Cause for Excitement
Wow, it’s been one heck of a week in terms of school and activity, and my body has felt the brunt of it. Thankfully, the school week is over and I now have room to think more about the things I’m excited about. Here’s what I’m especially stoked about right now:
- Ring shopping this weekend: Do I need to say any more here? Oh my goodness, I can’t wait! Jesse and I are going out to breakfast on Saturday and then starting from there. We’re going to Gilt Vintage & Artisan Jewelry to look at some antique pieces (I love the idea of having a ring with a background story!) and will scope out a couple other recommended places as well (Alchemy and Judith Arnell Jewelers). We’re also going ceremony outfit shopping for Jesse. We’re keeping our little ceremony a bit more casual (but nice, of course) and Jesse is really not a suit guy, so we’re going an alternate route. I think it’ll be better this way and why not pay money for something that can be worn again? Jesse and I are practical people, so this makes the most sense for us. I’ll recap about all this after the weekend!
Gilt’s selections are beautiful and always changing. Look at this pretty jem. (Photo credit: Gilt Facebook page).
- US Wellness Meats: Yep, my friend, Macala and I are in the process of placing another US Wellness Meats order. I get super giddy putting an order together. Seriously, it’s like being a kid in a candy store. We go in on orders together every few months. We don’t go hog wild, but get some good staples to keep handy in the freezer. This is where I get all my sugar-free beef bacon too. I even ordered our kitties some special pet food, which is a mixture of raw grass-fed beef, beef liver and beef heart. I know they’ll love it because we already feed them some raw food that is a combo of raw turkey, turkey liver and turkey heart and they go crazy over it. They eat this as a supplement to their dry, grain-free cat food. We take good care of our furry friends!
- Primal Recess class: I had to miss this class on Tuesday due to school and exhaustion, so I’m happy to go today. This class, at Recreate, is always a bit more intimate and Jesse has us do lots of playful stuff. I’m usually the only girl and have fun playing with the boys.
Having fun with the boys in Primal Recess class last Thursday. (Photo credit: Recreatefitness.com).
- Getting a real senior client: For my special populations pro-act class, which is a follow-up from my fitness and aging class, we’re learning how to test and program for the senior population. Last week, we visited an amazing senior retirement center that literally had everything you could dream of (shops, fitness center & pool, bank, clinic, post office, hair salon, etc.)! We were fortunate to not only get a full tour, but also take part in a chair aerobics class. We let all the seniors find their chairs first because they all have their favorite spots and God forbid someone take it! They were adorable, funny and oh-so precious. It was so enjoyable and heart-warming. In terms of the class, I was quite surprised how challenging a chair aerobics class actually is! Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t intense or difficult for me, but it was harder than I anticipated. The equipment included a chair, obviously, a ball and light dumbbells. Anyway, we’ll be going back in a couple weeks to be introduced to a real client, in which we’ll consult with and administer senior fitness tests to (i.e. 8-foot get-up and go, back scratch, sit-to-stand, etc.). Then, we’ll develop a program for our client and go back again and show them the exercises. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and even though I’m a touch nervous, I’m excited more than anything. It’s really touching to spend time with seniors because it reminds me of being with my grandparents and other senior relatives. It feels good and is actually a bit comforting.
(Photo credit: yezzzer.blogspot.com)
- Continuing to purge: With all the new stuff I got for my wedding shower and items I picked out myself with shower money, Jesse and I have cleared space and gotten rid of a lot of stuff. It feels so refreshing to get rid of bagfuls of old things and replace it with nice, new and fresh stuff. We live in such a small place though, that we really didn’t have a choice, but to purge. We’ll be making another trip to goodwill soon because we just got a shiny new Oneida silverware set and need to get rid of our mismatched cheap pieces. I’m sure I can find more items (again) to ditch with the silverware. It feels SO good!
My pretty new silverware set.
I Bow My Head in Gratitude
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I am taking a break from food today to say express my gratitude. I just have to get it off my chest, and nearly want to shout it from the rooftops!
