A Little Something Different

Last week was rough.  But good.  And now it's over.  I'm happy about this.  My least favorite part about starting a new job (or a new semester when I was a student) is the first week.  Remember the stress of figuring out where you were supposed to be and what you are supposed to be doing?  I hate that.  Unfortunately, it looks like it will be another few weeks of that.  My new work is renovating a room for my new job and my office is not finished yet.  Hopefully it will be soon so I don't spend all my time this summer walking across campus in the 90F+ heat everyday.  I cannot wait to get settled in...and to have a coffee maker in my office.  Oh, yes, coffee will be needed mid-day with this job!

For the most part, I met my fitness goals for last week.  To recap, go here.  Here's what actually happened:

Sunday:  6.38 mile walk

Monday:  Level 1 (38mins) of Jillian Michael's Extreme Shed and Shred (AM)

Tuesday:  Rest

Wednesday:  Levels 1 & 2 (80 mins) Shed and Shred (AM); 3 mile walk (PM)

Thursday:  Rest

Friday:  Levels 1 & 2 (80 mins) Shed and Shred (AM)

Saturday:  Rest

That adds up to exceeding my morning workout goals (min of 30 minutes, three mornings), falling short of my evening workout goal (2 nights), and not quite meeting my total workouts goal (5 days/week).  I'm going to cut myself a little slack on this one.  I'm actually surprised and very proud that I accomplished what I did.  Let's face it, I actually got up at 4:45am three mornings to workout on my first week of work.  Of course, I was ready for bed at 7:30pm every night.  I was not expecting to be so tired at night.  I think 'non-functional' would have been a good description for how I felt at night and on Saturday.

I'm still dragging today but I need to get things done.  I need to clean and get a good workout in because I feel like it's important to start my week out strong.  I'm going to leave my workout goals the same for this week.  I'll likely refine this schedule as I start getting a better feel for how my weeks will go as time goes on but this works for now.  I need to cook today too! 

This morning, I made this egg bake.  I need something different in the morning.  I am a little burnt out on oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast, so eggs were on the menu.  I made a four-serving egg bake to cover this morning and three breakfasts during the week.  It's very low in calories, so I can add in a fruit or pumpkin smoothie to round out the meal.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this bake but it was very, very good.  Next time, I might add a couple extra eggs (I only had 6 on hand).  I would think that adding cheese would be very good but I have a hard time digesting eggs and cheese together.  Kalamata olives and feta would be excellent add ins!

Mediterranean Egg Bake

Serves 4; 140 calories per serving

Ingredients:
3 large leaves of kale, chopped
5 portabella mushrooms, chopped
2 scallions, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk of choice (soy, cow, almond, coconut, etc.)
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper

On the stovetop, sweat out the kale, mushrooms, and scallions until slightly wilted.  Add in 1/4 cup of water and continue cooking until the water evaporates (note: this helps reduce the bitterness of the kale); let this mixture cool for about 5 minutes.  In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, and spices until well combined.  When the kale mixture has cooled, add it to the eggs and stir to combine.  Transfer to a small baking dish.  Top the eggs with the slices of tomatoes and add a small amount of salt to the top of the tomatoes.  Bake at 350F for 35 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes, slice, and serve!

The Power of Positive Thinking

Happy Friday!

About five-ish months ago, I was in my hometown visiting family.  I met up with a friend who I hadn't seen since high school (looking at you Keah!) and a very close friend (looking at you Sara!) and realized how positive they were about everything.  Somewhere along the line, I slipped into a deep hole of negative thinking.  Let's be honest, negative thinking brings you down in every single way.  It affects your home life, your mental health, your work, your health, the people around you...everything. 

I have been working over the past 5 months to turn my negativity around.  While, yes, I am human and I still fall into the negative thinking worm hole from time to time, I have been finding positivity to be my go-to attitude now.  I literally faked it until I made it.  (Side note - I never though you could actually 'fake it until you made it.'  You actually can!)

