overfed and undernourished: Hungry for Change

Yesterday a miracle occurred in my house; both kids napped, at the same time, for over two hours! I decided to not be productive at all out of fear for one of them waking as soon as I started cleaning and watched a documentary instead.

Hungry for Change (watch the trailer here) is a great documentary that is extremely informative and made me think even longer and harder about the food I am putting in my own body and the bodies of those I love most in the world. My family and I are still in the midst of our month of unprocessed foods, and up until yesterday afternoon, I was so excited to eat some Goldfish crackers on April 1, but that will no longer be happening.

The thing that stood out the most to me was how terrible aspartame is for you. We all have heard that this stuff is bad for you and can trick your body and actually make you gain weight. I used to be a total fiend for Diet Coke, but in recent years have learned the error of my ways. What I didn't know is that pilots aren't allowed to drink diet soda because it is a well-known fact in the aerospace world that it can really dick with your eyesight and put one's career and the passengers on board in danger. Pretty scary.

The underlying theme of the film is that Americans in particular are obese because they are overfed and undernourished. We are consuming a ridiculous amount of food, but it is mostly food made in a lab composed of mostly chemicals to make it taste like a better, sweeter version of the original food product. The body is an amazing thing that knows what it needs to eat and when it is not getting the necessary nutrients, it goes into starvation mode and starts saving food as fat to prepare for what it sees as a famine. This makes a lot more sense the way they explain it. Put food in your body that it was made to break down: animal products, fruit, and vegetables. Eliminate white sugar, white flour, and overly processed foods.

There is so much great information in this documentary, I highly suggest everyone watch it and then tell those they love to watch it. It isn't some fad thing. It is just very informative. Once you are armed with information (whether or not you agree with it) you can make educated decisions.

AmazonPrime is streaming it for free. I believe it is on Netflix. Again, the film is called Hungry for Change.

Happy Day! Go do ten push ups and eat something green today!

skinny people have feelings, too.

Here's your warning: this is a bit of a rant, but it will be an informative one.

I have been relatively thin my whole life. I wasn't blessed with boobs or an ass. I still have acne well into my adult life. I have chicken legs. I have been teased for everything mentioned here for as long as I can remember. In high school and college, I had man shoulders due to a ridiculous amount of time spent swimming and lifting weights. I was teased for that. Nobody seems to care though, because I was being teased for a "good problem."

This "positive teasing" has flowed into my adult life. I am one of those "bitches" who bounce back after pregnancy very quickly. I am one of those "bitches" who doesn't gain a ridiculous amount of weight while pregnant. I am one of those "bitches" who paid attention to my diet, didn't use pregnancy as an excuse to shovel a ton of shit food into my mouth all day long and who continued to exercise moderately throughout pregnancy. I worked hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle while safely cultivating a new life inside of me. Yet, I am a bitch because of it. I am "lucky." It must be my good genes. It must have absolutely nothing to do with hard work and healthy choices. Therefore, I am fair game to make fun of, ridicule, and have some pretty nasty things said.

While pregnant, I had several people say things to me along the lines of, "wow. maybe you should eat so that baby can grow." These types of comments were always masked with a smile or a bullshit chuckle at the end, but I knew that these people were not joking. Once my babies came and my body went back into decent shape, it was open season for strangers to make comments about how starving myself isn't going to help my milk supply. How me choosing to put an emphasis on body image and working out is going to severely damage my young daughter. I am here to tell these people to kick rocks. You suck, people. I am not damaging my young daughter by demonstrating a healthy lifestyle. We don't discuss body shapes, sizes, and feelings of fatness. She is two. She is amazing. And she is not on the growth curve for her age. She is tiny. She is already set up to have a life of being on the skinny side and inevitable ridicule for it. But there is nothing she can do about it. Teachers won't care. They'll say that it's a good thing. If she were ever to fire back to an insult of "do you ever eat?" with "do you ever stop eating?" to a chubby classmate, I'm sure I would get a call home.