I am thankful, every single day, for this life and what I’m creating for myself. Up until 10 months ago, I never knew life could be this satisfying and amazing. I was at a job that made me unhappy and stressed (stressed because I felt like I could never do anything good enough and I often felt like I was walking on eggshells), and I was not pursuing my passions or using my energy to its greatest capacity. I’ve said this before, but getting laid off from that job was the best thing that could have happened to me. Since that time, I’ve changed my attitude and perspective, surrounded myself with positive people and finally started pursuing things that mattered to me. And guess what? Opportunities fell into my lap effortlessly, and all the jobs I have now I did not apply for, but rather, they were offered to me: coaching at Recreate Fitness, making treats at Cultured Caveman, freelance writing for a former co-worker’s side business and now, doing some PR work for Jason Seib, my mentor and author of the fantastic new book, The Paleo Coach. Having people who believe in me and want ME is an awesome feeling. I am so blessed and I know it might sound sappy, but sometimes, all I can do is cry because I’m so happy. I also am a bit of a softy and show emotion easily. But, do you see how important it is to be pursuing the things that matter to you? Don’t settle for less…it’s not worth it and life is too short.
What are you creating for yourself? Are you pursuing the things that are near and dear to your heart? If not, what’s stopping you?
Don’t mind the grammatical error on here, but please know, I did not create this! It should read: Optimism, it’s the best way to see life.
Wedding Shower Recap
My nephew, Brady, got to attend my shower (lucky boy!) and was my little helper.
Hello, I’m back! Thank you for your patience and support, and allowing me to take a mini two-day blogging break. It was much needed and felt so good to rest, spend time with family and spend little-to-no time on the computer each day. I can’t tell you how refreshing that felt, and I am so grateful for it. If you ever have the opportunity to take a technology break, even if it’s a mini one, I highly recommend it. It’s funny, I didn’t even plan on taking that break, but once I got home, I deemed it necessary. I’m happy I made that decision.
Gift table at my shower.
My family did a wonderful job with my shower, which was held at The Yacht Club in Alpena, Michigan. I was more than impressed, and there was plenty of delicious food options for me. My mom made a noodle-less chicken soup and a fruited cabbage slaw, and my sister kindly made a big batch of my almond flour biscuits, which people raved about. There was even Kerrygold pasture butter to spread on the biscuits! Additionally, there was tons of beautiful, fresh fruit on platters that my soon-to-be sister in-law put together. There was lots of other food too, including other homemade soups and salads, and cake balls that Jesse’s aunt made (she tried making some with almond flour, but it didn’t work out the way she hoped). The decorations were tasteful and pretty, in the “modern bride” colors, light yellow and gray (who knew?). I didn’t get a picture of the tabletops, but each table had an antique teapot filled with a plant and was surrounded by dishrag “cupcakes” that my mom knit and assembled with my mother in-law. These consisted of a hand-knit, colorful dishrag twisted up to look like a cupcake and placed inside a cupcake liner. It was topped with a dark chocolate kiss and wrapped in cellophane with a ribbon. It was really cute, and everyone got to take one home.
The main food table. I forgot to take the photo before people had eaten, so some things are a little picked over! My mom made the decorative gray and yellow fans on the wall.
I got a lot of nice gifts, in addition to what was already sent to my door. I even got a couple gag gifts, thanks to my mom and sisters. I forgot about the bride thong that we got my oldest sister several years ago at her wedding shower, and she wrapped it up and gifted this “family heirloom” to me. My sister wore it over her pants at her bachelorette party, but other than that it’s never been worn. This is valid because the tags are still on it! Regardless, my mom said she washed the train. Also, Jesse got a gift from my mom and sister that I opened on his behalf. I had no idea what to expect after reading the card, but proceeded to pull a jar of dark chocolate body paint with a brush out of a bag! I had a good laugh over this too, and definitely didn’t see it coming. Both my mom and sister claimed that it was really good dark chocolate from a nice chocolate shop in the Novi, Michigan area, and said to make sure Jesse eats it (and no, it doesn’t have to be off of me!). Yesterday, my mom told me not to tuck it away in the bathroom cupboard and forget about it. I laughed and asked her why I would put it in the bathroom in the first place! Gotta love my family.
The special bride thong, train and all. My sisters and mom deemed it as a “something blue family heirloom.” My other sister or soon-to-be sister in-law get it next!
Laughing at Jesse’s dark chocolate body paint.
I love these candlesticks that I got from one of Jesse’s aunts and uncles. I didn’t register for candlesticks because I couldn’t find any that I liked, but these were just what I was looking for!
Oh, and I broke two bows when opening gifts at my shower. Supposedly that means Jesse and I will have two children. Did anyone else know about this old wives tale?
My lovely mother and me. Not the best picture of me…not sure what happened to my hair.
