I need more veggies in my life

Everyday I am supposed to have:
9 Ounces of whole grains
4 Cups of Fruit
2 Cups of Dairy
8 Ounces of Protein
5 T of Good Fats
100 Ounces of Water
and
FOUR+ CUPS OF VEGETABLES!

You'd think that'd be easy to get to. Well.. It's harder than it looks.
It isn't that I don't like veggies.. I just never know where to add them in. Or I get so caught up in making sure I have the right amount of fruit and grains etc, that I forget about one of the food groups completely. It is usually veggies.
And veggies are where most of your nutrients and energy come from! I should be all over that if that is the case. Plus I have learned that veggies (especially whole, non-pestaside veggies) are what our bodies are used to digesting. Not all this foreign easily processed food that is packed with chemicals and... well... shit!
Lately, I have been on this kick of food/health conscious documentaries. Netflix if FULL of them. I have learned so much, it is kinda ridiculous. My thoughts about food have changed completely! Where it comes from, how it's treated, how much waste is produced from it. etcetcetcetc
Now just to implement it....
Thats the difficult part.
I am still attracted to food in an addicting way. It is a habit that I have had the hardest time kicking. When there is food around, even though I consciously know I shouldn't be consuming it because 1) there is no nutritional value, just high calories, 2) It's slamming my body full of toxins, and 3) It's just not good for me... I can't help have the whole box sometimes.
Non of these things are veggies by the way. More like cookies, chips, and cake.

When it comes to veggies, my nutritionist says I can have as much as I want. I at least need to make sure to hit the 4 Cup mark. But some days I can't even do that, and I am starting to wonder why.
Is it because I didn't grow up with a mass amount of veggies in my diet, therefore I am not used to it? Probably, actually.
So then what do I do to change it?! I go to the grocery store and spend most of my time in the produce section. I bring home TONS of fruits and veggies... But they end up going bad before I get to them. I think what it really is, is I don't know how to use them in my everyday cooking besides the general salad... and frankly, thats boring.
There is an avocado I bought still on my shelf after a week because I don't know what else to do with it besides make Guacamole... and for that you need chips. Not good.

So I've made a promise to myself.

I am going to eat from home, every meal, and consciously plan every meal to be veggie based. I am going to take the time to look up recipes, learning HOW to use those things, instead of just saying, "oh I don't know how" and leaving it.
I know, I know... That is what I have been trying to do since I've started this all. Trying to get my 4 Cups, blah blah blah...
But no, I really gotta do it this time. It's a promise for more than just veggies. It's a promise to live a clean life, and implement fresh ideas about food.

Here is to new beginnings.
Until next time <3

Leave me a comment, or follow me --->
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/senaida.garcia.75
Twitter: https://twitter.com/senaida
Instagram: senaida237
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/senaida237

Making Decisions and Staying Motivated

(^^^Not me... But one day!)

I recently had a meeting with my health coach. We have decided to take a break from the healthy weight program over winter break. This gives me the opportunity to test myself in the 'real world.' The advantage of the healthy weight program is I get to meet with someone once a week to track my progress, answer questions, and get through any doubt and insecurities I have. When she had suggested taking a break from it, I was shocked to realize how much the program was actually helping me. I was scared to leave her office. I didn't think I was going to be able to motivate myself enough for a month without them. Including my trainer and nutritionist. The last meetings I had with them I tried to stretch as much as possible because I knew the break from them was getting closer.

This unfortunately came at a time when I was taking finals. My eyes were glued to the computer screen writing paper after paper. I was still going to the gym early every morning to work out, but felt myself getting weaker everyday. My energy levels were low, and nothing I ate felt like enough fuel for my system. I would get tired almost instantaneously to where I couldn't catch my breath, and my heart rate would sky rocket. This made me so frustrated. I knew I wasn't preforming to the best of my abilities, and felt I was slacking big time. I found myself not being able to focus on my papers either, which made me even more frustrated.
I was definitely lost not knowing what to do.

