I'm moving!

I believe my "Journey Beyond My First Figure Competition" has come to an end. I'm starting a new journey and I hope you'll come over and follow me there. You can find me here:

http://nutritionalshift.blogspot.com

Hope to see you there!!

Week in Review

DIET/NUTRITION: As most of you probably know I'm transitioning from a fairly high animal protein diet to a much more plant-based vegetable protein diet. This has been quite a challenging time for me for that reason. It's so incredibly hard to get that animal protein is the only protein thought out of my head. I keep trying but it's still there. I noticed myself doing it today. I thought about it at lunch when I had my Ezekiel tortilla spread with avocado, some homemade refried beans, salsa, and mixed greens. It was so delicious but I really thought I needed animal protein. But I didn't. But still there's that nagging thought in the back of my head. So weird how we program ourselves to think certain ways and then we have to reprogram ourselves when we receive new information.

The question is how do I feel with workouts? Well, I know I don't have the food thing down yet and I'm still learning because I don't feel fully fueled for a weight workout and tend to lose my mojo about 3/4 of the way through. I know I have a LOT to learn about eating this way so I'm just taking it easy and learning as I go.

PHYSICAL FITNESS: It's been a better week workout wise than last week was but I'm still not up to par. Just not feeling it to be honest. But the light at the end of the tunnel is that I ORDERED NEW INLINE SKATES!!!! Woot woot!!!! K2 Electra Custom Fit X-Training Inline Skates!

Aren't they pretty?

I love getting new skates and I haven't been in so long because I never got new wheels when mine broke. These are bigger wheels which means I'll be going even faster than I usually do. Time for some serious helmet and pad wearing! But I'll be happy getting on my skates at least once a week. Can't WAIT!!!!!

I only made it to yoga once this week. I did go on a really long hike last Sunday (3 1/2 hours is really long to me!). And my calves were sore and the backs of my knees and my feet hurt. But this was all worth it. Look at that view! BEAUTIFUL!!!!

View from the top

View from the lower trail (Los Liones Trail)

I did weights once and will do them again tonight. I also did a lot of prowler pushes on Wednesday. That was good, felt good. I got sick yesterday so I had to lay low for the rest of the day. I still don't know what THAT was about. Just weird. I feel totally normal today though. Odd.

REST/SLEEP: My rest has been more than enough. My sleep is still short though. I need to really get to bed earlier. I'm going to make that my Number One goal next week. It MUST be done so I'm functioning optimally for me.

MENTAL STATE: I need to disconnect from the digital world. Man! How many times have you read that on my blog? A lot I'm guessing! But I really need to. It's just hard for me to stop playing games and stop researching about vegetarian/vegan ways to eat, workout, new recipes, etc. But it must be done. Yesterday I pulled out my new journal and finally got to writing in it. I realized that I really need to write in there frequently. It's good to write stuff that no one's going to read and it's nice to have that quiet time.

WEEKEND PLANS: Hmmm...well, I guess I don't really have any. I just want to go to the farmers market, make a new recipe and hopefully see a movie. It's been a while since I've seen a movie so I think that should happen this weekend. Other than that, just the regular cleaning and relaxing. How about all of you? How did your week go? Any great weekend plans? Make it great!

Major Food Confusion - No-Bake Brownies

Since being traumatized by Food Inc. a couple of weeks ago, I hate to say it but my diet took a sharp left turn! It's been crazy. Yes, last week I had grass-fed beef and again over the weekend I bought another piece of grass-fed beef. The problem isn't that. It's figuring out what to eat in the meantime. So as you can imagine I've been very very busy researching all over the internet. I also bought two of Brendan Brazier's books - Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life and also Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health. They are interesting. So yesterday I dove in and made several of the recipes in the books. About every other one is a hit. And every other one is a MAJOR FAIL!

