Yoga for Dummies

Me being the dummy.

I got a question from a friend / reader regarding the type of yoga that I practice. That makes me sound so accomplished and professional, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth! I’m a beginner! Did you know that yoga is GREAT for flexibility and building long, lean muscle? In addition, it makes me feel GREAT. I mean, really great – centered, affirmed, and ready for the day. Here’s my routine, which I’ve started to do while my oatmeal is cooking every morning. Each pose should be held for approximately 10 counts.

 Sun Salutation, Step 1

1.       Stand with both feet touching. Bring your hands together, palm to palm, at the heart. Make sure your weight is evenly distributed. Exhale.

Sun Salutation, Step 2

2.       Raise your arms upward. Slowly bend backward, stretching arms above the head. Relax your neck. Inhale.

Bend Forward, Step 3

3.       Exhale while you slowly bend forward until your hands are in line with your feet, touching your head to your knees, if possible. Press your palms down, fingertips in line with toes (bend your knees if you have to), and touch the floor.

Lunge, Step 4

4.       Move your right leg back behind your body in a wide lunge. As you inhale, keep your hands and feet on the ground, with your left foot between your hands, and raise your head.

Plank, Step 5

5.       Bring your left foot together with your right foot.

Push Up, Step 6

6.       Exhale as you lower your body, resting on your forearms.

Upward Facing Dog, Step 7

7.       As you inhale, lower your pelvis to the ground and raise your hand and bend backward as far as possible, while straightening your arms.

 Downward Dog, Step 8

8.       Putting your hand on the ground and keeping your arms straight, raise your hips and align your head with your arms.

 Lunge, Step 9

9.       Slowly inhale and bend your right leg to take a wide forward step. Keeping your hands firmly on the ground, place your right foot between your hands and lift your head up.

 Bend Forward, Step 10

10.   Keeping your hands in place, bring both feet together. Straighten your legs but keep your waist bent and upper body lowered. Touch your head to your knees, if possible. Exhale.

 Sun Salutation, Step 11

11.   Slowly rise, straightening your back into a standing pose. Bend backward, stretching your arms above your head as you inhale.

 Mountain Pose, Step 12

12.   Return to Step 1. Exhale.

 I hope that you will join me each morning while your oatmeal is cooking!

 

This post got me thinking about other questions ya'll might have about my eating, my journey, or my life. Ask away! Obviously I'm an open book, and hope to help at least one person out there, by making their own journey a little bit easier.

Exorcising the Exercising Demon

This morning’s stats are:

Weight – 258.8 (271.8 – March 28, 2013)

Waist – 44” (49”)

Chest – 48” (53”)

Thigh – 25” (27”)

My body is slowly changing. My pants are looser, and my boobs are less “bulgy” over the top of my bras. My progress has been slow the last two weeks, but I’m pleased nonetheless. My health issues are still present, but easing. I seem to have gotten a grasp on the IBS by watching what I eat and taking a fiber supplement and a probiotic. My back is definitely still an issue, but I've started seeing a chiropractor and am continuing with my pain meds when needed.

At this point, the exercise is the only thing that’s missing from this equation, and it’s a hurdle I’ve yet to jump over. I see so many pictures of people exercising, AND THEY ARE SMILING. Huh? This is a little more accurate…

 

 

Have you ever been scared of exercise? I am. I don’t like to run because I’m self-conscious about my chest. I don’t want to go to the gym because I’m FAT. I constantly and consistently sabotage myself by not rising to my full potential. Can you imagine how quickly those numbers above would move if I actually exercised? Jeez – I’d be swimsuit ready in no time!

Since I have a delightful black-with-white polka dot suit to wear to the beach this summer, I vow right here and now that I will exercise EVERY DAY. Since I now schedule my food, why shouldn’t I schedule my exercise? Here’s the plan:

Monday – 10 minute yoga routine @ 6:15 AM. Walk with Colleen at a brisk pace for 30 minutes at 6:30 PM. (Thanks for offering to do this, Colleen!!)