This culture of "big is beautiful" and "real women have curves" has gotten out of control. It is now making it so being clinically overweight is normal and acceptable. People should be heavier, skinny is gross. Well, folks, that just doesn't seem right. I am not talking about clinically underweight, airbrushed model skinny. I'm talking a healthy BMI (weight to height ratio) versus an unhealthy one. In either direction.

This country is so damn concerned with not hurting people's feelings, and making sure everyone is comfortable in their own skin. Well, there is a huge effing problem with obesity. Our children will not outlive us because they are set up to be overweight and be OK with it. Love your body. Love your rolls. What is wrong with this? Being overweight is clinically liked to major health problems. Heart disease, diabetes, joint issues, loss of bone mass, etc. Why do we want to cultivate this?

I just saw a news story that a woman at a Planet Fitness in the east bay was told to change her her clothes while working out because her "toned arms were intimidating other patrons." WTF. She was walking on a treadmill and had a tank top on. I highly doubt if a "toned" person approached a staff member to complain about an overweight person's revealing outfit, it would not be handled the same way.

Both are wrong. We shouldn't care about what other people are wearing while working out. Focus on yourself. Focus on what you need to do. Who cares. Does my wearing a tank top make you feel badly about yourself because I have toned arms? DO SOMETHING. I bust my ass running. I lift weights. I like doing yoga. I like testing my physical limits. You don't? That's fine. It doesn't concern me. I love the adrenaline rush after running ten miles. I love the feeling of lifting more than I have. I love that my chest can now touch my thighs while doing a forward bend. I love seeing physical improvement. It moves me. It motivates me. It is a huge part of my life. Stop calling me a bitch for being thin and in shape. Stop offering to make me a sandwich. Stop with the anorexic jokes. It's not funny. It's hurtful. It's mean.

I can handle myself. I can handle the jokes and the comments. I'm used to it. What I can't handle, is the comments already starting with my daughter. She is small. She is thin. My son is shaping up to be the same way. I want them both to love their bodies. I don't want them feeling bad about themselves because they're small and their classmates are average or overweight. Body image issues go both ways.

Think about what you're about to say before you make fun of a skinny person next. Or a fit person. I welcome all people to come do a workout with me, then you can make fun of me. I work hard, I like it. I don't wear revealing clothing. I don't focus on my small size. You do. You make it an issue for yourself. Get over it.

walking lunges

Walking lunges are one of my favorite things. Yes, they suck while you're doing them. Yes, they suck the day after if you are just starting, but boy, do they sure make your ass and thighs look good! They are so beneficial to your body and stamina and so simple! You can literally do these anywhere. Sure, you may feel self conscious walking around the mall doing lunges, but hey, anyone who judges you is just super jealous that they either A. don't have the amazing capacity to do such an incredible exercise or B. lack the self confidence to bust out some sweet lunges in public. Either way, they can suck it. You'll look fabulous in no time!

Now, if walking lunges in public isn't your thing, no worries, here is a short list of where you can do them: in your house, in your yard, while walking the dog, in your office, in the bathroom at work, at the gym, at the park, at the dog park, in the sandbox,... You get the point. There are no excuses to NOT do these bad boys other than injury and laziness.

When you click out of this blog and put down your phone or laptop, do walking lunges to your next destination. Going from the couch to the kitchen? Lunge to it! Bedroom to bathroom? Lunge to it! Is this blog your toilet reading? Lunge out of the John. As always, start small and build up. Do ten walking lunges (5 with each leg) the first day, then add 10 each day after. Soon you'll be noticing your tooshie getting higher and firmer. And so will your partner.

Not sure how to do a walking lunge? Check out this video. Your back knee will want to come close to the ground and your front knee will bend making a 90 degree angle. It is imperative to not let that front knee go past your toes. That is when injuries will happen.

Happy Lunging, friends!

listerine

I know that we are going unprocessed this month, but I am going to share with you all my love for Listerine. Yes, Listerine. That disgusting pure alcohol tasting mouth wash that is probably doing much more harm than good.

