Evolve With Mary

Lets Talk Discipline

dis·ci·pline

ˈdisəplin/

noun

noun: discipline: the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.

verb

verb: (someone) to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.

Discipline was never a issue in our house, my Father was a Drill Sergeant. He was actually a Drill Sergeant, and as loveable and fun as he is, he also had his “Drill Sergeant” side. I will admit, I loved both sides of my father. He didn’t go overboard, he taught us some serious discipline that I appreciate and use to this day. He taught me I could do anything I set my mind too, with a plan, and will power.

Most of my clients ask where I got my discipline from and how they can improve their discipline. This is not an easy task, but it's far from impossible. You can change anything in your life that you want; but you have to believe it first.

I wasn’t successful in losing weight until I truly believe I could do it. Then I slowly worked on my discipline to make sure I exercised on a daily bases, and ate healthy food. It was not an over night process. It took me 7 years to get where I am today.

The only difference I can see between me and other people is that I didn’t give up. Even when I felt stupid, silly and like a loser, I never stopped believing. I somehow convinced myself that I could do anything, and my discipline took me the rest of the way.

I’ve used this article with my clients that have issues with discipline. I hope you enjoy it and it helps you along your journey.

How to Bring Discipline in Life

Talk to yourself first.

Try to convince yourself that you want to be disciplined for the purpose of believing in yourself, rather than just pleasing others.

Once you make the decision to do something, follow through no matter what.

Often there will be moments when a lazy desire comes out and inhibits your work. Remember that these feelings are normal, and even the biggest achievers have them. The difference with them is not that they are somehow "better" than you. They just have a habit of catching these moments and deflecting them before they become significant.

Choose to behave and act with temperance.

Human behavioral traits are influenced by cultures, divergent attitudes, emotions, different values, and other social norms within a person's group or community. Be sure to behave politely and with a common sense in all situations.

Learn the basics of management.

From budgeting your finances to organizing a get-together, you will need to learn how to manage certain things on your own. It certainly doesn't entail the starting of a Fortune 500 company, but simply a sense of order in life. Do more things at a certain time, and start small. For example, take lunch after 12:00 PM and dinner after 8:00 PM.

Keep yourself neat and clean.

This will not only benefit you, but it will also make you feel good. Cleanliness makes a big difference in how you feel emotionally and it will make your environment better and fresher for you.

Use appropriate gestures.

Communicate eloquently and assertively, and use appropriate gestures when there is a need to do so. Do not shout or use intensifiers in your speech. Discipline in the subtle arts of communication can make a difference in the discipline you exhibit in the more noticeable areas of your life.

Once you learn to do something correctly, keep doing it.

Make your regular routines as automatic as breathing.

Tips

Self discipline is not at you, it is in you. It is a quality, not a quantity. It can be brought in life, not bought in life.
You can never be a self-disciplinarian. Be a disciple of self-discipline and it will be a quality in you.
Keep yourself motivated, by reminding yourself of your reasons to go on.

Warnings

Try not to preach or pick at others for what may seem like a lack of discipline on their part. If what they fail to accomplish does affect you in some way, have a gentle talk with them. If it doesn't, let them deal with their own problems. You cannot change others, only yourself.
Don't overdo it. Signs of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can occur in people who feel the need to put routine over common sense and well-being. If your routines startle or annoy others, that may be a sign to slow down.
Avoid burnout. Take things step-by-step rather than all at once. Even the slightest things can become backbreaking when piled up on one another.

Lets talk Fitness

I’m a avid pin(er) (Pinerest user) and it’s pretty hard not to run across 100s of challenges on a daily bases.

Ab challenge

Squat challenge

Bikini Challenge

Lunge Challenge

Burpee Challenge

The list goes on and on and on. Challenges seem to be more popular then ever and I want to know why? I participated in a Squat and Abdominal challenge a few months ago. I loved the results, it was fun and challenging, plus it felt like a great jump-start to my new workout routine.

This article answers my question, and also taught more about myself. Enjoy

Monday, January 30, 2012

Do fitness challenges really work?

Motivation to work out or train for a race can be hard to muster alone. Hence the popularity of fitness challenges, now offered at all kinds of yoga and fitness studios (and workplaces) that claim to deliver that needed extra dose of get up and go.

