Monthly Archives: April 2008

My Experience With Belly Dancing

30thApril2008

(This is cross-posted at BlogHer.)

I’m not a very good belly dancer. I think the problem is that I don’t like it enough to give it my best shot — I definitely haven’t been practicing outside of class or anything. I’ve been to four (out of 8) classes, so at least I feel like I’ve given it enough of a chance to say that I’m not in love with it.

I wasn’t sure how much I’d like belly dancing even before I signed up. I’ve never been much of a dancer. (Unless you count shakin’ my booty on the dance floor when I used to go to clubs in my early 20s. A friend of mine still calls me “Dancing Queen” to this day.) I decided to take the class largely because 1) my roommate was interested in doing it with me, 2) the location was ideal (the building is literally next-door to where we live), and 3) I wanted to try something new (per #87 on my 101 Things list).

I just feel awkward (the same way I imagine Paris Hilton must have felt a few weeks ago). The hip-swaying and shoulder shimmying isn’t so difficult…but the belly-rolls are a different story. And belly rolling is, of course, an integral part of the whole belly dancing experience.

Push the belly out, up, back, and then out again? Do it in a circular, flowing motion? Our teacher said that students often have a hard time learning the correct motion (without a lot of practice, that is — and yes, I’ll admit once again that I haven’t been practicing) because we’re so used to holding our stomach in, instead of pushing it out and moving it all about.

The instructor is good about explaining how to do the various moves by themselves, but she isn’t as good with explaining how to put them all together. She always plays at least a few songs near the end of class where we’re supposed to follow her lead and try to copy what she does. But by the time she starts a particular move and it registers in my mind what she’s doing, there’s a delay of several seconds — and usually by that time, she’s off doing something else. It feels like a continuous game of Try to Catch Up While Looking As Awkward As Possible. It would be helpful if she’d verbally call out some of the moves as she was doing them (especially since there’s about 20 of us in the class and sometimes it’s hard to get a good glimpse of her in the mirror).

What do I like about the class? It’s a good ab workout. I can definitely feel the isolation of various stomach muscles when we’re moving around. There’s also a range of sizes and body-shapes in the class, which is very cool (although nobody actually bares their stomach except the instructor).

It sounds like Certain Absurdity had the same kind of experience in her belly dancing class that I did. She also has a good description of learning how to shimmy.

Next we learned to shimmy. When you stand with your knees slightly bent, you alternate straightening one, then the other and low and behold, your hips shift up and down. The teacher would vary the speed of which we shimmied. Then after a little practice, she wanted us to try to walk forward while we were shimmy-ing. What?!? It was at this point that I decided that I’d probably be able to belly dance much better if I had a drink (or two) ahead of time!

We learned a few more moves before the class was done. I had fun, but felt completely inept. I think I can probably do it with lots of practice. You’ll know I’ve lost it when I start to shimmy up and down the school hallways…

I think I might like to go to a belly dancing class with Sagan. Her instructor sounds pretty cool.

As we were spinning and shaking and tip-toeing about, my instructor said to us near the end of the class, “now repeat after me: ‘I am the best thing since sliced bread’”. Because everyone in the class is rather shy, we all repeated the phrase in a murmur, which resulted in more of a cult-ish chant than anything else. But it certainly brought a smile to everyones face!

Amy Reid, a journalism student, has had much more success mastering the whole belly-rolling thing than I. (Also check out her post for tips about how to practice belly dancing outside of class.)

One move in belly dancing that god blessed me with the ability to do naturally is the belly roll. This move consists of moving three seperate abdominal muscles. The way my teacher taught us it to suck my belly in and then suck in the top a little more. Next, I slowly begin to relax my stomach muscles, pushing out the bottom first. This must be done very slowly, which can be quite hard – as I’m sure the majority of women out there, like me, are used to sucking it in. Doing crunches can add to success in this area. Once perfected, it should look like a wave going through your belly.

Remember what I said about belly dancing being a good ab workout? Taaj says Stop Clenching Your Abs!

I am so tired of hearing people talk about clenching the abs when belly dancing. I was especially appalled just now when I heard someone say that she keeps them clenched ALL THE TIME! Oh, my god! Will ya stop with the ab clenching already?

