Hi friends! I'm participating in Thrive Forward as one of my New Years Resolutions, starting next week. I've really been slacking in my healthy diet lately, especially since Thanksgiving. (Cookies are my enemy.) Thrive Forward is a new personalized program formulated by Vega founder Brendan Brazier to help you eat a more nutritious plant-based diet to feel better and have more energy. I've read Brendan Brazier's books on plant-based nutrition and have learned how to eat healthy plant-based diet from them. I strongly believe in the power of plants for nutrition and I'm excited learn even more through this program. I encourage all of you to at least try it! Even if you don't want give up eating animals, you can still learn a lot from a plant-based diet. It's free and you have nothing to lose!
Like I said, I already follow a mostly plant-based diet based on what I've learned from Brendan Brazier and Vega. He is a triathlete that figured out, through research and trail and error, that a plant-based diet is the best diet for sustained energy and generally feeling good. I strongly agree with this through my own experiences. He also proves that even athletes can eat a plant-based diet and still build muscle and be successful.
So, the Thrive Forward program doesn't launch until January 1st, but you can pre-register today and get a Clean Eating 101 e-book. Watch the introduction video below to learn more about the program.
You don't know how bad crappy food makes you feel until you stop eating it. If you have headaches, digestive issues, trouble sleeping, always feel tired, etc, plant-based nutrition will likely make you feel much better (it worked for me). Plus, you will reduce your risk of cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and many other diseases.
Are you going to Thrive Forward with in 2013?? Comment below!
Friday, December 28, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Happy Holidays! Time to splurge!
Happy Holidays everyone! I'm in Florida now visiting my family for the week. My workplace is closed until January 2nd so I'm excited to get some much-needed rest and time off...I haven't taken a vacation since I started working!
My favorite thing about coming to Florida in the winter is the weather and opportunity to be outdoors without freezing. I grew up in Florida so I am definitely a warm-weather type of person, although I also like the change of seasons up north. It was a little cold here when I arrive but it's warming up tomorrow and I'm excited to go for a run with an old friend and then hopefully hit the beach.
It's definitely easy to splurge over the holidays, and I have to admit that my diet has been less than healthy since about Thanksgiving. I've been eating sugar and other unhealthy things, which I plan to stop next week. For now, I think it's OK to splurge. Giving in to delicious unhealthy foods (like cookies and pie) once in a while makes me realize why I don't like to eat them often. I honestly feel less healthy because I've been eating unhealthy foods. Things like sugar, white rice, and wheat have been making me feel bloated and sluggish. I'm actually really looking forward to eating healthy again just so I can feel better! But I'm going to leave that til next week, because cookies and pie are calling my name this week :)
These are traditional Slovak "moon cookies" that my Mom makes for Christmas.
What's your favorite holiday treat?
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Raw kale tastes better with a massage!
I know that you don't believe the title of this post, but it's true! It's taken me a long time to discover how to eat raw kale without pain. I usually eat kale in the form of kale chips or cheezy kale chips, but any leafy green is best eaten raw to get the most nutrients. Kale is a type of cabbage and contains loads of pretty much every vitamin, especially A, C, and K. It also contains antioxidants that reduce your risk for certain types of cancer. In my mind, kale is a "hearty" leafy green and therefore I like to eat it more in the winter, rather than baby spinach or romaine. I think kale goes better with squash, sweet potato, and other fall/winter foods.
So kale looks pretty unappetizing and dry in it's raw form, right? I've made a few kale salads in the past that I didn't even finish eating because I hated the kale. Well, I did some blog research and raw kale is much more appetizing and easier to eat/chew when you massage it first! I never thought of massaging my vegetables but it worked! Massaging the kale with an oil-based dressing adds some moisture and breaks down the fibers to make it much softer. I actually like raw kale now that I've figured this out, so I suggest you give it a try!
How to Massage Kale
First, rip your kale leaves into bite-size pieces. Leave the stems out because they are tough to chew. (They can be used for juicing!) Places the kale into a large bowl. For the dressing part, you have to do some estimation. You don't want to use too much oil because it's high in calories. Try to estimate how many servings of kale you have. For 1 big serving to be used in a salad base, I added 1/2 Tbs. of olive oil, 1 tsp. of vinegar, and juice of 1/4 lemon. Drizzle the dressing mixture over the kale. Now, simply massage the dressing into the kale, for about 2 minutes. You will notice the kale turn dark in color and become softer (see picture above). Once all of the kale looks like this, you're done massaging. Since the kale won't wilt like lettuce or spinach would, you can do this massaging a long time before actually serving. This also lets the dressing marinate the kale more. For example, for lunch the next day, simply massage the kale the morning or night before and keep refrigerated. Then, just add more ingredients to make a salad!
