Too funny!! Feel like having some tacos now?
It’s Monday! The weekends always go by so fast… don’t they?
By the way…
I’m changing the name of the blog effective today. I will be changing it in every location this week. 🙂
Reading time: 1-2 minutes. I’ll keep it short busy bees, I promise!
By now, you’ve probably got your plans for the big Turkey day on Thursday. The family is coming into town and you’re cooking the same fancy meal like you do every year. Grocery shopping and Black Friday shopping is most likely a stressful event and overall, it’s going to be one heck of a week. We put ourselves through utter chaos for the sake of so many. Sound familiar?
I write this little blurb NOT to say, don’t stress or be thankful because I know you will be to some degree. BUT I write to make my point that we must all stop, take a moment to breathe and ask. I realize this may sound absolutely stupid and you may be thinking that you’ve heard this time and time again. And ask? Ask for what? What is she talking about?
Like our wedding, this time FLIES by whether you like it or not. You’re completely over your head about dinner, pleasing your guests, and even family dynamics. Whether it’s that you cooked the turkey a little too long, you forgot to get something at the store, there is way too much to do, your parents constantly criticize you, or your siblings have a grudge against you, or your kids are driving you crazy. Take a moment, take a deep breath, and ask for help. You have those that love you surrounding you. You don’t have to do it all yourself.
Why do I say this? I’m the person that has a difficult time asking for help. Here’s my thought process… I know I can get it done and therefore I know it will get done. I won’t have to worry about it if I do it. What happens when I don’t ask for help is totally overwhelming. I start rushing and am extremely focused. As the minutes pass by, I end up missing out on so many memorable moments. It’s just not worth it. Not worth the worry or stress to miss out on time with your loved ones. Prioritize what is important and not always what is urgent.
Good luck out there and Happy Thanksgiving!
Reading time: 3-4 minutes.
Yes, I’m Asian. Specifically Chinese. And also Diabetic. I suppose you could name a few reasons why this is not exactly a match made in heaven. Well, being diabetic to begin with is not anyone’s #1 wish to Santa or the Genie but the combination of being Asian AND diabetic is lame. Why? I can tell you exactly why.
Rice, rice, baby.
That’s it. Some would say this is a stupid reason, but growing up eating all types of Asian foods, it’s really not. I love rice. A breakfast scramble with veggies over rice with a drizzle of soy sauce? Yum. If you haven’t tried it, you should try it. Rice was integrated into every meal, along with noodles as well. Something about that simple tasting, sticky, slightly chewy goodness that I can never seem to fully give up. I tend to have a weird yearning… or craving if I don’t have it for awhile. Maybe it’s that I’m Chinese and try to limit my carb intake. Hmm probably. Love-hate it is!
Why is this bad for us diabetics?
1. Rice is one of the top foods that raise your blood sugar levels.
2. White rice has very, very little fiber which means that this food does not stay in your system for very long. Maybe this is why people say they are hungry not long after chowing down on some Chinese food?
3. Little nutritional value. Not a whole lot of vitamins, minerals, fiber… just plain rice goodness.
4. A cup of rice is about 45 grams of carbohydrates. This is the equivalent of 3 slices of bread or one and a half apples.
5. TWO cups of rice breaks down to the equivalent of 22 grams of SUGAR!
6. High glycemic index which means your blood sugar will increase rapidly after eating!
Okay, enough of the negative. Let’s be real, I eat it anyways. My endocrinologist says I should stay away but I’m doing pretty well as far as control with my diabetes. So… I’m going to enjoy that rice gosh darn it! It’s delicious and scrumptious and I doubt I could ever fully give it up. Moderation is key I suppose. You only live once, right? I feel so fortunate that I am able to have the insulin that suits my needs and the ability to know how much to take for any given meal. Being diabetic is not fun in a lot of ways, but there are always worse things. So, in conclusion, I eat what I love in moderation and I will never stop loving rice. Yum.
Reading time: 8-10 minutes of your life.
Let’s be real here, I constantly wonder how I survived my 20’s. I had that ‘Oh sh!t I’m turning 31 soon’ moment today. Reflecting back on my 20’s and all the craziness that took place, made me realize what I learned during that decade of chaos. I’m not going to get into the details of everything but WOW. I believe that there is SO much change during that time. I have asked a number of people for their input and many of the same kept coming up. Again, this is all relative!
