So Long September
Woah, where did September go?! I feel like it was just Labor Day! Time flies when you have 2 jobs and an exam to study for! 
I’m actually really excited for October to be here– it’s my second favorite month of the year (June being my favorite). As you know, I love all things fall (and pumpkin)!
I enjoyed an autumn-y breakfast this morning: a bowl of pumpkin oats with walnuts, a squirt of agave nectar, and 1/4 cup of Annie’s Honey Bunnies mixed-in for some extra texture and volume.
I topped my oatmeal with a few festive pumpkin seeds. (These photos were taken with our “fancy” camera.)
At work, I made myself a big mug of coffee with vanilla soy milk and agave nectar. You can tell what type of morning I am having by the mug that I use. The white, Juice n’ Java mug is smaller and holds less coffee, which means I need the “normal” amount of caffeine to get me through the day. My Van Gogh Irises mug is MUCH bigger and holds 2 cups of coffee, which means I’m struggling to get going and ample amounts of caffeine are needed. Today is a Van Gogh mug day.
(This photo was taken with my crappy/almost dead camera. What a difference, right?!)
Abs Class
I briefly discussed Abs Class in last night’s post. It went much better this time! Below are the exercises that I used. All exercises are timed for 45 seconds, unless otherwise noted.
- Crunch with alternating toe tap
- Crunch with twist – legs at 90 degrees
- Reverse crunch
- Leg lifts
- Rest – stretch legs and arms out straight
- Seated crunch leg pull-in
- Alternating toe touches
- Lying side oblique crunches
- Superman
- Bird Dog
- High to low plank (45 seconds into video)
- Plank (30 seconds)
- Child’s pose
- Cobra
Response to a Reader Question
Amy, a new reader, emailed me a great question this morning that I thought you guys might also want to hear the response to, and feel free to chime in!
Why drink hemp milk over rice or soy milk? Are the benefits greater with the hemp milk?
The main reason that I drink hemp milk is because it is delicious, especially the vanilla flavor– it’s thick, sweet, and creamy. However, what initially attracted me to hemp milk was its stellar nutritional stats. Hemp milk is a good source of protein, omega fatty acids, calcium, and other vitamins and minerals.
I also drink a fair amount of soy milk (mostly when hemp milk isn’t available). Soy milk has a little more protein than hemp milk and it also contains isoflavones, which act as antioxidants and have been linked to many health benefits, including better bone health and reducing heart disease and cancer risks as well as others. It’s also delicious and comes in a variety of flavors.
Another healthy milk alternative that I sometimes buy (and drink) is almond milk, which is rich in all sorts of vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants (vitamin E and selenium). Almond milk is fairly low in calories and has quite a lot of calcium. I should be drinking more of it!
From what I know about rice milk, it does not contain as significant amounts of protein and calcium as hemp, soy or almond milk. However, most commercial brands are fortified with vitamins and minerals.
Question of the Day
Courtsey of Julz at Simple and Divine
What are you “Secret Shifters”? (”Secret Shifters” being any/all things that can totally shift your mood and ignire your happy campfire!)
Me: Pugs! Yes, it’s very strange. I can be in the worst mood ever, and if I see a pug, I am instantly happy (usually for hours)!
Posted by: Tina 28 comments
Posted in: Uncategorized, products
Tags: almond milk, hemp milk, rice milk, soy milk
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Tina,
For your abs class, how long do you do each exercise again? My secret shifter is my dog Winnie
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Allison,
Ooops, forgot to add that in! Sorry! 45 seconds for all exercises, unless otherwise noted.
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Hi Tina, I can’t find hemp milk anywhere! Not at any health food stores, not Trader Joes or any of the organic markets in my neighborhood. Any ideas?
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Haha, a pug might not make you that happy if you have to sleep in the same room as a SNORING one!
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Hey Tina, this is totally unrelated to your post this morning, but just a general weight loss question. How long would you say your entire weight loss process took from when you first decided to change your lifestyle to when you realized you were just working on maintaining your weight?? Thanks!
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Love this question! For me, Petey my puppy (who lives in NJ with my parents, so I only see him 1x a month or so) and dress shopping! Nothing makes me feel happier than trying on dresses (and finding one for cheap)!
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 9:34 am
I recently bought hempmilk (after seeing it on so many blogs)…I have not tried it yet (whY?? I have no idea)…but can’t wait now! I got the vanilla kind too!
I’m right there with you on the pugs or any cute dog for that matter. Usually its my shi tzhu, Willow, shes sooo freeking cute!!
