Channeling a Tropical Paradise

After a week or so of glorious spring-like weather, winter seems to have returned with a teeny bit of vengeance: it was only 31 degrees (Fahrenheit) this morning when I forced my butt out the door for a run. (I do have to admit, though, that once I got moving I hardly felt the cold at all.)

When I got back from my run, I was naturally jonesing for something that would warm me up. Foraging around in the fridge, I pulled some eggs, low fat cheddar cheese, low fat sour cream, and some black bean salsa left over from an awesome dinner I made the other night (can't take credit... for the recipe, check out my new favorite blog, Kalyn's Kitchen). The result: a yummy South American omelet that warmed me up, cleared my sinuses and filled my head with thoughts of warm, sunny beaches and ice cold margaritas. I even spiced up my V8 with a little hot sauce and a squeeze of lime.

Now, not willing to leave the imaginary tropical breezes behind, I'm sipping a delicious (and healthy!) coconut-mango smoothie. All I need is a paper umbrella and a cabana boy (oh, Dave??), and I'll be set.

Steph's Coconut-Mango Smoothie
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup fat free plain yogurt
1/2 cup frozen mango, cubed (about 14 pieces; I use the Trader Joe's Frozen Mango Chunks)
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 packets sugar substitute (I use Splenda)

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

Tired of winter, and ready for some tropical sun? Make this smoothie, pull up a lounge chair and enjoy along with me!

A Note from the Heart

Six years ago, on President's Day, my dad died of a massive heart attack. He collapsed while snow blowing his driveway, and likely was gone before he even hit the ground. He was 53 years old.

While the actual day was February 17th (tomorrow), I will always remember it on President's Day. So today, I will remember my dad... and all of the reasons why it is so important to take care of my body and live the best life that I can, as long as I can.

I loved my dad very much. I still love him. But I can't help but feel a little bit angry that he didn't take care of himself better, and even angrier for him that he was cheated of a long and happy life, of retirement, of time with his grandchildren... some of whom will never know him in life.

It was a fluke that I actually saw my dad the night before he died, and I'm so grateful for that. My parents were "babysitting" our dog Ollie, and Dave and I went to pick her up earlier than expected because we knew that a blizzard was coming. That night, Dad was enjoying a big old slice of pizza. For a long time after, I could not even think about pizza without feeling more than a little nauseated.

My dad enjoyed good food. He smoked. He didn't exercise. (Although I do have a memory of running with my dad ONCE... and only once. I try to forget the fact that I was wearing foam rollers in my hair at the time.)

Despite my mom's urging, he never went to the doctor. According to my mom, he thought that he would live into his nineties, as his mother did. I also think that he was just afraid of what he would find out. His father had died of a heart attack before my dad was 17 years old. Heart disease ran in his family -- and it ran hard. After my father's death, several uncles sought medical attention and found that they were dangerously close to following his path. All were treated and are doing well. I am glad that something good could come out of it, but I wish that my dad didn't have to die to make the point.

February is American Heart Month. Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death in the United States, and so many are preventable through a healthy lifestyle and, if necessary, medication. You don't have to starve yourself, or run a marathon. You just have to use common sense and moderation. So from my heart to yours: we have only one body, and one life to live... please take care of yours.

Of course, there was more to my dad than how his life ended, and his life serves just as much as an example to me as his death. He worked hard. He enjoyed what he had and provided well for his family. And he was loved by family and many friends. I want to remember and strive for these things as much as for good health.

I love you, Dad. I miss you. And I will never forget you.

Awesome Blog Alert!

I must take a break from my usual ramblings to recommend a truly awesome blog - Kalyn's Kitchen - which offers a ton of great recipe ideas and tips for those following the South Beach way of eating... or even just trying to eat healthier. You can be sure I'll be following Kalyn to see what she cooks up next!

Holy Hip Flexors, Batman!

You know how when you start a workout routine, you suddenly become aware of a whole host of muscles that you didn't even know you had? Well, today is day three of my new running routine, and hello, hip flexors!

I've stopped and started countless workout routines, and the beginning always goes like this:

On the day of, I feel all wiggly-loosey-goosey. It's actually kind of nice.

The day after, I start to feel a little sore. Not too bad, but I'm starting to notice those long-forgotten muscles.

The second day after, my muscles are screaming and I want to DIE.

Guess what day I'm on? And in this case, my hip flexors are doing all the screaming, with some echoes coming from the peanut gallery (the fronts of my thighs and shins, thanks to the somewhat hilly nature of my running route).

The trick is getting past that second day, which means exercising through the pain. That, and lots of stretching. Once I get through today, and as long as I continue to exercise these muscle groups regularly, it will not hurt nearly as much.

I'm going to keep reminding myself of that, as I build up the courage to get out and run today. In the meantime, ouuuuuuuuuuch.

