Sexy and I Know It

Today I went running to the music "Sexy and I Know It".  Last Friday I ran 9 miles for the FIRST TIME while I was wearing my "Sexy and I Know It" shirt...I figured I'm on to something. 

Very motivational.

 

 

(It looks wayyyy better on me :)

 

I'm sad to admit that I kind of took a break last week due to the October Break holiday for school.  I played a lot and only went running once.  However, I still did a lot of bike rides and I decided that even if it takes me all year to train, as long as I'm working forward, it's fine with me.  Some days I feel great like I can run forever, and others I am exhausted like I was today. 

 

Today I rode my bike 4 miles, ran the tracker for another 4 miles and then went jogging in the fields with Mr. Bradshaw in the afternoon.  I had no energy and had to let him jog circles around me. I've been ready for bed since 5pm. 

 

Today is mine and Mr. Bradshaw's 6th month wedding anniversary which we celebrated by him putting some Halloween lights up in our yard and me kissing him and throwing together his dinner as he ran out the door for work.  It wasn't much but it was a pretty good kiss and I did make him a chicken pot roast for dinner. 

 

Mr. Bradshaw has turned my mountain bike into a Cadillac of bikes.  I now use it to go all over town, usually with Harlee in tow.

 

 

It's been a great addition to my training and the weather in Sahuarita is perfect so it's been a lot of fun going on bike rides with Harlee.  (3)

 

Mr. Bradshaw even bought me an awesome pink camo Duck Dynasty long sleeve biking top and a matching hat, so not only am I getting great exercise but I'm doing it in STYLE.

 

 

Tonight the pot roast I made for the fam was made of chicken thighs and was covered in a little olive oil, garlic salt and pepper. I put it in a crock pot of veggies; carrots, potatoes, baby onions, mushrooms and later I added peas. I also put a 12 oz. jar of chicken gravy over the chicken when I first put it in. Heated on low for 8 hrs. and viola!  Love those quick and easy meals.  Everyone loved it and it was fairly healthy.  I don't always make meat for my kids...but it was better than something smothered in cheese or sour cream or fried on the stove top. 

 

For myself I made the following:

 

Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce

 

4 large ripe tomatoes                                     1/2 t minced fresh garlic

1/2 C thinly sliced onion                                1/4 t salt

        separated into rings                                freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 C finely chopped fresh basil

 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Serve at once over cooked pasta or let rest at room temperature, up to one hour, until ready to serve.

 

 

Another great find at the grocery store was this stuff

 

 



 

Very little sugar and fat and really delicious with vegetables.  I heat stir fry veggies on the stove top with water (bell peppers, onion, mushrooms) and mix this in with rice or couscous.  Really yummy!

 

Good luck during this month of October when chocolate is all around us...may we all be strong enough to eat just ONE!

 

I'm enjoying the journey in my daily accomplishments and hope to continue to overcome new obstacles that come my way.  Accomplishment in one area always leads to confidence that you can overcome a challenge in another. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself

My awesome battle wound from my first time ever wake surfing!  I wish I could say I rode the water like a boss but I didn't.   However, I did get up and ride it so I was happy with that.  On one of my crash landings the board smacked me in the head just as I came up for air.  At the time, I was really upset at the pain, now however, I'm rather liking the proof I have of my hard work...as my stepson would say, "Beast!"

The battle wounds of life, some displayed obviously on the exterior of our bodies like my eye, and others stored internally as an obstacle still waiting to be overcome, are reminders of what we are wanting to accomplish. At each check point we have a decision to make; to keep going or to quit. 

Personal goals are not just about accomplishing the one obstacle in front of us, they are about finding self discipline; a feeling of freedom in knowing that we have complete control over our thoughts, our actions, and the success we feel in our daily lives.  To have the power to accomplish whatever we so choose.