Now, being that I'm a Super Foodie, this is not such a fun battle for me. I often wonder what to eat and then how to make them tasty. The challenge is amplified because I am NOT a salad person. I know...I know. What kind of sense does that make? A vegetarian-ish lifestyle and you don't care for salad? Are you crazy or what? Why yes, I just might be. But let me say that if you do happen to find yourself reading his books and you want to try some recipes, make the Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips because they're just really tasty and fun to eat! And also the Live Avocado Goddess Sauce. It's quite tasty too. I also made a smoothie in his book - YUCK! and also the Mango Coconut Energy Bars - awful! But I will state that I KNOW I can make those Mango Coconut Energy Bars taste divine. Mostly I just have to remove the flaxseed since I am NOT a fan of the flax seed. I know people say it has a nutty taste but mostly to me it tastes like fiber. And no, I don't care for the taste of fiber. LOL!

On the flip side, there is this girl Julie Morris at juliemorris.net that makes some tasty looking things. One of which includes these Raw Brownies that are just wrong! By wrong of course I mean so RIGHT! You must try this and eat the whole batch at once! Oh wait, that's bad advice! Eat HALF the batch at once. That's much better advice! Truly these taste like brownies. No LIE!

Julie Morris's No-Bake Brownies

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup medjool dates, pits removed
1 cup raw walnut pieces
½ cup cacao powder
pinch sea salt
1 Tbsp – ½ cup Navitas Naturals Sweetened Cacao Nibs, or regular raw cacao nibs (use quantity to taste) - optional

DIRECTIONS:

Mix: Place walnuts in a food processor and grind for a couple seconds to form a coarse flour. While machine is running, add pitted dates, cacao powder and salt, processing until a moist, crumb-like dough has formed. 

Form: Spread into an 8×8 inch pan, sprinkle with cacao nibs, and press firmly into a solid brownie layer. Cut into bite-size squares and serve. Alternately, press and roll brownie dough into small balls to make brownie bites.

  

Makes about 2 dozen small squares. 

 I have made these twice already. I added some chopped walnuts at the end and they truly taste like nut brownies. DELISH!


I know I'll find my way but right now I'm confused about what to eat and I feel like I need an arsenal of new foods. That's exactly it. Whenever you start something new you need new foods. But this is an evolving kind of thing. For example, I'm just not ready to give up my yogurt. It's just so creamy. The animal protein I can't do right now. Maybe later. Who knows.

In a way it's fun and in a way it's frustrating. It's fun because it gives me a whole new cuisine to explore and who doesn't love that? But at the same time it's hard to not have anything that I already know works and tastes good. But I had this same issue when I started eating more protein in general and from that came a multitude of tasty protein treats. So you never know what I might come up with. Stay tuned.

As for workouts...hmmm...I have no excuse but to say that my heart isn't in it. With that said though I did actually get in a good workout last night. But the gym was crazy crowded. I think I have to go back to working out at 8pm because that's when that gym is lightest. Also I absolutely MUST buy myself some new skates. I think that's going to happen this weekend. For example, had I had them this week that would have been perfect since it's SUMMER here in Southern Cali!! Beautiful weather we've been having! Just beautiful! I just miss the freedom that blading gives me so I really need new skates since my wheel broke on my existing pair. And even though summer's not really here, it will be here soon enough.

So my plan is to do resistance training 3 times a week - one upper body, one lower body and one full body and/or plyometrics. Yoga 1-2 times a week. Outdoor workout (blading/beach/track/stairs) once a week. So now I have a plan and I just have to implement it. I'll keep you posted on that too.

That's about it for now! Welcome weekend! Watch out...here we come!

Feeling Mighty Mexican! - Carne Asada Plate and Tostada

Hello there! Oh boy has it been hard to face any animal protein this week. Luckily for me I did have some grass-fed bavette.I marinated in this mojo sauce from Tyler Florence but think I could have just pan-fried it and it would have tasted just as good, to be honest. That meat is yummy.

So I made a yummy Carne Asada Plate the other day for lunch. It had carne asada, brown rice, avocado, simple refried beans (recipe below), homemade tomatillo salsa (recipe below) and I used some Greek yogurt for "sour cream". It was sooooo yummy!

