Slow & Steady Wins the Race

"Slow and steady wins the race." - Aesop

This quotation above has been my mantra over the past few days. I've found myself thinking it during meetings, while driving, while exercising...basically, all the time! We live in such a fast-paced world today, it seems that instant gratification and on-the-spot results are the norm. Drivers will speed around you on the road, only to slam their brakes at an impending red light. We (I say "we" because I do it too) get frustrated when a website won't load in like two seconds or our phones can't automatically find full cell reception at the blink of an eye. It's crazy!

I've recently made the decision to go back to school (yay!) and study dietetics (chemistry and anatomy oh my!). I am very excited - and a little fearful - about this move. The thing that keeps bothering me is how others keep telling me how long it will take, or how I can condense and cram my schedule tight to finish everything sooner. Still others scratch their heads..."You have a master's degree already, right? Why go back to undergrad?" I try to emphasize to everyone that I am not racing anyone, and I am not trying to figure out my life in a set amount of time. I've spent the last seven years rushing through college, the professional workforce, and grad school - to end up here again: unsure what I want in life. Why should I continue to move at the same breakneck pace? Slow and steady wins the race.

On an exercise front, I made my way back to running today (after four days off...which feels like an eternity). I kept wrestling with myself: should I try to speed up? Will that feel okay on my joints? Will I be able to go further if I slow down? What if I have to start walking? These thoughts were so silly. Instead of enjoying my run, I was completely fearful that I wasn't performing at my peak speed or distance. But - really - who cares? I was out there, in the freezing cold, giving it my best shot. And even if it wasn't my "bestest" best, it was still an effort. Isn't that enough? It was during this internal debate that I realized how much of the super-speedy mindset of the outside world was infiltrating my psyche. So, once again, I reminded myself that slow and steady wins the race.

Speaking of super-speedy mindsets and breakneck paces, have you seen the number of "lose 10 pounds in 10 days" promises on the covers of diet books recently? "Lose your belly fat forever...in just one month!" Right. We all know that isn't going to work long-term. My success has come (is this getting tedious?) from slowly - but steadily - staying in the race. I lost noticeable weight - not intentionally - from stocking my pantry full of healthy things, eating them, and exercising regularly. That's it!

I don't have a recipe for you today (I'm still eating that Brazilian stew from yesterday), but I thought I would give you a list of my all-time pantry staples that keep me eating healthily. Enjoy!

- Almond milk (unsweetened original) - great for cereal, smoothies, tea, or any other place milk is used
- Applesauce (organic, unsweetened) - great replacement for fats and oil in baking...
- Bars - Luna bars, Kind bars, Lara bars...check sugar, fiber, protein, and fat content before buying!
- Brown rice (short grain) - I make big batches of this every week in my slow cooker
- Condiments - miso paste (salty!), Asian chili hot sauce, mustard, veganaise, organic unsweetened ketchup
- Cottage cheese - Low fat cottage cheese is full of protein and fiber
- Eggs - or egg substitute...great for baking, scrambles, frittatas, quiches, etc.
- Fresh fruits - I buy apples, oranges, grapes, etc. in bulk and store in the fridge
- Fresh vegetables - I usually keep romaine hearts, peppers, spinach, etc. in the fridge too
- Frozen fruits - strawberries, peaches, blueberries, bananas...they make great smoothies
- Frozen vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower, edamame, carrots, spinach...they don't spoil frozen!
- Nuts - I eat (portioned!!) nuts every single day; pistachios, walnuts, almonds, cashews, peanuts...
- Nut butters - peanut, sunflower, soy, or almond are great choices...but watch your portion!
- Old-fashioned oats - I eat oatmeal almost every morning for breakfast...so good!
- Tea - I love to drink green teas in the evenings to unwind...black is great too, but is caffeinated
- Tofu - pre-cooked and flavored tofu makes for easy sandwiches and stir-fries
- Tortillas - I buy high-fiber tortillas to make quesadillas and wraps for an easy transportable lunch

I'm probably missing something (or many things), but these are the ingredients that come to my mind immediately..and the ones that I use on a regular - if not daily - basis.

Okay...that's it for today. If you start to rush unnecesarily, remember...SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE! =)