Monday, July 19, 2010

Dear Body...


Dear Body,

Thank you for always treating me right, even though there have been many times when I may not have treated you in the same fashion.  Thank you for never judging my choices, even though I've spent many moment criticizing your appearance.  Thank you for being strong, healthy and helping me overcome every unthinkable obstacle that I have been faced with.  Thank you for your beauty. 

Yours always,
Lauren 

Have you ever had one of those days when you just don't feel the best about yourself?  I know you have,  we all have.  I don't think it's necessarily wrong to feel this way from time to time, but I do think it's wrong to dwell on it and to allow it to change your attitude, thought process, and choices in a negative way.  

I use to struggle more with unhealthy thoughts and one of the ways that I was able to overcome any obsessive critique was to write my body a little love letter.  I know it may sound odd, but it really seemed to do the trick for me. We spend way too much time finding all of the things wrong with our bodies, so why not spend one minute to actually sit back and appreciate our bodies for the things that we love it for. 

Next time you have one of those "I hate my body" moments, try doing this little exercise.  I promise you will immediately feel better if you remind yourself that beauty is not an "all or nothing" facet.  If you waste every single moment looking for things wrong with yourself, you will never be able to see anything other than the wrong.  Start looking for the right and show yourself some love! 

I had a wonderful nights sleep last night and woke up ready to tackle my 6 mile run.  Afterwards, I wanted so many different things for breakfast so I decided to put together a little bit of it all. 


  • TJ's Raisin Bran
  • 1 small Peach
  • 1/2 Banana
  • Blueberries
  • Blueberry Greek Yogurt
  • Banana Zucchini Muffin
  • Strawberries and Melon

All washed down with some delicious Coconut Iced Coffee. 

I taught all morning and since I was with a few other co-workers, we decided to grab lunch at a local Pub. 

The Pub actually had quite an impressive menu. I am always impressed to see more and more vegetarian options on bar menus these days. 

I had the Hot Vegetarian Jack Wrap
Broccoli, Cauliflower, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Artichokes, Onion dressed in Soy Sauce, Honey, Sherry and Ginger with Spinach and Romaine


With a side of applesauce.  The wrap was great!  I loved the light dressing that the veggies were cooked in, although it did make for one messy eat. 

After work, I headed right to the gym.  I'm still feeling sore from Body Pump, but not too sore for some upper body.  

Workout~
  • 2 mile warm up on treadmill
  • 3 x 12 Overhead Press (40 lbs)
  • 1 min Jumping Jacks
  • 3 x 12 Bench Press (40lbs)
  • 1 min Jump Rope
  • 3 x 12 Lat Pull Down (40lbs)
  • 1 min Butt Kicks
  • 20 Tricep push backs (each side) in a deep lunge (10 lbs) 
  • 50 Ball Crunches
  • 5 min Bike
After a mile walk with Sammy, this ended up lasting a little over an hour.  I usually spend about 30 min strength training so this was a surprise that I had an entire hour in me. 

I got started on dinner a little later than usual so I was quite hungry while preparing but I had quite the envisions for a stand out meal. 

First up, baked Zucchini Fries.



These were simply dipped in egg white and dredged in whole wheat panko bread crumbs, with seasons and parmesan cheese and baked at 425 for 20 min. 

For my main entree, I heated up a frozen homemade Vegetarian Bean Burger and cooked it in a skillet.  I toasted a piece of Cibatta Bread, layered on some pesto, spinach, tomato sauce and added the burger.  Finally, I topped it with fresh tomato slices, basil, and parmesan cheese.


I can't tell which picture looks better, the one with the artificial lighting (above) or natural lighting (below)



All together, this was a fantastic dinner! 


And now it's time for me to say goodnight.  I've got some emails to catch up on and some trashy TV to watch, ie. Housewives of NJ's and The Bachelorette! 

Goodnight!

PS- Does anyone know what kind of squash this would be?  It's been growing strong in my garden for a few weeks and I don't want to pick it because it's white color makes me think it's not fully ripe, but now I'm beginning to think it's supposed to look like this.  Anyone hear or see a white squash before and know what kind it might be?


12 comments:

  1. Ow! I almost forgot real housewives is on tonight! Thank you for the reminder :) I love the idea of writing your body a thank you letter. I am going to try doing this. Great breakfast. And Coconut Iced Coffee? That sounds fantastic and very summer. And I want to make those zuch fries. As always- your inspire me :)

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  2. What a beautiful way to start this post! I love it!

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  3. This is such a beautiful idea :)

    If it's hard, it is a spaghetti squash and it's def not ready yet! I'm not sure when they are ripe - probably like a month or more from now. My dad has some growing in his garden and they look just like that.

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  4. my very first blog was one where i wrote letters to my body...except i focused on a different body part each day. a very powerful tool in overcoming my eating disorders!!!

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  5. excellent letter! we only have 1 life and 1 body so we deserve to live in it with respect and love :) easier said than done sadly..especially for us girls!

    mmm coconut iced coffee is so good!

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  6. Lauren,

    You and I would get along just swell :-) I totally agree with your philosophy :-) And today was one of those days that I just wasn't happy with my body. I am taking a new approach!!

    Thanks for the good read!

    ~Alyssa

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  7. I have certainly had those days, but I didn't think girls as pretty as you had them, too! Lauren, I am so glad that you have little tricks and tools like that to let yourself know how AWESOME and lovely you are. :)

    Whole wheat panko crumbs?! Where does one buy those? :)

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  8. you are SUCH a great role model- really, i mean that. I am so glad you took the time to share this exercise- i think it is a great one to do. When i am feeling negative about my body, i try to remember all the amazing things my body allows me to do. It works sometimes!
    great food too... as always :)

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  9. One of the things I love about your blog is your honesty and your positive words. You are so open about where you are and what you are doing to grow and change. You are a beautiful person, and I'm so glad I get to peek into you life!

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  10. I second everyone's comments... your honesty AND positivity is so refreshing. Usually it's one or the other. Thanks for the tips... I know we all have WAY too many of those "I hate my body" moments.

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  11. This is such a wonderful post. I definitely have more "I hate my body" moments than I should, and the love letter is a wonderful idea. So many people out there would love to have a body that is fully functional and healthy, and I beat myself up because my stomach isn't flat enough. Thank you for the wonderful reminder to love myself!

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  12. girl - you are probably the cutest thing on the planet. please never doubt yourself!

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