Sunday Schmooze Savouries Sweets and Scrabble

Hello Nelly Belliers!

Where did the weekend go? I can't believe it is Sunday already! We had a quiet weekend, but we did go to the gym yesterday and we will be going again today. I have to say that even though it always feels like a bit of struggle for the first month or two back, it felt really good to workout and my body definitely said "thank you". Chris has been back at it longer than me, but we have both decided that it is time to get healthy, strong, and fit. If anyone has any healthy snack or meal recipes, or if anyone has a favourite exercise move, let me know in the comments area below!

The other highlight for me was meeting our financial fella! He was a hoot and I now want to hang out with him. He also thought that I was a certain celebrity when I first walked in (click here to find out who). She's the only celebrity that I have ever been compared to. Isn't it so nice when you are doing something in life and you randomly meet someone who's really fun and hilarious. Don't worry Chris thought the same thing, so this isn't remotely inappropriate ;) !

My final week-end highlight is my 'Ask Nelly Bellie - Episode 1' video. Click here to see it. It was so much fun making this, and Nelly already has some excellent questions to answer for Episode 2! Don't forget to post your question as well so that it is included in the next episode.

SCHMOOZE

Going back to one of my week-end highlights, I wanted to talk a bit about body image, and feeling good about yourself.

First of all don't let anyone ever make you feel less than beautiful! Beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes, and the best thing that you can do in life is to learn to love yourself. Be proud of who you are, stand tall, and strut your stuff!

On the other side of the coin is your health. If you want or need to get healthy, then definitely go for it! Just like we need to keep our brains strong, we also need to keep our hearts and bodies strong too. This means eating well and doing some type of exercise.
Here are a few facts for you:

Body fat around the waist is very dangerous to your heart, more than your hips and thighs.
Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed.
Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily chores.
If you want to know what your weight should be based upon your height, age, and gender then here is a great calculator. Please note that this is just a suggestion and you should always talk to your doctor about weight and health concerns.

Being healthy also means that you need to get regular check ups and you need to go to the doctor if something isn't right with your body. It really frustrates me when people refuse to go to the doctor when something is wrong, or when I hear that they haven't been to the doctor in years. The overwhelming proof is out there now that catching things early can save your life! I know it can be scary, but imagine if a doctor said "if you had come earlier, your prognosis would be better". Think about how your health decisions can also affect your family and friends. Please don't let the fear win. I am going for my yearly checkup this week, and would love to hear that you have booked yours or have one as well. Let's fight fear together!

Being healthy doesn't mean that you should cut out all of the things that you love to eat in life. I recommend having a treat day once a week, or maybe two depending on your situation. You don't want to cut out everything good in life, or you will go crazy! Also focus on finding healthy delicious recipes. There are LOTS of them out there, and the majority of them taste just as good as recipes with twice the amount of fat, etc. Try to focus on eating foods like fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, high-fiber grains, and olive oils rich with monounsaturated fats, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids.

For those of you who are young, I wanted to share something personal with you in hopes that my story can help in any way. At the end of high school I struggled with my weight and with my self-esteem, and I became bulimic. My bulimia carried on into University, and it wasn't until I told my mum that I was able to deal with it. It didn't matter how many people told me "your beautiful", I didn't feel that way, and I needed to figure out why. From the outside it looked like I had it all, a great family, a great group of friends, and a safe place to lay my head at night, but on the inside I was crumbling. There is so much pressure on girls and women, and I just want you to know that you are beautiful! If you aren't feeling that way, and if you are going through something similar then PLEASE tell someone and get help. I also think that it's super important to talk about these things openly, because the more that we discuss serious topics, the more open and free people can feel. We shouldn't feel ashamed to talk about how we are feeling or what we are going through, and we need to support one another through tough times. If one person gets help because they have read this then I am over the moon, but regardless I think it's an important topic to talk about, and I have said from day one that my blog was also going to be a place of honesty and truth. I would also like to say that eating disorders affect all genders and all ages, I'm just relating to my story of what it was like as young girl growing up. So it doesn't matter who are, you are ALL worthy of feeling amazingly fabulous because you are amazingly fabulous!

If you are in Canada, here are two great online resources (if you aren't in Canada there are still lots of great resources, you just need to do a Google search):

Eating Disorders Foundation of Canada - http://www.edfofcanada.com
National Eating Disorder Information Centre - http://www.nedic.ca

"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within."
~ Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

SAVOURIES

Sort a strange thing to follow with, but it's important that we learn to love food and learn to talk about it in positive ways. So on to savouries, one of my deepest loves.

My sausage roll puff pastry quest will be put on hold until a 'treat' day type dealio, but I am in search of some healthy savoury delights, because completely cutting out everything is not realistic. Also, who wants a life without savouries? Not me!

I have more of a savoury than sweet tooth, so I definitely need to find some salty little snacks that I can make myself. One way to definitely cut back on calories, fat, and things that your body doesn't need is to make things yourself. For example, make your own salsa, don't buy it. That way you know exactly what you are eating, and you know that everything in it is fresh as daisies.

Here is a great home-made salsa recipe from Weight Watchers UK (click here). It's easy, quick, and delicious!

It's also really easy to make your own pita chips which will go perfectly with your salsa. Find some whole wheat store-bought pitas, sprinkle them with a bit of olive oil, and then sprinkle them with some fennel seeds. Bake them in the oven until golden and crisp. Alternatively, you can also make your own pitas (here is a healthy recipe in case you want to make your own).

SWEETS

Even though my palette prefers savouries, it's always a good idea to have some healthy sweet ideas on hand just in case. One snack that I really enjoy, and that we've all probably had, is fruit and yogurt. I know this pretty obvious but I think sometimes we are so focused on chocolate bars that we forget how sweetiful (yes I made this word up) fruit and yogurt can be!

Fruit and yogurt

If you have 1 small apple, slice it (I love those apple cutters that you can get, click here to see what I'm talking about), chuck the apple slices in with 1/2 cup of nonfat plain yogurt and sprinkle it with 1/4 tsp cinnamon. If you don't like cinnamon (like my mum) then just leave that part out. However a study done by the USDA says that "a sprinkle of cinnamon may boost weight loss. The polyphenols in cinnamon helps to regulate blood sugar, which can keep hunger pangs at bay".

Total Calories: approx. 148

SCRABBLE

For those of you who love Scrabble like me, or if you just love learning new words, then this little biddy is for you. On my Sunday blogs I will feature a 'word of the week' and my goal is to try and use it at least once in conversation (however random the word might be) or in a game of Scrabble if I happen to play one. Definitely join in with me, and let me know when and how you used the word by posting in the comments area.

Today's word is Senecios.

n. - Enormous and diverse cosmopolitan genus of trees and shrubs and vines and herbs including many weeds.

SUNDAY PICS

Just to show you how much Chris and I love food (sorry if this makes you drool):