30 Day Challenge

I'm sort of sad to say that I haven't been vegan lately. But, due to a recent, very painful, time-of-the-month I am going to see if eating vegan will help the pain. This is after taking double the recommended amount of Aleve, being on the pill for almost a year (and it only helped for a couple of months) and finally trying to dispose of it all together. Nothing worked. So, I'm going back to my roots, and I'm going to eat as macrobiotic-vegan-whole-food loving as possible.

Today:

• Some coffee with coconut creamer
• Fried noodles with some sauce, tofu, broccoli, mushrooms and carrots
• Side salad with a sesame vinegar dressing. 

My Goals for Week1:

1. Completely vegan the whole week
2. Cut down to only 2 cups of coffee a day, not the usual 3.
3. Record and take pictures of all of my food, so I can see what I'm eating in a more retrospect kind of way. 

On a side note, I'm also working on getting into better shape. This is a constant goal, but I'm starting to get more serious. Here's my goals and plans for the rest of September, through October: 

Cardio-Running:

• Run at least 6 days a week. Monday through Saturday; Sundays off. Whether it's in the morning, at night, during lunch; whenever. 
• Work on getting my mileage up. 
• Week 1: At least 2 miles a day; See where current mileage is.

Cardio-Bike:

• Bike at least days a week for September. 
• Work on biking more frequently, not just more miles for the first week
• Mileage goal for Week 1: 15 miles 

Weights:

• Go the the gym at least 5 days a week; this give me room to make up for missed days in the mornings and the weekends.
• Bench at least 115 once. 
• Front squat 125.
• Get others to go to the gym with me

I'll keep this updated! 

Peace out, 

Kristin

Update: Class, New house, and more

So, since I last posted, I've moved back to the States. I'm currently residing in Maryland, but I'm only an hour from D.C. That part is cool, I'll admit, but in my short time here I've realized that I'm not really an East Coast Girl, or at least a Maryland girl. But, we'll see.

My SO and I got married, and it's been an interesting first few months. We have a house, and we have moved in 99% (there's still that one box lurking in the basement somewhere). We are next to a couple of really fun neighbors, and some not-so-fun neighboors at the same time. Give and Take right?

We also have adopted a dog!! She is a 3 year old boxer, with lots of energy that likes to drink water, sleep, eat veggies, and chase after deer. K and I are so happy that we got her, (her name is Lucy) and we found out that she went to the same vet we took her to, and the receptionist was happy to see that she had gone to a good home. Me too!!

I've been doing good on the vegan front, and I've even dipped into raw veganism while it's still pretty warm. I really like zucchinni noodles, and I love having all the raw, fresh foods!!

Here's my recipe for this entry:

As-close-to-Authentic Guacamole:

• 2 ripe, but not black avocadoes
• 1 medium-to large tomato, pick a juicy one!
• 1/4 white onion
• 1 jalepeno (optional**)
• Salt**
• 1 lime

1. Gut out the avocadoes and stir to break up the chunks
2. Dice the tomatoes and onion, and jalepeno; stir in
3. Juice the whole lime, but only add in about half, and about a Tablespoon of salt; stir
4. According to your taste, stir in more lime or salt, remembering your chips might be salty

**I don't use jalepeno, but I do use a spicy salt instead

I'm working on making a budget, so I'll let you know how that goes!

Rocky start...

So yesturday, my meals were perfect. I only changed the dinner to some Ramen. Here's the recipe:

Yummy Vegan Ramen!

• Fresh noodles; udon, soba, or whatever you like! I used acorn noodles!
• Veggie broth; Fresh is best, but I use a gel like veggie broth mixed with water--you'll want 3 cups per serving
• Green onion, chopped, approx 1 onion per bowl
• Dried seaweed- approx 1-2 T. per person
• Shitaki mushrooms, sliced into strips, 1/2 cup each
• 1/4 c. corn from a can, or fresh
• 1/4 c tofu cubed into 1/2" cubes
• 1 t. sesame oil
• 1 t. soy sauce
• OPTIONAL: Miso

Directions:

1. Start the water to boil in a pot, and make broth
2. Saute mushrooms with both sesame oil and soy sauce, in a smally, nonstick skillet. Cook them until they are slightly tender, but not mushy.
3. Once broth is boiling, add noodles, and cook until done.
4. Poor desired amount of noodles and LOTS of broth. **if adding miso, wait until it's cooled slightly, then stir in miso*
5. Place ingrediants in the bowl in whatever design fasion you choose.
6. Enjoy!

But, I didn't go to the gym at lunch yesturday. Instead, I went to the yoga class afterwork. It was't as good as the classes I attended in Germany, but I can't get discouraged. I'm attending Thursday's class, with a different teacher.

Today, I ate healthy, did great...and forgot my gym clothes. I had to leave at 5 in the morning, which is a little early for me to be showered, fed, and full of coffee. So, it happens, and I'll just try some yoga at home today. Possibly more ramen tonight, just because the noodles are fresh, and I don't want them to go bad.  TOMORROW however, I'll be on point!

As for a vegan discussion point, I'd like to talk about common human decency. If Bob and Fred are having a conversation about something, and it doesn't pertain to you, don't butt in! I was excited to findout there is another Vegan in my platoon at work, so we were exchanging food stores, food ideas, what not to eat as for hidden ingrediants, vegan resturaunts... etc.... when right in the middle of our conversation, "A" decides to announce to us both that she could never give up meat, and that she thinks we're both idiots because we're going to die.

...Right....

We both ended up brushing it off, but it's just super annoying that people can't mind their own business sometimes. If I thought that you'd think any differently with your beefy neck and beer belly, I would have happily included you. But she had done this a few time already, and it's finally getting to me.

Oh well, it happens, right?
Peace out!

Vegan weight lifting

Tomorrow will mark the beginning of a new chapter in my life. I will start training, including running, biking, and lifting, on a completely vegan diet. I'll do my best to post what I'm eating, so that I can analyze it better, and I'll also post my workouts.

Some people (or some women) think that women can't/shouldn't lift weights. The reasons go from you'll turn into a freaky man/women monster, all the way to women just simply can't lift weights. I've heard people telling me that lifting will make me look aweful, make me weak (huh?) and that (as a vegetarian) that I couldn't do it.

Here's my opinion: As a vegetarian, I could do it, and I could do it well. I had more energy than the rest of the people, and more naturally. I got stronger, but got a lean muscle, which was what I wanted. I started to really love myself more, and apreciate the different curves, lines, and bulges of my body. I loved it.

I went on leave for about a month, and stopped lifting. Now that I have finally settled in my house, got a dog, and got back to work, I want to start going back. I have been to the gym, I just haven't been eating completely vegan. So, here we go again!

Tomorrow's plan is:

• RUN in PT (probably about 2 miles)
• Breakfast of oats with a banana, and a little a bit of coffee
• Snack: 1 apple
• LIFT: CHEST
• Lunch: 1/2 c rice, with 1/2 c pinto beans, 1/2 bell pepper, 1 c. cabbage; scoop of Rice Protein Powder
• Snack: 1 oz pistacios
• Dinner: 1 c. pinto beans, 2 c. cabbage-steamed lightly, 1/2 onion cooked in broth w/ 1/2 bell pepper
• RUN: 3 Miles

I'll update tomorrow!

