“Spark”ly and Bright
Hi guys! And HOLLER to all of the new readers who are stopping by from the Daily Spark– my guest post on Zumba went up today 😀
Sorry I’m late posting, but I did this morning’s Insanity workout with the girls (Pure Cardio. Cuhrazy),
munched a bfast cookie:
Yes, today’s was green (intentionally– not moldy! Haha). The girls were like, “Um.. what are you eating??”
-1/2 C oats
-1 heaping T almond butter
-almond milk
-1/2 banana
–spirulina (for nutrients and the lovely green tinge)
-1 T mesquite
-vanilla
and went to the orthopedic surgeon to get the A-okay on the ol’ knee. It hasn’t bothered me in a *long* time (the hiatus, icing, and taking it easy helped!) but I wanted to make sure nothing was going on with it. I already had the referral and insurance was paying for the appointments, so I figured I’d go have it looked at.
The good news?
I have a sparkly knee 😀
(Source)
Good to know that those 19 years of dancing (toe-touching, jumping into the splits, rolling and doing my thang) didn’t cause any damage. Doc said everything looked good and I have a normal, healthy knee. 3 cheers for that, eh?? 😀
However, my vastus medialis oblique (VMO) is weak on the left side, and needs some strengthening action. Since it’s significantly weaker than my right VMO, it’s what has been causing my left knee to pull toward the left, made my IT band bother me (god bless you, foam roller) and caused some pain after the half marathon.
(Source)
It’s a tiny little muscle and the good news is that it can be strengthened with leg extension exercises. Baller.
Funny story: The pilot called, half asleep, while I was in the waiting room and I told him I was at the ortho. He was like, “Ortho? Oh.. orthodontist”. Haha, um braces came off maybe 8 years ago? I told him to call me back when he was awake. We got a good laugh out of it 😉
Since I was ravenous for waiting a thousand hours (ok, an hour and a half.. but still long!) for my appointment, I couldn’t make a smoothie fast enough when I got home.
Kristen’s Chocolate Cherry Bomb shake. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it 😉
In honor of today’s guest post at the Daily Spark, I wanted to ask you guys what *spark*ed you to make a healthy change in your life? Was it a gradual thing (like feeling low energy, getting sick more often) or a specific “ah-ha!” moment?
For me, my *spark* happened on my first day of school at the University of Arizona. I was overweight, lugging my laptop and books around, and had to walk all over campus in the blistering Arizona sun. Climbing up the four flights of stairs to my Spanish class, I was sweating and so uncomfortable. When I got home from school, I had to lay down for a while…and couldn’t believe I still had to teach dance and take jazz and hip hop that night. Immediately, I started researching ways that I could get healthier through changing my eating habits and adding in walking.. it all snowballed from there.
So tell me, what was your *spark*?
Well I’m going to walk these puppies before it rains, get a haircut and head to work!
See ya later with a recipe post 😀
xoxo,
Gina
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Okay, no matter HOW in shape I am, climbing stairs always kills me. ALWAYS. Climbing 3 flights gives me the huffs and puffs yet I can run 6 miles? what!?
Knee is okay but is your relationship with running still in the dumps?
running and i are still friends for right now. who knows, i may get back into it later, but not right now. i’m having too much fun with zumba and insanity 🙂
I am the same way when it comes to stairs!!
Baaahaha, me too!!!
Stairs kill me all the time!!!!!
I think YOUR spark is so inspiring because you were always active – teaching dance and moving. Mine was similar. I started exercising at an early age, but it wasn’t until I hit about 16-17 that I realized the foods that made me feel good. It wasn’t a specific moment, but more of a period of time that I gradually learned what was right for me.
i’d say the biggest thing that sparked me is the fact that i couldn’t fit into my “fat jeans” anymore! i tried to wear them, but they split, and that’s when i realized i needed a BIG change!
Hahahaha – orthodontist. I love sleepy comments, they’re the best. Hooray for good knees, it’s nice to know that you can do some easy exercises to keep them healthy and functional.