Carne Asada Plate

Then a couple of days later I made myself this fabulous Carne Asada Tostada. I just took a Ezekiel tortilla and broiled it for several minutes after spraying with olive oil till it was crunchy but not burned. Then I spread some refried beans, put a slice, broken into pieces, of organic cheddar cheese on the beans to melt, added avocado, carne asada, tomatillo salsa, and Greek yogurt. Mmm...mmmm...mmm! Simple and so delicious! Ridiculously good!!!

Simple Refried Beans

1 can organic black beans

3 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil

Simply heat the olive oil till warm over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until light brown and fragrant. Add black beans with liquid. Mash with a potato masher till fairly creamy but still with pieces of beans. Heat till heated through. 

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

1 lb. tomatillos, husked and rinsed

4-5 serrano chilies

1 white onion, sliced ¼ inch thick

3-5 garlic cloves, peeled

½ c water

1/3 c chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed

1 t (about) salt

1 t sugar (optional)

Place tomatillos and serannos on broiler pan. Broil 4” from heat for about 5 minutes (3-4 for serranos). Flip over and bake about 4-5 minutes more (3-4 for serranos). Remove and let cool.

Turn oven down to 425 degrees. Lay onions and garlic on cookie sheet. Roast about 15 minutes, stirring gently every couple of minutes. Cool to room temperature.

In a food processor or blender, pulse onions, garlic and serranos until finely chopped. Scoop mixture into a large bowl. Coarsely puree the tomatillos with their juice. Stir them into chilies. Stir in enough water to desired texture. Stir in cilantro.

Taste and season with salt. Keep in fridge for 5 days or freeze.

I think my favorite part is the refried beans. So delicious and so incredibly simple. Yummy. Wish I had more of that grass-fed beef. I would make that again for lunch. I actually preferred the tostada over the plate but truly both were delicious.

As for my workouts this week. Let's see. What did I do? I did some steady state cardio jumping between machines on Monday. I know, I know. Steady state is not "where it's at." However, I enjoy it and it's nice for my mind and body to just slow down and relax and that was what I was in the mood for. So I divided my time between the Precor AMT, rowing machine, treadmill and step mill. It was a nice change and something I haven't done for a long time. Tuesday I did yoga.

Wednesday I did this for my workout:
Planks - 3 x15 (hold 3-4 counts, drop to hips then back up)
Box Squats - 95# 3x10
Ham Glute Raise - bodyweight only 3x10
Incline Barbell press - 55# 3x10
Chest supported DB rows - 20# each 3x10

Then I went and met my lover in the parking lot. Hello...lover! Oh, I mean PROWLER!!! Haha! Yes, I reunited with the prowler. I did several runs and walks pushing 20 or 50 pounds. I think I did a total of 8 but I have no idea the length of the turf, maybe 50 yards and I was just going halfway so 25 yards or so. Yeah, I just about died. It was hard and I am out of shape. But I'm getting back in shape so this is just a measure for me. Give me 3 months and we'll see what I can push and do. It was fun! And that's really what matters most!

Yesterday I rested and got a massage. It was very nice. LOVE getting a massage. I'm looking forward to this weekend. How about all of you? Any great plans?

Have you seen Food Inc.? - RANT WARNING!

I AM DOWNRIGHT TRAUMATIZED!! 

 

So have you seen this documentary? It's sooooo disturbing! I'm pretty tempted to go vegetarian about right now. I actually think I will. Well, vegetarian with grass-fed beef, free range chicken, and cage free eggs. I don't think I could go fully vegetarian. I was pretty much sickened by this movie. It is unfortunate that it costs so much more to eat well. But while that is the case, I also know that in the long term it costs less and is much less stressful to a person's body.

I thought it was interesting because they were showing this one family that opted for dollar burgers over broccoli. Now while I get what they were saying, I found it fascinating that the father was taking two diabetes meds that together cost over a couple hundred dollars a month. And you know that probably if he ate right and exercised he would most likely be able to be off those meds in no time. So there you would have 200 or so extra dollars to spend on food. It must be daunting though if you're in that position where you only have 4 or 5 dollars per meal for a family of four. And where you're out of the house from 7 in the morning till 9 at night. It would be really hard to say that you were going to eat well and exercise when you probably truly are more satisfied with a burger since your body is used to it.