I don’t care for this picture of me, again, but I’m seen here with my soon-to-be sister and mother in-law.
Funny Confessions
I deemed it time for more funny confessions. I had a lot of fun with this last time and hopefully, learning a bit more about me and my quirks is entertaining for you too. Enjoy and happy Thursday!
- I double-dip all the time. This is specific to things like coconut or almond butter. Sometimes, if I’m trying to not double-dip for whatever reason, I’ll use the other end of my utensil to scoop up some more. I know, it’s kinda silly and at some point, I end up double-dipping anyway. I guess I’m courteous to a point, but then I don’t care. Jesse never knows anyway, but I know he does it too!
- When I was really young, I wanted to be a dental hygienist. Then, from about 4th grade on, I wanted to be an interior designer. I studied interior design my first 1-1/2 years of college, but ended up changing my major. I did not like drafting or CAD at all! I switched to communication/public relations and transferred schools. During my senior year, I became interested in kinesiology and physical therapy, but never said or did anything about it. It already took me an extra year to get my BA because of changing my major once, and I was anxious to be done. Sometimes, I still wonder though, but I don’t dwell.
- The other day, I was told not to be intimidated by the product, Muscle Milk. I was helping coach class at the gym and two Muscle Milk reps walked in, at the most inopportune time. The two gals approached me and asked if we wanted some samples for the gym. I immediately said no, and they both looked shocked. That’s when one of them told me not to be intimidated by the name, Muscle Milk and said that it’s just a protein drink. Trying not to laugh, I told her I knew what it was, but did NOT want any (I think the disgusted look on my face said it all). Seriously, nobody should be drinking that stuff…it’s a chemical sh*tstorm! I mean it, go look up the ingredient label. It’s horrendous. Unfortunately, they ended up leaving a few because a gym member wanted some. I told Jason Seib this story when I was out at his gym yesterday, and he told me I should’ve flexed for the girl when she told me not to be intimidated by Muscle Milk!
- I cooked and ate a fresh artichoke for the first time yesterday. We received two in our CSA box this week, but normally, I wouldn’t buy them. I had no clue how to prepare them, but luckily my friend, Laura filled me in. If it hadn’t been her, it would’ve been my friend, Google. Anyway, the edible parts tasted good, but it seemed like a whole lot of fuss for a tiny bit of artichoke. About 95% of the darn thing isn’t even edible! To me, it just seems like an excuse for people to eat butter, but who needs an excuse? I love me some butter!
- I am terrible at sports. I move well and have good coordination, but for some reason, am not proficient at sports. I danced for 12 years, and dabbled in some occasional tennis lessons and t-ball (which I quit at age 4 because I didn’t like the coach), but have never been good at sports. I think it’s a lack of confidence, some fear, and not having a very competitive drive. I actually played adult kickball when I first moved to Portland, about 5 years ago and it was nothing but embarrassment. I thought I’d be fine because I remembered liking kickball as a kid and figured, heck, all I have to do is kick a big red ball. Oh boy, was I wrong. People took this stuff seriously and well, I did not. I dawdled when in the outfield and prayed that the ball wouldn’t come my way. I tried to kick the ball successfully, but the pitchers used different techniques, making it hard to kick. When I did kick it, the ball usually got caught right away. Needless to say, I did not sign up again. Getting pats on the back and, “nice try” comments wasn’t enough for me. On the plus side, Jesse and I got to see our friends every week and go out after the games. That was the only part I liked.
Food Log Assignment Update
Nutrition (Photo credit: The Noun Project)
Remember my nutrition food log assignment I told you about? Well, it’s still going on and the rest of the assignment is due today. I ended up being partners with this fabulous 54-year old woman, who is familiar with the concept behind paleo and has similar beliefs as me regarding food. I admit, it would’ve been fun and entertaining to be partners with someone who doesn’t know about paleo and follows the SAD, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be this time around. Anyway, my partner was not flabbergasted by my food log, whereas most people following a SAD would be. In case you’re wondering, for my three days, my macros were about 55-56% fat (mostly saturated type), 25% protein and 20% carbs (all from veggies and some fruit).
Anyway, my partner used to weigh 300 lbs and lost 100 lbs eating a high-fat, low-carb diet. She said her primary care doctor (she also sees a naturopath) didn’t understand why her blood levels and everything were so great when she switched to eating this way (because of all the fat), but told her to keep it up since it was clearly working. She ate this way for four years, but now, eats a little bit of grains, but not much. She avoids gluten, nightshades (aggravates her RA) and most dairy, aside from pasture butter.
