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Winner Food Wednesdays… Sunday

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Soooo this post was supposed to go up Wednesday and today is Sunday.. Therefore, for today, this will be Winner Food Sunday.Wednesday ill be back on track Ugh lol. I could lie and say ive been super busy but the truth is, I’m always busy.. everything is a matter of planning. I feel obliged to discipline myself for falling off so early. How about tomorrow for my a.m. fitness ill do 30 extra pushups??? I think that will suffice.. Todays Winner Food Wednesday Sunday highlight is…*drum roll*……..Cauliflower!!! *erupts into cheers and screams* 

I won’t go into detail how Winner Food Wednesdays work again.. but refer back to my first post on it for the basics concerning eating local, organic, etc. The purpose of Winner Food Wednesdays is to highlight foods currently in season… Now lets get to it

Cauliflower is considered a cruciferous vegetable and boasts a high nutritional value..

1. it is loaded with antioxidants and phytonutrients including vitamin c and manganese, beta carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, rutin and many more… This is good for the total health of the body. Antioxidants and phytonutrients are good in preventing free radicals, lowering the risks of heart disease etc.

2. Cauliflowers nutrients also help lower the risk of many cancers

3. low in calories, so its good you’re a calorie counter 😉

4. It has anti inflammatory benefits due to its vitamin k and fatty acids content (this includes arthritis and chronic pains)

5. loaded with fiber… your digestive system will love you

 

Cauliflower has so many other benefits, these are just a few.. Go get some today!! Remember, the longer you cook a food the less nutrient dense it is. If your veggies are sitting on the stove an extended period of time cooking (ie. cauliflower being extra mushy) and then you douse it with butter, you are defeating the purpose… Learn ways to “cook” your cauliflower without killing it, ie. sauteed. Each time, work on less and less stove time as to retain more of the nutritional value. You can also chop up cauliflower and add to your salads. Raw is the ideal form. Im a plain Jane so if I “cook” my cauliflower, I steam it for a minute or two, add some curry seasonings, a dash of sea salt and voila, veggie magic!

sn: I had the random thought/question, am I the only one who refers to cauliflower as albino broccoli?? I know theyre in the same family but yea…Lol.. nevermind, maybe im just corny. Anyway, enjoy!! Let me know how you fix your cauliflower.

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Winner Food Wednesday: Asparagus

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I thought it would be cool, once a week (Wednesdays), to post info on foods that are currently in season. I’m choosing foods that are in season bc that’s when they are at their best and peak nutrition. In todays society, I think we take fore-granted the direct access we have to fruits, vegetables, etc. that we wouldnt normally have access to, year round. Our conditioning allows us to see food such as strawberries ( a summer fruit) in our local grocery stores in the dead of winter and not think twice. We have foods shipped from all over so that we can enjoy this precious earths seasonal foods every day of the year.. While this is convenient, this isnt necessarily healthy. Your food loses a lot of nutrients during the shipment process and is often traveling thousands of miles.. From the moment it is harvested, the nutrients start to go “bye bye.” So, if you can help it, try to eat in season. Next, aim for local produce, this supports local farmers AND these foods will have more nutrients (hence NO thousand mile shipment process). Relatively important as well, try to eat organic.. This will ensure youre not getting yucky pesticides and dangerous chemicals along with your beautiful food (be wary of the word “natural” this doesnt necessarily mean organic.) Lastly, you can start your own small organic garden like I have decided to do, to grow your favorite fruits and veggies and minimize store spending. Doing one or all four of these suggestions will result in you getting more from your food.. 

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Back to the asparagus…

Asparagus is a spring veggie.. Benefits???

  • helps balance insulin levels
  • good for your heart
  • stimulates milk production in nursing mothers
  • high in dietary fiber
  • loaded w/vitamin c, betacarotene, selenium, zinc
  • anti inflammatory agent
  • alkaline
  • helps lower blood pressure
  • good superfood for balding
  • potassium
  • Vitamins K, B6, B3, B1, all the other  Bs Lol

There are so many more benefits I did not name… So include more asparagus into your diet, especially this spring.. 

 

You can finely chop asparagus and add to salads, steam, or my personal favorite, grill.. Yum! Season to taste.. a light sprinkling of sea salt, some lemon juice and garlic often do the trick.

