DAY 12

Ahhhhhh back to the gym.  It was good to be up early again; I always feel so much more productive when I get up early.

Alright, on to my exercise and eating.

Exercise:

ran for 25 minutes on the treadmill and burned about 300 calories.  I lifted weights for twenty minutes.  It was a good workout.

I also walked around the mall for about 2 hours with all 3 kids.  I had the stroller this time, but I did quite a bit of walking from one end of the mall to the other and felt pretty worn out by the time I was done.

Eating:

turkey bacon
piece of bread with almond butter (great snack before exercising btw; it always fills me up)
cheese
carrots and spinach dip
cheese
almonds
granola bar
3 apple slices
broccoli with cheese
peppers with spinach dip
2 bites of macaroni and cheese (I was surprisingly able to stop myself after 2 bites)
sauteed chicken
orange
cheerios without milk (this has been kind of a nightly treat for me recently)

I tried to eat a little bit more protein today and I think it helped with my energy levels.

Tonight my husband and I watched the documentary Food Inc.  It was a very well done film but extremely disturbing.  It made me sad to realize that I have been pretty naive about where my food comes from and was content to go to McDonald's or Chick-fil-a or whatever fast food joint I felt like going to without thinking about where the chicken in my chicken nuggets actually came from.   The fast food industry has had a major impact on meat processing (negative in my opinion) in regards to growing and slaughtering animals; the methods used by these large meat companies to bring meat to the table is just plain cruel.

I have decided to stay away from fast food--which I had kind of already decided a while ago anyway because of my husband's cholesterol--but now my decision is final.  I am also going to stop buying any chicken, eggs, or meat that is not free range.  I'm a little slow to get with the times, I know; many people made that decision long ago.

It is absolutely horrible what the big meat companies do to their animals and workers.  I hope that as a nation, we will insist on having better food in our supermarkets.   I will get off my soap box now, but just want to finish by encouraging everybody to pay attention to the food they are buying and educate themselves on where it comes from.  Knowing this information will keep us all healthier.