My spark was when I realized I was lactose-intolerant and that the food I put in my body can either make me feel good or make me feel bad – not necessarily that there were “good” and “bad” foods. It’s really helped me view food & taking care of my body in a different light!
Hi Gina, I love love love your blog and have been inspired to start one of my own. My big “spark” moment was early on, back in high school, when the largest sizes in jeans at the stores were becoming too tight. I never thought I was that overweight, but the thought of plus size was not happening.
Also, do buy a special spirulina powder or just break up the tablet to put in your cookies and shakes?
PS Loved the eggplant curry!
Some of my really good friends went to U of Arizona! i cant help but ask, were you in a sorority?
no- i wanted to be, but my dance schedule wouldn’t allow it. i was at the dance studio from 4-8 or 9 every night
The spark for me was when my doctor asked me, “What is going on with your weight?” I was about 70 pounds overweight, but no one had ever directly asked me that, and I honestly didn’t know how to respond! It triggered a series of life changes, and I got to go back to the doctor a few weeks ago and over 50 pounds lighter and tell her how she helped me change my life. It was a good doctors visit! =)
I cut out all the artificial crap from my diet per request of my neurologist to rid my migraines (I was getting ~2/week). And it worked!! I’m off pain meds and only have (maybe) 1 every 1-2 months!!! 🙂
Hi Gina!!
I am so GLAD for your knee, mine is hurting so much even when I walk faster!! 🙁
Ok, I have a question to you, please help!!!! I tried yesterday to prepare your famous breakfast cookie, but the end product was toooooo soft, I could get it with my hand from the plate, so frustrating let me know what I did wrong!!!
hey i think you’re supposed to eat it with a spoon! at least thats what gina says she does. i asked her about dehydrating one to make it cookie like, but she said she prefers it softer. hope this helps =) im trying my first one tonight!
Hey, I make Gina’s breakfast cookies all the time and I love them! They are soft, but if you add less liquid they become a little harder but still not hard enough to eat with your hands…I always use a spoon.
Hope this helps 🙂
i’ve also heard that if you put them in the freezer for 10 minutes before eating, it will help them firm up a little 🙂
Thank you very much!!!! I read your blog everyday but I didn’t know that you eat the BK with a spoon 🙂
Thank you everybody for the answers! You are all very nice!! 🙂
So, I will use my spoon like my first time, because its delicious, mmm, topped with Artisana Raw coconut and organic Raspberry preserves, I see that everybody uses Almond milk in BK, but I used coconut milk,and coconut flakes and its HEAVEN!
Gina have you tried coconut milk?
Exercise spark: Mirror + 3rd year of college + summer. Thank you boot camp for teaching me how to lift and taking most of my flub 🙂
Food spark: Sad how it took 22 years on this one, but reading Jessica at How Sweet’s ode to “Abs are Made in the Kitchen” really did it for me. No matter how active I was (Spin! Weights! HIIT! oh my!!) I wasn’t seeing results because i was EATING CRAP (read: processed sugar and artificial sweeteners for me). All the other food blogs have really kept that spark alive, especially The Fitnessista because you have fun with good food!
Another spark happened two days ago after I over-indulged in some sugar free candy at a movie thinking it was a “better” choice and was disgustingly sick the rest of the day. A great reminder to embrace clean, nutrient-dense fuel 🙂
my parents were the biggest thing that sparked me…growing up i was a chubby teen and my parents were always so active and always motivated my brother and I…they turned my life around when they introduced me to health and fitness! its all history from there…BS in exercise science, ACSM cPT! I love what I do and wouldn’t change it for the world!
oh and Im getting the insanity DVD’s and so look forward to your reviewson them!
Yay for a healthy knee. Just an FYI for anyone who has knee pain, make sure you get a doc’s OK before doing leg extension exercises. If your knee tracks improperly (like my two lovely annoying knees do) then you’ll do more damage than good by doing extensions. Since I have patella maltracking (a common problem in woman and a cause of Runner’s Knee) I’d wear away more cartilage by doing that exercise. Instead you can build the VMO with biking and doing leg presses among other exercises. Just a heads up!