From the early 20’s, you’re in college, or graduating college, or maybe you started working after high school. You think, there is really life after my high school bubble?!? Yes, yes there is and darn it now I have to kind of grow up. Kind of. You live on your own and you learn the tango of living with other people besides your family. Having to actually share your space with other people, divvying up household responsibilities, and being held accountable for bills – yikes. Surviving your 21st birthday and the crazy bar/club scene is a pure miracle. Hopefully it wasn’t based from the movie ‘The Hangover’. Bar tabs, eating out whenever and eating whatever were major parts of your spending habits. Random dates, unhealthy relationships, unruly friends, and living life on the edge was a good portion of your syllabus.
Some of you may have continued to graduate school in the mid-20’s, or kept on working but here you see more of a finesse in living on your own. Your relationships may, or may not have improved. But if it’s any consolation, you sure as heck learned a lot the hard way. OR maybe you played it safe. In any event, there is a lot to be learned during the third decade of your life!
1. Start saving. And leave it be.
Did I do this? Yes, but I kept taking money out for various expenses. So what am I left with? Not too much! If there’s anything that I’ve learned thus far is that there are SO many unexpected items to pay for that you have to dip into your savings for. In my early 20’s there was no way in hell I had a savings account and an emergency savings account. Maybe I wasn’t the most educated about how to best save my money at that point, but at least I got there eventually… In any event, I would say that putting away at least $5 a paycheck to start. I know college students don’t usually have all the time in the world to work, but every little bit counts. I wish someone made me do this back then! Remember, leave it be and do not touch your savings! (Easier said than done).
2. Take care of your body and mind.
Yet another piece of advice that was not drilled at me. And when I have kids, I will drill this into their brains. Seriously. Being diabetic and susceptible to just about anything and everything, it is imperative to start exercising regularly and eating healthy. Most people eat and drink whatever they please, without the worry of gaining weight or any health risks. Plus not to mention the metabolism is a bit more speedy during those years! Ahhhh the good ‘ol days. Burgers and fries with beers, fried yummy-ness, pasta, bread, sugary things from heaven and eating whatever and whenever I wanted… I dream about this, you know? No… I really do dream of this. Everything in moderation is my motto.
3. Spend more time with family.
Family first. This doesn’t take precedence as much as your friends in your early 20’s. Finding yourself, and your place in your social life seem to be more important. I mean, come on, there are SO many fun things to do. Like… your 21st birthday, discovering every bar possible in your area (and other places), going to Vegas, parties, BBQ’s, organized sports, travel, and places to explore with friends. Yes, everyone does at least some of these and your time gets sucked up by it all. Oh and school and work, that happens too. As the years drift by and we find our place outside of the college scene, we start to see our parents and grandparents getting older. What a concept, I know. But this is often difficult to truly see
4. Get a job… please.
If you haven’t gotten a job yet in your lifetime, please drop what you’re doing and go look for one immediately! This is a subject I could probably rant about for quite a long time. I started working when I was 15 years old and pretty much never stopped except while in high school. I worked during the summers, of course, and throughout college. By your 20’s, it would be not only in your best interest, but everyone else’s, for you to get a job. At this point in your life you should be weaning yourself off of your parents’ payroll. Being able to support yourself, and starting to take responsibility for your finances is an incredibly vital aspect of survival in this world.
5. Take every opportunity to travel.
Life gets crazy, and it gets crazy FAST! If there’s one thing that I wish I did when I was in college, it would be to spend time abroad. This is your chance to spend more time than you’ll (probably) ever be able to in the future, in a foreign country. Experience a new culture, meet new people, and explore the world!
6. Do things for you.
It is so easy to get caught up in doing things for other people – friends, family, whomever. This is the time to be adventurous! Not to mention, the time you’ll be the most resilient to anything. Friends may come and go, relationships come and go, but take the time to build YOU!
7. Take risks (to some degree).
Try out a new sport. Join a club. Go on a weekend outdoors trip with the recreation department. Ask questions. Try new foods. Work in an environment you never thought you’d see yourself in. Try out for a team. Take a class because you’re curious. Study abroad. Ditch the car, and ride the bus. Eat by yourself. Live in a town that you’ve never lived in. Take a job out in a new location. Live in a foreign country. This is the time to try new things! Your resources are at your fingertips!
8. Relationships are fun.
This is your time to see what’s out there before settling down. We learn more about what we want and don’t want in a partner, and in ourselves as well. Meet as many people as possible, go on dates, put yourself out there, get to know someone, fall in love, and just have fun. I remember this time as a time when I was not only getting to really know who I was, but a time that I was figuring out what kind of partner I want. It was a total trial period and by no means was it glorious. I had my share of unhealthy relationships, ones that I didn’t see going anywhere or ones that I just didn’t fully connect with. I stayed with people that didn’t treat me right, and/or I didn’t treat them right. Learning about confrontation in an honest, graceful manner was difficult – especially in matters that I had never brought to the table. It is always uncomfortable.