The cruelty to the animals was extreme to say the least. I've heard this being the reason for many people turning to vegan or vegetarian diets. I get it. I, however, just don't imagine myself ever giving up meat altogether. I just like the texture too much. But I will tell you that I will be hard put to order anything meat at any restaurant that isn't a grass-fed beef or free range chicken restaurant. I just don't think I can stomach that at this point. I even have some of my Thai Basil Chicken in my fridge that will go in my freezer because I really don't think I can stomach it right now.

And then there's fish. I don't even want to know where that's coming from because then I think I will NEVER eat any fish again either. Oh, man! I'm SOOOOOO traumatized. Just for the record, I watched this movie almost 2 days ago and I'm still just as traumatized as if I just watched it. Also keep in mind that I knew of what the movie was about and had even seen some footage but it really didn't prepare me for the horror that was this movie! Okay, that's a little dramatic but it really was so much more disturbing than I thought it would be.

And of course there are all those huge conglomerate companies that own so much of the livestock in the U.S. That is also disturbing to me. But that's life in the U.S. (and most other countries) these days. The big conglomerates own most of the country. We saw this same thing happen with the major financial institutions and brokerages. Just watch Inside Job if you haven't. Again disturbing. And of course all these major companies have got their farmers by the balls, so to speak. It's just not right. The treatment of their farmers and workers is just wrong and inhumane. So the animals, workers, and farmers are all living horrendous lives and the higher ups just seem to think about money and definitely not about how to improve the situation to make everyone profit and live a healthy, happy life.

I won't go on and on. Just to say that I am traumatized to the point that I'm reconsidering what I'm eating and looking for good protein substitutes to meat. I realize I could eat a lot less animal protein and be fine. I also find it amusing that I was already turned off of animal protein and leaning more toward vegetable protein anyway. Hmmm...very interesting! So if any of my fine readers know of good websites/blogs with vegetarian recipes, please let me know. I'm not going to go crazy and do a complete 180 but I'm definitely going to be making a lot of changes and bringing in a lot more vegetarian/vegan recipes into my life. For ME, it's better and makes me feel better. I already get most of my produce from the farmers markets but my animal protein was definitely a cheaper thing that I was compromising on quality. I do have a good grass-fed beef vendor at my farmer's market though so I'm good there. And cage free eggs I've been buying forever.

It will be a change but I'm going to aim for balance and not overdo the vegetarian thing or the cage-free/grass-fed thing. I'm sure you'll get to read all about it. Hope you had a great weekend and it wasn't nearly as traumatizing as mine was! ;-)

Pan-Seared Tuna

Pan-Seared Ahi Tuna

Can I just say YUMMY?!? I mean look at that thing! It was beyond delicious. I was so excited about it that I forgot to make some rice. But guess what? It didn't even need it. With the avocado and the oil in this recipe I was more than satisfied. Thanks to my sponsors Deb and Charlene for tonight's meal. Fresh ahi tuna from Charlene (well, Don really, but no one needs to know that ;-)) and fresh avocados from Deb's tree! My friends rock!

Mmmm...fresh tuna!

This is some of the tuna I got last night. I searched for a recipe earlier today but didn't find this one until later. And let me just say that I'm glad I found it. It's so tasty! Here's the recipe:

Pan-Seared Tuna with Avocado, Soy, Ginger, and Lime 

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence 

2 big handfuls fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped 

1/2 jalapeno, sliced 

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 

1 garlic clove, grated 

2 limes, juiced 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

Pinch sugar 

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

1 (6-ounce) block sushi-quality tuna 

1 ripe avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, and sliced

In a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the ingredients together until well incorporated. 

Place a skillet over medium-high heat and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the tuna generously with salt and pepper. Lay the tuna in the hot oil and sear for 1 minute on each side to form a slight crust. Pour 1/2 of the cilantro mixture into the pan to coat the fish. Serve the seared tuna with the sliced avocado and the remaining cilantro sauce drizzled over the whole plate. 