Update on Travel, hotels, and my First All Vegan resturaunt

So, I have left Germany, I've flown half way across the world, gotten married, driven accross the United States, stayed in more hotels than I can count, and have eaten at my very first all-vegan resturaunt.

Let's start with the flight. I've had this issue before, but it seemed more irritating because I was sleep deprived, anxious to get to the states, and sad to leave Germany. I get on the plane, it's time to eat...and the food that I pre-ordered as Vegan, seemed like it wasn't coming. So, I reluctantly order the cheese pasta or whatever it was, and just sit there. It's a good thing I didn't open it, because a minute later, they came with my vegan food. Has anybody else's food been pre-ordered, but forgotten? Technically, it wasn't forgotten, but it felt like it had been for a bit of time there, and it was, well, pretty depressing.

Oh well, on to the next two weeks. I prepared for the wedding by running around to a bunch of different cities, in the New Mexico/Texas area, made decorations, got my dress hemmed in the middle of the night, and had a blast. I was so happy that some of Kenny's and my friends could make it from Germany. They were so much fun to show around, and to take goofy pictures with. We did lots of massive cooking late into the night, and loved every minute of it. The wedding was fun, too, but I'm just glad that I decided to make the food mostly vegan.

I have a (now) nephew that was born allergic to a lot of different things, to include: all meats, dairy, eggs, tree nuts and peanuts (cashews are okay), and avocados (has anybody else heard that they're put in the tree nut category???). Now, most people would think that the kid would starve to death, right? Well, here comes aunt-to-be Kristin, ready to be the superhero.... okay, not really. His mom already realized he has to eat vegan, but I made sure that he had food at the wedding. There was hummus, and bread that he could eat to start, a main dish and plenty of sides. So, not only could I eat at my own wedding, but so could this little 4 year old that really just wanted to run around in circles.

After the wedding, Kenny and I packed our bags and hit the road! We drove from New Mexico to Maryland. We broke it up into 4 days, about 8 hours a day, and loved almost every moment of it. Oklahoma was probably the lowest point, and Missouri the highest as for road quality. Texas had almost no cars on the road, while Marylanders keep trying to run us off of it. We've stayed in crappy motels with sticky carpets, no fridges or cable, all the way to getting a free upgrade to the penthouse with 2 floors, 3 bathrooms, and a fully working kitchens. It was great!

Eating Vegan has been difficult, and there was a couple times of unknowning faulters. Like, for example the time I forgot to tell the waitress to NOT add butter to my oatmeal (who does that?) and I ordered some pancakes that I'm assuming had some sort of egg. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying....

...which leads me to the best part of my day so far: Great Sage. I'd been getting depressed and irritated (I've hit lots of road blocks with moving) so Kenny said I can pick a place to eat, completely my choice. Little did he know, I have the happycow app on my phone. So, when I saw that Great Sage has a TON of amazing reviews, I decided that's the place for us. He was skeptical, but I was excited. I have never been to a place that doesn't serve meat, let alone dairy and eggs. And let me tell you, it was worth it. I got the spring rolls for the appetizer, and I love love love! the raw spring rolls! My entree was a beautifully crafted display of braised tempeh with savory eggplants and filling polenta. We got a cocunuty cake for dessert, and even kenny was drooling by the end of the meal. If you are in the DC/Baltimore area, I would strongly suggest going there. Now, I don't think spending almost $100 on memorabilia afterwards is neccessary, but it couldn't hurt.

Not only do I feel great right now, but I feel empowered to be a better vegan than I was yesturday. I want to enjoy life, love everything, and not hurt anything!

I hope everybody gets this euphoria as well,
Peace out!

Wow, I haven't posted in a while. Sorry about that guys, I've been super busy, and without internet for a while. I am currently sitting in a temporary room, using an internet stick which means that my connection is slow, and not very trust worthy.

On the vegan front, it's not been so good. My microwave doesn't work, and I don't have any cooking stuff anymore, so i've been stuck with mostly raw foods, or out to eat. Awesome.

Today is the day; the day I final-out. Final-out is when you are completely done with everything, you've cleared every office that you have to, and you are ready to fly to your next duty station. Everything is done. I hope no curve balls get thrown at me, but I don't think there will be.

I'm super excited, but a little nervous as well. This is it, I'm done, finished, ready to go, move away from Germany, from my home for the last 2 years, from the country and culture that has shown me so much. Now, I'm moving to a country that thinks pizza is a vegetable, where vegan is seen as a disease, and if somebody exercises more that 3 times a week, they're obsessive, not just trying to get in shape. Don't get me wrong, I love America, I love being able to call people during the day, and not at 11 at night. I love that if I've got an upset stomach at 11 o'clock at night on a sunday, I can go to the store to get some medicine. I also love that it is becoming more easy for a vegan to eat out without just ordering a salad. (Something that Germany lacks ever so slightly.)

I'll keep everybody updated on my travels. Wish me luck!

Happy Sunday everybody! This week was a short week at work (technically) but it felt very very long. I had CQ on Friday, and that was a long day. Tuesday I got ready to start clearing. Thursday I officially stopped work, and am focusing on clearing.

It was a jumbled week, and this one won't be much better. Kenny has to clear his apartment this week, and I'm already in the Temp rooms at the barracks. The microwave doesn't work very well, and my cooking utensils are already shipped. So, I'm on what a lot of people have been calling the PCS diet. I eat out a lot, or a lot of raw/instant foods. I have a water boiler, so there's these noodle bowls at the commissary that are vegan. (only one brand, so if they run out, I've got nothing.) Kenny still has a rice cooker, so combined, we can eat a lot of grains, and raw veggies. Awesome. It's one way to eat super healthy, but it is putting a strain on the vegan thing.

The topic I'd like to discuss today is Vegan Travel. I love traveling, and I love being a vegan, so, in theory, they go hand in hand in my world. However, contrary to popular belief, the world is not completly vegan friendly. I know, I'm completly shocked as well. But, traveling as a vegan doesn't have to be completly miserable! Sometimes, it's trying, I'll admit. In the states, airports and resturaunts are becoming much more vegetarian and vegan friendly. Websites like happycow.net and even peta are making where to eat an easier option, or at the very least can educate you on which cuisines to eat at for the most options.

When I'm in doubt, I usually pick thai food, or italian for some plain pasta with marinara sauce. But, incase you readers aren't aware, here are some of the best places to eat, and what to get:

Thai: Curry, pad thai, and stir fried veggies. I am lucky to have a thai place down the street that has vegan spring rolls (the not fried kind), soup, and 7 or 8 choices for entrees. Just make sure you let them know that you don't want fish sauce. Sometimes they think that fish is still okay.

Italian: You can get plain pasta with marinara, or, if it's not on the menu, you can explain as nicely as possible that you are a vegan, and ask for some sauted (in oil) vegetables to be added. Some other options are: cheeseless pizza, or calzones, vegetable raviolis with an olive oil or marinara sauce.

