RESILIENT VIBES | The Roller-coaster of My Healthy Lifestyle

The Rollercoaster of My Healthy Lifestyle
by: Rhina V





I declared 'Rhina Gets Lean" in 2011. Here we are, February of 2014 and I am half way towards my goal. My goal being; to design a permanent healthy lifestyle, which means altering my thought patterns into making different choices. Which is; choice of food, choice of snack, as well as proportion of each choice... Lots of choices! But it is this one awareness, that truly helps create the transformation, and that is.. Diet! Most people diet, thinking it means to lose weight, but really diet is what you use to fuel yourself, and how you choose to do it.

I have made some drastic shifts in my diet, in which I am proud to share... It has taken something to shift from eating chips to snacking on an apple. As, well as living primarily off of fresh vegetables. Smoothies for breakfast. Beans for protein. Less poultry. Lots of variations of greens and soups. Learning most of the nutrients we need, comes from Mother Earth! All that processed food affects our digestive system as well as our moods. Another part of my transitioning, was going from being a night owl to needing just as much rest, as my daughter. And, I can finally say: I have shifted, not only my eating habits, also my rest time, not only to keep up with my todddler, but to meet my hectic schedule and daily tasks w/ energy. So, I decided to incorporate 45min to 1hr of physical activity to honor my (Temple) body's development.


'Working out" to me, is now a direct communication of understanding my bodies needs.
It needs this attention! What you put into it is what you get out of it. The challenge is making a permanent shift happen. So, without beating myself up, which took sometime to move forward from, I have decided to delve into the inconsistencies that have made my journey a roller coaster ride. which have been; going back and forth, from new habits to old habits, moderation, elimination and supplementation. Easily listed; Challenging to honor! I, honestly think I have now formulated a way for this to be fun and/or delicious while getting the results i've been looking for.

It is Now, I can say these established conversations have become second nature, like breathing or brushing your teeth. My true objective has always been to get lean and not thin, which is why I chose the term "Rhina Gets Lean" as the title of my web series . And, this year the results will be dramatic. Seasons 1 & 2 of RGL have all led up to this point of my journey to healthy living. I, now know through process of elimination what doesn't work, and what I need more of... all culminating in my decision to run in This years TCS NYC marathon 2014!.. giving birth to the name of my final season "Rhina Gets Lean - The Final Frontier"... Running! It's all or nothing baby!

Pondering in the essence of Women's History Month

Rhina Valentin

Today, I find myself pondering in the essence of Women's History Month and what it means to be worthy of making History. Although, as the primary role model, nurturer, protector, educator, healer and Love, of another human being,.. I must say, it is the most important responsibility to humanity... And, that is Being a Mom! Pro-creating, mentoring and guiding in some form is a natural way of being for most women. There is that pay it forward, "Madrina-type" instinct women carry amongst each other.

It wasn't always like that for me. 

Even though, I taught theater to 5th graders for many years and continue to mentor. I never thought I would be a Mom. For years I remained afraid of this responsibility, and now that I am one. I say to myself: What was I thinking?! It wasn't until I became a Mom, that I got a better grasp of purpose being my driving force. Life looks a lot different when you operate from a place of purpose. Purpose moves things forward and/or out of the way.. because now, you are no longer operating from a place of self. For my daughter is the greatest gift ever granted to me. The most profound lesson taught, her being my greatest teacher. My Extraordinary Transformation and Love In Being.

For this reason... This Month that generally acknowledges all the pioneer women warriors who have paved the way for women to be heard, seen and have significance.. I say: "Happy Women's History Month To All You Moms - The most important occupation to man-kind.

Rhina, Charm & Tomoko's Wednesday Menu

Goal: To create flavorful meals (with Asian flair when I can) which will last for Rhina and Charm for a few days, and Rhina can also be creative with the left over ingredients. The budget is $20.


