Healthy Blog

Selasa, 16 September 2014

IT’S ONLY FIVE POUNDS…

How many times do we justify being unhealthy with the “it’s only” intro. Whether it’s only five pounds, two cookies, a bag of chips, one alcoholic drink, or one missed workout, it is easy to get hooked into the trap of “it’s only”. What happens more than not is “it’s only” turns into a daily use of trying to get away with something that leads us in the opposite direction of our goals. The five pounds turns into ten, the two cookies turns into five, one missed workout turns into several and you get the picture that is painted with two innocent words.

The “it’s only” dilemma can hit at any time, but I find it creeps back into the picture once results from following a great nutrition and fitness program have been achieved. Further, I have seen it completely snowball into a return back into old unhealthy eating patterns and sedentary lifestyle. The two words are not as innocent as one might believe and especially if an inner strength to follow through on the one time “it’s only” behavior is not fully obtained. For example, let’s look at the time it takes to break the cycle of sugar craving which is generally two weeks to twenty one days, and hypothetically use a person that is two days shy of that goal and of all days, the “it’s only” word comes to mind and tongue as a store bought processed cookie is consumed. Now, I am all about moderation and do not get me wrong on this, however, when it comes to not fully adopting a healthy lifestyle, this time of weakness can derail all the effort put into those days of breaking a sugar craving cycle.

Personally, why risk the goals for “it’s only” and especially if there is a struggle of inability to resist unhealthy processed food? There is no denying that two innocent words can take a person from success to digress in short order, and within a few weeks, that person stands in shock and asking “how did this happen?”. It happened because “it’s only” became the tool that was used more consistently than the healthy choices. Pay attention to that inner voice that is talking and especially as unhealthy food choices and bailing on workouts are happening. Also, check your friends and family and listen to what they are saying as well…they can be the worst “it’s only” culprits as you strive to reach your health and fitness goals. The more we are aware of the two words that draw us backward and how we use them to justify unhealthy choices, the better we will be able to stand up against the negative impact “it’s only” can have on our bodies and overall health.

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I dedicate this Blog to my fabulous husband and celebrating our wedding anniversary over this past weekend. I "Love You Forever and a Day"!

Happy Anniversary to my forever friend and husband

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Darla

Senin, 15 September 2014

Mabel's Labels Ultimate Back to School Pack Give Away!

Would you believe that my 8 year old got into a very upsetting 'altercation' with 3 other 8 year olds last year over a 20 cent mechanical pencil? Truth. I ended up in the principals office to discuss the whole incident (why do I get nervous going to the principals office at 39 years old?) Apparently, another child swore it was his pencil and tried to pry it out of my son's hands who had a death grip on it and 2 other children got involved and my son ended up crying under a picnic table with a bloody nose..... and the pencil still being protected underneath him.

We may never know who's pencil it really was but we do know that mechanical pencils are all kinds of serious when you're in the 3rd grade. Who knew? We've had the same problems albeit less dramatic than the pencil incident involving baseball hats, baseball gloves, beanies, lunch boxes, water bottles and even back packs. There's bound to be at least 27 Lego Ninja backpacks in the 1st grade.

If you feel my pain you will l.o.v.e. this give away! Mabel's Labels offers super cute and super durable labels for every age child (and adult). There are a few labels around our house on sports gear, water bottles and old back packs that we use for camping that are still going strong from over 2 years ago!

This bestselling kids’ school label combo pack includes all the durable, waterproof labels needed to keep belongings out of the lost and found. Available only until September 30th, our awesome kids’ labels for school are a must have on your back-to-school shopping list!

We just love Mabel's Labels cute {and cool} designs! This Ultimate Back to School Combo pack has tons of labels for all of your kiddos school supplies and more! You choose the color and design!

They also offer a variety of house hold labels, allergy alert bracelets and labels and clothing labels.

Enter below to win the Ultimate Back to School Label Pack valued at $42!
Don't forget to leave me an email address so I can get in touch with you if you win!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rabu, 10 September 2014

FIGHT FRUSTRATION WITH MOTIVATION

I know in the midst of frustration it is hard to be motivated, especially when results are not happening as fast as we may want them to. Sometimes the feelings move past frustration straight into “pissed off” and angry about not losing the weight, gaining the muscle, losing the inches, or just feeling right out BLAH about it all. This is the time giving up may enter our brain, “what’s the use” dominates our thought processes, and “I might as well go back to eating the crap anyway” defeatist attitude comes calling with a vengeance. Before all that mental non-game takes completely over, consider fighting the frustration with motivation.

We are all fighting for our health and best self each and every day. Health is a process of small steps taken over time that provide big results. Just know that each positive change to improve our health IS improving our health. That does not get lost and our bodies know that something good is happening, even when we are unable to see it. It is during times of the unseen that we must have faith in the process and be motivated by the good being done to become a healthy person. Throwing in the towel and going back to the old habits that created nothing but unhappiness and frustration in the first place does nothing for me or you except rob us of all the effort accomplished so far. This is not the time to quit, but to stand strong in your efforts, and kick frustration to the curb with motivation.