When I went to pick up rental skiis in Feb of 2009 and had to get weighed. I hadn’t been on a scale in awhile before that and it really pushed me into motion.
I was in the doctor’s office about 3 years ago. She told me my weight (270 lbs) which terrified me because my next step would have been 300 lbs.. and then what? This, however, wasn’t my a-ha moment. It was the fact that my blood pressure reading was high.. at 21 years old. It was the first time I had really thought about how the weight was effecting my health, not just my dress size. I signed up for the gym later that day and have lost over 100 lbs since then.
Spark was actually what Sparked me. After someone made a comment about me being heavy, I was a little annoyed an decided to maybe I could stand to loose a few pounds. I found SparkPeople with the mindset of going on a diet, but SparkPeople provided me with so much more than that! From there things snowballed. I found helthy living blogs. I started my own blog (which I’ve temporarily abandoned while working some stuff out on my own), and I’m working every day to be the healthiest I can be.
I started reading everyone’s questions and input on Crazy Sexy Life and realized that I needed to take charge of my health.
My spark point was when an Italian flight attendant tried to help me onto my seat. I gave her a really strange look and she said “You’re pregnant, right?” I most definitely was not.
It’s funny looking back at it but it was the most hurtful experience ever at the time.
my spark was that no body was going to change this body of mine. nothing was going to be done if i couldnt do it. no amount of other peoples motivation for me to get healthy would be possible unless i did it and wanted it for myself. aweosme post and awesome question <3
my spark was when I went to the doctor and found out I had extremely high cholesterol at the age of 20, and was a college athlete….so I started eating TONS better and now I’m so into nutrition! Its so interesting!
My spark was something like yours Gina. It hit me when I lived abroad, had no car, and my dorm room was on the 4th floor. Lots of walking ensued, and the weight started coming off – that’s all it took to get me going.
Glad that your cute little knee is A-okay. 🙂
My Spark happened when I took a good look at some of my family members who were very overweight, had a myriad of health problems, unhappy and directionless. I suddenly realized that I was not headed towards that path, but ON that path. That was it, I’ve never looked back and have never been happier! 😀
My spark? I was training for my black belt and I started realizing the better I ate, the easier training was- and wait, I started to lose weight, too! And thus my journey began. 🙂
xo
K
Gained 10 pounds living on a diet of fried pork and white rice in Korea. Realized quickly that my energy level and appearance plummeted. What do you know? Switched to a high-veggie, active life and almost instantly felt 10x better.
Glad to hear you knee is A-okay! I have to say, that’s the first X-ray I’ve ever seen at where I actually could tell what I’m looking at! Obviously, I am not an MD (good thing! haha).
My spark came after reading healthy living blogs (like yours!) and seeing women my age eating things I usually shunned. I recognize now those “things” are REAL food as opposed to the fat-free everything I was eating before.
I started focusing more on REAL food with REAL nutrients and REAL physical activity. I embraced healthy fats and whole grain carbs, I just didn’t squeeze too tight. I made sure to get more fruits and veg in. The change in how I felt was incredible!
Stepping on the scale and realizing that my weight was so close to my husbands was the motivation I needed. I will never go back now that I realize how much better I feel when I am at a healthy weight and eating right.
Exercise spark: Going to the doctor during my freshman year of college, getting weighed, and discovering that the “Freshman 15” was not just a myth. The in home walking DVDs came out of cobwebs the next day!!
Food spark: A couple semesters later, I took a nutrition course. I learned a ton about food and how the body processes nutrients. I was stunned to discover how many diseases (such as diabetes, heart probs, etc.) can be prevented (or, at least you can bring your risk down) by healthy eating and regular exercise!
For my entire life I was overweight. In November 2008 at the age of 19, I was close to 200 pounds and was extremely depressed. I said, “I am SICK of being unhealthy and fat. I’m done.” I signed up for the Seattle Rock in Roll Half Marathon for June 2009, began training for it and lost weight! Since I have ran four half marathons and I’m training for my first full marathon this June. (Again, the Seattle Rock ‘n Roll FULL Marathon). I have lost 45 pounds. 🙂
ahhh so much to comment!!