So kale looks pretty unappetizing and dry in it's raw form, right? I've made a few kale salads in the past that I didn't even finish eating because I hated the kale. Well, I did some blog research and raw kale is much more appetizing and easier to eat/chew when you massage it first! I never thought of massaging my vegetables but it worked! Massaging the kale with an oil-based dressing adds some moisture and breaks down the fibers to make it much softer. I actually like raw kale now that I've figured this out, so I suggest you give it a try!
Raw kale before and after massaging with oil
How to Massage Kale
First, rip your kale leaves into bite-size pieces. Leave the stems out because they are tough to chew. (They can be used for juicing!) Places the kale into a large bowl. For the dressing part, you have to do some estimation. You don't want to use too much oil because it's high in calories. Try to estimate how many servings of kale you have. For 1 big serving to be used in a salad base, I added 1/2 Tbs. of olive oil, 1 tsp. of vinegar, and juice of 1/4 lemon. Drizzle the dressing mixture over the kale. Now, simply massage the dressing into the kale, for about 2 minutes. You will notice the kale turn dark in color and become softer (see picture above). Once all of the kale looks like this, you're done massaging. Since the kale won't wilt like lettuce or spinach would, you can do this massaging a long time before actually serving. This also lets the dressing marinate the kale more. For example, for lunch the next day, simply massage the kale the morning or night before and keep refrigerated. Then, just add more ingredients to make a salad!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
New Years Resolutions
Many people make New Years resolutions, but how many actually keep them? Gyms are always packed in early January, but come February, back to normal. I actually found out from a gym owner that 80% of his monthly members don't even come to the gym after the first month! I think that the problem with New Years resolutions is that people tend to make generic goals like "I'm going to eat healthier" or "I'm going to workout more." These are really difficult resolutions to keep because they involve immeasurable goals. Your resolutions have to be something specific, like "I'm going to run a 5K" or "I'm going to cut sugar out of my diet." These goals are specific and measurable and therefore easier to keep.
I've actually had some pretty big New Years resolutions work out in the past because they were specific enough for me to actually measure if I reached them. In 2010, I decided to drastically change my diet and eat vegan. Going "cold turkey" like this worked for me, but it might not work for everyone. I threw out all of my non-vegan food (including a huge stash of Cheez-Its that my friend compiled for me from the dorms haha) and started the difficult process of learning how to eat healthy vegan food. While I'm not strictly vegan anymore, I do still eat a plant-based diet, so this resolution was a huge success! In 2011, my resolution was "to eat healthier and work out more." I have no idea if I actually attained this goal because it was so vague. In 2012, I decided to start this blog, read my first post here. I'm still writing so this resolution was definitely a success! I also wanted to do unassisted pull-ups; it's the end of the year but I finally got them! See picture below, I am not using the band hanging there :)
I've been thinking about some New Years resolutions for 2013 and here are some of my ideas:
What are your past successful resolutions/goals?
What are some of your New Years resolution ideas?
I've actually had some pretty big New Years resolutions work out in the past because they were specific enough for me to actually measure if I reached them. In 2010, I decided to drastically change my diet and eat vegan. Going "cold turkey" like this worked for me, but it might not work for everyone. I threw out all of my non-vegan food (including a huge stash of Cheez-Its that my friend compiled for me from the dorms haha) and started the difficult process of learning how to eat healthy vegan food. While I'm not strictly vegan anymore, I do still eat a plant-based diet, so this resolution was a huge success! In 2011, my resolution was "to eat healthier and work out more." I have no idea if I actually attained this goal because it was so vague. In 2012, I decided to start this blog, read my first post here. I'm still writing so this resolution was definitely a success! I also wanted to do unassisted pull-ups; it's the end of the year but I finally got them! See picture below, I am not using the band hanging there :)
Me doing an unassisted kipping pull-up (on the right)
I've been thinking about some New Years resolutions for 2013 and here are some of my ideas:
- Learn double unders
- Do regular push-ups (means practicing every day)
- Do all pull-up workouts without a band (unassisted kipping pull-ups)
- Beat half-marathon PR of 1:55 in the Indy 500 Mini Marathon
- Be active every single day
- Go gluten-free
What are your past successful resolutions/goals?
