The Sane & Satisfied Way to Exercise

One of the tenants of Sane & Satisfied is that we are all individuals and just because a plan works for one person doesn't mean that it's the best plan for someone else. That tenant can be no truer for exercise.

Here on the Sane & Satisfied Blog I try to teach and encourage you to find your own way of doing things. Whether you are trying to lose weight, gain confidence, eat healthier or learn a new language you have a unique way of learning things. You also have your own unique set of motivations and inspirations to keep you going.

Paleo Diet: Sane & Satisfied Approved

My husband and I have been following a new eating plan called the Paleo Diet. It's also known as the Caveman Diet since it's modeled after the way humans used to eat before advances in agriculture and industry. The main idea of the Paleo Diet is that we are "genetically adapted" to the diet of our ancestors and that our genetic makeup hasn't changed much (from Wikipedia) The basic rules are to stay away from grains, milk products, starches, grain-fed meat and processed foods (including sugars). But everything else is fair game.

When my husband first told me that we should follow this eating plan I was skeptical. Because, for one, my husband has a sweet tooth just like I do and, for two, I thought just because cavemen didn't eat grain that doesn't automatically mean that we shouldn't today. I mean, I love my bread and pasta! I was glad however that I could continue eating meat, eggs and fruit to my heart's content.

Easy Peasy Monday: Yummy Veggies

Its Easy Peasy Monday! I bring you super easy things that you can do in a few minutes to make your life more healthy, yummy, simple and enjoyable.

Today is all about Yummy Veggies. Last week I did a detox program I found on Pinterest. The first three days are nothing but fruits and veggies. I love fruit but I had to get creative about how to make the veggies more palatable. And I thought I would share three tricks to eat your veggies without sacrificing flavor.

Probably the Easiest Detox/Diet Program EVER

Hello. I found this diet program on Pinterest and was very intrigued to try it out. So I'm on the third day and I have to say that this is the easiest diet/detox I've ever tried. Ever. It's called Eat Your Heart Out. I guess a chick named Courtney Rose designed the poster but I'm not sure who came up with it. Maybe she did?

Anywho...

I've read about detox and dieting programs where you only eat fruits and veggies or only drink juice. Those are not for me! But this one is very versatile and has a good variety of food choices so you don't get bored. They break the week up into different kinds of food. Like, day one is fruits only, day 2 is veggies only and so on. Check it out on my Pinterest board to see the whole plan.

Saying Yes to Opportunities

Success is just a small step

It's a fact universally known that the more you do something the more chances you have to succeed. The more times you set up a booth at the Farmers Market the more chances you give yourself to make money. The more times you buy a lottery ticket the more chances you have to win. The more dates you go on the more chances you have to find Prince Charming.

I have read many interviews with successful people and how they became successful and I have noticed a couple patterns. First, they always have their eyes open for new opportunity and they seize that opportunity. Second, if something unexpected is thrown their way they say, "What the hell" and make the most of it.

Kale Chips Recipe

I LOVE kale! Like seriously LOVE it! So when my mom told me about a recipe she saw on TV for kale chips I was like "Hold the phone! I can eat kale and it's like I'm eating chips but it's really kale so it's ok if I stuff my face cuz it's KALE?" And she was like, "Uh, yeah?"

Wasted Energy & Pina Coladas

I've been thinking a lot lately about my life and where I spend my time and energy. Much of my time is spent watching TV and planning for things that never seem to happen.

Are all humans doomed to always want more than we have? Is there anyone who is truly content with who they are and where they are in life?

I often think of what goes through a monk's mind as he's going about his life. Does he long to sip pina coladas on the beach while he's pulling weeds in the garden? Do Zen masters really have control over their past and present? Or do they sometimes turn red when reliving an embarassing moment? Do they regret some things they've done?

We all try so hard to paint ourselves perfect for everyone to see that we forget we are all as chipped as the Mona Lisa.

That's a lot of wasted energy if you ask me.

Letting your interests guide you

I thought I would try my hand at a video post. It's about letting your interests guide to a better and more enjoyable life.

Highlights

• Spending time cultivating your interests is such a great multi-tasker.
• Your interests help remind you who you really are.
• Your interests keep you on track.
• You get immediate satisfaction.

Sane & Satisfied vs. Technology

There was a time when humans had to do a lot of things on their own. They had to rely on themselves for protection, food, shelter and enjoyment. And they had to do all of these things without the aid of technology or training courses. They just seemed to know how to do certain things and if they didn't know then they figured it out.

I can't imagine how I would figure out how to make flour for bread from scratch or how to find water and then develop a system for getting it out of the ground. But somehow our ancestors did all of these things and more.

There have been many advances over the years. Mostly these advances have made it easier for us humans to survive and grow as a society. But these advances have had some unintended consequences as well.

Pizza, Atlantis & Realizations

I'm sitting on the couch waiting for Michael to get home with the pizza and even after a pretty trying day I'm feeling good. I'm about to work on a scene in a fiction book I'm writing, work some more on my Sane & Satisfied Heart book. Then when Michael gets home we'll eat pizza and watch Stargate Atlantis.

I'm also feeling good because I've come to terms with a few things that have been weighing heavily on me recently. Both of these realizations have come out of hurtful experiences. But with pain comes healing and deeper understanding of oneself.

Quiet Questions

I often wonder what is was like for Americans back when they had to grow their own food and it took days or months to get places...on horseback.

Did they have goals? Did they enjoy their life? While they slaved away in the field did they have an idea that inspired them to create something?

The Sane & Satisfied Health Plan

I hope you had a Sane & Satisfied Christmas. Like me you probably had your fill of goodies. My husband and I made Fondue for Christmas Eve and I won't hide the fact that I stuffed my happy face.

As with every other year, the days after the holidays and the start of the new year bring all kinds of resolutions, mostly centering around eating healthy, dieting and exercising. Sane & Satisfied people should cringe at the word diet, by the way. It brings to mind starving oneself. It's also interesting how the word diet was originally a noun used like "a Mediterranean diet" or "a low sugar diet". Now it's a verb. "I'm dieting" or "I'm going on a diet". Often times people forget to define what sort of diet they are going on.

But I digress...

Whatever your health goals are this year, please don't fall into the same trend as last year and the year before and the year before. Which is to say don't listen to the hype, marketing and propaganda from "health gurus" who bank on the fact that thoughts of dieting and exercise are flooding the minds of Americans right now.

Skills That Can't Be Taught & Used Coffee Grounds

This morning, I was laying in bed thinking about Sane & Satisfied. I realized that most of the things that help you become Sane & Satisfied really can't be taught, only experienced and practiced.

Some of those things include:
Critical Thinking - the knowledge to ask who, what, why, where and how.
Imagination - to see what isn't there yet.
Entrepreneurship - to create things with your brain and hands that helps make others lives better and more enjoyable.
Will - to turn your imagination into reality and to convince people who do not believe yet.

And if you think about it, these are the same things that make people successful. Not 4 years of college, not money, but these skills above that are the very hardest to learn.