1) tonight is the night – i AM making abfast cookie =)
2) i actually am going to the orthodontist on friday – braces for the 3rd time. and im 22. EVERYONE WEAR YOUR RETAINERS!
3) my SPARK was reading food blogs! honestly, it completely changed the way i think about things! i always ate healthy in college, but blogs really motivated me to really change my habits
i’ve had braces three times too because i didn’t wear my retainers!!
hahahahaa yesssss!! so i’m in good company!!
Braces? For the 3rd time? OUCH. Good luck!
I’ve always been plus sized, and I have no problem with that. I’ve always been very proud of my body, and I’m a firm believer that you can be healthy at any size and that thin does not always equal healthy. But my spark to really change my lifestyle came when I was involved in two really huge shows back-to-back (one as a director, one as a performer) in the span of two months. My diet went to crap, my stress levels were through the roof, and I felt awful. I didn’t give a crap about how I looked, but I FELT awful.
So I did a major makeover on my food intake, started walking home instead of taking the bus, and started doing yoga and getting back into dance on a regular basis. I’m only about a month into it, but I already feel so much better. My skin’s cleared up, my sleep schedule is amazing, and I have started losing weight–although that isn’t the goal. This is definitely something I’m going to stick with.
you’re totally right.. being healthy and feeling great are the MOST important. weight is just a silly number
Having babies was a HUGE wakeup call to how I needed to treat my body. Ever since I got pregnant I’ve realized that I need to take care of myself just as much for THEM as I do for me!
Congrats on your Spark post!
I was always active with dance when I was younger, but when I went to college, I hated the gym because I just wasn’t used to it. I ended up gaining only 5# and it was probably just because my body changed, but my doctor said something when I came home that summer. Basically accusing me of being lazy (when I wasn’t). Unfortunately, that *sparked* me too much because 25# later, I was at my lowest point of my eating disorder and hating my life and the world around me.
I think my ultimate *spark* was that I didn’t have to fight my body. I love fruit, veggies and grains naturally so eating healthfully has never been an issue, but at the same time I love cookies and those won’t kill me either. I wanted to be at peace and just stop the obsession because not only was it harmful physically, but emotionally and mentally.
Now I can workout (walking around DC and yoga are my to go things because I still hate the gym), eat well and just feel good. It’s very peaceful 🙂
Watching Food Inc. “sparked” me into being a vegetarian, so I’d say that was a pretty big spark 🙂 Glad to hear that your knee is doing okay!!
hey gina! i took my first zumba class this week, thanks to you and your rocking vids 🙂 i loved it! and im surprisingly reallly good at shaking my hips about..must be the latin in me 🙂
i was wondering though.. what kind of sneakers do you wear? do you have different sneakers that you wear for classes and for running/walking?
my shoes are definitely getting worn down and they have no cushion whatsoever, im just so confused as to which ones to get and if i should get separate ones for jogging on the tread and for gym classes help! 🙁
thanks!
My spark when when I got the swine flu, seasonal flu, a sinus infection, I passed out, and I had a horrible cold in a period of 3 months. I then gained 10 pounds of pure body fat over Christmas break. I found the Fitnessista through Glamour and 4 months later I am living and loving life full of energy, pizzazz and strength 🙂
My spark came on a random day when I was trying to find a new dress. I looked in the dressing room mirror and saw a total stranger, I had a little break down, went home and actually signed up on SparkPeople. SparkPeople helped me totally change my life around 🙂
My spark was in high school, when the nurses almost didn’t let me run cross country, since I had high blood pressure and was quite overweight. From that day forward, I took a step back and saw the need to adopt a healthy lifestyle. I haven’t stopped running since 😀
My Spark came after telling people to please do pictures of upper body. I then signed up on Sparkpeople and have been going strong with that and blogging to keep accoutnable everything I eat.