Changes I made: 

~ Only had "sweet limes" so I used those and they were too sweet so I added 
some rice wine vinegar. 

~ Would definitely only use half the oil it calls for. I didn't need that much for searing or for the "marinade"

~ I used serrano instead of jalapeno

~ I used low-sodium soy sauce instead of regular

I haven't tried it but I would imagine it would be delicious on tilapia or halibut as well. Try it if you're a fish person and particular if you have a nice piece of fresh-caught ahi tuna.

I hope you're all enjoying your weekend. I really am not getting much done but I AM enjoying my weekend so yeah for me!!

Having a Goal and Ego Conversations

As I review my time preparing for my competition I remember that I was felt happy and healthy during my prep. But why was that? I often ask myself. I think I was happy when I was working out and eating right because I was sticking to my goal 100%. I finally realized this the other day that that is why I was "happy". So then it hit me that if you are doing everything you can toward your goal(s) every day there is a HUGE amount of satisfaction you get from that alone. You have to charge at that goal with everything you have. Sure there will be obstacles but keep the goal in mind no matter how distant it seems. So I decided to make my goal my focus. Yes, I know I talk about that as do many people but until I put 2 and 2 together, I really hadn't come up with 4. But now I really get it. And I'm finally coming up with 4. I think it was maybe 3 or even 3.275 before! LOL!

This year I have several goals and as I wrote last week I have action plans for them. This has been very big. While I'm not very happy with where I am physically, I am pretty happy with where I am mentally. Making these action items habits and working toward my goals daily has already helped to build up my self-esteem over the last week or so. It will be a good year of working toward my goals and feeling great satisfaction from that.

I also want to write about "listening to your body". I think it's important to have knowledge about health and fitness but for the average person it's hard to get educated correctly and from people who are open-minded. Bret Contreras posted this article from the New York Times about yoga on Facebook. While I find the article interesting I don't think it refers to all people nor do I think it's a reason to give up yoga for those that do it. The comments on his FB post made me think. I think so many people read one or more articles that back up what they already believe and run with that. I get it. We all have our opinions and biases. But in order to be the best and healthiest we can be, don't we need to keep our minds wide open? I've run the gamut on things that I think of as "healthy" and "not healthy". My opinions and views have changed over time. And I think that's a good thing. I think it's quite all right to think that something will help this or that and later take back that opinion as you have most likely learned something either through research or personal experience that has flipped that opinion on its head.

I just think it's funny when people slam crossfit or yoga or weightlifting or pilates or running barefoot. Whatever it is...people are so opinionated and I find it entertaining. Entertaining and a little discouraging. I think that in any sport or physical activity there are risks AND rewards! I guess the best way to approach any activity is with knowledge and an open mind. The article is written well and the research is thorough. I do understand what they're saying about yoga being viewed as all good and no one ever points out the negative impact that some poses can have on one's body. I have learned a lot through my yoga practice over many years. I started with Ashtanga yoga which has a lot of flow to it and you're not holding each pose a lot. I went from there to Iyengar and I've been other places in between. I love my classes I take now because they're very much into not doing poses you don't want to do or that feel too strenuous. And to hit child's pose any time you're too taxed. In fact they kind of encourage taking child's pose. At first I felt weird doing that but now I really try to listen to my body and just take child's pose if the pose I'm in is too much. I feel good about this change in my yoga practice.

I definitely think that many many people get swept up in conversation with their egos. The ego talks and people listen. Haha! Remember that ad for E.F. Hutton? "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen."

That's for all you folks that weren't alive in 1979 or watching T.V. yet. Anyway, back to my subject at hand, egos and the conversations we have with them.

