You are what you eat.

Why is it that the statement, "You are what you eat," can be so true.... yet most of the time eating junk food outweighs common sense?! In the past 7 months the way I view food has completely changed. I always claimed to be healthy, but the truth is, just because you have been a vegetarian since the age of 12 doesn't make you healthy.

Back in August when I began WW I began looking at nutrition labels (portion sizes, calories, fat, and fiber.) I loved that I could still eat carbs and the weight was dropping off. I felt good and had more of a drive to exercise. but the foods that I was eating were mostly processed precooked meals, sugar free this and that... frozen dinners and canned soup. Veggies of course came into the mix but only the basics like celery and carrots. Fruits were limited because of their high sugar content.

Then November came.... And the entire WW plan changed. I was ecstatic! Fruits came back into my life! Cheese and other proteins were now more of an option. I was still able to lose weight, and I could reach for a banana with no guilt!

The third step came when I discovered the magazine Clean Eating. This magazine is all about eating real foods. Making your own meals, choosing organic, and if you must buy something prepackaged making sure everything in the ingredients list is something natural. I had already spent the past five months looking at the nutrition facts, now I moved a little bit further down and began using the entire label in deciding what I would eat. Let me tell you something right now, label reading is sometimes terrifying! As a vegetarian for the majority of my life, I had always skimmed labels for the usual suspects like chicken stock, but now I was noticing other ingredients that I didn't want in my body. Basically anything I can't pronounce (like those 27 letter words... high fructose anything). One eye opener was when I had bought a bread that I assumed was healthy because it was whole wheat and low-calorie, left it in my cupboard while I was in Hawaii for two weeks and came home to find it completely mold free. That just doesn't seem natural!

So now I am obsessed (seriously, in a crazy thats all I can blog about kind of way...) with making my own foods, finding new ingredients, recipes, foods and ideas. I have been reading cookbooks, blogs and magazines like they are going out of style! (leaving little time to read actual books!)

One afternoon I came home from work set on making my own granola bars from scratch! Before I began recipe searching I logged onto my Facebook account, a girl I had gone to college with had posted that she had just finished making granola bars (what luck)! I asked her for her recipe! She gave it to me along with the link to the blog she had found it on. And what an inspiring one it is! The bloggers name is Kath, a 28 yr old registered dietitian. She began her food blog back when she was a student trying to lose 30 lbs. She blogs everything she eats along with recipes and suggestions. She has changed how I look at oatmeal, kale, and beets! I can't wait to try more new foods. Check it out here: KathEats

Now for some updates on resolutions... with a book review!

#1 Give to Get:

I like the idea of eating local produce. How much more local can you get than your own organic garden?! My sister-in-law Carly and I are beginning our plans for this spring! She has done all the work so far, but my compost bucket is almost full!

#2 Update Book 02: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen:

Read this book. Do it. Don't be like me and let it sit on your bookshelf for over a year because a story line set around a circus doesn't make you want to pick it up. This is honestly top 20 favorite books material. The story grabs you from the beginning and never lets go. It is romantic, dramatic, beautiful and ugly all at the same time. I love a book that can spark emotions within you, make you feel as though you are a part of the story, a book that makes you sad when you read the last page. I needed this book in my life! I needed something to make me love reading again! A good book was just the medicine! Now I need to make the time!

#3 Shutter bugging:

I've taken more than 700 photos this year. Granted I had a vacation included there, but I think I can be happy with my progress. I've always wanted to do a photo a day resolution, but I feel like most of my shots would be of food! (I already take too many of those!)

#4 Run a half-marathon... be active... get fit:

Training is continuing! After my epic birthday weekend I felt like I needed to repeat week three, so today I started week 4. There have already been some hurts and limps. No use denying it... shin splints are once again a part of my life. I stretch and I stretch and I attempt the resistance moves they recommend but they are back. Perhaps it is time to invest in some new shoes????

I like posts with pictures...

Yep a food shot! Whipped banana oatmeal with chia seeds, almonds and delicious honey almond butter! Yummers! (And what do we see in the background?! Plans for the end of this year! Spain!)

