Temptations...

(You may have noticed a bit of a change with the background and set up of the blog. Don't worry, we are just trying some new things...)

For the month of February, it seemed that I was constantly surrounded by chocolate or oreo truffles or cupcakes or cookies...some sort of sweet.

So, because so many people around me were giving up things for Lent, I decided to join them and give up something I truly love. I tried giving up all sweets (no, I am not Catholic, but it seems like a good time to do something drastic). Le Fiance decided to give up chips.

I lasted about a week-ish. 

I know. Pathetic.

So maybe I can't handle such drastic measures. 

However, I did lost 2.7 lbs last week. It was torture, but that just proves how addicted I am to chocolate.

 

Le Fiance is still going strong, although he is trying to find alternatives to chips. He asked me if he could eat popcorn (he doesn't even like popcorn).

Instead, I am back to the whole moderation thing, which time and time again proves the way to go. I can enjoy my sweets, but still be in control. 

How do you guys keep in control when temptation is all around? 

Any tips?

I've got 22 lbs to go to reach my goal weight for the wedding. 

Trucking along...

  

Changes...

My apologies for my lack of posting this week.

But in my defense, some major things happened.

1. Le Boyfriend was in town, and that always throws off my schedule

2. Le Boyfriend proposed to me, therefore becoming Le Fiancé

cue the happy dance

What better motivation do you need to get into shape than to fit into a wedding gown??

So I have been transitioning from getting fit to meet someone to get fit to keep the someone to get fit to marry the someone. 

This is exhausting. But a good exhausting. The kind that makes you want to accomplish your goal.

In preparation for this, my schedule for working out looks like this:

Monday- Run

Tuesday- Run

Wednesday- Run or Crossfit

Thursday- Zumba

Friday- Run

Saturday- Zumba or Crossfit

Here are some additional links for those of you who are looking to get into shape before walking down the aisle.

Buff Brides

Get Fit Moves

Workout for Brides

Love...

Happy Valentine's Day!

I heard on the radio yesterday that men felt a lot of pressure to make this day a "perfect" day for their girlfriend/wife/lover. That they felt this need to get the most wonderful gift or plan the most amazing date...and that they felt this every year. Its not like they get a break from one year to the next. Every year.

But instead of giving you gift ideas, or a recipe to keep you on track that is still romantic enough to celebrate this day, I propose that we throw all of that out of the window and celebrate ourselves.

I don't care if you are single, married, divorced, or in the "its complicated" stage...

You are wonderful. 

Do something today that makes you happy because you are worth it!

Stats

On my other blog, I have this Thirty before 30 list...things I want to accomplish before I turn 30 (which is happening in November. Yes, I am fine, no, I am not talking about it). 

One of the items on the list is to reach my goal weight before I turn 30. As mentioned in a previous post, I managed to do really well during the summer, but in September started dancing around with the same 5 lbs, doing really well one week, only to crash the next. 

With some encouragement from my mom, last week I joined Weight Watchers again, only this time I am doing the online program, because sometimes going to meetings is just not possible. 

Here are my stats-

Weight loss for last week: 5.8 lbs

Total weight loss (including summer loss): 32.8 lbs

Pounds to go: 29

But I would like to alter my goal so that I lose those 29 pounds by the summer. Summer officially begins June 20th, but I would like to be at my goal by June 1st.  That gives me 115 days days, or 16 weeks to achieve this. 

Care to join me on my journey?

 

This is it.

Summer of Hot Bod is on!

Am I crazy?

How many of you out there are runners?

I certainly like to pretend I am a runner, but really, it takes a lot to motivate me to run. I've done that Couch to 5K program a million and a half times, and have gotten to the point where I was running 3 miles a day, but then life takes over and I give it up. And with my knee problems...its a hassle. Icing my knee every night, dealing with time management, exhaustion from work. It can be quite the commitment.

With all of that, why did I just sign up for the 2012 Warrior Dash? Not only is it a 5k race, it also has an obstacle course.

Here is a glimpse of what I will be facing...this is from last year's race

My first race...this should be interesting...

A question of motivation

How are your resolutions coming along?

Did you make it to the gym at least 5 times last week?

Cook fabulous, but low fat/calorie meals every night?

Did you get 8 hours of sleep on work days?

Me either.

