1. New and Improved

    I have been neglecting this blog a bit because, well to be honest, I have been kind of neglecting my daily health routine. Instead it has been half daily health routine, half daily not-so-healthy routine. I could give you a lot of excuses as to why but I have given them to myself so many times that it makes me not want to write them down and indulge in them anymore. 

    I haven’t been eating horribly. Actually, I gave up gluten right before the New Year and have been doing really good with staying on track with that. It’s rough. My comfort foods are pasta, pizza, bread and beer. But I was confiding in them way too much after we got engaged and moved with my 30th b-day looming in the distance. I was feeling sorry for myself because I missed my friends and my momma. So, I turned to my trusty old compadres. I started breaking out in hives really bad and gaining weight back that I had spent so long shedding. Enough was enough. A good friend of mine started a gluten-free diet and was raving about how good she felt. I’ve done the gluten-free thing several times throughout my food journey and knew that the affects were amazing so I dove in. I’ve had a couple of slip-ups but have been gluten-free for almost 3 months. I haven’t broken out in hives once (!) and I’ve lost a little bit of weight. I feel good about that, yes, but I have replaced beer with pinot grigio and have been smoking too many cigarettes (boo!).

    Exercising has become almost obsolete. I am currently at a once a week rate which isn’t the worst thing in the world. I remember the days when I would work-out once a month, maybe. But I just found out that my 50 year old dad, who is also a smoker and never works out, might be getting a pace-maker and that we have a history of heart disease on his side of the family that he is just now letting us know about. It really sent some shock waves through my system. I needs to get back on track, plus, really make an effort to quit smoking. We (Rob and I) have cut out all alcohol. Well, it’s been 24 hours since my last drink but you have to start somewhere. Plus, we are going jogging today.

    It helps to put it out there to have some sort of accountability. Writing in a blog post that I am going jogging or quitting smoking makes it more official and you feel guilty if you don’t do what you say you will.

    Thanks Internets!

    xoxo c

  2. More Developing Nations Adopting US-style Diet & Getting Fatter, Big Surprise... →

  3. My List

    Inspired by LeanMeanLauren, here are 10 things I appreciate about my appearance:

    1. I have long eyelashes
    2. I love my plump butt
    3. My high cheek bones pop
    4. I have really thick hair
    5. My skin is clear
    6. My finger nails are really strong
    7. I love my teeth
    8. My hands and feet are cute
    9. I have a kick-ass tattoo
    10. I have a sexy back

    That does make a person feel good about themselves! Give it a whirl!!!

    xoxox c

  4. From the Mountain Top

    This is the view from the top of the mountain I have been hiking up. Who needs a gym membership when you have a fricken mountain?! I do miss the sauna though;)

    It is a pretty intense incline that has been kicking my ass a little less each day I do it. Today will be day 6. I already feel stronger and more healthy. I try not to get down on myself too hard when I “fall-off the wagon” and sometimes are harder than others to get back on but it can be done! I feel like you have to constantly be your own pep rally. You can do it! Almost there! Pick-up the pace!

  5. What Color is Your Food? →

  6. Yoga Exercises For Your Butt

    Click the pic for a great article from Women’s Health Magazine on specific poses that target that junk in your trunk.

    I love yoga and do a bit before and after any hardcore cardio. Women’s Health rocks it because they explain the pose to you via written word, then you can click on the pose name for a video on how to do it correctly. You don’t get the max benefits if you are not doing a pose right plus, you could hurt yourself so make sure to really feel comfortable with any pose you are holding. And as for how long you should hold the pose, here’s a great line from the article.

    “Hold that for as long as you can keep a smile on your face,” Blanchard says.”If the smile has left your face, you’ve left your yoga pose.”

    May the force be with you,

    c

  7. FINALLY!

    We finally got all moved in and settled. I love our new place but especially love how close we are to Griffith Park. It has trails that go all over the mountain range. I’ve hiked them 3 times this week and feel like I am finally starting to get back into a routine. It’s been rough. In the past 5 months, I was a bridesmaid in two of my best friends’ weddings, maid-of-honor for one of them, got engaged, bought a car in florida and drove it to NY, packed all our stuff, drove across the country and found a new place to live. It is so difficult keeping up with your workout/life routine when you are in such transition. I am glad to be getting in the groove again! I totally gained about 8 pounds back but, I am not going to let that get me down. Just going to get back on that wagon and ride it into the next adventure.

    xoxo c

  8. Not-so-boring Bok Choy Slaw


    I love eating salads but they can get boring pretty quickly. Sometimes you need something different, exciting, new! It is easy to fall off the wagon when faced with the situation of not being excited about what you are eating. There are so many good salad recipes on the good ole internets. I’ll publish more as I find them. Till then, enjoy this one. It is easy to make and yummy. Try subbing organic agave nectar for the sugar and use organic/local produce wherever possible. xox c

    1/4 cup rice vinegar

    1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

    2 teaspoons sugar (org. agave nectar preferred)

    2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    6 cups very thinly sliced bok choy, (about a 1-pound head, trimmed)

    2  medium carrots, shredded

    2  scallions, thinly sliced

    Whisk vinegar, oil, sugar, mustard and salt in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add bok choy, carrots and scallions; toss to coat with the dressing.

    Recipe from Acefitness.org

  9. 10 Ideas to Get You Exercising  →

    Click through for some great tips on getting yo arse in gear. It can be really hard to motivate and develop a good workout routine but its time to put all those excuses as to why you don’t exercise to rest.

  10. 10 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight →

    Click through for a great article about why you may be having a hard time losing weight. The first tip is one of my favorites. Muscle burns way more calories than fat.