health

I love God. He made the earth. Therefore, I love the earth. He gave us the earth to take care of and so it is all of our responsibility to do our part!

There is something beautiful about being close to the earth and working with the things that we have already! This year I will be planting a garden! I will be planting green tea, camomile (or anthems nobles), aloe vera, and an assortment of herbs. Additionally, I will be planting kale! I read this book in Barnes & Noble the other day about making all natural remedies for sickness and ailments and it was so interesting! All of these things that God has given us in the earth are filled with nutrients and positive qualities. They are right at our fingertips! So in my free time I will be experimenting with making my own teas, creating natural oils for my dry skin, and exploring all different ways to use things that come from the earth. I think it will help me to be more grateful for everything I have around me and will teach me how to be more self sustaining. I hope to expand my array of vegetables, fruits, and flowers as I get the hang of things!

Aren’t they pretty?! I am so excited to get started. If anyone has any tips, send them my way! Hope you all are enjoying the beautiful day.

Happy Earth Day!!!

-N

*ALL PHOTOS ARE NOT TAKEN BY ME EXCEPT FOR THE ONE OF ME. I TAKE NO CREDIT FOR THEM!*

^^^ This right here folks is what you call PRIDE. Grilled Salmon, sautéed spinach, and polenta with tomato sauce and shredded goat cheese. All organic, all clean, & all delicious. ^^^

I have tried absolutely every diet you can think of. I’ve gone raw, I grew up vegan then vegetarian, I went gluten free & dairy free, I did paleo… I’ve also done every type of workout. I’ve done yoga, pilates, cross fit, insanity, gym 7 days a week, you name it. But every time I go on one of these health kicks I go super hard and then feel incredibly discouraged and so I quit. My body has never really drastically changed one way or the other but I can’t get this image of a perfect toned body out of my head.

Over Christmas break, I ran into an old friend from high school and found out she is studying nutrition at BU. Long story short, I wound up shooting her a facebook message begging her to help me get out of my ‘diet, quit, diet, quit’ cycle. Boy did she. I’ve never felt SO encouraged in the world of health and fitness as I did that day. She sent me an incredibly detailed thoughtful message answering all of my questions and putting my spirit at ease about diet and exercise.

I’ll spare you guys the dirty details (unless you want them!) and tell you the 10 overall points I got from her messages.

1- diets dont work because they are that, diets. Instead its about finding a way that works for your body, that makes you feel good and changing your lifestyle.

2- eating carbs (I still wont be eating white flour and gluten because I feel like my body rejects that. Instead I do polenta, brown rice, quinoa and occasionally, potatoes) should be eaten for breakfast and/or lunch because your body uses them as an energy source throughout the day. When you eat carbs before you go to bed, your body has a hard time digesting it or going to sleep. Also, it stores it as fat because you don’t give it the chance to work it off through the day.

3- eat protein right after you work out as it helps you repair your muscles

4- strength training helps your body to continue burning calories even when you aren’t working out.

5- you don’t need to work out 7 days a week. 4-5 days of raising your heart rate is a healthy approach no matter what your fitness goals are.

6- running is not the only way to do cardio. Jumping rope, squats, ect are all heart rate raising exercises that make you sweat and burn calories. Also, implementing interval training is a really efficient way to burn calories and get the most out of your workout.

7- if you have a hard time, like I do, with keeping your portions small, invest in a kitchen scale which you can get on amazon here for $15 bucks!–> Kitchen scale

I also found this handy dandy portion measurer! Its only eight dollars!–> Portion Control tool

8- eat slowly and savor your food. Enjoy your meals and learn to find joy in cooking and even exercise. If you think of working out as your time, no matter what that means for you, it will make it a lot easier to enjoy it! Find a workout that makes you feel good. Check your gym’s schedule & take your pick of their free classes.

9- The macronutrient recommendations are: +/- 50% carbohydrates || 20-30% fat || 20% protein

10- Meal planning on Sunday nights is an incredible idea and a great way to stay on track throughout the week. Make some sort of grain to put in your salads, grill some chicken, and chop up some veggies and fruit to separate in plastic bags when you are on the go. Always be prepared so that you can be effective in staying healthy. A new idea I got from one of my roommates is to pre make your smoothie with frozen fruit, chia seeds, kale, ect in plastic bags and freeze them so that when you need a smoothie you just pop it in the blender and add a liquid!

^^^Here is one of my green smoothies^^^

See, doesn’t that sound so doable! One of my roommates is eating healthy with me and my boyfriend has been exercising with me even though the workouts are completely girly and embarrassing because he is just absolutely a SWEETIE. (he still eats really unhealthy…But he’s from the South so I’m playing the part of naggy mc naggicans until he listens to me. he he)

To staying healthy, being strong, and listening to our bodies!