The Fox Tale

I was voted most likely of the Public Allies Class of 2011 to sprout a fox tail. Recently, I embarked on the 90 Day Food Challenge, which I viewed as a nutrition challenge to sustain plenty of physical activity. I kept a record of food and exercise here to stay engaged in the 90 Day Challenge online community. Once that ended, I began the 30 Day Shred. Still going strong.

Restored parks and gardens bring environmental benefits like stormwater capture, and cleaner air that is cooler in the hot summer. These benefits ultimately create a healthier and happier city. But green improvements only add economic and social value to communities if they are adequately maintained. We all want a sustainable environment, and sustainable parks are maintainable parks.

—Our friends at New Yorkers for Parks have a beautifully written op-ed in Monday’s Daily News arguing against cuts to the budgets of parks and green spaces across the city. What do you think? Do parks, gardens, and open spaces make the city a better place to live? ~AR (via nybg)

(via thegreenurbanist)

Today = Awesome

I got up early and did my circuit training. Then, I practiced for a Flash Mob for over an hour. Then the Flash Mob occurred! (Super cool! I could get addicted.) Upon getting home, my running partner was at my house already, so I threw on the running clothes and sneaks and headed out for a two-and-a-half mile run.

My legs = jelly.

fit-and-slim:

7 Good Foods to Improve Moods

Stressed: Eat Chocolate (particularly dark chocolate)

the Journal of Proteome Research, found that eating just a smidge of dark chocolate (about 1.4 ounces) has the power to lower the stress hormones cortisol and catecholamines in the body, reducing your anxiety and giving you a better chance to get the job done

Sluggish: Have a Spinach Salad 

Eat folate-rich foods like spinach and other leafy green vegetables as well as potatoes, fortified breads and cereals, beans, peas and mushrooms.

Cranky: Eat an Apple with Peanut Butter

Crankiness can be a sign that your body needs fuel. Just be sure to refuel the right way: with foods that don’t leave you with a blood sugar crash an hour later, setting the crankiness cycle in motion all over again.

Carbohydrates are a great source of energy that quickly burns out. Adding some fat or protein will slow the digestion process, causing your sugar and energy levels to remain stable for a longer amount of time

Anxious: Eat a Salmon Burger

Salmon is one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids, a nutrient that may help tame your anxiety. 

Dr. Ilardi says it’s best to stick with fish: “The specific form of omega-3 that most strongly boosts mood is found most abundantly in coldwater fish such as salmon, herring, sardines and mackerel.”

Angry: Sip Green Tea 

Green tea contains theanine, which calms you and helps you maintain clear concentration and focus

Sad: Eat Whole Grain Cereal with Low fat Milk

Vitamin D helps in the production of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter known as the “feel-good hormone”.

If you’re low on vitamin D, you may be affecting your body’s ability to stabilize your mood and reduce feelings of depression. To boost your intake of vitamin D, turn to lowfat fortified milk, fortified cereals or mushrooms.

PMS: Eat an Egg-Salad Sandwich 

If your go-to PMS meal usually comes in the form of comfort food (mac ’n’ cheese, potato chips, ice cream) consider making an egg-salad sandwich instead. In the days before your period, it’s normal for women to begin craving carbohydrates. Carbs help your body boost its serotonin levels, in turn helping you improve your mood.

Opt for whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread, and for extra PMS-zapping strength, pair them with tryptophan-rich protein such as eggs, sunflower seeds or turkey, which may enhance the release of serotonin. 
Tip: Cut the mayo and mix your diced hard-cooked eggs with a teaspoon of fat-free or lowfat plain Greek yogurt and half a teaspoon of whole-grain Dijon mustard.


Read more: Foods to Improve Moods - Healthy Living Tips at WomansDay.com - Woman’s Day

(Source: thisblogisntaboutoreos, via tumblrgym)

Glad I Have Friends

In the middle of an otherwise hum-drum day (yesterday) at my job, I took a half-hour lunch with a good friend. Our conversation tended to The Hunger Games, gardening, and growth of the self. She gave me my half of the seed potatoes we ordered together. It was a wonderful, restful reprieve from the workload.

Then, when yesterday’s thoughts kept running back to The Hunger Games(I started reading the book the night before), I was so tempted to skip my run and curl up on the couch wrapped in the mind of Katniss Everdeen in the city of Panem. However, for this particular run, I had my old running buddy meeting me at my house for a quick 2 mile welcome back (I haven’t ran in two months). If it wasn’t for him, I would have skipped it and disappeared into crocheted afghans on the sofa, with only a kindle and my cat for company. (I still got to do that later in the evening, but with a clear conscience.)

Friends are awesome. So long as they’re genuine friends (perhaps in another post, we can discuss the crazy-makers and the poisonous “friends”). They get you out of your routine, shake your thoughts up, and challenge you to always better yourself, or to at least hold yourself accountable. When I was in a deep well of depression, it was cultivating these relationships that partly helped to elevate my state of mind. (Other parts included CBT, regular exercise, quitting smoking for good, and finding a line of work that was meaningful and challenging.)  And still, they continue to act as my lifelines when boredom and lethargy threaten to overtake (or when a really good story consumes my every thought and threatens my exercise routine). They keep me accountable to myself, to continue to make healthy choices, and to meet challenges creatively and with integrity.

For all my friends not mentioned in this post (and I am blessed to have many), each and every one of you has a positive effect on me, and attributes which I treasure. You guys rock. Thanks.

Weight loss does not make people happy. Or peaceful. Being thin does not address the emptiness that has no shape or weight or name. Even a wildly successful diet is a colossal failure because inside the new body is the same sinking heart.

—Geneen Roth (via 0nedayouwill)

(Source: shetakesflight, via fitforinfinity)

“I work ouuuut”

LMFAO, Sexy and I Know It = new favorite jam. I know it’s been out a while, but in my first Zumba class (happened last Monday) we did a routine to the track, and I can’t stop singing it (interspersed with Sondheim songs from “Into the Woods” and Kermit’s “The Rainbow Connection” - it’s been a strange soundtrack inside this skull). Anyway, I finished Week 4 of Jillian Michaels’ “Ripped in 30.” I was thinking of doing the twenty-minute Insanity workout, but I don’t have it yet. So, I went back to Jillian Michaels’ “30 Day Shred.” I prefer “Ripped in 30.” But, going back to Level 1 of the Shred has shown me just how much stronger I have gotten in the past two months (did a month of 30 Day Shred followed by a month of Ripped in 30).

I am sore today, though!

I’ve also been to three Zumba classes in the past week as well as one cycling class. The cycling class made me feel like my heart might implode. What a workout! Zumba is crazy fun.

Since I am not counting calories or recording food, I have noticed I have been eating more sweets and less veggies and proteins. So, I am making meal plans to follow, and not bringing any sweets into the house (except for the healthy versions that I myself bake). I am determined to live a healthy lifestyle without all the measuring and numbers involved. The added cardio from joining the gym should help keep any fat gain at bay while I adjust. And I need to remember that protein for all my training!

Today I will go for a run in the afternoon with a friend. It’ll be the first run in two months (I took a break), so wish me luck!