One of the hardest things I've ever done in my life was to change the person that I had become.
When I was about 21, I decided that my life was not going the way I had always thought it would.  I was living a fun, carefree lifestyle but I was not headed in the direction of my dreams.  All at once I made the decision to change paths.  I, as much as I loved them, stopped meeting up with my friends, changed my wardrobe, the things I did for fun, the kinds of music I listened to, the things I watched on TV...almost everything about the way I had been living came to a haulting STOP.
I instantly starting reading books that filled my mind with the kinds of things I wished to dwell on.  As hard as it was, I started spending my time alone or with people with whom I did not have much in common with but, that I wanted to share common goals with.  Slowly, everything about me started to change.  It was a difficult transition because not only did I feel very alone but I also didn't at first really want the changes I was making for myself.   I only made them because I knew I should.
Not anywhere close to a perfect person, I am grateful everyday for that period of my life that I call "change".  I learned that I can be anyone I want to be.  I also learned that with a strong determination and focus, our minds can change as well...we can begin to see ourselves the way we want other to see us.

Since that time I have had great success in my attempts to make a difference in my life or the lives of others. I have also failed at things I have tried to accomplish the first or second time but, I have never given up.  Some of those things are still a work in progress...

As we make goals; for our family, for our career, for our physical or mental health, etc., it's important to remember that we are influential and powerful.  We set an example, even if it's just for those in our home, and we can motivate others.  Settling for less than we are meant to be encourages others to do the same. 

I have always felt a solemn responsibility to find my purpose in life, to figure out what it is exactly that I was sent here to do. I think that maybe the answer to that question changes a little through different stages of life but, it is my own personal goal to always be working towards accomplishing that task that seems to be mine.  Sometimes it's harder to find the task that will best serve us then it is to accomplish it.  Looking outside our comfort zone will usually provide the answer...

 



Building Your Own High-Performance Athletic Body

Today I was able to put on a pair of jeans that I haven't worn since last winter...made me appreciate running a little bit more.

 

This weekend I was introduced to a book by Chris McDougall, after I was complaining about some joint pain in my ankles.  I found it rather interesting.

 

http://www.chrismcdougall.com/

 

 

If you click on the link above you will find a short video explaining his reason behind writing this great book!  Very useful and interesting information.

 

Today for lunch I made a quick rice and vegetable recipe (one that I stole and added a little too from my new friend Sarah Hughes...thank you Sarah!)

 

In a food processor I chopped carrots, then celery, then onion and then a red bell pepper.  I sautéed these veggies in water, added some garlic and Tomato Basil Mrs. Dash, a little pepper and mixed together with some cooked brown rice and pieces of cooked butternut squash that I baked in the oven.

Quick and easy and works well as a side for the kiddos dinner when you need to get those veggies in.

 

 

Another of my favorite food staples are these babies...

 

 

Found at any Fry's Marketplace, I LOVE mixing either one of these in brown rice...heat in the microwave for 30 seconds...makes a great lunch!!

 

Why do I eat like this?  There are lots of reasons that I choose to be a vegan now, but originally I chose to eat this way after my mother introduced me to John McDougall's cookbook.

 

In 2010, my sister was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, something that my mother and myself would later be diagnosed with as well.  (I now have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease) 
My mother was concerned for my sister's health because she was displaying symptoms of an autoimmune disease.  Her first thought was to try to help heal her symptoms with diet, this is how she came across John McDougall. 
For the longest time my mother would come over (she lived conveniently across the street) with a dinner she had made, (which contained no meat), and would try to convince me how much better it tasted without any meat or dairy.  We always kind of laughed about it and told her "no thank you". 
I really at the time felt that meat was put on this earth to eat.  However, I had just recently had my sixth child and was in the stage of losing the 80 lbs. I always gain with EVERY pregnancy, ugh. 

I still remember the night my mother brought over Fettuccine.  It was delicious.  I ate it up and asked which restaurant she bought it from.  When she told me it was made of tofu and it only took her 15 minutes to make, I was hooked.  I noticed that my mother was thinner and she had been making things I really enjoyed, and I decided I wanted to look more into this "Vegan" thing.  For the next three months my mother and I made dinner for both our families together.  We tried a different recipe from McDougall's cookbook every night.  Sometimes I would buy a whole chicken just to add some meat for the kids and the hubby.  Or I would buy cheese when we made homemade pizza and put it on half the pizza for the family.  I however, was determined not to cheat.  I wanted to see the results of being a "faithful" vegan.  There was no denying the results.  At this time in my life I wasn't working out, yet I weighed less than I did when I got married.  I felt great. I never went hungry. I was eating things I love like potatoes and pasta and I had more energy than I had had in a long time. 

