Music Therapy with Miss Moon

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."
~ Audrey Hepburn

"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."
~ Groucho Marx

" Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life."
~ Omar Khayyam

In May, what was intended to be a routine check up with my new doctor turned into months of fear, worry, and anxiety. He called me and said that there was something wrong with my blood tests, and that my white blood cell count was unusually high. He couldn't say why, but that further tests was needed. In subsequent visits the doctor did very little to assure me or give me some idea what could be the problem. I did what most people (FOOLISHLY!) would do in that situation, and took to the internet to look into what could cause this abnormality. And I ended up scaring the hell out of myself in the process.

So for these past few months, I lived with this fear not far from my thoughts: Am I sick? Am I dying? What would my family do? Will I be a burden on them? And with the stress I gained twelve pounds, upped my cigarette smoking to a pack a day, and discovered two new gray hairs rest comfortably on Miss Mooch.

All of this worry was immediately alleviated when I went to see the Hematologist. He saw my fear, he saw the tension and spoke to me like I mattered. He said I did not have Leukemia (Which was the biggest fear, as I have a family history!) and whatever the cause... it was not life threatening! I wept with relief when I heard those words.

This journey is not over... there are still test results to look into, and I still have to figure out how I can get this resolved and fast. But in the meantime, I am going to express gratitude for each breath that I take, and each step that I make each day.

For this week's song choice for Music Therapy with Miss Moon, I wanted to pick a happy, upbeat song that reflects the state of mind I am in... I am ready to get my life back on track! I am ready to get back to everything I had set out to do on my path before I got stuck in this fog of fear! With the lyrics included in the video, I hope you all will celebrate with me to "Coolin' in the Streets" by Andra Day with a bit of help by Ziggy Marley!!

Miss Moon Gets Healthy: And Joins a GYM!!!

As I promised, I bought myself an early Valentine's Day present: A membership to the Planet Fitness here in Brooklyn!! And let me say here, that I will not be one of those people who post on FaceBook.... all the time! LOL

I'm super excited. I plan on making my first visit sometime this week!! Hooray!! So for the months to come, instead of walking stats, I hope to be sharing my gym stats! And when the weather warms up, I will be back to walking in addition to the gym! Hooray!!!!!

This will be my first time visiting a gym, so if you have any tips or suggestions, let me know!!! I hope I can do it!!!

Miss Moon Gets Healthy: December Stats

I did pretty well for December, I think. It's super cold now and I admit that since the start of 2013, I haven't been walking the 4 days a week I had planned to after work. But on the plus side, I have been eating super better, and I believe I've finally found the balance between eating good food and eating junk on occasion (A girl needs a little BBQs from time to time! LOL)

Me with my Lovely Aunt at Christmas. Please note I'm wearing my eating pants and NO shaper! LOL

I'm feeling really great about the progress I made in 2012, and I'm super excited to learn what the new year will bring for me. I have one big plan on the horizon, to make up for the fact that the cold is preventing me from wanting to take my walks. I'm calling it the best Valentine's Day present ever!!!

I'm planning on getting my very first Gym membership!!!! Right now I'm sort of torn between the Crunch Fitness Downtown Brooklyn  (Close to home) or the NYSFC in Soho (Close to the job), but I'm confident that by V-Day, I will be making my first visit to the gym that's right for me!! If you go to any of these locations, be sure to leave a comment letting me know the perks! :)

Miss Moon Gets Healthy... By Staying the Course!!

I find myself at a crossroads in my "Get Healthy" journey. On one path, I see myself the way I'd like to be if I continue on my journey: healthier, slimmer, more energetic, feeling loads better about myself. 

On the other path, I see the destination if I allow myself to give up my goals: I become the inactive, unhealthy, unhappy woman I was before I started on this journey. 

Regretfully, there will be no walking stats for this month, because I honestly did not walk. I managed to leave the house and walk briefly around my neighborhood for various errands each day, and I still manage to eat far better than I was.... but I haven't been giving it my all. The heat rash was a big reason, but I think that the main reason was fear of what will happen when I reach my goal. I've come to realized that being a big woman is so much a part of my own personal identity for myself that it scared me to see myself dropping the weight and getting smaller so quickly.

I know I have to get over this, because it's my health I'm doing this for... not for becoming some skinny minnie. I don't want the diabetes and high blood pressure and cholesterol concerns members of both sides of my family face. I'm discovering that this is the greatest motivation out there for someone like me.  

I am two sizes away from reaching my goal for 2012, and quite realistically, I can achieve this goal if I continue on the path I started at the beginning of the year. I kept it simple, and I reaped the benefits. 

So I promise to you all... Audrey is going to stay her course. She is going to walk.She is going to eat well, she is going to stay motivated, and come October, she will be sharing her September stats with all of you!! And I am going to need your help and support more than ever now!!!

Miss Moon Gets Healthy: And Learns to Eat When She's Hungry!!

I'm a woman of my word, what can I say?!? LOL

I've never been the type of woman who stereotypically overeats when depressed or sad. When life hands me lemons, I don't immediately run to the tub of ice cream. Quite the contrary, when I'm depressed, I seldom eat. I don't get much of an appetite in those times.

