Legumes, Lunges and Laughter!
Hello Fit Chick Movement Members!
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Legumes, Lunges and Laughter!! - June 2021
June 2021 Week 3
Hello Ladies!
Fit Chicks is celebrating it’s 9th year this month and we’d love it if you would celebrate with us!! If you are looking for something to do this Saturday, June 26 2021, come visit and celebrate with us at Spark Fishers!!
There will be games, challenges and a lot of smiles and fun!
Speaking of challenges, keep doing yours … Legumes, Lunges and Laughter … all 3 of them are good for you!
Today, I’m thinking about how I changed how I ate. I used to eat a lot of fast food stuff under the guise of not having time to do anything else. I ate vegetables, but did not prepare them in a way that allowed me to benefit from eating that vegetable. The salads that I consumed were just conduits for heavy fatty dressings, fried- chicken pieces, or candied fruits and nuts. The protein that I consumed was usually an animal protein, and was always the “star” of the plate, taking up the most space on my plate.
Changing up how you eat and learning to eat things that have not been a part of your normal diet is absolutely challenging. I get that. I want to share with you one of the first tips/rules of thumb that I committed to when I actively started changing how I ate.
That rule/tip was to always try something 3 times. What does that mean? It can mean, try a food, for example cauliflower, prepared in a certain way and seasoned a certain way. An example would be roasted cauliflower, prepared in olive oil with salt, pepper and garlic. Try it 3 times this way. Maybe 1 of these times the cauliflower is mashed or riced, or maybe it’s prepared in florets each time. But try cauliflower cooked and seasoned this way 3 times before banishing cauliflower forever. Even then, if you don’t like it, you might consider trying it in something you do like… for example, curry, if you like curry, or mashing it up and putting it in a soup to make it thicker.
Why do I bring up this tip? This tip can be practiced with Lentils!! Lentils have only been a part of my life for the past 4 years. When I decided that I was first going to meet a Lentil, I had already decided that I wasn’t going to like Lentils. Much to my surprise, I did like Lentils and how I prepared Lentils made a big difference to me in their likability. Lentils are high in protein, low in fat and their carb:fiber ratio is outstanding! One of the first Lentil dishes that I cooked was Lentil Sloppy Joes. I ate it over toasted Eziekiel bread!! YUM!!
Legumes (beans, lentils, peas, …) sometimes are a challenge for people, but they are really good for you and a great addition to your diet if you like them or learn to like them by preparing them in a way that tastes good to you. Read the attached link on the Health Benefits of Lentils below. Also see the link below for a recipe for Lentil Sloppy Joes (You can use maple syrup or plain sugar instead of the coconut sugar noted in the recipe).
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/benefits-lentils
https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-sloppy-joes/
I want to warmly welcome new members NC and RW!! Lastly, I want to give a big shout out and hug to RW for posting in the comments below!! Please pay it forward and share some of your journey with another woman in the comments below.
Here’s to Legumes! Cheers!
Brave not perfect,
Caroline
June 2021 Week 2
I have been thinking about FCM a lot lately and I’ve had a couple of conversations with people about The Movement and my goals and my desire to connect with people as they walk this journey.
Someone asked me what was the thing that “flipped the switch for me”?
There wasn’t a magic pill … no flipping of any switches in my head that made me love working out or eating better … there was nothing that made me all of a sudden “want to do these things and LIKE doing them”. As I was revisiting the conversations in my head last night, I decided to start scrolling through older social media post from Fit Chicks just to walk down “memory lane” and to reflect on my journey. There were a lot of post that reminded me of some of the fun things I’ve been a part of there and then this post jumped out at me … see below 👇🏼
It’s week TWO!!! As a reminder, our focus is Legumes, Lunges and Laughter…
I’m choosing peas as my legume this week - I like them with dill!!!
My lunges were lacking last week … I’m getting to them this week starting this morning!! YEP!! I’ve got 20 in already!! (no, you do not have do do them all at once … get them in throughout the day!)As for laughter … try this on for size! 🤣
Okay ladies … let me hear from you this week in the comments section!!
Shout out to BJ for texting me and telling me she “is not quitting” … and she is drinking her water!! YAY!!
Please keep scrolling to read last week’s post and links for information on Legumes, Lunges and Laughter!
June 2021 Week 1
Hello Ladies!
Can you believe it? We are just about half way through the year!
I am curious. Do you remember what intentions or goals you set for yourself for the New Year back in January? (This is not a rhetorical question LOL!) Share in the comments what you intended for yourself this year and how you are progressing. If you do not have progress to report, that’s cool too … re-commit to the intention or set a different one for the second half of the year and share it in the comments.
We played BINGO in May (I think) … as far as I know, we had no winners, … but maybe next time, we will since we have a sense of how the game is played now.
Jenn, Roz and Kami laugh it out
What’s on tap for us in June you ask? YEP! You guessed it, FUN!!
What else is on tap for June? LEGUMES, LUNGES and LAUGHTER!
These 3 things are what we are focusing on for the month of June. What does that mean for you?
It means, read the articles about the health benefits of legumes. Then set a plan for finding and eating a legume that you like or one that you can tolerate. Plan to have a legume 3 days a week for each week in June.
It means read the paragraph on how to do a lunge correctly and view the videos. Then set a plan for getting in 4 reps of 10 lunges daily through the month of June.
It means watch the YouTube video links and LAUGH OUT LOUD!
Why laugh? One benefit of laughing is that it reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine, dopamine and growth hormone. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins! … say it with me, … “YES ENDORPHINS!!!
Legumes!
Read more on beans, aka “legumes” HERE
Lunges!
Learn to LUNGE!
Check out this pretty good tutorial this key move: LUNGE HERE
Laughter!
Try not to laugh! Watch this video: Family Matters
FCM members, YES ALL OF YOU, post a comment AND like a comment!
