Week V: Soul Food

Hey There My Healthy Friends!

Well, another week has gone by and that means we've all had seven fresh new days to create healthier lives around us. Now, there are many ways to make our lives healthier. So, considering we've discussed our body and mind's health in previous posts, that leaves, of course, our spirit, or souls. And what better way to do that than with soul food!

Now don't be fooled, despite how tempting Paula Deen's southern cookin' can be, I wouldn't let us off the hook that easy. So, instead of using actual food for our souls, I thought we could feed it with other means of enjoying the same sensations that food can bring, such as: fulfillment, excitement, satisfaction, pure joy ..all the things ice cream used to do for me- and probably still would if I didn't search for other things to associate those feelings with.

So, in order to really gobble up some food for my soul, I went out on a mini-adventure. I decided that a weekend away with a friend from far far away would be just the treat my soul needed!

My "far far away" friend is Clementina [insert fruit joke here], from Venezuela, but we met while attending an Italian school together in Rome last year. As soon as I found out that Clementina had a liking to Chanel and other fine leather brands, I knew we'd instantly be best friends. And that we were.

We studied the Italian language 5 days a week, went on several excursions around Italy on the weekends, shared wine with gorgeous Italian men under twinkling stars, and obviously shopped the organically vogue streets of Rome on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, Clementina had to leave Rome earlier than planned; and I realized that, realistically, I may never see her again. During our last minutes together we hugged and cried, squeezing tight before we headed off in separate cabs, which would eventually take us thousands of miles apart. I remember trying to choke out my Italian to the cab driver under heavy sobs sounding something like, "ma- ma- mi dispiace. Son- son- sono andare a Via Arenula. Vici- vicinooo il coloseo."

The hardest part about making friends abroad, is knowing they'll always be that: abroad.

So, when I got a phone call two weeks ago from a 12-digit phone number, I was squealing to hear Clementina on the other line. And even more exciting, she was coming to New York City and wanted to meet up. Thus, after considering the rarity of this situation, I decided to buy a plane ticket and spend two days with a great friend in the city that never sleeps.

When we met up, it was like no time had passed. However, I had to refresh my memory with Italian and Spanish in order to talk with her family members. But, it was great practice and fun for me to speak another language again. We had such a good time, laughing, enjoying a few drinks (actual food for my soul ;) , dancing like crazy people, singing along to our all-time favorite song "I've Got a Feeling"- which we sang in the streets of Rome with our friends the first night out in Italy, and shopping 'til blisters were eminent.

Of course, we had to once again say our goodbyes, but even as I jumped on the train after our departure, I didn't feel sad. In fact, my soul felt happy. I knew it would be at least a few years 'til we saw each other again, but it's ok, because we would see each other again. And that's the great thing about real friendships, whether here or apart, you have the memories, and there there you can always meet.

As I rode in the cab back up to the Upper East Side at night, I listened to my go-to night song, John Mayer's live version of "Free Fallin'", and thought about how many great people I've met in my life and great places I've been. And I don't think my soul ever felt as good as it did in that moment. My soul doesn't remember the food I've fed it, it remembers the feelings, the emotions, the hot breeze drifting through a cab while staring at the twinkling lights of New York City.. and THAT is the best food my soul has ever tasted.

"Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul." - Oscar Wilde

xx,

-Kate

Week 4: Stop and Smell the Roses

Welcome Readers!

When I first started this blog, I mentioned that I wanted to not only improve my body's health, but also my mind and spirit. So, I thought today we'd talk about other ways to help yourself outside of the gym.

I feel like I should say "namaste" right about now.. *bows to yoga instructor*

Okay, so lot of people make excuses to not relax. Believe me, I'm one of them. We say we don't have time, don't have the resources, or we're too stressed to even find relaxation in the simple things. Look, I worked in New York City with the most vile of people, under stresses you can't possibly imagine. And if someone had told me to stop and smell the roses, I'd probably have straight-up punched them in the face. Wait, did I mention I was stressed?? Yeahh... it got ugly.

However! I've found that if we have enough time to do things like brush our teeth, shower, and wash our face, we can also incorporate other things into our daily routines that can help your mind relax.

While living in Italy last year, I was always envious of how Italians went about their day. They weren't concerned about getting to work on time - heck! they weren't concerned about getting to work at all! Now that's a little extreme, but, my point is that Italians take time to enJOY life. They're not rushing through it, not stressing over the fact that they just ate a Shrek-size portion of pasta, not complaining when a waiter offers a pitcher - yes, pitcher - of wine to compliment their meal. They LIVE in this life.. they don't jump from one hurdle and anticipate the next, they just let it come and deal with it then. We Americans tend to stress inbetween those two hurdles. How do we prepare when the next one comes? How can we avoid more? Before we know it, it's been years and you can't remember what you were even stressing about back then. That's because it's insignificant. Life can be much more plentiful if we just reduce some of that manifested stress.

