Colors are our friends!!

Eat a rainbow of colors often!!

 

 

 

Who wants to eat a plate of food with plain drab colors. It really does not sound appetizing at all. There are so many benefits to eating more colors other than they just look more appetizing. Different colored foods play different roles in the body. You should aim for at least three colors at every meal and two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables over the course of the day. Every meal should include fruits and vegetables because of their fiber and nutrient contents.

 

 

If you eat 3 colors each night at dinner that will add up to over 500 servings of vegetables over 6 months.

 

 

 

 

 



Red foods are packed with phytochemicals like lycopene and anthocyanin's, red foods help increase heart and circulatory health, improve memory, support urinary tract health, and decrease the risk of certain types of cancers. Some good red foods to eat are cherries, cranberries, red bell peppers, strawberries, red kidney beans,  red potatoes, rhubarb, beets and tomatoes.

 

 

Orange foods are high in antioxidants such as vitamin C, carotenoids, and bioflavonoids. Eating orange foods has been linked to skin and eye health, increased immunity, decreased risk of cancer, and a healthy heart. Some good orange foods to eat are carrots, oranges, sweet potatoes, peaches, apricots, cantaloupe, mangoes, tangerines, and butternut squash.

 

 

Pineapple, yellow peppers, corn, star fruit, and other yellow foods contain nutrients that promote good digestion and optimal brain function. High in alpha- and beta-carotenes, yellow foods have also been linked to increased immunity, a decreased risk of some cancers, and healthy eyes and skin. Some other good yellow foods are lemons, yellow watermelon, yellow tomatoes, yellow winter squash, and yellow apples.

 

 

Green fruits and vegetables contain varying amounts of potent phytochemicals such as lutein and indoles. Benefits include a lower risk of some cancers, improved eye health, rejuvenated musculature and bone, and strong teeth. Some good green foods are spinach, broccoli, kale, kiwi, avocados, honeydew, green peppers, green cabbage, green apples, zucchini, watercress, arugula, leafy greens, cucumbers, and Brussels sprouts.

 

 

These colorful foods get their bright hue from anthocyanin's, which have been linked with antioxidants and anti-aging properties in the body. Blue and purple foods help promote bone health, and have been shown to lower the risk of some cancers, improve memory, and increase urinary-tract health. The main benefit of blue and purple foods is increased circulation and microcirculation. Some good blue/purple foods are blueberries, plums, eggplant, purple grapes, figs, purple Belgian endive, purple-fleshed potatoes, purple asparagus, purple cabbage, and elderberries.


While many white foods are refined, like white bread and white rice, there are a lot of white foods that are packed with nutrients. White fruits and veggies have been linked to lower cholesterol, decreased blood pressure, and a lower risk of heart disease. The key benefit of white foods is increased immunity. Eating white foods helps enhance the immune system, the lymph systems, and aids in cellular recovery. Some good white foods to eat are garlic, onions, cauliflower, ginger, turnips, jicama, white corn, turnips, shallots, mushrooms, parsnips, Jerusalem artichoke, white peaches and white nectarines.

The goal should be to eat at least 1-2 from each color group every day. I sometimes find this hard to do. I try for as many colors as I can. I am still working on this. I like to eat a lot of colors, but I am still working on it. My kids do well with eating their colors. We are still working on it as a family. I know all of the benefits of colorful foods. The goal is to get more of them into my diet. Clean eating has really helped me a lot on my fitness journey. Eating the rich colorful fresh foods will only assist me in my fitness journey. Color is powerful on our plates.

 

 

 

 

 

 



H2O Love...

I always hear you should drink 8 glasses of water a day. I had trouble just getting those in every day. It would be 2 in the afternoon before I realized I had not drank anything all day. Then I would reach for soda and not water. No wonder I always felt thirsty. I felt hungry constantly so instead of trying to drink more I would eat snacks, snacks and more snacks. Water is the key to health. My husband always makes fun of me because I talk about water all the time. He says I treat it like a miracle drug...in essence it is nature's wonder drug. Water can do amazing things for our bodies. Did you know that your body cannot tell the difference between hunger and thirst? I didn't. I would reach for those snacks when really I should have been reaching for the glass of water that I let sit on the table all day. Did you also know that our bodies are made up of 60% of water? So when we are affecting the performance of our bodies by not rehydrating it. Dehydration can make us feel sluggish, hungry, have headaches, feel bloated, and feel grumpy and confused. There is one simple solution to cure all of these DRINK WATER!!!! Water can help flush toxins out of our bodies so we feel less bloated. Drinking a glass of water can help us concentrate and feel refreshed and alert. By drinking more water we will eat much less.

