Nourish Mind and Body

I'm now on Bloglovin'.com!

2010-06-22T20:56:00.001-07:00

My Continuing Journey in Health and Nutrition!

2009-09-23T15:37:00.002-07:00

So, as a lot of you may know, I'm (thankfully) over my high blood pressure thing that I struggled with about a year ago. Ever since that time I've done a 180 on the way I live my life when it comes to food, exercise, and dealing with stress. Obviously, I've been told by my doctors that I'm doing a great job and to keep up the good work. I'm sooo grateful to have overcome my hpertension and to not have it as a worry in my life anymore.
On that note, I've really let dance take over as my exercise outlet, especially clogging. For any of you who believe that there's no athleticism in dance, PLEASE think again! LOL. I'm now in intermediate clogging, and trust me, it's basically like you are hopping up and down for a whole hour straight, maybe longer. I've been at it again for about 2 weeks and already my calf muscles have balled up into these buldging calves of steel! LOL. I eat ONLY healthy food every day and splurge on stuff with heavier carbs and whatnot only when my body is telling me it needs more energy, NOT if I just really want heavy or bad food. I've given up soda and fast food too. You'll only get me to eat that stuff if I'm celebrating something REALLY rare and awesome, LOL. Anyway, my point in all of this is that if I'm getting a whopping 2 and 1/2 hours of exercise a day or more, eating healthy, and organizing my life so I have less stress, then why am I still... how do I put this... not very thin?
Okay, I mean, I'd be perfectly happy staying the size I am for the rest of my life, and I probably will. I am not fat, but my body is built bigger. If you saw the rest of my family on my dad's side you'd know. A lot of them are very obese, and I'm like the only one who can still bend over to tie my shoe! Literally! LOL. I KNOW I'm doing better than people in that category for sure. But sometimes it just baffles me when I see skinny women eating horrible kinds of food, getting barely or no exercise, but then going to get a check-up and having the doctor say "Well, your weight is good... you're healthy!" But when I go, they still tell me I'm healthy, but have to go through a long list of hereditary risks such as diabetes, heart disease and, yes, hypertenstion (been there, done that). They tell me "just keep up some healthy habits and try to keep a healthy weight and you should be at a lower risk for these things." Sheesh, how much healthier can I GET?! LOL.
My point of this note is I just want to know if anyone feels the same way about this as I do. I think I'm being healthy and I feel amazing when I treat my body so well. I even get sick WAY less often. Still, I'm not really seen as the ideal picture of health when people take a first look at me. They consider my size first. They always have.
My conclusion in all of this is that, you know what? If my body isn't made to be skinny, then I'll love the buff, healthy body I've got. Marilyn Monroe was a size 16, so I won't be afraid to say that I am too!If I tell people that I really am big boned and not fat, (because I actually do have a heavier bone mass than average) I won't care whether they believe me or not. My curves will just be another part of who I am and what makes me a little more unique than the next person.
Please tell me your thoughts too! :) Thanks for reading.

2009-09-23T15:37:00.001-07:00

How to make healthy choices at the store! (Click Here for video)

2009-08-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

Day #1 Vlog Part 3! (Click Here for video)

2009-08-25T17:03:00.001-07:00

Day #2 of Healthy Eating! Woo!

2009-08-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

Today was off to a great start as I woke up and ate a much better breakfast than yesterday. Toast with a bit of the Golden Light margerine, a fresh banana, and a glass of cranberry juice. For lunch I had some leftover homemade chicken soup, (which my family could not stop complimenting last night for its tastiness!), a fresh, whole peach, and a leafy green salad with Salad Toppins (see in my first vlog part 2, LOL) and some canned olives. I realized I hadn't gotten much calcuim or dairy yet in the day so I poured myself a glass of milk and sat at the TABLE to eat it, NOT in front of the TV! LOL. YES. Goal one- complete. Now that I've ticked that goal off my list, I plan on keeping it up and starting my next goal: Not eating an hour and a half before bedtime. That puts on extra fat that you can't burn off during the night. It's really hard for me not to eat at night because I'm bored and trying to relax and wind down from daily worries. Still, as long as I preoccupy my time with other productive things like packing for college, writing letters, calling friends, working on one of the three books I'm writing, or something like that, not only will I not gain extra weight, I'll also have a much cleaner schedule the next day. I think I can, I think I can! :)

7 foods that make you happier! (Click Here for link)

2009-08-25T00:16:00.000-07:00

My personal vlog #1 part 2! (Click Here for video)

2009-08-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

My Personal Vlog #1 Part 1! (Click Here for video!)