Fighting the frustration with motivation will require an inner strength that all of us possess, and it will be a choice to love ourselves at this moment no matter what a scale says. It will require a celebration of that healthy meal, that one workout, a daily goal achieved, that completed food journal, or whatever has been the most difficult struggle that was finally accomplished today. Having a positive attitude will fight off the frustration one motivation at a time, and eventually and with patience and a consistent habit of healthy eating and exercise, results will happen. If we begin to focus not so much on the goal, but what can be achieved daily to be a healthy person the tendency to become frustrated is also minimized, and replaced with feeling motivated. It is at that point, the stress of trying so hard is superseded by an inner peace of doing our best each day. When relaxation and motivation take over our thought process of becoming fit and healthy, it all just seems to fall into place, and adopting that healthy lifestyle feels like it just flows as natural as breathing.

Want to promote your business through low cost Ad Space or a fun Giveaway with Stay Healthy Fitness? Check out my pages for Ad Space or Host a Giveaway and I look forward to assisting you!

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Stay Healthy!

Darla

Senin, 08 September 2014

STAND IN YOUR FITNESS TRUTH

Standing in our fitness truth can be a difficult thing and really something we would rather not face altogether. Even as we stand in the mirror with our naked truth right in front of us, we can still be in denial of what is looking back at us. We tell ourselves that we are working out all the time and for heaven’s sake “I have been eating healthy for one week” and still no results. Therein is the beginning of the end, as the frustration of not accepting the truth behind our closed doors becomes our norm for fitness.

If we truly took responsibility for our fitness truth, there would be a healthier bunch of people running around. We continue to be dishonest with ourselves and not accept that we are not eating as healthy as we should, and the workouts may be minimal at best. We may talk a good game in front of our friends, family, and even our trainer but within the deepest space of our private life, the truth remains a buried secret. Lying to ourselves does nothing to make us healthy people, and as we continue to brag about all the healthy meals we are eating, our bodies are telling the true story of what is happening. Barring a medical condition that is causing weight gain, the general populous is not being impacted by such illness. It is denial of the truth that is happening most of the time and until that is dealt with, obtaining a fit and healthy body just will not happen.

I find that keeping an accountability fitness and food journal really helps with standing in our fitness truth. The additional splurge meals, several nights of alcohol, late night snacking, a bite of this and that, and working out two times instead of four times during the week are just a few of the things that we find easy to deny when it comes to our fitness. For some reason those things get forgotten and the only thing remembered is that healthy grilled salmon and vegetables eaten several times during the week. Further, if we do not write it down, it does not exist and therefore will not negatively impact all the positive efforts. Who is anyone trying to kid with this type of thinking and behavior.

When we begin to stand in our fitness truth positive results from our efforts will be loud and clear through our bodies changing for the healthy best. This can be a tough subject to swallow and that is alright, because we all need to start somewhere and beginning with the truth in all relationships including the one with ourselves is the basis of all trust. Do you trust yourself enough to stand in your own fitness truth?

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My Don and Me

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Darla

Minggu, 07 September 2014

Black Bean, Butternut Squash & Millet Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Ancho-Guajillo Chile Sauce #SundaySupper

Do you love authentic chile Rellenos but don't want to make a production out of making them yourself? These {vegetarian} stuffed poblano chiles are seriously simple and insanely good. I've cut the preparation time in half with a few tricks I've picked up over the years and can't wait to share the recipe with you.

The first thing I scan the menu for when at a Mexican food restaurant is always Chile Rellenos. Swoon. More often than not unfortunately, they fail to impress. Greasy cheese, deep fried in batter and usually lacking in the stuffings department which is the best part! Making them myself however seemed such a chore. Up until now.

Simply stuffed chile rellenos aka poblano peppers. Be still my heart.

I'm the first to say that home made sauces are head over heals better than the jarred variety. However, I'm also the first to admit that I don't always have the energy to make sauces from scratch..... or clean up the mess. If you can find a good quality jarred (preferably not canned) Ancho Chile sauce no one will be the wiser.

Secret ingredient and show stopper? Creamy, crumbled sweet and tangy goat cheese that slowly melts into a thick creme in the hot chile sauce. Goat cheese perfectly compliments the butternut squash in these peppers.

Poblano peppers are very mild on the heat radar as are Ancho peppers which have a mouth watering smokey taste when roasted, Guajillo peppers which have just a bit of heat to them give this dish the authentic finishing touch. The butternut squash and corn give these a touch of natural sweetness. Black beans, mushrooms and whole grain Millet make this a very filling dish even meat eaters will love.

Millet provides several nutrients and has a sweet nutty flavor, and is considered to be one of the most digestible and non-allergenic grains available. It is one of the few grains that is alkalizing to the body.
Millet is high in protein, is a smart carb toting lots of fiber. It's low on the glycemic index and has been shown to produce lower blood sugar levels than wheat or rice making it a great substitute.