Mexican: Beans! Anything with beans, as long as they don't have lard, can be used. Taco Bell is my favorite "fast" Food, place for mexican, they don't use lard, and you can substitute beans in for mean in just about anything! Chipotle is another place that is the perfect place for a vegan, black beans, some rice, some vegetables; the perfect meal on the go.

Japanese: If you're eating japanese, I'm assuming that you're eating sushi, and never fear my friend, you are in the green zone. Just ask for anything with vegetables! I've even had fruit on one before, and it was delicious.

Misc. Asian styled food: I say this one because sometimes it's called a chinese resturaunt, but it doesn't resemble any actual chinese food. But, they will usually have steamed veggies, and white rice if there's nothing else to eat. I've convinced the chinese place where I work to stop mixing egg into their noodles, so now I can eat those too!

American: Don't eat at an "all-american" place unless you KNOW that they have vegan food. This is a setup for disaster.

Well, I'm off to google places to eat at while I'm traveling, have a great week!

Hello Goodbye!

As my days in Germany draw close to an end, I must start saying Goodbye to lots of things; my friends, my living space for the last 2 years, all my stuff (that's on a boat now) and my car. Today was my car. I must greet this ending with as much confidence as I lacked when I got here. I will end this chapter of my book on a happy note, I hope, and start the next on at a totally different setting, with different characters and possibly different roles.

My car is officially off of my name today. I didn't really like the car, but it did its job. It never officially died on me, never blew a gasket, or even kill a battery. I sold it for dirt cheap, because nobody in their right mind would have paid more. I tried to fix it, but, to my dismay, all I did was reaffirm my dislike for cars. They're nice to have once and a while, but the upkeep is too much, gas is aweful for me, the environment, and my walet, and they're just money pits that never pay themselves off. Here is a (crappy) picuter of my car when I first got it.



Stupid car that wasn't worth what I paid for it.

Another part of ending the Germany chapter means no more trips to places older than my country. It's sort of depressing, but I'm glad I got to see some of Germany. I never seemed to have made it North, and now I can't think of why I didn't. ...Pictures from trips in the past...

Me, probably a month or two ago.

Me, just hanging out in the new barracks room... my hair was so long!!!









Kenny is driving to Bavaria



A cow in Austria

I'm getting all reminiscent and I'm not even touching on the Vegan thing.... here's today's quick topic: How OCD are you when you go shopping? I've heard people telling me not to buy produce from the grocery store beause it's covered in wax (from bees, duh!) and then I have those that just don't eat meat, egg, or dairy (no, I don't search the entire ingrediant list for that one thing telling me not to eat this.) I'm somewhere in the middle, which is probably good. The lactose intollerant thing makes it important to ensure that dairy isn't lurking without me knowing. But, I have never even heard of some of the lists that people come up with, naming chemicals out of the yin-yang that are from animals one way or another. I feel like I'm stuck eating the grass outside some days.

Anybody else feel like this? (I bet the cow does!!! Look at that gorgeous cow, eating the grass!)

Well, peace out veg-heads, there's more goodbyes to embrace tomorrow.

Happy Day-after-Easter!!!

We have the day off from work, so I'm just running around getting things done. Today, I am finallizing the wedding invitations, buying the stamps, and mailing them off. I am also getting my laundry done from the weekend, that way there's less for next weekend. Finally, I am going to yoga tonight.

I've really come to love yoga. I do it almost every night now, just to destress right before bed. I love centering myself, and finding me. I think that this ties into the vegan thing, but who knows.

As for easter, I went to a vegetarian-friendly dinner party at Kenny's place. I ate vegetarian because there was nothing, not even the bread, that was vegan. Awesome, but poor planning on my part. So, one day out of a while isn't bad, I think.

I didn't dye eggs, mainly because of the vegan thing, and also because of the no kids thing. But, I was extremely happy to find that you can get ceramic eggs now to dye, for whenever I decide a child should enter my life.

I also had a semi-serious discussion with Kenny. We're getting married in a month and some change, and we'll be living in the United States. The meat in America vs Europe is different; the laws towards how they're treated are different, the laws dictating what can be fed to them are different, it's all mostly different. Our discussion was on how I don't feel he should be eating American meat as it is now. We talked about it, and he's agreed that (after the wedding) he'll be eating 99% vegetarian with me. That last 1% will be the "I'm not cutting it out officially" percentage. Men, what are you going to do?

I'm glad that he is at least open to the idea of cutting most of it out. I hope that this is the gateway to him going completely vegetarian. Will it be? Probably not. But, one can only hope.

In lieu of Easter/Spring (even though it's raining here) I'm going to post some pictures of animals and spring related beauties.

       

Today was day two of yoga class! I'm still in love, and I even bought my own yoga mat. (It's in the mail.) Today's class size was around 9 people, so double from last time. I liked that more people were doing it at first, but then I got slightly annoyed with the constant door opening, and people walking around because they were late, and dropping things. I'm trying to be more considerate, and I realize it's a $4 class, so there can't be too much complaining. I just hope that Friday's class is better. (I'm going Friday because my yoga mat should be here by then, and I want to get more of a rhythm before I go back to the States, and have to do some of it on my own.)

I have ridden my bike a lot more, and I'm loving it. Sometimes, it's irritating, others, it's not. So, I will continue to ride it. I even rode it to the movie theater where I saw the Hunger Games. It was a great movie, I thought, and I can't wait to see if there's more.

As for the vegan front: I made sushi again tonight, mainly because a pot of rice will make my lunches all week, and I'm tired of buying my lunches. So, I'll probably post a better one tomorrow.

Have a happy week!

--This is the OM sanscript in yoga. I think it's pretty. Enjoy!

German's anti-vegan lifstyle

Last night, Kenny and I went out to dinner at a place in Leimen. I ordered my food, and forgot the German rule of thumb for salad dressing: We'll cover a perfectly good salad with 3 X's more dressing than needed, oh, and it's a yogurt based dressing. So, I wasn't able to eat the salad. I got a spinach pasta. Unfortunatly, I thought they'd toss them in olive oil, like I'm used to. And from the looks of it, they did. But there was cream sauce on the bottom, and I had some of it. I'm lactose-intollerant, so when ever the time calls for dairy, I have lactaid that I usually take. Since I've been like super-vegan for these last two weeks or so, I don't carry it around with me. So, I was punished with an extremely bloated belly, making it uncofortable to sleep last night.

I love Germany, don't get me wrong. But, one thing I am getting tired of is going to a german resturaunt and not having any food choices at all. Or, I can eat a plain salad, with some oil and vinegar. That's part of the reason I 1) try to cook as much as possible 2)eat sushi and thai so much. 3)am partially ready to go back to the states. In the states, the service is usually already crap, so I don't mind asking for no cheese, or no cream sauce, or a vinigerette. In Germany, I don't speak the language very well, and everytime I ask, they look at me like I just asked them to sacrifice their baby. So, it's a little hard.

In lieu of being excited for the food in the DC/Baltimore area, I need to make a list of place to eat at while I'm there. Anybody have suggestions? In the DC area alone, there's dozens of places to try! I'm super excited!!! I've been dying to try Loving Hut, and I want to try vegan bakeries!

On a semi-side note. Kenny said that he'll probably go vegetarian in the states because "the animals there are so stressed in the factories, the meat probably tastes aweful." Those are his words, but whatever gets him going, right?