What are some of your New Years resolution ideas?
Monday, December 17, 2012
Fitness Log: 12/10 - 12/16
Monday - 12/10: CrossFit
PRE-WOD: Max Snatch: 60 lbs.
WOD: 4 ROUNDS
10 Overhead Squat (45)
20 Pull-Up (red band)
5 burpees
Time: 13:08
Mondays morning workouts are always really blah for me. I couldn't even do my previous max snatch at 65 lbs. I also started doing unassisted pull-ups but ended up using the small red band. Well, I'm hoping tomorrow's workout will feel better.
Tuesday - 12/11: CrossFit
Pre-WOD: 5-3-3-2-2-1-1 Shoulder Press (up to 60 lbs.)
WOD: 30-20-10
Kettlebell swings (35 lbs.)
Burpees
The shoulder press is so hard! It's amazing how much better I am at the push press when I can use my legs.
Wednesday - 12/12: CrossFit
Pre-WOD: "Annie" 50-40-30-20-10
Double unders (I did singles)
Sit-ups
WOD: 15 minute AMRAP
10 push press (45 lbs.)
10 front squat (45 lbs.)
20 box jumps
Time: around 13 minutes
The pre-wod was hard enough today!
Thursday - 12/13: CrossFit
Pre-WOD: Max effort pull-up. I did 7 in a rown without a band! New PR!
WOD: 10 rounds:
250 m row
2-minute rest
Lowest time: 1:03, Highest time: 1:05
I didn't think I would but I actually really liked this rowing workout. I was also proud of myself for 7 pull ups. I even practiced double unders afterward and got about 5-10 in a row. I just got my own jump rope so hopefully I can get much better at these!
Friday - 12/14: Rest Day
I didn't sleep well so I decided to take a rest day. Probably needed it after 4 straight days of crossfit.
Saturday - 12/15 CrossFit Track WOD
3 rounds:
400 m run
30 burpees
20 toes to bar
30 squats
20 body rows
30 lunges
This workout was kind of miserable because it was cold and raining but I'm glad I got up to do it!
Sunday - 12/15: Rest Day
PRE-WOD: Max Snatch: 60 lbs.
WOD: 4 ROUNDS
10 Overhead Squat (45)
20 Pull-Up (red band)
5 burpees
Time: 13:08
Mondays morning workouts are always really blah for me. I couldn't even do my previous max snatch at 65 lbs. I also started doing unassisted pull-ups but ended up using the small red band. Well, I'm hoping tomorrow's workout will feel better.
Tuesday - 12/11: CrossFit
Pre-WOD: 5-3-3-2-2-1-1 Shoulder Press (up to 60 lbs.)
WOD: 30-20-10
Kettlebell swings (35 lbs.)
Burpees
The shoulder press is so hard! It's amazing how much better I am at the push press when I can use my legs.
Wednesday - 12/12: CrossFit
Pre-WOD: "Annie" 50-40-30-20-10
Double unders (I did singles)
Sit-ups
WOD: 15 minute AMRAP
10 push press (45 lbs.)
10 front squat (45 lbs.)
20 box jumps
Time: around 13 minutes
The pre-wod was hard enough today!
Thursday - 12/13: CrossFit
Pre-WOD: Max effort pull-up. I did 7 in a rown without a band! New PR!
WOD: 10 rounds:
250 m row
2-minute rest
Lowest time: 1:03, Highest time: 1:05
I didn't think I would but I actually really liked this rowing workout. I was also proud of myself for 7 pull ups. I even practiced double unders afterward and got about 5-10 in a row. I just got my own jump rope so hopefully I can get much better at these!
Rowing in a circle at RNCF, I'm on the right!
Friday - 12/14: Rest Day
I didn't sleep well so I decided to take a rest day. Probably needed it after 4 straight days of crossfit.
Saturday - 12/15 CrossFit Track WOD
3 rounds:
400 m run
30 burpees
20 toes to bar
30 squats
20 body rows
30 lunges
This workout was kind of miserable because it was cold and raining but I'm glad I got up to do it!
Sunday - 12/15: Rest Day
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