I am not an expert on the subject (I'm a geographer, not a psychologist), but there were several tricks that I used to lessen the grasp that negative thinking had on me.  I highly recommend trying these out if you are looking to change your attitude towards your life and situation:

1.  When something negative, unhappy, or unpleasant happens to you, stop, think, and then write yourself a list of why this negative thing can be a blessing in disguise.  If you are unable to do this in the moment (this is a hard switch to make), come back to it later.  What good can come out of the situation?  What is the silver lining?  Doing this everytime anything negative happens leads, over time, to this action becoming second nature.

2.  If you feel as though you've reacted poorly (or just not how you would have liked to have reacted) in a situation and are thus having negative and weighing thoughts, do your best to correct the situation and then give yourself permission to move beyond it.  If you apologize or correct yourself, you have done the best you can and that is all you can do.

3.  Spend 5 minutes in bed right when you wake up in the morning thinking positive mantras like:

  -  My day is going to be awesome.
  -  I am incredibly blessed.
  -  I am a hard-working, beautiful woman (or man!).
  -  No matter what others think of me, I do everything I can to be the person I want to be.
  -  No matter what situation arises today, I will handle it with grace and thankfulness.

I always thought positive thinking mantras were a little "granola", but really, they affirm positive thinking and really calm me down.

4.  Stop and think at some point every day about how your life is incredible, whether you have the support of your family and friends, a furry sidekick, a great job (or just a job in general), a significant other, and/or great health.  All these things are likely something that someone else would kill for.  Don't take them for granted.

5.  If you find yourself jealous of someone else, remember that Life is Not a Supermarket.  Just because someone else has what you want, doesn't mean that you cannot achieve the same thing.  There is not a limited amount of happiness to go around.  Go find yours!  It is important to support and be happy for those around you.  That genuine happiness will carry over into your life.

6.  If you find that there are certain people in your life that bring on those negative thoughts and feelings, make you feel bad about yourself, or just do not support you or the positive changes you are making (i.e. toxic friends - friends that are likely not bad people but maybe aren't right for you at this point in your life), it might be worth it to sit back and think long and hard about why they are in your life.  Is it time to reduce the amount of time you spend with that person?  Is the situation bad enough that your "toxic" friend is affecting you so greatly that you should just gently let them go?  You get one life, live it to the fullest.

7.  Finally, take time for yourself.  It takes time to get over the guilt of walking away from everyday duties to take the time to do something for yourself.  We have all grown up learning that being selfish (as in, saying, "HEY, this is ME time!") is a bad thing.  Taking time for yourself is not selfish, though.  Taking this time (for me, I work out or read a book) makes you a happier person which will in turn lead to a positive attitude.  I have first hand learned that this time away for myself makes me a better daughter, sister, friend, and employee.  I am happier, more productive, and more supportive of those around me.  Keep in mind, the dishes, vacuuming, work, and laundry will still be there when you get back and life will not end if it gets put off for a couple hours.


All these things take time and a lot of effort to add into your life, but, trust me, it's worth it.  Mental health is just as important, if not more so, than your physical health.  Climbing my way out of the worm hole of negative thinking has been one of the most important changes I have ever made in my life (which is saying a lot being that I've lost almost 100 pounds).  The work I have done has paid off ten-fold and will likely continue to as I go throughout my life with this commitment to being a positive, happy person, no matter what my situation is.

Great quotes for this topic:

     "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
- Herm Albright

 "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Winston Churchill

"Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results."
- Willie Nelson

Do you have a positive thinking tips?

Happy a happy and healthy weekend!

Healthy by 30?

It's the big post that you may or may not have been waiting for!  I have finally hit my 30's today.  So, first things first.  Here's how I feel about turning 30:

I feel like my 30's is going to be my decade!  :)

That being said, I thought this might be a great time to do a few things:
1. Take a look at progress in photo form
2. Take a look at progress in number form
3. Discuss if I think I made the progress I had hoped for
4. Discuss the health-oriented goals I have for my 30's
5. Rename the blog!

