i love sleep!

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Of all places, in my interior design class we got on the topic of sleep. It’s not a new idea that “early to bed and early to rise makes you healthy, wealthy, and wise” (I’m not so sure about the wealthy part). BUT…this discussion on studies done and the facts behind our body’s schedule and the IDEAL sleep pattern made me come home with a goal for James and myself. Especially since it was pointed out that our sleep patterns were contributing to bad eating habits, moodiness, and poor performance of both body and mind. lethargy = bad times!

I proposed the idea of us going to be at 11pm and waking up at 7am every day! (ok, to those of you with kids who get you up at 5-6am everyday, I am sorry…this is the “ideal” sleep schedule we are attempting).

James is a night owl. Me…not so much. James likes going to bed past 1 or 2 am. He is also not the most fun person to get out of bed in the morning. I have my days as well.

ANYWAY…we put our schedule to test last week. We both love love loved it! 11-7! I felt energized, productive, well rested, and all around better.  (D&C 88 anyone?!)

Too bad the weekend came and totally threw us off. It is hard to socialize at our age in a college town and make it to bed by 11pm on the weekend. We’re making an attempt to get back on schedule though.

Case in point….11-7…give it a go!

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a614f0806b4b40dc1bd0849f62b466e9_edited-10c36aa82719affb0c2b36a8eb61a36ca…fact chart overload…

love, whit

the WORST foods you can eat

i had a three hour layover in Denver the other day. what did i do?

i spent it reading health food magazines. ha!

which is a good thing, because it rekindled my “i’m going to be a healthy eater” drive.

ok, i’m not really a terribly unhealthy eater. in fact, i blow more money on fresh produce and healthier options than i can afford. but, there ARE some things now that i’m going to avoid even more so…and need to cut out! say “NO!” to processed crap!

what are they?

the WORST foods you can eat (some very OBVI):

1. margarine -  stick with butter…the REAL thing

2. soda – (even ASPARTAME – which is basically in all artificial sweeteners, is very bad for you – aka – DIET/ZERO sodas)

3. potato chips – said to be one of the main foods that people tend to overeat. and horrible for you. (well duh! but ugh! no more flaming hot cheetos or pringles?! james can attest to my latest pringle addiction)

4. doughnuts – yes, whitney, that includes maple bars.

5. low-fat foods -  cookies, snacks, salad dressings, yogurt, and other processed foods with the “low-fat” label use substitutes that are worse than choosing to buy the real/natural/unprocessed food option.

6. processed meats /hotdogs – packed with sodium and unhealthy who-knows-what. (J-DAWGS!!! – nooooo!!!)

7. frozen meals – just stay away from them! even low-fat ones are heavily processed and loaded with sodium and preservatives.

8. processed cheeses/dips – like cheez whiz – gross. don’t eat it.

9. french fries! - go for the homemade/baked ones

10. microwave popcorn = NOT your healthy snack alternative. trans fat and sodium! unless it’s plain/you add your own flavors or you carefully read the label first.

other things to note…

- avoid processed bacon. and be wary of how much bacon you eat when you do. (oh, i LOVE my bacon!)

- blended coffee drinks – SO bad for you! i don’t have a problem with these. but someone who reads this might and should reconsider : )

- high fructose corn syrup….

- AGAVE NECTAR! who knew?! it’s supposedly the “healthy” all-natural sweetener. but it has the highest amount of fructose!

- artificial coloring, sodium nitrate/nitrite, MSG, and refined oils.….check your food labels for them = BAD FOR YOU!

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i could eat like this and be WAY happy….

anyway… this is my resolve to eat better.

of course, we all deserve a treat now and again. but really…if you stick to healthy REAL foods…those are what become the “treats” and you don’t crave the other stuff. true story.

i talk like i’m profesh at this, and i’m not. but i know it happens. and i’ve learned to prefer the real stuff more. i just need to get better at it.

….starting..now!…

love, whit

that time i tried to go on a diet

 

 HAVE YOU EVER GONE ON A DIET??? i haven’t. ever. i like eating way too much. i’m rather food obsessed actually, and i love cooking. especially since the invention of pinterest and my discovering foodgawker.com. what GREAT time wasters! though healthy eating is big for me, so it’s not like i’m overweight or anything. i have just never really been able to restrict myself from eating something i want. ha! i just make sure i exercise so i can…which is how it should be, right?

WELL…i decided to do this diet i found. it claims to make you lose 10 lbs in a week! dream come true! it seems healthy…fruits, veggies, that kind of thing: READ ABOUT IT HERE.

thus it happened: the non-dieting whitney went extra-fruit-and-veggie shopping, stocked the fridge, and decided to give it a go.