But does completing one really lead to sustained health and wellness in the long run?

“The fitness/health/diet process is complex and multifaceted,” says Bill Cole, the founder and president of the Mental Game Coaching Association and author of the forthcoming book The Mental Game Guide To Fitness And Weight Control. “If it was simple, anyone could do it, easily, on their own.”

Since a lot of us can’t, fitness companies try to do it for us, in lots of different ways.

The Flybarre Challenge includes 4 classes per weel for 6 weeks.

Oliver Ryan, the founder of the online challenge community Social Workout, says that the social aspect of challenges is the key to motivating participants.

“There are huge amounts of evidence that social accountability is enormously motivating,” explains Ryan. “It’s about the public statement of a goal.”

And “goal-setting togetherness” doesn’t just encourage accountability, it also provides support. Team In Training, for instance, built its model of coaching individuals to conquer endurance challenges like triathlons and 100-mile bike rides around this concept—if team members are cheering you on, the challenge just won’t feel as painful.

Zhana Galjasevic, the owner of The Yoga Room, agrees. Galjasevic runs 30-day yoga challenges twice a year, in which, she says, students tend to motivate each other, and a sense of community builds at the studio.

Motivation can also come from regularly taking stock of your progress with someone besides your diary, finds Mahri Relin, one of the instructors who runs six-week Flybarre challenges at Flywheel. Participants are highly motivated by the numbers that measure change in their bodies. “Getting measured every week keeps people accountable to themselves,” says Relin. “They’re disappointing themselves if the numbers aren’t changing.”

But while challenges seem to be successful in motivating individuals to achieve short-term fitness goals, long-term fitness is not a guaranteed result.

How do you sustain the regimen after crossing the challenge finish line? According to Bill Cole, it’s about aligning your personal and social motivations. Accountability starts with you—but a little cheerleading doesn’t hurt. —Lisa Elaine Held

Enjoy your Monday friends

Blessings

Mary

References: http://www.wikihow.com/Bring-Discipline-in-Life, http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2012/01/30/do-fitness-challenges-really-work/#

Lets Talk Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, today’s posting is dedicated to educating everyone and myself about Breast Cancer.

My mother is a Radiation Oncologist. She gives radiation to cancer patients, so the ‘C’ word was used regularly around our house. She always taught us to live for today, because tomorrow is never promised, she was, and still is, always on me to check my breast for lumps.

I’ve found a lump in my breast about 2 years ago. I freaked out, started stressing and crying and didn’t know what to do. I called my doctor and set up an appointment, but I could hardly talk through my tears. I had to wait a month to see the doctor, which was the longest month of my life. When my appointment date finally arrived I was a mess. No more happy go lucky Mary, I was depressed, I had lost 10 pounds from not eating and I was only thinking about the worst.

It took the doctor 3 minutes to tell me that I had no lump and I was fine. She explained to me that around our menstrual cycle lumps can pop up, and to make sure I always check after my cycle is completed.

I felt like she gave me another chance at life. I promptly gained that 10 pounds back, and now I check my breast every month after my menstrual cycle.

That’s my breast cancer story. I’m a blessed and lucky girl, a lot of stories aren’t as positive as mine. Happy endings are hard to come by sometimes.

Enjoy these facts.

Pass them on to friends, family members, neighbors, and enemies.

What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. The damaged cells can invade surrounding tissue, but with early detection and treatment, most people continue a normal life.

Facts about Breast Cancer in the United States

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women.

Each year it is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.

Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 410 will die each year.

A Global Burden

According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of women each year and affecting countries at all levels of modernization.

Good News About Breast Cancer Trends

In recent years, perhaps coinciding with the decline in prescriptive hormone replacement after menopause, we have seen a gradual reduction in female breast cancer incidence rates among women aged 50 and older. Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, in part to better due to screening and early detection increased awareness, and continually improving treatment options.

Causes of Breast Cancer: How did this happen?

When you’re told that you have breast cancer, it’s natural to wonder what may have caused the disease. But no one knows the exact causes of breast cancer. Doctors seldom know why one woman develops breast cancer and another doesn’t, and most women who have breast cancer will never be able to pinpoint an exact cause. What we do know is that breast cancer is always caused by damage to a cell's DNA.

