Moderation Nation

Wanna know something that will probably make me seem a little looney?

Nearly all of my lunchtime pictures are taken either the night before or right after I eat my morning breakfast. I almost always assemble my lunch and then pack it all up to enjoy at work every day.

Today I forgot to snap photos of my lunch in the morning, so please enjoy these office lunch photos!

The Real Deal

This is the real Peanut Butter Fingers. 😉

(Does anyone else remember the old “Diary” shows that would detail a celebrity’s “real life” on MTV? This is the diary of Peanut Butter Fingers…)

Today’s lunch included a Muenster cheese bagelwich with leftover roasted asparagus and a sliced green pepper (most of which was consumed pre-photos).

Best Part of the Meal

I forgot how tasty Muenster cheese is… I must enjoy this cheese more often!

Roasted Asparagus

Green Pep

And this concludes the desk-side lunch show. 😉

Moderation Nation

If there’s one thing that I hear over and over again in the healthy living blog world, it’s that moderation is the key when it comes to diet, exercise and living a healthy life.

Want a cookie? Eat it… but not the whole batch.

Want to maintain an exercise routine? Work out often, but give yourself at least one day off from the gym a week to avoid burnout and allow your body to recover.

Want to be a healthy eating superstar? Incorporate lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains and healthy fats into your diet, but don’t deny yourself indulgent foods every once in a while. One small brownie a day is a-okay.

The whole “everything in moderation” mentality has been touted by nutrition and fitness experts for years.

This morning I read an article on ThatsFit.com that introduced a new resource offered by the American Dietetic Association and the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition.

Moderation Nation

The program, called Moderation Nation, will allow adults aged 18 and older to receive a free visit (via mail-in rebate) with an ADA registered dietitian (up to $250 value).

According to the Moderation Nation website, the initiative will allow people to take advantage of services offered by registered dietitians, including:

• A personalized approach to dietary advice and weight management, because one size does not fit all
• Importance of eating a variety of foods from every group – in balance and in moderation
• Pay attention to calorie consumption
• Understand how healthy eating and physical activity are both important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle

Kinda cool, huh?

Tonight I have plans to attend a nutrition seminar after work. I absolutely love learning anything and everything I can about food, fitness and healthy living and think Moderation Nation will be a valuable resource for many.

To me, this initiative is a great way to jump start healthy living for people who may feel overwhelmed or lost when it comes to eating healthy foods or beginning an exercise routine. Hopefully meeting with a professional will allow many to learn more about their bodies and  their needs and get even more people to hop aboard the healthy-living train.

Choo, chooooo! 😀

Questions of the Afternoon

• Have you ever met with a dietitian, nutritionist or personal trainer? Did you find it helpful?
• Would you want to meet with a dietitian?
  

Sandwiches Don’t Need Meat. Who Knew?

Growing up I used to think that a sandwich had to include meat. (Unless, of course, it met one of two exceptions: It was a peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese sandwich.)

Today I often make meat-free sandwiches, letting nut butter, cheese or hummus do the talking.

If cheese and meat got into a flavor fight in my mouth, cheese would win every time. I love the strong, creamy taste of a good slice of cheese.

My lunch today featured a smoked Provolone cheese and tomato sandwich, made on a toasted Toufayan everything flavored Smart Bagel.

'Maters

Tomato + Provolone Bagelwich

Cheese, you are delicious.

On the side of my tomato and cheese bagelwich, I enjoyed cucumber slices and a crisp apple for some sweetness.

Cukes

Do Apples Even Have a Nickname? Apps?

Aaand, a little slice of birthday cake may have made it into my mouth as well.

CAKE!

This cake was leftover from a coworker’s birthday yesterday (I pretended it was for my blog’s birthday).

I enjoyed it so much the first time around that I just had to experience its deliciousness again today.

Growing up, marble cake was always my birthday cake of choice! 😀

Winner, Winner, Cookies for Dinner

Thank you to everyone who commented on my one-year of blogging anniversary post. You guys sure know how to make a girl blush!

The winner of the homemade batch of cookies giveaway is…

Number 64, Come on Doooown!

Andrea: Congrats!! I love your blog and can’t wait to see what the next year has in store!

Hooray, Andrea! Please email me at pbfingers@gmail.com with what kind of cookies you would like and your mailing address.

