Vegan by Valerie

Be happy for this moment – this moment is your life.

I’m experimenting with Windows Live Writer for this post, so please forgive me if my pictures and text are a bit out of whack.  Also, does anyone have any advice about how to have pictures pop up with space in between them to type?  Mine line up next to each other so that I have to individually separate them… thanks!

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I’m glad you so many of you are interested in the Awaken the Giant Within book after I sung its praises yesterday!  I really found it to be very life-changing.  However, while I was giddy with excitement while reading the book, now that it’s all said I am needing to constantly remind myself about the principles and techniques that I learned in the book.

Most importantly, I need to learn how to LIVE IN THE MOMENT!!!   What.A.Challenge.This.Is.For.Me. (The post title is the quote from a magnet on my refrigerator).

My mind loves to think… and plan… and worry… and think… and plan out the future.  Always.  While in many ways this is a blessing, as you can imagine it’s also quite a curse.  Being a Type A semi-perfectionist means that things get done and goals get met, but it’s very difficult to live in the moment when you think this way.

For example, right now I’m enjoying the last couple days of my summer vacation before I go to back to work next Wednesday. However, my crazy head is already consumed with thoughts about work, work, work!  I am planning in my mind, going over every possibility and combination of traumas and crises that I will have to deal with this year.  While I love my job, being a school social worker in a rough school district is hard work and it is incredibly anxiety-provoking at times!

Because I am always thinking about the future, I will technically be “happier” once school actually starts because at that point, my mind, being way ahead of the game, will already be looking forward to long weekend breaks and the upcoming winter break.  Versus today, while I am on vacation today and will be for 5 more days, I am more overwhelmed because I’m already thinking about work.

That was a long explanation, but  my point is, I am really, really trying to be someone who can plan ahead and be productive, yet can also enjoy each beautiful moment.

Do you have a difficult time staying in the moment, too?  If you don’t struggle with this, please share your secrets!

Here are some moments I’ve enjoyed over the past weeks:

Getting to FINALLY go to the new, and quite ginormous, North Ave. Whole Foods.  Wowza!!! My South Loop Whole Foods sure makes me happy, but it really doesn’t hold a candle to this puppy… it’s two stories tall!!

The hot bar/cold bar/salad bar/side bar (complete with tons of vegan options) is outta control…. the gelato station looks mouthwatering (baklava gelato, are you kidding me?!?), they have a make-you-own-granola station… and I could go on.

It’s easy to be happy in the moment at Whole Foods (at least until I have to pull out my wallet!) That’s no big accomplishment.

So, this week my goal was to enjoy my runs more without focusing on the heat, my tired lungs, or even worse, not thinking about these things at all but rather thinking to what I had to do the rest of the day.

Because it’s been soooo hot this year, I sucked it up and bought a handheld water bottle that I tried out on this week’s 8 miler. 

Pros:

* I loved having water with me in between water stations!! This will definitely come in handy on long marathon training runs.

* The black pouch holds a ton of stuff – I used it to hold one Gu, a key, and a chapstick, but you could easily squeeze in a couple more Gus.

* It was much less cumbersome than I thought, although I will be interested to see how I feel after an even longer run.

* Spout is easy to use while running.

Cons:

* It’s not very intuitive how to hold it.  At first I held it so that my palm gripped the curved side of the bottle until I realized (duh) that I was supposed to instead grip the black pouch.  Ok, so maybe that’s not so much a ‘con’ as ‘user error’…

* When I filled it to the brim, water leaked out while I was running.  Fine when you want a quick cool-down, but I felt bad splashing the other passersby!

* Doesn’t hold a TON of water.  I definitely had to pace myself so that I didn’t drink the whole thing at once.

* While it wasn’t that big of a burden to run with, because I also run carrying my iPhone in my other hand, it was a bit annoying to have both hands occupied.  Perhaps I need to get an armband for my phone to rectify this situation?

Overall:  Will I run with it again?  Definitely.

Love the views that I run by!!! My favorite spot along Michigan Avenue is the view looking west on the Chicago River bridge, just south of my favorite building, the Wrigley Building.

Other lovely moments have been spent  making simple dinners with Mike.  I’m all about creating new recipes and making complex dishes, but sometimes it’s great to just make something easy.  In this case, Mike grilled some chicken (him) and vegan burgers (me) while I made a simple Greek salad on the side. 

Spending more time in the kitchen doesn’t always = better taste!  Simple is definitely better, sometimes

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Also…

I was featured in the recent Vital Juice Chicago article on Wednesday! Check it out!

Vital Juice Chicago is an awesome free, daily email that features the very best in fitness, nutrition, wellness, and beauty in the city. I subscribe to both the Vital Juice Chicago email as well as the Vital Juice Everywhere email, that covers the same topics but from all over the country.  You can also follow them here on Twitter!

Coincidentally, another blogger you may know and love, FitChickNYC, was featured in the New York Vital Juice on the same day – here’s her article!

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And…

Thermos asked me to run a blurb about an upcoming Twitter event….

On Thurs. Aug. 26 8pm ET/7pm CT join @ThermosBrand to celebrate the launch of our new series with a group of renowned health and fitness experts: The Cold Matters Coaches. Ask questions, provide tips about what matters to you and help your family stay active, cool and hydrated through the rest of the summer. Participate using the #ThermosCold hashtag and you will automatically be entered to win some of our newest insulated hydration products.”

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