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Health Starts Here: Week 3 Recap!

Wow, I haven’t been here in a week!  That was completely unexpected, but I have a lot of good stuff coming and I’m excited to share my re-cap from Week 3 of my Health Starts Here Challenge.

In case you missed it:

DINNER

Let me go ahead and share my dinner from tonight because it was delicious and perfectly hit the spot!

whole-foods-hot-bar

Brown Rice w/ Fiesta Brocolli, Roasted Corn, Asparagus w/ carrots, cabbage, strawberries, & cantaloupe!  It was refreshing, it was flavorful, it was everything I wanted out of my dinner tonight!  I was already at Whole Foods for our Week 4 Meet-up and it was so much fun!  I look forward to sharing that with you next week.  I can’t believe we’re almost done, we have one week to go and next Monday night will be Graduation from the Challenge!

WEEK 3 MEET-UP

Week 3 started off with an amazing speaker, Terry Sullivan, from  liveRIGHTnow in Jackson, MS!  I was so encouraged by listening to someone who sees the need & importance of bringing fitness to Mississippi, but who also believes there is hope for our state to improve! His website provides information on a lot of fitness events throughout central Mississippi and I’m especially looking forward to their Java Run on Wednesday mornings.  With my work schedule, I’m not sure how I’ll pull it off yet, but I’m determined to make it to at least one morning jog with free coffee & community!

Now, lets dive in to what Terry taught us!

The first question he asked was “What does it mean to be fit?”  He broke the answer into 4 categories: How you measure up (BMI, Bodyfat %, HR, Cholesterol), How you feel physically (energy, strength), How you feel mentally (stress, sleep, happiness), and How sustainable your fit lifestyle is (short term vs. long term).  Every one of these answers gives YOU and everyone around you a reason to live a healthy lifestyle!

Sadly, Mississippi ranks 50th in overall health, heart related death, & high cholesterol.  Mississippi ranks 49th in cancer deaths, obesity, and diabetes.  These numbers motivate me to a healthier lifestyle and they motivate me to share my love & desire for health with others!  All of these statistics can be changed and that provides me with hope that one day Mississippi will not be last!   I love what he said, “We can be victims or we can be part of the solution” and I seriously want to be part of the solution!

He encouraged us to workout a minimum of 3 hours per week and gave us countless options to do it!  Another favorite quote, “Options = not excuses.”

Throughout his session, we didn’t necessarily learn the ins and outs of fitness and the proper moves & techniques, but it was a huge motivator to incorporate exercise into the diet we’re already doing!  He said that 80% of your healthy lifestyle should be what you put in your body, the other 20% should be exercise.

I’m so excited to join some of the group runs & events they have going on at liveRIGHTnow!

MY WEEK AT A GLANCE

Again, my work week went smooth!  I made a mistake once mid-week, but other than that, it was great!  My weekend was one to be ashamed of though and I’m sad to say it.  I was in Starkville with Nick for the weekend and we ate out a good bit.  As I mentioned in my last post, I’m determined to get one full week (including a weekend) where I firmly stick to the challenge and I believe this coming week is it!  I’ll be home, Nick’s staying in Starkville, and I’m going to make all of my meals at home.

This week on the menu:

Those are the only “meals” I’m making, but I just picked up some cereal & ezekial english muffins for breakfast.  I also bought some salad & veggies to munch on throughout the week.

I’ve already decided to stick similarly to this diet once the challenge is over.  Reducing the amount of dairy I’m having is making major strides in my daily life!  Although I’ve had cheated on the weekends, I’ve still felt great so I think sticking to this plan moving forward will work great for my lifestyle as long as I don’t overdo it too much on the weekends.

Mary Lindsey has been so great about bringing us recipes at each meet-up and I have so many awesome ones to try!  Can’t wait to share how they turn out!

BLISS LINK-UP

I’m really looking forward to the Bliss link-up this month because I’ll be sharing all of my favorite items from the Health Starts Here Challenge!  Hopefully you’ll try out some of the products I share and swap some basic items with a healthier version!  The link up is NEXT WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27TH!

Hope y’all have a great week!

