Reality Check

Recently the company I work for decided to start a Comprehensive Wellness Plan for its employees. This, as our insurance premiums are more than tripling since, apparently, there hasn't been an increase in 7 years.... As an out, though, our premiums would not increase by as much if we agreed to participate in the Plan. Sure, sign me up, I'd take a doubled premium over a tripled one any day.

To kick off the Program, the company bought in a team of nurses who took our blood and vital signs, free of charge, to serve as the starting line for our challenge. We then took a survey about our eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, and every other habit which produced a fancy 15+ page report with all our stats. In order to stay in the program and receive the discounted premium rate we have to improve one aspect of our health within one year.

Going into this my thoughts were, well I'm already a healthy person. I eat my fruits and vegetables. I work out (if you just said that to the tune of LMFAO's song, I applaud you). So what could I possibly have to improve in?

And then the reality check.

I am at HIGH RISK for nutrition.

As in, what I thought I was doing right, I was doing oh-so-wrong. And although every other aspect of my health was at an IDEAL RISK level, I repeat, every other aspect, I was stunned, floored, if you will, by this one solitary high risk area. Not even moderate risk. High risk for peet's sake! An area I honestly thought I was doing well in.

Which makes me wonder: if I actually eat fruits and vegetables, cook my own meals at least 5 days a week, what was everyone else's figure? In a country where it is acceptable to count fries from McDonanlds as a serving of vegetables?

Anyway, so in my usual fashion, I have accepted the challenge and have taken a serious look at my eating habits. And come time next year for our next wellness screening, not only will that HIGH RISK be lowered to MODERATE RISK, I'm determined to lower it even more to IDEAL.

So to do that I've gotten back into the kitchen. I'm meal planning and trying out new, slightly more complicated dishes than those I'd normally cook for myself.

Last night was Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops with steamed cauliflower and broccoli and a baked potato. Tonight will be Lemon Pepper Chicken with steamed summer squash and rice (not brown yet as I have some white rice to finish up - I may be eating healthier but I'm not going to waste good food!). For breakfast I'm eating a serving of yogurt mixed with a serving of Granola cereal and a large wedge of cantaloupe. For lunch I'm eating leftovers from the night before along with a Romaine lettuce salad with chick peas. And for snacks? An apple with peanut butter or celery with hummus or peanuts and raisins.

You're on HIGH RISK for Nutrition. I hope you're not a sore loser because you're going down!.

Happy (Healthy) Eating!

How You Know You're In Love

I used to fight it. At one point I wasn't even sure it existed. I bad mouthed it, wondered why anyone would want it, and when someone came crying to me because it ended, I tried hard not to say "I told you so" (although you know I thought it!).

What is it? Love.

I don't think I was ever really against it, I just hadn't experienced it personally and I didn't want to experience it until I knew I'd found "the one". (Pause for one of my I'm-a-walking-contradiction moments: I hated love and people in love and yet I still believed there was and is only one perfect person for each of us, inspired by God to find each other and be together forever. Unpause.) I'd seen enough broken hearts through the years that I knew for a fact I didn't want that for me. You call me a chicken... I call me smart!

And what was surprising to me about falling in love, was how slowly it came over me, so slowly, in fact, I didn't realize it until one day I was like, wow, so this is what it feels like. I think I realized it the same day I realized there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell I was going to be giving up my Prince Charming when I left Costa Rica. I cursed myself that day for doing what I had told myself I would never do in a million years: have a long distance relationship, but at the same time I was so giddy it was disgusting. I mean, I was one of those girls...

Funny thing is, when you're in love EVERYTHING reminds you that you're in love. It's like the universe conspires to remind you day in and day out that your heart is no longer your own.

For me, the signs are everywhere: in the trees, in candy, in vegetables for heaven's sake!

The pictures I'm posting were not staged in any way (I guess only one could really have be staged, but it wasn't, the drawstring fell like that on its own, I just snapped the picture).

Not only color is perfect about this picture.

The drawstring froom my favorite sweats.

Yellow Pepper with which I made my spaghetti.

Heart-shaped M&M.

Fun fact: This actually came from a bag of personalized M&Ms I'd made him for our 1 year anniversary :-)