Tag Archives: goals

July 7, 2010 · 5:03 pm

The Goodness of Green

It is a gorgeous summer day here in Portland, Oregon.  I hope you are having a beautiful day wherever you are as well.

It’s also my 3 year wedding anniversary!  July 7th, 2007 I got married on a perfect summer day in West Virginia.   Marriage has been really fun and I am thrilled with how our relationship has grown even stronger and deeper as a married couple.  Tate and I are going to spend the day together.  I think we’ll go swimming at the river with some friends (it’s predicted to get up to 90 degrees today!) and maybe picnic at a park concert tonight.

I have a few additions to my July Goals

  • Exercise Everyday at least a wee bit.  A walk, arms/abs, yoga, some bit of focused exercise.
  • Record Exercise

Recovery is SLOW and while “normally” I would have much more ambitious workout goals I need to be really easy on my body right now.  I walk slow and get tired fast.  Today might be the day to start arms/abs again but it will be majorly modified as I rebuild strength.

I have been eating my greens! This challenge has made me realize how often I only eat one serving or less of greens.  Yesterday I had a salad for lunch but by dinner didn’t see any more greens in my future and had to whip up a juice of carrots, beets, ginger, kale, and spinach to get them in.

Here are a few reasons why I am focusing on eating plenty of greens right now

  • KALE is very high fiber, especially for a green.  Kale is an excellent source of nutrients, most notably vitamin A and calcium but also decent amounts of vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B6, manganese, and potassium.  Kale also has powerful antioxidants that help prevent cancer.
  • SPINACH is an excellent source of antioxidants in the form of beta-carotene.  Raw spinach is high in vitamin C.  Spinach is high in lutein, which is outstanding for cancer prevention.  To get the most nutritional bang for your buck with spinach, alternate eating it raw and cooked.
  • CHARD is very high in vitamins A, C, and E as well as calcium and potassium.  Like all greens it is a fantastic source of dietary fiber.
  • LETTUCE skip the iceberg and head straight for the romaine.  The darker green the lettuce to better.  All lettuce provides chlorophyll and vitamin K but romaine is also full of vitamins A, B1, C, folic acid, manganese, and chromium.

These are the four greens that I am eating right now (because they are the ones growing in my sis’s garden!).  All greens are low in calories and high in fiber.  Greens are very versatile and so I encourage you to give them another shot if you don’t like them at first.  One way to adjust to the earthiness of greens is to chop them up very fine and add to stir-fry or pasta sauce.  All of the greens listed above can be eaten either raw or cooked.

Do you have a favorite green I left off my list?

Time to go for a walk, my big exercise of the day!  Slow and steady wins the recovery race…

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July 6, 2010 · 2:29 am

July Goals

Alrighty, nearly one week into July and it is time to get some goals down in writing.

Due to my illness and slow recovery my goals  this month are broader and more focused on food than exercise.  I am still feeling extremely fatigued and often sore and achy.  As the month goes on and I get healthier and stronger I will be adding back in some exercise goals.

  • Eat greens 2-3 servings a day minimum and a variety (not all salad greens, not all spinach, etc.).
  • Practice mindful eating Eat slowly. Chew, chew, and chew some more.  Be really in tune with hunger and stop eating when 70-80% full.
  • Eat berries regularly These little bits of deliciousness are high in antioxidants and great for my struggling immune system.
  • Stretch EVERYDAY at least a little bit.

I am looking forward to getting back to my abs/arms and anticipate feeling strong enough in the next day or two.  When I get back to it I will add that to my goals list also.

The last two mornings I did my yoga routine and it felt challenging and amazing.  Well, yesterday it felt amazing, this morning I struggled to stick with it.  I never quite got warmed up this morning and my body ached throughout.  I am definitely suffering some repercussions of laying in bed for 8 days.  My body is stiff and sore and out of whack.

Taking it easy was, well, easy for the first few days we were in Portland.  I was enjoying just being here and the fact that I wasn’t flat on my back all day meant I was moving more than I had been.  I am starting to get antsy though.  And frustrated with the long recovery.  Yesterday a group of us went to the Oregon coast for the afternoon.  The beach we went to is about a 1/4 mile or less walk in.  The walk felt good and it is so gorgeous out there but I had to walk REALLY slow.  Once at the beach I couldn’t go for a walk or do anything but lay on the blanket and the walk out really wore me down.  By the time we were in the car on the way home I was exhausted.  I don’t feel like this is my body. And I feel trapped in this unknown body.  My mind wants to MOVE.  And so it’s time to practice patience.   I am contently reminding myself that this patience will pay off in the end and my body will be stronger because of taking it really gentle and easy now.

So until I can run around again, I will focus on what I put into this recovering body of mine and nourish it as best I can.

Do you have any goals for July?  What area of your life does this quintessential summer month have you focusing on?

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