What I didn't realize, or what I hadn't learned, was that levels of stress can cause a lack of performance. Even though I didn't physically feel stressed, and I was just plowing through finals like usual, I didn't realize that my body was still reacting to it. Those stress levels weighed down my body in a different way that left me unable to do my best.
My trainer explained this all to me. It made complete sense.
So I had to make a decision. Either keep going in this same fashion, or take it easy and focus all my attention on school for the rest of the week.
I chose the latter. I thought long and hard about it, and had to tell myself that it was ok just for the week. I wasn't giving up, but I had to do it for the better of my education.. Something that is extremely important to me too.
So I finished my paper a day early, and the next morning I picked right back up! I didn't feel at all like I had given up. And Surprisingly I felt so much more energetic and alive. I gave that work out my all, and felt great about it!
In line with this, there was another decision I had to make.
I had originally signed up for two intersession courses during winter break. These classes are 5, 9 hour days, worth 3 credits each. Just thinking about them stressed me out. And thinking back on how stressed I was with finals while trying to keep up with my health simultaneously, I had to drop them. I knew it would eventually create a wall between me and my health to a point I don't know I could have turned around from again. So I decided that instead, I am going to spend the break focusing on this lifestyle change. It is important to me, and I don't want to lose track of it because of some quick fix classes.

Therefore!
I have set some goals for myself over the break. All my attention is going to focus on my health and fitness. I am going to try new things, new classes, new forms of fitness, and new food! I am going to go out more. As in spending less time in the gym, and more time outside. And I am going to enjoy life in every way I can.
This is definitely a new beginning for me. I don't know how I ever lived not paying attention to my whole self. I don't ever want to go back to that. And I think I have hit a point where that isn't even an option.
I like this too much.

Until next time <3

Leave me a comment, or follow me --->
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/senaida.garcia.75
Twitter: https://twitter.com/senaida
Instagram: senaida237
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/senaida237

Getting to the top of the mountain.

Getting to the top of the mountain can be a metaphor for many things. It could mean finishing a paper, a project, school, work, the week... Just any sort of hurdle you come across. Getting over this mountain, for me, meant something physical and metaphorical.
As my spin instructor would say, "imagine what is on the top of the hill and get to it." I remember a time when I wouldn't even look at the hill. I went on a hike once with a good friend to the volcanoes on the West Side of Albuquerque. Five minutes in, I was winded and wanted to go back to the car. It was as if there wasn't enough of anything to keep me from not being so tired. When we got to the base of one volcano, I stopped, sat on a rock, and refused to follow him up. He begged me to go up with him. I crossed my arms and acted like a child. So he went without me.
As I sat and reflected alone, I realized that I had never been so disappointed in myself. I just sat there. What was my problem? Was I really that lazy and stuck in my ways that I couldn't even climb a damn hill?

Ya, pretty much. Maybe I was afraid that I couldn't get to the top. Or maybe I was afraid of what would be there when I did. I didn't even try.

But I am here to tell you all that this past weekend, that concept changed for me. I went on a hike with that same friend to Bear Canyon. It was two hours long, and I thought my heart was going to explode half the time. However, my friend brought something up. He re-told me the story about our hike in the volcanoes. I had completely forgotten about that experience. He reminded me that on other hikes I would get winded right away just walking on the trail before the mountain. And how I would never be motivated to keep going. I felt kinda bad. I was holding him back from all these cool experiences at the top of every mountain we climbed because I would go slow or something. I mean, I have made to the tops of other mountains, and other hills. But this mountain was different. It was a reflection of the progress that I have made since this summer, and where I used to be in life.

Now I look forward to seeing the city from up high... which is so beautiful, by the way...
And I look forward to climbing taller mountains, higher boulders, in faster time.
Watching the sunset from my side, and being a part of it to everyone else.
Being proud of my accomplishments every single day, no matter how hard they are and what everyone else says.
Living a life that I never thought I could live because I was too depressed to leave the illusion of Hollywood life.
Following my dream one step at a time.
Being the best me that I can be! And loving every bit and piece of it.

So climb a mountain with me? I'd be happy to be a part of the sunset with you.

Until next time <3

Spin Class

A little note to myself: You haven't been on a bike ride, or even on your bike since you were sick with the flu over a month ago. You should get on that... Literally. How about this weekend?

Now that that's out of the way.
A friend of mine asked if anyone was interested in joining her in one of the spin classes on campus. I agreed right a way. I thought I would love it since I loved riding my bike so much. So I was pumped to go. Plus I needed another fun activity to try out because the gym was getting a little repetitive and boring.
So I met her there on Monday, picked up a pass, and picked out a bike. I was very anxious all day. I let my thoughts and other peoples comments get ahead of me. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to participate in something so intense. I was scared more than anxious, for sure. Nevertheless, I couldn't wait for it to start.
And we kicked those stationary bikes asses!!!
I freakin loved it! Regardless that at a certain point I felt as if my lungs and heart were going to involuntarily spew out of my mouth in tiny little chunks, I took a step back and let myself calm down. The instructor was very conscious about each one of us. She took our level into consideration and made sure we were taking care of ourselves when she noticed we may spontaneously fall over on our bike.
Especially while changing the height of our handle bars...
Which I almost did...

