Fitness Friday: Summer Porridge

I’m going to try and start a new regimen for blogging which will hopefully get me to do it more consistently. And I’m starting with the end of the week, because any day is a great day to make a change!

I’ve been vacillating between eating egg white, turkey and provolone on an English muffin or summer porridge for breakfast lately (as I have previously blogged about) and as promised, today I’m going to share my slightly tweaked version which keeps me full for hours without any desire to snack in between.

1/4 c old fashioned oats

1/4 c plain greek yogurt

1/3 c almond milk

2 tsp chia seeds

2 tbsp chocolate or coffee protein powder (this is the kind I like) or 1 tbsp protein powder and 1 tbsp powdered peanut butter

1 tsp stevia, maple syrup or honey (optional, especially if adding fruit)

Almond slivers

Fruit on hand – I’ve tried it with a handful of blackberries, blueberries, sliced banana, etc. Plenty of possibilities!

Prep is simple. All you have to do is mix all of the ingredients except fruit together and put it in the fridge overnight. I use these but you could also use mason jars or whatever container you have which fits. Then in the morning add the fruit either before you head out the door or in a baggie to bring with you to work.

I love making this for breakfast because it’s delicious, filling and I can make it the night before. This is great for those of us who find it difficult enough just to get ourselves ready for the day and out and about in a decent amount of time.

Hope you try it sometime!

 

Mental Health

I’ll get to doing my Top Ten Tuesday eventually this week (I know, consistency) but something else is weighing on my mind that I think is more important and needs to be addressed.

I have had close friends in my life who have struggled with depression, especially severe depression which has turned to suicidal ideations and even attempts. Thankfully, I don’t know anyone who was successful in a suicide attempt but I know it happens. I really feel for my friends who have struggled with and are currently struggling with severe depression. Now, I’ve been depressed and I’ve been down but I’ve never experienced a depression so severe I have looked to suicide as a way out. So I can’t truly understand how debilitating it can be. However, I do think that a major issue regarding mental health is the stigma still attached to seeking help for a problem. It doesn’t make any sense. If you break your arm or you have an infection you see a doctor. Why isn’t the same true when your sickness is mental rather than physical? Why is it still considered an act of weakness, like you can’t just grin and bear it? No one thinks that a person with a broken arm is considered weak for going to the ER. It’s unfair and frankly unhealthy for the stigma to continue.

I believe that depression (as well as other mental illnesses) has multiple causes or contributors. I know that brain chemistry plays a part, with serotonin levels and something that is calculable and graphable. However, I also think that a lot of depression comes from unresolved issues in life, whether they come from childhood or current experiences or worries about the future or whatever. We have many stressors in life, some controllable and taken on by choices made and some just as a part of life. I don’t believe necessarily that taking a pill a day is going to solve all of your problems – it definitely helps in some cases, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes things go deeper and need to be resolved before you can move on and move up. I think there are quite a few people in my life who could benefit from working through resolving issues and just learning more about themselves (myself included).  But in the end, it doesn’t matter how the depression occurs, once it does, it needs to be acknowledged and treated. There is nothing wrong with seeking help when you need it, it only reflects a different kind of strength.

My journey begins…

 

Okay, so it’s not entirely true. I officially started this journey March 9th, but I’ve been busy lazy about updating. However, it has come to critical mass on my mind, so attention must be paid, because I know there will come a point in all this where I am weak and I want to throw in the towel and give up. Hopefully, whenever that happens, I’ll read this and be encouraged.

I’ve been heavy all my life. Call it what you want, I was an obese child and now I’m an obese adult. I was always much more in touch with my imagination than my feet as a child. I’m not blaming anyone, because although there were factors which lead to my weight, the decision not to do something about my size is inevitably mine. I turned 27 this year. I realized that if I don’t do something about my weight and my lifestyle then I’m not going to live to a ripe old age to torment those I love. 😀

So, March 9th marked a change in my lifestyle. I started walking, going to the gym, using the Wii Fit and basically doing anything that would add some movement to my life. Unfortunately, I did not take my starting weight. This was partially due to the fact that I just didn’t want to know it and also because I didn’t have an accessible scale that could record my weight (I’m unfortunately heavy enough to need a higher capacity scale).

But honestly, that’s okay, because I know I’m not in this for the numbers. I’m truly, and finally(!!), ready for lifestyle change. I want to eat healthier and be more active. I want to someday do the Run for the Zoo or something like that and actually RUN it. I want to be able to do a martial art or dance and be graceful.  And I’m on my way.

They say it takes 21 days to create a habit. I’ve been doing this almost twice that and I can tell that it is a habit. I don’t always work as hard some days as I do others. I eat better some days than I do others. The point is that I’m trying and it’s showing. Multiple people have mentioned it to me at work and I can feel the difference. My body feels better, I have more energy. My body is tightening up and leaning down. It’s a fantastic feeling and I want to keep it up. I’m not afraid or ashamed to get on the scale anymore, because I see the numbers going down and I see progress. It’s not about where I was, it’s about where I am, where I’m going and the journey to get there.

(This is kind of all over the place, but that’s kind of the point of a blog, right? – I don’t have to censor or gather myself in a journal style entry, as far as I’m concerned.)