I'll probably take pictures of my food today, but we'll see.

I had CQ again yesturday. Instead of wasting most of my time doing nothing and looking at funny pictures, I did some reading on one of my favorite pages. PETA. Why is this my favorite page? Not because of the crazy campaigns, or the sometimes rude way they handle situations, but because they have SO much information that I haven't even read yet, and I love to learn more.

At lunch, I didn't have a lunch, so instead of oatmeal for the gazillionth time, I got chinese food. As I was sitting there, picking out the miniscule pieces of egg that were mixed in, I asked myself: Why am I doing this? This doesn't even add up to a whole egg. Would it matter if I just ate it? My answer was, Yes. It matters. Instead of asking myself if I should waste my time, I should be asking the resturaunt to stop adding egg to their noodles. It would save them money, me some time, and help promote more vegan food on post.

Chickens are, in my eyes, one of the most abused animals in the food chain. They are born under lights, debeaked, and segregated. The males are then thrown away, killed, or otherwise "taken care of" because, to the meat industry, they are useless. How can they do that? How can they just throw away all of those countless little chickens, because they were born male? Is it really that important to produce more and more meat per chicken?

Then they are put into little tiny cages, where most go crazy and have either self inflicted wounds, or wounds due to the rate of their growth in comparisson with what their bodies can handle (broken legs and such). Why can't they be free? I understand people will always want their meat, but I think that the blind eye the general population keeps turning needs to stop. If you want chicken for dinner, why not raise it yourself, in your backyard? I did this as a child, and I grew to love my chickens. They were just another member of the family in my eyes. When we got rid of a chicken (my mom sold it) I was convinced the chicken we were eating for dinner that night was the same one, and I refused to eat it. If Americans were forced to raise, feed, and take care of their food, and then kill it and prepare it themselves, then there'd be alot more vegetarians. Or, at the very least, a lot more chickens raised in better situations.

I know this probably won't happen, but why can't it? I get so easily frustrated with people who one minute are eating a hamburger, and the next, are crying because their pet gold fish died. Why is it really that much different? Where is the missing link, that should be there, in Americans today?

I'd love some imput, and thoughts.
Peace out veg-heads.

Ruts, bikes, and insta-smiles!

Happy Wednesday! I had a wonderful workout this morning (cardio, and chest), rode my bike to work, and had a delicious bowl of museli and rice milk for breakfast. I love days like today, everything works out, the sun is shining, I beat the cars on my bike, and everything is wonderful. Unfortunately, yesturday wasn't like this at all. The only good thing that happened was I kicked butt on my brief!

Sometimes I have rough days, but then sometimes I have rough VEGAN days. Yesturday was one of those. I had to be at work early, and ran out of time for breakfast. I also forgot to grab my snacks. Oh, and lunch? Forgot that too. I forgot everything. I was stuck with fending for myself in the shoppette. I had the smallest non-crab-apple I've ever seen, which was the same price as the sometimes enormous apples they sell. The bananas were sold out. So, I had an oatmeal; it was good the first time I tried it, but yesturday, it did barely anything for me. I was starving.

Then, I was supposed to give somebody a ride to the doctor's, so I didn't bike. Biking to work makes my day always seem better, right from the start. But, no, I drove. And do you know what happened? Of course not, unless you are that person. He forgot. So, I drove my crappy car all day. I was going to change it out at lunch, but I had to go somewhere last minute. Awesome.

Today, so far, I've made an extra effort to make it a wonderful day. I ate an extra big bowl of museli. I like it with rice milk, but I think on my way home, I'm going to pick up some soy yogurt. I grabbed two apples, and I grabbed my shaker with the protein powder already in it (and who says I can't be prepared?) I also made a trial-run dish for the wedding in May, and brought that in today. So, if all else fails, I can just snag some more of that.

What do you do to get yourself out of the rut of a bad day? The two biggest determining factors as to how my day will be are: 1) Being super hungry. I hate it so much! I'm always eating, and I like it that way. Being super hungry just puts a snarl on my face. 2) My car. I currently hate my car. Every single bit of it. It only does about 2 things right: It still starts (but it doesn't like to stay on.) and it is accurate with the tempurature outside. That's it. It stalls out (and it's an automatic), the door handle stopped working, the trunk only locks sometimes, no tinted windows, it eats gas like it's candy, and I'm pretty sure I've sprung an oil leak. So, driving in it makes me mad, no matter what my starting mood was.

One of the biggest ways I fix my moods is by exercising. Exercising always makes me feel more proud of myself, stronger, and powerful. I like to imagine that I'm actually stronger, but it's a slow process. That ties into bike riding. Bike riding, like running, releases endorphines, making you happier without even realizing it. That's one of the reasons I bike as much as I can, gotta love those endorphins!

The other way to put me instantly in a better mood? A big bowl of cereal/granola/museli with ice cold almond or rice milk. Insta-smile!

Peace out Veg heads!

A busy week ahead

So, it's Sunday, and what a beautiful Sunday it was, too. The sun kept its glory by shining the entire day again, and it was even warmer than it was yesturday! I had a great time at the BBQ I went to; brought a dozen veggie covered skewers that were amazing. I also brought some blue tortilla chips with salsa, and the Germans that were hosting it thought the chips were the coolest things ever.

This last week was busy, stressful, and fun. This next week is guaranteed to be the first two again, and I'm going to try and make it the third. Most importantly, I am going to my first ever yoga class tomorrow after work. Unfortunately, I don't have a yoga mat, but they should have extras for the people in the world like myself. I'm super excited, and I hope I like it. I'm all about trying new things, and I love love LOVE fast pace exercise. But, since I'm prone to stressing about every little thing, I believe yoga should help me out.

Also coming up this week:

• Brief. I have to present my latest project at work to the Colonel. I'm super nervous, but I'm confident in the project. I have been researching this for about a month and a half, and I know all the ins and outs. So, hopefully it shows.
• Lots of online training for work. It's a neccessary evil of the army. Unfortunately. It's all due on Monday, and I wasn't informed about it until Thursday, so lots of catching up is in order!
• Finish and mail off the wedding invites.
• Find Bridesmaids dressess
• Decide on what vegan food will be served at the wedding. (There will be lots of vegan food, we've decided, with only 1 appetizer containing meat, and one option for the main course. Best Fiance ever for at least giving me that many options!!)
• Start packing everything to get it shipped for the PCS!!

Ok, it may not seem that busy to you guys, but I guarantee, it will just get more stuff added to it as soon as I get to work.

For my vegan discussion point today, I'd like to quickly touch up on one thing that's been bothering me today. I was informed by a few people that vegetarians/vegans don't know what they're talking about in respects to our diets can help people loose weight and become overall healthier. For the non-veggies reading this (are you out there?) do you know at least one vegetarian/vegan? Are they overweight? They might be, yes, but for the most part a diet full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins will NOT make you fat. If the person eats nothing but vegan brownies, then okay, fine, you got me. That is the only exception I can see. If you're eating as many vegetables as I am, add some fruits, and lots of beans, then what room is there for artery clogging meat? None. Opinions?