Do you ever find yourself making cookies and eating the better part of the raw dough? Me, too. Only it's quite sad how much cookie dough I can put away. It's probably the main reason I started distance running all those years ago. I LOVE me some raw dough! Baked cookies are okay, but dough is my Achilles's heel. I was starting to read up on the dangers of raw eggs, but it didn't do any good. The sweet, sweet taste of raw cookie dough is worth the tiny risk of salmonella and a day or two of puking. That's a totally rational thought, right? Then I discovered a new purpose for Listerine.

When I am in the throws of baking and wanting to eat a week's worth of calories in one glorious afternoon, I go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, and swish with Listerine. The full thirty seconds. It burns, and it sucks, but I don't want to put another spoonful (big, wooden spoonful) of dough in my mouth.

Cookie dough not your thing? It works when you're halfway through that bag of chips, ice cream, anything! Are you trying to stop drinking soda? When you're craving one, go brush your teeth and swish some rinse. It will make your teeth happy and your stomach happy.  The best part of Listerine is that they come in those cute travel bottles so you can keep one in your desk at work, your purse, gym bag, diaper bag (out of reach of grabby kid hands), pretty much anywhere you fancy.

Now you know one of my weird little things.

Why I Hate Supplements

In a nutshell; they're gross.

The longer version: Supplements aren't regulated by the FDA, so pretty much anything can be crushed up and encapsulated and passed off as something to make you feel better. I am always quite dumbfounded when I see so many GNC stores still open with people still going in and stocking up on things that are going to make them healthier. I just chuckle to myself and keep on walking. Doesn't it seem counterproductive to put chemicals in your body in an effort to make it healthier and perform better? Get your nutrients from your food. Not food-based pills. You'll get more nutrients and more satisfaction out of chewing and swallowing a delicious meal than you will get out of swallowing a wax coated pill. 

Don't believe me? Look at the bottle in your cupboard. Somewhere on it, it will say, in very small print accompanied by a cute asterisk, that the "statements are not verified by the FDA." Now, I'm not saying FDA approval carries a whole lot of gusto these days with all the other crap they allow us to consume, but I do find some sense of peace knowing that nutrition experts are keeping an eye out. 

Protein supplements? Again, get it from food. If you put too much protein in your body, it isn't going to make you beef up any quicker. Your body will process it, register it as excess, and store it as fat. Plus, those powders are chemically extracted from a whole food source, so, JUST EAT THE FOOD. And sandwich that protein between two delicious pieces of carbs! Your body needs carbohydrates, it just doesn't need an overabundance. More on the bad rap my dear friend the carbohydrate has in another post.

For now, try to pay more attention to what goes in your mouth. Ask yourself if it will benefit your body and your mind. Would you give it to your kid? Your dog? Your great Aunt Edna? Nutrition in pill or shake for seems too easy. Remember, if it's not work, it won't work. Eating a healthy, balanced diet takes work. Work works. Trust me. 

Now, go do 25 jump squats and have a lovely day!

Day 4

Each day this whole unprocessed thing gets easier and easier. I mean, it's still kind of a pain in the ass to make everything from scratch, but it's also kind of fun and gives the toddler something to help with. She is getting to be a master at dumping flour onto the floor and getting a small amount into the mixing bowl.

My number one miss so far were baked potato chips. I suck at those. My poor husband actually ate them and I still feel like I can't get the nasty taste out of my mouth three days later. I bought a 5lb bag of potatoes, so I will be attempting these bad boys again. I don't like to lose. Especially to an inanimate object. I will prevail.

