Happy Friday afternoon! :)
Man, it is warm outside today! Almost 16C and SUNNY! The snow is going, going, almost gone. :D I have been waiting months for this. I heard on the news yesterday that the cold weather is supposed to be over now and it should be getting nicer and nicer from here on out. That’s what I want to hear! Don’t forget this week we turn the clocks ahead…that means an extra hour of daylight at the end of our days.
I am currently blogging outdoors on the deck– sans jacket!
Awwwww…… :D
I had a delicious lunch around 1:30pm today…
A leftover Sweet Potato Pinto Patty in a tomato bun + a dallop of Solgurt:
With a large carrot, chopped and sprinkled with Sun Dried Tomato and Herb seasoning.
Dessert was a banana, sliced and sprinkled with cinnamon (cinnamon helps control blood sugars, thus preventing cravings):
I ate this lunch fast, and my mouth wanted to still keep going after I was finished. I had some tea and decided to call my stomach’s bluff. Sure enough, in 10 mins. the ‘hunger’ disappeared.
Wedding Dress Plan: Again, I skipped the traditional whole wheat bun @ 200 calories and opted for the tomato slices. This saved me about 180 calories at lunch. Slowly but surely these changes are adding up, but at the same time I don’t feel like I am missing out. Interestingly enough, I find that I am being MORE creative with my food choices as a result!
I think this is the key to weight loss– making healthier substitutions for your favourite foods. Coincidentally, this is also the theme of my up and coming Glo Bakery! Stay tuned this weekend for a healthy spaghetti with over 60% less calories!
Yoga
I did 12 mins of ‘Yoga for Pain Relief’ over at www.yogatoday.com! It was good, but like LeahI skip over the beginning breathing stuff. I still have not trained my mind to be patient enough yet. I skipped to minute 13 and went til about 25 min. mark. There were some good stretches and poses in there! I loved the grasshopper! lol.
What I have discovered with yoga, is that I start to get very bored when the instructor carries on the same pose for a long time, or keeps going back to it over and over. Does anyone else experience this?
I find I stick to yoga best when they keep mixing up the poses and switching things up. Then I am not thinking about when I am going to be done! If anyone has some good video suggestions for instructors that constantly change it up, I would be interested in learning about them!
I am going to get ready for the gym now! I will be watching The Doctors while I am there…hopefully it is a good one!
Angela’s Friday Challenge:
Do you have a habit of looking in the bathroom mirror, either at work, home, or a public place, and say negative thoughts to yourself? Do you often say things like….’Oh gosh I look terrible!’ or ‘My hair is a disaster’ or ‘I look tired today’…? I find myself doing this from time to time and it is time to break the negative talk to ourselves!
My challenge to you today- and this weekend- is to smile at yourself, genuinely, every time you look in a mirror. As you smile tell yourself something positive (either outloud or in your head)….
Something like…’Hey hot mama, looking fine today!’ ‘Gorgeous blouse!’ or simply ‘I am working every day to create a healthier ME’
Now go do it and report back how it went! I am going to do it myself. :)
See you tonight for my new food scale and FAQ‘s! I will also be revealing when my new website will Launch this weekend.
Dude, the same thing happens to me with yoga! I just can’t keep my mind quiet enough, I guess. I’ve taken to playing music in the background while I’m watching yoga videos…otherwise the instructor’s voice makes me laugh and I start to cry from boredom.
I love your challenge! I’m actually in the middle of writing about a mirror-distance challenge – I always get trapped looking at my pores in the mirror from about one centimeter away (which isn’t flattering for anyone). So I’m going to do a week where I must be a foot and a half from the mirror at all times. After all, nobody else gets that close to my face; why should I?
Just wanted to tell you how much I actually love your blog. I look forward to it every day. My boyfriend teases me about it, but it encourages me to be more optimistic with everything in life. I am happy I found your blog. It is genuine good advice. Thank you Angela.
Glad you’re enjoying your wonderful weather … I am, too!! : )
The thing I love about yoga, spinning, running and riding horses is the same, alignment. I love to focus on this and small muscle control. I have never found any of these activities boring my mind goes crazy without this time. I have been doing one or more of these sports/exercise since I was 6 and I am now 32.
That yoga Web site is really neat! Thanks for sharing! I’ll have to try it some time!
I tend to get antsy at the beginning of yoga sessions – but eventually get really into it. I try to focus on my balance, breathing, and being “in the moment”….sometimes if my mind is racing, I just have to stop and wait until a less-hectic time. :)
Lovin the wedding dress plans!
Kaneil, balanceisbest
The weather today is gorgeous! I went for a walk earlier and didn’t even need a jacket!
I get those negative thoughts when I look in the mirror sometimes, but today when I got back from my walk, I didn’t think “oh, my hair is a disaster” (even though I had flyaways all over the place). I actually thought I looked ok even though I didn’t spend any time on my hair this morning and only put on a swipe of mascara. It’s a nice feeling!
blogging outside jacketless … wow!!
and such a beautiful and colorful lunch!
Thanks for the tip about cinnamon! I’m going to try it sprinkled on a banana for my afternoon snack.
I just discovered your blog a few days ago, and I’ve really enjoyed reading it. I’m even starting up my own Crap Free Challenge.
I really like your idea of making tiny changes in what you eat to lose weight over time without feeling like you are on a plan or feeling too deprived.
Enjoy the warm weather. I’m definitely going to enjoy my first walk home from work in a long time (I’m in Wisconsin).
Great challenge :) I used your “swap” approach today and skipped a venti skim latte (and I saved $5…!) I know that it doesn’t fill me up, i’ve been having a tough time losing weight recently and it’s almost 200 unnecessary calories! :)
Sara
http://eatfabinnyc.wordpress.com
that’s EXACTLY why i opt for pilates or yogilates lol…yoga is just too SLOW :-P
It was difficult for me in the beginning to go through the yoga breathing as well. But trust me, it comes after you have been practicing for awhile. I have been doing yoga for over a year now and I still forget to breathe when I am practicing sometimes!
www.innerwellness.wordpress.com
I don’t use buns when I have veggie burgers -not for caloric reasons more so because I like the taste of veggie burgers more than bread.
I totally agree – check yourself out in the mirror and even take a picture if you think you’re lookin’ that good! Hehe.
So lovely!!
As for yoga – I pick routines that use challenging poses that are held for short amounts of time.
great job on your balanced diet plan. :o)
LOVE the challenge… I tend to have major negative thoughts when I look at myself. Gotta work on that!
Can’t wait for the reveal! I hope it’s on Sunday so I don’t have to miss the launch during my busy day tomorrow! (event planner + gala + out of town = GONE ALLLLL DAY!)
Good mirror advice!!