Tuesday – 10 minute yoga routine @ 6:15 AM.  Just Dance on the Kinect with Jameson at 6:30 PM. 30 minute Pilates after dinner.

Wednesday – 10 minute yoga routine @ 6:15 AM. 30 minute walk around dog park fence at 5:30 PM.

Thursday – 10 minute yoga routine @ 6:15 AM. 30 minute walk around neighborhood w/ the dogs at 5:30 PM. 30 minute Pilates after dinner.

FAT FRIDAY! – 10 minute yoga routine @ 6:15 AM. Just Dance on the Kinect with Jameson at 6:30 PM.

Saturday – 30 minute walk around dog park fence.

Sunday – 30 minute walk around dog park fence.

Maybe someday soon those walks will turn into runs.  Maybe someday I’ll realize a distant dream of mine, to become certified and teach children’s yoga. Maybe I’ll start teaching dance classes again, and become a nicer, prettier version of Abby Lee Miller. Until then, this is my solemn vow to you, dear readers: I will exercise, in some way, EVERY DAY.

57 Trips

I feel like I’ve taken 57 trips to the bathroom today. I know it’s too much information, but it’s the foremost thing on my mind this very moment. I saw my doctor about several issues on Wednesday, and I’ve been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Apparently my body is missing its daily doses of crap, and making crap in its own way (sorry). So that’s what I’ve been dealing with over the last month – grumbly, painful stomach, some cramps, and a lot of trips. There’s a grove in the floor from my desk to the bathroom.

 

Not only that, the lower abdominal pain I’ve been experiencing is actually from an injury to my back, in the L2 region. (The pain is radiating from the back to the front, not from front to back as I originally thought). The second lumbar region is called the L2. It is one of the five vertebrae in the lower back responsible for supporting the weight of the upper body and providing flexibility for a wide range of motion. I personally think it’s my huge bosom that is the problem, but the Doc seems to think I sustained an injury. I’m now on pain medication with a review scheduled in a month.

All in all, it’s been a rough week, and my diet has suffered. I succumbed to the spaghetti, drank too much beer, and ate several snacks that are not on the plan at a party Saturday night. I woke up this morning feeling bloated and tired, and have decided to forego the weigh-in. I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for this week’s numbers with baited breath, so I apologize. I just feel kinda lousy.

Please rest assured that I’m NOT GIVING UP! I’m really great at this new healthy lifestyle, and it’s rewarding to do something that I’m good at. One week does not a crisis make – it’s just a small setback in a larger journey!

On a lighter note, here’s an excellent pork chop recipe that I found and made last night. It’s very delish, and less than 300 calories per serving!

Oven Barbequed Pork Chops

1 ½ - 1 ¾ lbs bone-in thick cut pork chops, trimmed of fat. (I used boneless, as that was what I had handy).

3 teaspoons canola oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/3 cup orange juice

½ cup barbeque sauce

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.       In a large over-proof sauce pan, heat 2 teaspoons of canola oil. Season pork with salt and pepper. Cook the pork chops until just starting to brown (1-2 minutes on both sides). Remove chops from pan and set aside.

3.       Add the remaining teaspoon of oil and sauté onions until just starting to soften. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute (until garlic releases aroma).

4.       Pour in orange juice and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add barbeque sauce and mix.

5.       Return pork to the pan and coat with barbeque. Move pan to the oven and cook until the internal temperature of the chops is 145 degrees. (I had four thick-cut chops and cooked them for approximately 20 minutes).

This is a great recipe to cook for family members who are hesitant about healthy eating (i.e. John Merritt). It is very flavorful, easy to put together, and tastes indulgent!

An Unfortunate Relapse

It all began when I was invited to a dear friend’s house for dinner, and she made pasta and chicken with an olive oil, pesto, and pine nut sauce. It was DELICIOUS. Until that time I’ve only been eating “brown” carbs – whole wheat breads and pastas. That taste of old school pasta sent me over the edge of a very steep canyon of desire. Last night when I asked Jameson what he wanted for dinner, I secretly prayed he’d say spaghetti. And he did. Two nights in a row, people.

 

Hi, my name is Erin, and I’m addicted to pasta.

