I NEED ICE CREAM, STAT!!!

Hello! How is everyone? Good? Great? Grand?

Perfect! Let's jump right into things this beautiful Wednesday afternoon, shall we?

Emotional Eating. 

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Blech. 

To say I've been stressed out lately might be the understatement of the year. In the past 2 weeks, I have gotten my bike stolen, lost my wallet, and destroyed my Macbook - all while trying to prepare for multiple friends' weddings, write a maid of honor speech and find an apartment to move into in less than 3 weeks. AHHH!

Before my ankle surgery, my solution to any kind of stress I've dealt with was to throw on my running shoes and hit the pavement for a good 7 or 8 mile run.... double digits once the weekend came. But since that is obviously not in the cards this summer, I found myself resorting to the next best thing - food.

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It took about 2 weeks and a minor panic attack due to yet another pair of clothing not fitting, to realize what I had been doing.... emotional eating.

"I'm so stressed out, I need a cookie."

"Happy hour drink? Please. My week has been a nightmare."

"My water bottle leaked all over my computer, I need ice cream STAT." 

With two impending weddings and just wanting to feel better about myself, I sat down and took a couple of minutes to assess the situation and address the following questions - what can I do differently and how can I change the situation. 

The solution was simple - don't buy the junk that promotes emotional eating. That bag of dark chocolate that you think you can have one morsel and stop after dinner. That bag of sweet potato Pop Chips that let's face it, can be downed in one sitting.... don't buy them. If they're there, they will be eaten. If they're not there, you can't eat them!

Some other things that can help when you've hit your max and all you want is a gallon of ice cream:

• Call up a friend and chat. 
• Ask yourself why you're eating. Are you hungry? Are you bored? Are you going to feel any better after chugging that milkshake?
• Go for a run or a walk.
• Read a chapter in a good book. 
• Write in a journal. 
• Keep a food journal. 

I found the below picture on Pinterest. It's a pretty decent flow chart on what to do when you feel like you need something. 

Now I know all this is a lot easier said than done. But next when you feel like you just need that cookie, or you deserve that self-serve frozen yogurt, take a minute and ask yourself why you're eating it. 

Emotional eating happens to the best of us. 

Don't let it control you. 

Stay Healthy, 

Start NOW.

Hi all! Happy Friday! Is everyone ready for the weekend? Anyone doing anything fun? Everyone going to Run Fest tomorrow? I'll see you there!

Anyway, I'd like to take the time to discuss a somewhat personal issue - weight.
duh. duh. duhhh.

Whether you walk away from this post with assurance that you're not alone in this constant battle of maintaining a healthy weight, or if you skip off with a big fat smile on your face, knowing that the girl who tells you to eat broccoli and kale has her own issues with weight - I hope this post serves some sort of purpose for you and isn't solely just a way for me to get my butt into gear.

At any rate, I could talk for hours, and in all reality, easily write a 230 page book about my past history with weight-related issues, but I'm not one to spill my guts on the first date. So with that being said, let's focus on the what's going on today, right now on this, yet again, hot, sticky and humid Friday.

Since graduating college in 2008, I took a very strong interest in running. I went from barely being able to complete a loop around my meager half mile block to finishing 26.2 miles, twice. I found myself opting out of the late night bar scene for the chance to get to bed early so I could wake up early and get an easy 8 miles in before the day started. Between averaging at least 25 miles a week, plus additional spinning classes, there was no room or even desire to not choose a healthy diet.... (with the occasional bowl of ice cream or seasonal draft, of course).

Things were going great, until disaster struck. (ok, ok, that was a slight huge exaggeration)

Things were going great, until a major minor moderate setback struck (that's probably more accurate). After a year of chronic ankle issues, the worst was finally brought to light - torn tendon in the ankle. If I wanted an active life free of pain and arthritis, surgery was the only option.

I went from this:

to this:

That's a whole lot of sitting around. 

And a whole lot of ....

• "suuure I'll meet you for happy hour, I don't have anything else to do!"
• "I deserve dessert, I just had surgery"
• "I can't work out in the morning, of course I can stay out later"

But guess what? Grace period is over. Time to get my butt into gear - not so I can fit into my multiple bridesmaid dresses later this summer, but so I can feel good and feel healthy and feel strong. 

I have officially started physical therapy and have been given a few liberties when it comes to exercise. It's time to break up with my couch and my feel sorry for me attitude and start some new relationships.... stationary bikes? swimming? saying no to evening ice cream trips? I don't know! The possibilities are endless. 

I'm newly motivated and I'm excited to share my enthusiasm for getting back to what makes us feel good and feel healthy with others who may be struggling as well. 

Don't start tomorrow. Start today. 

Don't start later. Start NOW.

On that note... I'm off to the gym... see you guys later!

Stay Healthy,

Maintaining Your Weight

Hi Guys and Gals!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic day week - with the type of weather we're having here in central Ohio, I'm not sure how you couldn't! I have a number of different friends and family who are, or have already, embarked on spring break trips to the sunny ocean or out west to Vegas, but I can honestly say, and with a genuine smile, that I'm A-OK with staying in Columbus. Who needs to spend hours traveling to reach warm weather when I can walk right out my door!

On a brief side note - If I were a super mean person, it was snowing outside and if it wasn't the start of March Madness, I would be fairly angry about the lack of comments on what the best breakfast is to start your morning. But, since none of the above are applicable, I'll go ahead and end this brief side note with a slightly disappointed sigh, (siiiiiigh......) 

Alright, back to business.

So I had all intentions of putting this post up yesterday, but in between posting up flyers for my FREE informative detox class (Thursday, March 29th for all those out there who need to put it in their calendar or high tech iphone), making handouts on how to read nutrition labels at the grocery store and crying over my inability to run 10 feet without crying in pain, I never got around to doing so. So if you guys can forgive me for not posting yesterday, I'll forgive you guys for not commenting.... deal?

I read an awesome article yesterday on how to maintain your weight. It's called, "Everyday Ways to Maintain Your Feel Great Weight." You can find it on health.com or by clicking right here. Not only does it have some awesome advice but I especially love it because it's written by one of my favorite bloggers. I'll let you guys do most of the reading, but for those who are still trying to predict first round upsets on your bracket, here is the article in brief:

Everyday Ways to Maintain Your Feel Great Weight

1. Eat often
2. Say no to extras (sometimes)
3. Get cooking with your oven
4. Set Reminders
5. Create a motivation board 
6. Drink up (water, people, water)
7. Think 50/50
8. Eat REAL food
9. Plan ahead
10. Dance your butt off (or just move around a lot in my case)
11. Snack on hard-to-eat foods
12. Finish eating last
13. Make a grocery list

Get it?

Got it?

Good!

Stay healthy,

Anyone out there maintaining their weight? If so, what tricks or tips do you have?