If you decide to boil your asparagus make sure you use the water, as many of the nutrients and antioxidants can be found in such. You can add this water to your smoothies base or use as a facial cleanser (think antioxidants.. our skin loves antioxidants)

SN: the longer you cook or heat food, the less nutrient dense it is… try to get more raw foods in your diet.

Eat Up!!

I think ill stick to Winner Food Wednesdays.. Let me know what you guys think 🙂

“Youre Trying to Kill ME”: Adventures of Winter Bike Riding

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Soooo almost every evening this past week, my (not so little) sis has asked me to go bike riding. Due to my weird schedule, our times just never seemed to align. Today however I text her and asked if she wanted to go… to be honest, I was hoping she’d say no.. but of course she quickly replied ” yes, I will see you shortly” ughhhhhh…It was ridiculously windy so I was NOT looking forward. Once we both arrived at the house we prepped the bikes and headed out.. Now, my sis was dressed for a workout and I was dressed for leisure. Im not quite sure which it was supposed to be but youll soon read we were both dressed adequate for what was experienced..

 

 

We set out and I determined, by the end I wanted her to not feel as though I shortchanged her in anyway so I took her a semi long route.. Less then halfway through she began making statements such as “my butt hurts”, “my legs hurt”, “its cold”, “slow down”…Lol.. I was laughing the entire time.. 2.3 miles in we stopped for a small break and pic opportunity 🙂

 

 

At this point I determined for my sis this was a workout, for me, not so much. I didn’t mind though, I love to encourage and help push people to and beyond their limits. We proceeded, and halfway home I prepped my sis for a familiar hill we were going to have to bike up. As kids we would all refer to it as “the big hill” because we would go to the top and ride our bikes down and when youre young, big hills are like mountains. Nevertheless, it is still a decent hill… Anyway, I told my sis, “start pumping right before we get to the base because if you don’t make it up this hill you will owe me pushups”… As she rolls her eyes (prob beginning to regret ever suggesting a bike ride to me) she begins to speed up.. We get closer and *whosh* shes gone…

 

 

 

What comes shortly after this I could not have prepared for… Beware:: No young adult humans were harmed during the pic capture of this friendly activity 🙂 …and the academy award for most dramatic sister goes to… *drum roll*….. My sister!!! *pops bottle of apple cider*

 

 

I know you’re wondering is she dead? Passed out? Hurt? None of the above.. when she realized she wasn’t gonna make it to the top she stopped, flung herself off that beautiful Trek bike, fell to the ground, and yelled “YOU’RE TRYING TO KILL ME.”  First little girl, it is FREEZING cold out so you need to get your behind off that ground. Second, I laughed so I hard.. I cant believe this girl.. I mean really.. I wish I could have recorded it. The crazy thing is, she is about TWO feet from the top.. just two.  She literally laid there for about what seemed like 5 minutes. Shortly after this I had to hype her home.. By hype I mean, encourage her to keep a reasonable speed. I even teased a little by suggesting we hit another trail ( I wouldnt be a good big sister if I didnt.) Of course she wasnt having that.. When we reached the house she flung herself on the couch as though she had just climbed Mount Everest. Overall it turned out to be a good ride.. Im glad I went, I got lots of laughs!! Hope your Sunday evening was as eventful as mines 🙂

Confidence or Cockiness???

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This will be long so get comfy… I find myself struggling with the question, what is confidence and what is cockiness?? Let me preface by saying I was raised in a culture where modesty is cheered. Saying “Yea, im ok” when you really are the bomb.com is more socially correct as to not seem, ‘arrogant’.. As i’m getting older, I can’t help but wonder, why we do this? I find myself questioning the moral behind downplaying yourself.

 

Everyone wants the underdog to win but no one wants the underdog to overstate their gifts. I’ll use a new human phenomenon that has everyone going crazy.. Mr. Jeremy Lin aka Linsanity. His story is incredible, cut from two teams, I believe, and was almost cut from the Knicks until his recent opportunity to showcase his skills. Jeremy Lin has always had incredible skill (hence, his recruitment into the nba) but you didn’t hear of him until recently.