Ego: You can run faster than that.
Body: I can? No, I think I better not. I might strain something.
Ego: Really? But that guy/girl over there is running faster. C'mon! You can run faster!
Body: No, really I think I better stick with this slower...
Ego: That's it! We're running faster!
Body: Okay, we're running faster! Owwwww! (as the hamstring pulls from too fast a run too soon)

Body: Man, am I tired today. I think I'll lift lighter than usual so I don't hurt myself.
Ego: But there is that cute guy/girl over there that you're always trying to impress. What would they think of your weak self lifting weights? It's embarrassing really!
Body: True but I really don't want to injure myself.
Ego: Of course you don't. And you won't. Just lift heavy enough to impress them and they'll definitely notice you. C'mon! Go for it!
Body: Absolutely! Here I go! (rip...tear...pop) Ouch! OMG! Why did I DO that?!?

I'm pretty sure we've all had similar conversations. So when people say they were listening to their bodies but still got hurt, can that really be true? Although I do believe it's hard to listen to your body when it's whispering and your ego's shouting. I agree with that! I'm so guilty of this myself. This is pretty much how I've gotten injured each time I've been injured. It's hard to back down when the ego says "GO FOR IT!" I know for myself that there have been times in yoga (in the past) when I've pushed myself too far. Well, let me restate that. Times in the past in yoga, inline skating, aerobics, weight lifting, etc. It's hard to know when to stop, particularly if you're competitive. I think I've gotten much better at listening to my body over the years and definitely with age comes a bigger losing streak for the ego and a much bigger winning streak for the body.

What conversations have you and your ego engaged in? Ooh, I think I'll write a book about that. That would be funny and entertaining! Also, are you a yogi? Did the aforementioned article scare you a little if you are?

My life is on the upswing!

WAHOO!!!! The prowler is back at my gym!! Woot woot!! I LOVE that thing and I'm so happy it's back. I got to use it yesterday in my workout and it just made me happy. I can't believe people steal that thing. It's crazy. I found out that is the second prowler that was stolen. What's the problem? People have no morals? Oy!

I started out this week with a lot of energy. Of course I hadn't been to work for about 2 weeks and had slept just as much as I wanted to so of course I had energy. One of my goals for 2012 is to get in bed at 10:00pm. I did that on Monday and Tuesday and then I think it was probably 11 on Wednesday and same for Thursday. And last night, forget it! I'm sure it was past 12 midnight!! What a psychotic nut I am! I can't keep doing that. Of course I knew I could sleep in this morning and I did so I did get 8 hours of sleep. But next week I'm going to be better about getting in bed at 10pm.

I've gotten in some good workouts this week and some yoga as well. I'm going for yoga again today. Hopefully I'll be able to get in a little cardio before but that all depends on if I finish my cleaning in time. I think I can do it. We'll see!

I think over the course of last year I learned a lot about myself and life. I've finally come to a peaceful place within myself where my body and weight is concerned. I still don't like getting dressed right now because A LOT of my clothes don't fit. I've bought some new clothes so I have stuff to wear but I don't want to buy a lot of new clothes. The not overthinking food thing is very helpful. I really overthought my food, diet, nutrition, workouts, etc. last year and this year I'm just not doing that. I have cut myself some slack and chalked up my weight gain to post-competition. I'm not letting myself worry about how I will get back to a good mental state with my food. I can't worry about that because it just seems so destructive. So now I'm just taking it one step at a time. I was thinking about "sculpting" my body and then I thought about the Statue of David that I saw in Italy. And after some very quick research I realized that it took Michelangelo three years to complete that sculpture. So I've given myself that same amount of time. I will sculpt my body over the next three years, making minor changes here and there. No sledgehammer for me! No sirree! And if before the three years are over my sculpture is complete, I will have extra time to polish it! Haha!

I really have been enjoying getting back in the kitchen this week. I will continue on that path in the following weeks. I feel better eating better. Knowing that I made my food and that it tastes good is so rewarding. And there are always easier ways to make your food if you're looking for them. Like the pork and chicken I made earlier this week. I put them in the marinade one night. It probably took me about 15-20 minutes total to get them marinating in their bags. Then the next day between work and yoga I threw them in the oven and cooked them, let them sit and then sliced and stored them, cleaned up and off I went. I put some in the fridge and some in the freezer. They freeze well so I always have some yummy protein on hand. Simple and easy. LOVE it!