Have a great, sunny, week Veg-heads!

Let there be BBQs

Before I post the rest of this blog entry, I just want to say I am the worst person at remembering my camera. Two saturdays in a row, I've gone to farmer markets and forgotten it. Two Saturdays in a row, I've had fabulous breakfasts, and forgotten my camera. Whatever.

This weekend, the weather is absolutely amazing. I am the happiest person on the planet right now. I got to go to the Farmer's Market in Rohrbach (it's like a subdivision of Heidelberg.) I'd love to remain reliant on this farmer's market, but I can't. She didn't even have enough vegetables to last me a week. But, I still support her by buying vegetables and fruits when I make it to her. There's also one cheese person, and one meat person. That's it. 3 people make up this town's farmer's market. I love it. You really get to know a lot about your vegetables and fruits. Everything she sells are organic, and she tries to pick everything the day before (the market sets up at 6 in the morning here.)

After the Farmer's Market (where I got two beautiful red bell peppers, and an eggplant for a BBQ tomorrow) Kenny and I went to breakfast. I got a coffee, half a grapefruit and a roll with margarine. I'm not usually a margarine person, but it was nice. Kenny got a big platter of food, but they forgot his eggs. Oh well.

After breakfast, we walked all over Rohrbach, up and down the hills, just enjoying the sun, the flowers, and the post-brunch workout. We also found an antique store with some really amazing things. I found tea cups from 1914. Wow. I wanted to get them, but they were more than I had on me, so maybe next time.

We decided to go to the Commissary next, on our bikes. My car's been acting up, and we both have bikes. Plus, the commissary is only 3 miles away. So, we rode our bikes over there, got some green onion, cherry tomatoes, skewers, and zucchinni for the bbq tomorrow. Then, we rode over to the Reuse center. (It's a place to give your old things, or anything you want to get rid of, and others can have it for free. It's where I got my couch in the barracks, and one of my purses.) We found a book set on World Literature. The entire set. Almost brand new. Yes, please!

So, Tomorrow is a BBQ. I don't really like BBQs that much, but I'm willing to stand in the sun all day, so I guess that's one way to do it. I'm about as pale as a ghost, and it's finally sunny. So, we got a bunch of vegetables, and I bought a classic American BBQ item: Chips and Salsa. I'm excited. AND my unit is having a BBQ tomorrow as well. I won't be able to make it to both, but that's okay, i'll have fun anyways. I'll take lots of pictures!

So, overall, no long philisophical entry, or questions for the world. I just want to say, I hope that everybody reading this has a bike, and uses it as often as possible! It can make your whole day absolutly exciting!

CQ and possible pictures...

Here are some pictures of me at WLC, my running shirt is WAY too big. There's me, kicking butt at the obstacle course. And Below, there's myslef shaking hands with the USAREUR CSM, CSM Davenport. I recieved me award probably 10 seconds after the picture was taken, so you can't see it.

Today is the day of long hours and extreme boredom. That’s right, I have CQ today. CQ is Charge of Quarters; I am at the company, ensuring that the building is safe, the occupants are safe and under control (the barracks above the company) and I answer the phone when it rings. It’s not exciting, it’s not even fun most of the time, and our company is so small it’s not uncommon to have CQ 3 times a month.

I know that I promised to take pictures of everything I ate, but I forgot my camera. So, if Kenny doesn’t bring it, we’re out of luck. Because I’m on CQ I will probably update this entry multiple times a day, and the wording will just get worse and worse because I’ll be getting more and more tired. In case I forgot to state this, CQ is 24 hours long. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? It’s a necessary evil in the Army, and things DO happen that CQ is there to respond for. So, I am here.

I got up at 6:45 (ish) so I could be nice and clean for this long day. Plus, it’s a Monday, and traffic is really iffy on weekdays. I showered, did my hair (it’s perfect!) and drove over here. I got a “Vegan” croissant from the commissary yesterday for my breakfast today. I say “Vegan” because it’s been an hour since I’ve eaten it and I’m starting to get bloated. Why would I call it vegan you might be asking? Well, the commissary lists all of the ingredients in the bakery items; I didn’t see any dairy products, and the allergy info only listed wheat and soy. I beg to differ! Or do I? This hour’s topic is going to be on processed foods, and their impact on our bodies.

I love food, especially fresh REAL food. When I eat a fresh, some might say macrobiotic, diet filled with mostly raw delicious foods, eaten as they were meant to be, I feel amazing. I don’t feel slow, weighed down, or constantly groggy. When I eat vegan, but with junk food and any food I can find, I don’t feel my worst, but I do feel not-just-right. I feel slightly sluggish, like my blood is just more gross, and I don’t have as much energy. I know, I know, eating vegan is supposed to make you feel better, and it does, it really does! But, when I start to eat whatever vegan item I can find, like candy, chips, and who knows what else, I just feel semi-crappy. Not eat-an-entire-pizza-with-real-cheese kind of crappy, but semi-crappy.

So, why do I eat these chips with jarred beans? Why not just make my own? I know how, and I’ve done it before. We all know the answer to this, it’s convenience; the single most powerful word in today’s food industry. This word alone has created entire genres of food, restaurants, and even the way our culture in America is shaped. From a young age we decide for ourselves, usually with lots of influence from our family and friends however, what our fate will be. Personally, I was the 8 year old forced to go to McDonalds and got the earful for ordering the $6 salad instead of the $1 cheeseburger. (I love you mom, if you read this blog…) But, it isn’t my mom’s fault for the insane prices on some iceberg lettuce in a cup (does anybody else remember the salads you shook at mcdonalds?). This is when I have to relate back to our culture. It’s this hole we’ve created for those that tried to break free from the chains of conformity into what should have been the norm from the beginning.

I got really side tracked. What I’m going to bring this down to are two points: 1. We have created a culture where convenience guides our food choices, vegan or not. The chips are cheaper than the apples, but have no nutritional value to speak of. 2. Due to this gap of nutrition vs. price, the foods some people can afford or more easily attain are making us feel like crap, and are destroying us from the inside out. Throughout the day, I will try and find some interesting, related articles.

Peace out Vegheads!!

This Week in reviews: Graduation, sushi, and farmer's markets

I haven't posted since thursday (was it thursday?) and so I thought I'd give the world my update for this fabulous weekend. I came back on Friday after the graduation. It was a lot of standing, but I got to shake a lot of hands, so that's good! We got some food before we left, I had a nutrition bar so I didn't get anything else. But that didn't matter because I slept in the car the whole way back.

For dinner on Friday I went out with my guy for some sushi. I had a fabulous vegan meal with miso soup (no tuna in it, this place is super vegetarian friendly.) some seaweed salad, some edemame, and then cucumber rolls, pumpkin rolls, and then a tofu, carrot, avocado, and green bean sashimi rolls (I hope that's the right one.) They have me an egg one, but Kenny ate that one for me. We got some gelatto for dessert; there's this little italian place that has strawberry gelato (without milk) so i always get that!!!