I will definitely be going back. I really loved it. And it is so wonderful to know that I have a good friend there with me.
I may even look into other fitness classes the university offers... like boot camp... that sounds interesting.

Until Next time <3

Working Out and Such

When I was young, I used to dance. It seemed like we would dance all day every day. Travel to dance, wake up to dance, and go to sleep after dancing so we could wake up in the morning and do it all over again. It probably wasn't that much in reality.. But it was a pretty significant part of mine and my siblings lives for a while there. I was pretty active in other ways too. I was on the jump rope team in elementary school, and played basket ball. I loved to roller blade, and ride my bike too.
Then after all that, I might as well have been hit my a truck. I didn't ever move unless it was to walk to class or something. Doing anything active was totally unappealing. Countless times my cousins and friends would ask if I wanted to do something. I was that friend who ruined it for everyone else by saying no.
When I was in middle school my brother had started wrestling for Valley High. He went through a crazy amount of training and diet to meet weight classes and what not. It was inspiring to me because he found something that he really loved. Something to get him up in the morning. Goals to reach. One day I decided to work out with him. He ran a few miles down the ditch, and probably without stopping. I wouldn't know, I didn't even make it down the street without thinking I was going to die. I most likely ran half way down, walked back, and ate something.
When I started college, I thought it would be wise to save money and take the bus to CNM/UNM. The bus stop was literally two blocks away, and I remember thinking that was still too far. It didn't last. I would schedule my classes so I didn't have to walk across campus in less than five minutes. And note that neither campus is that big. I was the laziest person I knew. Even before I decided to start doing something about my weight this summer, I would make it a point to make routes that involved elevators or short cuts. It was bad.

My doctor told me that if I didn't do something about my health I was on the fast track to diabetes. Talk about freaking me out. I needed to make a change, and soon. This whole 'just eat the cheesecake' thing wasn't going to work anymore. I wasn't invisible. I never have been. And it definitely wasn't going to just magically be okay in the long run. To me, I was already sick. I already had diabetes. I was already on a path to never turning back.

I had to do something.
It wasn't easy. I didn't just wake up one morning and say 'oh, now I'm healthy, everything is going to be different, and I'm all active.' No. I still wake up and have a hard time motivating myself to get to the gym. I still say I'll do it tomorrow. I mean, ya, It's easier today than it was then, but it took alot to get here. And it's going to take even longer to get to where I should be. But it's a process. A long one. I think that was the biggest realization I have had to make this whole time. I am going to wake up tomorrow and probably look the same, but I'll feel better. However, when a year or so rolls around, I won't look like I do when I wake up tomorrow, I will look different.
Healthy.
Maybe skinny, but I'll be healthy. That is what matters.

This week I met with my personal trainer for the first time. He comes with the healthy weight package. The picture above is what I looked like right after the work out. Then I changed my shirt... and it was just as wet. I had been working out since the beginning of summer. Not only have a not been that sore since then, I hadn't sweat that much. I felt great! It was unbelievable.
I definitely need to pick up more tips from him. I tried doing the same work out we did the next day, and it wasn't as effective at all. I was pretty bummed.
I have really been enjoying this whole working out thing. I can't wait until I am more advanced. I want to be strong, in mind, body, and spirit. It doesn't matter how I look anymore. It just matters that I feel better. Everything else will come after. Like I said, it's gonna be a long road.

And it is here that I will say
The goal that I am working towards, ya know besides everything else, is that I want to start boxing again. I want to have a strong body like a boxer. I boxed when I was younger for a whole month... ya... but I really loved it. It was the only sport that my mom ever put me in that I truly loved. The reason I quit was because I was embarrassed I couldn't run the mile.. So I never showed up again. This time, though, I want to really stick with it. I have a ways to go before I can start doing that again, but for sure.. I wanna box. This is my goal.

Anyways,
Until next time <3

"Why are you in the healthy weight program?"

