My new life

After moving to this small country town I was sidelined by foot surgery and 2 months of healing and therapy, my son's wedding, and my sister's illness. FINALLY, the new year is here and I am ready to start my new life. More mobile and more motivated than ever before especially since being incapacitated didn't help my waistline any! I feel that as I age my metabolism has really slowed down and now is the time to take drastic action. It is no fun to find that the jeans you normally wear are so tight you can't breath. I began to get serious about my goals at Christmastime. That is when I decided to give myself the best gift possible. I went to Target and purchased a fabulous new bicycle. Target is a great place to buy a bike when you do not want to spend the big bucks that bike shops want to charge, but you still want a pretty good bike for your daily exercise. The model I bought was the Schwinn Trailway Hybrid Model #S5985TGB. I don't feel you could ever go wrong with a Schwinn! As the new year came, I did what a million other folks do and joined the local gym in order to get really serious about building up strength. I am thoroughly enjoying it so far and actually look forward to it. Today I hired a personal trainer for just 4 sessions in order to kick start my action plan. Her job is to help me acheive my goals and challenge me to keep going when I want to quit, which is VERY often. She also measured and weighed me and even though I am not too overweight for my height (5'7"/154 lbs)I am very out of shape! Along with my new exercise goals I plan to eat healthy and make most of my meals in order to avoid fatty foods. Dr. Oz's show is a great source of great tips and motivating ideas! I watched a segment recently for a great smoothie using swiss chard. I had never even bought this veggie before, but I do beleive it will become one of my staple items. The recipe calls for:
1 c. Swiss Chard
1 c. Green Tea (not the store bought kind!)
1/2 c. Blueberries (frozen is ok)
2 Brazil Nuts ( I used walnuts)
1 tsp ground flaxseed
I revised the original recipe just a bit by adding 1/2 small apple, 1/4 tsp fresh ginger, and a large sprinkle of cinnamon. I had to use a tsp of raw sunflower seeds since I could not find flaxseed at our local grocery HEB Pantry foods. They have quite a selection of fresh fruits/veggies though! The smoothie was delicious and I have to say I was not hungry for quite a while after drinking the whole thing! You might want to try a variation yourself, by using cocoa instead of cinnamon or a different fruit. Until next time, stay happy and healthy!