My New Year’s Day started just as pretty much all my others have.. watching the Rose Parade! I was happy not to sleep in too late after going to bed around 2:30am, because I’ve been trying hard to keep my sleep schedule relatively normal over break. So I curled up with a cup of coffee and my laptop with the Parade.
While watching, I saw a preview for the new season of ‘The Biggest Loser.’ I’ve mentioned my general opinion of the show (not a tremendously positive one), but there is something I really like about this season (and I think they’ve done it before).. they’re focusing on family. Last night, I was in a conversation with a few friends about how America got into its current health state. Naturally I have some pretty strong feelings about this, and I always love hearing others perspectives & opinions. One of the topics that came up was the debate over the extent to which one’s diet and exercise habits are influenced by how they are raised, and the potential difficulty in overcoming such habits. I’m happy to see that Biggest Loser will be addressing this issue. In the preview, a mother takes the blame for her son’s obesity. I agree that she would be partially to blame, but the son she’s speaking of is full grown, and clearly well aware that the health choices he’s been making, for probably the past decade, are very detrimental. I haven’t come to a conclusion on this issue. Generally, I think it is pretty common knowledge that eating fast food hamburgers/fries/burritos/fried-anything everyday is unhealthy. In America today, with the extensive variety of food we have at our fingertips, you can pretty much find a relatively healthy option anywhere, including fast food establishments (I can’t in good conscious call them restaurants.. strong feelings much? :p ). So, I have trouble giving into the excuse that unhealthy eating habits are the result of an addiction or insurmountable. If you know it’s bad, and you continue to do it, maybe it’s your fault. And I include myself in this. My unhealthy tendencies have never been fast food related, but there are certainly things I’ve done, over and over, knowing they were negative to my overall health. This is a difficult topic to address so briefly because there are sooo many components and influential factors that go into it; namely sociological, economical, psychological, etc. As I continue my education, through both IIN and my own personal reading and exploration, I look forward to delving into this more.
* Please note though, that I am speaking of people who are otherwise physically & mentally capable.
Coincidentally, I also came across this article today: How We Became a Society of Gluttonous Junk Food Addicts (linked to this from a cool site called Wellness Uncovered), which talks about how fast foods and generally chemically created products really are addictive. Who knows.. for every article claiming one thing, you can find another saying the opposite. So I just try to do my best to gather information from as many different sources and perspectives as I can.
And lastly, have you seen those ridiculous ‘Taco Bell Diet’ commercials?! omg! I think I might end up throwing something at the TV, gah! ..
Musical Musings
On a completely different note.. you know when a song totally just clicks with you, and not necessarily because it tells your story, but you just instantly like it.. I love that. Here are a few songs I’m totally diggin a few songs right now:
John Mayer – Perfectly Lonely
Dave Matthews – You & Me
Flipsyde- Angel
FITNESS
I had all sorts of motivation today.. unfortunately my physical self didn’t seem to get the memo. I hit the gym to work back & core, but was just feeling.. blah. I felt heavy and sluggish. I got through okay, but it wasn’t my best. I know it’s mainly the repercussions of my not-so-clean eats yesterday. I didn’t go crazy or anything, but I did have (my last lil bit of) sugar, and quite a few cheese & cracker based appetizers. I was a little bummed leaving the gym, but I know just getting in there and starting to work out the ickiness means that I’ll feel tons better tomorrow!
Sunset Yoga
I did a relaxing Flow class later in the evening. I hadn’t been to this location before.. it’s actually at the spa of a really nice resort. The class started right around sunset, and oh my goodness, I wish I had my camera! The spa balcony looked out over Camelback mountain, and the unbelievably gorgeous sunset of reds, pinks & golds made for a truly inspiring yoga backdrop. Growing up in the Northwest my sheltered view of scenic beauty generally involved green trees, snowcapped mountains and ocean views, but the desert has won me over. I’ve lived here over a year and a half and the sunsets still blow me away every time. What a perfect way to start 2010
For example, tonight it was something like this..
A friend of mine took this pic of one of our fairly typical sunsets.. wow!
NUTRITION
Off to a lovely ‘10 start!
The best part about making those cookies yesterday, was that it left me with a almost empty peanut butter jar 
Post-workout I went with my go to mid-day snack of late.. Protein Yogurt with Maple Apples, then topped it with a couple tablespoons of TJ’s Omega Trail Mix.
Squash Sluttery
Today I slutted myself out to multiple squashes.. and I’m not ashamed to say it! First, there was my true love, Kabocha, which teamed up with 1/2 c Cottage Cheese for a pre-Yoga snack.
I’ve had a Spaghetti Squash sitting around for weeks now, and tonight was its night to impress me.. and I swoon :p Foreplay involved me cutting it in half, scooping out the seed and roasting it cut-side down in a 375 F oven for 40.
Next, I used a fork to scoop out the “meat” into this lovely noodle looking form. To spice it up, I mean you never want to let things get dull, I topped 1 cup of the squash strands with 3 oz Wild Coho Salmon and 1/2 c Cottage Cheese.
Wow! I am completely a new member of the Spaghetti Squash fan club. It has a slightly nutty flavor and went so well with the salmon. 1 cup was the perfect serving size, and now for the ridiculously happy news:
What a perfect low cal substitute for starchy carbs like pasta and rice.
Nightcap
I was low on protein for the day, so a high protein snack was in order to cap off the night. I’ve pretty sure you can mix a good protein powder with egg whites &/or pumpkin, pop it in the microwave and it’ll be eatable.. if you like that sort of thing :p This was only ok, but I add a little Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup and UVAB and was good to go..
Thankful
Perhaps I was just more attentive to it because it’s the 1st of the year, but today little things kept reminding me of how incredibly fortunate I am, and how truly thankful I am very everything that happened in 2009. When life gets hectic it’s so easy to speed through life stressing about daily activities & responsibilities. So I’ve added another resolution: to take a moment everyday to simply be appreciative, and to be better about sharing my thanks. I know that sounds pretty cheesy and simplistic, but I know I’m guilty of taking components of my life for granted, or perhaps more accurately, failing to express my gratitude. Life’s too short!
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