I saw an awesome quote the other day that said, "You are the only thing that is stopping you". I don't know you said it (full disclosure, I saw it on Pinterest). But isn't that the truth? Everyone morning, I tell myself that it is going to be an awesome day. I pack my breakfast and lunch, make plans to workout when I get home...and then reality hits, and I am exhausted, and its easier to sit on the couch to watch a movie than go outside in the bitter cold (right now it is 37F). 

So. What can we do to change ourselves? How can we remain motivated throughout the day, so that when the moment comes, the motivation is just as fresh as it was in the morning?

No, really, I am asking you. 

How do you motivate yourself everyday?

And as a funny little side note, I saw this and could not agree more...its just getting to that point that I need to work on.

Back on the wagon

Hey there!

You know, during this break that I had from writing on here, I found myself wondering if it did me any good. Writing on a healthy living blog can be a challenge, especially when you aren't doing the "healthy living" you are supposed to be preaching about. 

I have a confession to make. 

I fell off the wagon.

Here is a picture

Urgh

But then, I went to Spain for the summer with my study abroad kids.  And something weird happened. I was walking 6-7 miles a day (I had a million and a half errands to take care of everyday). I was eating smaller portions because I didn't have time to eat big meals. And I made sure to include a ton of fruit in my diet.

And guess what?

I came back 27 lbs lighter.

Me and The Man

Now here is the thing. I came back to real life, and a full time job where I can't just pick up and walk 6-7 miles. I was searching for a place to live, I start seeing someone and life took over again.

Right now I am in the awkward phase where I keep losing and gaining the same five pounds over and over again (Oh, and let's not forget the Holidays. They get me every time!) And Le Boyfriend doesn't help because he is a major chocoholic and candy guy. 

What is a girl to do??

Instead of crawling in my bed and covering myself in blankets, I have decided to be a mature adult and attack. 

I am going to cook healthier meals.

Go to yoga once or twice a week

Play volleyball once a week.

Go to Zumba twice a week. 

Swim once or twice a week. 

And I am going to walk more. 

And when the weather gets warmer I am going to ride my bike to the store.

Anyway, the point of all of this is that I am absolutely thrilled to be back here, writing and having some accountability of my health goals.

I didn't write any New Years Resolutions, because I always feel like a failure when I don't do them. 

Instead, I am making a goal for healthier living.

Glad to be back.

Changes are coming....

...for more information...

Passion= traveling

I hate packing.

For the past few summers I have packed up all my belongings in DC in order to travel. The first summer I did this I was able to sublet my spot in my house, and I just packed away my clothes. But now I pack up everything, sell some furniture, and put everything into storage. 

Right now my room is a disaster area. I have Rubbermaids in every corner, boxes and suitcases along my hallway...and my bed is often covered with clothes (I just shift the clothes to another location when I go to sleep). 

Again, I hate packing. 

However, this year my packing situation is a little different. My roommate and I ended our lease early, so I am going to put all my stuff into storage this Saturday, about two weeks before I am scheduled to leave on my trip and sleep on an air mattress at a friend's house (thank you friend!!). So, not only am I packing for my travels, but I am also packing to be able to survive two weeks of living at a friend's.

You may be asking yourself if it is really worth doing this every year. And my answer is yes. 

You see, traveling is in my blood, it is my passion. My grandparents absolutely loved to travel. They were able to travel quite a bit in South America with my grandfather's company (my grandparents were based out of Chile for a number of years), but they also traveled all over Europe. When my grandfather retired, he and my grandmother went to Spain twice a year, usually in March and October. Now that my grandmother has passed away, the grandchildren (and the aunts) have taken over the reigns and often go with my grandfather to Spain (it was great fun when Alina and I lost our grandfather in Zaragoza!).

Beyond that, my aunt lived in Switzerland during college and traveled all over. My mom's first trip to Europe was when she was 16, with my aunt. They went on a adventure, just the two of them, and you should hear some of their stories (particularly the story about the lake in Switzerland, when a storm hit and they were in a canoe).

And then there is me. I was 12 days old the first time I rode on a plane. My first big trip was to New York City at 15. At 22 I went to Europe for the first time. I have traveled all around US and I have gone to South America (ask me about the time I took my grandfather to a tango show in Buenos Aires). I studied abroad in Paris and have been back to Europe 7 times.

And still it is not enough. 

In short, traveling is what makes me tick. I love planning trips (that's half the fun) and I love taking impromptu trips. I have a savings account dedicated to them (seriously, my saving account is named Happy Trip Money). 

So,what is your passion? What do you do (or wish you could) that makes you completely happy?

