general health and cardiovascular fitness and also help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. However, always check with your physician before choosing a target heart rate zone.

High Intensity:
Based on your age, you will work at 75% to 85% of your maximum heart rate when your heart rate is 143 to 162 beats per minute. Working within this range is not necessary, according to the American Heart Association, to maintain cardiovascular fitness. This level of workout is only recommended for the very fit, and only with a physician's approval. Please note that a few high blood pressure medications lower the maximum heart rate and thus the target zone rate. If you're taking high blood pressure medicine, call your physician to find out if you need to adjust your program.

Article on Nutrition, Calories & Macronutrients

Achieving the best weight for your body is an accounting issue: You have to balance the number of calories in with the number out. When you're trying to lose weight, this means spending more in daily activities and exercise than you take in through food.

Calories come from three main types of macronutrients, or calorie-supplying nutrients: carbohydrate, protein and fat. Your body needs some of each. Unfortunately, fad diets fuel confusion about just how much of each type of calorie your body needs. We believe the best way to divide your daily calories for weight loss is the same manner in which health and nutrition experts recommend dividing them for good health: 50 to 60 percent carbohydrates, 20 to 30 percent fat, and 15 to 25 percent protein.

Begin to think of calories as what they do for your body, rather than the enemy. The calories we'd like you to eat are more than just calories: They are rich in nutrients and other health-enhancing substances that take you one step closer to great health. (That's why it doesn't work to substitute candy calories for fruit or vegetable calories. We'd rather have you plan in a few calories for sweets or other treats, and still indulge your body in the health-enhancing calories it needs.)

How many grams of carbohydrates, protein and fat you will get each day when you follow our meal plans depends on how many calories you've chosen to eat. Here's how they shake down:

1700 calories:

• 50-60% carbohydrate: 213-255 grams carb (850-1020 calories)
• 15-25% protein: 64-106 grams protein (255-425 calories)
• 20-30% fat: 38-57 grams fat (340-510 calories)
  

1900 calories:

• 50-60% carbohydrate: 238-285 grams carb (950-1140 calories)
• 15-25% protein: 71-119 grams protein (285-475 calories)
• 20-30% fat: 42-63 grams fat (380-570 calories)

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates have gotten a lot of bad press lately, but they are the highest quality fuel for people of all ages. The type of carbohydrates recommended for good health are those made by nature and found in:

• Whole grains (whole wheat, barley, corn, quinoa, oats, etc.)
• Legumes (black beans, lentils, split peas, etc.)
• Vegetables (broccoli, carrots, peas, tomatoes, etc.)
• Fruits (apples, oranges, berries, etc.)

The less these foods are refined, the better they are for several reasons: Unrefined foods have more nutrients, fiber and phytochemicals. When it comes to weight loss, unrefined foods are more filling, which means fewer calories make you feel full. For example, an apple is more filling (and more nutritious) than apple juice. Unrefined carbohydrates are called complex carbohydrates.

QUICK FACT: A gram of carbohydrate (about 1/28th of an ounce) has four calories. An average sized banana, for example, has about 28 grams of carbohydrates (the rest of the weight comes from the peel, fiber, a little protein, a little fat, and the water), which account for about 112 calories (good for you calories!).

Proteins

Proteins build new tissues, help children grow, build hormones and body chemicals and have an essential role in countless other body functions. Protein calories are rarely found alone. Vegetable proteins, such as those found in black beans and other legumes and whole grains such as barley and quinoa, are found with complex carbohydrate calories. Fat calories tag along with meat, poultry, and fish proteins (fish has the least number of fat calories, ounce for ounce, and a better type of fat, too).

QUICK FACT: One gram of protein also has four calories. One slice of individually wrapped cheese contains about 28 grams of protein, or about 112 calories.

Fats

Some fat is essential for good health, although generally far less than most people eat. Fat is necessary to form hormones, absorb nutrients, and has several other functions. Fats are found in dairy foods (except fat-free versions), meat, poultry, fish, and most convenience and packaged foods. Nuts and seeds are very high in fat, and some foods are pure fat, such as oils, butter and margarine. All these fat-containing foods can be included in a healthy diet, just in appropriate portions. Adults need about 15 to 20 grams daily, but Americans eat upwards of 70 to 80 grams each day. One of the reasons fats catch up with us so quickly (to add pounds) is that they are very calorically dense.

QUICK FACT: One gram of fat has nine calories. One teaspoon of butter or margarine has about 5 grams of fat, or about 45 calories.