Mantra

I don't think I'm the only one who has ever experienced this.... When you go in and buy a car, a car you feel is not very common, you buy this car... and suddenly it is EVERYWHERE! You see every color of your car driving down your neighborhood roads. Well I didn't buy a car, but recently I've been having this experience with my thoughts! A month ago I had never even heard of Quinoa and now suddenly it is in every other recipe I pick up! When I decided to start training for a half-marathon, the first magazine I picked up had a beginners guide to training! I've also been reading about the power of mantras and what do you know?! I picked up a random running magazine and it had an article about it, two days later my Fitness magazine came and had a similar feature, then my Aunt Dawn's Facebook status talked about her own mantra. I understand that all of these things have been out there and that I just wasn't conscious of them before I became interested.... But still! Sometimes I feel like someone is probing my brain for ideas! :)

Speaking of mantras... The reason I've been reading up on them is to help with my training. I heard once that if you can run 8 miles your body can run almost any distance, the rest is just getting over the mental aspect. I hear reciting a power mantra to yourself when you are feeling like quitting helps. Mantras have long been used during meditation to focus the mind, but many athletes also use them for focus while training and competing. In the past I've used songs on my ipod to help me get through a tough run, but those tough runs where really just me being out of shape struggling to run for ten minutes. Now I need something more to get me past four miles. "I can do it," isn't cutting it. So last night while I was struggling with being sore from my hike this weekend and my ipod dying on me, I did the only thing I could think of. I created a mantra. The act of discovering it really helped with the last ten minutes of my run. I chanted to myself a lot of different things before I settled on one, "Conquer it." I decided this is going to not only be my running mantra, but also a mantra I can use in my everyday life. When I woke up this morning I said to myself, "Conquer it, today is your day." When I went into my living room and saw all the laundry I needed to do... I said "Conquer it." Overcome, be better than you thought you could be, trust in your success, reach your goal. Mantras aren't meant to be used forever, as your life changes and your goals mature your mantra changes. But for now, I'm heading off to conquer the day.

Brighter than Sunshine

I mentioned last year how much I enjoy my Birthday. The biggest reason is because I get to see or talk to almost everyone I care about during the week of or after. It is like a special week of love! I must say, this year was one for the epic record books. It was as close to a perfect weekend as I can imagine.

Thursday night was spent cleaning so that I would wake up on my Birthday to a clean house! I woke up early and went to get my nails done with my friend Ashley, opened some awesome presents, ate lunch with family, then headed to Seattle for a girls night out! We went to Chopstix, a dueling piano bar. We had a blast! I had always said that I would never go there because they bring you up on stage to sing you a special birthday song. I overcame that fear....

and had a really good time. It was great to see so many friends! The next morning I woke up bright and early at my cousin Katy's house. Since nobody else was up, I decided to go run and grab a coffee! So I grabbed my running shoes and explored Alki beach! (Now how many people can say they felt that good after their 25th birthday?!) I love this area of Seattle!

I spent the day with Katy eating sushi and frozen yogurt! Then it was time for celebration round two!!! My family and our close family friends the Perigards met me in Seattle to eat dinner at the Space Needle!

Dinner was amazing! I stayed one more night in Seattle, this time with my life-long friend Nicole. We had heard the weather was going to be terrible on Sunday so our plan of going for a hike was in jeopardy. We decided if we woke up to a storm we would instead go on an urban hike! Something involving a chocolate factory and a brewery! The day would not be wasted! But we woke to a beautiful morning in the Pacific Northwest! So off we went to hike Tiger Mountain! Although it was a very populated hike, we had a great time and it really kicked my butt!

After our hike we ate at a fabulous vegetarian restaurant in Fremont (I love this area of Seattle even more than Alki!) Then topped the weekend off with Gelato!!!

I am one happy girl! I have so many amazing people in my life! 2011 is the start of a year, but February 12th was the start of a new quarter in my life and I feel like I've kicked it off right!

While waiting for our food at the vegetarian restaurant we read through some business cards that had different quotes on each one. I liked a portion of one and here it is....

"Each sunset is the beginning of a very, very bright and powerful sunrise." -Sri Chinmoy

Since I'm reading less I think I'll save my book review for next time!

Quarter Life Crisis.

In less than two hours I will be 25 years old. One quarter of a century. Where does the time go?! Right about now I'm reminded of #11 on my Secrets of Happiness Commandments: The days are long, but the years are short.

Instead of freaking out (well I might be just a little bit!) I'm reminding myself to enjoy every moment, because honestly life is just getting better! 2011 has been pretty freaking fantastic so far and I'm committed to making my 25th year as amazing as possible! So here we go folks! What you have been waiting for!!!! 41 days into the new year I am finally unveiling my resolutions. Not to worry though! I haven't been wasting those precious days! The resolutions have been in full effect since January one!

#1: Give more

I want to do more to make the people I love feel special. I want to make the community I live in a better place. I want the world to be a better place because I was on it. So how do I do that?! I think it starts with the little things... Sending cards to friends who live far away, going out of my way to help someone in need, volunteering in my community, recycling, composting, living green, but most of all being conscious of my affect on those around me.