Last week I was asked by my health coach, "Why are you in the healthy weight program?" I stared at the little posty note the question was on. I didn't know what to write. I had just gotten back from a week wondering why it was worth it, what the point was, and believing that I may never be in the body I am supposed to be in.
I wrote something generic like, "I want to live a healthier lifestyle. I don't want to be judged by friends and family anymore about my health, and I don't want to suffer long term effects because of my weight. I want to be strong in mind, body, and well being."
Although these are great reasons to be in the healthy weight program, I didn't think it was good enough. I felt like I didn't deserve to be there, because maybe it really wasn't the right answer to the question, or it wasn't specific enough, or my motivation wasn't strong enough.
But long story short, I deserve to be there just as much as anyone else. The fact that I signed up for it meant that I was stuck and needed help. So whatever the reason really is, whether its deep down inside or I'm not ready to voice it, I know that is what it comes down to. I needed help, and I couldn't find it in the places I was looking... There was usually just food there.

So how'd I get this way?
I have been overweight for more than half of my life. I used to be skinny as a kid, heathy, in sports. Then one day everything shattered. School kids weren't nice anymore, my family life was rocky to say the least, I was shy and didn't have many friends, I was growing up. However, I wasn't growing up in the same way. I wasn't the cool kid. I was the kid with hairy arms and thick eye brows that got made fun of on a daily basis. One time, while taking the bus, one of my regular bullies thought it would be funny to spill chili power all over me, and pull my hair all in the same swoop.
Anyways, and needless to say, I turned to food. Food became my addiction just like drugs, sex, and alcohol become addictions for other people. Society doesn't realize that food is just as bad of an addiction, and it kills your body in soul in the same ways. It's just so accessible, and disguised by something that should be happening naturally, that no one thinks twice about it. Everyday in middle school, when things really started to go down, I would go to the snack bar and order: cheetoes, snickers, coke, pizza, and snowballs. Those snow balls killed me. This was an everyday thing. Sometimes I would even go through the lunch line and get my free lunch, then follow it up with a visit to the snack bar.
I came to love food. So much that I would dream about it and wake up with goals of what I was going to eat that day. It became habit. A way of life. I went through middle, high, and continued onto college with these mentalities. My motto was "Just love the cheesecake!" because I would hate watching healthy people being healthy and deciding against something that was going to keep them that way. I was in denial, for sure.
And don't get me wrong... I know I am speaking in past tense. It is only because it is a strategy for my continued change. I still use food as a comfort when I am upset or stressed out and having a bad day. I still use food as a comfort when I am having a wonderful day. Food is still a huge part of my life. Kicking that habit does not come overnight. Just last night I walked into my mom's house and ate two cookies without even thinking, just because they were there.

Regardless, here are some pictures of food that used to be an everyday for me.

Until next time <3

Healthy Weight Program

On September 4th 2012 I started the Healthy Weight Program at school. Lets back track a bit... I picked up a flier at work advertising a $45 program through Student Health on campus that guided students on the path to a healthy lifestyle. 16 weeks with a health coach, 7 weeks with a nutritionist, and 5 with a personal trainer. I signed up immediately, and felt like I waited forever for it to begin. I met my health coach for the first time, and we reviewed my goals and expectations. I left really excited. The next week when I got my plan this is what it looked like ---

It was extremely intimidating, and I doubted my ability to make this journey. However, I held my head up high, and even cried a little, while I read over the plan over and over as instructed. I found myself continuing to go back... and continuing to think of creative ways I could accomplish my goals... like getting a bike! ------ Now, this is the beginning of my 6th week. Last week wasn't so good. I ate really awful food, and didn't exercise as much as I wanted to. I had a mildly difficult week. I have been overwhelmed in school, behind , found out my Nina has diabetes, and so on...Things that shouldn't get too deep into discussion. BUT! After meeting with my health coach yesterday, I felt 1000x better. I think I just needed to talk it out, and needed someone to tell me that, ya... it's gonna be hard, but it gets better. Which is exactly what she told me. She's pretty awesome. So as always, she has given me goals for the week, posty notes for challenges and successes, and a few other things. Last week I did not finish my goals. They were: Work out 3 times, keep your head up, catch up on readings for class... seems easy enough right? That's what I thought too. This week I want to turn things around. I am doing this for me, for my family, and for my future. What I do today, effects what happens tomorrow. And there is no other time to experience this moment but now. I have my goals set: Work out 3 times, catch up on all classwork, eat colorful foods, and check out the "it gets better" podcast. ----

And so far I have been doing well. I did a short workout at home last night, and went to the gym this morning for 40 min. I'v never sweat so much on a stationary bike. Go figure. After, I went to the grocery store and tracked down things like dragon fruit, apples, GIANT avocados, whole wheats, and tons of veggies. And to top it off, I felt wonderful on my walk to work today... wonderful. My shorts were falling off my waist, and I think I was even smiling. HAHA. Until next time... <3