9. Prioritize.
The easiest thing to do is to do is lose track of yourself and your priorities because there is just SO much going on all the time. That BBQ on the beach with your sounds like so much more fun than great aunt Sally’s birthday. And you’ve got to keep up with the styles – besides, the money in my savings account isn’t going anywhere! Bring it back to your purpose and what you want for your future. Are you doing what it takes to reach your goals and setting yourself up for a good future?
Overall, your 20’s are a time of growth. As people say, you ‘find yourself’. I would have to say that it is 100% true. Have fun, take care of your body and mind, explore the world, and learn from everything!
This article will take approximately 3-5 minutes to read.
After my workout this morning, I sit in the sauna to think, meditate, and well… just sweat it out. It feels good! If you haven’t tried it, and you have access to one – do it! Anyway, I started thinking a lot about the evolution of this blog.
I started this blog with the intention of getting the word out about our Diabetes and Colitis management through food. We almost always cook with modifications and finds ways to better suit both of our needs. I mean, after all, we love food. Then, the more I thought about my posts, my thoughts, and what I wanted to really write about, was not JUST about food and recipes, but about the mental, physical, and life changes that need to happen in order to make ourselves healthy according to OUR personal molds. It is not only specific to food or diets, but specifics about exercise (types of exercise, how it affects our health according to each individual, what exercises work the best for our goals, what our intentions are with exercising, what is realistic, etc.), food (choices, capabilities, modifications, portion size, balance of proteins, carbs, veggies/fruits, etc.), and a healthy mind (how we deal with stresses, loss, guilt, motivation, determination, support or lack thereof, love, relationships etc.). I found that I didn’t want to write as much because I felt constricted to our primary topic of food and recipes.
What am I going to do about it?
Change it up! My intentions for this blog are selfish and self-less. I get to be selfish sometimes and in this case, it is an outlet for me. I want to put my experiences, my thoughts, and ideas out there NOT for gratification, but to take the change in knowing that someone else might relate to me in a large or small way. I want to be self-less in the sense that I would like to be able to help anyone that could be in the same boat as me, or have interests in the same topics. I know that diabetes management, colitis management, weight loss, motivation and making changes to your habits and daily life can be extremely challenging. My main topic is still, of course health.
So here I go…
A recent situation has led me to truly change me for the best. People call it a ‘blessing in disguise’. Over the past few weeks I’ve had a lot of time to reflect and dig deep about myself and my purpose. The topic that comes to mind constantly is my health – diabetes, weight management, mental state of being, and my overall comfort level in my own skin. Like most people, their jobs and families consume a large part of one’s life. I know that for me, when times at work become extremely stressful, my level of motivation to work out decreases prrrrretty quickly. So, with work and wedding planning I had hardly any drive to work out. What did that do? That increased my blood sugar levels which increased my hemoglobin A1C level, body fat percentage increased due to lack of exercise which then decreased my energy levels as well. As you can see, it is quite the domino effect! With diabetes, people are more susceptible to pretty much everything! My work situation was the start of an ongoing decrease in health and I can’t tell you how incredibly relieved I am. It feels pretty gosh darn awesome to be healthy again.
So here’s what I’m currently doing. Now, I take spin class or run three days a week, pilates three days a week, and weight/strength training three days a week. I am currently checking my blood sugar levels four times a day to ensure tight control of my levels – which then affects the A1C. My A1C lab test result was provided as of this week and it is 6.8. This is a little high compared to last time. In two and a half months, my goal is 6.0. With the exercise, tight control and motivation, I know I can do it! With the combination of different types of exercise and checking my levels 4-5 times a day, there is no excuse to not reach my goals. Not to mention the increase in exercise has increased my energy levels and I truly feel good in my own skin. I look at the scale and see no fluctuation in numbers, but I know my body is changing and I can feel it.
I know it’s only been a few weeks. I know this is not a total life change. But it’s a step in the right direction! All my life I’ve been in flux. My workout schedule, my eating habits, my comfort level with my weight/body. We all have our moments, but for me, it has been a huge struggle. I’m not entirely sure why to be honest with you. I know it is dependent upon my stress levels which are connected to my energy levels. I also know I love food too much. I’m such a sucker for good food! Otherwise, I’m not sure. Maybe I get bored? Maybe it’s based on my emotions? All good stuff for me to think about! But as of now, I am so happy with where I’m at, how I feel, and the path that I’m on. Now the real challenge is – is to stick with it!