Wednesday, Auguest 8, 2012
It is becoming more like a Wednesday thing, rather than Monday. So we changed the title to "Wednesday Menu". Until Rhina's kitchen is complete, we could do very limited thing, but that does not prevent us from enjoying food. We are also discovering the neighborhood stores for food shopping. I was planning to do Peruvian ceviche, but I did not like any fish at the super market, nor I knew any fish store in her new neighborhood. So we did instead:

- Chicken legs cooked in Soy, Coke, Ginger and Garlic. (Rhina's favoirte chicken)

- Greek Briam- which is Potetoes, Red Pepper, Zucchini, onion and whatever vegetables cooked in tomato sauce.

Red pepper makes the dish sweeter, and lots and lots of olive oil makes this dish very flavorful. And most importantly, Charm ate all the food on the plate!!!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Ok, so there has been some time off.....not that I was not cooking for them. But I was cooking in the midst of Rhina's move to the new apartment. And whatever is happening in your life, you still have to eat! And I finally got to cook at Rhina's new apartment with new kitchen utensils (she threw all the old ones away when she moved), and here is what I did. Very simple.
- Fresh Tomatoes with spaghetti (now is the best season for tomatoes. Just boil the fresh one for 1 min and peel the skin off, and chop it up and mix with sauteed onion, garlic, Italian parsley, celery with good olive oil)
- Broccoli with Parmesan cheese and lemon, of course, drizzled with olive oil.

Rhina does not like tomatoes so much, she said, and I wanted to convince her that summer tomatoes are GOOD!!!



Monday, June 18, 2012

- Green Salad with whatever vegetables Rhina has in the fridge.
- Cilantro Chicken Soup - I was inspired by Green color soup I had at a Peruvian restaurant. Since Rhina was under the weather, I thought some Chicken soup might do her good.  Yes, it was that green.
You cannot do wrong with cilantro.

No. I did not make chick pea salad for Charm this time, but she did ask me a few times whether I am making chick pea salad for her. According to Rhina, Charm lives on chick peas.......




Monday, May 28, 2012

-Turkey Chill Soup


- Greek Salad (sort of) with Feta cheese, cucumber, dill, lettus, lemon, and of course, good extra virgin olive oil.

Charm LOVES beans of any form. So I try to incorporate different beans with different flavors.


Mon, May 7, 2012

I cooked for 3 more adults since Rhina had a meeting at her place.
- Chicken Coconuts Curry with Rice on the side



- Chick Pea salad for Charm. (throw in whatever vegetable Rhina has in the fridge and make it very colorful...I put chopped up red onion, yellow pepper, cilantro, cucumber, lemon, anchovi paste, and of course extra virgin olive oil.....Charm loves chick peas so much so that we have to tell her that all other veggies are also "chick peas" to make her eat them!!)

 




Wed, May 2, 2012
AgainWednesday, instead of Monday.
Rhina had a lot of left over from a party she had attended a few days ago. So I just prepared some light salad and vegetable dish.

- Chick Peas and Spinach (cooked with tomato sauce, cumin, olive oil toasted and mushed bread)

Charm is addicted to Chick Peas!!

- Corn Salad (red onion, cilantro, lemon, red pepper and whatever she had)

Very Colorful Corn Salad

Wed, April 25, 2012
AgainWednesday, instead of Monday. Well, we still have to eat whether it's Monday or Wednesday...
Rhina did a lot of grocery shopping over the weekend, and I tried to use as many ingredients from the fridge rather than buying. So here is what I did..
- African Peanut Soup
- Sauteed Kale
Peanut Soup is very flavorful with ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, onion, tomates, sweet potato, chiken and many more ingredients. Rhina had told me before that she does not like sweet potato, but she told me yesterday that she like the sweet potato in this soup. Not sure if Charm liked the soup since she was too full from the snack, and did not join us for dinner...Well, Rhina will find out in a next few days since there is still a lot left.




