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Matt · 07-08-2011 01:56 AM

Hey, Moira. Naps probably are a good idea since you have been so busy with work lately. I know that Winston Churchill took a nap nearly everyday while involved with WWII. He said he would have never had the energy and mental clarity to deal with the conflict without taking naps to recharge.

Eating a salad a couple hours before bead sounds like a good idea. I leave work at midnight. When I get home i have a bad habit of eating a full meal then going to sleep an hour later. I think this actually contributes to the restless sleep I have been getting on and off lately.

Enjoy your day off Moira.

Moirawr · 07-08-2011 03:45 AM

I actually ended up spending almost six hours at work today. But my boss is being strangely nice to me. She's not the most personable person and she'll admit it herself. So I figure it's probably a good thing. And my paycheck will be super lovely so I'll just curl up and take another nap here in a minute.

Yeah, I am enjoying keeping a simple meal towards the end of the day though I feel I should probably eat it a bit earlier. Now I eat it around two hours before I lay down for bed and that still doesn't seem like enough time to properly digest it, even if it is all raw. (I think there are some contradictory studies that would show that it's both easier and harder to digest raw food; not sure which one I would believe)

Matt · 07-09-2011 03:06 AM

(07-08-2011 03:45 AM)Moirawr Wrote: (I think there are some contradictory studies that would show that it's both easier and harder to digest raw food; not sure which one I would believe)

There are contradictory studies to almost any subject related to health. That's why there are a million different diet, fitness, and health programs out there. But just because something is easy or difficult to digest I don't think that necessarily proves it is healthy or unhealthy for you.

I think I have read that one of the reasons meat can be bad for you is because the body wastes a ton of energy trying to digest it. (I think I saw this in one of Celes's fasting articles) I can believe that. Have ever felt lethargic after eating a big steak dinner?

Moirawr · 07-09-2011 03:14 AM

This is very true. I'm just on the fence when it comes to people saying that raw food must be easier to digest because it's pure. It's also not broken down at all during the cooking process so I can see where that might lead to it taking a bit more energy than if I was eating something that was cooked. I was definitely not comparing it to trying to digest a steak or the like. I am sure that definitely takes a lot longer. But the health benefits are greater with raw fruits and vegetables due to the vitamins and minerals not being broken or leeched out, so it's definitely worth it. I just think I may need to give myself longer to digest it.

I think a lot of the food I have been eating recently takes a lot less time to fully digest than stuff I have eaten previously since I've turned to quite a heavy fruit and vegetable and some whole grain diet.

But I found last night I ate a little too late and my stomach was quite uncomfortable when I was trying to get to sleep after someone called and woke me up.

T.L. · 07-09-2011 11:59 AM

Hey Moira-
Just a quick note to say I stopped by. It's hard to catch up on someone's life by reading 3 pages of posts but I think I have a little background info on you!

Sounds like the diet/exercise thing has been kind of a struggle. You have my support in accomplishing your goals!

Celes · 07-09-2011 11:12 PM

(07-09-2011 03:06 AM)Matt Wrote:
(07-08-2011 03:45 AM)Moirawr Wrote: (I think there are some contradictory studies that would show that it's both easier and harder to digest raw food; not sure which one I would believe)

There are contradictory studies to almost any subject related to health. That's why there are a million different diet, fitness, and health programs out there. But just because something is easy or difficult to digest I don't think that necessarily proves it is healthy or unhealthy for you.

Hey Moira! What Matt said! Read what's required and go with what your body tells you. Since all our bodies are different, I figure everyone has a different diet that works best for him/her. I read studies here/there but I put little significance on them; what I do do is experiment with different diets/lifestyles and go with the one that fits best with me. And even then it's just the diet/lifestyle that works for me; I wouldn't think that it would work with everyone else.

My take on fresh vegetables is that they probably take a while to digest due to the cellulose walls and all, but because of the energy returns (since it's 100% energy from the sun and not lost in the food chain), it's more effective. But if you want to make it even more effective, you can try juicing. That's a lot of vitamins and minerals goodness in just 1 glass - it's probably better since vegetables have so few calories that it's impossible to down enough calories from them via just eating. For me though, I've never tried green juices (I prefer fruit juices and eating vegetables for the fibre) so I can't comment on the taste.

Moirawr · 07-10-2011 03:40 AM

(07-09-2011 11:59 AM)T.L. Wrote: Hey Moira-
Just a quick note to say I stopped by. It's hard to catch up on someone's life by reading 3 pages of posts but I think I have a little background info on you! Sounds like the diet/exercise thing has been kind of a struggle. You have my support in accomplishing your goals!