Of Possible Interest

• Your Healthy Fall Food Plan (FitSugar.com)
• Dos and Don’ts of Dining Out (FitBottomedGirls.com)
• How to Create Positive Goals (lululemon.com)
• Chocolate Coconut Biscotti Recipe I’m Dying to Try (HeathersDish.com)

Question of the Afternoon

Pick one: Meat, cheese, veggie, or nut butter sandwiches?

How to Work Out in the Morning

Buy one, get one free deals get me every time.

Thanks to a fantastic BOGO deal at Publix yesterday, I now have two packages of Toufayan thin bagels in the delicious “everything” flavor.

Everything bagels are so flavorful. I don’t generally like thin bagels, but the everything flavor is a good one. I love the combination of the onion flavor with the texture of the poppyseeds. Yum!

Everything Bagel + Cheese

For lunch I made myself a Provolone cheese bagelwich that I enjoyed with a side of grape tomatoes and a sliced red pepper.

Bagelwich

Red Hot!

Lunch also included a fresh apple.

A Taste of Fall

Monday Lunch

Operation Healthy appears to be in full swing! 😀

How to Work Out in the Morning

Beep, beep, beep!

What? The sound of your morning alarm doesn’t motivate you to wake up early and hit the gym? 😉

In all seriousness, it can be very hard to get to the gym at any time during the day, let alone before the sun comes up.

I remember when I made the transition from afternoon workouts to morning workouts. In my first job after college, I hit the gym after work. I got off work at 4:30 p.m. and was able to work out and still be home by 6 p.m. This schedule worked very well for me.

Then I changed jobs. All of the sudden my hours were all over the place. I’d often be at work after 7 p.m., and frequently found myself in the office later than 9 p.m. It was not fun. (Side note: I was seriously miserable in that job and quit after finding a new job less than eight months later. Lesson learned: Bigger pay check does not equal happiness!)

As I became accustomed to my new schedule, I found myself irritated that my varying hours and demanding workload cut into my gym time.

Gradually it became clear to me that if I wanted to make my health a priority and get my heart pumpin’, I had to work out before I went into the office. This meant waking up in the 5 a.m. hour. The horror!

The first week was a challenge. My workouts were not nearly as intense and I felt sluggish.

The next week wasn’t so bad. By Wednesday, I felt like my workouts were returning to their normal intensity. Plus, it felt amazing to be done with my workout as I headed into the office. Checking something off my to-do list before 7 a.m. felt great!

Once the third week of my new morning workout routine rolled around, it felt natural. I didn’t have the desire to sleep in anymore because I felt like I would be missing something. I didn’t want to drive to work without that feeling of post-workout satisfaction.

As I shifted my work outs to the morning, I found the transition easier by following these little tips:

• Commit to it: Your first morning workout will not be fun. You’ll be tired and cranky, but that’s okay! Don’t give up. General consensus says it takes around 21 days to make a habit. Commit to keeping up your morning workouts for 21 days and they will begin to feel like part of your routine.

• Schedule a Workout You Want to Do: For your first morning workout, schedule a workout you want to do. Don’t tackle sprints or a five-mile run on your first morning workout if this is the workout you dread the most! Plan to take your favorite spinning class, walk your dog, or bring a friend with you for an early morning yoga session to give yourself something to look forward to when you get to the gym.

A Walk with Sadie: A Work Out I Always Look Forward To!

• Revel in the Post-Workout Sense of Accomplishment: When your morning workout is over, make a mental note to remember how great it feels to have your workout done before the day really begins. Remember this feeling when the alarm goes off in the morning.

• Make it Easy on Yourself: Make getting to the gym in the morning as effortless as possible by laying out your workout clothes, filling up your water bottle and having your keys ready the night before. (Click here for my tips on streamlining your morning routine.)

• Enjoy that “I’d normally be at the gym right now” Feeling: When I switched my workout to the morning, I loved thinking “I’d normally be at the gym right now” around 5 p.m., when I would typically be working out. It made me appreciate the effort I put into getting my workout done earlier in the day.