Wait, its JUNE??

(Just as a warning, this post is a smorgasbord of thoughts)

How was everyone's Memorial Day Weekend?

Hope you all had a fun time. I spent the weekend at a lake in Maryland (Deep Creek Lake). I go every year with a group of friends and we rent a house and have all sorts of fun.

 Aren't we a good looking bunch!

Anyway.

At one point during the weekend, a bunch of us were sitting in the hot tub, commenting on how much weight we gained during the weekend (for some background info, there is candy everywhere. Chocolate chip cookies, trail mix, Cheeze Its, lemonade, cupcakes, pie....and then we have our regular meals).

Thankfully, I only gained two pounds. Which are coming off as soon as I go running this afternoon.  

Which leads me to my next point: I am starting the Couch to 5K program again. I did this a few years ago and was really successful (I had to stop because my knees started to act up). I never officially ran a 5K, but I was doing it regularly at my gym. This time I want to run in the Tunnel to Tower 5K in New York City on September 25th. So I have plenty of time to get my knees in running shape.

Speaking of goals, I started to freak out this morning because it is June 1st and I have not accomplished any of my fitness goals. Where has the year gone?? I told myself in January that I was going to be much lighter when I went to Spain this year. False. I am just a little lighter. So...I leave for Spain on June 27th and for the next 27 days, we are in full fitness mode. My new goal is to reach my goal weight by my birthday (if not before), which is November 27th. That should be plenty of time.

 In closing of this very random blog entry, my friends and I have a saying about working out during the summer. We call it Summer of Hot Bod. 

Everyone, please join me in welcoming Summer of Hot Bod (take four!). 

This year, we will be successful!

Branching out...

Because we may be branching out into other aspects beyond "health", I thought it would be fun to tell you a little bit more about myself, beyond what you see on this blog. 

Things that I am:

A daughter/granddaughter/cousin/sister/niece

A friend

A teacher

A roommate

A traveler

A foodie

A baker

An occasional cross-stitcher

A failed crocheter

A music lover

An occasional actress (my name will be in lights on Broadway one day)

....

The list can go on and on. I guess what I am trying to say is that there are so many different sides of me and everyone else, that we at So Maybe Your Mom Was Right felt the blog needed to move in a direction that could appeal to more people around us. So please please please, tell us what you want to hear. When we have happy readers, you have happy bloggers!

A fiasco...

Yesterday I tried to go to Zumba. I haven't been to a Zumba class since December because I don't really like the instructor that teaches at the time I can go. I mean, she is a good instructor and in fantastic shape, but she turns her class more into a hip-hop class, when I really want Latin dancing. It's not a big deal, but you know, everyone has their preferences...

I digress.

As I said, I tried to go to Zumba. When I arrived at the building, there was a security guard outside the door, pointing to a sign that said "Zumba: SOLD OUT". I asked him about that and he said the class really was sold out. I asked how this could be, and how I could get on the list in order to be admitted to the class. 

He replied that there was no list, but people had to line up for the class and when all the spots were taken, everyone else was turned away. I looked at my watch (it was 7:20 pm) and asked what time people lined up for the 7:40 pm class. He said they started lining up at 6pm. SIX PM! Are you kidding me?? Who has time for that?? 

I'm glad Zumba is gaining popularity, but really, this is starting to border on ridiculous. So I walked back to my car and drove home, really upset. There was no way I was going to the gym (all the machines would be taken and I didn't have time to make it to the 8 pm aerobics class). 

So I did the next best thing. I went for a walk. I walked about 2 miles before it started to get dark, and I stopped by my old house to get my bike (its been in the basement for about a year). 

The point to all this is that I didn't let this Zumba fiasco derail me. I could have easily gone home and watched Glee instead of working out. It wasn't the best workout (although walking uphill with a bike with flat tires is no easy feat), but when I got home I was sweaty and felt accomplished. 

Which is really the point to all of this (Feeling accomplished. Not sweaty, although its good to be sweaty sometimes....oh, never mind...).

On the agenda for tonight: Sand Volleyball (if the courts aren't all in use).

A foodie's revelation

The other day I was blogging browsing and I came upon a weight loss blog, All the Weigh. Great blog, and its writer has done some amazing things with her weight loss goals. Anyway, the entry was from a guest blogger, who also has lost a fair amount of weight. She wrote about how to be a foodie but still lose weight.