Part of the assignment included us writing a one-day meal plan for each other, based on goals, deficiencies (I wasn’t deficient in any vitamins or minerals…exceeded the RDI for every one!), around a certain event, etc. We could create it the way we wanted to. Anyway, she asked me to create a one-day paleo plan for her to support her activities. She’s a distance runner and for this whole year, she made the goal of running a half marathon every month, which she has done so far. There is one little caveat though, she doesn’t eat a lot of meat and wanted my paleo plan for her to be vegetarian-ish. I still put a little bit of meat and eggs on her plan because she does eat some, but had to be mindful of what and how much I chose. Her plan was paleo-inspired, but tweaked to meet her needs. Paleo can be tough for distance runners, but is doable if one really pays attention to their diet and stays on top of things. That means lots of high-quality carbs, like sweet potatoes, yams, winter squashes, pumpkin, etc. For the really intense crowd, Amy Kubal, a paleo RD on Robb Wolf’s team, says that things like skinless white potatoes, white rice and corn tortillas can be helpful, in addition to starchy veggies and fruit. In this case, there must not be any autoimmune issues though.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
To quote Jason Seib, from this week’s Everyday Paleo Lifestyle & Fitness podcast, “It’s hard to do complete paleo [with distance running] because distance running is a less than ideal situation.” Jason says that taking something like distance running, which is unnatural by nature, and mixing it with paleo, which is natural, can be tough.
On a side note, I’ll be curious to see the paleo plan my partner made for me. I told her to create it around a day of air travel and account for little activity that day, since it’d involve a lot of sitting. She liked the idea and said it made things easier for her. I’ll be sure to share her meal plan for me, so stay tuned!
Tuesday Reflections
(Photo credit: ecotist)
Tuesdays (and Thursdays, for that matter) are crazy busy days for me. They get so hectic, that I often only think about what I need to do next, and don’t always appreciate each moment for what is is. I get wrapped up in my head, and gradually check each thing off of my mental checklist as I move through my day. Usually, I’m just anxious for the end of the day to come. Not ideal, I know, but I’m totally guilty. As a way for me to truly appreciate my Tuesdays, I compiled a list of the things I’m grateful for on these days. It made me realize just how juicy these days really are, even if I feel like I’m always jumping from one thing to the next.
- A leisurely, early morning before going to school for 8 a.m. Some days, I go to yoga beforehand, but I have to be packed and ready to go, food and all, the night before. Reason being, I have to leave yoga 15 minutes early to change out of my sweaty clothes and drive the 15-20 minutes to school, so there’s no stopping home. I usually only do this on Thursdays now. I did it on both Tuesday and Thursday for a while this term, but stopped because it makes me feel like a madwoman and I get tired really early on at school. One day a week is more reasonable, and this way, I can enjoy a quiet morning on Tuesdays, in my robe, eating breakfast and sipping hot tea. Mornings are just the sweetest.
- Educating others or giving my two cents in nutrition class when the opportunity is appropriate. Spreading the good word, even if it’s in tiny bits n’ pieces!
- Learning and applying concepts from my analysis of movement class. This class is tough, but really important to understand. Our body, the machine…made for movement with its levers and pulleys, and muscle actions! It’s friggin’ cool.
- Listening to the radio in my late grandma’s car, on the drive to school. I look forward to this, regardless of traffic, etc. I listen to a local radio station that plays such a wide variety, but nothing super current, so I never know what I’m gonna get. Sometimes it’s 70s…sometimes 80s or 90s, or maybe early 2000s. I love it, especially the older stuff. I have a thing for oldies, especially 80s jams.
- A break in my day, which involves eating lunch at home, generally with Jesse. I’m in school from 8-12:50, but afterward, I get to drive home, eat lunch and have a little downtime before the next thing begins. Usually, Jesse gets home shortly after for a break too. We don’t always sit down and actually eat lunch together, but we have eachother’s company and it’s nice.
- Taking Jesse’s fun class, Primal Recess and then coaching class afterward at Recreate. Awesome environment, awesome people, and lots of fun and laughs. Work is fun!
- The feeling of a hard day’s work, and sitting down after a long day. It just feels good.
What are you grateful for on your really busy days? Do you slow down enough, mentally or physically, to enjoy it?