 

I do believe in, let your action speak for itself but what do we say when someone says, how are you with ______??? Do we give them the im okay response?? What does that do? Then you get out there and shine, does that make you seem better than what they expected? Recently, I was hanging out with a friend and he told me he thought I was arrogant. I found it ironic he said that. This friend knows I do a particular activity and always asks “hey do you think you can beat so and so??” or… “Do you think anyone can beat you??” To that I respond, no I dont think they can beat me or I don’t know. Most of the time in any activity I wont say anything, just wait until I perform but why should I do that all the time? I believe theres a diff between someone asking how you are at something and you willingly volunteering this information saying youre the greatest. If you don’t have confidence in yourself who will? My secret is, I may not be able to beat you or anyone else but I will not act defeated before the race starts. Coming in thinking you will win youre less likely to give any slack or make any excuses.. When you think “oh, im just ok” you may give up at the smallest sign of defeat.

 

I AM GREAT!!! Even if I don’t “succeed” at everything, I give my all, that in itself is success. If I ever say, im just okay at something its for you NOT for me. When you apply for a job, the real question is, can you get the job done?? Most employers dont want to hear, “I think so”.. Its yes or no. So, i’d like to say, its okay to be confident, as long as you can back your words. However, don’t be a good trash talker and never show your actions lol… In one of the lines in  Marianne Williamsons famous quoted passage she states “..Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine…” Shine!!!! I love challenges, and if you beat me at ANYTHING (it could be a cookie eating contest) i’ll accept my loss and swiftly plan for the part 2.. I just can’t go out like that Lol. Ill prob challenge you until I beat you haha.. but maybe thats just my competitive nature.

Another quick example… You ever notice that people tend to rob or bully ppl who “look” easy to conquer? Sometimes your “look” sets the stage for whats to come. Just by looking like youre someone who ppl shouldnt mess with youve prob eliminated half of your encounters (even if you dont truly feel that way inside). So next time someone asks.. Hey are you good at (insert any random thing here)??? Ill just smile and say, “youll have to see!!” or “Heck Yea!!” Always have a confident attitude in life, whether its fitness, socially, academically, it makes a difference.. 

 

 Let me know how you guys feel, I’m really curious.. Do we sometimes cross the line to fast of calling someone arrogant when they are just confident?? What makes you arrogant and what makes you confident?? Let me know.

Tips: Revamp your fitness

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Despite global warming and this glorious weather we have been receiving here in Maryland, atleast while the sun is up, it is still winter… I find that this is prob the perfect time to give some tips on how to revamp your fitness life so that at the last minute this summer you aren’t scuffling to find abs under an cornucopia fat that packed its bags and decided to move in on top of your tummy and thighs. According to you.. you have been eating healthy all winter (yea I see that slice of cake thru your screen)… So here are some tips that work great, a lot of which ive used at one point or another..

  1. Instead of just going to the “gym” to workout on equipment you may or may not be interested in, start with something that doesn’t require as much discipline.. Sign up for a class, anything you think you might like. ie reg fitness class, kickboxing, dance, hand dancing, water aerobics, martial arts etc.

2. Find a partner.. having one or many people to be accompany you with your fitness endeavors may be the extra boost you need. You can hold each other accountable and it gives you something to look forward to. I know when I don’t want to do something but I have a partner I have to be accountable to, my excuses go out the window, unless theres a real reason. Before or after can also be the perfect time for you all to catch up.. win/win!!

3. Set a goal, write it down and include specifics and how you plan to achieve it. Writing things down makes them more real. You also may become a little more serious abt your desires.. During the process, also keep a journal. It can help you get through your less enthusiastic days.

4. Revamp your diet. Kick your healthy eating up.. Once you do this, you may be more inclined to take it further.. put the doughnuts down!!

5. Buy some new fitness clothes. Now, this one is tricky, for all my shoppers… Don’t be so hyped to shop and when you finally put on your new gear, instead of going to do fitness you just run drive to the store.. I wouldnt propose this would happen if I didnt see it with my own eyes on numerous accounts smh.. Nevertheless, new clothes can be just the boost you need to get back out there. Show em what you working with. Lol

6. Do a workout thats comfortable for you in a place comfortable for you.. this is very important. Even if this means doing zumba fitness dvds or p90x in your house, the point is to be doing it. Sometimes we try to over exert ourselves when we arent yet comfortable with the circumstances for whatever reason. This results in us talking ourselves out of the activity. Do what works for you, you can always change up later.

Hope these few tips help… Perhaps soon I will post tips on how to maintain motivation after you have revamped your fitness life. I also have a few hiking recollection stories from this past summer and tons of other posts coming soon as well. Stay tuned!! 🙂