Nutrition Made Simple

If you’re easily overwhelmed by recipes and just plain don’t know what on earth to eat, here is a non-cook’s guide to making two healthy meals a day in less than 30 minutes - from a fellow non-cook:

In the morning, you need like 5 minutes: put a hunk of meat in the slow cooker (it can be frozen and it can be any meat: whole chicken, package of chops, beef roast, your choice – just make sure it’s enough to have leftovers). Shake on some spices (whatever you like, and if you’re clueless then buy a jar of combined spices a la Tastefully Simple [sorry that’s my only example, that’s all I’ve got in my pantry since I work there]). Turn it on low, and go about your day. I’ve left meat in there for 24 hours – it will be ready when you are, and no, your house won’t burn down.

When you get home, you will need maybe 20 minutes for your side – try not to drool over how amazing the meat smells. Dice an onion & garlic (or open up that spice shaker again) into a pan with olive oil. While those get started, chop at least two kinds of veggies (cauliflower, carrots, beets, bok choy, try something new, buy what’s on sale, anything!) and then sauté that all until it’s done (again, make enough for leftovers). Hot tip for extra bonus flavor: chop up a slice of bacon into that mess. MMMM.

Serve with your meat. Enjoy a perfectly healthy, super easy, delicious meal. Package up leftovers into meal-size containers, and eat it again for lunch at work tomorrow.

Repeat.

If you care EVEN MORE for simplicity than you do for variety: on the weekend, slow-cook much more of that meat and roast a lot more of those veg in the oven, then package up into meals, and you’re set. That’s what I do, along with a half hour or so spent chopping up raw veggies for a daily salad, to which I add avocado & balsamic vinegar, sided with a “convenience protein” such as an Applegate beef hot dog w/ mustard.

Bottom line: unless you truly enjoy the challenge of cooking from scratch, make it as easy as possible on yourself to stick to sweeping changes.

Forget Your Weight

I had a cool moment this weekend. I weighed myself for the first time in about a year, expecting 145-150. For the past few months, I have been assuming I'm more like 150, and so I set my 2015 pull-ups goal based on that weight (6,667 pulls = ONE MEELLION pounds over the course of 2015) - but the scale showed me I was only 141.

That's not the cool part. The cool part is that I didn't have ANY emotional reaction whatsoever. Nothing.

This was my train of thought, in totality:

"Really? Huh, I wonder if that's right. Surprising. I guess then I'll have to do more pull-ups to hit a million pounds. Well, first I really should check whether that's accurate. I'll hop on another scale before I finalize that pull-ups goal."

That's it. I went on with my life. Zero emotion, good or bad, just the mental note to verify so that I make sure to hit a million pounds of pull-ups.

Whether 141, or 150, it's just a number, just a simple fact. It doesn't actually MEAN anything. (Of course it doesn't!)

Except then yesterday I had a REALLY COOL moment because that number DOES mean something else: "zOMG WAIT. If I weigh 141, then I'm only 6 pounds away from benching my bodyweight! YEAH BITCHEZ!!"

Ha.

Anyway, four years ago, my scale absolutely determined my emotion. I lived and died by that damn number. There were days I'd approach the pull-up bar thinking about how my weight was up and so these were going to be harder, or fewer - and BOOM they were harder and fewer. And I damn well know that my weight increase of 8 ounces didn't have a thing to do with it.

So to get here, not caring what I weigh, zero emotion relative to the scale...it's incredible. And a much better, healthier, happier way to live.

Today I read a fantabulous post by the wise Jen Comas Keck about the very same thing: your scale is a pretty stupid pointless thing to own.

The Scale: Not Worth Its Weight

... 

Who the hell cares what I weigh?  

Do my friends care what I weigh? My loved ones? The people at the DMV? No, no, and no.

People that love you care about two things: your health, and happiness, neither of which should require a scale to tell you, so why do so many of us put so much emphasis, day in and day out, on what is ultimately an insignificant number?

... 

Read it all. And throw out that stupid scale.
http://www.jencomaskeck.com/2014/04/the-scale-not-worth-its-weight.html

If Your Body Could Talk...

...this is TOTALLY what it would say!

We need to talk…

Hey you!

Put down that device and listen up. I have something to say and I need your complete attention.

This is your body speaking. Remember me? I’m the one that keeps you alive. I’m the one that makes it all happen for you. I’m the one that learns your world. I’m the ultimate source of your creativity and yes, your intelligence. But I’m getting really tired of the way you’ve been treating me lately. In fact, I think it’s time to call this for what it is: an abusive relationship.

And on & on. So good.

Go read: http://blog.exuberantanimal.com/we-need-to-talk/

I've heard many references to Exuberant Animal, but never checked it out. So glad I finally did, so sorry I didn't do it sooner.

Lifting - for Runners

This is some great reading material for runners (& other endurance athletes) who know they need some strength training, but don't know where to start.

High-level overview: http://www.completehumanperformance.com/the-quick-and-dirty-on-strength-training-for-endurance-athletes.html

More specifics: http://www.completehumanperformance.com/a-guide-to-strength-training-for-endurance-athletes.html

Nutrition: http://www.completehumanperformance.com/nutrition-for-the-athlete-part-1.html

Love The One You're With

Always read her. Always, always, always. She's the bombest diggitiest.

This post ain't about loving your significant other. It's about loving your body (gasp!) with all its problems. Or, rather, "problems."

Consider this for a moment. If you have kids or any other “imperfect” people in your life whom you love with the ferocity of a mother bear, think about them now.

Now turn your attention to the idea of loving your body.

Half of you probably already want to vomit, just reading those three words — loving your body.

Shifting gears from loving your beautifully goofy little kid to loving your own body sounds like the needle scratching off a record.

See it all: http://www.stumptuous.com/rant-72-january-2015-love-the-one-youre-with

The Pornographication of Fitness

 The Pornographication of Fitness Needs to Stop

Fitness magazines don't help us get fit. Gazing at images of caricatured breasts, buttocks and biceps gives you the impression this is how a fit body should look, that every fit body needs to be shaped in the same vein. Fitness magazines use exactly these images to "inspire" women to look this way. Yet most of us can't identify with what we are looking at because we don't believe ordinary us could ever be them.  

What has become of fitness? Where is it going? When every image displayed in fitness magazines has become one suggesting women are dressed and posed for the bedroom and not the gym, one might wonder exactly where the future of fitness is going.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/tosca-reno/bikini-fitness_b_5610782.html

Fuck. Yes.

Prettiest Wife In The World

Although I've stated, adamantly, that I'm "not fond" of the focus on female appearance, I do love this post so, so much. I hope you do, too:

Ask yourself only this:

Who is telling you that your body isn't the ideal?

Only people who don't really matter. Only people you don't know. Only that same voice in your ear that is telling you you're not a good enough mom or worthy of a raise or shouldn't go back to school or wear that dress.  Are they invested in you? Are they worth believing?

 

http://www.momof4istired.com/2013/11/this-blog-is-going-to-embarrass-my.html?m=0