I truly thought that if I were to relapse I would do so with baked goods (I love a good cinnamon roll), but it was the pasta that ultimately got me. The sweet Siren song of thin spaghetti was too beautiful to resist.

So today I’m going to start over, and keep starting over until I have successfully conquered this food addiction that has plagued my life for so long. I will not feel bad about my momentary loss of sanity, but move forward knowing that I have the tools and the power to lose weight, make great food choices, and enjoy life.

 

Food - A Love Affair

It’s Monday, which means weigh-in day. The numbers in red are current – the parenthetical numbers are my beginning stats.

Weight – 259.0 (271.8 – March 28, 2013)

Waist – 44” (49”)

Chest – 49” (53”)

I’ve been thinking a lot this weekend about food, and how I feel about it. Thought I’d share…

I love food. I love food so much, that I think maybe it’s replaced a man in my life. Instead of loving someone, and being loved, I’ve just been eating. I haven’t been with anyone since my divorce in 2006, and I can’t believe I just wrote that, but it’s true. When my husband left, I started eating. A head-sized cinnamon roll became a lover’s caress. Huge bowls of pasta with butter and parmesan cheese felt like holding hands, and a pint of ice cream was a sweet cuddle. When I needed comfort, I turned to a spicy chicken extra value meal (large with a coke).

 I was totally and completely, head-over-heals, in love with food.

 Have you ever been in a really bad relationship, where you knew it wasn’t good, but couldn’t leave; a relationship where destructive behavior and bad choices were commonplace? That’s been my relationship with food.

 We’re breaking up.

 

Not All Rainbows and Unicorns

Changing my diet has been so rewarding and exciting in a lot of ways. I feel better, I’m not as tired, I’m sleeping well, and I’m more active. I’ve gotten back into the kitchen, rather than just grabbing something on the go, and I really do love cooking. I’m jumping again, walking faster, and moving more.

 

That being said, I should also admit that it hasn’t all been rainbows and unicorns. I’ve noticed there are some distinct drawbacks to eating a healthier diet, and because of my continuing mission to fully disclose all aspects of this journey, here there are…

 

1.       Planning is hard. In order to eat a well-balanced and healthy diet, a certain amount of planning is required. Gone are the days when “grabbing something on the way” was a possibility. Did you know that even something that is seemingly healthy is a calorie and fat bomb in disguise?  I used to zip through the drive-thru at Wendy’s for a Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad. I was appalled to discover that the full size salad I just mentioned is 770 calories. 770 CALORIES. Over half of those calories are from FAT. And don’t even get me started on the chicken, which in my enlightened opinion really isn’t chicken at all.

Weekly menu planning is a MUST. Browsing through recipes and coming up with ideas for a meal is fun, but a grocery list for the week is essential, and Sunday shopping is the key. Not only do I have to plan what we’ll be eating for the week, but because of my busy schedule I have to plan what meals will be eaten on what days. I can’t plan chicken enchiladas when I don’t get home until after 7 PM!

2.       Cooking for Jameson sucks. Paybacks are a bitch, for sure, and I happen to have the pickiest kid on the planet living in my house.  I feel so sorry that my parents had to put up with my food idiosyncrasies when I was a child, now that I know how it effects dinner time. If I don’t plan a meal with at least ONE component that Jamo will eat, I have to either send him to bed hungry, or make him a Nutella sandwich. It’s tough, but we’re powering through. Every week we’ve discovered one or two new items that he’s willing to try, and that he likes, so we are slowly building a list. Turkey sausage is a godsend. 

3.       Staying off the scale is impossible. I know I should, but I just. can’t. do. it. I’m obsessed with weighing myself, and it’s becoming detrimental to my journey. I stepped on this morning, and was pleased that I’m down another pound, but I need to find my Zen about this. I am committing to you today, my dear friends, that I will put the scale away and only weigh in once a week.

4.       I’ve bought stock in Tupperware. Why didn’t anyone tell me that my use of storage containers would multiply like rabbits? I feel like I take my entire kitchen to work every day. Thank goodness I have a dishwasher.