 

John McDougall has written several books, his lectures can be purchased online and he hosts seminars that can be viewed over the web.  There is so much information out there.  Even if being a vegan is not the lifestyle you wish to maintain, just learning about what foods do to our body is important if we want to live a long and healthy life.

 

Below is an excerpt from John McDougall's newsletter.  The entire newsletter on athletes can be found here http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/030900puathletesarepeopletoo.htm

 

 Animal Protein Can Stimulate Growth – At a Price

It has long been rumored that the levels of the muscle building hormone, testosterone, are raised with meat-eating.  However, recent research comparing people following various diets has found vegans (no animal products) have 8% more testosterone than lacto-ovo-vegetarians, and 13% more than people on the standard Western diet (with meat and dairy).²² (Fortunately, this extra male hormone is kept safely bound with a protein to prevent over-stimulation of the tissues, including the prostate.)   So, if not testosterone, then what in the meat-eater’s diet could possibly be growth-stimulating?^22-23
There may be some truth that eating all that protein stimulates muscle growth.^24,25  Protein raises insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the human body, stimulating the growth of muscle and all other tissues.    Meat-eaters are found to have 9% higher levels of IGF-1 than vegans.²²   People eating dairy and eggs (lacto-ovo-vegetarians) have 8% higher levels.²²  Unfortunately,  IGF-1 also stimulates the growth of cancer of the breast, prostate, lung, and colon by stimulating cell proliferation and inhibiting cell death – two activities you definitely don't want when cancer cells are involved.^26,27  Eating all that meat and those dairy products could make bigger muscles – but, how often do athletes think about the effects on their health?   Beauty is more than skin deep – for sure.  And ugly goes clear to the bone.
The rippling firm muscles of athletes send a message of good health, but this appearance is deceptive because what lies underneath is a quagmire of disease.  All that “muscle building” food is also loaded with acid, cholesterol, saturated fat, and is deficient in dietary fiber and complex carbohydrate.  Looking beyond the exterior you will find bones depleted of strength and structure (osteoporosis) by the acid, arteries filled with festering sores (atherosclerosis) from the fat and cholesterol, and bleeding-bulging hemorrhoids caused by straining to pass a fiber deficient stool (constipation).  You may think you are looking at a new Lexus, but rather it’s an overdriven Edsel.

Big is Not Better

Greater height and sometimes greater muscle weight are generally considered desirable qualities and size may be the winning difference for athletes, especially for basketball and football players.  However, when winning at life and health, increased body size is counterproductive.  Shorter, smaller bodies have lower death rates, longer average life-spans, and fewer diet-related chronic diseases.   Research shows shorter, lighter people live longer.  For example, men of 5 feet 9 inches (175.3 cm) or less live almost five years longer than men over this height.  Men shorter than 5 feet 7 inches (170.2 cm) live seven and a half years longer than men taller than 6 feet (182.9 cm).^28,29  Taller women have more cancer of the ovary^30,31 and breast,³²  and men have more prostate cancer.³³  Overnutrition, especially during youth, results in greater height, and poorer health.³⁴

You Can Have Height, Strength, and Life

If you met my 3 children you would find a serious contradiction with the above discussion.   My daughter, Heather, is an inch taller than Mary.  My oldest son, Patrick, is 3 inches taller than I am, and my youngest son, Craig, is 2 inches taller (and the boys are very muscular, too).  They were all raised on the McDougall diet.  So how did they grow so tall and strong?
Feeding a high-fat, high-protein diet is only one way for a person to attain greater body size.  The alternative, healthy way is to encourage natural development by allowing the growth plates of a child’s long bones to remain open longer, into their mid and late teens.  The growth plates (called epiphyseal end plates) are located at the ends of the long bones and, as the name implies, this is where growth occurs.  A rise in sex hormones (primarily estrogen) after puberty causes the growth plates to close.^35,36  The rich Western diet prematurely raises sex hormones, causing precocious puberty, and prematurely closes the adolescent’s growth plates.³⁶  (For more information on precocious puberty and diet see the McDougall Program for Women book.) A healthy diet, like the McDougall diet, allows puberty to occur at the correct age (say 14 to 17 years rather than 8 to 12) – thereby growth continues into the late teens. Therefore, you can have it all for your children and grandchildren – tall strong bodies and good health by feeding them plentiful amounts of delicious meals, like oatmeal for breakfast, vegetable soups and sandwiches for lunch, and bean burritos and spaghetti for dinner.  (People from some Asian countries, like Japan, and from our own past are small because of a relative deficiency of food (calories) during their adolescent growing years.^34,37)