Pilates is fantastic, but I think it got people going in the wrong direction with the whole “core” thing.

1) You can’t breathe fully if you have your abs tightened.
2) If your abs are tight, you block the flow of chi and this of course leads to disease and discomfort.
3) If you are not clenching correctly, this makes you MORE unstable, not less.
4) If you are not clenching and RELEASING, you will never build any strength. You cannot strengthen a tight muscle.
5) If your abs are rock hard, you probably dont’ have much flexibility (take that from me, the former body builder). If you don’t have flexibility, your range of motion and ease of motion is inhibited.

Bollybutton lives in Athens, Greece and talks about participating in her first public belly-dancing show.

Last night I took part in my first bellydance show with the girls from my class and it was great! My only mistake was not taking part in the introduction solo dances, when each of the girls takes the stage in turn to do a few steps while the rest of us play instruments (finger cymbals, tambourines or dumbeks). I watched the other girls take their turns and chickened out. I thought “Look at me compared to them. The audience will say they didn’t pay to see a little ant in a coin belt.” I felt like a sucked out mango next to them, plus my teacher’s attitude wasn’t helping my faith in my own abilities. [...]

Ultimately, if I don’t grab the bull by the horns and dance the way I do at home, the way I know I can, I’m never going to start believing in myself. Bring on the next show!

Robin was nervous before her first belly dancing class, but ended up having a good time.

I had been a little concerned about dancing in front of total strangers, but most of the women were middle aged, some were significantly overweight, and there was a comfortable “mommy to mommy” atmosphere. More than any other physical activity in the world, belly dancing is accepting of people of all sizes. [...]

We started out with stretches. Then we learned some interesting ways to move our arms. Then we learned how to move our upper body without moving our hips and lower body. We learned hip circles and lots of other things I won’t bore you with. I did pretty well, except I never did figure out how to jerk my hips (aka hip piston). Every time I would try it, it would look more like hula dancing(!)

Bottom line-I loved it and can’t wait till next week!

Has anyone else tried belly dancing? Love it or leave it?

(Note: I’m currently in Tampa, so I scheduled this in advance to post today. I’m internet free until Saturday!)

Related Links (other types of dancing):

Nenette at Life Candy is a huge proponent of hula and has 5 Reasons Why Hula is Fabulous for Fitness.
(numbers and first sentences are bolded)

The Columbian: Day of Dance stresses link between fitness, and movin’ and groovin’

Yahoo Health: Can you “dance for fitness” using a video game?

SeattlePI: Exercise is easier when you get your groove on

Kristen at That’s Fit: Who knew hip-hop was so hard?

By Zandria | Posted in BlogHer, Fitness | Comments (11)

Strong Women, Strong Voices

28thApril2008

(This is cross-posted at BlogHer.)

Don’t you love when you read something that actually makes you stop and think? I like this feeling because I read a lot of different stuff, in all kinds of different places, and I’ve mastered the art of skimming. So it’s generally impossible to spend a lot of time reading something — whether it’s a news article or blog post — slowly, in its entirety.

But there are times when you come across something that makes you slow down; maybe even causes you go back and re-read the preceding paragraphs to get the full gist of what that person is saying. Whenever I come across blog posts like this I save the title, web address, and usually a paragraph or so of the piece (to remind myself why I liked it) in a designated place, just in case I want to use the topic in a post of my own at a later time. (Many of these posts I save tend to make their way into what I write for BlogHer.) If I don’t save them, with so much new stuff coming at me every day, I know I’ll quickly forget about them otherwise.

Sometimes I have so many good posts sitting around that I want other people to know about them — even if it doesn’t seem like there’s a central theme tying them together. But you know what? There’s enough of a theme that I feel like these posts make sense. The theme is that these posts are all written by strong, smart women. And I think that’s the best theme of all.

I’ve previously written about why I don’t want to change my last name if I get married. Kerrianne got married last year and she’s currently thinking about this question of What to do?

During month three and four of living as both a Ladish and a Jernigan I started to make a list in my head of everyone I knew and didn’t know who had decided to change their names upon taking vows, and a list of those who had not. I started to wonder if it was a betrayal to not want to take my own husband’s last name. I started to wonder, too, why anyone does.

