Time to Change your Mindset in 2009?!
By Lila Ojeda of LO Solutions

Have your New Year's Resolutions and best of intentions gone by the wayside? Or, are they slowing going there?....If so, it might be time for you to change your mindset in 2009 so that you can make progress with more doable, life long goals. I hope these next 7 ideas inspire you to keep moving forward towards your goals. If you're one to throw in the towel with one little slip up, these ideas may help you change your mindset away from the all or nothing mentality. There's no reason to throw out all your hard work in a heartbeat. If you need more help on some of the following ideas, you can find a qualified Registered Dietitian (like myself) in your area at: www.eatright.org

   OLD MINDSET: I just had a really hard, good workout, I deserve to eat more. I need those extra calories...
NEW MINDSET: I just had a great workout so I deserve to fuel my body with nutritious food   so I can see some results from that butt kicking workout!
WHY: You really don't need many extra calories when you're working out, especially if you're trying to lose weight. Why have it all go right out the window with your next meal? Your body might not need more calories but it certainly needs good fuel before and after you workout. Have a balanced meal after you workout, which includes a complex carbohydrate and a lean protein, and reward yourself in a different way: movie, new workout shirt, read your favorite book and pamper that healthy body! 

 ‚  OLD MINDSET: Once I lose the weight I can stop eating this way and stop "dieting".
NEW MINDSET: Throw the word diet out of your vocabulary and start saying healthy eating.       
WHY: When done the right way, any changes you make should be forever - or you'll end up constantly going on and off of diets and never learn how to eat healthy for long term. Start small and make sure the changes you make are permanent before you make more goals. Be sure to make your goals realistic and specific so you can accomplish them. Remember, it can take 6 months to a year to make changes stick.

 ƒ  OLD MINDSET: I messed up, I'll start tomorrow!
NEW MINDSET: Oops, that wasn't the best choice but I don't have to be perfect to see results! I'll get back on track with my next meal.
WHY: Remember, you don't have the word "diet" in your vocabulary anymore so what are you going to start tomorrow? Healthy eating is an everyday adventure. Don't feel like you have to be perfect every day. If you had a cookie and feel bad, make your next meal a big salad or grab a piece of fruit and keep moving forward. Each day, choose to wake up and make a conscious effort to eat healthy and be active in some way. If I eat too much and are too full, simply acknowledge it (don't judge), and say next time you'll eat less. Move on.

 „  OLD MINDSET:  Since I can't workout for 1 ½ hours today, why bother?
NEW MINDSET: Since I don't have much time today I better move more throughout the day because every single bit of physical activity counts.
WHY: You don't have to do it all at once. If you don't have time for your normal routine, do bits of activity throughout the day. Wear a pedometer and shoot for at least 10,000 steps/day. TIPS: Try to take 10-15 minute walk breaks to be more active, or stretch or do push-ups if you can't make it in for your weight workout. You just might be inspired to do more than you thought you had time (or energy) for.

 …  OLD MINDSET: I'm tired, I must need some sugar or a pop.
NEW MINDSET: I'm tired, I bet it's time for my healthy snack to keep my energy up.
WHY: The body needs fuel, or nutritious food, every few hours. If  you're feeling sluggish around 10 am and 3 pm (normal tired times), it's probably time for your snack. Be prepared for these key snack times and bring food with you. Fuel every 2-3 hours to keep blood sugar levels steady, which will help keep your metabolism up and control your energy and mood! Example of a balanced snack: apple with 1-2 Tbs all natural peanut butter. 

†  OLD MINDSET: I bought it at the health food store, so I can eat more because it must be good for me!
NEW MINDSET: Even if it is good for me, I still must eat a controlled portion. Let me look at the label and see how much I should eat before I dig in just because it's "health food", or is it?
WHY: Be sure you don't eat more than your body needs just because it's healthy. Even better,double check the label before you buy it and see if it really is a healthy food. Just like regular stores, health food stores are also known to have many products that are high in calories, fat and sugar and low in nutritional value. Remember, just because you bought it in the health food store, doesn't make it a free for all on portions.

