A beautiful start to the weekend...

While I've been looking forward to a day when I can sleep in, today wasn't one of them. I needed to be up to make sure my son was off for a day working a charity run/mudder. So I set the alarm, and got up a little early to make him a good breakfast.

The beauty of that is I found my self with a couple of free hours before we're needed at the food pantry. So I dug out my iPod and put on some walking shoes.

I headed out - to enjoy the brisk morning before the humidity sets in. Walked for over an hour, checking out the river, using our city's walking trail, stopping to chat with some friends on the way... just a small town walk.

On the final stretch, I passed the high school, and checked myself out in the windows.... because I'm losing weight slowly (the right way - not complaining, just explaining!), I don't really notice the changes. Oh, my jeans are loose, but in general I don't feel any thinner. So it was nice to see my reflection in the window while walking and actually see that my profile has changed! A wonderful surprise.

It was wonderful to get some great exercise, fresh air and vitamin d, not to mention a little boost for my self esteem. :-)

Last year I lost about 35 pounds. It would be amazing to see that progress again this year. We'll see!

Summer is coming!

Wow, it's been forever since I took time to blog this, and for that I am so sorry. I've been working full time, so I have been neglecting it! Here's a bit of an update!

Zumba - still my love. Had the GREATEST zumba workout tonight....sweaty and fun. Man I love that dance..... so thankful for it.

I've also been walking to work when not raining - which I also love. I take my coffee, throw on my backpack, and walk. How refreshing!

And then there is the garden work, weeding, planting, etc., that keeps me busy.

It's so good to be outside and active. I love summer.

End of April check in

So the vegan challenge is almost over. While I've not lost a ton of weight - I did learn many things. Vegan is not for me. BUT I found many recipes that I loved. And I found that limiting dairy is very good for me. My body feels much better with less dairy. I will  definitely be changing my diet for good.

On the exercise front, spring has finally arrived. I am able to walk places in town - and these last two days were SO wonderful, walking to school, walking down to the baseball game... Very happy to get fresh air and exercise!

My weight loss was completely plateaued over the winter - but I'm still down the 35+ pounds from a year ago. So my personal goal is to lose another 35 pounds this year. Slow and steady wins the race. Right?

So getting some physical exercise EVERY day - either zumba (two days a week) or walking to and from work/activities, and gardenging, is TOP on my list. As is weight lifting. I've been lacking in my muscle building, and that is so important as I get older.

I turned 43 this week. And I'm so proud that my lifestyle has come to what it is. Very little stress, lots of physical activity, and whole eating. Life is good, and getting better every day. Kind of like that Tim McGraw song about the "next thirty years". All good guys. All good.

vegan challenges

On the whole, I am enjoying the 30 day vegan challenge. As a foodie I have loved trying new recipes. And personally, I love veggies and grains, so it's been a treat. But I have found a few challenges:

• Not being prepared. On days when I've not cooked/prepped, it can be very tricky to eat. Hard to have things "to grab and go".
• Cooking "regular" food for my family. They are not doing the vegan challenge, so at night and on weekends, I am cooking for them, often leaving me with a partial dinner, eating only the parts of the meal that are vegan.
• I miss having cheese to cook with. It is a missing level of depth that my cooking is lacking.

I have noticed that the reduction in dairy is definitely good for my body. I will maintain that I think later on. All in all, I feel amazing. I'm putting tons of different fruits, veggies, and grains, into my body - which we all know is good!

Keeping up the challenge!

Vegan cleanse - day one begins!

I am a little behind my friends trying the vegan cleanse, because we were out of state on vacation. But I"m excited for the challenge today! I cooked up some high protein grains, so that for lunches and breakfasts, I have things ready at my fingers! Having brown rice with apples and cinnamon for breakfast, and have brown rice and black beans with salsa for lunch. Not sure what I'll go with for dinner - will think about that at school today!

I weighed myself this morning, and I was very worried. It was a BAD vacation for eating. We ate horribly. Rich, bad-for-you foods all over the country. But I was very happy to see that I'm still at the same weight - still down over 35 pounds since this time last year. So we'll see what a month of vegan eating can do to boost my health - and hopefully restart my weightloss!

Vegan research

I am starting to get excited about the vegan experiment. I spent a few hours yesterday doing research - finding recipes, reading up on balancing a vegan diet, etc.

I don't think I'll have a problem finding foods to eat. I love whole grains and veggies, so it will be easy to find meals to make.

My challenges will be:

1. Being prepared. Taking time to prep meals so that I'm not having to rush and pick unhealthy choices. I need to spend time prepping grains, fruits, and veggies each week.
2. Making sure I'm getting balanced nutrition. Will need to plan out menus, to make sure that I'm getting all that I need in a day.
3. Figuring out how to eat vegan on the road. I have two major vacations within the month I am planning the cleanse. Not great timing, but I was asked to join a group with plans already in place. Will have to determine if I will try to do the vegan on the trips, or just try to be good. This is a cleanse, not a lifestyle choice, so I feel I can make those determinations.

I have a lot of foods/recipes ready to go. And my shopping list is ready as well. I am really getting pumped. Starting to wonder if I need to wait until April 1st, with the group, or just start now... Maybe when I run errands today I'll pick up a few of the things I wanted. No hurt in starting to incorporate it early/!!

a vegan experiment

A friend has asked me to join him in a vegan experiment, or cleanse of sorts - one month of vegan eating.
I am very excited about it. I will continue to make normal food for the family, only introducing them to vegan options here and there. I am lucky, because I can honestly cook for myself. And I am so excited about it~!

So today I am researching....thinking of meal ideas, and creating a grocery list. We are not beginning until April 1st, so I have a couple of weeks to figure out what I need, and start weeding the non-vegan products out of the house.

I am a huge fan of whole grains, so I am very excited about reintroducing them into my daily diet. And i love ALL veggies, so that will be fun to experiement with as well!

So here's to a vegan cleanse!