I’ve also talked about how marriage isn’t for everyone, so I liked this post by Ms. Single Mama. She says, “Married people are weird (for the most part).”

Maybe it’s because I already have the child, the job and the house — minus the husband — but married people mystify me. And why do so many single women want to get married so badly? I can understand why us single moms want to get married — it might be easier. [...] But single, childless women. Seriously. What gives? Am I missing something? Why do they want to find a man so badly? I look at young single women and all I think is god — you have the world in front of you. You could do everything…and be with someone — but do you have to marry him? Why this crazy desire for a ring?

I really enjoyed the post Ariel (aka Electrolicious) wrote about how she and her husband have made their relationship work after being part of each other’s lives for over 10 years.

Lovingly call your partner on their weird bullshit
When Dre and I first started dating, I had some bad habits I’d learned in my previous, completely dysfunctional relationships. Really awesome mature stuff like sulking and giving the silent treatment. The first time I tried to do this with Dre, he looked at me and said, “Wait, are you sulking because I’m not paying attention to you?”

I was like, “Gah! No! Jeez! Um…Kind of? Ok, yes.”

His response was, “You know, it’s way easier if you just ask me for my attention. It saves me the trouble of having to figure out that what you want.”

And so now I say things like, “I’m tired and whiny. Will you pay attention to me and pat my head and tell me it will be alright?”

And he does! It works out awesome for both of us.

But remember, like Kat says, you need solitude in your relationship for it to thrive. It’s not required (or healthy) for you to be around each other every possible minute of the day.

I don’t remember my parents spending every second together having “quality” time or mulling over their feelings. In fact, I remember them trying to get away from each other…my mom to her poker games with the ladies and my dad to his AM radio talk shows. They didn’t take vacations together either. My dad would join us for a few days wherever we vacationed — usually visiting family — and then return to work, happily, and to a quiet, empty, woman-free home, where he’d drink soda and eat steak, two no-nos under my mother’s house rules. I know they loved each other, in their own often confusing way, and they each threw their talents into the mix, but my mother didn’t hand over her self-worth to my father and vice-versa.

Remember the study that said singles have higher blood pressure than married people, so this must mean married people are happier? Author and blogger (and Visiting Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara) Bella DePaulo looked closely at the details and said singles should only be worried about their blood pressure if they believe this study.

Anyone who has taken a course in psychology or research methodology probably knows why [this study doesn't make sense]. If married people differ from single people in blood pressure (or anything else), you cannot know, on the basis of this sort of study, whether they differ BECAUSE they are married. Maybe the people who got married already had lower blood pressure even before they married, and getting married made no difference. [...]

CONCLUSION

If you are single, I don’t think you should decide to get married in order to lower your blood pressure. Just relax and get a good night’s sleep.

Unfortunately, that probably won’t work for me. I’m single, and media reports like these make my blood boil.

Lisa is engaged and living in DC. While mentioning her various allergic reactions, she made this great statement:

It would be so convenient to be allergic to liars or men with huge issues. Wouldn’t it be great to start sneezing or itching when you’re around someone who is going to be bad for you? You’d be on a date and get a rash and know it was time to say goodbye.

(Amen, sister.)

Janet (aka Love is Blonde) — a happily married, childless home-owner — wrote about her questions of “What do I want to do with my life?” I’ve written about this subject many times in the past, and I know it’s something a lot of us can relate to.

Now that I am approaching my late 20s, married and settled down, I wonder if maybe I’ve waited too long to find my dream or my passion or what I want to do with my life. [...]

Aside from having kids at some point down the road, I just can’t imagine what’s in store for my life. I don’t want to fritter away my 20s and find that it’s too late to find a passion. I can’t just start over and go back to school and try again. Even if I could, I just don’t know what the heck to pursue. What is my destiny and please, please tell me it’s more than writing grant proposals, making really good quesadillas, and blogging on the side.

Who else has come across something lately that made you stop and think?

By Zandria | Posted in BlogHer | Comments (13)

Are You Single and Looking? Get Out and Try Something New.

21stApril2008

(This is cross-posted at BlogHer.)