 ‡  OLD MINDSET:  I'm eating out, I deserve to eat my entire entrée, have a glass of wine and dessert.
NEW MINDSET: Even though this is a special occasion, if I want extra treats, I better save room and eat what I want in moderation.
WHY:  Don't blow all your hard work in one night. If you want dessert and wine that is fine, but be sure to take some of your entrée home with you, drink lots of water, split the dessert, and get right back on track the next morning with a healthy breakfast and a walk! Enjoy your leftovers the next day.

I hope these tips inspire you to eat healthy and move all year long. Lila says, "Never leave home without your food!"  

Lili’s Café & Patisserie 

Location: 8337 SE 17^thAve (Sellwood)
Hours: Thursday-Saturday: Dinner. Friday-Sunday: Lunch/Brunch until 3 pm
Happy Hour: coming soon!
Phone: 503.233.8844
Food Type: NW local cuisine  

I felt like I had won the lottery when Lili’s (lee-lee, or Le) opened right in my backyard about a year and half ago. This best kept secret is spreading fast, so don’t miss out. If you know me at all, you know that I don’t eat out much because 90% of the time I’m disappointed with the taste and quality of the food. I would rather cook and eat my own flavorful food than pay extra to be disappointed. But there’s no disappointment with Lili’s! Finally a restaurant that has it all: reasonable prices that serves decadent healthy food (yes this exists), which is often locally grown and organic. The dishes are creative and delicious. This is the only restaurant I’ve gone to more often than I can count. The fresh hand made pasta is tried and true, and fillings and toppings vary depending on the season - how great is that?! You’ll know what’s in season because Lili will be serving it up. The salads are the perfect size for sharing and filled with flavorful high fiber greens. It’s not just the generous pours of wine that make the food delicious...but don’t take my word for it, check it out before the word spreads and you find yourself waiting for a table. This is already happening for brunch, which is not a surprise knowing that you will get amazing whole wheat fluffy pancakes, topped with fresh fruit and real maple syrup (without having to pay more or request it). A few more reasons why we love it:

NOTE: Menu changes seasonally.

- BRUNCH: whole wheat and pumpkin pancakes; every egg dish on the menu; seasonal veggies
- DINNER Humboldt fog salad—the perfect size (large!); wild mushroom ragout; fresh ravioli; stuffed chicken; fish dishes
- DESSERTS best tiramisu I’ve ever had;  super fresh, seasonal fruit, and light (tasting) desserts
- INTERESTING FACTS they make their own bread and get fresh veggies from a local garden
- SERVICE home-style service with a smile

Keep in mind: moderation is key; the portions are more than adequate so strive for leftovers so you can enjoy Lili’s wonderful food more than once! 

Healthy Valentine’s Day Gifts

By Maureen Healy

The holidays came and went in a blur, and since I last wrote, my life has changed completely. December was as hectic as I predicted, and January proved to also pass at warp speed. Here we are in February already, and almost nothing in my life is as it was just a month ago.

In early January, my long-time position as Senior Editor at Fit Pregnancy magazine was eliminated. For the past three years, I was doing the job from home in Portland part-time and loving the freedom. But, the publishing industry is not immune to the economic crisis, and a couple of staff positions were cut, including mine.

The great news is that because I was with the company for a very long time (12+ years), I'm getting a great severance package, and will continue working for the magazine in a freelance capacity, so I will still have some income. And, my time is now freed for other pursuits--including health and fitness, which I have continued to neglect in the craziness of the past two months.

Since my regular source of income was taken away, I made the prudent financial decision to move out of my studio apartment in Portland and move home with my parents in Texas for a while, where I could live rent-free and write to my heart's content. [In fact, I'm writing this blog from their 110-acre spread in tiny Kosse, about an hour SE of Waco. Not much out here but horses, dogs and cows!]

