Tag: Fitness

Healthy Snacks? Hells Yes!

Diets

Alright… diets and dieting are a sensitive subject for most people. I have done my share of dieting, yo-yoing up and down. Trying out each new fad. I even tried that grapefruit diet. Do you remember that one? Maybe I am just showing my age.  If you want to read more about it. You can find it on Web MD.

I know some of my friends have done keto and have gotten such great results. Other friends have gone paleo, and had some great results. If you have something that works for you I say keep doing it. However, if you feel like your diet is not sustainable than maybe look into what makes your body feel good.

I prefer to try to eat whole foods now. The emphasis is on whole minimally processed foods. For instance if you look at the ingredients in a package of chips and there are more than 3 ingredients and many that you cannot pronounce that is something to avoid. Cooked or raw your body processes those whole food nutrients much more efficiently than it does those foods processed with chemicals.

Nutrigenomics

There is some interesting research going around nutrigenomics. The New York Times has a great article about it. Where scientists and doctors are approaching peoples diseases based on genetics and what they eat.

“There is a buzz around nutritional genomics at the moment, which is partly a matter of timing. A sea change is under way in the approach scientists are taking to disease — they’re looking less to nature or nurture alone for answers, and more to the interactive symphony of ”systems biology” that nutrigenomics epitomizes.

At the same time, chatter around this new science has been amplified by a controversy. The idea of the biological relevance of race — even its very existence — is hotly debated. And the assumption of real genetic markers that distinguish one ethnic group from another is at the philosophical heart of nutrigenomics.

At the same time, chatter around this new science has been amplified by a controversy. The idea of the biological relevance of race — even its very existence — is hotly debated. And the assumption of real genetic markers that distinguish one ethnic group from another is at the philosophical heart of nutrigenomics.

Here’s the most familiar example: If you’re of Northern European ancestry, you can probably digest milk, and if you’re Southeast Asian, you probably can’t. In most mammals, the gene for lactose tolerance switches off once an animal matures beyond the weaning years. Humans shared that fate as well — until a mutation in the DNA of an isolated population of Northern Europeans around 10,000 years ago introduced an adaptive tolerance for nutrient-rich milk. The likelihood that you tolerate milk depends on the degree to which you have Northern European blood.

”That, essentially, is the model — a very dramatic one,” says Jim Kaput, the founder of NutraGenomics, a biotechnology company. ”As humans evolved, and as our bodies interacted with foods on each of the continents, we sort of self-selected for these naturally occurring variants. And certain populations have variants that, when presented with Western-type food — which is usually fatty and overprocessed and high in calories — pushes them toward disease rather than health.”

Credit NYTimes

https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/04/magazine/what-your-genes-want-you-to-eat.html

I have noticed based on just experimentation, my body does better with more plant based foods, less animal proteins with emphasis on fish and seafood, and avoiding lots of dairy. I am half Japanese and I am lactose intolerant. I still like pizza though!

Eat Whole Foods, Don’t Starve Yourself

I strive… to eat using only whole foods, but I still allow myself to enjoy life. Do I eat things that are not whole foods. Yes! Do I do it all the time? Nope! During the holidays you should let yourself have fun. What is life without celebration? Eat whole foods, don’t starve yourself.

I am the kind of person that can be strict enough with myself to limit myself to 500 calories a day. Please don’t do this. It is not healthy and really messed up my metabolism for a long time. It messes with your hormones and many other body processes. I can tell you it feels painfully boring. It is going to a party and saying nah I can’t even take a bite of anything because I had my apple, boiled egg and saltines I have already allotted for this meal. Its feeling left out. Its the constant guilt about food. When I feel guilty about food, I know I began to resent food. However, if you snack, and eat everyday with health in mind. You can indulge occasionally. It is good for the soul and good for your spirits.

With that said I will stop rambling and get on with the healthy snacks. Eat these nummy things on a normal day and feel like you are treating yourself. Then when a special celebration comes around let loose and have fun.

Banana Almond butter and Grape

Yeild: 1 bowl

Ingredients:

  • 1 banana sliced
  • 2 tsp of almond butter
  • 10 grapes
  • 1 tsp of desiccated unsweetened coconut

Directions:

  • Slice bananas, and place all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy.