I’m a firm believer that women can be just as happy when they’re single as when they’re dating or in a relationship, but it’s also okay to admit when you’re ready to meet someone. You want attention; you want to laugh; you want to feel like someone really wants to be around you. At these times you might ask yourself, “What are some fun things I can do to entertain myself and also meet new people?”

In the past, when I was single for a long period of time, it was because that’s what I wanted. I needed time to myself to figure things out in my head, and I didn’t want to be bothered or influenced by someone else. I didn’t make an effort, and I never put myself out there to be discovered, so it was easy to remain single.

So, obviously, if you are looking for someone, you have to make some kind of effort. Sitting around with your girlfriends and moaning about not having someone to hang out with doesn’t count. You have to go places (whether it be in-person, online, or both) to increase your chances of success.

Keeping in mind that I’m a relative newbie to this whole meeting-guys-on-purpose thing, I’ve read enough to know what I would and wouldn’t do if I were looking to meet someone. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve seen is to get out and try something new — something you’ve been wanting to do but have never taken the time to do before. I like this advice because it serves more than one purpose. You’ll not only be putting yourself into a situation where you can meet new people, but even if you don’t meet someone, you’ll still benefit by expanding your knowledge — whether you’ve decided to take some kind of class, or maybe trying a new athletic activity.

(However, you should keep in mind that certain activities are better than others when it comes to meeting men. For instance, I’m currently taking a belly-dancing class where all of the students are female. While the belly-dancing might be useful later if I ever want to show off my skillz — not to mention it’s good for the ol’ abdominals — for the short term, it’s definitely not something I’m using to find a date.)

There are, however, plenty of activities that are more unisex. For instance, I’ve been wanting to try rock-climbing. (And by that I mean a nice, tame, rock-climbing gym. Not a mountain.) I’ve also been talking about getting a bike for a long time. Both of these activities, while being fun (biking) and scary/exhilarating (rock-climbing) would be places where it might be possible to meet new people.

Something else to think about are the things you already do, or places you already go on a regular basis, where you have the opportunity to talk to people but maybe haven’t done so before. For instance, would I talk to a guy at my gym? Sure, as long as he wasn’t being sleazy (but that would be the case in any situation, not just the gym). And of course if you look like you don’t want to be bothered, they shouldn’t bother you. If I leave my iPod at home when I’m doing a weight workout, then I’m opening myself up to being more approachable (and yes, I have noticed that people talk to me more when I’m not walking around with headphones on).

While it’s good to take advantage of new and existing opportunities, there’s also such a thing as trying too hard. For instance, I don’t think it’s a good idea to go somewhere that you know in advance you won’t like, just for the purpose of meeting a guy. (Like those tips to “go to a hardware store to find men” or whatever. What are you supposed to do, just randomly roam the aisles, hoping you’ll be approached by a hottie? I bet if someone approaches you to ask if you need help, odds are it won’t be that hunk you’ve been waiting for.)

The blogger at SF Money Musings considers herself independent and enjoys doing things by herself, but lately she’s “finding [that] being single is sort of depressing.”

When I’m traveling I usually go to museums, sightseeing or eating by myself while others in groups seem to be having the most fun. Don’t get me wrong I don’t mind traveling independently – it allows for a lot of flexibility to see what you want but the experiences seem sort of isolating.

How do all you single girls out there have fun without a significant other?

She mentions that she goes to a cafe to hang out sometimes, which is a good idea and one that other people have found to be effective.

Kelly Davis, writing for San Diego CityBeat, shares a press release that said coffee shops are the new pick-up spot. While a lot of people still go to bars to talk and be seen, they’re not really a great meeting place.

· Only 14 percent of San Diego girls met the last guy they dated at a bar.

· 31 percent would be embarrassed to tell their families they’re dating a guy they met at a bar.

Ms. Single Mama wrote about the “Top Spots to Meet Men” — advice specifically geared towards single moms, but I thought her advice was good for childless ladies as well.

1. Festivals or concerts – the men at festivals and concerts are one step above the men you’ll meet at a bar. They enjoy good music, culture and are active members in their community. [...]

3. The grocery store (on a Monday night) — if you haven’t noticed yet, grocery stores are FULL…FULL of single men on Monday nights. Not sure why. Probably because the stores are nice and quiet. Men hate shopping, so they often don’t put it on the top of their list over a weekend.

