Tag: Health

An Affair to Forget

Guys, it’s true confession time.

I LOVE spicy mexican food and coke. I didn’t always love coke, but for some reason with this little guy it is pretty much an everyday craving. It’s one that I did indulge for about three weeks on an almost daily basis. It’s so crisp and tasty and pure cane sugary.

Now spicy mexican food, or spicy food in general, and I have had a long, torrid (pun intended) love affair. Chips and salsa, jalapenos and cheese, anything spicy-cheesy-heartburny is all I want.

But, guess what guys? I’ve also been suffering from insomnia, heartburn late at night, and carpal tunnel flare-ups. I’ve tried heat, massage, icing, topical treatments, and even spoke with my doctor about taking other supplements that might help. His response, “Honestly, you can try taking these things — but they aren’t going to help you. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

Great doc, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear. NOT! Whelp, so many of you gave me great suggestions and even asked your midwives for homeopathic remedies, but one suggestion stuck out to Alex from Michael (my piano teacher) about the carpal tunnel flare ups being linked to my eating habits. So, we thought to give it a try.

It’s been three days with no spicy foods, no soda, no fried anything, and low sugar — and guess what?! It has been pretty awesome! The last three nights I’ve slept a full 6 hours (I’m still waking up at 4:00/5:00, but that’s better than 1:00/2:00 am. And wrist has only mildly hurt. I hasn’t been NEARLY as painful as it was. As it turns out, my body was telling me through my heartburn what the problem was and I wasn’t paying attention. Here’s to hoping that this trend continues!

So coke and spicy food — we must say goodbye; even if just for the next three(ish) months.

Thank you for all the prayers, suggestions, and concerns,
Leelo

Recipe | Stuffed Bell Peppers

Serving Size: 3-4
Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

What You’ll Need:
1/2 lb lean ground turkey breast
1 cup onions
1 heaping tbsp of taco seasoning
2 cups of cooked rice (we used brown)
3-4 organic bell peppers
1 can of black beans
½ cup of corn
1 (16 ounce) jar of salsa
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour cream
Avocado

What You’ll Have:
Olive Oil
Taco Seasoning

What You’ll Do:
> Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
> Half bell peppers and seed them.  Coat them in olive oil and place in a baking dish.
> Cook for 20-25 minutes.

> While the bell peppers are cooking, cook turkey meat AND cook the rice (20 mins for white and 40 mins for brown).
> In another pan cook chopped onion until browned. Then add cooked rice, black beans and corn until heated through.
> In a large mixing bowl add the taco seasoning, cooked ground turkey, chopped onions, black beans, corn and rice. Add in the jar of salsa and mix well.

> Stuff the turkey into each half of the bell peppers and place back into the baking dish.
> Cook the peppers for another 15-20 minutes.
> Sprinkle the tops of each pepper with shredded cheddar cheese. Place back in the oven to melt the cheese.
> Top with avocado slices and sour cream just before serving.

Enjoy!

P.S. You might have some stuffing left after — it’s perfect to mix with some scrambled eggs in the morning for a Spanish Scramble!

P.P.S. For a vegetarian meal, cut out the meat and add quinoa and sautéed veggies.

Healthy is the New Skinny

About a month ago I started going to a personal trainer once a week. I know what you’re thinking… “Dang big money!” But, seriously it is expensive. I have approached these last four weeks as a crash course in fitness and overall health, because let’s just say this band nerd who ate/drank Dr. Pepper and hot Cheetos all through high school does not know the first thing about proper nutrition nor about lifting anything except a pair of cymbals (yes, you can laugh now).

My trainer Joe has been amazing.  Alex and I have been doing combined sessions and Joe has been teaching us about eating healthy and targeting specific muscles including our hearts, glutes, abs, legs, and arms (which is pretty much your entire body, right?).  Joe’s goal for us both has been:

Don’t weigh yourself.  This isn’t about weigh loss.  If you eat healthy, and work out a minimum of 20 mins a day, the results will come.  Slowly, but surely, they will come.  This is not a crash diet… it’s a lifestyle change.

Further, as some of you may know, but both Alex and I have lower back issues (his is sciatica and mine is scoliosis) and Joe has given us some great modifications for typical work out moves to aid in building back muscle, while taking the pressure off our lower backs during other work outs.  It has been inspiring and so extremely helpful.  I have hurt in places I didn’t even know muscles existed and it is fantastic.  Honestly, if you’ve never had any personal attention in the fitness/health area I recommend getting a trainer or taking a course at your local community college.

Finally, I told Joe that Alex and I would like to start planning for a family this year, but that I wanted to be healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout my pregnancy.  He was honest and encouraged me to lower my body fat index through a workout/food regimen and he has me keep a food journal.  He’s been extremely encouraging and told me that I’m honestly not eating that bad, but that I should eat more often (to keep my metabolism working — never get too hungry) and consume more water (to aid my body is flushing out toxins).

So, I’ve been trying to adopt a healthy lifestyle through what I believe to be a few simple steps:

1) Work out at least 20 mins a day
2) Alternate cardio and weight lifting every other day
3) Consume a minimum of 8 glasses of water daily
4) Eat more frequently (5xs a day)
5) Eat more veggies instead of more carbs
6) Eat fruit in the mornings

I’m not entirely sure how this is working for me weight loss wise, but I sure feel healthier. And if Joe is right, the weight loss will come.  But hey… it’s not about being skinny right. It’s about being healthy. Healthy is the new skinny, dontcha know?