adding more exercise

Earlier this summer, after a discussion with Julia about the benefits raw foods, I began changing my diet. Now, 3 months later, I can say that I have definitely increased my fruit and veggie intake while also decreasing process and cooked foods. I also began focusing on eating more seasonal and local foods in order to 'green' my diet. The experiment is going well and I am noticing some positive changes. I like the changes so much - healthier skin, more normal (for me) sleep cycles, a more positive attitude - that I decided to embark on a new exercise routine.

I've always like bicycling, so doing more of that seemed like a natural option. I even began adding photos to my flickr account to help encourage me to do more. Plus, I've been walking twice a day, every day: short walks (about 3/4 mile) on the weekdays before work and before bed and longer walks (2.5 miles) on the weekends. Aside from the obvious health benefits, the bonus of all this exercise is more quality time spent with my husband!

I expect that, between diet and exercise, I'll not only feel better but also have better quality of life! Much thanks to my dear friend Julia for setting me on this path - it has been a blessing.

Green Smoothies and More

I've been a bit remiss in posting but I've been working very hard on diet and exercise. Here's the downlow.

I've been semi-vegetarian now for about 4 months meaning no meat except fish every now and then. I also eat eggs, cheese, goat milk kefir, and I'm probably missing something here.
I've been drinking my green smoothies at least 5 days a week; I'll post some of my recent recipes below.

I started watching my calories again yesterday at my favorite calorie watching site - livestrong (I'm desertjul there if you are a livestrong user).

Since May I've been taking a fun boot camp class on Monday and Wednesday, 6:30-7:30pm and Saturday 10:30 - 11:30am, and a fun Zumba class on Thursdays, 7:30-8:30pm.

About 6 weeks ago I started having a peeling issue with my lips which I thought I had sunburn but then I started cracking in the corner of my mouth. A friend, who is a vegetarian, has had this problem for a long time so I did some research. One name for this condition is cheilitis, and I found that it could be a vitamin B deficiency [B-2 (riboflavin), vitamin B-3 (niacin), vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), or vitamin B-12 (cyanocobalamin)]. Sooo, I've been taking a coenzyme B-complex vitamin, and voila, after a week, my lips are almost completely healed! Whew, that was NOT fun.

Something that I learned as I was researching vegetarianism and vitamin/mineral deficiency is that to make sure I'm absorbing all the iron I can, I need to not drink tea (tannins), caffeinated drinks, or calcium rich foods with non-heme iron rich meals like the following bean and rice recipe.

A favorite quick recipe of mine at this time is 4 servings of brown rice, a can of organic black beans, can of organic pinto beans, a can of diced tomatoes without salt added, some chopped up chipotle peppers, sea salt, and because I like it HOT, I add some Sriracha Hot Chile Sauce. I throw this into a bowl and three containers for several quick, high iron, high protein, yummy meals.

Yay! I just got my Green Smoothie book by Victoria Boutenko so I'll be trying some of the many recipes there, but in the meantime, I've been loving my own concoctions. Here's a few. I usually make a full blender of smoothie and drink at least half a day. Half a blender fills my Green Smoothie Queen's 32 ounce Green Jug.

The Day After Tomorrow's Smoothie
1 Cucumber
1 bag of Watercress
1/2 Cantaloupe
1/2 Lemon juice
Maybe some frozen mango or frozen blueberries

Tomorrow's Green Smoothie
3 large handfuls spinach
1 handful kale
small banana
1/4 pineapple
pint of strawberries
a couple of squeezes of agave nectar
1 11.2 oz container vita coco coconut water
refilled the vita coco container with water and added it

Today's Green Smoothie
3 large handfuls spinach
1 handful kale
2 peaches
half a bag of O Organics Frozen Mangos
1 11.2 oz container vita coco coconut water
refilled the vita coco container with water and added it

Yesterday's Green Smoothie
3 large handfuls spinach
1 handful kale
1/4 pineapple
half a bag of O Organics Frozen Mangos
1 11.2 oz container vita coco coconut water
refilled the vita coco container with water and added it

A Fave Green Smoothie
3 large handfuls spinach
1 handful kale
6 peeled clementines
half a bag of O Organics Frozen Mangos
1 11.2 oz container vita coco coconut water
refilled the vita coco container with water and added it

Shawn's Fave Green Smoothie is Purple!
3 large handfuls spinach
1 handful kale
a pint of fresh or half a bag of O Organics Frozen Blueberries
half a pint of fresh or half a bag of O Organics Frozen Strawberries
1 11.2 oz container vita coco coconut water
refilled the vita coco container with water and added it

That's it for now. I hope you are all having fabulous health and nutrition adventures!

Wishing you all healthy gorgeous green glowing light and love!
I know, I'm a sap!
;)
~julz

Why is Chinese food such a pain to make????

Well, I know why - it's all the prep. I wanted Chinese and felt guilty about getting it to-go, since we all know just how unhealthy that is! So i made my own...sesame chicken with:

• carrots
• onions
• spinach
• chicken cooked in flour and sesame seeds
• sesame sauce
• chicken broth
• red paper flakes
• served over rice

Yum! Except that I managed to fling sauce all over me as I went to shake the bottle and the lid was loose. I seem to do that alot. Well, I had sesame sauce all over my face, hair and kitchen. Yuck! That makes cooking Chinese difficult. :)

More exercise

I've also been increasing my exercise to counteract all the time I spend on my butt in front of a computer. For starters, I've increased my biking trips. Sunday I went out on a 3-hour ride but kept to a nice easy pace. My legs felt fine afterward, but my "sit bones" are a bit sore.

According to a few web sites I've read, exercising can lead to:

• raises basal metabolism and increases energy levels
  
• decreases stress and increases endorphins (more 'happies' LOL)
• increases immunity and builds stronger bones

To encourage me to ride more, I got an little 2.5oz video camera to hook onto my helmet and take a few snips of video while I ride. And, bonus - it's waterproof so when I go kayaking I can use it for that. My general goal for now is to ride at least a 3-hour weekend trip (perhaps slightly picking up pace). Also looking into packing a kayak along with me (inflatable) so when I get to the Tennessee River (my turn around place) I can put in the river and kayak a while prior to heading back on the bike.