4. The bookstore or the library – conversation starters galore. “Is that a good book?” “Have you tried the coffee here?” Etc.

(Her advice about meeting men at the grocery store? It reminded me of when my roommate came home a few weeks ago and mentioned that she’d seen a few hot guys while she was out shopping. I asked her if she’d smiled at them and she said no. When asked why not, she said it was because whenever she has smiled at a guy in the grocery store, she turns around and there’s his cute little wife carrying a baby.)

Where have you had success (or not) in finding men?

By Zandria | Posted in BlogHer | Comments (12)

Fuel Your Body By Eating Clean

15thApril2008

(This is cross-posted at BlogHer.)

Is it possible to talk about fitness without mentioning food? There aren’t many fitness- or sports-related bloggers who neglect to mention what they use to fuel their bodies. I like reading about what other people eat because it tends to give me new ideas (or at the very least, it reminds me I need more variety in my diet).

My go-to phrase is that I can cook — my dinners and baked desserts have always turned out good so far — but if I’m only feeding myself, more often than not I’m not going to make the effort. Especially now that I’m using my after-work hours to take belly dancing classes, or yoga, or to run a few miles around my neighborhood…I feel like it’s more productive for me to have that bit of activity rather than spending the time in the kitchen.

(Another advantage to being active after work? Just like I said above — there is less time spent in the kitchen. I don’t know about you, but when I had all those hours to kill between when I got home and the time I went to bed, I was always looking for something to snack on.)

I definitely eat differently now than I used to years ago, but I’ve found that when you become accustomed to eating foods that are good for you a majority of the time, you just don’t want the other stuff anymore. Cake, cookies, ice cream? I don’t buy it, or crave it. Do you know when people stop drinking soda, and then months later they try it again and complain that it tastes way too overly-sweet? It’s the same concept.

Certain people I work with think I’m strange because I never partake in the occasional ice cream parties we have. Another example? My new male office-mate bought me a cookie last week, and when he put it on my desk I smiled and said, “No, thanks.” (He’s a very quick learner. On Friday he bought me a banana instead.)

I’m the same way with fried foods. Co-workers don’t bother asking if I want their extra French fries or onion rings, because they know I’ll decline. (If you stop eating fried foods and try them again after a long hiatus? The grease will coat your mouth and leave an aftertaste for hours. It’s unpleasant.)

I take my own food to work every day, and I could probably count on one hand the times I’ve gone out for lunch in the 9 months I’ve been at my current job. I carry a large purse around so I can fit all my various containers: breakfast, lunch, snacks.

So what kinds of food do I eat?

Since my roommate and I hardly ever cook, most of my kitchen staples are quick to grab and/or easy to prepare: fruit, like apples and bananas. Low-fat mozzarella cheese sticks. Kashi Go Lean and Grape Nuts cereal. Old-fashioned oatmeal (not the kind sold in individual packets). Unsweetened applesauce. Chicken, turkey, and faux-meat sliced lunchmeat. Turkey burgers. Boca burgers. Frozen vegetables, like broccoli and Brussels sprouts. And, of course, soup. (I like this brand I find in the freezer section that comes in individually-wrapped plastic servings. It seems fresher and has less sodium than the kind sold in the can.) I also drink protein shakes after I do a weight workout (and usually before I go running, too — especially if I’ve just gotten home from work and I’m hungry, but don’t want a lot of food in my stomach).

An advantage to being a single gal (living with a female vegan roommate) is that it’s very easy to keep junk-food out of the house and focus on foods with less artificial ingredients. I tend to indulge in higher-calorie foods when I go out to eat at a restaurant or if I’m spending a weekend at my mom’s house.

Some people like to eat three meals and a snack. I eat mini-meals. This works for me, especially since I have a desk job (eating something every hour or two breaks up what I’m doing). Especially during the week, it’s normal for me to eat up to 7-8 times a day — but keep in mind, those eating-instances are usually 200-300 calories each. My normal calorie consumption usually falls between 1700-2000 per day.

The thing is, healthy eating has become automatic for me, and that’s the key. I’m eating the way I want to eat, so I don’t feel deprived. And the best part? If the majority of the foods you eat are good for you, you won’t ever have to worry about dieting.