Let's start with #1: Progress in photo form!  Now, I will admit that looking through old photos of myself was painful.  And I mean, very painful.  It is hard to look at yourself when you know when you are not at your best.  I never saw myself as big, even though I obviously was.  The good news is that looking at these photos is very motivating as I never want to be that unhealthy again.

One thing to keep in mind with these photos:  I have always avoided cameras like the plague so I don't have that many great photos of myself at my biggest.  My more recent photos are ones that I've taken of myself (to prove to myself that I really am losing the weight and I'm not going crazy as I don't see it when I look in the mirror every day) or by my parents so I had a couple of very recent photos to post today!

All that being said, if you are interested in seeing what has been going on over the last 2ish years, click the link under the header called Progress Photos (or click here).  I will continue to update this page as I make progress!


Alrighty, let's move on to #2: Progress in number form.  Numbers don't mean that much to me but I like to see them add up over time as I often look in the mirror and don't see a change.  I will forever be a chubby girl in my brain, apparently!

As of March 17th, 2012:
Total weight lost:  91.2 pounds
Total inches lost in waist:  14
Total drop in BMI:  14.8


And... #3: Discussion of progress.  I have been saying for the last two years that my main goal was to enter my 30's healthier than I entered my 20's (I swear I wrote this on the blog somewhere along the way but for the life of me, I cannot figure out where!).  While I am NOT at my goal weight, I am very happy with where I am.  I am wearing rings that I could not wear throughout my teens and 20's.  Over Christmas, I happened upon a dress I wore for my senior pictures and it fit!  Okay, it fit over a t-shirt, tank top, sweater, and fleece pants.  I am at a weight that I have not seen since I was, oh, 14?  Most importantly, I eat very healthfully on a daily basis and I workout regularly.  These are not optional to me anymore, they are my life and I love it!

And, now for #4: Health-oriented goals for my 30's. 

1. My main goal is to continue on the same road I've been on for the last 2 years.  Slow and steady wins the race!
2. Walk a half marathon
3. Achieve and stay within a healthy weight range
4. Eat mostly whole foods and fuel my body for the long haul
5. Stay active and continue to build endurance and strength
6. Keep my Celiac and Fibromyalgia under control (sans medication for Fibro if at all possible)
7. Work on my mental vision of myself.  As mentioned earlier, I still see myself as though I haven't lost any weight.  I don't feel like I have changed.  This is something I need work on daily and probably for quite some time, if not the rest of my life.

Finally, #5: Rename the blog!  I have had a lot of really great feedback on this blog, even though I post fairly sporadically (sorry!) and I'm not listed in search engines.  There have been numerous people who have said, e-mailed, commented, or messaged me that they find this blog inspiring.  This inspires ME and I am happy that my ramblings have helped other people.  Therefore, I want to keep the blog going!  Since the name "Healthy by 30" no longer applies (being that I'm now 30!), I am seeking ideas for a new name for the blog!  Comment away below or shoot me an e-mail!  :)

Thank you to everyone who have helped me along the way over the last 2 years.  I could have never gotten this far without the support and love of everyone around me!

Coming soon:  I promised a friend that I would do a 30 during 30 list with her.  I just have to write it!

If Someone Had Told Me 2 Years Ago...

"In less than two years, you will:

1. Lose 83 pounds and 11" in your waist,
2. Be at a weight and size that you haven't seen since you were 14,
3. Happily be eating an extremely healthy, whole-food diet,
4. Be shopping exclusively in regular sizes,
5. Be saying "I'm off for a 7-9 mile walk" on a regular basis,
6. Be able to complete long walks at an average pace of 4.4 mph,
7. Work out 5-6 days a week consistently,
8. Not crave chocolate/sweets/chips/salt/Reese's PB Cups/cheese (hey, I'm a native Wisconsinite!),
9. At times have more energy than you know what to do with,
10. Not need a nap 4-5 days a week,
11. Be more worried about running out of workout clothes than work clothes before you can do laundry again,
12. Be training for a half marathon,
13. Be the first walker to cross the finish line at a 5 mile race,
14. Realize that you are an endurance-workout person - not a sprinter,
15. Eat plain yogurt happily,
16. Count your calories religiously,
17. Have Celiac Disease and Fibromyalgia, and be able to control your Fibro by exercise, healthy foods, and overall a healthy lifestyle,"

I would have laughed in their face and said, "yeah, right, sure."