Sunday was super exciting. We went and got brunch, were I had the most amazing cup of coffee and a fruit cup. (Heidelberg isn't the most Vegan friendly city.) Then we drove to the Farmer's Market in Mannheim. Unfortunately, we spent at least 30 minutes trying to find a parkings spot. Next week, we're taking the train and our bikes. Much more time and fuel efficient. I got some white radishes or carrots, some huge radishes, amazing tomatoes, some not-so-great plums (too early maybe) and an amazing leek. There was a lot of produce, but I'd need some stuff that could make it while I shopped... so no fresh lettuce or anything. Then, I had MORE veggie sushi for lunch. For dinner, I had some fries, and went to bed early.

Today, I had some cereal with almond breeze faux milk, my favorite for cereal, with some strawberries in it. Then, I did some laundry and had a veggie wrap from the commissary. For dinner, I had some vegan mac and cheese and some beens and greens. Tomorrow's CQ, so I'll take pictures of my food.

Peace out veg-heads

WLC Graduation!!

So, for my Thursday-Random-Post, I'll be talking about how excited I am for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the day. The day I stand on stage for an hour to get recognized for the last 17 days. I even get to stand in the "awardees" formation, because I won the Iron Warrior Challenge for my company (female title, obviously.) Unfortunately, my guy won't be able to make it, which I'm kind of bummed about. But, he's missing out on an exciting graduation AND his own reserved seat. Oh well, he has to work.

I also wanted to post an update on the meals here. First of all, I've finally learned how to judge whether or not to stand in line for food. If the food looks good, it's probably garbage lacking in both nutrients and flavor. If it looks weird, bland, or just plain odd, it probably tastes amazing, and it's got an even higher chance of being vegan. Who would have thought?

Last night's dinner was a satisfying "Pasta Primavera." I've also learned that the naming convention is pretty much wrong. It wasn't a pasta primavera that i've ever had, but it still tasted really good. (And it looked like somebody puked up pasta with tomato sauce. Gross.) It was loaded with vegetables, and the sauce actually had some spices in there! I was so happy, I almost got seconds. (They ran out, aparantly it's catching on to eat vegetarian... or that was all that was left.)

Back to graduation, I'm expecting it to be long, boring, and a lot of standing, but I'm still excited about it because
1)I can go home!!! A hot 1000000000 minute shower, my bed, my food, my computer.... the little things in life that make everything more enjoyable.
2) I'm going to have a fancy dinner Friday night with my guy. The place that we're going to goes for about 100 Euro a person. That's about $130 a person. Wow. But, I've been here for an entire pay period, so my bank account is saying: GO FOR THE REALLY NICE EXPENSIVE RESTURAUNT THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT WILL HAVE A VEGAN OPTION!!! So, I'm complying.
3) Some of these people are starting to get on my nerves. However, because of past experiences, I'm trying to keep my cool as long as possible, so if I ever meet up with these guys again, it'll be all "Oh i haven't seen you since ____" "I missed you!" And the best one "Hey, can you do me a favor?" So, once again, keep my cool.
4) I want to eat something other than overcooked pasta for dinner every night. Selfish? No. Neccessary? Still no. Something I'm looking forward to (like eating fresh fruits and vegetables...) YES!

Well, that's it for Thursday.
Peace out-Veg Heads!

How the Army is Making Itself more Fat

I know that this title might be like a handful of other titles for newspapers out there. (oh, what? you don't read the newspapers on post?) But, I have a point to make in this, so bear with me.

I have recently shared with a guy at WLC about why I'm vegan, and why I think it's a good idea for others to be vegan or vegetarian. And you know what? He agreed to try it! Not only am I super excited at every meal now, but I'm super depressed at the same time. Since he's agreed to give it a try, the food for vegetarians has seemed to go down a very steep hill; some might call it a cliff. We had a "pitta pizza" for dinner. It was some grilled veggies inside of a pita, covered in cheese. By the time our group got to the food, both of ours were hard as a rock. Not the best start. For breakfast, it's breakfast. The only change was he tried what I do, and got at least 2 things of fresh fruit. Oh, and skip the bacon. No problems, right? For lunch, we were playing the super fun role of the bad guys (OPFOR... I cant remember the accronym right now.) and so we had MREs. (Meals Ready to Eat.) They generally suck. I grabbed my mandotory one, but i packed food to hold me to dinner. He grabbed some fruit, like I suggested, but also ate the "Veggie Burger with BBQ Sauce." It's not the worst one, especially hot. But, once everybody else noticed it, the jokes started. I don't mind the jokes, and he seems pretty fine with it (thank goodness). But, why? Why make fun of somebody for their food choices?

This ties back into my argument about the Army being more on the heavier side than desired (like most of America.) Vegetarians are continually offered foods high in fat, sometimes higher in fat than the 10 oz steak in the next tray over, that are hard as a rock, flavorless, and usually look weird. Why WOULD people want to try this lifestyle? And vegan? Forget it. I'm eating so many bananas and so much peanut butter right now, it isn't even funny. How hard is it to just have healthy food, fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains, that taste good? Maybe we dont' want something covered in a cup of cheese. But, that's what we're offered. So, even with the argument that a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle is healthier in the normal world, the Army has made it almost impossible to make that rule survive it's DFACs.

I hope tonight's meal is better, but we'll find out. For now, I'm going to try and remain as positive as possible for him, so he won't see my frustration. On a side note, he told his girlfriend, and she said that she'll try it too! I'm so happy about this, I almost don't care that there's like 4 foods in my diet right now. Almost.

Keep it real Veg-Heads.

Reflecting on Veganism in the Military

Well Good Morning! (If you're in Germany, like me.) I just finished the last written test for WLC, and I'm excited! All that I have left to do is some map reading tests (that aren't actually graded) and not "die" too many times in the field exercise. Wish me luck!

I didn't post yesturday because the internet went down in all of the classrooms. As I said, Sunday's will be my reflection days, and I did do some reflecting which I'll try to post about now.

The first one, I want a dog. I want an animal in my life so bad, it's not even funny. I'm the person voulunteering to watch other people's pets when they have to go somewhere, and I always offer to walk/hold/feed/pet/LOVE every animal I get the chance to, it's almost a little creepy. So, I've been looking at dog pound in the Maryland area, to get a feel for requirements, fees, and what dogs they tend to have. It will be interesting to see them all in real life, and I haven't decided on which pound/shelter to go to yet. It's really sad that there are so many animals without homes. My guy wants to get a certain breed of dog, and they are gorgeous dogs, but I still feel like adopting a dog, not buying one. I'm having a hard time convincing him because he's adopted a few dogs (and I have too) in his life that were rotten dogs. No, not the "pet me at all times I'm spoiled" kind of rotten; the "i'm going to destroy everything I can get my hands on until i die" kind of rotten. He doesn't want to go through that, and I understand. Are there any suggestions on picking out the right kind of dog?

I also reflected on how UN-Vegan friendly the army is. It's amazing. I had a decent breakfast this morning, but I had a crappy dinner last night, and I went out to eat for lunch so it doesn't matter. (The only reason I had a good breakfast was because I ate like 2 bananas, and a few Tbsps of Peanut Butter.) But, one of the Sergeants that helped get the vegetarian meals, (thank you) decided to eat one. Even this non-vegetarian noticed how fatenning the vegetarian meals are... I thought it was funny, because that's what I've been saying. But, even with the cadre noticing, and myself constantly reminding the cooks, I went to dinner last night to find cheesey-creamy-vegetble-less-protein-deficient pasta. Enjoy.