July Bliss

I really do love the last Wednesday of every month!  I look forward to remembering all the things that brought me Bliss!  In case you’re new here, Meg and I host this #bloggerbliss link-up every month to highlight your favorite things from the past month!  There are NO limitations – products, moments, bloggers, posts!  We enjoy seeing what y’all love and trying some of those things out for ourselves!  Be sure to use the hashtag #bloggerbliss throughout the month when you find something you love or you’re having a Blissful moment!

Blogger Bliss Button updated

TRAVEL

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Nick’s brother & sister-in-law in Florida at the beginning of July and my cousin and her family near the end of the July.  I have some amazing memories from both occasions and I can’t imagine how the trips could have gone any better!  I’m so thankful for the quality time I was able to spend with them as well as Nick and my friends, Lacy & Noelle.

You can see those recaps here:

2048

This is a new game Nick got me hooked on.  He always finds the most random apps and then I begrudgingly try them and then end up loving them!!  This game is SO FUN – at least for the nerdy part of me.  You get doubles to grow into larger numbers and the highest you can get is a 2048.  You try to not run out of tile.  Seriously, try it out, let me know what you think.  In the meantime, I’ll be over here playing.  Nick just informed me that once you beat the game, it unlocks the next level – 4096!  oh my goodness.. I just can’t wait!

2048-app-game

BARE COCONUT CHIPS

I had originally heard about Dang Coconut Chips when Julie mentioned them in her “Things I’m Loving Friday” post.  Then when I attended Veg Fest Houston, they had a booth set up and I was really excited to try their coconut chips.  Lo and Behold, they were delicious!  The girls at the booth were super fun and I enjoyed talking with them!  I still need to re-cap my Veg Fest Houston experience!  For once in my blogging life, I feel like I have an abundance of posts that need to be written!  Back on topic… so when I made my way back to small town Mississippi, I tried to find Dang Coconut Chips in our local Whole Foods – no such luck!  I went with the only option we had, Bare Coconut Chips.  They ended up being really good and will have to be my go-to coconut chip in Mississippi.  Since I really enjoyed the girls at Veg Fest though and want to support Dang as well, I’ll be on watch when I’m out of town!

bare-coconut-chips coconut-chips

BEING OUTSIDE

I’ve been making my way to our local walking trail lately to get some runs in.  I’ve enjoyed the alone time and the nature.  It’s always calming & beautiful while I’m there (Yet another post I need to publish).  My workouts at the gym have been great, but there is nothing like fresh outdoor air!

park-time

PERSONALIZED COKES

This is by far my favorite marketing strategy in the history of the world!  I think the idea of personalizing cokes was a brilliant idea and I guarantee they saw an increase in sales.  I came across this one while I was waiting on my oil change.  It was the first one I saw that didn’t have a name which I thought was cool!  I picked it up because I like to believe that I really am a go-getter and that this diet coke was meant for me!

go-getter-diet-coke

BIG BROTHER

Do y’all watch this show?  Me and my sisters have watched it for years.  We’re determined to get picked one year and be the major “twist” of the season as sisters in the house where no one knows that we’re related.  Clever, right?  I am loving Nicole & Christine this season.  I think they really understand the game and they’re playing smart – plus, they’re cute as can be!  Frankie is just fun to watch, he’s so animated.  Donnie is basically the nicest person who ever walked into the house, but he hasn’t exactly been the best player and I got really frustrated with him the week that Nicole was HOH and she tried to get advice from him and then he went and spilled it all to the house and played dumb as if she didn’t ask him to keep it to himself (she totally did) plus because they’re both such great people, I would have enjoyed them working together.  I also really like Derek, I think he’s playing a smart game and he’s probably one of the most level headed people in the game.  Who’s your favorite Big Brother player?

5 PICTURES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL BEAUTIFUL

Meg had a great idea to include this in our Bliss post for the month.  I’m sure we’ve all seen this 5 picture challenge floating around facebook and we definitely feel that Bliss and Beauty go hand-in-hand!  Here are 5 pictures that make me feel beautiful!

5-beautiful-pictures

Left // Me & Nick at Animal Kingdom.

Top Right // Me with and his siblings at his graduation. Wearing my Stitch Fix Cardigan & Fuchsia Top!

Bottom Right // Me & my Disney Roomies at House of Blues during our CP days.  They were loving, kind, and non-judgmental.  I always felt beautiful with them!

