The Little Things
January 24, 2013

Wow, another week in the year done. I do have to say that there are lots of things from my 13 challenges in 2013 that are going well, and others that I haven’t touched so much. Plus being sick has definitely put a hold on most of my fitness goals. But even if some of my goals aren’t being met, I can still be thankful for the things that are going well!

I’m thankful for the negative degree temperatures. OH MY GOSH it’s cold outside right now! Brrrrrr… I really don’t like the cold, at all, but I am thankful for one thing about the cold right now. Did you know that if it’s cold enough, you can take boiling water outside and throw it up in the air and it will instantly turn to snow? Seriously. Google it. So last night I boiled water twice and tossed it in the air, and it did turn into snow. SO. MUCH. FUN! I’m thankful for the very cold weather because it allowed me to try this little trick for the first time! (plus I got to do my 13 challenge of “being in the present moment”).

I’m thankful for my space heater. I LOVE this thing. Do you want to know why? I wrote all about it here.

I’m thankful for my tea collection. I have a whole collection of teas (maybe 15-18 different kinds), and I usually drink anywhere from 3-6 cups a day throughout the winter! I look forward to it with each new client I see (I tend to drink a cup of tea per client most hours of the day), and when I’m home and it’s cold out, it’s warm and relaxing! I’m thankful that tea exists!

I’m thankful for my smartphone touch gloves. These are seriously such a great invention! I love that I can be outside in the cold and not have to take my gloves off to change a song or answer the phone. Props to whoever invented them!

I’m thankful for this grilled cheese sandwich. This is one of my favorite sandwiches of all times, and I often eat it 2-3 times every week. It hasn’t gotten old, and I love the twist on the traditional sandwich. YUMMMM. I’m also thankful I’ve found cheese that is lactose free so I can eat grilled cheese!

I’m thankful for insulation in buildings. Here I am back on the cold again. Insulation is something we don’t often think of, but it seriously makes life so much more comfortable! I can’t even imagine having to sit outside in negative degree temperatures at night, or even in a cold building without any insulation. Can we all take a moment to be thankful about insulation right now?

Now it’s your turn to share! Tell me what you’re feeling thankful for today? Do you have a favorite type of tea to drink? 

 

January 23, 2013

I’m a huge fan of the “one dish meals”, especially for lunch! They are easy to make ahead of time and refrigerate, meaning I get healthy (and cheap) meals for almost no work throughout the week! (Seriously- can you get better than that?) I often use quinoa as the base for these meals, but I occasionally like to mix it up and use rice! Here’s an example of one such meal!

Ingredients:

Veggie rice dish collage

I started this off by putting the rice with some water in the rice cooker and sticking it in the microwave. As the rice was cooking, I dumped the rest of the ingredients into the frying pain and stuck it on medium low. I let simmer until the rice was done. After cooking, I tossed the spices on top, and mixed the rice in with the veggies. Viola! Dish complete!

veggie and rice dish

I typically do this on Sunday nights, and put in individual containers that I can warm up at work. This makes incredibly delicious, quick, and cheap meals that will fuel me for my workouts in the evening. You can also change up this dish by putting a drippy egg on top (pictured in the above collage)- a delicious twist to this meal!

So that’s that. It’s incredibly simple, and takes maybe 20 minutes total to make lunch for the entire week! (of note: I tend to pair this with some greek yogurt and a piece of fruit to complete my lunch)

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one of your favorite “go to” lunches? 

January 22, 2013

On my weekly exercise recap a week ago, Amber asked me how I find time for all the walks I take each week. Instead of answering in the comment section of that post, I thought I would dedicate an entire post to it. Actually, I’ve sort of changed how I live my life in order to fit my fitness schedule, so I thought it would be good to talk about it. So, in general, I end up walking between 4 and 7 days a week. Sometimes these walks are short (.5 miles) or long (6-7 miles). I actually love walking, so I’ve decided that it’s worth making the time for it. Here’s what I do:

Find Time To Exercise

  1. I have a walking buddy. I wrote all about the importance of having an exercise partner here, and I truly think, especially at the beginning, this was important. Having the accountability and a set schedule with her each week sort of forces me to make the time to walk (plus it’s lots of fun!). When I visit my family, we make it a family activity!
  2. I cook on Sunday so I don’t have to during the week. This is a critical component to my health for the week, and frees up some extra time each week night. I cut all veggies for the week on Sunday, make all lunches for the week, and prepare dinners as best as I can. I cannot even explain how much time this has freed up and how much stress is eliminated because of this! And that alone frees up time for a short walk!
  3. I download podcasts. Walking 6-7 miles can take a long time, so I like to be productive! I listen to podcasts that are informative or that help with my job. This helps to cut down on other time later in the evening where I might read a book for work or read up on something fitness related.
  4. I make calls and build relationships during this time. Those headphones that come with the iphone is amazing for this! I try to plan ahead and set “phone dates” with people so I can keep up with them. Not only is this fun and healthy, but it means that I don’t “have to” do this later in the evening. I get two things done at once!
  5. I’ve adjusted my work schedule a bit. I know that everyone doesn’t have the luxury to do this, so I feel lucky that I can! Since September I’ve gone into work an hour early and cut my lunch hour in half so that I can get out of work earlier. This is great, and essentially gives me a free hour to hour and a half after work that I didn’t have last year! It’s been amazing!
  6. I just do it. We all only have so much time, and the things we make a priority we just do it. Things that aren’t a priority don’t often get done. So, I’ve made walking a priority because I think it’s healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and relationally.
  7. I don’t have children. There are obviously lots of people who have children and also exercise (and train for marathons too!), so having children obviously doesn’t prevent one from exercising. However, I am not responsible for anyone else, so I can pretty much go out at any point that is convenient for me. I only mention this because I am answering the question of how I personally find time to walk. I have so much respect for parents who are also actively exercising and staying healthy. I think my parents were great examples of this for us when I was growing up.

So I suppose that is how I find the time to walk. I’ve found a way to work my schedule around so I have the time to walk on top of running, biking, etc… This works for me, but may not work for you. I figured this out through trial and error, so I encourage you to do the same!

Now it’s your turn to share! How have you found the time to exercise? What’s one of your best time saving tricks? 

January 21, 2013

One thing that makes being a counselor so very interesting is that I get to hear the inner thoughts of others; thoughts they may have never verbalized before. One thought I often hear is that they aren’t worth the investment of their time, care, of others’ love, etc… This can come to be a belief from a number of reasons. Sometimes parents have conveyed that message to them, sometimes lessons were learned that self care is selfish or unloving towards others, sometimes we’ve manufactured the reason ourselves- there are a number of reasons. I believe, however, that investing in ourselves is critical to our health and the love and health that others around us experience.

“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.” – James Allen

“Take a coin from your purse and invest it in your mind. It will come pouring out of your mind and overflow your purse.” -Benjamin Franklin

Investing in ourselves and taking care of ourselves is a critical component of our personal health and the health of our relationships. So often I hear people say something along the lines of “I’ll care for others and give myself whatever is left.” The thing is, there are more people in need then we have the ability to give, so if we operate under that idea, we won’t care for ourselves much at all. When we invest in ourselves and care for ourselves, we fill ourselves up so that we have something to give to those in our life, and that something is healthy. Some thoughts on investing:

You see, this life is the one that you have been given, and it’s worth the investment! Without investing, we can’t truly become the loving, caring, healthy individuals we could be without the investment. And think of it this way, investing in yourself isn’t selfish! In fact, not investing in yourself is selfish! Investing in yourself is the best way you can love yourself, and therefore love and care for those around you as well!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s tough about considering yourself an investment? How do you like to invest in yourself on a regular basis? On a more lighthearted note, what is one thing you are looking forward to this week? 

January 20, 2013

So, right after I published my exercise post last week, I started to feel a bit off. As it turns out, I was sick pretty much all week, and it wasn’t until Saturday that I felt like myself again. Because of this, my work outs were very minimal this week. I’m ok working out with a cold, but actual illness I avoid because it can be pretty dangerous (heart issues. ack!). So, this week was all about rest, unfortunately.