Known Risk Factors

Women with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop breast cancer. A risk factor is something that may increase the chance of getting a disease. Some risk factors (such as drinking alcohol) can be avoided. But most risk factors (such as having a family history of breast cancer) can’t be avoided. Having a risk factor does not mean that a woman will get breast cancer. Many women who have risk factors never develop breast cancer.

What Do Scientists Actually Know About The Cause Of breast cancer?

Cancer grows when a cell’s DNA is damaged, but why or how that DNA becomes damaged is still unknown. It could be genetic or environmental, or in most cases, a combination of the two. But most patients will never know exactly what caused their cancer. However, there are certain established risk factors that are associated with breast cancer.

Genetic Factors

Gender: Breast cancer occurs nearly 100 times more often in women than in men.

Age: Two out of three women with invasive cancer are diagnosed after age 55.

Race: Breast cancer is diagnosed more often in caucasian women than women of other races.

Family History and Genetic Factors: If your mother, sister, father or child has been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer, you have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer in the future. Your risk increases if your relative was diagnosed before the age of 50.

Personal Health History: If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast, you have an increased risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer in the other breast in the future. Also, your risk increases if abnormal breast cells have been detected before (such as atypical hyperplasia, lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)).

Menstrual and Reproductive History: Early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after 55), having your first child at an older age, or never having given birth can also increase your risk for breast cancer.

Certain Genome Changes: Mutations in certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, can increase your risk for breast cancer. This is determined through a genetic test, which you may consider taking if you have a family history of breast cancer. Individuals with these gene mutations can pass the gene mutation onto their children.

Dense Breast Tissue: Having dense breast tissue can increase your risk for breast cancer and make lumps harder to detect. Several states have passed laws requiring physicians to disclose to women if their mammogram indicates that they have dense breasts so that they are aware of this risk. Be sure to ask your physician if you have dense breasts and what the implications of having dense breasts are.

Environmental and Lifestyle Risk Factors

Lack of Physical Activity: A sedentary lifestyle with little physical activity can increase your risk for breast cancer.

Poor Diet: A diet high in saturated fat and lacking fruits and vegetables can increase your risk for breast cancer.

Being Overweight or Obese: Being overweight or obese can increase your risk for breast cancer. Your risk is increased if you have already gone through menopause.

Drinking Alcohol: Frequent consumption of alcohol can increase your risk for breast cancer. The more alcohol you consume, the greater the risk.

Radiation to the Chest: Having radiation therapy to the chest before the age of 30 can increase your risk for breast cancer.

Combined Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Taking combined hormone replacement therapy, as prescribed for menopause, can increase your risk for breast cancer and increases the risk that the cancer will be detected at a more advanced stage.

What Are The Stats?

60-70% of people with breast cancer have no connection to these risk factors at all, and other people with risk factors will never develop cancer.

These do not cause breast cancer

Breast cancer is not contagious; you can’t contract cancer from a person who has the disease.

Breast cancer is not caused by wearing underwire bras, implants, deodorants, antiperspirants, mammograms, caffeine, plastic food serving items, microwaves, or cell phones, as myths often suggest.

I hope you learned a lot. I know I did. Enjoy your weekend. Live everyday to the fullest!

Blessings
Mary

References: www.nationalbreastcancer.org

Lets Talk Healthy Cooking

This morning I woke up on a mission. I’ve been trying to make this granola called The Muscle Maker for the last week or so. I featured the recipe on my blog a week ago, I purchased all the ingredients but I never made the granola and I’ve been craving it.

Today was the day. I jumped out of bed at 7am and went straight to my kitchen ready to make some granola.

The recipe was easy to follow. Not only is it tasty and filling, but it made my kitchen smell like breakfast.

Enjoy!

The Muscle Maker

Vitamin E found in this granola’s nuts, apricots, and oatmeal speeds muscle recovery by fighting off the free radicals that multiply when you workout. Make a batch and enjoy it the rest of the week.

Non-Stick cooking spray

3 cups plain oatmeal I used steel cut oatmeal and it was perfect

½ cup walnuts

½ cup hazelnuts

1/3 cup sesame seeds

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup canola oil

2 tablespoons orange juice

dash of salt

¼ cup dried apricots

Preheat oven to 300°F and coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray

In large bowl mix: oats, nuts, and seeds

In separate bowl stir: honey, sugar, oil, juice, and salt together

Combine the 2 bowls and spread mixture on the cookie sheet.