Wed, April 18, 2012
Skipped a week due to some unpleasant coughing. Stayed away from Charm at all cost..
With Rhina's special request for some bean salad which Charm absolutely loved and Collard green which her Mommy loved, I repeated some of the same dishes this time.

- Chick pea salad (anchovy pasted, lemon juice, scalion, cilantro, cucumber, tomatos and EV olive oil, of course, as always. Anchovy paste always adds some "gourmet" flavor. I always use canned anchovy and chop them up or cook them. You can buy anchovy paste in tube.)

- Stir fried collard green with garlic and lemon.
- Chinese egg and corn soup.


Mon, April 2, 2012
- Greek spinach rice
- Chick pea salad (with chopped up vegetables and herbs Rhina already had in the fridge, with anchovi paste and splash of lemon juice)
Charm ate all the chick pea salada which made us very happy. Since Rhina had most of the ingredients, I only spent around $10.

Spinach rice was served with lemon and yogurt on the side


Mon, March 26, 2012
Her Webmaster, Jose and his wife Carmen joined for the dinner.
- Garlic and Lemon marinated potatos and chicken cooked in the oven. (did not have time to go buy fresh rosemary. I used the ove of my place, and brought it over to Rhina since her oven is small. cooking time about 1.5h)
- Couscous salad with all the vegetables she had in the refregerador (scallion, lemon juice, cilantro, tomatos, cucumber, sweet red pepper, celery and raisons)
- Collard green stirred fried with garlic with squeezed lemon.

Such a big bunch becomes a handful portion after cooking. You can never overdose greens.


Rhina really liked the collard green and I ended up making it twice to use up the rest of the bunch.
Chicken and potatos also disappeared from the plate, and I was very happy. Marinating in lemon juice makes the meat so tender, and I also like to squeenze lemon just on anything.

Mon, March 19, 2012
Rhina had all the ingredients in the fridge. So here is what I made...
- Fried rice with assorted vegetables (broccoli, onion, carrot, red pepper, and celery)
- Chicken porridge for Charm (making sure that vegetables are going there, too). There was left over grill chicken. So I shredded the meat, and made it into a porridge. Adding ginger, soy sauce, and topping off with cilantro gave the dish a bit of Asian flair.


Mon, March 12, 2012
- Risotto with mushrooms
- Tuna salad (with lots of greens including cilantro with sesame soy dressing)
- Lemon chicken for Charm Vida




Risotto - Sort of looked like this.

Rhina told me that her body may not be handling nuts (including sesame) well when she is tired and her immune system is down. So we will stay away from nuts for a while and see what happens. Our body is so closely connected to our mind that you never know how your body reacts to certain food. Though I have NO food allergy in general, once I reacted to fried squid badly and broke out in hives over my entire body which lasted for days. That was when I was very down. Many months later, I tried squid again, and I was fine. We need to listen to our body so that we know what's healing our body and what's adding more burden to our body.

Mon, March 5, 2012

- Arroz con Pollo - (with brown rice which Rhina already had. BIG mistake. It took forever to cook Brown rice to absorb the broth and the flavor, and I ended up running to a store to buy other ingredients so that Charm has something to eat. I cooked a 20 min dish - pasta with tomato souce with ground turkey) Rhina told me a day after that Arroz con Pollo taste good today.
- Green Salad with Alfaalfa Sprouts.

Mon, Feb 20, 2012
- Couscous Salad packed with Veggies.
- Coke Chicken (Chicken legs cooked in coke and soy sauce with ginger and garlic. Cooking meat in soda or beer makes the meat unbelievablly tender...)
Rhina is not a soda drinker, and I saw a bottle of soda sitting there for ages. So I decided to use it for cooking. We did not take any food pictures, but the food somewhat looked like below:

Mon, Feb 13, 2012

Clear the fridge day! We did:
- Pasta with meat sauce (using ground turkey Rhina had in the freezer),
- Salad with homemade dressing (soy sauce, sesame oil and mayo and a bit of this and that), and
- Soup with left over broiled veggies. Broiled veggies from last week was cooked with with bit of noodles in chicken stock and added garlic and bit of soy sauce for flavor, and topped with cilantro when served. We were happy Charm ate all her soup with packed with veggies. Today's spending was only $1.50 for cilantro.