Calories: 222 calories, 10g fat, 3.8g fiber, 35.4g carbs, 14.5mg sodium, 3.4g protien

Banana Oatmeal Cookie Bites

Yield: 18 servings

(Gluten free, dairy free, egg free)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of rolled oats
  • 2 whole bananas
  • 4 tbs raisins
  • 3 tbs chopped pecans
  • 1 tbs cocoa powder unsweetened
  • 1 pinch of salt

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 350
  • Smash the bananas, mix in the oats, and then rest of the ingredients.  Roll the mixture into a ball and then place on a greased parchment paper lined pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Calories for 1 cookie ball: 45.7 calories, 1.47g fat, 1g fiber, 7.37 carbs, 1mg sodium,

Yogurt with Frozen Fruit and Chocolate chips

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup of frozen fruit
  • 10 grams desiccated coconut unsweetened
  • 1 tbs dark chocolate chips

Calories: 300 calories, 11.2g fat, 5.2g carbs, 91.2 mg sodium, 25.2g protein

Remember to create a new habit, it takes 21 days of consistency… try replacing just your snacks with whole foods foods.

Thank you for reading, and have a fantastic day! I would love to hear from you. Let me know what you think.

Next Blog: Listening to my body vs. being lazy

First Workout of the Year

I completed my first workout of the year. Woot!

Today I went and worked on Muay Thai for 1.5 hours. Today is New Years day and we did not have class today so we thought we would get into the gym during open mat time and get some work in. More practice makes me better.

My goal for this session is to warm up with footwork. Being able to move helps you avoid being hit. Then work on cardio/conditioning rounds that fatigue the muscle. This makes it harder to execute the exercise and creates muscle memory during fatigue and stress. The theory is your body will know what to do in auto pilot when in a fight when you are tired and stressed out. Finally I always need to practice form and execution of the moves. The more practiced and relaxed I am the harder I hit.

Workout/Training:

  • I started off with a warm up of the agility ladder for 10 minutes, and then some stretching.
  • We then worked on the boxing 20 combination.
  • I then did a set of conditioning rounds that were 3 minutes each with 30 second rest period in between them. (I am a puddle of sweat and sucking air after those.)
  • We worked on four counts, they consist of left kick/cross/hook/right kick, left kick/cross/hook/left kick, right kick/jab/cross/left kick, right kick/jab/cross/right kick.
  • I then did another set of conditioning rounds that were 2 minutes each with 30 second rest period in between them. (I was dead after that.)
  • Worked on some elbows, off balancing your opponent, and clench work.

Then it was time to go home. I needed to make new years diner for us. Can I tell you that using the vegetable spiral noodle maker after punching tells you just where your muscles  are sore and tired. I need to remember to roll out my muscles later tonight.

It’s a special time in our family. New Year we celebrate on English New Year but with Japanese food. Because you see I am haffa, or half Japanese. So we had rice, chicken, and veggies. We ended with the traditional mochi and other special sweets. The kiddos loved it and we all enjoyed our time together.

It was a great way to punch in the New Year. Keep being awesome and kick some ass everyone. Happy New Year to you all. I hope this year is filled with love and happiness for you all.

(I added a video under Moving Pixels, it is of me doing a Thai 4 count. I am still a novice and have to work on so much, so keep that in mind while watching. I have received the Orange band or third band up.)

Next Blog: Healthy Snacks, Hells yes!

https://youtu.be/ohalSLd22Rg

New Years Resolutions… Should we or Shouldn’t we?

New Years Resolutions… I say NAY. Make life changes.

I was going to do a pros and cons list, but the onion article made me laugh today and I could not do better than them.

“PRO

Pretty easy to think of ways in which you suck.

Many gyms offer discounted memberships in the new year to prey on suckers like you.

Previous Guinness World Record not even that many hamburgers.

It’s never worked before, but it might work this year.

CON

Pretty pathetic to hear someone own up to their weaknesses.

Perpetuates idea that we should always be trying to improve ourselves.

Might set unhealthy precedent of actually getting things done.

You always do this. You always say you’re going to follow through and then you go and let it slip through the cracks. You’re a joke.”

Credit The Onion — https://www.theonion.com/pros-and-cons-of-making-new-year-s-resolutions-1831261190

Ahem, with that said. I have done myself and seen so many of my friends make resolutions that are either really difficult or unreasonable to do. In the end it makes the resolution maker feel bad, like a failure, and if you announced it to your world in social media, now your friends and family have seen you fail.

Now what I think should be done and what I did was make life changes. I know other people have said this, and I am rehashing some of the same things. For me I decided to be come healthier. That seems nebulous and it is. I had to do research, had to figure out what I wanted to do and I tackled each thing separately. I learned it takes about 21 days or 3 weeks of consistency for a person to develop a new habit.  Know your current life requirements/funds/limitations and plan around that.

What did that mean for me? I stared four years and four months ago, with a small achievable goal. I wanted to get some sort of work out in. At this point I was not certain what I wanted to do but I knew the requirements that I had to meet to make it work for me.