#2: Read with meaning

Last year I read A LOT! So much. Some books were good... some where not so good. I wasn't very picky and I often wouldn't pick up a promising looking book because of how many pages it had or how difficult it looked to read. This year my goal is a bit different, I'm choosing quality over quantity! I'm not setting a number as a goal, I want to enjoy what I read and not force it. I'm not saying all my books with be high brow literature, I enjoy the occasional mindless beach read, but I want to get back to a more natural relationship with books.

#3: Take more photos and learn more about photography

I'm pretty good about always having my camera on hand and I'm usually the one who is snapping the photos.... but I want to do more! I almost want to be the annoying girl who always has a lens to her eye. I'm also thinking I should take a digital photography class.

#4: Run a half-marathon

This has been a goal in the back of my mind for some time now. But it was never really a practical one until recently. Since August I've lost about 15 pounds and have begun to have a serious relationship with running. In January I decided to stop just running around and start training! I'm on week three of my training program! And I'm all signed up for a race on June 5th! 115 days to get my butt ready to run 13.1 miles! Week three and I'm feeling great! Seven months ago I couldn't even run one mile in 10 minutes now I'm running over four in under a 10 minute mile pace! There is much work to be done but I'm excited!

#5: Eat clean

I mention the weight loss. This all started back in August when my sister-in-law and I decided to join Weight Watchers. I have one thing to say about it, it works. If you do what they tell you, you can eat the food you like and loose weight. So after completely changing the way I look at food and portion sizes I've recently been inspired by 1. The Magazine Clean Eating 2. a blog by a registered dietitian. I'll probably go into more detail about why I've been inspired lately, but the gist of this resolution is basically eat real food. Good food. Try not to eat anything out of a package that has an ingredient that I can't say. And really try to make more of the food I eat.

As per usual some of the resolutions are a bit abstract and some are a little more concrete. Last year I had more success with the abstract ones, but this year I hope to keep with all of my resolutions!

Oh and here are a few Life Resolutions: Travel More, Drink more water, Be More fearless, Love the little things.

And finally, a book review:

Update Book 01: Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho

I think I've mention that I loved the Alchemist which is also by Coelho. This book was a gift from one of my oldest friends. What I loved was that it was the book she had actually read. This might not seem like a big deal to many people, but I hold books in pretty high regards and since I know how much she enjoyed this book, it made it extra special that she thought to pass it on to me.

I don't know any way to describe this book without giving away the ending. I think you get about a quarter of the way through and you know what the moral of the story is going to be. For me that didn't ruin it at all. I love the way Coelho sees life and although at times he may seem preachy, I still enjoy sermon. Like the Alchemist this isn't a book for everyone.... maybe only those who are still unsure of their path?

Success and Failure.

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2011! Ok...So I'm a little late, but the sentiment is still the same! Let me start by saying that I'm in love with 2011. I'd almost be so bold as to say that this is the best start of a year I've ever had. I'm excited, I'm inspired, I'm energetic, and I'm finally blogging! If there is one thing I dislike when I read someone else's blog, it's when they complain about blogging. Either being uninspired, apologetic, lazy, angry.... the list goes on and on. So I'm not gonna do it. Here is an update on my resolutions since my last post... (November...YIKES!!) with no apology for being a slacker.

If I learned one thing from 2010 its that the journey is 98% of your success,1% is how you rate yourself and 1% is how others do. As far as I'm concerned, 2010 was at least 99% successful!

The original resolutions with end of year results:

#1 is: Be Fearless....No matter what, don't be afraid to do anything that makes me happy.

Result: Fear is a very useful reaction. You wouldn't last without it. In fact, I'm pretty sure a complete lack of fear would result in the opposite of complete happiness. That is why in later posts I describe it as being "more fearless," meaning something along the lines of being conscious of what you're scared of and how to handle that reaction. As I get older it seems like it is easier for me to step out of my box and do things I want to do but might not have had the guts to do in the past. I feel like this resolution in 2010 was a great beginning for continued "more fearlessness" in 2011!

#2 is: Travel more

Result: Check! Check! Check! 2010 was a good travel year. One trip to Arizona and one trip that included six countries in Europe. Far more that 2009! We shall see what 2011 brings...

