Listening to my body

 

I’ve been keeping track of the food I eat very consistently since January. It can be exhausting. Also since January, and especially since I started eating vegetarian, I’ve been researching and reading about people who have committed to eating mindfully, listening to their bodies and eating “real” food. I’m trying to get to that point myself but I can’t let myself not log my food every week day. On the weekends I have no problem letting go and eating more mindfully. I know how my body works and I’m afraid that eating the wrong nutritional combination will cause me to gain weight back. I’m still working toward my dream of eating as much real food as possible without relying on my calorie counting app every day. One blog I particularly enjoy that has this mindset is Kath Eats Real Food. I also own a cookbook called “Super Natural Cooking”by Heidi Swanson that is a great inspiration.

I’ve been getting a lot of inspiring feedback from friends and family about the blog and I really appreciate it, although it does make me feel a bit more pressured to set an example. My plan for this week had been to run this morning, but when I woke up my leg joints were aching and I decided to listen to my body and do the fantastic Crunch - Super SlimDown: Pilates Yoga Blend instead. This is one of my favorite workout videos ever, and this morning was the first time I’ve done the whole 40 minute workout. It’s a very flow-y workout that uses dynamic yoga and Pilates moves in a routine that’s easy to follow. I had a full body sweat after, and the stretching motions were exactly what my body needed today. It’s on Netflix Instant if you have it. The workout is led by Ellen Barrett. She is my absolute favorite workout DVD trainer. She's super easy to follow, her routines are never boring, and you can tell that she's extremely knowledgeable.

I usually only work out three days in a row and then take a day off but my schedule didn’t allow that this week. I’m going to a conference in Charlotte tomorrow so I have to leave my house around 7 and when I get home (hopefully around 5) my parents will be here for a visit. I am planning to run Friday morning though, so I hope my joints (and motivation) have improved by then. I’ll leave you with my dinner from last night (that I’ll enjoy again tonight!), smoked tofu with broccoli, pole beans, onion, cabbage & buckwheat soba noodles.