5.       Instant gratification goes OUT THE WINDOW. Even though I’m not dieting, I still have a goal of losing a lot of weight. A LOT. It’s so tempting to go for the quick fix – Body by Vi, Xingular, Slim Fast – are all effective products for instant weight loss.  If I was only concerned with short term, these would be my products of choice. But here’s the thing: all of those fad diets and products don’t teach you how to lose weight or how to keep it off; they only teach you to lose, and lose fast. The quick fix is simply not an option for me.  I feel like I need to walk before I can run, and learning HOW to eat and WHAT to eat is the first “step” towards my ultimate goal.

I hope that this post will let you know that, even though it might seem like I’ve had an easy go it’s not all flowers and hearts, or rainbows and unicorns. It’s hard. Every day is hard.

But I’m so worth it.

Recipes for Carnivores

I like meat. There, I said it. I’m a carnivore in every sense of the word, and I love a delightful beef recipe. Here are a couple low-calorie recipes that I’ve discovered and tried (with possible modifications and comments in red). Enjoy!

 

Chunky Beef Stew

240 calories per serving

 

 

¾ lb boneless beef sirloin steak cut into 1” cubes

¾ lb tiny new potatoes, halved - I used white potatoes, since I had them on hand

1 pkg frozen green beans (2 cups)

4 carrots – peeled & cut

1 small onion – diced

1 can (14 oz) low-sodium beef broth

1 tablespoon (T) Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ teaspoon (tsp) dried Italian Seasoning - found in the seasoning aisle!

¼ t black pepper

24 oz no-salt tomato sauce

 

1.       Lightly coat a 4-quart pot with cooking spray. Add beef and cook 4-5 minutes over medium heat. Remove beef and set aside.

2.       Add potatoes, green beans, carrots, onion, broth, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning, and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes.

3.       Add tomato sauce and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for another 10 minutes.

4.       Add beef and heat through.

 

Slow Cooker Lasagna

321 calories per serving, total fat 10.1 g, total carbohydrates 25.1.

I didn’t make the exact recipe below, but decided to share this modified version which bulks up the veggie content. I know the simpler version I made was delicious, so I’m sure this is even better!

 

 

1 lb uncooked lean ground beef (or turkey) make this vegetarian by using Morning Star Veggie Crumbles or omitting meat.

1 small onion, chopped

2 zucchini, halved and sliced

2 cups sliced mushrooms

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

15 oz canned tomato sauce

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp sweetener (sugar, agave, sucant, etc.)

½ tsp dried Italian seasoning

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

15 oz low fat ricotta cheese

1 ½ cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

3 oz fresh spinach leaves

6 dry lasagna noodles, not cooked – I substituted whole wheat lasagna noodles

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

¼ cup chopped fresh basil (optional)

 

1.       Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add beef, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for about 5-7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, sugar, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

2.       In a medium blow, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup mozzarella cheese

3.       Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture, then layer with spinach leaves. Repeat with another layer and finish with the remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.

4.       Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.

5.       In a small bowl, combine remaining ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over top of lasagna. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up (about 10 minutes).

 

Italian Pot Roast

218 calories per serving, total fat 6.8 g, carbohydrates 5.9 g. These are only approximate values. The recipe below doesn’t have actual nutrition listed (damn Martha Stewart).

 

 

 

1 T olive oil

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 can whole tomatoes in puree (28 oz)

1 large onion, cut in 8 wedges

1 T fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 T dried and crumbled)

3 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed and halved crosswise

4 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise

1 ¼ lbs small white potatoes, scrubbed

 

1.       With a sharp paring knife, cut 4 slits in beef roast; stuff slits with half the garlic. Generously season beef with 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat, swirling to coat bottom of pan. Cook beef until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

2.       In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine beef, onion, potatoes, tomatoes (with puree), rosemary, and remaining garlic. Cover; cook on high setting until meat is fork-tender, about 6 hours (do not uncover while cookeing).

3.       Transfer meat to a cutting board. Thinly slice and discard any gristle. Serve covered with vegetables and sauce.