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Cait,
Good question! Have you tried Whole Foods? Some Stop & Shops now carry it now too. You could also order it directly from the Living Harvest website. I hope you can find it!
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Great idea to add the Honey Bunnies to the oats!
I love vanilla hemp milk!
My secret shifters are my husbands, my dogs, and the kids I work with each day!
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 10:07 am
my ‘Secret Shifter’ – browsing Barnes and Noble
also cats, walks with my ipod, a very promising first page of a new book (as a result of the B&N visit!).
your new camera takes fabulous, vibrant pics! yay for new toys!
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I mostly use almond milk but I will on occasion treat myself to vanilla hemp milk. The two reasons for me are 1)I do not digest cow’s milk like a lady and 2)they taste GREAT!
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Yea pugs! I would definitely agree with you on that one. When I’m having a bad day at work, I know that when I go home I can snuggle with my boys. That usually gets me through.
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Lov your “autumn-y” breakfast and placemat!!
I ONLY USE HEMPMILK – IT’S FAAAABULOUS!!!
Along with all-natural, wholesome ingredients, hempmilk contains several nutrients, including 15% of the RDA for Iron, 46% for Calcium, 25% Vitamin D and Vitamin B12, 5% Folic Acid, 18% Vitamin A, as well as other vitamins and minerals (such as Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Zinc. In addition, it contains 900 mg of Omega-3 fatty acids, 2800 mg of Omega-6 fatty acids with GLA, and all 10 essential Amino Acids.
Those are all my own words – I’m not a paid sponsor or anything, haha
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 10:33 am
My secret shifter would have to be when my boyfriend tickles me when I’m cranky- I HATE being tickled but once I start laughing I just forget why I was upset in the first place and then I’m happy again
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Cats. I love when I’m driving home and I see a cat sleeping in the yard or running around. They’re my pug.
Thanks for the hempmilk info! I’ve wondered what the big deal is. I use almond but feel like it’s time to branch out.
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 11:43 am
my secret shifter is probably my fiance’s silly voice. works every time.
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 11:47 am
I was in a bad mood yesterday and then I found out Erin and Andrea (Care to Eat) were sending me free bread, so that was good! Free stuff, I guess.
Thanks for the info on hemp milk! I haven’t tried it yet, but I want to soon.
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Tina,
Is there anyway you could videotape yourself doing a few of these ab exercises?:)
Thank you so much and once I can figure out how to do each one or find them on the web i’m going to make a printout and take it to the gym each day!
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I love the pics with your fancy camera – so pretty and fall-colored! Fall is my favorite season too – pumpkin and squash and Thanksgiving food – yum
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Love fall! It’s the perfect weather, not too cold and not too warm. While I love running in snow, fall is my fav time to run.
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I am sure your apron will arrive any day now!
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Hi Tina! What do you think of grapenuts for breakfast? A half cup with milk is about 240 calories. I soften it up in the microwave then add banana or whatever other fruit. I love it, but don’t want to eat it every morning if it’ll end up showing all over. haha Do you know of any info off hand on this tasty treat?
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Ashely,
I’ve been meaning to do a video– I’ve been so busy! Hopefully, I will get my act together soon and post one soon.
Michelle,
I actually don’t know much about Grapenuts. I looked up the ingredients online, and they seem healthy to me. As long as you like eating them and they fill you up, I don’t see anything wrong with the calorie content.
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Thanks Tina! I enjoy oatmeal, but sometimes the grapenuts just add a little flair to my breakfast
Have I told you lately that I’m obsessed with this blog? I love it!
on Oct 1st, 2008 at 3:06 am
MUSIC! Whatever it is that gets me down or angry… work, traffic, the news ! I put on any of my favourite CDs, or my iPod, or my earphones at work and off I go to la la land! : )
Hemp milk hasn’t arrived in South Africa yet… as haven’t larabars… did I tel you I dream about them?!?!? Weird…
on Oct 1st, 2008 at 8:32 am
Gotta say my little girl always makes me happy!
We have a PUG too, who used to make me happy, but he’s old now and has a lot of issues. He still makes me happy, but he kind of makes me sad, too, because he is getting so old.
on Oct 3rd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I really like hemp milk, too. But I’m allergic to soy milk, so thats why I drink it. I also drink a lot of regular milk, which I love and attribute to my relatively good health and strength. I recently discovered Oat Milk, you should check out Oat Milk!
on Apr 6th, 2009 at 8:51 am
[...] Ugh, I totally had that bobble-head thing going. How uncool is that?! My friends, it’s a big mug of coffee day [...]