Total Miles: 3.84 miles of walking

Ouch. My goal for the month was maintenance, but this week sure didn’t help. The good news is that we don’t lose our cardio or running base in a week, so it should be fine. However, this isn’t exactly how I wanted to go back into training…

Now it’s your turn to share! Is it hard for you to rest when you’re sick? What’s one of your favorite things to do when you’re sick? (I’ve watched a season and a half of the office!) 

January 19, 2013

Today has been a random sort of day, so to go along with that I’m going to type up a random things post. Maybe this will give you an extra little peek into my life? Here we go- a bunch of random things from my life:

  1. I’ve been sick this entire week. It’s been a bummer, and I haven’t gotten much done because of it. Oh, let me clarify. I’ve read and watched lots of TV, but I haven’t done too much that’s been productive. I have, however, managed to watch the entire 5th season of The Office. Michael was still manager, and the 5th season was truly fantastic!
  2. I’ve eaten an obscene number of gingerbread cookies over the last three weeks. I’ve managed to make two large batches (for a total of almost 70 cookies) since the start of 2013, and an obsessed. I made the cookies in this batch much smaller so that I can go back to the container more times throughout the day. Pathetic, right? But I’m sick, so it’s ok…
  3. I’ve only run once in 2013, and I feel really sad about it. I wrote all about my great 2013 run last Friday, and then promptly got sick (see #1). I’m excited to hit the road again. I’m also still in shock that I have a desire to run. College and grad school me would’ve never believed it.
  4. I’m obsessed with my space heater. Most of the winter it’s on almost every moment that I’m at home, unless I am sleeping. I pay almost nothing more on my electric bill when using it, but I pay about 20-30 dollars less in my energy bill each month because I use much less heat. WIN! I carry my space heater from room to room with me so that I don’t freeze.
  5. Speaking of paying for heat, I really don’t like paying for it. It feels like a little bit of a waste of money. So, I typically keep my heat set on either 58 or 60 degrees. It’s so cold when I wake up, and really chilly when I get home from work. I often end up wearing a fleece and long underwear around my house… at least until my space heater warms the place up!
  6. I couldn’t handle the sadness I felt when I was putting my Christmas decorations away, so I kept my white lights up. I have only turned them on a few times, but I just felt like I needed a few more weeks with them. I still smile each time I walk in the front door and see them hanging up though.
  7. I chopped 4 and a half inches off my hair almost a month ago. You wouldn’t know because I have almost no pictures of my hair down on here. I chopped off a lot and immediately regretted it. But after a few days I decided I actually enjoyed having shoulder length hair.
  8. Once I put my 13 challenges in 2013 post on here, I immediately got nervous. The truth is that I’m worried I won’t succeed at some of those challenges. The thing with some of the exercises, especially running, is that I am injury prone, and my ability to succeed will be completely dependent on what happens. I’m nervous. And excited.
  9. I loved the movie Argo. I actually think it might be my favorite (or at least top 3) movie of this awards season. I sat on the edge of my seat for most of the movie, and may have gotten very teary eyed at the end. It was SUCH a good movie, and based on a real story to boot! And it actually has proper framing, unlike Les Mis. (I enjoyed the movie and really love the story, but the framing was truly hideous. The director needs to spend a bit more time learning about proper framing… )
  10. I paint my nails about 80% of the time on Sunday nights. That way it’s as fresh as possible for the start of the week, giving me more work days before the major chips happen. I happen to love having my nails painted, and every time I look down at work and see a little sparkle on my nails, I smile.

So, that’s a bit about me that I don’t often share on the blog (ok, I think the space heater has made it onto my thankful thursday posts a few times…).

Now it’s your turn to share! Tell me something random about you! 

January 18, 2013

Happy Friday. Well, I haven’t done a link up post for quite some time (maybe mid December), so I thought I would do one today.

30 Helpful Websites: Broken down into categories, this list includes a number of helpful websites in various areas of life! So helpful!

Successful People: Caroline shares some great information about what successful people do. How many of these things do you do?

3 Tips to Start Intuitive Eating: Katie, a registered dietician, shares some questions to analyze your eating habits, as well as three tips to start eating intuitively.

