You are what you Eat!

Ever hear of that expression? I really believe it is true. If you eat fatty food, you will be fat. I am one of the lucky ones. I have a semi fast metabolism. However, after taking a look at my before pictures I took Monday night, I don't think I realized how much I am covering up. I had already made up my mind to eat better and get more exercise, whenever possible. These pictures definitely motivated me to get on track. I typically have a good week's worth of excuses before I really start committing to things but they inevitably always start with "I will begin ______ on Sunday, the beginning of the week." Well, guess what? After looking back and realizing how fast the last year has gone by, starting Sunday is not good enough.

What is good enough? The foods my body has consumed today. This morning I started out with a breakfast smoothie. It is made with:
1/2 cup .5% natural yogurt
1/2 cup .5% milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries & raspberries
1/2 tablespoon of local honey
Just blend together and voila - a really yummy, filling breakfast that is good for you too (so good, it even grows among plants - ha!). As most of you know, blueberries and raspberries are filled with antioxidants which help your body fight against tons of diseases including Macular Degeneration, they help your brain by reducing the effects of age related conditions such as Alzheimers or dementia and they promote gastrointestinal health (no details needed here!). To get a full report on blueberries or raspberries, just click here or here.

For my afternoon snack, I opted for a really good protein/carb combo with a sprinkle of fruit. Behold, the power of a peanut butter and banana sandwhich...
Of course, in true UN-Elvis form, I did not fry mine. Nor did I pop a ton of sleeping pills afterwards. Instead, I enjoyed it with a cup of green tea. I recently read that eating a meal like this before or after running helps your muscles recover more quickly and reduces your soreness. This is because during workouts, your body burns carbs first then goes to the proteins stored in your muscles next (hence, muscle soreness, fatigue). By providing your body with a sandwich like this, it uses this fuel instead as the bananas are a "high-glycemic carbohydrate" meaning they will be absorbed quickly. In addition, bananas are an excellent health source providing 467mg of potassium which help protects against high blood pressure among other things. To see the full write up on bananas, click here.

My way of dieting is this - do what you can, when you can and don't sweat it when you can't. Now you can take that quote to the bank.