Yesterday I did perhaps the most disturbing thing I've ever done in my life, and I went to Chico State, so this is saying a lot, I made chicken stock. For those of you who don't know, I don't eat meat. Fish is the exception and if I ever stop running and lifting weights, I will go without fish, but meeting my protein requirements by eating nuts and beans just doesn't do it for me. Anyhow, I don't want to push my agenda on anyone, let alone my children. (Side note: I want my kids to grow up experiencing life and making their own decisions on big things like religion and whether or not to eat animals). Back to this "young" chicken (which, I could have done without the label because I don't really need or want to know that I am feeding an adolescent to my family), I bought a two pack of organic, vegetarian, free range little guys from Costco. After consulting my wonderful friends (Lindsay, Rhiannon and Jasmine..holler!!) I went the slow cooker route. Super easy, folks! And Norah actually ate it! She usually prefers her chicken breaded and deep fried. The dogs loved the skin and Matt said it was good, too! Here is the recipe:

Get a slow cooker. Cut a few slices of a white onion, leaving it in rings, and place those babies on the bottom of the cooker. Smash a few garlic cloves and take the peels off, then put those on top of the onions. Put the little bird directly on top of that with a decent sized pat of butter on top. Salt and pepper (or any other spices you like) and cover. Turn that bad boy on low and cook for 6-8 hours.

When you come back from whatever it is you do all day, dinner will be ready and the meat will just fall off the bones. Then, in an effort to use every part of the animal, return the bones (I kept the vertebrae out because it was just too sad) to the chicken juice and add some water. I put 5 cups in, but have yet to have someone taste the juice, but the color looks good. Add some carrots, celery, and any other vegetables you fancy. Let it cook for another several hours, we did 10 and let it warm until I woke up this morning, then strain out the gross part so you just have liquid. Pour it into a jar, or three, and spoon out as much of the fat on top as you can. There you go, broth!

I never in my life thought I would be posting a recipe for meat. Ever. But, it's super easy and the family is eating it, so I want to help some fellow parents and busy people out!

Now for some fitness tips:
Want to get rid of your FUPA? Get a yoga mat or blanket folded a few times long enough to lay on, and sit on it with the bottoms of your feet touching (butterfly legs). Keeping your legs where they are, lay on your back with your hands up over your head. Now, leading with your arms, bring your torso up and reach your hands past your butterfly legs, using your core to bring your upper half up. Return your back and shoulders to the mat and hands over head in a slow and controlled motion. That was one rep. Do 25. Eventually, you'll want to work up to 75. Your butt should remain on the ground the whole time.

Happy Day!

p.s. sorry for the abundance of parentheses. Apparently I like them today.

one down, thirty to go!

Alright, folks, we've made it to child bed time with zero processed foods! Well, we use soy "cheese" because Norah (girl child) can't eat dairy, but every thing else is completely unprocessed. And she is the only one who eats that nasty cheese. Normally we do goat cheese in place of cow cheese, but tonight it was soy cheese. On a pizza. With homemade crust.

Anyhow, the day started with baking, lots of baking. I made two loaves of bread, crackers, hummus, fake Larabars, and pizza dough. By some miracle of some power higher than myself, Frank (boy child) decided to take a two and a half hour nap this morning! This allowed Matt (husband) to entertain Norah so I could get my freak on in the kitchen.

Everything turned out quite well. The crackers were so nice and easy to roll that I just made another batch to be the pizza dough this evening. It was pretty good, minus the disgusting fake cheese. That stuff is soy disgusting..ha..pun.

As the day passed, Matt wanted some clearer guidelines on my one month mission. Things that are boxed and packaged are allowed to be consumed as long as the ingredients listed are exactly what the product claims to be. For example, I bought a bag of organic apple chips from Costco, the ingredients: Organic Apples. It's all the added weird stuff I don't want in the house this month. Words I can't pronounce or don't belong in my body are out.

We are going to be eating out with some friends tomorrow, and that brought about a bunch of new questions from Matt. As long as it isn't a fast food place or chain restaurant, I feel like that's okay. I don't trust McDonald's or Chevy's, but I do trust the small places that actually make the food in house.

Last night was our final processed dinner, so I went all out and junked the hell out of our bodies with this beauty:

Here's to tomorrow going just as well as today! Keep checking in and I'll have recipes and workouts and all sorts of wonderful unprocessed things for you.