Saturday, January 01, 2011

Happy New Year

I love the beginning of the New Year…it feels like such a fresh start.  Time for setting new goals, trying new things, and looking forward to what the upcoming year has to offer.

I have lots of other personal goals, but here are some of the ones related to nutrition & fitness:

  • drink more water (and less coffee!)
  • cut back on sugar
  • drink more green tea
  • run more often (now that my ankle feels better)

It surprises people that I have a hard time drinking enough water.  But I really have to force myself to drink 8+ glasses per day.  I drink plenty while I’m teaching, but during the day not so much.  Cutting back on iced coffee will hopefully help.  I’ve gotten into the habit of having two a day sometimes…when I should be drinking water instead!

I have a sweet tooth.  And I think that’s one reason why I love coffee so much.  It’s my “sweet treat” for the day…which I guess is better than having cake/cookies/ice cream/candy all the time. 

I sweeten my coffee with about 1-2 teaspoons of condensed milk…kills two birds with one stone (sugar and milk).  But I like coffee unsweetened with a little half and half too and should try to drink it that way more often.

Green tea is so good for you and I don’t drink it enough.  It’s one of the only eating habits that I didn’t adopt from my Houston roommate Danielle, (who is a RD at MD Anderson and knows her stuff).  She loves tea :) Habits I did pick up from her?  More veggies and whole grains, and less meat.

It seems like every Fall I develop some sort of foot/ankle pain…probably because during footballs season I never sit down.  With all dancing, teaching, choreographing, and running I am always on my feet.  This year was no exception.  To deal with my ankle issues, I cut back on the only place I could.  Running.  First I cut back to just running less distance.  And then fewer days.  And then NOT AT ALL.  But that did the trick.  And now that football season (and Saintsations) are coming to an end and my ankle is feeling better, its time to step it back up.

As for the “new things”, I’m trying to get myself back in the nutrition world.  When I first moved home to Baton Rouge from Houston I looked for a wellness-type job similar to the one I had at LifeTime Fitness.  No such luck.  But the Saintsation position and a great job teaching dance at Tari’s have kept me busy (and allowed me to use my nutrition degree in a really positive way…dancers are under so much pressure to be thin, but many have terrible eating habits and don’t know how to stay thin healthfully). 

All that being said, the job search is on.  I’ll keep you posted!

Of course I’m cooking today…cabbage (as slaw in my all time favorite feta dressing ) and black-eyed peas, ham, collards (all in a delicious soup that is a cross between these two recipes)…for luck, health, and fortune in the new year! 

Black Eyed Pea Soup 1

Black Eyed Pea Soup 2

Happy New Year!  Geaux Saints! (and Panthers!)

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