*Special thanks to blog reader Katie for inspiring this post! 😀

Of Possible Interest:

• My yogurt mousse mentioned on WomansDay.com (WomansDay.com)
• A beautiful post from Gabriela about learning to love yourself (Une-Vie-Saine.com)
• Red face following a workout: What’s the deal? (FitSugar.com)

Question of the Afternoon

• When do you prefer to workout… morning, afternoon or night?

Two Guys, Two Dogs & a Girl

Ryan and I had another buddy join us for our morning workout!

Our friend Ross and his dog Kona ended up staying the night last night. Ross is en route to Jacksonville, by way of Gainesville (where he’s a student at UF), to begin his summer internship for law school.

Ryan, Ross and I all woke up at 5:30 a.m. to hit the gym. Let me just say, Sadie and Kona were wiiide awake! We left the dogs to mouth and play while we got in a quick workout.

(For those of you who commented on Ross’ hotness last night, you should know that he’s single and in law school… and has one heck of a cute dog. 😀 You’ll be seeing more of him on this blog because he’s going to be one of the groomsmen in our wedding.)

Post-Workout Walk

After the gym, the three of us leashed up the puppies and headed out for a 40 minute walk.

A Feeble-Looking Sadie

The Men & Their Dogs

(I think both dogs were mid-shake when I snapped this pic.)

I really enjoyed the extra company on my morning walk! Usually it’s quality Julie ‘n’ Sadie time, so having Ryan and Ross along for the journey was a treat. (Ryan doesn’t typically join us on our morning walk because he goes into work early. He had a little extra time on his hands today because he has jury duty. Fun!)

Post-Walk Breakfast

After our walk and showering up for the day, I made us quite the happy breakfast.

Smile!

The banana and peanut butter combination alone is enough to make me smile, but when your food is literally smiling up at you, you know it’s  gonna be a good day.

PB & B

In the process of making our peanut butter and banana bagels, you know I indulged in a peanut butter finger.

Too Hard to Resist

For those of you who have asked in the past, Skippy Natural is typically my peanut butter of choice.

Not only is the ingredient list on this bad boy 100 percent understandable, this peanut butter actually tastes like the peanut butter you grew up eating. Plus, it’s much cheaper than a lot of the “gourmet” peanut butters.

Question of the Day

What is your peanut butter brand of choice?

Out of Commission iPod

iPod complaints in a minute…First, breakfast!

Onion Bagel Breakfast Sandwich

2009 is going out with a bang! My last breakfast of the year was a yummy onion bagel sandwich (bagelwich?) with Laughing Cow light Swiss cheese, Canadian bacon and an egg white.

Open-Faced Bagelwich

Achin' for Some (Canadian) Bacon

Yummy!

Before breakfast I went on a nice lil’ walk with Ryan and Sadie. It’s not nearly as cold in Orlando today as it has been, so our walk was quite enjoyable.

The nice weather made Sadie extra chipper this morning. She was a sweetie pie and even gave me a hug before I left for my last day of work in ’09!

"Awww, Mom..."

Me & My Sadie Girl

An iPod Bites the Dust

I don’t know about you, but music is imperative for me to have a good cardio workout.

Since my iPod bit the dust on Tuesday, I’ve been struggling to get through my Tuesday/Thursday cardio days at the gym.

Today I heard one of the trainers say something as I was about 20 minutes into my workout:

“Enjoy your last workout of 2009!”

For some reason this simple statement really resonated with me and motivated me to log 50 quality minutes of cardio. My last workout of 2009. I started to think about just how many workouts I’ve completed throughout the year.

I felt proud that this year I’ve exercised with a new mindset: health. Before I, like so many women, was motivated to workout simply to keep my weight in check. While that is still important, I now workout for my overall health (gotta keep the heart happy!).

I love the way a good sweat session makes me feel all day long. It’s refreshing to workout for myself and not for how my body appears to others. This new mindset is probably my greatest personal accomplishment of 2009 (well, that and landing a pretty amazing fiance!).

I know it probably sounds trivial to many of you out there, but for others still running or lifting weights  only to look good, making a goal to adapt a mindset to exercise and eat well for you and your health might remove some of the pressure you feel to look perfect and change your thinking to a desire to look and be healthy.

Do you work out for your health, your appearance or both?

Another question for you iPod lovers out there… when I turn on my iPod all the music is blank. It’s as though there are no songs on it at all. Anyone know what’s up???

I hope all of you enjoy the last day of the year!