My *SPARK* was a hysterectomy at 24 :/ I have always been really active and had clean eating, however I became more diligent once I had a hysterectomy. I was so worried about how my hormone imbalance was going to affect every aspect of my life. While recovering, I had nothing but time to read and educate myself further on proper nutrition and exercise – I am so thankful for that *spark* because now I’m full of useful information and incredibly healthy!
I hate to say that cancer is my spark, but it is. 😉 After being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30, I was floored to say the least, especially since I have been a runner for 6+ years and have always taken good care of myself. So now that I am officially a survivor, I am doing everything in my power to lessen my chance of recurrence. Which means, continuing running (of course!) 30-40 miles/week, and totally revamping my diet. The only meat I have eaten in probably 4 months is seafood, and I fill the rest of my diet with the colors of the rainbow in my fruits and veggies and buy organic when I can. I have become a green monster addict, now love Larabars (when I used to despise them), hummus and I are BFFs, absolutely no alcohol, and I haven’t had cookies, cake, sweets, processed-junk in months. I L-O-V-E the way I feel and it’s not hard, because it’s a complete lifestyle change…besides I have the best reason ever to take great care of my body, ME!
you know i love you, girly. way to kick cancer’s BOOTY- your beautiful spirit, positivity and courage have always such an inspiration to me. keep taking amazing care of yourself! <3
My spark was a tad later than most – at 30. I had two kiddos and just wanted to change how I felt. I’ve come a long way in 1.5 years and feel so much better. I also started reading food blogs and learned SO much from them. Holla to food bloggers. WHAT, WHAT.
WHAT WHAT!!! 🙂
i guess it was just gradual for me, just realizing that i want to look better and lose weight, have more energy and just be more confident. I am still learning, and have a ways to go yet. But i’m on the right track
When my husband and I found out that we couldn’t have children we decided to look into international adoption… to qualify for a child most countries require a healthy range bmi… we didn’t qualify. That started our eating healthy and my gym membership.
I did gymnastics until I was 18, then basically quit exercise during college. My spark would have to be looking at pictures from the New Years party the first year I was in the working world. Now it’s seriously hard to imagine my life without eating health & working out.
My spark was finding out I was pregnant. Knowing that everything I put into my body was nourishing my baby made all the difference in the world and made it a lot easier to choose good food.
My first spark was when I literally did not recognize my own reflection in a store window. I knew I was gaining weight but it did not hit me until that moment. My new spark is eating cleanly. The difference in my energy is amazing. I can’t believe I was ever hooked on lean cuisines and 100 calorie packs!
i used to be there too, back in the day. a lean cuisine a day, and south beach bars galore!
My spark? When I had a total thyroidectomy in November. I knew from then on I wouldn’t be able to eat whatever I wanted and not gain weight. I took that opportunity to make a real change in my eating and exercise habits. I’ve lost about 10 lbs and have already run 2 5k races. I hope to be able to run my first half marathon by the end of the year. It may sound strange, but I’m thankful that I had Graves Disease otherwise I don’t think I would have ever changed my unhealthy habits.
My spark came last fall when I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. I’d never say that I’m happy I had a cancer diagnosis in my life, but I know I’m in a much happier and healthier place because of it.
My spark happened when I realized ALL my other best friends were able to run the Labor Day 10K together and I was always the cheerleader. That pivotal day I decided that this would NO longer be the case! 🙂
I was about 30 pounds overweight and in highschool. I always knew I wasn’t skinny, but never had the correct knowledge. After dealing with a certain illness a doctor told me i had celiac (gluten allergies) disease, and had to stay away from dairy. Hardest thing i ever did, but i never felt better. I soon began to notice the change in my body, and LOVED It. so i started running and exercising, until it became a passion! Unfortunately I was misdiagnosed after a year of being G-Free, but I continued on the path and have lost the 30 pounds, plus some, and have maintained it for almost 5 years! =] Now I am gaining a little back because im 6 months prego but thats ok =]
Glad your knee’s okay, babe. P.S. Great post on DailySpark! Love you