5-beautiful-pictures-2

Left // Me & Meg at Disney Wine & Dine.

Right // Me ready to go at Disney Princess.  I went by myself and raced by myself, but I felt beautiful throughout even with my sleepy eyes!

What is bringing you Bliss this month!?  Link-up Below.

NEXT MONTH BLISS LINK-UP: AUGUST 27TH!

Health Starts Here Orientation

When I arrived back home from Houston, I immediately headed to Whole Foods for my Orientation into the 28-day Healthy Eating Challenge called Health Starts Here.  It is based on 4 pillars of healthy eating as opposed to the food pyramid that I grew up with.  I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I signed up for the challenge.

They had green folders for all the participants that came with a ton of useful information!

health-starts-here-packet

We got two handbooks – Bulk Basics & Healthy Eating.  The bulk basics book goes through all the bulk items you can purchase such as beans, nuts,  seeds, & more.  It teaches you how to cook them and what they’re best used for.  I’m really looking forward to using more dried beans and preparing them fresh.

The Healthy Eating Handbook talks about the 4 pillars of health:

  • Focus on Whole Foods
  • Eat Plant-Strong
  • Choose Healthy Fats
  • Consider Nutrient Density

It also goes over some simple ways to make quick meals such as breakfast bowls, smoothies, & mighty bowls of goodness.  I’m excited to try my hand at some unique creations using the tips they provide.

One thing I was surprised about during the orientation was learning that meat was optional and that you are not allowed dairy or eggs.  Being a vegetarian, the meat will not be an issue, of course, but when I learned about the dairy & eggs, I quickly realized that I’m about to test out an almost vegan diet.  There may be one or two exceptions that I’m not thinking of at the moment, but basically I’m going vegan.

One tip that I learned was how to determine how much sodium was too much.  I’ve gotten to really enjoy quick microwavable meals for lunch – specifically the vegetarian or vegan lasagna’s.  I know they’re not good for me because of the sodium intake and I don’t eat them everyday, but I do indulge probably once a week.  You do not want to eat something that has more sodium than calories.  For example, if you read a label that has 200 calories, but over 700mg of sodium, that’s WAY TO MUCH!  I immediately started reading labels after the orientation.  I was excited to find a vegan lasagna made by Whole Foods (365 brand) that had less sodium than calories – I quickly bought that.

One thing I’m looking forward to is testing out new recipes.  I haven’t done much cooking at my parents, but I have a feeling that’s all about to change with this new challenge.  Whole Foods has a ton of recipes on their website created by the chefs that work for them.  You can do an advanced search that only includes “Health Starts Here” approved recipes.  I’ve already found some that I’m dying to try!

I don’t think I’ll be deprived.  It’s not about being “strict” – It’s about choosing foods to fuel your body and foods that are good for you.  Also, the healthy eating specialist, Mary Lindsey, is going to label all the items in Whole Foods that are Health Starts Here approved to make it easier on us!

What you can expect over the next month:  I’ll be documenting my progress as well as the recipes I use and any changes I’d make to the recipes (based on my preferred taste & number
of servings).  I plan on taking measurements at the start and documenting my progress as well as taking pictures of my face.  I’ve been breaking out  a lot lately and I’m interested to see how my face clears up with a healthy whole foods lifestyle.

Please feel free to ask questions throughout the challenge!  Some other aspects I’m looking forward to are the weekly meet-ups where we’ll learn about Bulk Basics & Plant-Strong Cooking.  We’re also doing a “Bonus Meetup” with a local running store for a group run/walk with tips from the pros!

I’m so proud of my Mississippi community for taking this step to better health!  They had to cap our registration at 80 and are not accepting any more participants for this particular challenge!  Due to the involvement though, I’m sure we’ll have another one soon after!  If you’re not in the Central Mississippi area, Whole Foods does this program at all of their stores, so try to join a challenge in your local area.

  • Have you done the Health Starts Here Challenge with Whole Foods?
  • Would you consider doing the Health Starts Here Challenge?
  • Take a look at the Whole Foods recipe website – is there a particular recipe you’d like to see me try and share my opinions on?  Remember to make it vegetarian & Health Starts Here approved.

I’m off to go plan my meals and seek out some more recipes!  The challenge starts Monday, July 28th!  Guess I should finish off these hot chips before then.

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