After all this reflecting, I think I'm going to start educating more people in the military about vegetarian/veganism and the health benefits, hoping that it will help future military vegans, and any other person out there.

PS The Airforce is much more vegan friendly. My AIT (Advanced Individual Training) was on an Airfroce Base, so I got that privelege for 9 months.

Peace out Veg-heads!!

Goals and other great things...

Hello everybody!! So, here's another *exciting* post while at WLC!! This blog entry's topic is going to be on my plans for this blog. My goals, what routines I'd like to start, and so forth.

Let's first talk about my goals. I'd like to start becoming more avid of a blogger. This is an obvious one for anybody who reads back into my blog further. I want to become more consistant, keeping up with my travels (there aren't a lot, but there are some amazing ones.) and include the different aspects that the Army puts into play for me.

Now, my routine goals. I'd like to post every Sunday with a sort of "Goals and Plans for the Week" / "What I've learned this week." Sundays are my days for reflection, and I'm becoming more all around Vegan, so I think that reflecting on how it's effecting myself, and people around me is a neat idea. Also, if I have any fun plans coming up, and so forth.
On Tuesday's, I think I'll start posting about Army related things; this could mean anything from the ridicule I get, to the food I was offered (vegan sausage at the brunch?? Awesome!) These may not be the most consistant, but I really think that some of it should be shared. It shows that not everybody in the army is a meat head that eats bacon, bacon, and more bacon.
Thursdays can be my Random blogging day. Gym Rants (see previous posts), fun new clothes, and who knows. It's the day to just write if I have the time.
Saturdays I'm planning to take pictures of everything I eat, just to show that there IS vegan food in Heidelberg. Maybe not a lot, but there is.

If this becomes too much, I'll scale back, but I'm going to give it my best shot, so wish me luck!!

As for today, I had my new version of a sunny-side up egg. Instead of a chicken's ovulation on my plate, i had a little bowl with applesauce, then two peach halves (cut side down) in the apple sauce. I sprinkled some raisins, some cinnimon, and some walnut chunks on top. I only call them my "Vegan Sunny-Side Up Eggs" because of the way the peaches happened to land when I plopped them in the apple sauce. It's really delicious (I cut up the peaches) and it's got the walnuts for some healthy fats and protein. I'd prefer some pumpkins seeds next time, but only because I put pumpkin seeds in just about everything. I also ate a banana with some peanut butter. YUM!!!

For lunch, they had a vegan pasta with a tomato sauce (it wasn't that bad for once) with a TON of brocolli, bell peppers, onion, and squash pieces. I was quite the happy camper. Well, between that, and the fresh green beans, not canned, I couldn't have gotten much of a better lunch from an Army DFAC.

I haven't had dinner yet, but I hope that it ends just as well as my day had began. I know that I had mentioned last time that I was eating eggs. After I wrote that, I realized that if there is still food being offered to me that I can eat, there's no reason to eat the eggs. So, I am back to full time vegan! (Hence the fake eggs for breakfast.) I hope the vegan community will forgive me (and if they don't, whatever.)

Peace out Veg-heads

Vegan at WLC

So, I've been MIA recently due to an army thing. Is anybody suprised? Not me. And if you are, I would suggest getting over it as soon as possible. I'm currently at WLC --Warrior Leadership Course. It's an 18 day course teaching me how to be a better leader. It's got obstacle courses, weapons training, loads of tests, and hundreds of people at once. However, my class is generally fun, with mostly amazing class mates.

On the vegan front, I'm also happy to say that I've made strides for those who follow in my footsteps. For breakfast, it's a normal breakfast for me: some fruit, a coffee (we get like 4 hours of sleep at night... oh well), and some toast with peanut butter and some banana slices. At the DFAC (Dining Facility for those non-military folks.) they were only serving a vegetarian meal at lunch, not for dinner. And, much to my dissmay, 3/4 of the time, it was some white pasta with some vegetables, potato, and covered in a cream sauce of sorts. I can't eat that, even if i'm just plain ol vegetarian because the cream will mess up with my stomach. THEN, for dinner, there wasn't even an option. So for the first few nights, I'd be eating potato, boiled vegetables, and an iceberg lettuce salad. Awesome, right? No.

We had a "how is it going so far? any input?" session (also known as an AAR, after action review.) I had nothing bad to say.... oh, wait, except for the food. First thing they said: "You're a vegetarian?" My answer was, "Actually, I'm a vegan, but i'll eat some eggs in the field (due to the physical exertion, and we weren't allowed to bring protein powder.) Two days later, they started serving vegetrian meals for both lunch and dinner. I was thinking: WIN! Then, i get to dinner, and it's a pasta (bowties are the only noodles the army seems to buy) covered in a cream sauce. Not even any vegetables. So, i *politley* bring up that every single time there's a vegetarian meal, it's in the red. **The army's DFACs categorize their food by Green, Yellow, and Red; obviously, you want mostly greens.** So, now, after it's been only about 3 more days, I go to dinner, and i'm happy to see a noodle dish (i'll get over it.) with a ton of veggies, black beans mixed in, and a tomato sauce. AND they didn't pre-sprinkle any cheese on there for me!!!!

Other than that, my routine has been like this: At breakfast, i always grab a banana and throw it in my pocket. I eat this for a snack before lunch. At lunch, grab another banana (my potassium is most likely low, so i'm doubling up!) or an apple, and i make sure to get a peanut butter serving as well (approx. 2 Tbsp, so perfect!!!) Then, at dinner, I grap another banana, or an apple, depending on what they have. Why for after dinner? Well, we eat at 5. Every day. I normally eat dinner at like 9, so that's a huge difference. Somewhere around 8 or 9, i start to get hungry, and start munching on a ton of candy. Kristin+Candy+extremely tired=walking zombie...now with a gun! So, i eat the fruit with some peanut butter and some cashews I have hidden in my backpack in my room.

Eating a vegan diet might seem like a huge project, especially in the army. And, you know what, it is. But, i love projects, and I love the idea of a challenge. I don't want any of my readers to think that a project/challenge is a bad thing. Why do people like going to the gym? They are challenging themselves. College is a challenge, along with a lot of fun. I'll try to keep some of this updated a little better, but we'll see if that happens.

What I've learned this last week: (Vegan wise) Peanut butter stores amazing // Bananas are less obvious in my cargo pockets than apples // Cashews taste great with anything sweet in the same bite (bananas, chocolate) // and finally: if you ask for something while remaining calm and rational, you might be suprised what people will do. I had somebody grab me a to-go container full of fresh grapes.

Peace out fellow Veg-heads

Gym Etiquette

Now, I know this isn’t a Vegan related blog entry, but I think that it’s high time I let out my feelings towards the gym. Actually, the gym itself I love. People can go there to get healthier, stronger, and more confident. You can relieve stress, make friends, and learn more about yourself. But, what I have a problem with is the different types of people that like to attend the gym.

