19 November 2009
Those of you that have been following along at home know that as part of the Winter Shape Up Challenge, I’m going vegan for this week. You may also know that other bloggers have also taken on the challenge of going vegan. What you may not yet know: Why going vegan might be a good idea!
As a disclaimer, let me clarify that I’m not trying to preach veganism to any of you. Though much of what I eat is naturally vegan, I’ve only been officially, completely vegan for three days. I don’t think it’s the right lifestyle for everyone. But there are many benefits, and I’m here to highlight those for you.
10 Reasons to Go Vegan:
- You’d be giving a little boost to our lovely planet. Producing meat and dairy consumes a lot of fossil fuel. Eliminating them from your diet drastically reduces your carbon footprint.
- It will probably save you money. Meat is more expensive than vegetarian forms of protein. Enough said.
- It might help you eat more whole foods. Yes, there are processed vegan foods (tons of them). But lots of processed foods are not vegan, so you might be forced to cut many of them out of your diet.
- You could lower your risk for chronic disease. Much of the heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity in this country can be partially attributed to our over-consumption of meat and dairy.
- Vegan food tastes good! Though your palate might not be used to it at first, vegan food is very flavorful. In fact, in my short experience with veganism, I feel like I’m able to taste the flavors of my food more.
- It forces you to get creative in the kitchen. I’ve been in a slump with my cooking lately, and going vegan has really forced me to pull myself out of it.
- Going out to eat will only seem desirable when the restaurant is worth it. When you’re vegan, most restaurant food is off limits. You’ll only want to splurge when you know the restaurant will have options for you, and that equals a healthier body and wallet.
- As a global community, more people can be fed on a plant-based diet than a meat-based one. The amount of vegetable protein fed to U.S. beef would feed almost the entire populations of India and China.
- Eating animal products isn’t biologically necessary! Why spend the extra money if you don’t have to? Why increase your carbon footprint if you don’t have to?
- A vegan diet can be just as gluttonous as an omnivorous one. Vegans can still drink beer and eat french fries (as long as they’re not cooked in lard!), so don’t think you’ll be deprived if you go vegan.
All that said, will I be vegan (or even vegetarian) for the rest of my life? Probably not. But I have been, and will continue to be, a LOT more picky about where my meat and dairy come from if I decide to incorporate them into my diet. I’ll try to buy free-range, organic, vegetarian-fed meat and dairy, as well as buying from local farmers when I can. I’ll also strive to keep at least 1-2 of my daily meals vegan, as even decreasing your meat and dairy a little bit can have an impact on the environment (and you’re also voting with your mouth!).
If you’re wary about veganism, try going vegan for just a day… TODAY! Michelle and Katy have declared today Vegan 4-A-Day. Katy says:
On Thursday, November 19, we are asking that you devote one or all of your meals to being vegan. We just kindly ask if you could link back to either my blog or Michelle’s when you make your posts about Vegan Week. We will be compiling a list of all who participate throughout the day, on our blogs under the ‘VeganWeek’ tabs. If you could make sure to either send us the link and/or leave it in the comment section of the ‘Vegan 4-A- Day’ official post on Thursday then we can give you proper accolades.
If you know of any other friends, bloggers or not, who are up for the challenge…spread it around! Everyone who takes part will have a chance at a really cool prize — details of that to come soon!
9 November 2009
Winter Shape Up: Week 3 Progress/Week 4 Goals
Alright, you guys. I’m fessing up my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.
- FITNESS: I want to make sure I don’t lose my running abilities, so my goal this week is to run at least 9 miles. That should be doable. I ran 14 miles! This was my one successful goal.
- NUTRITION: I want to try again to close the kitchen after dinner. That would be a great habit to get into, and I’d like to work on it until I’m successful! I’m also going to make this a week of calorie counting. No, I don’t do it always, but yes, sometimes it is necessary just to keep portions in check. Calorie counting happened on a few days, but I realized again that it’s just not for me. Closing the kitchen was a complete failure. My kitchen had an “open” sign on it allllll night.
- WEIGHT LOSS: Again, my goal is a two pound loss. Hopefully, closing the kitchen after dinner and counting calories will help with that! And I’m exactly back to my Week 2 weight. I can blame that on a certain time of the month and a little extra Halloween candy fun, but really, I’m to blame.
New goals:
- FITNESS: Complete four days of Making the Cut workouts (those things are killer!).
- NUTRITION: I’m going to go for my third-time’s-the-charm goal of closing the kitchen after dinner/dessert.
- WEIGHT LOSS: Yup, you guessed it: Two pounds. I’m not letting my fluctuating weight discourage me.
8 November 2009
We’re oh-so-close to being halfway through this 10-week challenge. Get ready to send me your progress for Week 3 and new goals for Week 4 tomorrow by 11:59 EST to stay in the challenge!
I can’t wait to hear how you all did! Week 3 was a little bit of a challenge for me, and I know the scale will reflect that tomorrow. But I’m okay with that. Health isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon (totally appropriate metaphor, beeteedubs), and even after the challenge ends, I hope you all keep making mini goals and following up with yourself on your progress.
Who thinks Week 4 will be the BEST WEEK EVER? Yeah, me too!
30 October 2009
Burn It: Making the Cut
Last night, my sister’s friend let me borrow her copy of Making the Cut by (who else?) Jillian Michaels. The book is a 30-day program for fairly fit people who just want to tone up and lose those last 10-20 pounds. I was really excited because:
- I love Jillian with all my heart and would give my left arm for a chance to train with her (guess she wouldn’t be training my left arm, though).
- Now that my half marathon is over, I don’t really have a workout plan. Lately, I’ve been meandering through the gym, pretty much doing whatever I feel like at the moment. But what do I always tell you guys? YOU NEED TO HAVE A PLAN! That’s one of the main points of the Winter Shape Up.
- I was curious to see what kinds of recipes Jillian offers in her book.
I managed to skim most of the book last night, including taking the test for what kind of oxidizer I am (yeah, I’ll admit, I skipped most of the explanation behind that). Turns out, I’m a balanced oxidizer, but I’m fairly convinced that doesn’t mean anything. Sorry, Jill.
Anyway, my impression of the book was mixed. I was highly, highly disappointed that many of the recipes in the book contained a plethora of artificial ingredients/products, including Splenda and all these low-carb shakes and powders. I immediately knew that the Making the Cut diet plan was not for me. I’m never in favor of using artificial ingredients to cut calories.
The workout plan, however, was another story. It looks pretty kick-booty, and I’m excited to try Day 1 today at the gym. The workouts in the book are all based on circuit training, which means you do a set of exercises without rest, rest for a minute or two, and then move on to the next circuit. From what I’ve seen, the workouts in the book combine upper-body, lower-body, and core work in the same day.
Because the circuit training workouts in Making the Cut don’t include very much cardio (just some short intervals of sprints, etc.), and because I want to maintain my running stamina, I think my plan going forward will be this:
Alternate between Making the Cut (or similar circuit training) workouts and running.
Pretty simple right? On days I don’t make the cut, so to speak, I’ll run (ideally for at least 30 minutes). And vice versa. My goal is to do three days of each (with maybe one overlapping day).
My question for you guys: Has anyone tried to follow the 30-day Making the Cut program? What did you think?
27 October 2009
After one week of the Winter Shape Up Challenge, we have 72 players still in the game. Congrats to all of you! If I didn’t get a chance to respond to you personally, know that I definitely read your email and am rooting for you.
You all are a complete inspiration to me, even if you’re NOT meeting all your goals. Keep on keepin’ on, and I look forward to hearing about your progress next Monday!