Food Log Assignment
(Photo credit: downtowndoodler.tumblr.com)
If you saw my Facebook post the other day, you know about my current assignment in nutrition class. If not, no worries…you’re about to get all the details. Just so you understand the assignment in its entirety, here it is, exactly as given:
Food Log Assignment
You need to keep a food & beverage log/diary for 3 days. Log EVERY item you eat/drink.
- Include at least 1 day that you would consider to be your “typical” diet/daily consumption
- Include at least 1 day that you would consider to be “atypical” or maybe your “weekend” diet/consumption
- The 3rd day is your choice
Enter your entire 3 day food log/diary in an ANY electronic tracking system of your choice – www.fitday.com, NutriCalc Software (from HPE 295), www.livestrong.com, www.choosemyplate.gov or any other system…Explore!
By the way… start to play with various apps – free & paid – to see what’s out there. Your clients & athletes will use these and you need to know which ones are available and good.
Print out your Log & bring it with you to class on 2/28 – you will be trading with another student.
Included in your log should be at least the following:
- Quantity/Serving per item to best of your ability (this will give you an idea of how hard this is for your clients J)
- Total Calories consumed each day
- Macronutrient Information – daily, not per meal/food
- Grams of Carbohydrate
- Grams of Protein
- Grams of Fat
- Micronutrient Information – daily, not per meal/food
- Vitamin A, D, E, K
- Vitamin C, Thiamin B1, Riboflavin B2, Niacin B3, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12
- Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium (or NaCl), Potassium
- Iron, Zinc, Chromium, Fluoride, Copper, Manganese, Iodine, Selenium
- Omega 6 & 3 (if possible)
There it is folks. What do you think? For one, I’ll just say that those electronic food logging systems are annoying and more stressful than writing down what I’m eating. Not only that, but it doesn’t allow me to emphasize the quality of the foods I’m eating, although I was able to find grass-fed ground beef. I tried to find the least bad food logging system possible and was fortunate to find a paleo one called, PaleoTrack. It’s way better than the other options out there and isn’t focused around the SAD. It’s still annoying though, and I hate estimating how much I’m eating. I never worry about calories and quantities, and always just eat until I feel satisfied. Thankfully, it’s only for three days. Food logging short-term isn’t that big of a deal, but it’s long-term food logging that I really don’t like. I believe it creates an unhealthy relationship with food, causes a lot of stress and makes eating seem unnatural. Short-term for analyzing someone’s diet, whatever, fine. But, I still don’t like the electronic logging systems.
Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see how a fellow classmate consults me on my diet. I can see the issue of too much fat and not enough carbs coming up, but it partly depends who I get paired with. I think the majority of students in my class would go that route though. Regardless, it’ll give me a chance to do a little educating and even if they don’t buy what I say, hopefully it will at least make him or her curious enough to some research of their own. It’ll be entertaining to say the least, and what’s really fun is that I get to consult them too. Dun dun dun!
Funny Confessions
This is from when my make-up artist friend, Harmony, did my make-up. I’m not too savvy at stuff like this.
- When I eat raw nuts like cashews or almonds, I always look for the broken pieces or halves first. I don’t know what it is, but I always choose broken pieces over whole pieces. If the broken pieces are gone, I go for the obscure and deformed looking nuts. Why do I do this? It’s kinda weird, right?
- The first thing I do when my alarm goes off in the morning is check the weather on my phone … while I’m still in bed. I know I’m not the only one though, right Cinnamon Eats?
- My bedroom closet doors must be shut before I go to bed at night. It really bugs me to have to doors open and even though it’s dark, I can still look up from bed and see the dark hole inside the closet. I feel safer with the doors closed. Jesse laughs at me for this.
- I like corner pieces of baked goods the best. If there’s corners to choose from, that is. I like corners because they usually have a little bit of crispiness and I like the variety in texture. I know I’m not the only corner lover too. In fact, they even make special brownie pans, so that every piece is a corner piece. Kinda ridiculous, but I get it. Would I ever buy one though? Absolutely not.
- I still laugh about certain bodily functions, particularly those involved with digestion, even though it’s not always a laughing matter. I know farts (or flatulence if I want to be really proper) and poop are extremely important bodily functions and an indicator of our health, but I still laugh just as hard at these things as I did when I was a kid. Maybe not so much about poop, but farts, yes. I know, I’m really mature. Even my yoga teacher jokes about farts in class, probably because it’s often a place where farts happen! She even encourages us to fart out loud if we have to, but I’ve yet to know of someone doing it on purpose … usually, it’s always by accident. I’ve learned to hold my laughter when people fart in yoga though because it happens far too often. One time, even my aforementioned teacher farted really loud while demoing! It was classic and we all laughed, but I think she laughed the hardest.