Now I should back up and say that I consider myself a foodie. I love love love trying new food (my last adventure was Ethiopian food. It was a divine!) and I love cooking new recipes. But alas, with that comes the addition of pounds. 

Back to the original story, in this blog I found a quote that I wanted to share with you:

One character asks the very slim owner of a gourmet deli how he can be a foodie and be so thin.  The deli owner replies: "If you're surrounded by gourmet food and you gain weight, you don't love food - you love eating.  You can experience a burst of flavor in a tiny bite of roasted red pepper."

All of a sudden, I had a revelation. It is so true! The first few bites of something are always the best and when as you finish off what ever you are eating, you are trying to recreate the first bite (with little success). So you stuff yourself, trying to get back to the first bite, when really, you should be moving on to something else. 

Which is why people who take small bites of everything, instead of plate fulls of everything, are better able to lose weight/maintain their weight. This is a lesson I should have learned from my friend Laura, who has always been very slender. She just needs a bite here and there to satisfy herself. I used to join her in her bites here and there...and then serve myself a a bigger portion. But if I can somehow rewire my brain to be satisfied with a few bites...imagine the possibilities!

So that is going to be my goal this week. I am going to New York City this weekend and am going to put my plan into action! I am going to enjoy my meals, and stop when I am moderately full. I'll let you know how it goes!

Are you living?

Sorry for the lateness of the post, Wednesday just kinda snuck up on me and I have been going nonstop!

Question: What is the craziest thing you have ever done? How did it make you feel?

I have a quick story for you, from my college days, back when I was dating a biker. There are all sorts of tricks that riders can do on bikes, pop a wheelies, or stoppies, or christ air. But these should always be done with a single rider, not a rider and passenger. Unless you are dumb like me and my ex-boyfriend, who regularly tried these tricks with me on the back of his bike. And almost wrecked. More than a few times (Mom, don't worry, we never did. All is well).

You may be asking yourself why I would share such a story. Not because it was smart, or anything like that. But when I think back to those times, I can think that I was really enjoying the moment. I was living, however dumb it was, and doing something that I really enjoyed. I look back with fondness to those times with a little smile on my face, close my eyes and shake my head.

I was facebook stalking browsing and came upon an interesting quote a friend from high school had posted:

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered :“Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

Now, I have no idea if The Dalai Lama actually said this, but it does give food for thought. Are we experiencing the present? I have written in the past about comparing ourselves to other people.  But what happens when we don't even enjoy where we are now? Here at So Maybe Your Mom Was Right, we are at all different stages of life. We have all sorts of relationship situations, from single to married with two children. We have teachers, a physical therapist, a stay at home mom, and a grad student. We live in different parts of the country and experience different things everyday. Yet I imagine that none of us would give it what we have for something else or something "better".

We each experience life according to to our individual timetable and we need to be sure that we enjoy each stage that we are in, or else it will fly by. So whether you are a stay at home mom with five children or a career woman or whatever the case may be, be sure to be thankful for each day that you have and each moment that you experience.

So again, I ask what was the craziest thing you have ever done? How did it make you feel?

A lesson in meal planning...

I am not a weekly menu planner. When I go grocery shopping, I get the usual things (ham, bread, yogurt, eggs) but I don't really cook big meals for myself. A typical dinner for me may be a sandwich or an omelet. 

But, I am trying to be better. Yesterday I made a turkey meatloaf. It was delicious! And easy...

The best part about this recipe is that it includes mushrooms. Really, you can add just about any veggies (hidden or not) because the sauce that goes with the meatloaf is BBQ based. I imagine that carrots and zucchini would work really well in the recipe. 

So, here we go:

For the original recipe, click here (but for a quick view, read on...)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms/carrots/zucchini (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
• 2/3 cup ready-to-serve creamy tomato soup, divided
• 1/4 cup ketchup, divided
• 1/4 cup BBQ, divided
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
• chili powder to taste (I did not include the chili powder)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, mix the turkey, eggs, mushrooms/carrots/zucchini, bread crumbs, soup mix, 1/3 cup creamy tomato soup, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Mold the mixture into a loaf shape, and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle with chili powder (optional).
3. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining creamy tomato soup, remaining ketchup, remaining BBQ sauce, and remaining Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
4. Bake loaf 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Top with the sauce (I added a little more breadcrumbs for crunch), and continue baking 15 minutes, to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

 Sorry for the poor quality of photo, I used my phone....

