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

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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

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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