Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

I eat very clean now but when I read about a vegan challenge last month, I thought I should give it a try. I want to see how I feel without meat or dairy for a week. The challenge begins tomorrow and will last seven days.

I will still get all the protein requirements. As you may recall, my trainer wants me to have a lot of protein, especially when I''m training hard. This vegan challenge has gotten me to examine my diet and I think I came up with a good plan for the week. Basically, the big thing I'll be missing is turkey and Greek yogurt. All the other food is pretty much the same. The plan I came up with will have me consuming the pea protein powder, lots of quinoa, beans, spinach, etc.

Happy Monday, fitness friends! I just finished cleaning up from dinner & I was compelled to get on here & post. For the last two years, I have fallen into the trap of making more than one meal for me & my family. My youngest had mastered the crinkling of her nose at the sight of quinoa when I would offer it to her. WELL...tonight I made a healthy pasta primavera dish for my crew & it was a HUGE hit! I MADE ONE HEALTHY MEAL FOR DINNER TONIGHT! I am over-the-moon excited! I will try my best to keep this up! I am noticing that my youngest daughter is gravitating towards healthy options because it is now her only choice! I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment seeing her be lead by example. On days when I have felt like giving up, I remember who is watching. 

If you are trying to eat properly & live a healthy lifestyle, chances are that you don't want an INSANE amount of pesticides entering your body in the process, right? I'm sure that most of you on here are aware of the importance of buying organic produce & meats these days. I'm a huge stickler for this in my household. I also know how overwhelming & expensive it can be so I've decided to share two lists from an app I have on my phone with you. The Dirty Dozen list (produce to buy organic versions of) & the Clean Fifteen (produce with the least amount of pesticides so you can purchase the cheaper option). Dr. Oz recommended the app one day on his show & I use it often when shopping on a budget.

DIRTY DOZEN (buy organic versions of these)

Allow me to introduce myself to all of you fabulous fitness friends on here! My name is Jackie & I am a busy mom of 2 AMAZING girls. I am passionate about health, fitness & overall well being. My fanatical routine that I currently possess has not been that way for long, though. It will be 2 years, next month, from when my journey began. Allow me to share.

My youngest daughter was turning 5 & for her birthday, she wanted to go to Build a Bear! My in laws made the drive over to our place & we all headed out. Before heading into the store, someone was nice enough to take a family picture of all of us. The day was GREAT! As soon as we got home, I rushed to the computer to upload the pictures from the day. THERE IT WAS. The picture that changed my life. It is my now famous "before" picture.

Just a quick post on a topic so often confused by many people. I often hear....I have gained some weight since I started weight training but muscle weighs more than fat. Okay..let's get a handle on that. A pound of muscle weighs exactly the same as a pound of fat. A pound is a pound no matter what. Keep in mind that a pound of muscle is much smaller in size than a pound of fat which is very voluminous. So get out there and lift some weights and tighten up the flab. You can do it.