Baby Steps

The temperature actually went above freezing today, so I went for the first run of my "couch to 5k" running program! And it was a serious workout, too, considering the ten extra pounds of layered clothing that I put on to preempt the cold -- and the extra agility challenges, as I tip-toe-side-stepped my way through patches of ice on the sidewalk (please clear off your sidewalks, people!).

But I feel good. Great, even. I took the first step toward getting fit! Now I just have to remember to take baby steps.

So I'm setting a goal, and some rules. My town has an annual 5K run, which is coming up in April; my goal is to run in that 5K. My running plan is set at just the right pace to get me there. And now the rules:

1. I MUST follow the plan. I have to fight the urge to sprint ahead (no pun intended), which will ultimately burn me out. (Can you tell that I am an all-or-nothing person?)

2. No more excuses. Too cold, too wet, not enough time, I've got to get up early, I have to do the dishes... these are not going to help me reach my goal.

3. Cut myself some slack. At the same time, I have to give myself a break. If I'm sick, I'm sick. If I do fall off the plan, I can't beat myself up over it. Just like with my eating plan, I just have to pick myself up, dust myself off, and keep moving forward.

So, today is day one. Baby step one. I dare you to run with me!

Overcoming the Bear Mentality

I think that there needs to be a shift in the calendar so that New Year's Day falls somewhere around the 21st of March. That way, if I were to have made a New Year's Resolution to get fit in 2009 (but I don't make resolutions, remember?), I would not have to wait three months before starting.

Because although I have been planning to get exercise since the beginning of the year, I have not been able to get past the fact that it's freaking freezing outside. Not only has that kept me from exercising outside, it has seriously hampered my motivation to exercise inside. It was 16 degrees outside yesterday morning, and even though it was a comfortable 68 in my house I could not bring myself to jog in place for five minutes, much less turn on FitTV and groove to Gilad for half an hour.

We are now a little more than halfway through winter, looking at another 6 weeks of it ahead of us (thanks, Phil), and I feel like every ounce of energy I've got is going toward fighting the urge to hibernate. Like a bear, I just want to curl up, close my eyes, and wake up when spring is here.

The only thing this winter that has gotten me off my bum and working out is my weekly basketball game with "the girls" -- if it weren't for the fact that there were others sort of expecting me to show, I might not do it. Even though it's fun. Even though I feel GREAT having gotten an awesome workout. It's not enough to inspire me to exercise at all in the days in between. For the wintertime, at least, I probably need a motivated workout buddy to help me overcome the bear inside.

By the end of this month, nearly half of those who have made a New Year's Resolution will have given up. I can kind of understand why. Winter is cold, depressing and seems to go on forever, and it is very easy to succumb to the desire to hunker down and seek comfort in every way.

If New Year's Day were to be moved to March, perhaps we'll all fare better.

A Close, Personal Relationship with My Kitchen Appliances

One thing that I am enjoying about this new way of eating is that for the first time, I am really starting to use all of the cool kitchen gadgets I've been accumulating over the years -- many of which had been collecting dust in the cabinet, despite the fact that I needed them desperately at the time of purchase. These are a few that I'm getting to know...for better, or worse.

I absolutely love, love, love my KitchenAid Stand Mixer! It's helping me make dough from scratch without breaking a sweat (though I admit I could use the exercise), and is great for whipping up batters for SB-legal sweet treats (yes, they do exist). It was also really good for making whipped cream...something that I will just have to reserve for holidays and other special occasions. I need to make a permanent spot for this baby on my counter.

My blender sucks with a capital S. I take full responsibility for this, because I put it on our wedding registry without really doing my research. I also made the mistake of putting the little circular insert-thingy for the cover on the bottom rack of the dishwasher, so now it's all warped, melted, and basically unusable (though for some strange reason I'm still holding on to it). When I do use the blender, I have to cover that hole with my hand. Currently, the only thing the blender is moderately good at is mixing up a day's worth of formula for the baby...and that's only because it's just water and powder. Anything else it just spins around.

It took me a while, but I've finally warmed up to my food processor. Turns out I had to (accidentally) break three pieces off the cover before it would open and close smoothly. It isn't pretty, but it gets the job done. I've actually been cheating on my blender with the food processor... especially when making smoothies. Unfortunately, the food processor doesn't have a pour spout, so I'm still going to have to find myself a new blender eventually. But in the meantime, I'm enjoying the ride.

Last, but not least, is my faithful immersion blender. This one is an oldie, but a goodie. This always comes in handy when I'm cooking up a big pot of soup or sauce that I need to smooth out (and don't feel like pouring it, in batches, into a blender or food processor and then trying to figure out where to put the first batch so that I can blend the next one). While I don't use it often, I can't bring myself to let it go because, like some of the outfits in my closet, I just might need it someday.

I'd love to know what appliances others are using, loving, hating, can't live without or can't wait to toss out. Especially blenders... because I'm in the market for one.