New Years resolutions are something that people either love, or hate. I for one really love setting goals and having a to do list to help me stay motivated and on track. That being said, this year I’m reframing my approach to the start of the year by setting intentions rather than resolutions.
So what does that mean? It means that I’m focusing on my present rather than fixating on past mistakes or future resolutions.
My 2019 intentions:
Be in the present: I can get caught up in worrying about future events or stressing about past behaviors rather than appreciating the moment, so I really want to start 2019 by making a conscious decision to be in the present and appreciating the now. A few of the ways that I can help achieve this is through daily affirmations and writing in a gratitude journal.
Be kind to myself: Making time for self care is important and something that I would like to make a priority in 2019. I have a tendency to think of other people’s needs before my own, but I can make small changes to ensure that I’m giving myself some time and attention each day. A relaxing evening routine with a bath is a great way to give yourself some love, as well as meditation and yoga.
Feel joy: As I mentioned above, I can get caught up in both the past and the present, rather than truly enjoying the present. For 2019 I will work on fully experiencing the joy in everyday life, rather than looking forward or back.
Since I started my healthy living journey nearly a decade ago, I’ve tried many different ways of eating. I’ve succumbed to trends. I’ve tried new foods. I’ve cut out other foods. But most of all, I’ve tried to keep an open mind. What works for one person may not work for another, and what works for you one year, may not work for you the next. Now after that little introduction, I wanted to give you a quick and dirty break down of foods to add to your diet, and foods to AVOID.
Foods to GIVE UP:
Fried foods – Fairly self-explanatory 🙂
Heavily processed foods – Simply put… Does it come in a package? Try to cut it out. Long list of ingredients? Try to cut it out.
Foods/food-like substances with no nutritional value – Packaged sauces, dressings, and condiments, pre-made meals, snack foods, fruit juices etc.
High sugar foods – Cut out the candy, baked goods, and definitely cut out the sodas
Refined carbs – Pasta, white bread, packaged pastry products… You know they’re terrible for you, time to ditch them
Foods to Add:
Whole foods – ALL the fruits & veggies
Whole grains – Don’t worry, you can still have pasta. Just swap your refined white flour pasta for quinoa, chickpea, brown rice, or lentil.
Water – Start increasing your water intake each day
Spices – Worried that you won’t enjoy your food once you give up sugary, high-fat dressings and sauces? Try adding fresh herbs and dried spices
Healthy fats – Swap processed, pre-made foods that are high in saturated and trans fats, for healthy fats like avocado, eggs, nuts, seeds, and beans
Green tea – High in antioxidants and great for weight loss, including green tea in your day is a win-win
I’ll be back for another installation of Project Comeback so stay tuned!
Welcome to the new MCLV Running series! I’ve posted about running quite a bit in the past, see the list of posts below for more, so I thought it was time to start a series to celebrate my favorite pastime! Today I’m sharing the new challenge that I’m setting for myself. I mentioned it my 2018 Golden Gate Half Marathon post as well as in a training-for-the-injured post last year, but as a result of my injuries, I can’t follow a traditional training program. I can’t run three times a week, let alone four or five. What I can do, is one longer run on the weekend, and one Barry’s Bootcamp session with ~2 miles of intervals on a treadmill each week. This is a good combination for me and has worked well in the past.
The challenge that I’m setting for myself is with the weekends runs is to work on hitting specific distances under set times. Below is a breakdown of what I’d like to accomplish before the Kaiser Half Marathon in February.
3k Challenge: (1.86 miles)
First – Hit 16:10 minutes, which is 1.86 miles at an 8:40 pace (If you check out my last race post, you’ll see that my latest Half Marathon pace was slightly below 9 minute miles)
Second – Hit 14:55 minutes, which is an 8:00 pace
5k Challenge: (3.1 miles)
First – Hit 25:52 minutes, which is an 8:20 pace
Second – Hit 24:50 minutes, which is an 8:00 pace
10k Challenge: (6.2 miles)
First – Hit 54:52 minutes, which is an 8:50 pace
Next – Hit 50:44 minutes, which is an 8:10 pace
Finally – Hit 48:40 minutes, which is a 7:50 pace
I’m not particularly fast, but this is a challenge that’s fun and exciting for me, and gives me something to reach/train for, that my body can handle.
Love to run? Check out some previous posts to get inspired!
While I love the holidays, and look forward to them, they can be fairly hard on your body. Between all of the late nights, indulgent treats, and cocktails, you start to feel pretty low energy by the time New Years rolls around. This 10 day cleanse is easy, quick, and you still get to EAT. Well… Maybe easy isn’t the best word. But it’s definitely worthwhile. It’s a great way to give your adrenals and gut a break, and you’ll be able to put your best food forward for all of your holiday engagements this year.