Your reply actually gave me a lot of food for thought. I hadn't realized I had been focusing so much on diet and exercise lately but I have no doubt that it is true. I took some time to think about why this could be so. Of course one of my goals is to be fit and healthy; I think everyone has that same goal to different degrees. But I think that the reason it shines through so heavily here is because it is much easier to quantify my exercise and diet than it is most of my other goals that typically center around learning to be less angry and embracing happiness where it finds me.

I have another darker reason that came to me as well, it's also easier to see progress and easier for me to achieve than some of my other goals such as going back to school. I'm coming to realize that going back to school and continuing my education is very important to me but it's awfully hard to do such a thing when you have a job that you theoretically need to pay the bills. Most jobs don't want to work around a school schedule unless they hired you knowing that this would be an issue. So it's hard to let go of the comfort of having a job that pays the bills to go back to school.

I honestly thought it was kind of funny that the impression you got was that this was a huge struggle for me because that really isn't the case. I can eat fast food several times a week and only gain five to ten pounds. I am active enough that it stops there, though remembering being much heavier in high school usually gets me more active and switching up my diet right around then. Not to say that my long term goals wouldn't love to see me more fit and definitely eating much better than I am prone to do during those long work weeks I've had lately.

On that note, I can update that I've lost the five or ten pounds I had gained during that fast food binge I had a couple of months ago. Actually, I think I've lost more because my pants are definitely a little too loose right now but might as well stick with a good thing because all the fruits, vegetables, and water cannot possibly be bad for me!

(07-09-2011 11:12 PM)Celes Wrote: My take on fresh vegetables is that they probably take a while to digest due to the cellulose walls and all, but because of the energy returns (since it's 100% energy from the sun and not lost in the food chain), it's more effective. But if you want to make it even more effective, you can try juicing. That's a lot of vitamins and minerals goodness in just 1 glass - it's probably better since vegetables have so few calories that it's impossible to down enough calories from them via just eating. For me though, I've never tried green juices (I prefer fruit juices and eating vegetables for the fibre) so I can't comment on the taste.

This is pretty much the conclusion that I have come to as well. I like the idea of juicing but I don't have a good enough blender or juicer to do so and it would definitely never be my main form of ingesting food. But it is something to think about for the future.

I hadn't expected so much interest in that one sentence, actually. It was mostly just commentary about how I felt about trying to get even more fruits and vegetables in my diet so far.

T.L. · 07-10-2011 11:32 PM

Well I think one thing I was probably reading posts from over a long period of time but I was reading it in a short period of time. Sounds like you're doing well with it and have a good handle on things. I just noticed it sounded like the main theme. Hope I didn't offend you!

I totally understand about the school thing. It took me awhile to take the plunge, but I also work for myself so I can be a little more flexible. But, I do know when I was researching schools, I noticed how many options there were for different types of classes. Teleclasses, weekend intensive classes, in person, etc. I opted for the teleclass which is twice a week for one hour on the phone. Works for my schedule.

What kinds of classes were you thinking of taking?

Moirawr · 07-11-2011 12:18 AM

Oh my! I didn't mean to make you think that you had offended me. I am actually very grateful for your comment because it opened my eyes up to the fact that I had been focusing on things that are only minor parts of my goals. Diet and exercise really is the easiest thing to control because you are the only one who can put food in your mouth or get yourself to get up and get moving!

I am very thankful for your interest because you are definitely making me rethink things right now which is probably what I have been needing. I've also been doing some exercises in trying to figure out what is holding me back from my goals as well as trying to pinpoint what should be my major focus and you helped ram that home.

It turns out that continuing my education is much higher on my priorities than I had previously given thought to. As to your question, my focus in education is linguistics. The dreamer part of me wants to go towards linguistics with an anthropological bent, but I'll probably end up doing something more along the lines of linguistics with a business degree and focus more on translation. I am not the sort of person who wants a lot of money because money doesn't make anyone any happier unless they had already found contentment elsewhere. But logically, I want it to be somewhat easy to make a living and live comfortably. I'm currently working on my Spanish. (Really badly! I need to focus more on that and less on exercise! Perhaps I should post my accountability here for that instead of my yoga practices though I don't intend to stop those either!) I really want to work on Mandarin next though. Honestly, those are two of the most spoken languages other than English. There are many theories as to which one is the most prevalent but that is besides the point for my intentions.

Because of the heavy influence of language classes, those I would like to take in person. But I do have many options at home to work around my work schedule, I just haven't been as good as I can to avail myself of them. I actually own three levels of Rosetta Stone's Spanish courses. (I also inherited/stole many other random Spanish books and courses from my Mother who has a varying interest in learning it at different periods. I probably get that from her as well!)

Besides that, a lot of my focus right now should be on fighting negative emotions. I've been on a roller coaster with those a lot lately and not doing as well as I should be. I've touted for a long time that one of my goals was to be happier and less angry but, while I have been working on it, I don't think I've been giving it my best.