UGH is all i can say. disaster.

i am just NOT the diet type of person. the first day: all fruit, nothing else. i had a whole carton of strawberries..papaya…red grapefruit…grapes…and yet i felt so empty all day. just making endless trips to the bathroom. it was like i had nothing inside of me. ick. you know how in movies or commercials the food will start talking to people and calling their name – just INTICING you to eat them? OH EM GEE that happens! i can now say i’ve experienced it first hand. my dove chocolates and fruit snack stash at work were staring at me with their big Pixar puppy eyes. horrible feeling. so i ended up going home and eating myself a big bowl of cooked cabbage. yes, a healthy choice still. but it filled me up which is what i wanted. and… i ruined the “all fruit” day. whatever. not that bad of a cheat, right?

day two: a baked potato for breakfast (i was allowed one “pat” of butter…and i may or may not have exaggerated how big a “pat” is) and then only all veggies all day. let me tell you that baked potato tasted like a gift from the gods! i was feeling good. i steamed a mother load of fresh broccoli and cauliflower for lunch. and even had some zuchinni, cabbage ( i really like cabbage), mushrooms, and onions (all lightly cooked together, i’m so classy with my veggies)….but then i started to be just sick of it. and again…i was peeing like no other. everything i ate went straight through me. i was feeling empty and with no energy. who would’ve thunk such a “healthy diet” would do that? i attempted (yes, attempted. i always feel like a fool) yoga and then 3o mins at the gym….but felt like a weakling. NO energy. and empty. go figure, i went home and ate some carrots….with hummus! HA. yes, i dunked those carrots in that hummus…big scoops with no shame. i’m pretty sure protein is no-no for this stage in the diet….but i felt so sick without it. and…i was craving something with flavor. hummus is divine!

day three: TODAY. i’m realizing how bad i suck at following a diet. only fruits and veggies. not bad, thing is i woke up feeling nauseous. to the point where i could hardly stay standing. i was shaky and miserable and had to keep sitting down or laying on my bed in the process of trying to get ready for work. i ate some fruit in the car on my way to work, but i still felt like i had no energy and sick to my stomach. maybe people who diet all the time are used to this kind of thing?? i read about a model who would only eat an english muffin and water every day – half in the morning and half later in the day….but to me, it’s just not worth it (though i really didn’t think just fruits and veggies would do this to me – my mom seems to be fine and she’s doing it as well). anyway…i said forget this and drank one of my Odwalla vanilla protein shakes. good for energy. and i feel like a million bucks now! yes, it’s against my diet. oh. well. then after eating my container of fruit and a petite vinegar dressed salad for lunch (that’s all you’re ‘allowed’ on salads) – my goldfish that i keep at my desk were calling for me. cheddar blasted and pretzel mixed. who could resist! …so of course i had a handful …or so. then 3 or 4 (maybe 5) of my dark chocolate covered almonds made their way into my mouth too. let’s admite it, i’m SUCH a good dieter!

tonight was a girl’s friday night at the mall of georgia with Paige. shopping and a movie (This Means War – such a fantastic rom-com, i recommend it!)…and i may or may not have had some chick-fil-a chicken strips with a coke zero. the “zero” in coke zero means zero cals…just in case you didn’t know.

whatevs. i’m still continuing with the diet schedule and we’ll see what happens. i maintain i will still lose weight even with my cheating. diets are so stupid. besides…i’ll be at the gym tomorrow. and “only” eating bananas, milk, and some no-cal soup. gross, right? i know. but don’t worry, i have things under control…i still have some leftover wild blueberry white chocolate cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory in my fridge if i really need it.

OTHER ITEMS OF BUSINESS:

1. i just might need this fantastic bathing suit (anthropologie)

2. i’m moving. to Utah. Provo specifically. in mid April. at my ripe old age, i’m embarking on the “get my degree” journey. i’ve mapped out my graduation plan and should be done in exactly two years. dear heavens i hope so. i’m in it to win it!

3. i’m very much looking forward to this change in scenery and daily activity. and even more stoked about living with my lovely Chelsea Vose! not to mention…being just minutes from so many other people that are on my favorites list that i rarely see because i’ve been so far away east coast bumming it for the last two years. (was that a run-on sentence? probs. whatevs.)

4. Waffle House gives me THE biggest stomach ache every time i go. but i never hesitate to go when an opportunity suggests it!

5. before being utah bound, i’m florida bound. for the beach, to be exact! YESSSS. talk about a much needed week vacay in early april. it’s Paige’s spring break, and there is just no better way to spend it.

6. maybe i’ll actually get a tan??? it’s been so long since my skin has been any shade darker than pale. ha. i used to work as a county lifeguard and swim instructor for a few years – in the sun EVERY DAY and i was still made fun of for being so white. i’ve learned to embrace my complexion. though, basking in the rays in still worth a shot. can’t wait.

7. this means my “beach bod” needs some work as well. since i’ve been home from Italy, my gym attendance is PATHETIC. where i used to go and stay at least an hour – often Zumba and then some miles on the treadmill….now i’m doing good to make once or twice a week and feeling done after 30 minutes – HA! so it’s time to get myself back in the swing of things. obvi. not to mention i’m going to get so skinny being on this diet :)

8. for the last FIVE years of my life, i’ve found myself in distance relationships. six and a half years total – because i attempted one in my early college years as well. why would i do that to myself??? i don’t know! it just always happens! it’s like i can’t find someone i’m interested in that actually lives in the same state. i got pretty used to the distance thing. but i am so over it now. i want nothing more than to find a decent boy – that makes me happy – that i can actually spend my weekends with. i’m hoping utah will do that for me. dream big, right? my previous wishing holds true.

love, whit

The Color Run – ATL

why is it i just found out about this today??!

THE COLOR RUN in…

it is a PERFECT way to check “run a 5K” off of my bucket list!

only, i’ll need some company…any takers to join me on march 31st downtown?!

(p.s. – it’s in many other cities across the country too…check it out – http://thecolorrun.com/locations/ )

love, whit