2009-08-24T21:52:00.001-07:00

Day #1

2009-08-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

So today is my first day of my new healthy lifestyle! Woo! I must say, things have been going pretty well. I did make the mistake of going back to bed this morning after getting up early; something one should never do when trying to get into a good routine. My breakfast was not such a healthy size- 2 Eating Right brand whole wheat fig bars. I could have done better. I need a whole meal, not just a couple of snacks. I'll work on that. For lunch I had some leftover red potatos cooked with peas and pearl onions. Sooo good! I needed to pack in an early dinner tonight so I made some homemade chicken soup, the healthy way! I even made a vlog about it which I will try and post asap!

My goals for this week include NOT eating while watching TV or while on the computer. Only at the table. I don't want eating to seem like a comfort or luxury thing anymore. Just a pleasant necessity that has its own certain times of the day. If I snack, it will be a fruit or vegetable. I LOVE bananas. So quick and delicious. Well, hopefully I'll get the 3 parts of my Day 1 blog up soon. Tootles!

I'm back, and I'm on a mission

2009-08-23T23:10:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone (whoever you are)! So sorry I've not been posting lately. I'm getting ready to go back to college in two weeks, so time and obligations have swept me away. However, today I had a revelation about my use of this blog. You see, the whole reason I started it was so that I would give both others and myself a small boost of motivation to put health back into their life as a top priority, starting with the food they shoveled in daily. Now as I sit here with a foux grilled cheese sandwich (which I'll explain in a moment), watching re-runs of The Nanny on TV, I realize that I haven't really made the ultimate choice to change my lifestyle yet. Well now, it's time to be completely honest and upfront not only with myself, but also you, my readers! (As few as your numbers may be). I'm going to use this blog as a sort of pulic diary. I'm going to get down to the raw nitty gritty of the good and bad of what I eat. I want to include you on my journey back to health! And perhaps get a few on the bandwagon with me along the trail.
Be on the lookout for new diary entries, vlogs, and even whole videos of me explaining tips and ticks I catch though the whole process. A few things will still remain as usual, such as the awesome youtube tip videos I post from time to time. Anyway, the whole thing is sue to be enlightening, uplifting, and will possibly help you live a longer, happier life if you keep reading. Click back soon!

P.S. A foux grilled cheese sandwich is just toast with cheese on it that's been put in the micowave fo 40 seconds. LOL. No butter, no grease, and no pan. Just a plate and the good stuff. I guess it would be much healthier if I used lowfat or fat free white cheese, not the orangy-yellow fatty stuff. But at least it was 100% whole wheat bread? LOL. As you can see, I have plenty of room to impove. To the healthy food isle! AWAY! *Whoosh*

Eat to prevent breast cancer! (Click Here for video)

2009-08-16T23:20:00.000-07:00

How to eat healthy for cheap! (Click Here for video)

2009-08-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

It may sound too difficult, but it is definitely possible! Please watch.

Childhood Obesity (Click Here for video)

2009-08-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

America is the fattest country in the world. The sad thing is, a huge amount of those fat people are our CHILDREN. This video exposes the truth and offers some crucial tips. Please watch!

Welcome to my blog!

2009-08-16T22:32:00.000-07:00

Do you wish you lived a healthier lifestyle? Are you tired of feeling sluggish, eating wrong, and having no motivation to get active in your life? Well, you're about to change that, and I'm about to help you! My name is Sarah, and I'll be your personal health coach.
I should clarify, first, that I am NOT a dietician or nutritionist, and the only education I have on healthy eating and exercise is what I've leanred in several high school and college health, biology, and anatomy classes. Though battles in my own life with my weight, hypertension, and other challenges, I've learned to overcome and maintain a much more healthy AND happy lifestyle. Now that I know more tricks of the trade, I'm ready to share them with the world and perhaps make the world a bit moe fit in return. I am not into diets, I'm into lifestyle changes. I'm a strong supporter of the official food pyramid and follow it religiously. For more on where I get my info, please visit http://www.mypyramid.gov/. I'll try and put up diaries of my findings and thoughts, but also my own progress of getting back in shape as I return to college life. An occasional video o aticle should also be expected most days for other tips. Thanks for reading and click back soon. :)