How far I have come on my journey really hit me today.  I was in Target milling around the clearance racks and found myself wandering into the plus-size area.  At that point, I realized that I was among a sea of clothes that wouldn't fit and promptly got myself back to the land of regular sizes. 

I think when you work so hard on a daily basis and for so long, you kind of forget what's going on.  The changes happen so slowly that it almost doesn't feel like anything is changing.  It's so weird for me to have someone come up to me and say that I look good because I don't see that big of a change unless I put on old clothes.  Even then, I have a hard time believing that I used to fit into those clothes.

I started this journey by making small changes here and there.  Adding a little more healthy food everyday, taking out some unhealthy stuff, cutting back on habits, working out a little more, etc.  All this has added up to such an amazing experience and I am so grateful for where I am today.  I still have a little ways to go but as long as I can keep my head in the game, I'll get there.

Thank you to all of you who have supported me in the past two years!

Short Term 2012 Goals Revisited

Afternoon ya'll!  I woke up to a mess of cat toys everywhere in my apartment.  Literally.  In the bed, on the stairs, in the bathroom.  There was even one in the sink.  I live in a loft and my cat must have dropped it down from upstairs.  I piled a bunch of them up and now she's hanging out in her pile of toys...evidently making sure they are all still there and unharmed.

Since my 5-week "break" between the fall and spring semester comes to an end tomorrow, I thought that this afternoon would be a great time to revist my short term 2012 goals and add some updates on my long term goals as well.

Short Term:

1. Read From Fatigued to Fantastic:  Done!  I finished this a few weeks ago and found this to be a very useful book for those with Chronic Fatigue or Fibromyalgia.  Originally my pain management doctor told me to read this and come in with some ideas about treatment methods I'd like to try but after when I did this, he basically shot down every option I asked about.  He only wanted me on hard-core Fibro drugs.  I am not up for that.  I have been attempting to control my fibro sans prescription medications as those drugs are scary!  With incorporating some of the more holistic and natural treatment methods from this book, I am only having one or two bad flair-up days every couple of weeks. 
2. Work out 5-6 days a week:  I did well with this for the most part.  I had given myself a goal to hit 100 miles walking over the 5-weeks (average of 20 miles per week).  I met this easily (had 107.5 miles by this past Thursday) and worked out 5 days a week for the first four weeks.  During my walk on Thursday, I developed pain in the outer metatarsals of my right foot and was forced to rest up yesterday.  I am still undecided if I am going to workout yet today. 
• My lesson:  I need to incorporate cross training into my half marathon training plan.  I was thinking about this early into my workout on Thursday as I want to avoid injuries (obviously) and...well, it was too little too late. 
• Note:  I think (hope) this is an overuse injury.  Between Tuesday at 4pm and Thursday at 8:30am (40.5 hours), I walked 17 very fast miles (+ 3 miles to and from the gym/work at a slower pace because of icy sidewalks).  Stupid, silly mistake that could have easily been avoided!  Rookie mistake not to be repeated.
3. "Work" (i.e. do something productive) 3-5 hours per day:  Heh, yeah.  I tried.  I kept getting distracted.  Some days were great and very productive, others...not so much.
4. Cook good food:  Yes!  Been all over this one.
5. &    6.  Make food planning easier:  I did not finish this and hope to do so this within the next two weeks.  It's turning out to be harder than I thought!

A few notes on my 2012 Long Term Goals:

Trying a new recipe every week:  This has been going well.  We are three weeks in and I've tried several new recipes:  Tomato Bisque, Black Bean Soup, Frozen Yogurts, Blackeye Pea Stir Fry.  Ha - the funny thing is that I created three of these so I don't know if they technically count but I'm counting them since they are brand new.  I'm currently searching for a crock pot chicken recipe to try tomorrow.