Athletes are People, Too

The diet of a horse is essentially grass and grains.  To raise a racehorse would you feed your colt meat? – Of course not.  You would just feed it more grasses and grains during growth and training.   The same applies to people.  Basic nutritional needs do not change with an increase in activity.  So the same diet recommended for people applies to athletic people, too.  To violate this basic truth results not only in horrific health, but also pitiful performance.
However, the more important lesson we have learned here is: the best diet for athletes is also the best diet for all of us.  If a diet very high in carbohydrates – starches, vegetables, and fruits – makes athletes – those living at the extremes of human performance – winners, then following their example will result in superior nutrition for all of us and our families.  Can’t possibly be any other way.

 

 

 

 





Mo-ti-va-shon.

 

Today was my scheduled "long run" day but, Mr. Bradshaw invited me to go Mountain Bike riding...

 how could I could pass up that opportunity?
I hadn't planned to ditch the tracker today, but it worked out great that something else came up!  But tomorrow...
 it's ON!!

 

Mr. Bradshaw was doing wheelies in the dirt on his bike while I was learning the importance of NOT squeezing both brakes down at the same time.  I have an awesome battle wound as a reminder for tomorrow's ride, which I am rather proud of.  Mr. Bradshaw is going to buy me a "Biker Chick" sticker for my fanny pack.
Tuff Motha!

 

Tonight I am torchering myself by making cookie dough with the kids for movie night.  I have had a long lasting love affair with cookie dough and it seems I can only stay away for short periods of time...until now of course, as I am determined not to partake, no matter how tempting.  I am still hoping however, that one day there will be a solution to this addiction I have.   Maybe an invention of cookie dough which acts as HCG to my body will come to fruition, making my life complete.

Hey, it's almost 2014...anything's possible.

 

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Put on this earth to torment me.

 

"What makes resisting temptation difficult for many people is they don't want to discourage it completely." -Franklin P. Jones

 

Well said.  Probably the reason I decided to make cookie dough tonight "for the kids".

 

However, I did make something recently that I really enjoyed (from John McDougall's cookbook).   This recipe is good on rice but also serves as a great dip for pita chips, or veggies.

(I want to add that one thing I particularly LOVE about these recipes is that they are all made without oil or butter or sugar.  Everything is cooked in water, covered in yummy seasonings, which makes each dish delicious and very healthy. 
Cut out the FAT!)

Jazzy Red Pepper Sauce
 

Servings: Makes 2 cups

Preparation: 10 min

Cooking Time: 20 min
 

4 large red bell peppers, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 t minced fresh garlic

1/2 cup water

1 T white wine vinegar

1 T prepared horseradish

1/4 t crushed red pepper

1/4 t white pepper

dash or two of tabasco sauce

 

Use a food processor to finely chop the bell peppers and onion.  Place the peppers, onion and garlic in a saucepan with the water.  Cover and cook over low heat until the peppers are very soft, about 15 minutes, adding more water if necessary.  Transfer to the food processor and process until smooth.  Return to the saucepan.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Heat over low heat for 5 minutes to blend the flavors, stirring occasionally.

 

 

 

"... more than 8,000 statistically significant associations between various dietary factors and disease! ... people who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease. Even relatively small intakes of animal-based food were associated with adverse effects. People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease. ...The health implications of consuming either animal or plant-based nutrients were remarkably different." -T. Colin Campbell

 

 

 

"And that's a fact, JACK!"

 

Lesson learned

Today I learned an important lesson:

Running outside on the pavement in the dry heat is much different than running inside a cool gym on the tracker...annoyingly noted.

Grrrr to tomorrow's long run which is already heckling me. 

 

I'm hungry all the time, eating mostly brown rice with different flavors of salsa,or potatoes with some kind of homemade vegetable sauce on top.  Today's recipe of the day:

Chunky Vegetable Baked Potato (from John McDougall's 15 min recipes)
4 large potatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 zucchini sliced or chopped
1/3 cup water
1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes (I used fire roasted tomatoes)
1/4 cup water
1 T balsamic vinegar
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Scrub the potatoes and pierce them all over with a fork.  Place on a paper towel and microwave on high for about 15 minutes, turning once halfway through the cooking time.