Bake about 20 minutes or until evenly browned. Let cool

Stir in apricots

Place granola in six airtight reseal-able plastic bags for easy retrieval

Makes 6 servings

Per serving: 370 calories, 19g fat, 2g sat fat, 47g carbs, 250mg sodium, 4g fiber, 6g protein

This is the best granola I’ve ever made, it is also the only granola I've ever made. I’m looking forward to spicing up this recipe, I would like to add almonds, cranberries, cinnamon, and maybe even some cayenne pepper. I love sweet and spicy granola.

Lets Talk Fitness

Always one to look for new ways to market myself, I’ve decided to put together a small booklet of my abdominal challenge.

The book will have color pictures, exercise break downs, explanations, and a check off list to keep track of your days, since it is a 30 day challenge.

This is usually what I send people when they want a copy of the challenge. Yes it works, yes it has all the information you will need, but I want to make it a lot more appealing and eye catching.

I want to have this done by Sunday. I will have to relay on my graphic design skills, which is a plus for me, since I’m a pretty good graphic designer.

I need to get all my pictures done today. Wish me luck

That’s all today. Get back to work. : )

Blessings

Mary

Lets Talk Healthy Foods

It’s officially October, the holiday season is quickly approaching. This is my favorite time of year, I’m not crazy about Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years, but I love how this season tends to bring families together. You get to see relatives you haven’t seen since last year, catch up with family members you’ve been too busy to stay in contact with.

This year is a little different for me. I’ve been cooking more then I ever have and I’m enjoying every minute of it. I know it's important to cook foods that are in season. What fruits and vegetables are in season in October?

Apples, Beets, Blackberries, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chicory, Cranberries, Dates, Figs, Grapes, Leeks, Lettuce, Okra, Oranges, Parsnips, Pears (late season), Peppers, Pumpkins, Quince, Shallots, Star fruit, Sweet Potatoes, Turnips, Watercress

Benefits of Eating Fruits and Vegetables in Season

Fruits and vegetables in season are much more supportive of your health and the health of the planet.

When you purchase fruits and vegetables that are not in season:

They have traveled long distances
They are picked while immature, to ensure they don’t spoil while traveling
When vegetables and fruits are picked immaturely it affects the taste and smell of them, which causes vitamin degradation and nutrient loss

Earlier generations were only able to eat food according to the Earth’s natural seasons and cycles. Today we expect a bounty of produce at our disposal at all times.

Try to eat foods that are in season for you and the earth.

Lets talk Fitness Facts

Enjoy these random facts, I know I did.

Blessings
Mary

References: http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/slowfoodorganiclocal/a/inseasonoctober.htm, http://bodyecology.com/articles/benefits_in_season.

Lets Talk Healthy Cooking

I love Pesto sauce. I’ve always wanted to learn how to make it, but I wanted an old Italian Grandmother to teach me. I’m 30 and I have yet to find an old Italian Grandmother to teach me how to cook anything, so last night I took matters into my own hands.

My boyfriend started Meatless Mondays with a college friend of his about 6 months ago. They both cannot consume any meat on Mondays, it seems simple enough to me, but my boyfriend tends to struggle without protein. I take it as a personal challenge to make something so good, so tasty, so flavorful, so filling that he doesn’t miss the meat.

Sometimes I’m successful, sometimes I’m a failure, but last night I set the bar pretty high. Not only was it meatless Mondays it was also Monday night football which deserves some kind of football food i.e. pizza, nachos, chicken wings, chips and dip. We don’t eat most of those foods in our house, but ever since I made that pizza he’s been after me to make another one.

Last night I accepted his challenged and raised him fresh pesto sauce.

Basil Pesto

1 garlic clove

½ cup pin nuts

4 cups fresh basil

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pouring over top (optional)

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 4 ounces)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

*It said to make it in a food processor, but I only have a blender and that worked just fine

Pulse garlic and pine nuts until coarsely chopped

Add basil and olive oil and process to combine

add cheese and pulse to combine

Season with salt and pepper

To store pour a thin layer of olive oil over the top and refridgerate in airtight contaier up to 1 week

Easy to freeze

This Pesto sauce is Gluten Free

Per serving (2 tablespoons): 229 calories, 22.72g fat (4.11g saturated fat), 8.8mg cholesterol, 1.95g carbohydrates, 5.22g protein, 0.6g fiber

Check out my pizzas!!