Life has been going very well for me lately, so of course I've been eating regularly. In starting my "Miss Moon Gets Healthy" journey, I've noticed that the potential for overeating doesn't happen when I'm sad... it happens when I'm BORED!!

As I've mentioned before, I've dealt with insomnia for most of my adult life. And on many nights, I'd be up, wide awake, and watching Bollywood movies on my laptop on Netflix. My mind would wander to thoughts like, "Mmmm.... some potato chips would be great right now!". And I would pause whatever movie I'm watching, which most likely stars hotties like ShahRukh Khan, and run to the bodega around the corner of the 24 hour 7/11 in my area. 

Recently, such a thought popped in my mind. I was immersed in the film, "Swades" (Great movie, by the way! Check it out! It's streaming on Netflix!). So I paused the movie, got dressed, and went outside to visit 7/11. This was around 3 o'clock in the morning. When I got there, I was staring at the bountiful display of potato chips, in every flavor imaginable, and a single thought popped into my mind -

"Will any of these bags of potato chips help you to reach your goals?"

The answer was a resounding "No!", so I walked over to the beverages for a big bottle of water, grabbed a green apple, and went home to munch, sip, and swoon! LOL

I wish I could say that since this moment, I've steered clear of chips, cookies and other things that taste great, but aren't great for me. But alas... I've succumbed. But I am learning how to stay away when boredom strikes me, and I am confident that I will use my self-control to reach my fitness goals!!

Yummm! Audrey's "I'm Lazy!" Green Smoothie Recipe!

Today marks the second week of my 30 Day Green Smoothie challenge! And I really must say that so far, it's been a BLAST! It's become a daily ritual to fire up the family ninja and make smoothies for the familia and I. 

While my sister and I have really enjoyed the smoothies, I do believe Mizz Lennid (My nickname for my Mama, for my new friends!) is still a bit skeptical. She has tried a few of my smoothie creations and liked them for the most part, which is HUGE, because as I've mentioned before, she's a total Finnicky Franny! LOL

Most days, I create my own concoctions, but there are times when I've really lacking the creativity to come up with something different. This is where my special "I'm Lazy!" Green Smoothie makes an appearance! 

Audrey's "I'm Lazy!" Green Smoothie Recipe

Recipe courtesy of Yours Truly (Ha!)

Ingredients: (Serves 2 women and 1 Finnicky Franny!)

1-2 handfuls of Baby Spinach

2 cups Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness

1/2 cup fruit (I usually use one of whatever I have on hand: watermelon, banana, etc.)

2 cups of Ice (We like our smoothies COLD here at Casa di Miss Moon!)

Directions:

1. In blender (Or smoothie maker, if you're fancy like that!), combine all of the ingredients.

2. Mix the heck out of them! 

3. Pour into pretty glasses (This is a requirement!) and put in a straw.

4. Lift the glass and toast to your good health. 

5. Enjoy!!!

In honor of today's post, I will be preparing my "I'm Lazy!" Green Smoothie, so be sure to check out my Tout Page for the video this afternoon!

Miss Moon Gets Healthy... and Goes Meatless for a Month!!!!

I might've told this story before. If I have, I apologize. If I haven't, settle in you're in for a treat! 

When I was in my twenties by sheer happenstance, I ended up at a petting zoo one weekend afternoon with the guy I was dating at the time. It was there that I bonded (yes, bonded) with this beautiful cow. She was so sweet!! I spent at least an hour scratching her between her ears and receiving her very wet cow kisses!

That night, my boyfriend and I decided to grab some Micky D's on the way home, and as I sat in front of my quarter pounder with cheese, I had a moment just like Lisa Simpson did! I realized that one day, that very sweet cow I enjoyed interacting with might someday be between someone's sesame seed bun. And I was saddened by that, and decided I would just opt for the fries that night.

Several years (and several burgers and steaks) later, I decided that I would stop eating meat. I didn't really have any political or personal agenda behind the change in my diet at the time, I just wanted to see what it was like and to see if I could do it. And... it wasn't all that bad, actually. But yeah.. it didn't last very long. It lasted in fact, three months short of a year. What changed? The Popeye's that opened around the corner from my apartment! LMAO

What I noticed when I dropped meat is that I had dropped two sizes in the process. Two sizes that I quickly  gained back with interest upon resuming my normal (and unhealthy) diet of deep fried crap. Which is why I'm where I am right now.

So for this month, I've decided to drop the meat from my diet. I won't officially be a vegetarian, but a pescatarian... because I plan on eating fish and seafood on occasion. I am also participating in a Green Smoothie challenge with my good friend and Pirate Sistah, Nina!

If you would've told me this time last year, that I would not only be participating in a challenge where I drink a green smoothie once a day as a meal replacement, but ACTUALLY enjoy the challenge... I would've given you the side-iest eye in the history of side-eyes! LMAO

But 12 days in, I'm really, really digging it. I have started the month with a raw food diet (for seven days), in addition to the green smoothies. This has been helpful in acclimating my body to the sudden surge in green goodness!

I have also recently joined Tout (It's kind of like if YouTube and Twitter had a baby), so be sure to check out my Tout Channel for all of my Miss Moon Gets Healthy videos! I will also be Tout-ing my smoothie recipes!