The lurker/I’m-forced-to-be-here:
This lovely person is usually here because somebody else is there, like their ride, or because they were told that they need to be here. This person takes more time drinking water from the fountain, than some people do to run a marathon. They aren’t there to work out; they are there to constantly stand in the way of people who ARE working out. They can also be found on the stretching mats, either to stretch (after walking for 5 minutes) doing 1 sit up a minute, or just plain sitting there. My message to you: Learn to love it (for those that are forced) are get a better hiding spot. Hiding in the children’s area is not only a terrible hiding spot, but you also might get mistaken for a pedophile.

New Years Revolutionists:
Ah, it’s late February and some of these still exist. The person you see running on the elliptical at a 0% elevation level for 60 minutes (when the signs all clearly state that the machines are to only be used for 30 minutes during peak hours), who also decided doing any sort of research on productive weight loss would be a waste, so they have no idea what they’re doing is this person. I think it’s great when people make goals for themselves; except for when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions. These are the goals made by people who realize that they haven’t accomplished much this last year, and that this year will be the year…until about this time. The gyms are clearing of most of these people as they pack up their brand new Pink running pants in their Nike bag with their UnderArmor sweater (that never was used because they’ve only gone to a gym.) Those that are dedicated will stay, and I applaud them. They no longer are classified in this category; they are trying, keep trying, and are no longer taking up the elliptical for that stupid 0% incline. They are the few that made it past the first 8 weeks, and they say it takes 8 weeks to form a habit. My message to you: Keep trying! Form the habit!! You will almost never regret going to the gym (except for those that experience the pain pinching your fingers in-between two weights… that’s worth the regret.) But, if you’re going to try, accept the advice and assistance people try to give you, we all want everybody to succeed.

The Inexperienced-but-still-won’t-accept-help:
I’m two sided on this, mainly because everybody has to start somewhere. I’ve been going for almost a year now, and I still become a flaccid spaghetti noodle when I go to deadlift. My issue isn’t the inexperienced, it’s the ones who are offered help, especially on their form, and decline it because they, for some unknown reason, think that they know what they’re talking about. Usually this comes from reading a caption in a magazine, or seeing somebody else do it. What a lot of newer people don’t realize is that if you do anything right, it’s your form. If you don’t have proper form, you can get seriously injured, which later turns into an extreme hatred for the gym and all of its occupants. If you are one of the inexperienced, and somebody tells you to keep your back straight the entire time you are doing rows, I’d listen to them. Especially if they have muscles; it usually means they’ve been doing something right. The other reason these headstrong figures of noodles (I’m forever calling people who have little muscle tone noodles, which includes myself.) irritate me is the same as the 60-minute-elliptical-users. They take a lot of time to figure out one exercise, from a print out, or a magazine, they aren’t actually getting much of a workout. If you are offered a chance to workout with a group, why aren’t you taking it? You might not like their complete routine, but it gives you a base to start off with. My message to you: Take any advice about form; I’m not saying take all advice because I was advised to bench 3 times a week and all it did was make me irritated, not stronger. Also, if you’re doing something, and there’s a pinching feeling in your joints, bones, or tendons, ask for some help. You might be using the wrong weight, performing with bad form, or simply doing it wrong altogether. This can help you avoid injury, and that is a very important goal.

Old Yeller:
You know who you are. You are the person who can’t lift a weight from the rack without crying out in pure muscular excitement. The idea of your muscles all working in unison excites you so much that every single rep gets its own shout of exhilaration. I bet you think that it makes you look stronger, more intense; it doesn’t. Not only does this annoy the crap out of 90% of the people at the gym (we’ll talk about the other 10% next), but I’m pretty sure it makes some of the newer people act as if there’s about to be a bear attack. We get it, you’re hardcore, you drink protein shakes every hour because if you don’t your muscles will just drip away, and you spend more time at the gym than with a girlfriend (or boyfriend, I’ve seen a couple girls who do this.) However, every time you do this, I am the person who is lifting next to you laughing my head off. That’s right, I (and others) laugh at you. Every time. My message to you: Try to contain it to only every once in a while if you absolutely must yell, or try to just not do it at all. If you need a pair of socks to go into your mouth to make you stop, just ask, and I’ll give you a pair.

Mr. iPod:
I don’t care about your music, you shouldn’t care about mine. That’s why you most likely have a pair of headphones on. But, in case you didn’t notice, that means I shouldn’t be able to hear your music from across the gym (yes, even with the yellers in the background.) But then there’s the special 10% of the gym that should probably get their own area with padded walls and plushy weights. Why? Because you are so entranced in the latest song that came out that you become a danger to yourself and, much more importantly, to everybody else around you. I had somebody walk into me the other day. Straight up, walk into me. My Message to You: Turn it down. I really think that’s the biggest issue. If you turn it down, you can hear a lot of the noises around you, making you more attentive. If a fire broke out, we’d lose 10% of our gym members because they wouldn’t even notice, and that’s just sad.

“MINE MINE MINE!!!” Man:
This one I’m partially guilty for, and I’ll admit it. But, I’ve realized it and I’ve changed my ways as much as possible. The mine-mine-mine-man or woman knows what they’re doing, does it well, and can even educate a lot of us mere mortals on a lot of the different ways to work different muscles. But, where they fault is their location; it’s everywhere. This person uses 8 different machines in rotation, trying to do a circuit or superset or something. I understand where they are coming from, and a lot of the time, it’s brilliant. However, our gyms are becoming more packed (due to one closing and all around crappy weather.) and there isn’t any new equipment coming in. But, the cherry on the protein-filled cake in this one is when the 3M-man decides that, even though he isn’t actually on a bench, you can’t touch it. He’ll get back there, and you had better not be there when he does. My message to you: Once again, I understand where you are coming from. Try to plan your workout around the idea of only using 2 different things at once, a bench and maybe the Smith Machine. And don’t get so possessive, that’s just plain rude sometimes.

Overall, the gym is a fun place to be at and I’m sure other people out there could find something to complain about that I do (12 bathroom breaks an hour anybody???) but these are the things that all around are usually agreed on.

Have an awesome Vegan Day!! I’m going to the gym now!

Cost of being a Vegan

Sometimes when I am discussing vegetarian/vegan and so on, and a common arguement that people have is that eating a vegetarian diet would cost them too much. So, in honor of being a vegan, and having a blog (that's about it) I am going to lay out what I ate, or what I'm going to eat, and the cost, per serving, and total (if i use half an onion, i still have to buy a full onion). Then, for a cost comparison, whenever Kenny makes something with meat I'll compare the cost with my meal.

I'll start that as soon as I make a meal plan for the week, and go to the store.

On a caveat, one of my issues with the "it costs too much" argument is that a lot of times people who don't eat vegetarian only see the fake meats and cheeses and, honestly, they do cost more than the non-vegetarian types. I don't eat a lot of those... actually hardly eat them at all. Why? Well, they're not very healthy, and they taste aweful. The only time I eat any of that is soy milk, but just for my cereal, or a cream sauce. I'd love to try and make a nut milk, but I just haven't done it yet.

Tofu is one of those things that I do use, but not a lot. I have a block maybe a week for both Kenny and I. Not a block a day, but it's still a semi-staple in my diet.

That's it for now, enjoy being Vegan,
Krisitn