This may come as a shock, but studying for the Professional Engineer exam has been stressful. My ‘free’ time has been spent, the last several weeks, in front of piles of text books practicing calculations, reviewing regulations and memorizing equations. Or collapsed in a pile of tears, stressed and afraid.
This situation has created two challenges. The first is no time to go outside and walk/run. Last year i ran quite a bit, and then lost it in the fall. I’d like to get back to it, but the studying and stress created a time and energy crunch that just didn’t let it happen. The second was stress eating. I am awesome at eating my emotions, and so found cookies, chips, chocolate and just about anything else to eat to soothe my stress.
The result, of course, is gaining weight, which is the opposite of my long term goals. So, now that the test is over, i can return to healthier eating and getting more exercise.
When i try to ban something from my diet, i crave it like nothing else. Or it’s suddenly everywhere, taunting me. Knowing this, as well as how easily i can become obsessive at tracking calories (i end up going for low-score and not eating), i’m just changing habits towards more healthy ones.
Step 1 of this is changing over breakfast. I love fruits and enjoy smoothies, but my blender isn’t the best, and i was convinced i couldn’t make a good smoothie with it. Then, after a little internet-foo, i realized i could use my immersion blender with a mason jar. This has revolutionized breakfast for me! So i’ve been adventuring the last few days with mostly fruit combinations. My goal is to focus on this for a week or two, playing with the ratios and what works best for me. I’m 3 for 3 on good combos, and looking forward to finding more!
I also signed up for the 2013 CSA at our local farm, which should give me opportunities to play with even more great combinations. I can’t wait for that to start up in a few weeks!
Pear, banana, strawberry and spinach, i added water & orange juice.
strawberry, blueberry, carrot and spinach, i added water & pomegranate juice
strawberries, blueberries, banana and spinach with water & pomegranate juice