But, as it often does, fate intervened and a miraculous, wonderful thing happened: My dream job, something I was interested in 10 years ago but could never find a job in, has been given to me! Starting in early March, I will be an assistant in the international publicity department at one of the movie studios in Hollywood, Calif. It is an entry-level position and a bit of a step down from what I was doing as a senior magazine editor, but it is an open door into a career in movie publicity and I can't wait to get started.

So, instead of moving to Texas, I'm just here for a visit. After a week here, I'm heading out to visit my sister and her family (including my 18-month old niece, Olivia) in Virginia, then to Los Angeles to find a place to live. After that, I'll be back in Portland for a few days; just long enough for the movers to pick up my stuff and for me to do the 1,000 mile drive down to L.A.

As you can imagine, all of this hubbub has not boded well for my healthy eating and exercise routine. Although its certainly not impossible to stay on track when your usual routine is interrupted, I have always found that my biggest weakness. Whenever my schedule changes, I have a very hard time finding the discipline to stick with it. And, since I was already off track before the job issues happened in January, I have spent the last few weeks figuring out what I was doing, packing, moving and traveling.

The great news is that my body is actually craving some exercise (which almost NEVER happens!). It is asking me for yoga and some long walks, which I think will help me ease back into the habit of regular exercise without overdoing it. And, the studio has a gym that I should be able to use, so proximity wont' be an issue. (I also still have a Bally's membership, so I will have no shortage of places to work out).

In the month between now and the job start, I will be traveling and realistically don't expect to workout regularly, but I do plan to at least take some walks. And, with the start of the new job, a start fresh in taking my healthy lunch and snacks to work, plus regular workouts. Honestly, it will be nice to have a forced structure again--that is when I seem to thrive.

So here's to 2009--a new year full of positive changes. Once I get settled, I promise to blog more regularly and proudly share the progress I am making. Come back and check on me.

By Maureen Healy

After a month of working overtime, I have to admit that intentional health has been the last thing on my list of things to devote time to. In fact, my eating habits and lack of exercise the whole month of December can only be classified as intentional unhealth, if I can make up a word. Overeating and not exercising have been standard daily habits these past few weeks, and let me tell you, I feel like crap.

I can tell I've gained a few pounds. My stomach is extended farther than usual, I've been sleeping in 2 to 3 hours past my usual wake-up time and overall I feel like the energy has been drained right out of me. And, my baggy jeans are definitely less baggy right now.

But there is good news to share: I've realized that for me, being in an environment of health is the only way I will be consistent in my good habits. On the flip side, working at a restaurant with free access to gourmet food and desserts has done nothing but encourage mindless munching, not to mention the havoc its wreaking on my body.

The physical act of carrying heavy trays full of dishes has brought on pain in my neck, back and forearms so consistently that I even mentioned it to my doctor recently. She suspects a combination of carpal tunnel and tendonitis. Her advice: Stop doing it. Although I need the money, I've decided keeping this job is not worth beating up my body and backsliding into the bad habits that made me gain weight in the first place.

There's a new gym opening soon just a few blocks from me, and I'm planning to apply there this week. I figure if working in a restaurant makes me want to eat, working at the gym will encourage me to work out. Plus, if I get a job there, I'll get a free membership (bonus points for my budget!).

And, I am going back to basics with my diet. I have to get back on a routine of eating within an hour of waking up (instead of having coffee and putting off a real meal until lunch time) and eating small meals throughout the day.

I know what works for my body, and I have to get back to it. It's a New Year next week, so what better time to restart on the right foot.

Comments from Lila (her former dietitian): You can do it Maureen! You can "start over" as much as you need to, at any time. I like to hear that you are going back to basics with your eating and routine because that has worked for you in the past. Slow and steady...I love the idea of you working in a gym as well--knowing you, you'll plan your day so that you can get your workout in before or after work! Keep us all posted and Happy New Year!