Corinne at Phit-n-Phat agrees that eating well and living healthy become automatic after a while.

It struck me today…how it is second nature for me to think about my healthy foods and fitness FIRST, and the junk, indulgent stuff second.

I don’t know when the change happened, but I know the last few years of plugging away, doing the right things each day, that going off plan feels uncomfortable. It used to be eating right and exercising was abnormal. I had to work at getting it in, something always came up that was more important than the gym, buying healthy foods at the grocery store was “expensive” and “no fun”, and eating right meant most of my foods weren’t going to taste good.

Now, I move things around MY WORKOUTS because, yes, they are that important. I go to the store and am SHOCKED at how much convenience foods cost compared to the batch of chicken and rice I cook. Did you know a bag of eight to ten apples costs about the same as six little cups of applesauce? Unbelieveable, I know. The biggest WOW moment is the fact that I enjoy my oatmeal, grapefruit is no longer bitter and doesn’t need sugar, and Fiber One is a sweet cereal when you get off the sugar train. My taste buds ACTUALLY TASTE the fresh foods rather than searching for a gazillion grams of sodium and sugar added to it.

MizFit is a fan of clean eating (meaning minimally- or less-processed food), and I wholeheartedly agree with the advantage she gives of “eating clean”:

The cleaner you eat the more calories you can consume while not gaining weight.

We’ve all seen the magazine articles where they show us a donut versus a large bowl of fruit and a stack of crackers and a few cubes of cheese and ask which would you rather have for the same amount of calories?

(Another tip from MizFit: If you need snacks when you’re on-the-go, you can avoid fast food by making sure to stock your trunk in advance.)

Eartha at Trying Fitness likes the idea of eating clean, but admits it can sometimes be a hassle. One of her examples:

Fact 2: Cooking Every Day Kinda Sucks
Eating clean means no fast-food convenience and if you’re super busy in your daily life (which a majority of people are) you’ll be spending a lot of time preparing your 5 to 6 meals for each day. Whether you do it every morning, every evening, or once for the entire week, that is time that has to be found.

I liked the post Spin Diva wrote about how proud she’s to be a “health nut” mom.

My son, we’ll call him Jteen, was discussing food with his friends, something he does frequently because he’s always hungry. [...] The kids were talking about what they eat or were planning to eat after school. Jteen said, “we don’t have any soda or junk food at home.” To which one teen replied, “oh that’s right, your mom is a health nut, ha ha!” Another teen said, “no junk food or soda for him.” They all laughed, he said, then the next comment was my favorite…”that’s pretty cool that your mom is a health nut, so you really enjoy it when she does buy junk food.” Another teen said, “no wonder I never see you buying anything from the junk machine.” [...]

I am proud to be a “health nut” mom. It’s a plus that his friends think “it’s cool” to be a health nut.

Taylor Ryan from Real Women Lift has a list of the 10 Greatest Post-Workout Snacks.

The post workout snack is responsible for replenishing the body with lost sugar and nutrients during a hard, intense workout and helping the body to recover. Research shows that people that have a post workout snack (particularly one high in protein) have bigger muscle gains that those that don’t after a 30 day period.

A tip I’ve heard many times, when you have food in the house you don’t want to eat? Throw it out. This is what fellow BlogHer-contributor Suzanne does.

To avoid eating too much of something good at home, I often throw a portion of the food away. However, there are times when I want it back so badly that I actually retrieve it from the trash. I’m not so depraved as to do so if there are nasty things in the garbage, but if the item I want is on the top of the pile, maybe on a clean-ish napkin, I may find myself eating it. Seriously.

Noel Figart doesn’t like the idea of vitamin water.

I was passing through one aisle and saw these vitamin water thingies. A couple was debating the health properties of the various brightly-colored water in plastic bottles.

IT’S VITAMIN KOOL-AID, PEOPLE! [...]

I mean, you want kool-aid with vitamins in, go for it. It’s probably marginally better than kool-aid alone, but you’re paying a lot for a marginal health benefit that would do you better if you’d eat a bloody apple or a damn carrot.


Weetabix at Elastic Waist discusses the benefits of eating whole grains.

