be inspired

asparagus is wonderful but asparagus pee is not.  

when i went shopping last week i bought a huge bag of fresh asparagus from costco.  needless to say, we've been eating a lot of asparagus which is great because it's so dang good and so dang good for you but, it wreaks havoc on the smell of pee.  as if the smell of pee needed any help with it's rankness.

anywhoo ...

yesterday was day 5 of my day 30 "plan(?)" and day 2 of working out with the one and only, jillian michaels.   okay so, i only have a picture of her.  on a book.  she's not actually in the gym with me but, it feels like she is.  i pretend.

my workout was capital 'a' Awesome.  for one, when i arrived to drop my kids at the child care center, my cute neighbor/friend/running buddy was just leaving and offered to take my kids home with her.   i was able to work out for 30 minutes longer AND she had fed them lunch by the time i got back.  say whaaaaa?!  isn't that nice?  hopefully i run into her every day. 

i kid. i kid.

for two, while i was sweating my ass off, i got winked at by a huge black dude and, my hrm gave me an 890 calorie burn. 

this is me. post the "45 minute" workout that took me 60 minutes and then an additional 15 minutes on the treadmill.

circuits included more mountain climbers, a few hill runs (10% incline/5.5 mph) and superman 2x20.

{yes.  that's my natural hairstyle. it's okay to be jealous.}

after workout fuel was a blended concoction; vanilla soy milk, frozen berries, tons of spinach, chobani and mango.

for dinner i made the kids little pizza's with whole wheat pita's and turkey pepperoni then the hub and i had two massive salads.

by the end of the day, when all was chewed, swallowed and logged, i was applauded by an array of green boxes.  check it:

that, my friend, is happiness.

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take a minute, if you will, and notice several new links i've added to my favorite foodie/fitness blogs.  i admit, i have a slight obsession but i'm not embarrassed by this in the slightest bit.  the thing is, being inspired by others is what keeps me going.  seeing other women fight for their health and for their quality of life inspires me.   knowing how much these other women have inspired me makes me desperately want to inspire others.

there's this interesting trend that i've noticed as i pay attention to what others are saying around me.  especially through social networking mediums like facebook and blogging.   person after person complaining about their sore back, sleepless nights, sick bellies.  one virus after another, one injury after another.  if it's not one thing, it's another and then the very next "update" will be something about dinner at "x" grease factory or ....

i know you know what i'm talking about.

the blunt, slightly brash side of my personality wants so badly to spout off a few suggestions like, "how about you have a salad, go for a walk and drink a little water?"  but, i know better.  people are very sensitive to, and defensive of, the way they are choosing to live their lives.  very few people will take the time to sit back and wonder, "what can i do differently?"  rather, they wait and wait for someone or something else to comfort, calm and cure.  it's disheartening really.

what we must understand, what we must never forget is, our body will respond to the way we treat it.   if you treat your body like crap, you will feel like crap.  if you feed it garbage, you can expect to feel like garbage.  period.

sure, "healthy" people get sick and injured.  this is inevitable but i dare say, it's not as often and i dare assume that their injuries are usually a result of overuse as opposed to underuse.

it is my belief, like in all aspects of life, you need to respect in order to earn respect.  our physical, emotional and mental health is not an exception to this rule.

when i was younger, my dad would tell  me that my car will run better if i treat it right.  wash it often, check the oil, keep the tank full, etc.  whether he was just feeding me full of crap or being for real, it didn't matter.  i believed him.  to this day, there are many examples of this that i carry with me.  treat things the way you want them to treat you.  treat people the way you want them to treat you and most importantly, treat you the way you want you to treat you.  RESPECT.  CHOICE.

as americans, we are literally poisoning ourselves with processed foods and chemicals.  don't believe me?  do some research.  there are powerful studies out there on the link between processed foods, additives, chemicals, etc and behavior problems in children, ADD, ADHD, autism, hyperactivity.  links to gluten intolerance, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease.  it scares the crap out of me.

this is enough for me to want to do my best.  to want to be better, try harder, learn more.  i might go crazy trying to understand/know it all.  there's too much and sometimes i get frustrated, "then what can i eat?!" even though i already know the answer to that question.  i can eat whole, natural foods.  balanced meals, fruits, veggies, legumes, lean meats, healthy fats.  i can limit sugar, un-healthy fats and un-natural ingredients.  i can, should and will drink lots and lots of water.

it really is that simple.  this woman, this woman and this woman are living proof.  all three of them have lost over 100 pounds by diet and exercise alone.  my good friend debbi, she lost 125+ pounds just last year!

there are blogs/sites in my blogroll from women who have conquered eating disorders.  women who have set goals and achieved them.  personal trainers, nutritionists ... all of them with a story.  all them there to inspire us and show us what we are capable of  and help us to realize our own value.

to you: friends, family, people i love, even strangers ... i'm not asking you to be perfect, perfection is boring and quite frankly, impossible (trust me, i tried).  i'm only asking that you try a little harder.  that you love and respect yourself.  that's all.

it's never a lost cause.  i have older people tell me "it's too late." or, "at this point, what's the point?" well, for one, you just might sleep better at night.

and maybe your back will stop hurting.

and you won't get a sore throat as often.

pure speculation but, i'm just sayin'.

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tangent over.