Meanwhile, place the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini in a saucepan with the water.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 5 minutes.

When the potatoes are done, split the tops and ladle the vegetable mixture over the potatoes.

Recipe Hint: To change the flavor of this dish, use Mexican-Cajun or Italian style stewed tomatoes.

Enjoy! :)

PMA or PMS?

 When I was in jr. high school I remember my stepdad dropping me off in front of the school as all my peers were rushing by before school started.  He would smile and say, "Have a good day!"

I always hoped that this would be the end of our encounter, but then, just as I was approaching my very cool and popular group of friends, he would yell, "remember PMA not PMS!"  And he was usually still in his pajamas.  It would take weeks to recover.

As a teenager with a reputation to uphold, I never quite got over that public display of humiliation and vowed NEVER to be such an embarrassment to my children when they were my age.
However, I only remember that story now because it was my motivation for yelling the same thing to my daughter Kaylee when I dropped her off for school everyday last year.  Much funnier when you are the yeller of this phrase rather than the receiver.

I never did understand at the time why my parents joked that I had PMS instead of PMA, and it really irritated me...I understand it perfectly now.  As funny as it sounds, I often think to myself on days that are not going my way, "Jheri, PMA or PMS?" So thank you Dean for giving me (and the rest of the school) that food for thought message that has carried with me as an adult.  I now consider the difference before I make any life altering decisions.

Positive Mental Attitude:

A psychological term which describes a mental phenomenon in which the central idea is that one can increase achievement through optimistic thought processes. ...

 

Dale Carnegie said: 

Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.

 

 

A great deal of happiness comes from conquering our fears and finding success in who we are.  We need faith in our own ability to achieve something great.  That something that will define who we were meant to be.  There is so much power in the vision we create for ourselves.

As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.-Henry David Thoreau

Having a positive mental attitude requires one to train themselves to have positive thinking.  Positive thinking is a discipline that trains the human mind to change a perceived reality...if we can change our reality through our thoughts then we change anything about ourselves that we so wish.  Even our desire to change.

 





 


 

When 900 years you reach, look as good, you will not.

I did it!  I ran 7 miles today!!  Even with a dizzy headache and an upset stomach, (which I think came on because I forgot to sleep last night), I pushed through and kept going!

I have to admit that I REALLY wanted to walk.  When I got to mile 3 I was exhausted.  However, Mr. Bradshaw was running next to me today and there was NO WAY I was going to be a wimp in front of him.  He definitely outran me, which of course made me mad and motivated me even more, but on the other hand, it was nice to have something fun to look at while I ran :) Despite how difficult my run was for me today in comparison to last week, it was still amazing that by the time I got to mile 5 my body just kind of went into cruise control and mile 6 & 7 were the easiest of the 7 miles to run, (and the slowest, haha).

I have never loved running.  When I ran regularly, I would run usually between 3-4 miles.  However, because of my move to Sahuarita over the summer, I have not been to the gym since May, until two weeks ago, when I decided to start training. 

I am at the end of week 2 training and since I started I have lost 4 lbs.  I am eating a vegan diet, no processed foods, (with the exception of a few pretzels and some healthy rice cakes from time to time), very little sugar and only water to drink. 

I am 7 lbs. away from my ideal (size 3) weight...we'll see how long it takes to get that off :)

Looking forward to my Saturday, "Day of Rest".  I have included a new favorite snack, Homemade Clif Bars.  Enjoy :)

Yield 9 bars prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup dates (pitted)

1 ¾ cups crisp rice cereal

1 cup quick-cooking oats

¼ cup coarsely chopped peanuts

2 TB ground flaxseed

½ t ground cinnamon

Pinch salt

½ cup peanut butter

1/3 cup brown rice syrup

1 t vanilla extract

¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

 

 

Directions:

1.       Spray an 8x8-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.

2.       Place the dates in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.  Combine the pureed dates with the cereal, oats, peanuts, flaxseed, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

3.       Combine the peanut butter and brown rice syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted and completely blended.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

4.       Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir until well combined.  Gently stir in the chocolate chips.  Turn the mixture into prepared pan and press firmly to pack the mixture into the pan.  Let the mixture sit until completely cool and set, at least one hour.  Cut into bars, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.