Day 5 and Day 6: Shit is getting hard

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After 4 relatively easy days I've finally started to hit some obstacles. Yesterday at work multiple people brought in donuts. They smelled heavenly, thick globs of fried dough saturated with ooey gooey sticky sugar glaze. Our kitchen isn't sectioned off at work, it stretches along the hallway leading our cubes and offices to support staff so I had to constantly walk past the tempting treats.

While I was very proud to have kept to my resolution I apparently wasn't done being tempted yet. Last night my dreams consisted off large buffet style dessert tables weighed down with every treat imaginable. I can't remember if I indulged in my dream but at some point the dream me did remember my resolution and I was so bummed out.

I really have to up my motivation and will power so here's a study posted on Mind Body Green about the negative effects of sugar: Sugar Can Make You Dumb.

"Eating too much sugar can eat away at your brainpower, according to US scientists who published a study Tuesday showing how a steady diet of high-fructose corn syrup sapped lab rats' memories.
Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) fed two groups of rats a solution containing high-fructose corn syrup -- a common ingredient in processed foods -- as drinking water for six weeks.
One group of rats was supplemented with brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), while the other group was not.
Before the sugar drinks began, the rats were enrolled in a five-day training session in a complicated maze. After six weeks on the sweet solution, the rats were then placed back in the maze to see how they fared.
"The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity," said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
"Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats' ability to think clearly and recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier."
....In other words, eating too much fructose could interfere with insulin's ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar, which is necessary for processing thoughts and emotions.
"Insulin is important in the body for controlling blood sugar, but it may play a different role in the brain, where insulin appears to disturb memory and learning," Gomez-Pinilla said.
"Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body. This is something new. Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think," said Gomez-Pinilla.
"Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage."

Also!!! 14 Mind Blowing Facts About Sugar

Infographic from Total Health as posted by Mind Body Green

I am probably going to troll Mind Body Green all day for wellness tips and motivation, it's a beautifully designed website with tons of great articles and information and I'm glad I found it to help keep me on track towards my health goals. Anyone else have any inspiring health websites???

2013 Resolutions

I love resolutions. I get so excited for a fresh start and motivation for new and exciting changes. I have so many goals for next year and I can't wait to get started on them.

Health Goals

1. Run Capital 10K in one hour or less: I've only ran the Cap10k once but I really, really, REALLY want to do it in under 1 hour. It's entirely possible for me to run a 10 minute but I tend to go slow and steady when I run long distances. 

2. Complete a fun run 5k or 10 (foam run, mud run, gorilla run, jail break,zombie run, etc): There are so many fun runs and I've always wanted to do one but I've just never made it a priority. I've wanted to do the warrior run for years and each time it passes I'm always so bummed out. This year I want to complete more fun runs and races for good causes. 

3. Weight train more: I've always been great at cardio but struggled with lifting. I don't want to bulk up but lifting weights is so important in sculpting a healthy body. I want to incorporate new moves and exercises into my normal daily routine.

January Health Goals

1. No desserts: I am so scared of this goal. I have the biggest sweet tooth ever and things get a bit crazy during the holidays. I seriously need to detox from sweets. The more sugar you eat the more you crave it. I need a clean start. I definitely don't want sweets out of my life forever but I want to really push myself this first month to not really so heavily on sugar.

2. 50 squats a day: I just want a really amazing butt. Ain't no thang.

Life Goals

1. Save at least $1000 a month for student loans and make a $10,000 chunk payment: I already $2500 saved and I'm hoping that in 6 months I can make a payment and then start saving again for another payment. If I can work hard and make huge payments the next couple of years than by the time I'm 30 I can start saving for a house and maybe think about kids. 

Errand Goals: 

Okay, the next goals are mearly errand but they suck and makine them a resolution makes it more exciting to do. It's important to throw yourself some low balls so you can stay motivated for all the really hard goals.

1. Get a new drivers license with an update address

2. Go to the gyno and try to find a birth control I like

3. Go to the eye doctor/look into lasik

4. Sign up for the Capital 10k: I've technically already done this but it's still on the list because I LOVE crossing items off my to-do list/resolutions.

Craft Goals

1. Redecorate my bedroom: Already on my way to this. We picked up new bedding and curtains and I just need a few pieces of furniture to really complete our room.

2. Write a short story or book: I love writing and I really want to do it more. My writing used to be so good (I've been published and won awards) but lately it's a struggle for me to express myself clearly. I'm so excited to try new stories and see where my imagination can take me. 

3. Reupholster my ugly painted chair: Oh God it's so ugly and it's been this way for so long and my boyfriend just gives me that sad look whenever I say I'm going to fix it. I MUST do this.

4. Learn more hairstyles than the same bull shit I constantly wear: I suck at hair and makeup. I'm just not that  good at it and I want to be better and learn stylish and grownup hairstyles. 

5. Cook new recipes: I want to try new and more advance cooking techniques. I want to push myself to try new things and grow in the kitchen (but not in the waist line, haha).

Blueberry Banana Oat Bran Muffins

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My goal to try to get healthy is going really well. I've been eating really clean, exercising with more frequency and intensity, and allowing myself to indulge as long as it's in my calorie limit. I've already lost 6 pounds and I feel great. I use the MyNetDiary app on my iPhone to help track my calorie intake and exercise.

Fruit has been really cheap lately which has been amazing. I bought watermelon, mangos, bananas, and blueberries all within my grocery budget. I wanted to make a quick and healthy breakfast muffin for mornings when I want to eat and stay full but I don't have a lot of time. 

I found this Recipe and I really like it and the fact that the calories had already been figured out for me :)

Gibbs Banana Oat Bran Muffin

Oat Bran, 2.25 cup 
Baking Powder, 3 tsp 
Maple Syrup or sugar, .25 cup 
Milk, nonfat, 1.25 cup (* I used almond milk which has no fat and less calories)
*Egg white, 2 serving (*I just used 1 whole egg)
Banana, fresh, .75 cup, mashed 
Almonds, .5 cup, chopped (No Almonds)
(optional: handful of rasins or blueberries and .25 cup of shreded coconut)

*I made a few modifications with my recipe which I listed on the side

I found this nifty website that has a recipe calculator and my muffins came out to be about 70 calories a pop. They are super filling and great for digestion. Plus, they are super cheap, bananas are less than $0.50 a pound and oatmeal and oat bran are super cheap in bulk and can be used in tons of different ways.