#TransformationTuesday Small Steps = Big Strides

A few weeks ago I posted about falling back and gaining weight. It’s been a tough thing to work so hard to lose 40 pounds and gain it and some more back. It made me uncomfortable and created worry about the health consequences of it. Things like stroke, cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Because of that, I went back to work on a lifestyle change, trying to take small steps in order to get back on the right path to being healthier. I set a reasonable goal: 10 pounds lost by the RWA Conference in Orlando. Why only 10? Well, 10 seems more doable than 40 or even my ultimate goal 75 pounds. Setting a seemingly unattainable goal would only make it that much harder to commit to change.

So here I am, a week away from RWA and guess what: 10 pounds lighter since June 27 when I posted about my yo-yo weight gain.

How did I do it? Small steps. Upped my cardio exercise by 10 minutes. Walked faster on my way to work. Cut down on carbs. You’ll see that I didn’t say eliminated them because that seems to not work since the moment I have any carbs, I yo-yo and go on a carb binge. So an occasional roll, piece of bread, rice or even pasta mixed in seems to work.

I increased fruits and vegetables. Perfect in summer when we’ve got luscious peaches, plums and nectarines available. Mangoes also. Love them!

What’s the next small step? Another 10 pounds by Labor Day. I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going!

Turnip Redux Recipe #TuesdayTip #CooksTreat

My hubby and I love root vegetables, especially carrots, beets and turnips. It’s great to be able to go to the farm market near my office and pick up some locally grown veggies and the one vendor actually has them for really reasonable prices. Here’s a photo of what the green market looks like on a regular day!

Last weekend I picked up some lovely turnips whose greens were still fresh and vibrant. Perfect for making what I call Turnip Redux which was inspired by a recipe from A Chef’s Life on PBS. This recipe uses both the turnip and the greens hence the redux.

For those of you who have not tried turnips, please give them a shot. They are cruciferous veggies that have lots of health benefits. Cancer-fighting, bone and lung health, cardiovascular and digestive aid thanks to Vitamin K and fiber in the greens. Plus, low in calories!

Turnip Redux

2 pounds turnips, peeled and cubed
Turnip greens, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, chopped
Olive oil
2 tbsp butter (optional)
2 slices bacon chopped (optional)

Directions

Cook the turnips in salted boiling water until tender. Drain and coarsely mash.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the bacon (optional). Once the bacon is close to crispy, remove from the oil and add the chopped onion. Sweat it out until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute of two. Add the greens and cook until almost soft. Add the mashed turnips to the greens and cook for another five minutes or so. Add the butter and toss. Garnish with the crispy bacon. The last two steps, butter and bacon are optional.

That’s it! This makes a great side dish for any grilled meat and again, HEALTHY! Enjoy.

#TuesdayTip Health Benefits of Green Tea & Matcha

I have to confess to not being a big fan of green tea, but during a visit to a coffee shop with my daughter, I ended up trying matcha made with almond milk. Yummy!

What is matcha? Matcha is a Japanese green tea powder. It has more health benefits than regular green tea because you are eating the whole leaf and it hasn’t been processed so it contains more catechins and polyphenols than regular green tea. Also lots and lots of anti-oxidants according to a Wall Street Journal article.

You’d have to drink a lot more green tea to compensate for all the benefits in matcha. But matcha can be pricey. I found that a trip to my local Asian market yielded a very large bag for a fraction of the cost than in other stores.

So what benefits can you get from green tea and/or matcha? How about improved blood flow, lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol? Not enough benefits yet? How about cancer fighting properties, some help with weight loss, reduced risk of stroke, memory improvement, tooth decay, and anti-aging?

Sounds too good to be true, right? But if one little cup of day can help, I’m all for it. Just a word of caution: Check with your doctor about drinking green tea, especially if you have glaucoma like I do. Lots of mixed news about whether green tea and/or matcha are good for you or whether they increase intraocular pressure.

For more info, check out these articles:

WebMD: Green Tea Benefits
Medical News Today: Green Tea: Health Benefits
Match Source: Matcha Health Benefits
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#TransformationTuesday #TuesdayTip Walking Your Way to Better Health

A little while ago I posted a photo of myself and my transformation. 40 pounds lost and working on losing another 30.

Of course, a large part of that is diet and anyone that tells you that you can lose weight without eating healthier has a bridge to sell you (will kids even understand that saying today?).

Exercise, while important for losing weight, is also important for improving your overall health. It’s not good to be sedentary and even the smallest amount of movement will benefit you.

When I took the first step in my transformation, it was literally a first step: walking my way to health. It’s a great form of exercise and little by little I built up to how much I walk. Today I usually do about five miles a day (if not more) over the course of the day. How do I do that? Walking everywhere I can and having my Fitbit buddies challenge me to new goals.

My favorite place to walk is the beach, of course, but anywhere will do and it doesn’t take much. Just 15 minutes a day has been shown to improve your overall health.

If you’d like to get started, here are some links with good articles on the benefits of walking!

The Benefits of Walking by Real Simple
Benefits of Walking by Arthritis.org
Trim Your Waistline, Improve Your Health by Mayo Clinic
This is Your Body on Walking by Prevention Magazine (I personally love this magazine!)
3 New Walking Workouts to Blast Fat by Prevention

Another hint for those who work in an office and sit all day: Buy a cheap kitchen timer and set it to go off every half an hour. Get up, walk around, move, squat, lift, do anything! Be Mobile. You will feel the difference in your body once this becomes a regular habit.

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#ThrowbackThursday My First 5K #fitness #health #thisgirlcan

If you had asked me a year ago whether I thought I’d ever be able to run a 5K again, I would have been doubtful. Actually in my youth, I’d run multiple 10Ks, but that was before excess weight pulled me down.

Today’s Throwback is to two weeks ago when I was able to do a 5K on the treadmill. I didn’t break any land speed records, but like I told my hubby when I did 3.5 miles on Sunday, it’s about just being in the race and not how fast I finish.

Anything is possible. I sometimes lose sight of one of the things my mom always told me: Anything can be yours if you’re willing to work hard for it.

For the last year I’ve been working hard at improving my fitness and health. I’m going to keep on working hard at it. I also hope I can inspire any of you who doubt you can do it to take that first step toward a better life.
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#TransformationTuesday Losing & Gaining & Working At It

It’s been a year since I started my lifestyle change. I’ve had a little setback the past two months, but am working on getting back on my change. Carbs being my downfall, so I have to scale back to not having any for a little while to get my equilibrium back.

Despite the setback, I am still working out and feeling better. I thought that today I would share a before and after. The first photo on the right is of me taken on one of the off-site sets for CNN ESPAÑOL right here in NYC in the Time Warner building. I was a guest on the morning show and talking about romances. The photo on the right is one I snapped at a recent conference. I’m 40 pounds lighter and happy with my cute little black dress (courtesy of OG Surf & Skate) and my new haircut, which I managed to make look almost like what it did after I left the hairdresser.

If you have your own transformation story, please take a moment to share it!
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#TuesdayTip Jumpstart Your Day with Breakfast

There are lots of reasons that breakfast is an important way to start your day. For starters, your body’s metabolism has been in a resting state since the night before and you want to jumpstart that metabolism and get it going. That in turn will burn more calories which can help you maintain/lose weight. Plus, it will help avoid snacking on foods that are high in fat and sugar.

Breakfast will also help you reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

Here are some articles for you to check out on why breakfast is so important:

I started skipping breakfast and you know what I found? I was snacking more during the day and at night and losing weight was harder. So today, I’m back to eating breakfast and starting my day with a healthy bowl of oatmeal! I’ll let you know what difference it makes in my life soon!
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