Half Marathon:  I have chosen a half marathon and plan to sign up as soon as my foot is good to go again!  I don't want to sign up too soon and find that my foot issue is more serious than I think it is.  I have been working on creating my own training plan since my current fitness level would start me about 1/2 way through most walking training plans.  I'll post this when I get it done.  Lots of cross training and rest days will be built in!  I'm very excited about this and plan to complete the training and actual race by myself as I want to prove to myself that I can motivate and push myself to this level of fitness.

Here's something funny for your entertainment:  I've actually had people laugh at me when I mention that I plan to walk a half marathon (including a doctor).  Not because they don't think I can do it, because they think it's super easy.  Some of these people I have cheered on in the past when they wanted to run a race or accomplish other goals. 

Here's the deal: 

1. I cannot run on a regular basis.  When I do, I cannot walk for days.  My hips and knees just can't handle it (likely because I've been overweight for so long).  Funny enough, this pain is worse now than it was 78 pounds ago!
2. If these people think it's so easy, I'd like to see them try to train and then walk 13.1 miles at a good pace.  Not strolling.  I'm in this to meet my own goals and potential.  I do not plan on walking at a leisurely 3.5 mph pace.  Of course, my first goal is to just finish the race, but I would also like to do my best.
3. If I weren't so afraid of hurting other people's feelings, I likely would have told them to back off.  I don't care if you are the fittest person on planet earth.  We each have our own goals and no matter what they are, they are valid and should be supported by others who care about us.
4. I have had a lot of support from my family and friends and to them, I am so grateful!

Stay warm out there!  I'm glad I'm not shoveling the 6-7" of snow we got yesterday!

2012 Goals

I hope everyone enjoyed a safe and happy New Years!  I was lucky enough to spend the evening with a very good friend and made it home safely right at midnight, just in time to see some fireworks that were being shot off near my parent's house.  Last year, I followed 3-4 drunk drivers at about the same time of night but this year I didn't see any.  Go home town!  We woke up on New Years day to this:

Very pretty, but not enough to snowshoe in!  It's been a very mild winter and I have yet to be able to break out my snowshoes this year.  I'm very sad about this.  I need to find a place to snowshoe near the town I live in.  I've heard there's some good places but I haven't found them yet.

To follow up on my last post, here's my spring semester goals (mid Jan-mid May) and my long term 2012 goals.

Spring Semester Goals:

1. Be less hard on myself.  Everyone who knows me well will tell you that I can be very hard on myself.  This is especially true when I don't meet a goal or if I have a bad day at work.  I need to give myself a little slack as I can't be perfect and I don't necessarily want to be.
2. Let things go.  I take my work home with me.  I teach undergrads and a lot of issues tend to come up.  For whatever reason, I take these issues home with me and leads to a lot of stress.  Not good.
3. Get my fibromyalgia (or whatever it is) under control via natural methods such as supplements (I will be starting to take ribose as soon as it is delivered) and stress reduction.
4. Continue to take my Thursday yoga class.
5. Work out 4 days a week (aside from yoga).  I learned this past semester that I need to keep the number a touch lower as I get really down on myself if I don't hit the number I set for myself.  I am not willing to set myself up for failure!
6. Cook!  :)
7. Meal plan every week.  I am hoping to save on my grocery bills by planning my meals and buying specifically for them rather than just buying a bunch of stuff and then trying to piece together meals.  The one thing I splurge on is high-quality foods but I feel like I could save on it a bit more.