Having been a child of hippies, who grew up having to eat chewy breads full of seeds and twigs and rocks and maybe a small log cabin, I avoided whole-grained anything for a long time and stuck with carbs that were usually as white as the driven snow. However, I’ve come to appreciate dense fibery breads, chewy brown rice, and steel-cut oatmeals that stay in my gut all morning so that I’m not scrambling for a Little Debbie Nutty Bar by 9:30 a.m.

You can do your best to eat foods that are good for you, but don’t beat yourself up if you take advantage of something you don’t normally eat. As Stephanie says, never eating junk or processed food is unrealistic.

[T]here is a difference between eating a handful of potato chips versus eating a whole bag of the chips. There’s also a difference between eating organic potato chips versus eating potato chips loaded with additives and preservatives. And, there is a difference between eating potato chips once every 3 months or eating them every day. If you start cleaning up your eating by doing things like eating more fruits and vegetables, eating more organics, and drinking more water, then an indulgence here and there is not going to throw you off your path of healthy living.

(Another tip from Stephanie: Buy pre-packaged fruit and veggies if you don’t have time to cut them up yourself.)

Speaking of making vegetables as convenient as possible — Kathryn is a nutritionist, and even though she prefers fresh veggies, she encourages people to eat frozen vegetables, too.

I use them at the end of the week, when the fridge is looking bare. Or when I’m tired and want instant dinner. No washing, peeling or chopping required — simply cut open a bag and empty it into a steamer. A few minutes later and the vegetable component of dinner is sorted.

Over the last few weeks, if I didn’t have frozen vegetables in the house, my diet and health would have suffered.

What are your favorite healthy foods? Do you think you “eat clean” most of the time, or do your eating habits need work?

Related reading:

Don’t take healthy eating too far. Bethany at That’s Fit and Katie at Her Active Life warn about the dangers of orthorexia.

Caroline at Eat, Pray, Run talked about an indulgence at Coldstone Creamery.

JoLynn at The Fit Shack: Do you know what your trigger foods are?

ABC News: Chew On This: Foods That Affect Your Mood

MSNBC: The opposite of eating clean? Junk food dieters.

Veggie Chick: 12 Tips for Eating More Veggies

Diet Blog: A Visual Guide to 15 Healthy Snacks

By Zandria | Posted in BlogHer, Fitness | Comments (14)

Being Hurt, Learning, Moving On

14thApril2008

(This is a modified version of what I posted yesterday at BlogHer.)

If I told you the past few days of my life have been crazy, that would be putting it mildly. It’s been more like this insanely emotional rollercoaster ride that I’m so glad to have finally escaped from.

When I started writing this post on Saturday, I’d gotten up to something, like, fifteen paragraphs. It was insane. There were too many details. After keeping quiet about this aspect of my life for so long, I think my little typing fingers were going “whhhheeeeeeee!” with the gleeful freedom of it.

But I woke up Sunday morning and I was over it. I’m not entirely free of all the thoughts and memories of everything that’s happened — that will take a bit longer — but I’m free of the need to talk about it. I got all the talking out of my system this weekend (thank goodness for friends).

You know something else this whole experience has made me think about? The fact that even though I don’t blog anonymously (I’ve used my real name on my blog from the beginning; I use the real names of my family members and the city where I live; I post photos), we are all still anonymous. We have control over the amount of information and personal details we disclose. If you’ve visited my blog in the past x-number of months, you might have heard references to me doing such-and-such with “a friend.” But would you have known who that friend was? Or that the “friend” in question was usually the same person (because everyone else was identified by their real name)? Of course you wouldn’t have known.

I still haven’t come to terms with certain things, like how someone could attempt to justify hurting not just one, but two women. There’s absolutely no excuse for it, and whenever I think about it, it makes me sick all over again.

But you know what? I’m doing fine, and my life is moving on just fine, too. I’m sure I’ll be involved in something else very soon (maybe even WITH someone else), and then this whole experience will be completely in my past. It will only be a memory; and even though I’m sure something will happen occasionally to remind me of this time in my life, those memories will only be fleeting and I’ll be glad that I lived and learned.

Everything happens for a reason.

By Zandria | Posted in BlogHer | Comments (10)