- I’m paranoid about braking hard. You see, I have this little device plugged into my car that detects every time I brake hard and emits three beeps whenever I do so. I rarely brake hard, although there are circumstances when I have to because of other cars in front of me. It essentially trains drivers not to brake hard, which is why it beeps. The less hard brakes I have, the bigger discount I get on my car insurance. Last time, I got about $70 back!
- I own more Lululemon attire than regular clothes. I wear workout clothes every single day. Whether, I’m going to yoga, working at the gym, taking class at the gym, doing fitness testing at school and so forth, I’m always in my Lululemon gear. In fact, I have so much Lululemon that I can’t even fit it all in my dresser drawers. Some is in my drawers, some in the closet, some on top of my dresser, and some on top of the dryer. There’s usually always some in the hamper too. It’s a little ridiculous. I’m partial to Lululemon because their stuff is high-quality, looks great and holds up, but I also used to work there. Employees there are treated very well, so I stocked up while I could. Plus, we had to wear it to work and it was best if you always had at least one current piece on, because people always want what you’re wearing. I don’t get as generous of a discount anymore, but I still get a small one since I work in the fitness industry. It’s better than nothing. It’s pretty seldom when I shop there now, though.
- I really, really want a wiener dog (aka Dachshund). I have wanted a Dachshund my whole life because they are small and so darn cute and long-bodied. I always grew up with Beagles, which I highly adore as well, but I want my first dog of my own to be a Dachshund. Unfortunately, it’s not a good time for us to have a pooch yet. Neither of us are around enough to take care of it and we can’t have dogs where we live … only cats.
- I’ve had the following jobs in my life: babysitter, pizza & grinder maker at Mancino’s, Dairy Queen server (for 6 summers!), telemarketer at The Alpena News, hospital food service worker, data entry, receptionist at a massage/health food store, bartender at a brewery, sales rep for a cell phone company, teacher at a child development center, junior account executive at a boutique PR agency, educator at Lululemon Athletica, customer experience specialist at The Bar Method, administrative/marketing/HR assistant for a tech company, treat maker at a paleo food cart, freelance writer, and fitness coach. Holy moly, that’s a lot of jobs! And to think that I’m only 27 (I’ll be 28 soon though…March 2nd!).
- I haven’t parallel parked since my driver’s test, nearly 12 years ago. It was the one and only time. Portland is full of parallel parking opportunities, but I avoid them at all costs. If I can pull in without having to do the full parallel park, I’m fine, but I avoid the full-on process.
Weekend Recap and Highlights
Homework, writing and reading. That’s the summary of my weekend. In fact, I was so worn out on Saturday after being at it all day, that I missed out on girl’s night with some of my co-workers from Recreate and other great ladies that workout there. I just didn’t have the energy for it, and knew that I needed my focus to roll over into Sunday. Luckily, I did have some fun Friday night and got a lot done this weekend, which was critical.
On Friday, Jesse and I went out with an old college friend of mine from Michigan. We met when we were both 18 years old, attending Eastern Michigan University in the interior design program, which will be 10 years ago this August. Anyway, she was here visiting with her husband and asked if we wanted to get together. Naturally, I said yes. We met at the Mission Theater for drinks and then watched the newest episode of Portlandia, which the theater airs every Friday night. You may have seen this when I posted it on my Facebook page, but here’s one of my favorite clips from the new season called, fart patio. Part of why I think it’s so funny, is because as a former vegetarian and vegan, I can totally relate! I’ve even eaten at the cafe they’re at in the clip, which has a lot of unique things on their menu — all vegan, mostly raw and nearly all gluten-free. I don’t really go there anymore, but if I do, I get a fresh green juice. They have some really tasty ones to choose from.
After watching Portlandia, we walked across the street and ate Thai food and drank hot Thai tea at Sweet Basil Thai. I ordered a gluten-free red curry with chicken, no rice. It was delicious. It felt so good to get out, see an old friend and laugh. I hadn’t laughed that hard in a while. My two glasses of wine didn’t sit super well with me, even though I chose something dry, but I still had a great time and didn’t let it hold me back. It was the first drink I’ve had since New Year’s eve. I’m not much of a drinker — usually just at holidays and when I go out with friends.