Here are the do’s and don’t’s for the 10 day cleanse:
Don’tconsume:
Caffeine
Alcohol
Sugar/Sweeteners (including natural added sugars like agave or honey, but excluding fruits and veggies containing sugar, those are fine)
Soy
Corn
Wheat
Dairy
Peanuts
Doconsume:
All the whole foods – Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. (Non-processed meat as well if you’re an omnivore)
LOTS of water
Pre/probiotics
Fermented foods without added sugar
Caffeine is one of the hardest things for most people to give up, but you can ease your way into it by starting to cut back a few days before officially starting the cleanse. That way there isn’t quite as much of a shock to the system. Below are my thoughts and experiences with some of these factors to give you an idea of what to expect and how you may feel.
Caffeine – I was worried about this one to be honest. I generally drink 3-4 cups of tea a day, but I rarely keep track and I’m sure that sometimes it’s higher. Turns out, not much to worry about. I was a little headachy the first day, but woke up bright as a button the second day. (Also – What in the world does that expression mean?)
Alcohol– Let’s be honest, we all feel better when we don’t drink. The end. 🙂
Sugar/Sweeteners – This is the item that had the biggest impact on me. Start reading your labels and you’ll realize you’re consuming much more sugar than you expect. Dressings, marinades, sauces, protein powders, protein bars… Basically anything packaged. They’re all filled with sugar or sweeteners. Cutting out these items really forced me to look at my meals more critically and make more informed choices. It also meant planning ahead because I couldn’t reach for a quick bite like a protein bar.
Soy– I’ve gotten into the lazy habit of having store-bought veggie burgers and sausage patties when I’m too tired to cook. Yes, they’re great convenience items, but this was a good wake up call that I should make/keep whole food options around as well. This also meant that between no soy and no sugar (aka my protein powders and bars) my protein intake was much lower than normal. Once I got into the swing of it and actually did my meal prepping, I was fine.
Overall I thought this was a great cleanse. You still get to eat but you see and feel results. PLUS it’s a great reminder to pay attention to your food and to help get you out of bad habits. That was my biggest takeaway, that I get lazy and reach for foods that are more processed than what I should be eating on a regular basis.
Stay tuned for some fun recipes that I came up with during this cleanse!
I was excited to celebrate my 36th birthday this year by running the Golden Gate Half Marathon for a second time, completing my 6th half marathon since I took up running. I ran it two years ago and it turns out that I got virtually the same time despite not training! 🙂 Read on for my thoughts on the race and my performance.
Course: My last race was the Kaiser Half in February which was a fairly flat race that starts and ends in Golden Gate Park, and includes running along Ocean Beach on the Great Highway. The Golden Gate Half is completely different! Starting near Ghirardelli Square you run past Crissy Field to the bridge, across, and back around to the start. It’s a hilly journey, but absolutely gorgeous. The day was bright and beautiful, no fog on the bridge or anything.
Organization: If you’ve ever been to the Ghirardelli Square area you know that it’s a nightmare to navigate. Tiny streets, zero parking, millions of tourists, and the San Francisco speciality, one-way streets. Now add thousands of wandering runners and their supporters. It was… Messy. Not a good space to start/finish and not a good space for the bib pick-up and expo.
Race Day Vibes: The race starts pretty late, 7am, so it wasn’t particularly cold and was already light. I’ve brought sunglasses to races before and regretted it, but this was the first time I didn’t have them and wished that I did! Since it was sunny and there was no fog, I got pretty hot! Lots of people and lots of excitement. One thing that happened a few times during this race that I’ve never seen before, was people stopping in the middle of the running path to take selfies. Actually blocking the path and having runners colliding with them, while they stopped to take photos. It was kind of baffling.
Personal Performance: As I mentioned above, I failed to train for this race. This Summer there were lots of weddings and events and weekends away, plus fires in Northern California that meant outdoor running wasn’t possible. Excuses, excuses, I know. But, but the time the race rolled around, I had only been in the habit of running 2-3 times a month, and hadn’t tackled any long runs in preparation. That being said, I’m all about that cross training life, and was still working out regularly, and in pretty good shape in terms of cardiovascular health. I headed out on race day to have fun and enjoy the views, but with no expectations. I hoped to get under 2 hours, but was planning to listen to my body and not overdo things. Check out the times for my six half marathons below! 🙂
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Hello & welcome to MCLV! I'm Caity, a San Francisco based freelance writer and fashion, food & fitness blogger. Find out more by visiting About MOI.