Traveling & Workouts: One of the things that can make traveling a drag is the change in schedule and the absence of our normal workout environment. Tina shares some great ideas for working out while traveling!

Vegan Peanut Butter Blondies: Katie shared this amazing recipe on her blog yesterday, and I immediately book marked it. Seriously, this looks absolutely amazing. It has butter and milk in it, so you can easily make it vegan, lactose free, or just “regular”. YUM! (Also, Katie just started writing again on her blog after taking a break to be on the Bachelor. Welcome back!)

Brie, Onion, & Pear Stuffed Chicken: Clare shared this a little over a week ago, and I immediately knew I’d have to make it. Because I’m lactose intolerant, I swapped out the brie for kraft & cabot cheese, and kept the rest of the dish the same. It was AMAZING. Check the recipe out!

FDA Recommends Lower Dosage of Sleep Aids for Women: Attention women! THE FDA called for lowering the dosage of sleep aids (like ambien) this week. If you haven’t heard about this yet, click on the link above to learn more!

Now it’s your turn to share! Did you learn anything interesting this week? Feel free to link up your own favorite post from the week here too! 

January 17, 2013

Happy Thankful Thursday, a time to focus on gratitude and the positives in our life. Over the last year I’ve felt that this has been an important component of my mental health (and overall health), and that’s part of why I chose to make this one of my 13 challenges for 2013. I’m excited for 2013! Here’s what I’m feeling thankful for today.

I’m thankful for the sunset last night. The sunset was beautiful, pink, and orange. Because one of my challenges for 2013 is to be present, I chose to put my work down and walk out on my porch (even though it was in the low 30s!) to watch the sunset. It was really enjoyable, and I could tell that I felt more positive (even though my mood was great before that). I’m thankful for the sunset and the chance to practice enjoying the moment.

I’m thankful for root beer float cupcakes. So I just made a batch of these cupcakes right before New Years, but this past weekend I just HAD to whip up another batch. These are so delicious and taste exactly like root beer floats. I’m so thankful I found the recipe and get to enjoy the yumminess regularly.

I’m thankful for the flexibility that my job provides. I know I’ve said it before, but my job is awesome. I love it, and I love how flexible it can be.

I’m thankful for my friends. I had a great time with my family at Christmas, but it’s also been nice to get back into my normal routine and see my friends again.

I’m thankful that it’s staying light longer! Almost every night I exclaim “I can’t believe it’s 6 o’clock and not pitch dark out yet!” This is so exciting to me, and means that I have time to work out after work before it gets dark. Plus, my eyes get to see sunshine, which definitely helps throughout the winter!

Now it’s your turn to share! What are you feeling thankful for today? What was one “little moment” that you enjoyed this week? 

January 16, 2013

I know I talk about lactose intolerance quite a bit when it comes to posting recipes. When I found out I was lactose intolerant (2007), I had to give up so many of my favorite foods. One of those delicious foods was pizza (along with grilled cheese sandwiches)! I didn’t eat pizza for a few years, which was quite sad. However, I’ve recently found a way to remedy the problem of cheese on pizza! In fact, this solution is so fantastic that my entire family ate this pizza for lunch on Christmas!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

**I just recently discovered that many of the Kraft cheeses say “0g lactose” on the packages. YAY!! I’m so happy that I’ve found a cheaper cheese that is lactose free! I LOVE Cabot Cheeses, but they are 2-3 dollars more than Kraft, so for every day use I now have a more practical option!

Put whatever toppings you want on the pizza and cook it up! The pizza is delicious, and I love having a more healthy and lactose free version to make for myself!

Lactose Free Pizza 1 Lactose Free Pizza 2

Making homemade pizzas is also great because you get to choose whatever toppings you like! Another helpful hint: A jar of pizza sauce generally covers 2-3 pizzas, and a bag of pepperoni covers at least that many. If you aren’t making a lot of pizzas at once, simply freeze the two items and pull them out right before you make your next pizza! It’s a tiny hassle but it saves lots of money!

Enjoy!

Now it’s your turn to share! Have you ever made homemade pizza before? What are your favorite pizza toppings? 