Kale Pesto Pizza

1 tablespoon olive oil plus 1 teaspoon

¾ pound store-brought or homemade pizza dough

1 ½ ounces finely grated pecorino Romano

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup kale tore into bite size strips

3 tablespoon fresh pesto

½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 500° F
Brush a 12-in cast-iron skillet with 1 teaspoon olive oil
Press dough flat in skill, spreading to edge (if retracts let rest 5 minutes before continuing)
Brush a 1-inch border around edge with 1 teaspoon oil, season with salt and pepper
Spread Pesto sauce over dough
Combined ricotta with salt and pepper and mix
Spread ricotta mixture over pesto sauce
Cook pizza on stove top over medium-high heat until bottom is golden brown, about 4-5 minutes
Remove from stove top add Kale
Transfer to oven for 5 minutes
Add Pecorino Romano Cheese
Finish baking until crust is golden and cooked through 5-7 minutes
Season with salt and pepper and serve

Per serving: 358 calories, 13.2g fat, (3.5g saturated fat) 13.2mg cholesterol, 43.12g carbohydrates, 19.04g protein, 4.12g fiber

This was so good.

Lets talk NY Times Headlines

Eating the Color Purple

By Tara Parker-Pope, September 27, 2013

They say “eat your greens,” but this week Martha Rose Shulman’s Recipes for Health provide ways to eat purple, cooking up eggplant in five new ways.

Even though it’s officially autumn, the summer crop of eggplant is still in full swing at farmers’ markets across the country. I’ve been buying them in all shapes and sizes — small, delicate Italian eggplants and paler Asian eggplants that I buy both at farmers’ markets and at my local Iranian market, as well as the familiar globe eggplants that are widely available in both farmers’ markets and supermarkets.

The darker the eggplant’s skin, the more it has to offer in terms of antioxidant-rich anthocyanins. The anthocyanin phytonutrient in eggplant skin is called nasunin, and scientists have been able to isolate it and identify its antioxidant activity, particularly in protecting lipids in brain cell membranes.

Eggplant is a “meaty” vegetable. When I’m planning a dinner party for a mixed group of vegetarians and carnivores I’ll often serve a dish like the eggplant and tomato tart or the eggplant lasagna in this week’s Recipes for Health as my main course. These dishes please everybody and nobody goes home hungry.

I begin most of my eggplant recipes by roasting the eggplant. It will soften up in a 450-degree oven in about 20 minutes and requires very little oil — a good thing as eggplant is like a sponge and will drink up every tablespoon of oil you give it.

Here are five new recipes with eggplant.

Eggplant and Tomato Pie: This robust summer pie, topped with a layer of tomato slices flecked with thyme, is a nice party piece.

Balkan Eggplant and Chile Purée: This is an eggplant-centric version of ajvar, the Balkan red pepper and eggplant relish.

Lasagna With Tomato Sauce and Roasted Eggplant: This is a great do-ahead dish.

Grilled Eggplant and Tomatoes With Chermoula: Chermoula, the pungent Moroccan herb sauce that is traditionally used as a marinade for fish, is also great with grilled vegetables, like the last of the summer’s eggplant and tomatoes.

Imam Bayildi: There are many recipes for the iconic Turkish eggplant dish, but this one is a much lighter dish than the classic.

My favorite color is purple, and I love eggplant, what a surprise. I’m going to try a few of these recipes this week.

That’s all folks

Enjoy your day

Blessings,

Mary

References: New York Times, Sept 27, 2013, Tara Parker-Pope, Meatless: Clarkson Potter publishing 2013

Tips

Warnings

What is breast cancer?

Facts about Breast Cancer in the United States

A Global Burden

Good News About Breast Cancer Trends

Causes of Breast Cancer: How did this happen?

Known Risk Factors

What Do Scientists Actually Know About The Cause Of breast cancer?

Genetic Factors

Environmental and Lifestyle Risk Factors

What Are The Stats?

These do not cause breast cancer

About

Contact Form

Hello

Social

Eat Seasonally

Search This Blog

Blog Archive

Popular Posts