So perhaps it is time for my focus here to shift and to hold myself accountable to the things that are really important to me. So I sincerely thank you for your comments!

T.L. · 07-11-2011 12:49 AM

Oh no worries!

As the newbie around here I just want to make sure I'm not overstepping my boundaries!

Wow the job thing sounds really cool!! I hope that you continue to find ways to incorporate that in your life so you can accomplish your goal. It is hard to juggle everything! It can be overwhelming. I guess you just maybe just try to do things in tiny bite sized chunks. A little bit of this...a little bit of that. And be patient with yourself while you're going through the process. I need to take my own advice! lol!

And I totally relate with getting stuck sometimes with those negative emotions. But you sound like you are very self-aware and a lot of people aren't so that's a great thing!

Matt · 07-11-2011 02:09 PM

Hey, Moira. How are the Rosetta Stone programs? I have heard mixed reviews of them. I'm sure they pail in comparison to an actual live class with knowledgeable teacher but they have always interested me.

Your plans for your career sound awesome. It seems like you would probably have a great chance to travel around the world.

Moirawr · 07-12-2011 07:27 AM

I like the Rosetta Stone programs though you have to be careful with dialects and the like, but that can be said for any language class ever. My Mom took a Spanish class with a Brazilian teacher and his accent was quite odd and said words with strange intonations that I have never heard in Spain's Spanish or Mexican and Guatemalan Spanish (the latter I am more familiar with due to my location and my boyfriend being from Guatemala.)

It is definitely a lot easier for me considering it is an immersion program which usually does work better than memorization for a class. The only thing that I would say would be better on that front is if I just up and moved to a Spanish speaking country. (Oh, I am so tempted!)

stacey_dream · 07-12-2011 01:23 PM

Moira, I share your interest in languages, I've been thinking abt taking up Spanish courses from September, cuz private lessons are rather expensive here. I also don't want to stop learning English, cuz it's never good enough for me

So I'm going to attend the courses for interpreters and translators from September if nothing changes.

A negative moment abt different computer programs for learning languages is that once you don't have enough motivation, your learning comes to an end. This is how it's always been with my attempts to learn anything by myself. It doesn't last long

Moirawr · 07-13-2011 06:01 AM

That is also my problem, Stacey. I think I need more outside influence to make me work when I don't have personal motivation (which if often!) This is why I would like to go take a class as well.

Also, quick update! I just got home from the second job interview for the job I have been wanting. I think I did really well. The interviewer was telling me towards the end that they will call me in a few days after remembering to ask what sort of availability I have. I do not think she would have been so interested if she didn't think I was a good candidate.

And while I am editing, I made home-made vegetarian sushi rolls yesterday. Check them out!

[Image: awesomesushirolls.jpg]

Sorry for the poor quality photo, it was taken with my boyfriend's cellphone!

That is toasted black bean garlic coated tofu and green onions in the middle. It was delicious and my boyfriend was duly impressed.

Matt · 07-13-2011 06:36 AM

Good luck, Moira. I hope you get the job.

stacey_dream · 07-13-2011 11:48 AM

Oh they look so delicious!!! Maybe I should made some as well...

T.L. · 07-13-2011 12:37 PM

(07-13-2011 06:01 AM)Moirawr Wrote: Also, quick update! I just got home from the second job interview for the job I have been wanting. I think I did really well. The interviewer was telling me towards the end that they will call me in a few days after remembering to ask what sort of availability I have. I do not think she would have been so interested if she didn't think I was a good candidate.

Good luck!!!

Glenn · 07-13-2011 05:02 PM

Hi Moira, the sushi rolls look nice!!

Moirawr · 07-13-2011 07:48 PM

Thanks everyone for both wishing me luck with the job and the comments about the sushi roll.

Job-wise, I have a couple days to wait and see if they would like to hire me. The company I want to work for does large scale massive hiring in temp to perm positions. So I think I have a pretty good chance of getting one of the slots. We shall see though.

As for the sushi rolls, they are not that hard to make. This is only my second time, though I will say that they are easier to cut when you roll them up really tight. Otherwise they try to fall apart, which some of them in that picture are but it didn't make them any less delicious. I am beginning to love sushi rolls, they are fairly easy to make. I also had a recipe for an almost completely raw version that used blended avocado with soy sauce and wasabi instead of vinegar rice, fill with whatever veggies you want. (I used cucumber and carrots when I made that version!) I figured I would mention that because I know a lot of people here are on a high raw fruit and vegetable diet.

stacey_dream · 07-13-2011 09:42 PM

Moira, sushi rolls are my favorite meal! I'm crazy about them! We used to make them with my husband, but now we prefer to order them out.

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