That being said… I am changing the name of the blog. Haven’t found one that I love just yet, but stay tuned… I will be writing more about life experiences in conjunction with my/our health.
What do you think?
Gotta stay motivated. My recent A1C was 6.8 which is a little high for me. My goal is 5.8-6.0 in two and a half months. Checking my blood glucose 4+ times a day and making sure my levels are lower than 140 (specifically 2hrs after eating). Getting a pump and must stay on track. Spin, weights, plyometrics, running, plyometrics and pilates… Working out 5x per week, with 3 double days.
Good health = hard work!!
Someone posted this and I just had to repost it! Think about it, do you love what you do? Are you someone that is passionate about your job or career? We spend so much of our waking lives at work. So make it something that you love.
Game 5 here we come!!!
My typical Maui meal.
Who can name what’s on my plate?!
Have you read that book ‘Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother’? I have. I can honestly say I could write my own version. Warning: this is my story and my story only. This is not a post about how you should be, how I want to be, how you should parent – or not parent. This is not a post to offend anyone. This is my own story.
What exactly is a Tiger Mom? (Here begins the longest run-on sentences – my apologies to the grammar nazi’s out there). To me, a Tiger Mom is a full Chinese (or Asian), traditional, parenting by brute-force, driven by success, makes no exceptions, uses verbal and physical force to establish a point, excuses and complaining are not allowed – ever, playdates are rarely accepted, friends of status are friends to keep, image is everything, appearance is everything…and the list could go on but I will spare you. HOWEVER, as a daughter of a Tiger mom… dominance is not OK, playing piano or instrument is a necessity – not only that, but to practice for at least one hour, if not two, per day, sweets/candy were only given on occasion, being anything but thin is to be obese, there is no such thing as being in second place, fear is instilled if you do not follow directions or orders correctly, you are never good enough, there is always something you could do better, you could always look better, there is always something to nitpick, if you’re not good anything – you keep trying until you are (or blue in the face), emotions are not spoken of freely, you are to always look and act the part, especially in public, any ‘f’ ups are not acceptable and could potentially embarrass her which will result in a slap across the face or spanking, asking for water when you are extremely thirsty and under the age of 3 results in your hand being placed on the cutting board with a knife held up against your fingers with her yelling at you saying that if you don’t stop asking, she will cut off your fingers with the knife one by one, if you misbehave in any way – she will grab your arm and squeeze your arm until her fingernails dig into your skin creating wonderful little scabs in shapes of fingernails… and the list could go on.
Hmm… well let’s just begin by saying, I am grateful for many different aspects of how I grew up. All things listed above are not shared by every tiger mom, just by the one that I know best, my own tiger mom. How about we start with the things I’m grateful for to ease things into the core of it all. I am grateful for … having two parents to raise me, that my parents decided to have two kids after me – those being my sisters, for teaching me discipline, introducing me to sports, introducing me to music, teaching me what hard work means, learning how to be independent, understanding sharing and to be disciplined, to learn how to just do things – things you don’t necessarily want to do, and of course, fake it until you make it.
Now for the fun stuff. Let’s just say it was really difficult to grow up in my household for a number of reasons. Many of which, I will not mention. However, I can say, that the Chinese culture can be unforgiving in a number of ways. The ‘American’ way of parenting versus the ‘Chinese’ way of parenting often conflict. Again, I must emphasize, I am in no way saying how someone should parent, or the right or wrong way to go about things. It’s just my observation. From what I’ve seen, it seems that Asian parents more often than not, are more commanding and demanding. You are not given a choice. Appearance, how you looked and acted visually and politically was what mattered most. Isn’t that ironic? People do this on a daily basis and often times, to this extent – to keep the peace of course. However, people can read through this quite easily more often than you think. To be the ‘perfect’ family is not the norm. Every family has it’s struggles, hardships, and stressful times. Here is my question, how much should you pretend – and how much should you be genuine when it comes to your private versus public life? Please note, this does not include work or career settings.
More to come… these are thoughts for now… our wedding is in FIVE days! Woot woot!
Yes they are delicious!! Peal the leaves off, toss in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes depending on how crispy you want them 🙂
Trying my best to prep meals as much as possible. Especially when going to work. Gotta make sure my body feels healthy and good for the big wedding day in 13 days!
We took a quick trip to LA for my dad’s 60th. Check out this phenomenal cake!!!
Nourishing Zen 