Today I was greeted with good news - Kitchen Corners is on the list of 60 Must-Read Health and Fitness Blogs for 2012 on the Greatist site. Aside from the obvious, being totally flattered, I am also motivated to keep up with my New Year's Resolution to make healthy food choices and to keep exercising. Right now I'm running 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. In February I want to push myself to run 45 minutes 3 times a week and by my birthday in early March I want to be running 60 minutes 3 times a week.
Here is where most of you will have no sympathy for me because while you're freezing in the Northern Hemisphere under snow and sleet I am melting in the Southern Hemisphere under a hot tropical sun that starts shinning and warming up our whole house, at like 4:00 in the morning. I like to run in the morning but these days even if I go running at 6:00am I'm having a heat stroke by 6:01.
This is what I look like when I come back from running in the morning.
The kids think it's funny because I leave a puddle of sweat on the floor in the shape of my body. Christian thinks it's adorable. Sike.
I really like running in the morning because I often get to see this.
and it makes me feel healthy and gives me crazy good energy for the rest of the day. Even though the "high" from exercising supposedly doesn't last the whole day seeing a rainbow surely does.
But now it's too hot to run in the morning so I've been running in the late evening which is not my fave because there's way more people out and about and a lot of them hang out on the only strip where it's not cobblestone, my running strip. On the other hand I get to escape the late afternoon melt-downs of the toddler who skipped her nap. I can either be tortured by an unhappy toddler or tortured by my thighs running in the cobblestone streets of Itacare. I choose the burn.
And I'll have you know that I have not lost any weight in these last couple of months where I've been exercising regularly but I do feel tons better. Kind of like what happened when I went a month without sugar. I find that more often than not health is not about weight, yes you can totally feel good with a few love handles so don't even start. In fact lets not even talk about weight unless of course you'd like to tell me what a warrior you were giving birth to a 9 lb baby. In that case I want to know. And while we're at it I also want to give you a high-five.
Rules I live by,
// Don't deprive yourself from eating things that you love. If you want to have a donut have a donut. Don't have two donuts though, at least not in one sitting. And do sit down. Sit down and relax. Enjoy your donut. I feel that when I eat slow I realize that I'm satisfied with smaller portions. When I eat fast I just stuff my face and feel like crap. Ask any of my high-school friends and they'll tell you I was always the last one to leave the cafeteria because I ate super slow.
// Eat fruits and veggies every single day. Multiple times a day. Make a smoothie. Make a popsicle. I don't care what you do or how you do it just get those gifts from nature into your system. Also if you crave junk food eat something healthy first. They say that if you crave junk food and you eat something healthy instead, like a banana, you loose the craving to eat junk food. Total. And. Absolute. Lie. You totally don't loose the craving. You might however decide that you'd better not eat a twix bar right after you ate a banana. Or you'll just decide that you still want the twix bar. Fine eat the twix bar, at least you ate a banana as well.
// Love your body. On body image one very wise lady told me - there are no mistakes only differences. I am serious about this one. You have to love your body and you have to love it good. Feel good in your own skin even if your skin has stretch marks all over it. Fellow mamas let me tell you a secret - after having two kids my stomach looks like a roadmap, a roadmap left in the rain. I have more stretch marks than you do guaranteed. But I NEVER complain about my belly in front of my kids. Enzo tells me my belly looks like pizza dough all the time. I just smile and say "I know." I love my body, because I want them to love theirs now and later, specially later.
I bet you a million bucks that someone loves you. Maybe it's not who you want it to be and yes maybe it's just your mom. But as a mom I have to tell you that it is your down right obligation to love yourself, do you know how hard parenting is? Do you know how much work your mom put into raising you? She loves you and you have absolutely no right to not love yourself. And One last thing and I'll move on, if you are think you are ugly and you think your body is unsexy, you are wrong. I'm totally side tracking but if you want my honest advice on this topic email me and I'll tell you exactly what a good idea I think it is for women to have a boudoir photography session. The end.
// Move your body. Setting goals to exercise every single day when you actually never exercise is bad. Instead put on some music and dance in your living room. Just get your blood flowing. You don't have to be a marathon runner to schedule in some exercise time, you just have to make a commitment with yourself that you're going to move your body a little each day and then maybe a little more the next day and more and more and more. I did the couch-5k program, the one where I almost puked because it made me run 60 seconds the first time I did it. I'm not joking, I was so out of breath after 1 little minute I almost puked. I hadn't exercised regularly in over 5 years. I loved this program, (get the iPhone app), and now I love running. Find something that works for you and even it it takes you 5 years to find it don't give up. Also, read this post because it has some good advice on exercising.
// Keep your brain active. Learning is so easy. If you're reading this blog than it means you have access to the internet which means you have access to a wealth of knowledge. Currently I'm obsessed with Khan academy, I like to pick random topics and watch a video or two. Today Enzo and I spent all morning learning about the ozone layer. This is the beauty of having kids, they ask "why" all day long, specially Maria. And thanks to the internet I can almost always find an answer and the answer usually triggers more "whys" and consequently we keep learning new things every day. I believe in education more than anything in my life. If any of you know my life story you know that education was what allowed me to get to where I am today. Learning is everything.
Enough preaching.
Let's make ourselves a healthy salad.
I really am trying to have salads every day. I like using cabbage because cabbage takes longer to wilt. All the other greens I'm used to buying are suffering from the heat as well, so these days I'm just sticking with cold cabbage salads, some cheese, and a piece of bread to dip in some olive oil. All that with a green smoothie and I'm golden.
Cold Cabbage Salad
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 tomato diced
1 small cucumber pealed, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup chopped onions (you can also saute them if you don't like raw onions)
cubed provolone cheese
1 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste
Gently mix the cabbage, tomato, cucumber, and onions. Add cubed provolone cheese to taste. Then dress the salad with the juice of one lime, olive oil, and salt. This is a very light salad, yet the provolone adds a nice substance to it making it more filling.
Day 1- Green Papaya Salad
Day 2- Avocado and Mango Salad
Day 3- Eggplant Vinaigrette
Day 5- Salpicao
Day 6- Grated Raw Beet Salad
Day 7- Poppyseed Salad Dressing
Day 9- Quail Egg Salad
Day 10-Radish Salad
Day 12-BLT Quinoa Salad
Day 13-Poke Salad
Day 14-Spinach Salad
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