So I feel better about myself and my life. I think I was verging on some sort of depression at the end of last year. I just felt defeated and it was discomforting. Now I have hope, for lack of a better word. And I feel motivated, comfortable, and happy. This is all good. My life is on an upswing. I feel it. And that's all the motivation I need. So happy to be alive and healthy!

Welcome 2012

So all the hullabaloo is over! Sad :-( But there is new life and a new year! I didn't really get the charging start I usually have on New Years. I wasn't as well rested as I usually am when I return from my holiday shenanigans. All that being said, I did make a point to write up some goals for 2012. I was not really great at hitting a lot of my goals for 2011 but I did hit some. Some are the same as last year but at least I wrote them up and have broken down the most important ones to become daily habits or scheduled them out to make sure I attain those goals. There is one particular goal that I'm excited to get started on and I'll write more about that as the time nears around mid-March.

One of my goals is to rename my blog to something more appropriate to me today. I feel that I'm far away from the figure competing world so I need to redo my blog. If anyone has any great idea for my new blog title, please feel free to share it with me.

So, how did everyone enjoy their holidays? Were they grand? I had fun as I always do but I missed THE SNOW!!!! It's so sad to have Christmas with no snow! Especially when you're not in Southern California. So hopefully my 2012 Christmas will be filled with snow. I'll just have to wait an extra year to enjoy the snow. Since there was no snow there were a lot of "snow" type things that didn't happen like sledding, snow hikes, and skiing! So I was a lot less active than I usually am at Christmas time although I did manage to make it to the gym a couple of times, went on a nice long walk with my aunt, and played Just Dance 3 with my niece. So I wasn't a total slouch but definitely more sedentary than usual and ate more than usual.

Needless to say, one of my goals is to get back into better shape and have my clothes fit me. I'm not doing anything too drastic or setting weight or body fat goals because those don't really work well for me. My goal is simple and just to fit comfortably in my wardrobe again. One thing that I think helped me is taking my fish oil and 1 tablespoon of my liquid vitamins. I've never taken the 2 tablespoons that are recommended because it always just seemed too much for me. So I'm back on my habit of taking those.

Yesterday I bought new wheels for my inline skates but only FOUR! Let me ask you this, if each skate has 4 wheels, how many wheels do I need? Yep, EIGHT! Ooops! So I went to the gym instead and got in a very good hammies and glutes workout! I'm feeling it today and I love it! I was an animal yesterday because I also marinated a pork loin and some chicken breasts to cook today. I made this marinade but used brown sugar instead of stevia.

Asian Pork Tenderloin

 

2-3 T lite soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 T Worcestershire sauce
8 drops stevia
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 T Asian chili paste
3/4 t pepper
1 (1 pound)  pork tenderloin

Place all ingredients except pork in a Ziploc bag. Mix well. Add pork. Close and put in fridge for 4-8 hours. (I did about 7 hours.) Flip over every hour or so.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Transfer pork into an aluminum foil-lined baking pan.

Roast in a preheated oven 60-90 minutes till meat thermometer reads 150. (I cooked mine 70 minutes.) Remove, and let stand 5 to 10 minutes before carving. 

I also made brown rice couscous with some veggies (onion, zucchini, mushrooms, celery) and garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Very tasty! And quick! LOVE the brown rice couscous.

And then there was lunch today...mmm...so tasty!

Soba Noodles with Asian Chicken, green onions, sesame seeds, and julienned cucumbers

Tonight I have yoga. Yeah! Looking forward to that! I went on Tuesday and it was a great class. Just nice to be back in my routine and eating better and moving my body.

I'm really simplifying things in my life. So my motto for 2012 is eat less, move more. Simple and easy. And that's what I've been doing so far. No more getting hung up on calories, number of meals, macronutrients, micronutrients, meal timing, etc. etc. It's time to just move more and eat less and enjoy life and food! Yep! That's what 2012 will be looking like! Simple is key for 2012. Simplify my life and my food and my workouts!

"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, is creativity." ~Charles Mingus

How were your holidays? Any fun or funny stories anyone needs to share?