I tend to find stress in just about anything, so I thought I'd make a list of things that we can all do to help minimize stress when it hits us and how to remain relaxed, if possible, inbetween the stresses life can bring:

SMELL

One of my favorite little relaxers is to light candles. While I was grocery shopping a few weeks ago, I found myself lost in the candy- I mean- candle isle trying to find a "Fall" scent to accent my bedroom. Two melted vegetable bags later, I found the perfect "Apple Cinnamon" Glade candle. Everytime I get ready to take a shower, or get ready in the morning I light my candle and enjoy the Fall essence it brings. It may not completely de-stress me, but if nothing else, I can feel my nose and mind smiling a little bit- despite how strange that sounds :p

BREATHE
Another little de-stresser, which some of you may have heard of, is to take deep breaths at night. Sometimes, I lay in bed and think of all the things I have to do the next day. Well, being in bed and not being able to do anything about it certainly is not going to help. So, I make a list before bed of all the things I have to do tomorrow and number them from most important, to least. Then, I lay in bed and take deep breaths in and out, letting the stress melt out of me and prepare my body for relaxing dreams. Believe it or not, sleep can be "me time". And it's important to really get those 7-8 hours, and not toss and turn with anxiety all night.

COLOR
You might think I'm crazy, but one of the things I, personally, enjoy doing is coloring. Sometimes while I'm watching Glee or Gossip Girl, I find myself craving a snack. *smacks hand* What I'm really doing is just being ADD and needing something to keep my body occupied while admiring Finn Hudson's cute freckles... So, color! Don't be embarassed if you pick up a Disney coloring book - my personal fav - they don't know you don't have kids ,or are a babysitter, or a teacher. Believe me it's kinda fun and you can even hang it up on your fridge to admire, if you dare ;)

PARTY
For my overachieving readers, this ones for you! Now, I am a little OCD about organization so it's not too hard to imagine that I love to organize get-togethers. Even if it's just a few gals coming over, plan a little dinner party. Recently, I threw a joint-potluck party and I went out and got flowers, made a new dish for the first time, cleaned the house, and surprisingly felt very relaxed and proud of myself that I threw it together. It's really a great reward to yourself and nothing spells relaxation better than a good laugh with friends.

So, these are just a few recommendations. Of course, you can get creative and come up with your own stress-relieving rituals. But, just remember, in order to really improve your total body package, you've got to keep a hold of all the things that make us feel beautiful, and that means going waaay beyond appearances. Madonna was wise to say "beauty's where you find it... not just where you bump and grind it" ;)

Quote of the week:

"Be aware of the things you cannot see" - Confucius

xx,

-Kate

Week 3: Progress!

Hello readers/followers/general stalkers,

So, the worst is over, I've basically put it ALL out there in my last post, and now it's onto the fun stuff: my journey of getting into shape!

First of all, I hope you've had a happy and healthy week since we last checked in with each other. I've, personally, had a really great week kickin' boot-ay at the gym with my trainer and being extra smart when making food choices. And I'll tell ya, nothing tastes better than feeling healthy :) Well, let's be honest- I'd practical make-out with the pizza boy at this point if he gave me a slice of New York style pizza. But, it's okay. I'll have a slice of pizza again - just not today (or tomorrow)..

This week was a pretty standard week with workouts (me, pleading with my trainer to let me just pass out - and her, telling me to go sprint the track instead; thank god she wins every time). But, in terms of my food, I really wanted to hone in on my calorie/nutrient intake this week:

I noticed that my weight was taking its good ol' time coming off, even though I've been sticking to a 1200 calorie diet with less carbs and sugars. Well, you should know that weight, in general, does not come off easily for me with hypothyroidism (a slow metabolism) - one of God's special gifts, I like to say - along with my sensitivity to sugars and carbs. So, I tried to get super serious about what I was eating and found a great app on my iPhone called "MyFitnessPal". It's amazing, it will tell me what my goal nutrients are for the day and if I'm under or over my percentage of that. For example, since I'm training 6-7 days a week, I try to load up on protein for my muscles to rebuild themselves after a hard workout. So, by entering my meals into the app, it told me my protein intake today was over about 5% for the average 1200-calorie diet. So, I know I'm in a fairly good range with that, considering I should be over to help my body recover.
Oh, and don't fret! the app isn't just on the iPhone.. you can go to their website at: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ Honestly, check it out. It's mind blowing. You can chart your weight too, which is fun (only if you're losing) :/

I just can't tell you how amazingly-awful it is to see how quickly calories add up. However, I've gotten used to being honest with myself now and what I used to think was 1200 calories, is definitely NOT. By following this strict intake, I've already noticed a difference. The weight has definitely started to go a little faster (about 2lbs. a week - which IS healthy people. Do not try to lose more than 2lbs./week or you will gain it back eventually, I promise). So, I'm really excited about finding a new way to structure my food, just as I might structure a workout routine.

So, the BIGGEST news is that, despite only having blogged for 3 weeks, I've been on my new health-kick for much longer and have finally reached the -10lb. mark!!!!!
**FIREWORKS**
maybe a little confetti..? *~* nah we'll save that for a bigger moment :)

But, hey, 10lbs. is 10lbs. and it will NOT be missed.

Well, kids, I've got 2 more glasses of water to drink before bed and I gotta prepare my bladder for that, so I'll leave you with this:
"There is a powerful driving force inside every human being that once unleashed can make any vision, dream or desire a reality". - Anthony Robbins

xx
-Kate