This week went pretty well. I cleaned out the pantry of the most heinous diet offenders and except for a few mostly unavoidable "white" invaders (there was a pizza night and a brief run-in with some chocolate chips) it's been fairly easy to cut unhealthful things out and replace with better items. The best part is all the yummy, healthy stuff I found around town.
Here's what I've been able to locate:
The Organic Store close to my house sells:
Whole wheat tortillas
raw corn tortillas (which make yummy baked tortilla chips to eat with salsa)
wheat germ
whole wheat flour
whole grain crackers
whole wheat jiao-zi (dumplings)
brown rice
Raw Sugar (less processed than white or brown sugar)
100% Organic Juice
Flaxseed Oil
Barley
Muesli
Organic Oats
Additionally Costco sells:
Whole-wheat spaghetti noodles
organic peanut butter (which contains no sugar or salt)
a large selection of nuts and dried fruits (just watch the added sugar varieties)
Granola
Yogurt
For anyone in my area interested in the organic store, it is located at HePing East Road, Sec. 2 (across from Da'An Park and next to Dante Coffee which is two doors down from the Starbucks at HePing and JianGuo Expressway)
Also, I have set a goal to run the Taipei Fubon Half Marathon this December. If anyone around Taipei is interested in joining me for training, I run on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday nights at 7:30pm. Currently I am running a slow-placed 5k around Da'An Park on Thursdays and Sundays and do speedwork at the Tai-Da track on Tuesdays. If you want to train with me just let me know.
Talk next week.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Experiment: No Flour, No Sugar
Lately, I've been kicking around the idea of trying something different in our "food lifestyle". I use the term food lifestyle instead of diet because of the negative connotations of "going on a diet." We are not going on a diet but rather I will be eliminating certain unnecessary and unhealthful portions to the way we eat. Actually, this isn't even a completely new concept.
Several years ago (before we had children and I had time to think about such vanities as my waistline) I eliminated "white" from my diet. This meant that I ate little to no white flour, white sugar, white rice or white potatoes. This was also during my running days and I would frequently run 8-15 miles every Saturday morning at 6am. Driven? yes. Crazy? At least a little. But it's the crazy people of the world that keep life interesting, right? (As long as you're not directly related to too many crazies- unfortunately I come from a long line of crazies and come by it natural).
Anyways, here's my plan: For 30 days I will essentially eliminate all "white" from my diet. This includes the obvious culprits such as sugary sodas, cakes and snacks but also the less so obvious such as flour tortillas as well as the hard to avoid variety such as white rice and potatoes.
I found a health food store near our apartment that sells wonderful whole-grain goodness in the form of whole-wheat flour, whole-wheat tortillas (haven't tried them yet, hope they are good), and organic brown rice.
This is a new experiment on an old food lifestyle and I'm curious to see what effect this will have on my waistline (which seems to be ever increasing with children and age) and my triglycerides level which also seems to be ever increasing.
In addition to this new food lifestyle, I will be maintaining my current exercise pattern of running at least 3 miles three times per week, yoga once per week and an additional cardio/ab workout once or twice per week.
Today is Day One and here's the rundown on the grub:
Breakfast:
1/2 cup Oatmeal with raisins sweetened with honey and just a little salt, 1 cup milk.
Lunch:
4" Subway whole wheat sandwich (Ava ate my other 2"), Tortilla Chips and Salsa, Banana. I sure wish I could get baked Lays here. :(
Snack:
Homemade applesauce sweetened with just a pinch of brown sugar and cinnamon
Dinner:
Mediterranean Chicken (You can find this recipe on my other blog at www.intentionallyliving.blogspot.com), 1/2 cup Brown Rice and a yummy glass of unsweetened Lipton iced tea.
Exercise:
Run 3 miles (twice around the park by our house)
I can't promise to update this everyday but I will definitely share milestones a few times per week.
Several years ago (before we had children and I had time to think about such vanities as my waistline) I eliminated "white" from my diet. This meant that I ate little to no white flour, white sugar, white rice or white potatoes. This was also during my running days and I would frequently run 8-15 miles every Saturday morning at 6am. Driven? yes. Crazy? At least a little. But it's the crazy people of the world that keep life interesting, right? (As long as you're not directly related to too many crazies- unfortunately I come from a long line of crazies and come by it natural).