I drink at least a gallon of water everyday. I do not drink anything else during the day except an occasional cup of hot tea, which has water in it :)  I went from drinking almost no water to 16-24 glasses a day. The days that I workout really hard are of course the days I get more water in. Some things that have helped me up my intake. I drink at least 8 ounces of water as soon as I wake up in the morning, I always keep a glass of water beside my bed. Before each meal I eat I drink at least 8 ounces of water about 30 minutes before, I eat 4-5 meals a day. I drink at least 8 ounces before going to bed each night, remember when I said I always keep a glass of water beside the bed. So far we are up to at least 6-7 glasses of water just by doing these simple steps. If I get up to use the restroom during the night, which trust me you will if you are drinking this much water, I drink some more water before lying back down. Of course while I am working out I always have a bottle with me. Typically I can drink 3-4 right after a workout. I try to never go anywhere without bringing my water bottle with me. That way I always have it so if I feel thirsty it is right there with me. If I get cravings during the day and feel hungry I will drink at least 8 ounces of water and wait 30 minutes. If I still feel hungry then I will go ahead and eat a snack, a good healthy snack of which I will usually drink some water with. If I do not feel hungry still then I was just thirsty, remember our bodies cannot tell the difference. I have a Rubbermaid bottle that is 32 ounces, so if I drink 4 of them then that is 1 gallon, 128 ounces. I try to make sure I have at least 1, 32 ounces drank before lunch, then at least 1 more before eating my snack, then at least 1 more before dinner, then at least 1 more before going to bed. So that will give me a gallon a day without adding in the water I drink at bedtime, or working out etc...So yes my husband makes fun of me for my love of water, but he knows how great water can be. Water intake is really dependent of the size of a person and the activity level. Take your body weight and divide by 2. That is the number of ounces you should at least be getting in everyday. Of course drinking more than that is going to be even more beneficial to you especially if you are a very active person. So go grab a glass now and DRINK, DRINK, DRINK!!!!

The scale is not my friend

I have a love hate relationship with my scale. I love when I see the numbers go down, but when they don't change I get so frustrated with myself. Fortunately since I have been on my journey over the last few months I really have not seen them go in the wrong direction, but sometimes I do not see it change fast enough. I was weighing myself like 5 times a day every day. I was becoming obsessed with it. So I decided a few weeks ago to stop weighing myself. I am trying to tell myself the scale does not matter. I am trying to focus on my NSV's (non scale victories). I think as women we are taught that thin is beautiful. So we focus so much on being that small size and small number in order to be pretty. It is ingrained in us as young girls. It is a hard cycle to break. Healthy is what is beautiful not skinny. The number on the scale is just a number on the scale. My goals began as wanting to be a specific number, but I am learning that really does not matter to me. These other things I am accomplishing are far more important. I hope that my daughter never worries about what the number on the scale says. I want to teach her from a young age that she is beautiful and strong. It does not matter her size. What is important is that she is healthy. The best way for me to do that is to lead a good example for her. I don't want her to see me worrying about my number on the scale. I want her to see me eating healthy foods and living an active healthy lifestyle.

It's not a diet...

Since starting my journey I have tried to surround myself with positive motivating people. I sometimes do encounter unsupportive people. I hear how's your diet going, why are you eating like that, oh it's ok if you have some, why do you need to workout, women should do cardio to lose weight not strength training etc... I am not on a diet. It is a LIFESTYLE!!!! This is how I plan to live the rest of my life. I am not living a life of depriving myself, but I also never, ever want to fall back to what I was doing before. These are my choices. I am not pushing them on anyone. If you feel guilty for what you are eating don't bring me down because of the choices I am making. I support your decision to eat and do what you want, and I would appreciate you doing the same for me. I workout to be healthy and strong. I lift weights to become healthy. Strength training is what has set me up for success!!

My journey so far....

I was a relatively healthy child and teenager. I was not really overweight. I did active things. I also enjoyed food, a lot. When I got into my 20's I started noticing I was putting on weight. After I was married in 2004 we decided we wanted to start having children. We started trying and it just wasn't working for us. I went to the doctor after almost a year of trying and was told that I would never have children. This sent me into depression. We finally found PREG. A fertility clinic. They tested me and my husband. It turned out I have a tumor on my pituitary gland. This was caused from the birth control I was on. The tumor is benign thankfully. After they got me on the right medicines it took about 2 months and I was pregnant finally. We ended up having 3 wonderful children. As long as I was on my medicine I was fine to conceive.