On Sunday, I worked in the morning, then went to a coffee shop afterward to pump out some more work. Then, I came home and got some 24-hour yogurt started, along with a batch of bone broth. I also made a tasty, creamy beverage that I’m hoping to post later this week, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, this week’s chaos has already begun. I worked out at Recreate this morning, came home, am off to school shortly and then after school, I head out to Clackamas Physical Conditioning with my friend for our weekly appointment with Jason Seib. I get my advanced copy of Jason’s book today and am so excited to start digging in!
How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun or cook up anything delicious?
Nutrition Class Assignment
As some of you know, I’m currently taking a nutrition class for my program. Specifically, it’s called, “Nutrition for Fitness Instructors,” and is centered around sports nutrition and recommendations for athletes and active people. I dreaded this class before it started because I knew that it would revolve around USDA guidelines and the standard American diet. Obviously, I’m not a fan and cannot promote either of these things.
I’ve had my moments of frustration in the class, and listening to lectures about the USDA’s MyPlate is darn painful, but the class hasn’t been all bad. Fortunately, my teacher is pretty cool and open-minded. I was thrilled on the day of the carbohydrate lecture when she promoted vegetables and fruits as carbohydrate sources, and went on to mention that some people don’t eat grains, and it’s fine. She said that people forget that veggies and fruit are carbohydrate sources, which is very true. I hope all my classmates were listening at that moment.
USDA’s MyPlate, which replaced the food pyramid. Do you abide by this? I definitely do not. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Anyway, we were given an assignment recently consisting of 11 scenarios, in which we had to give recommendations based on what we’ve talked about and learned in class. Some questions were fine and didn’t annoy me as much as others, but the two scenarios/questions below irked me a lot, because I know exactly how most people will respond, especially regarding cholesterol. No, my teacher did not come up with these scenarios, rather the authors of our textbook did.
I responded to both of these questions addressing my personal reservations. I could not pretend. If I get marked down, so be it. I don’t know if she’ll necessarily mark me down anyway, but again, I’m not concerned. We already discussed that people don’t have to eat grains or dairy, so I’m sure she won’t think much about my response for that one. I can guarantee many other students will say the woman needs to eat grains though, but not necessarily the dairy. I say this, because I was discussing the questions in class with two other students and they both said, “yes, she needs to eat grains.” I looked at both of them and told them that I disagreed wholeheartedly and went on to tell them that I haven’t eaten grains in 1-1/2 years. They both seemed very surprised. I was happy to make my point clear that people don’t need grains, and reminded them that carbohydrates can come from sources like vegetables.
No, grains are NOT essential. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Both of these scenarios left out a lot of details. I know the questions are just asking for very basic recommendations, but I would never address these questions or give advice without knowing more information first. I even stated this in my answers. I know, it may seem like I over-complicated the questions, but it doesn’t feel that way to me. The additional information I need regarding their lifestyle and current diet is basic in my opinion.
Also, as you may notice, Julie from scenario #1 is doing way too much cardio. Where’s your strength training/heavy lifting, Julie?
Okay, okay, that’s enough, I suppose. I could probably go on about these questions forever. But, what do you think about these questions? Would you put the “right” answer just to get a good grade or would you say otherwise and stand up for what you believe?
Scenario #1
Julie is interested in losing weight. She enjoys participating in step aerobics, kickboxing, and muscle conditioning group fitness classes 4-5 times per week. She eliminated all breads, pastas, and other grains, as well as dairy products from her diet 4 months ago to help her lose weight. She lost a couple pounds initially, but has struggled to continue her weight loss. Juile’s goal is to lose another 5 pounds while also feeling more energetic during the day at work.
Questions: Does Julie need to start eating grains and dairy again? Please provide justification for your answer. If she refuses to eat grains and dairy, what would you suggest as an alternative?
Julie does a lot of cardio. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Scenario #2
Calvin is a 19-year old collegiate gymnast. He has been consuming approximately 3,200 calories per day, feels energetic, recovers well and has maintained his weight at 150 pounds for the last 2 years. After a recent blood test, he discovered that his total cholesterol is 235. He is concerned about this result, and asks for your assistance in making the necessary dietary changes to lower his cholesterol.
Questions: How many grams of total fat, as well as saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, would you recommend Calvin consume daily? Do you have any other dietary suggestions that would help Calvin lower his cholesterol?