Anyways, here's my plan: For 30 days I will essentially eliminate all "white" from my diet. This includes the obvious culprits such as sugary sodas, cakes and snacks but also the less so obvious such as flour tortillas as well as the hard to avoid variety such as white rice and potatoes.
I found a health food store near our apartment that sells wonderful whole-grain goodness in the form of whole-wheat flour, whole-wheat tortillas (haven't tried them yet, hope they are good), and organic brown rice.
This is a new experiment on an old food lifestyle and I'm curious to see what effect this will have on my waistline (which seems to be ever increasing with children and age) and my triglycerides level which also seems to be ever increasing.
In addition to this new food lifestyle, I will be maintaining my current exercise pattern of running at least 3 miles three times per week, yoga once per week and an additional cardio/ab workout once or twice per week.
Today is Day One and here's the rundown on the grub:
Breakfast:
1/2 cup Oatmeal with raisins sweetened with honey and just a little salt, 1 cup milk.
Lunch:
4" Subway whole wheat sandwich (Ava ate my other 2"), Tortilla Chips and Salsa, Banana. I sure wish I could get baked Lays here. :(
Snack:
Homemade applesauce sweetened with just a pinch of brown sugar and cinnamon
Dinner:
Mediterranean Chicken (You can find this recipe on my other blog at www.intentionallyliving.blogspot.com), 1/2 cup Brown Rice and a yummy glass of unsweetened Lipton iced tea.
Exercise:
Run 3 miles (twice around the park by our house)
I can't promise to update this everyday but I will definitely share milestones a few times per week.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Drag
The tree-lined path wound in front of me. Through the park and around the city it crept. It teased, encouraged and dared me to conquer it. The stealth night air wrapped icy fingers around exposed arms. It beckoned me forward and prodded me back at the same time. Leafless trees swayed forward as if to say "you can't catch me." I take one step, then another. It feels good. I feel the dull thud in my chest begin. At first it beats in rhythm with my step and then much quicker. My breath becomes halting and deliberate. It feels exhilirating and awful at the same time. I am a runner...again.
Four years ago, I ran a marathon. Before that I had set a PR of running a half marathon in just under 2 hours. Then, I had two babies in two years and moved to a foreign country- twice. A year ago, I began my quest to become a runner again. You must understand that just because a person jogs or runs on a consistent basis does not make them a runner. When you leave the house without a route, a watch or a destination and you just want to run, just for the sake of running- then you can then call yourself a runner. I haven't been one in a long time.
My first attempts at runs were little more than brisk walks. But tonight, I felt the thrill again. 1 mile, then 2, then 3. Horrid, intense, wonderful miles. Like watching an old, scary movie. You want to stop watching it. You know the bad guy is behind the door. You know the killer is going to get his next victim. But you can't stop. It grips you. It is terrible and fantastic at the same time.
That's when you know you're a runner. I started this blog several months ago and hadn't posted yet. I was waiting for it to find me again.
I probably won't post often on here and when I do it may or may not have anything to do with running. This is my space. This is the place where I will share whatever I feel like. It may have nothing to do with actually running but that's why it is my space. You can get your own space.
See you after the next run.
Four years ago, I ran a marathon. Before that I had set a PR of running a half marathon in just under 2 hours. Then, I had two babies in two years and moved to a foreign country- twice. A year ago, I began my quest to become a runner again. You must understand that just because a person jogs or runs on a consistent basis does not make them a runner. When you leave the house without a route, a watch or a destination and you just want to run, just for the sake of running- then you can then call yourself a runner. I haven't been one in a long time.
My first attempts at runs were little more than brisk walks. But tonight, I felt the thrill again. 1 mile, then 2, then 3. Horrid, intense, wonderful miles. Like watching an old, scary movie. You want to stop watching it. You know the bad guy is behind the door. You know the killer is going to get his next victim. But you can't stop. It grips you. It is terrible and fantastic at the same time.
That's when you know you're a runner. I started this blog several months ago and hadn't posted yet. I was waiting for it to find me again.
I probably won't post often on here and when I do it may or may not have anything to do with running. This is my space. This is the place where I will share whatever I feel like. It may have nothing to do with actually running but that's why it is my space. You can get your own space.
See you after the next run.
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