January 15, 2013

This year I’m challenging myself to 13 different things. Why 13? Because it’s 2013, and it just seemed fitting. I sat down a week ago to start formulating some of the challenges, and I tried to hit a few different areas of health. One thing I did in 2012 was to track every run, walk, bike ride, elliptical, swim, and row that I did the entire year. It was pretty interesting to see the breakdown in these areas. I’m planning to challenge myself to do a bit more in these areas than I did last year! To be clear, I’m obviously planning to do more than what’s on this list, but these are some of the challenges I’ve come up with to complete this year.

13 Challenges In 2013

  1. I challenge myself to run 250 miles. I ran 215 miles in 2012, and this gives me a little room to grow. I get injured really easily, so I’m hoping that I can realistically accomplish this.
  2. I challenge myself to walk 500 miles. In 2012 I walked 395 miles, which is a fair amount. I plan on increasing my mileage by almost 100 miles, which I hope won’t be a problem. Between January and February of 2012 I only walked 10 total miles, so this shouldn’t be too hard to complete.
  3. I challenge myself to bike (either road bike or indoor cycling) 300 miles. I biked just over 200 in 2012, but I definitely picked up cycling much more the 2nd half of the year. This is something I’d like to make a bigger priority.
  4. I challenge myself to swim between 15 and 20 miles. I like swimming, but I don’t have easy access to a pool many months of the year. That being said, I think I can manage at least that many miles.
  5. I challenge myself to 250 minutes of planks. This past year I did 170 minutes of planks (not counting my pilates classes!). I unfortunately didn’t do any of my plank challenge from April- the middle of October, so this should be reasonably easy to achieve with a little dedication.
  6. I challenge myself to go through all the clothes I own. I get really attached to clothes (or memories associated with those clothes) so I have a hard time parting with them. While I’ve gotten rid of a few bags over the last few years, I’ve definitely brought in more clothes than I’ve let go of over the past 4 years. My drawers and closets are stuffed, and it’s time to clean them out!
  7. I challenge myself to finish the article I started in 2012. I started an article in September of 2012, and other more important or pressing writing and speaking projects came along and this article got pushed to the side. I would like to finish this at some point this year.
  8. I challenge myself to finish typing up all the letters from war. In 2012 I started to type up all the letters my grandpa sent home during World War II. These letters are fascinating, but they span almost 4 years, and he wrote at least weekly. That’s a lot of handwritten letters to type up! I plan to finish this in 2013!
  9. I challenge myself to write down what I’m thankful for at least one time each week. Thinking positively and living from a place of gratitude is something that I’ve tried to embrace in 2012, and I would like to continue to do this in 2013!
  10. I challenge myself to run 13 races this year. I’m a little hesitant on this one, knowing that I struggle with injuries. With these races I’m counting all running distances, both “in person” and virtual races, as well as any triathlons I might do.
  11. I challenge myself to read 12 books this year. I’m not sure I’ve read 12 books in one year in quite some time. I was given 5 books for Christmas, and I’m itching to read them. I desire to get back into reading, so I will try to read one book each month!
  12. I challenge myself to begin to write my book. Ok, this one is sort of a far fetched dream. I have this idea for a book and I would love to write it. I challenge myself to dream big and start to write this book that I’ve already formulated in my mind!
  13. I challenge myself to be present. (I wrote an entire post on this topic here). In high school and college I was always making count downs for the next big thing in my life. Somewhere along the way in college I learned that it’s really about the little things. The little things are what makes life beautiful, and I want to embrace them. I can’t do that if I’m only focused on “to dos” and the next big thing in my life. I want to be present and enjoy the times I have with my family and friends. I want to enjoy where I am at currently and notice the little things.

So there it is. 13 challenges for 2013. Some of these will likely be fairly easy to achieve, and I think some of these might come down to the wire. I tried to write challenges that would push me in a number of areas- physical, mental, relational, academically etc… Like I said, I of course plan on doing other things. I want to invent some new recipes, continue to each balanced meals (including dessert!), and having fun!

Here’s to a great 2013!

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you have any challenges for yourself in the coming year? What’s one thing you’d like to accomplish? Do you also struggle with staying present in life?