Today is going to be a guest post featuring my best friend and her dog (who loves my husband to death).  And if you haven’t noticed most of my lifelong friends lived in a connecting cornfield at one time or another, we are Hoosiers you know!

Guest Post:  Anna

I should probably start off this guest post with a little about myself…

Who is Anna?

I’m a grad student working on my master’s degree in Animal Nutrition at Purdue University – I’m also planning on applying to vet school: Dr. Anna, here I come!

I’m the kind of person who likes to laugh and love! My dog is the coolest person (yes, I said person: she thinks she’s the boss) in the ENTIRE world, and she’s my exercise buddy!

I volunteered to do this post for Karissa because I understand the hectic life of a professional student, and because we had lived about one cornfield apart from the Spring of 2001 until she decided to move over 1,000 miles away to Houston!

What have I learned about myself?

Life isn’t always easy, and I don’t have to be a size 5 to be happy, but I do need to be healthy. I began seriously exercising as a form of stress relief when I started grad school. I’ve lost 25 lbs to date, I am a size 14, and I am VERY proud of my progress!

How did I do it?

Instead of taking my dog on walks, I take her on runs! Having a buddy is an amazing motivator – even if it’s a pet. Running with my dog allows me to run different speed intervals. Just being active makes me feel alive!

Do I always succeed?

No. The answer for any individual is no. We always have our little faux pas. In the norms of the exercise community, mine is chocolate. Finals week was the worst – sitting at a desk for 7 days studying makes you crave all sorts of junk!

Don’t worry, I only had a few tablespoons of frosting, but I could have done a lot better. I have an incredible sweet tooth, and managing to avoid it has been a challenge from time to time. I have discovered a substitute: Clif Kid Twisted Fruits – less calories and more protein! They have natural, organic fruit sweetness. Strawberry is my favorite!

Sometimes we all get a little off track, but the most important part is being able to get back on track! Pick something that motivates you and go for it! My motivator? A long healthy life for myself and my beloved pet!

Good morning bloggers!  Today will be the first featured guest post on Cardio Foodie!  Today’s guest post is written by Gen over at What Gen Ate.  I love reading her blog and food reviews (she should be a food critic!).

(I am already utilizing these tips!  I packed a bag of almonds to get me through the day)

Guest Post from Gen @ What Gen Ate

Packing Great Lunches on a Budget

One of the hardest things about achieving fitness goals is the problem of eating away from home. Healthy options are still woefully rare in many work and school environments- at my school, it’s vending machines full of Pop-Tarts and soft drinks, or a cafeteria with a limited menu consisting mainly of hamburgers and pizza. It’s impossible to know what’s really in one of those lunches, even if I luck out and find something that appears healthy. Packing interesting, wholesome lunches always seemed like too much effort, until I discovered some shortcuts. Here are my best tips for making quick, delicious, and healthy lunches on the go.

Think Ahead
Processed foods are cheap and convenient. I discovered the only way to get an edge over convenience foods was by making my favorite healthy foods convenient. How?

The freezer is your friend. Dry beans, which are cheaper than canned and additive-free, can be cooked on a lazy weekend afternoon with minimal active cooking time, then frozen for use in salads or side items. Be sure to freeze the beans on a flat surface, such as a cookie sheet, then transfer to freezer bags once they’re frozen, which keeps the beans from clumping. Small to medium-size beans, such as lentil or pinto, work well in salads because they defrost perfectly by lunchtime without requiring access to a microwave. A similar process can be used to prepare roasted veggies ahead of time.

If you have good leftovers, freeze them for future lunches. If you baked and have extra muffins/scones/breads/quiche, freeze some. Or, if you have extra money but not time, many grocery stores sell vacuum-packed pre-cooked lentils and grains. Stock up, and use them on those mornings when you just have to grab something fast.

Think Outside the Box. Sometimes you haven’t planned ahead. Make a habit of keeping around a variety of common and less-common pantry staples for those days.

Kasha is roasted buckwheat- gluten-free, low GI, high fiber, and a great base for layering with veggies, sauces, and proteins. It comes ground or whole; I prefer the ‘medium’ granulation by Wolff’s, which resembles rice in texture, but with a deep whole-grain flavor. The package’s microwave instructions work best. The process requires an egg, but is otherwise hassle-free, and could be split into two stages- two minutes at home, then five minutes in the microwave at lunchtime.

Nuts are a great, balanced source of nutrients and fats. Walnuts or roasted almonds perk up carbs, and make a great addition to leftover rice. They can also turn some lone veggies or greens into a substantial, filling salad.

Canned Proteins.
Tuna can get old, but there are other seafood items that are equally healthy and come in easily transported, single-serving containers. Maybe not the best thing to eat when you have a job interview, but they’re not any worse than tuna.

Canned salmon can make a quick salad amazing, or pair with leftover grains and veggies for an easy lunch. It’s available in pink or red varieties, and with or without bones and skin. Pink is less expensive, but red has fuller salmon flavor. And the skin and bones? Sounds gross, but bones are a great source of calcium; the ones in canned salmon are fully edible and not sharp.

Sardines are less appealing to most people, but they are easy to transport, sustainably produced, full of calcium and healthy fats, and less likely to contain high levels of mercury and PCBs than other seafood. Bela-Olhao are my favorites. They are from Portugal, come in a cheery tin, and are available in a variety of flavors- lemon and olive oil is the best.

Finally- most importantly-

Have Fun. Lunch should be fun. Pack some snacks and goodies to brighten your afternoon- little muffins, cupcakes, or chocolates. We’re not talking about Little Debbie Snack Cakes or HFCS crap, but a little bit of hedonism can make all the difference after a grueling morning of work or school. Dark chocolate squares are perfect for a boost of energy without too much sugar, or try Greek yogurt with a drizzle of sweet honey or zingy pomegranate molasses.

What’s your favorite lunch tip? Do you ever go all-out packing a feast, or do you manage to find healthy goodies at the cafeteria?

Good morning bloggers!  I can NOT wait for Tuesday/Thursdays of this semester to be over!!!!   Okay, enough of that.

I drug myself out of bed this morning and did Level 1 Shred per blogger suggestions of ways to stay fit during crunch time!  Goodness, I forgot what a bada$$ Jillian is.

Two things to blog this morning:

1. My awesome new water bottle.

I picked this bad boy up at WalMart for 4 bucks.  It comes with a straw if you want to sip.  I keep water with me wherever I go, so this works great to refill at school.

Hard to see but the bottle says reduce, reuse, recycle

CALL FOR GUEST POSTS

As my time is being sucked into finals mode, I would love to feature some guest posts on CardioFoodie.  You do not need to have a blog, so any readers feel free to contact me as well.  If you are interested in doing a guest post please email me at cardiofoodie@gmail.com.

It is almost Friday right?

Ah, a girl can dream.