#3 is: Read 100 books

If you followed my blog at all you know that I started off rather cocky about this resolution. I even claimed that it would be by far the easiest for me to complete. Then August hit. I lost my passion for excessive reading and it didn't return. I fumbled my way through, only to make it to 73 books. I admit I'm disappointed but I will also say that I don't see this as a failure. Failure is a complete lack of success, but I see ever single one of those books as a little bit of success. No, I didn't reach my goal (didn't really get close either), but I read 73 books in a year! That is more than most Americans will read in their lifetime. And the best part was how much fun I had with this resolution. I met new people, connected with family members, and revitalized friendships. The end of 2010 was at times hectic, emotional and stressful, during this time the most valuable lesson I learned was that you can't do everything. Your body will literally fight you. Sometimes the best thing you can do is set your priorities in line and learn to let go. So.... to sum all that rambling up.... the glass is half full! Hooray! I read 73 books! Go me! That is freaking amazing! Anyone who thinks otherwise can stick it you know where! :)

#4 is: Drink more water

Result: If I had any success this year at all, it was in the drinking water department. I'm completely reformed. I went from a sometime 7 diet soda a day addict down to a h2o drinking fool. Tea and coffee also play a large roll in my sipping habit, but soda is a pretty random occasion. Every once in a while when out to dinner I'll order one, but I no longer crave it. Let me tell you what a difference this makes! I feel lighter, clearer minded, and soooooo much healthier! I want to mention that in posts that follow I will expand on my new health craze. Cutting out soda was just the first step in the total body overhaul.

So there you have it folks! The four big resolutions of 2010. A good mix of success and failure, lessons learned and a good foundation for the future. I feel like this is a teaser post.... I have big plans for making 2011 even better. Resolutions already in motion and novels to update you on! My focus may at times veer away from books, but I fully intend to keep you up to date on what I'm reading. Did I mention I'm excited and inspired?!

Burned.

It has occurred to me in the past week or so that people were actually reading my blog. I know this because I've gotten yelled at by several of you for my lack of updates. I really do hate to disappoint, but have to be completely honest, I'm burned out on reading. I've literally picked up five or six books recently only to get a little ways in and lose interest. In the past I have had phases where I'm just not interested in reading. I lose my patience with a story quickly and find other activities to do. The truth is that this really couldn't come at a worse time for my reading resolution/goal. I really do hate to disappoint everyone, but I have a theory about reading.... You should enjoy it. I'm not going to force myself to sit down and attempt to read if I'm just not feeling it. Hopefully I will get back into a reading phase here shortly and read book after book after book. I really have loved sharing updates and recommendations and plan to continue my blogging ways. On another note I will say this about setting resolutions/goals for myself this past year, it is helping me become the person I want to be. I feel like in the past year I've been more active/inspired/motivated/outgoing than I ever was before. So stay tuned friends and readers because I haven't gone anywhere!

End of the year resolution: Blog More (get ready to hear more ramblings about my life, inspirations, and hopefully some books!)

PS: Thanks for sticking with me!

Reading Rut.

I am officially begging for book recommendations. Not just anything, I need books that will hook me. Something that will keep me glued to the page. I figured out that part of the reason I'm falling so far behind isn't because I'm too busy to read, I've been busy all year, its because I'm uninspired. Nothing I've picked up in the last month has moved me.

On a happier note, I'm excited for the Fall. I'm sad to see the little bit of Summer we had go, but looking forward to crisp Autumn days spent sipping tea and wearing sweaters. Fall also brings with it one of my favorite pastimes, football. If you didn't know this already, I'm an obsessed Seattle Seahawks fan. This year I've also started playing Fantasy Football. As the only girl in the league, I'm hoping to hold my own.

I need to save some time for reading, so this post is going to be a quick one. Uninspired reading=uninspired book updates.

Update Book 67: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Young Adult novels either hook me immediately and never let go or they bore me half to death. Sadly for everyone involved, this book was the latter. I never cared about the characters and the plot was weak. While reading this book, I came the closest to declaring my Readers Independence by quitting 200 pages in. I struggled through, but lost several days that could have been spent reading anything else. This is a series (is anyone surprised?) and for the first time, I will not be picking up #2.

Update Book 68: Heartburn by Nora Ephron

This book is about a woman who is seven months pregnant and discovers her husband is having an affair. "Heartburn," is based on events from Ephron's life. This really happened to her. Her ex-husband ended up suing her for defamation after it was published. You might think it would be the saddest book you've ever read, but its not. Ephron is witty and sarcastic. I think I literally chuckled at least three times while reading. This is a decent novel to pick up, there is not a lot of closure at the end but I think this was done on purpose. I believe Ephron wrote it as a form of therapy .