Long-Term 2012 Goals:

1. Read one book a month.  I got a Kindle for Christmas (thanks mom and dad!) and plan to put it to good use!
2. Hang on to the healthy living train for dear life (a classic repeat from 2011).  My plan is to cook and make 90% of my own food using whole foods and exercise 4 days a week (more if possible).
3. Try one new recipe every week.
4. Walk a 1/2 marathon, health permitting.  I hope to pick one in the next month and start training.
5. Make plans with friends and family more often.
6. Keep my house clean and picked up.  Let's just say that this was at the bottom of my list this past year.
7. Be more positive.  I've found that I have been more negative in the past six months or so than I have in a long time.  It's time to get out of that!
8. Finish the afgan I have been working on for nearly 10 years.

I think that's where I'm going to cap my goals for 2012.  I have a few other goals floating around in my head but I don't want to overwhelm myself.  For most of the goals listed above, I have plans on how I plan to obtain each of them.  I am trying very hard to set myself up for success this year!  2011 was a good year, but I plan to make 2012 a great year!

Happy New Years!

Year End Recap & New Year's Resolutions

Last year, my goal was to hold on to the healthy living bandwagon for dear life.  I definitely accomplished that.  The last year has been a rollercoaster ride and this is possibly the first year that I am so happy for a fresh start.  I am honestly not a New Year's Resolution person, but I do like going into a new year with goals. 

A little spring to get us through the winter.  :)

First, a 2011 recap!  For whatever reason, I do not have my stats from before last June, so I estimate that in the last year, I have lost approximately 48ish pounds, 26 since July. 76 pounds overall.  Yep, I'm a slow loser, but that's okay.  I feel more prepared to live my life healthfully once I meet goal. 

I have also completely changed the way I eat.  I try my hardest to stay away from most processed foods and have greatly decreased my meat intake (I only eat chicken, fish, and turkey in general).  I typically am only eating meat if someone else cooks it or if I go out to eat.  This means that my veggie intake is up!  Yay! 

So, here are a few good posts that puts the last year into perspective:

-Celiac and Healing Through Food Part I and Part II
-Hitting the big 5-0
-My biggest weight loss resource:  my food scale!
-The Awesome-ness of CSAs
-Learning to love veggies for breakfast
-Recap on being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (more on that later) and my awesome Turkey Trot!

I thought I'd put forth some goals for 2012:  short term, for the spring semester, and long term.  Hopefully at the end of 2012, I'll be checking these off with glee.  Today, I'm just going to start with my short term goals for 2012 (the next three-four weeks).

1. Read From Fatigued to Fantastic!  I saw a pain management specialist yesterday who gave me a little shock: he doesn't think I have fibromyalgia.  I have all the symptoms and everything lines up but I don't "look like like a fibro".  According to this doc, I am too athletic, my muscles are in too good of shape, and I am in no means depressed (very often accompanies fibromyalgia).  Because he has no other ideas on what I could be dealing with, he told me to read this book and come back to see him with ideas about where I want to go on this.  I get to decide on my treatment options (and they will NOT include prescription medications if I have a choice)!  I like having this control and I'm glad he's giving me options.

2. Work out 5-6 day a week.  I've been doing well with this since the fall semester ended.  This is just a "keep it up!" goal.

3. Work 3-5 hours a day.  This doesn't necessarily mean work on work for next semester, but do something productive (like prepping for spring) or finish projects that I have started but never finished.  I tend to get very lazy during the breaks between semesters.  I stress myself out way too much over the semester and then just zone out until it's time to go through it again.  Time to get productive and get stuff done before the spring semester sneaks up on me!

4. Cook!  And cook good food.

5. Create menus.  I use a whiteboard on my fridge to sort out what I want to make each week but I feel like I could be making it easier on myself.  I plan to list out all the foods I make for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks so I can make meal planning quicker and easier.  I want to put these in sheet protectors on my fridge so I can look at it easily and make grocery lists easier (and hopefully save a little money this spring!).

6. Similarly to making food planning easier, I want to make calorie counting easier.  I want to go through the most common foods I eat and have a list on my fridge of the calories per ounce so that calorie counting doesn't have to be so time consuming.


Okay, off to eat breakfast (pumpkin yogurt and quinoa granola!).  I hope everyone had an awesome holiday last weekend and a very safe New Years!  Longer term goals are coming!