Paired with green beans, this proved to be a healthy meal, with plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.

Vacay

My dear readers,
 Do not think that I have forgotten you. I have not. But I am on Spring Break. In Miami. I will have lots to tell you next week. But I plan to spend all day at the pool tomorrow.

kthanksbye,
Adriana

Springtime and a Wordle...

I have a couple things I want to write about today...

1. I took Alina's advice and spent some time outside. This weekend I had a chance to go to the White House Spring Garden Tour, which allows people to go on the White House grounds and check out the gardens. I think the most impressive of the gardens was the Kitchen Garden. They had quite the collection of food! The only problem is that the garden is a little walk from The White House (poor Michelle, who has to walk all the way down to the garden to get her veggies...).

 The day was originally a little cloudy and a bit chilly, but by the afternoon, the day turned out to be really nice. My friends and I walked down from The White House to the Capital to get some lunch and it was such a pleasant walk! It was only about 2.5 miles, but in good weather and great company, a very enjoyable experience.



2. Have you heard of Wordle? It is a great application that allows you to create word clouds out of text, and makes the words you use the most the biggest. I was interested to see what words I used the most when writing on this blog. I am very pleased that some of the biggest words were know, good, work, get, going, Weight Watchers, and healthy. It amazes me that we have been working on this blog for 10 months!

Easy??

Sorry for posting so late, it has been one of those days. May I tell you about it?

I went to work, nothing unusual there, except that it is the end of the quarter tomorrow and ALL OF MY STUDENTS want to see their grades. Forget the fact that I posted their grades on the door (well, not individual grades for assignments, which they should already know because I tell them their grades, but cumulative grades). 

So, I am pulling up grades and explaining why they got this grade on that paper, or this grade on that Seminar...and it is just taking all my patience. 

And then I of course have those students who want to turn in late work to push up their grade. Sorry buddy, we should have been having that conversation weeks ago. 

AND I am still grading essays and Socratic Seminars.

AND I had to bake cupcakes for a mini bridal shower we are having at work tomorrow. That required (another) trip to the grocery store to pick up what I forgot a few days ago.

.......

But in good news, I did not reach for the chocolate. Much like teachergirl found success in not getting donuts, I am somehow managing my stress and not eating my feelings. 

Look at me, I am growing (figuratively).

There won't be anything really substantial in this posting, except that I survived today.

Hope your day was a little easier...

Percentages

Have you ever been near the end of your workout, totally exhausted and ready to quit when "your" song comes on? You know, that song that inspires you to keep going, to push a little harder...

That song for me has changed over the years, but lately it has been a song by Fort Minor, "Remember the Name". It is a great song for running...when it comes on, I find that extra strength to run a little further.

Particularly when the chorus comes on:

"This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!"

Upon closer look at the percentages that the song offers, isn't it true? 

10% Luck

20% Skill

15% Power of Will

5% Pleasure

50% Pain

100% Remember the Name

But I actually want to change the 100%. I change it to 100% worth it. 

As I am working out or cooking or ignoring the orange glaze rolls sitting in my fridge that my roommate made (true story), I have to remember why I live my life the way I do. Not only am I getting healthier, I am fitting into smaller clothes, I am more confident in myself and being an example to others. 

And all that makes the 50% pain worth it.

Spring in the air?

These are some thoughts that I have had over the last few days.  They may seem like ramblings, but they make sense. I promise.

Is anyone else having a really hard time getting over the time change? I know it is only an hour, but my body is acting as though I have deprived it of weeks of sleep. 

But I will say that I am loving having the extra sunlight. The sun is no longer going down as I am getting home for work, which means that I can be more productive (although the amount of stuff that I am grading is not changing. I have to put my foot down somewhere).

Plus- I don't know where you live, but in DC, it is starting to get warmer. It is still in the 30s when I go to work, but by the afternoon it is usually in the 50s, which means I can walk to my car without my coat!

Do you know where all this is leading? Spring is on its way and with that comes the chance to spend more time outside (although I tried to go kite flying the other day. No go. It was too cold!)! I am so excited to be able to hop on my bike and ride to the Capital or to Mt. Vernon (I have only done that once, but I like the thought that I can). And play softball outside (I am joining a league this season!) or sand volleyball (there is usually a group that gets together on Saturday mornings). 

The point is to be outside.

So get out there and enjoy the sun! 

But don't get sunburned. It's still too early for that.

 

 

This is what DC looks like in the spring. I am so excited!!