Roasting and Preparing the Poblano Peppers

Place top rack 5-6" away from the top of the oven/broiler. Preheat your broiler. In a dry cast iron skillet place washed and dried peppers. Broil for 8-10 minutes then using tongs carefully flip the peppers over. Broil another 8-10 minutes till very charred and skin begins to peel away.

Carefully place peppers into a large ice water bath. Let soak a minute till cool. Now you can easily peel the skins off using your fingers. The pepper will probably naturally break open, remove the seeds carefully by swishing in the water. Don't let the pepper fall apart.

Time Saver!

Look for pre chopped butternut squash at your supermarket. I get mine at Costco and it freezes well.

Instead of using meat, use beans and mushrooms.

Black Bean, Butternut Squash & Millet Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Ancho-Guajillo Chile Sauce

PREP TIME 15 MINUTES BAKE 30 MINUTES SERVES 3-4

You Will Need

4 poblano peppers
1 cup diced butternut squash
1 cup cooked or canned black beans
1 cup sweet corn
1/2 cup cooked millet
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4 mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped
1 tablespoon oil for sautéing
1 jar ancho guajillo sauce
1 cup shredded Jack cheese
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
cilantro for garnish

Char and clean poblanos using above directions. Lower heat in oven to 450F. Saute onions, mushrooms and diced squash over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent. Add beans, corn and cooked millet. Stir to combine. Remove from heat.

In a shallow baking dish, spoon some of the chile sauce to cover the bottom. Arrange Poblano pepper on top of sauce. Using a spoon, stuff the filling into the peppers. Spoon more sauce over veggies reserving some for later. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 450F for 20-25 minutes or until squash is tender.

Carefully remove the foil and sprinkle with Jack cheese. Bake uncovered for another 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted. Remove from oven. Place peppers on plate and sprinkle with goat cheese and cilantro. Serve with more sauce.

Rabu, 03 September 2014

LIFE CAN SUCK … WORKOUT ANYWAY!

Life is not meant to be easy-peasy and all wrapped in a pretty bow all the time. The truth about life is that it can suck and be filled with very difficult emotional and even physical hardships. I want to target the emotional junk in this blog that can weigh down our brains and bodies and cause us to retreat into a shell of self defeat. When life hands us hard in the form of emotional upset stemming from relationship issues, problems with co-workers, or mistreatment from friends and even family just to name a few, it is important to not give up on you. Even the day-to-day emotional junk can feel overwhelming, and sometimes we can be our own worst enemy of creating needless emotional upset over something that was simply miscommunication. Emotional upset can hit us in the face every day and we can choose to handle it in a healthy or unhealthy way. What it comes down to is that we are responsible for our own mental health and happiness.

It seems the emotional crap that hurts the most is when it occurs in our very personal relationships with our spouses, significant others, dearest friends and family. That can be a very difficult thing as we struggle to maintain happy in a storm of anger, resentment, bitterness, and even vengeful feelings that can consume us to the point of not taking care of the skin we are living in. Often times we walk around with unrealistic expectations of how things and life are supposed to be, or even how our spouses for example are supposed to act, and when things do not happen according to our own thought processes, the emotional upset begins to fester. Before we know it, a full blown internal eruption of drama has taken over our being and created an unhealthy person that we ourselves find hard to recognize. I understand it is difficult when we feel hurt, but it is also important to be able to recognize if the hurt is “real” or self-induced unrealistic expectations. Further, in the midst of life sucking emotionally, it is still important to exercise anyway and not get lost in some victim pity party. Studies have shown exercise to be one of the top contributors for stress reduction, decreased depression, and overall positive well-being.

It would be wonderful if life had an “easy button” and all the things that created emotional yuck could be clicked away, but the closest thing we possess to make that happen is our response to what causes the upset. We can choose to walk around with the “cold war” bitter attitude in our homes or get off our butts, choose to be positive and take out the feelings on a great workout. We all have had our emotional buttons pushed in this life and it is truly about how we respond to the circumstance that makes us healthy or unhealthy. Having a healthy response to unhealthy situations takes learning and practice, but the reward is a healthier happier you and me. There is nothing worse than stewing inside and growing an emotional pimple until it bursts into ugliness when there are so many positive avenues to take care of the problem in a healthy way. As I mentioned, a great workout, meditation, going for a walk, talking to God, or even looking into a counselor if necessary are all fabulous ways to deal with the emotional downs in life.

Life can be looked at like a classroom and we are students learning through each experience, and hopefully gaining the ability through guidance and practice to respond to the lesson in a positive way. There is no doubt that some days and nights will be filled with emotional hurt and it will be during those moments that our “mental strong” will be the motivator that keeps us moving in the right direction of health. It does not matter what the issue is and how bad life sucks … WORK OUT ANYWAY!

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DARLA LEAL, FIT AT 50
Orange Photography 2014

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list, or If you want to receive my free updates, use the button above this paragraph to select your feed preference. I look forward to responding to your comments and appreciate your shares!

Stay Healthy ~ Darla