#29 Am I full yet?

As I've mentioned, our office is surrounded by a huge variety of restaurants, eateries, cafes, delis, and food vendors. I stopped in one of the local shops to pick up some milk for the office. At the counter was a display of Fullbars. I have never heard of this product but it looked like a low-calorie snack so I decided to try it.

Today is the day I am actually eating it. It is a 1.59 oz bar, so it's about the size of a large square brownie. The flavor I chose was Double Chocolate Cocoa Chip (have I mentioned I love chocolate?). Ok...it looks like a Rice Crispy treat with particularly large rice puffs. It has a very yummy, chocolately flavor. The bar is slightly sticky and very chewy.
Ok. So I kind of expected to be FULL. It did take the edge off my hunger but only for an hour or so. I think I would have been just as satisfied with a piece of fruit or any other granola type bar.
I'm a little bit disappointed because when I'm having a busy day I like having a quick snack food in my bag so I don't have to stop and buy a meal somewhere. Purchasing food at a restaurant tends to make me feel guilty because 1) I shouldn't be wasting the money, 2) the portions are way too big, and 3) I feel obligated to consume all of it since I paid for it. A great way to gain weight!
In conclusion I will say that if you enjoy food bars, you will enjoy this one. But it's not a meal replacement, it's a snack. An orange and a hand full of almonds would probably be a more satisfying and healthy choice.

#21 No longer a gym rat

Every day is a challenge to eat in a nutritional manner. I am only 5' tall, so every pound I gain is another inch on my frame. I'm curvy and fun-sized, but that's only ten pounds away from dumpy and roly-poly.
Another problem is that I hate to exercise. I was a very loyal gym rat for a couple of  years. I was fit and I loved how I felt. However, life has since gotten in the way, and I no longer have space in my schedule for a trip to the gym.
Add on the terrible lifestyle of commuting to NYC. I spend five hours a day sitting on a bus. Plus another eight hours mostly sitting at my desk. It's not healthy to be so sedentary.

I try very hard to compensate for this by walking, briskly, around NYC. Every day at lunch I walk at least eight to ten blocks, sometimes a lot more. I walk fast enough where it's hard to talk. My legs cramp and I break a sweat, but not enough where I can't return to work. If Ispend the night in NY, I walk after work too.  Sometimes I go to Central Park http://www.centralpark.com/, which has some killer hills and flights of steps. Sometimes I just walk around Washington Heights http://www.nycgo.com/articles/neighborhood-spotlight-washington-heights , which also has some very steep hills. Nearby is Fort Tryon Park http://forttryonparktrust.org/ , which is just so beautiful to walk around. Flower gardens, rockscaping, the Cloisters http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/visit-the-cloisters , and soft grassy fields with large shady trees to sit under. Except I don't.
So the other part of trying to stay healthy is diet. Whether I'm at work or at home, it is so simple to walk into a restaurant. One of the problems I have with that convenience is that portions are so big in restaurants  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/22/restaurant-portion-size_n_1534458.html. And I'm paying money for it, so I feel an intense obligation to consume all of it. The solution is to avoid eating out. First of all, it saves a lot of money. Secondly, I eat a lot less when I'm making myself a meal. And finally, though I am not a committed vegetarian, I do observe certain dietary laws and so I avoid animal products in my foods as much as possible. If the first few ingredients are salt/sodium or high fructose corn syrup http://www.naturalnews.com/024466_corn_health_HFCS.html  I generally won't eat it. If it has things in the ingredients that I can't recognize or pronounce I won't eat it.
 Fortunately I love fruits and vegetables. I can eat a garden salad every day and never get tired of it. At places like Elias Markets http://www.eliasfoods.com/ I can a week's worth of produce for only a few dollars. I love making my own salad dressings as well.
Of course, I get urges for less healthy treats. I am a lover of chocolate. Today I satisfied that craving and my need for breakfast with a nutrition bar http://www.nugonutrition.com/ from Nugo. It actually tastes like a chocolate treat and it fills me up, for a couple of hours anyway.
Since I've started paying attention to this, I've actually lost almost ten pounds. I'm excited about that and it's motivating me to do more.
Hairstylists are known for not taking care of themselves. We stand on our feet for hours, sitting when not working, eating grab-n-go foods, etc. I strongly encourage everyone in the beauty industry to consider that being healthy is necessary to be beautiful over the long term. It's important to "look the part" as well as being a kind and generous person. And being beautiful, inside and out,  is what it's all about, right?
Note: Top photo: Belvedere Castle, Central Park, NYC
Middle Photo: The Cloisters Museum and Gardens, NYC
Bottom Photo: Fort Tryon Park, NYC
Yes, I have a fondness for gothic architecture. Those steps are fantastic exercise!