This Week's Workout

I have recently been accused of having workout ADHD and I think I agree with the diagnosis. I love to change up my workouts ever so often. I have been on a Biggest Loser DVD kick (these workouts are awesome!) these last two weeks so last week the plan was to walk for thirty minutes 4 days of the week and alternate Biggest Loser Cardio Max with Biggest Loser Power Sculpt (Level 1 on both) on those days. I was also supposed to get in one day of BL Yoga. Well, I managed three out of the five days and by the end of the week a final exam and lack of sleep threw me off the wagon. Next week is another week....

So, the plan for next week is to start running using the Couch to 5K plan ( I may do that two days) along with BL Cardio Max one of the days and BL Powersculp (Level 1 and 2) the other day. I will also try to squeeze in two days of BL Yoga on the other two days. I am trying to get all of this done by Wednesday because toward the end of the week I will be traveling so I may not get to workout those days (even though I planned them into the trip). What are your plans for working out this week?

Ahhh, Food Heaven

Today was a good day in my food world. I finally found Larabars at a local health food store and tried the Coconut Cream Pie. I am in looovvee. One of the things I have been trying to do is cook tasty, healthy meals. It also doesn't hurt if they also are time efficient since time is usually limited for me these days. So, on my trip to Borders today my eyes caught the Cook Yourself Thin Faster cookbook and I snagged it. Let me say that upon browsing it there were so many thing I wanted to try. I settled on Shrimp with Grits (I mixed and matched the recipe from this cookbook with one from Chef John at Foodwishes.blogspot.com) and Cheesy Fries (using butternut squash)...

Taste test

Honestly, I really though I died and went to food heaven. Both were really, really yummy. The shrimp and grits made excellent comfort food and was done in about 30 minutes. The butternut squash took longer because of the peeling and cutting up but it was well worth the effort. I have posted the recipes under the recipes tab. Until you try them... Feast your eyes :-)

Laugh of the Day

Well not today, but the other day I came across two of Mo'nique's interviews for the movie Precious (for which she won an Oscar). The first link is to her interview with Craig Ferguson that definitely had me ROTFL and the second is an interview with HipHollywood where she talks about making it in Hollywood, Oprah, her talk show, the movie and a few other things. I admire that even though she considers herself the "finest sex kitten" out there she was still inspired (by her husband) to lose weight (40 lbs at the time) so that she can be around for the long term. She looks great in these interviews! Did I mention that I love how she talks about her husband... ladies, take note. Congratulations to her on breaking barriers in Hollywood and winning that Oscar!

Knowing Your Numbers

An important first step for me in my journey to becoming healthier in 2010 was to know where I was starting from. We all know that we should get an annual physical done but even though I had one last summer, I did not know what my cholesterol, blood glucose and iron levels were. After doing a little digging, I found out that my school offered "RN Health Screenings" so I called and booked an appointment. This was one of the most informative doctor's appointment I have ever had. They performed rapid cholesterol and blood sugar testing along with a blood pressure reading and BMI calculations. I requested a rapid HIV test and STD screening so I had to have blood drawn and from that they also did a Complete Blood Count and checked my thyroid hormone levels.

Results

They were very efficient at getting my results back to me within a few days (even though I think the RN was a little annoyed when I asked for a copy of all my test results- it is my right as a patient, isn't it?). My results were mostly okay but it reaffirmed my decision to take my weight loss seriously. The highlights were that my blood pressure was into the pre-hypertensive region (which required immediate action on my part because hypertension runs in my family), my iron was a little low (I began taking multivitamins) and my blood glucose was slightly elevated (might have something to do with the fact that I ingested a reasonable amount of GLUCOSE about 30 minutes before I had this testing done. What was I thinking???!!! Yeah, I wasn't).

The bottom line is this guys, knowing what your numbers are is the key to early detection and prevention of chronic diseases (my Public Health plug for the day :-)) So if you don't know where you stand in the above tests (and others appropriate for your age and gender) then please make an appointment with your medical provider at your earliest convenience. Make sure that you ask them to explain the results to you if you don't know what they mean, and don't forget to get a copy!

Weight Loss (or should I say DROPPING the weight)

I figured that I would start here since it is one of my major focuses right now. Like many other people, one of my New Year resolutions was to become healthier in 2010. Not only do I want to become healthier but specifically I wanted to drop the extra 80+ lbs I am carrying around. I have a gym membership that I restarted last summer and I was going sporadically until the snow and freezing cold killed my motivation, so I started out the year by making the financial sacrifice of purchasing a treadmill. Since I am not a dieting type of girl, I knew I wasn't going to go low carb or low fat or low anything diet so I began researching ways to make healthier food choices. I found a lot of useful information and began implementing the basics in January (eating more fruits and veges, cooking more at home etc.). I finally got my treadmill in mid January but it took another month for me to get around to using it regularly. Life (i.e. school) definitely got in the way. So here I am almost three and a half weeks into eating better and working out 4-5 days a week and I feel fabulous. Not to mention the fact that the pounds have started to come off. I am ecstatic! I will definitely be sharing more about the process in future posts and hopefully we can keep each other accountable to becoming fit and healthier.

What are your health/fitness goals? Please share by leaving a comment.

Introducing....

Me! I am a 25 year old student with many interests trying to figure this life thing out one day at a time. I hope to share thoughts and tips on my journey to healthier eating and regular exercising, hair, makeup, health, and balancing life. I have learnt a lot from other bloggers and I also hope to share some of those things as well (credit will be given :-)). Join me as I embark on this journey to figure it all out!