Requirements at the time:

  • The kids were little, 5 and 6 years old so I needed a workout that I could do at home, with little people around.
  • I wanted something that was economical, because I was worried about failing again, and children require considerable adjustments to your budget. Youtube was my answer to that. I specifically used Fitnessblender.com they are a great resource to use.
  • Exercises that did not require a great amount of equipment. Both for the amount of space I have to work in, and again, commitment. I did not know if I was going to be able to keep this up. I did not want to go and blow money on a lot of equipment.

After I had been able to keep working out two days a week up for month I decided to add two more goals. I added posting on social media so that I could keep track of my progress, and as a means of checks and balances among my friends and I. Next, I added cleaning up my lunch meals. I wanted to start eating more healthfully, and figured if I could at least start with lunch, were I am less stressed and more caffeinated, I can keep to it.

I continued to add to my life long changes. Changing up eventually every meal, changing my workouts to suit my current goals, and following my passions. I did not succeed at every change, because every person, and each individuals body is different. As much as we would love a quick fix to things we don’t like or want, we must experiment to find what works for us. I still to this day fall into this trap, of wanting a quick fix. Sometimes falling for the next fad, hoping it will get me to a life long change that I want faster.

What does life changes mean? You are going to stumble, you are going to mess up, you are going to get hurt like falling off a ladder. Ask me how I know. You have to get up, brush yourself off, when doc says its ok to get back to it, get back to working out and do what you can while you can even if you have a boot on for a broken toe that is in your foot. This is a life change, not a change for this year, or just next year. It’s a change for the better, to make you feel better, and get you closer to the bad ass that you are and want to be.

Free Youtube Workout Video Suggestions:

These things worked for me. Do your research, read, read, read. If it feels like some one is selling you something they probably are. I tend to read several articles about the same subject and take the common elements that I find in all of them, this seems the be a great way to strip out opinions and receive consistent information.

Next Blog: First workout of the year!

The Journey Continues

 

“Wisdom is merely the movement from fighting life to embracing it.” – Rasheed Ogunlaru

Blogging… I have started and stopped this entry a few… many times.

Should I blog about my fitness journey, my body image or body acceptance progress, and my general fitness life?  When I write things out I find I am more able to objectively compare and contrast everything.

Should I just keep my thoughts to myself? I often post on FB and am surprised to see how many people are interested in what I am doing. I use FB as a snapshot of what I am doing, don’t always really go into great detail.

If you want a peak into my internal monologue, and perhaps the brain weasels that plague me, and make me doubt myself this is the place to be. If you want to see what I am doing and my new fitness adventures this is the place to be. If you want to see the products that help me in this journey I guess this is the place to be.

Where to start?

Hi, my name is Tanya, I have a family whom I love, and work as a pastry chef, teacher, and cake artist. I have been on a fitness journey for 4 years and 4 months. Through that time, I have had a many ups and downs. Since I started this journey I had a kidney stone, I had cancer/hysterectomy, I broke my toe, then I stepped off a ladder wrong and fell herniating a disk in my back. I will try to unpack all that into another blog entry.

I am a Muay Thai practitioner a.k.a. Nak Muay in the United States. But in Thailand I would be Nak Muay Farang or Foreign Boxer. It is still weird to me to say I am a Nak Muay. The why it is weird for me is a whole pandoras box of self-esteem issues. Issues of when are you good enough to be called a practitioner instead of a dabbler. I start off with this identification of Nak Muay or Thai Fighter, because it is a major part of my life. I make it that way. I love it learning it and practicing it. It is a huge challenge and feels amazing when I learn something new or even just get closer to perfection on timing/execution for core moves. It’s a passion for me and I structure my life around our classes and practices.

If you had asked what I did for working out 9 months ago I would have said I am a weight lifter, and I run for cardio. Things change, people change, and passions change. I find following what you love will make you happier in the long run. If you asked me what I was doing for my workout 2 years before that I would have said I am doing the Turbofire cardio kickboxing workouts, and some other Beach Body workouts.

It has not all been smooth sailing, or a piece of cake as it were. My fitness journey is just that. It has a destination but not an end. I am going to continue to change, going to continue to find ways around my limitations. My coping mechanisms when brain is being mean is to look up new workouts to get me excited, cute workout clothes that makes me happy to wear and excited to get into the gym, and articles from trusted sources that help explain my body type and why my body is awesome and I should love it not hate it like I often do.

That is what I will be posting about. If this stuff is interesting to you welcome and strap in because it is bound to be a strange ride.  Thanks for reading or making it to the end.

Next Blog: New Years Resolutions, to make them or not make them