Even after having our wonderful children. I still felt depressed. I stopped working and stayed home to take care of the children. My wonderful husband works very hard to support our family. I just could not get myself motivated. I could feel the weight coming on. So instead of doing something about it I just kept eating. I tried several times to lose weight. I would lose 10 lbs or 15 lbs. Get excited and "celebrate" it. I was the biggest I had ever been in my life. Bigger than at 9 months pregnant with any of my children. Last September I turned 30 I said all year I wanted to lose weight, be a certain size by my birthday.  The day came and went and I was still at the same size doing nothing about it. I was the parent I never wanted to be. I was the big soccer mom standing on the side lines. I would not play with the kids at the park because I was too tired to. I could not fit down the slide with them. So I just turned back to eating. I had an addiction to sodas and food. I would drink a 12 pack of soda in 2 days. I remember eating an entire pack of Oreo's by myself in one sitting. Feeling bad about it I went and got another snack. I looked at my children and said what kind of example am I setting for them. I want to be there for them, and want them to live healthy lifestyles. My son's birthday is in January. Getting things ready for his party I finally realized that I needed to change something. I started working out and lost 15 lbs. I felt great about it. Then I "celebrated" again and gained it all back plus some more. At the end of February 2013 I was almost 270 lbs and in a size 22 pants. I was miserable. I saw pictures of myself from my sons birthday and it sent me into a deep depression. This time was different though. I finally was motivated. I finally was going to do something about it. I joined a gym and got a personal trainer. This was the best decision of my life. The workouts at the gym have been amazing. I also started doing some things at home. I found I like to walk and run. I joined a wonderfully supportive group of fellow mama's. We do monthly challenges, support each other, keep each other accountable for what we eat, what workouts we do etc... This group of ladies has been amazing for me. I also found the blog Muffin Top-less. I got a lot of information from her. She has wonderful recipes and workouts. I joined her group for the bikini body program. I started that program as well. Those ladies are also very supportive and motivating. I also started eating clean. I cut out processed foods, sodas, limited sodium and sugars. I upped my daily intake of proteins and water. My family is also eating this way which is very helpful. I am not surrounded with all of the unhealthy choices I was making before. I have surrounded myself with positive, motivating people. I am finally on the right track. Because of all the changes I have made, and all the love, support, and motivation from everyone in my life now I am down 61 lbs and am now in a size 12. I still have a ways that I want to go. I started this blog to help keep myself motivated and on track and hopefully help motivate some other people as well.

This is me last summer with my daughter at the park. I didn't want to play or anything with them. The second picture is this summer while we were hiking. I love including my family in my healthy journey.

About me

I am married to the most amazing man in the whole world. This year we will be celebrating our 9 year wedding anniversary. It has been the most amazing 9 years of my life. We have 3 wonderful children together. Riley is our oldest. He is such a smart fun loving child. He is 6 years old going on 30. He has a very mechanical mind. He is always trying to figure things out. He likes to know why things are the way they are and how they work. He loves soccer, running, video games, reading, MMA, and golf. He is a wonderful big brother. He always makes sure his brother and sister have what they need. He is like a second Daddy to them. He is very caring and loving. Collin is our middle child. He is 4 years old. He is our little free spirit. He has an artistic mind. He marches to the beat of his own drum. He loves to do art work, has a great fashion sense, likes soccer, cooking, cleaning, golf, doing puzzles, swimming and hiking. He is a very unique individual. I love to see the things that his mind comes up with. He is very helpful, kind, and caring. Callie is our youngest. She is almost 2 years old. She rules the house. Whatever Callie says goes with her brothers. She is a mommy's girl. She loves doggies, books, playing with baby dolls, Legos, purses and shoes, and swimming. She is the sweetest girl I have ever known. She is very sweet and caring. She knows what she wants and tells you what she wants, even if you don't understand it. She is very curious. She completed our family. I am thankful for my wonderful family. They are my whole world. I decided later in life to continue my education. I am finishing up my degree and will be adding my Masters degree. I love to cook. I enjoy coming up with new concoctions that we have never tried before. I also like doing outdoor things with my family. I have two wonderful brothers who both have amazing families. They are both two of my best friends. I am so happy that our families are all so close.