Soy Sauce - My version of Sofrito

Sesame Oil Works for anything

Mon. Feb 6, 2012

- Turkey tacos (ground turkey, cheese, diced tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro and all the good stuff)

- Broiled veggies (potatoes, carrots, broccoli, & yam...I looked for cauliflower, but could not find it at a supermarket near Rhina's place) with extra virgin olive oil and lots of herbs.

I found out that Charm likes broccoli. It is encouraging to see 2 year old cheerfully stuffing her face with broccoli. I will bring more broccoli next time, and cook it in a different way.

Mon. Jan 30, 2012

- Chicken soup with a whole chicken, broken angel hair pasta, and veggies (celery, carrots, potatoes, left over cabbage, and whatever I saw in the fridge)

- Chicken Salad with Soy Sauce, Sesame, Mayo dressing

Take out the chicken from the soup and shred the meat. It can be used for various things. Rhina told me that she changed the flavor of the soup in the middle of the week, and continue to enjoy, and finished the soup.

Mon. Jan 23, 2012

- Yakisoba Japanese Stir fried noodles with Veggies with sausage
- White bean soup with winter vegetables with sausage

After this meals, Rhina told me that she could only eat chicken, turkey and seafood. So pork and beef are out. Rhina also told me that it was Charm's first time to eat cabbage.

When Life Hands You Lemons Be Still and Do Nothing by Betty LaLuna an Alias

 



Tranquility by Peter Griffin

We're told we must acquire more, do more, achieve more, optimize our time, our productivity,  and multi-task.  Then we wonder why we're stressed out.  We're sick, we're tired, and sick and tired of being sick and tired, but we must still trudge along this journey called life.  The earth is in constant motion.

Stress causes heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure and leaves our bodies weak, exposing us to a myriad of illnesses and we find ourselves going to doctors who give us pills.  "You're depressed?"  "Here's a pill!" "Now my blood pressure is high!" "Here's another pill!" On and on it goes.  That does not negate the fact that certain medications are necessary to alleviate symptoms of an illness; however the fact is that few if any pills absent perhaps an antibiotic actually 'cure' illness they just make them bearable.

It seems that as part of the human condition, we have this addiction to 'control' we delude ourselves into thinking that somehow we can bring about certain circumstances with the power of our mind.  In part that is true; however, in some respects it's complete and utter hogwash!!

We find ourselves striving to acquire the latest gadget or gizmo, or we're on a wild goose chase seeking to conquer the ever elusive.  We are 'goal' oriented.  It's never enough.  Media has a lot to do with this drive as media sets the tone and the message.  It sets the agenda.  In today's fast paced world the motto is:  "If you're fast you pass, if you're slow you blow." How does one keep up? 

The answer does not lie in a guru, a preacher, a pastor, a priest or any other sage.  The answer lies in you.  All of that chasing and running around we're doing, we're doing it to ourselves.  We were given every tool we need to meet our needs.  The rest as they say is gravy.  We have been drugged up on the message that 'more' brings happiness and contentment but we haven't been told how much is enough, so we find ourselves in a constant state of trying to fill a void until we have enough.  We don't know how or when we've had enough. 

We have basic needs for survival:  Food, Water, Shelter, Clothing and Love.  I learned this a long time ago.

In the late 90's I was a single parent, working full time running from pillar to post.  Unexpectedly I lost my job and went into complete panic mode.  I was living check to check, I had no savings, I had just moved to a new apartment where my rent quadrupled.   I had a small settlement but it was not enough to see me through.  It was a period in my life when Murphy's Law was in full force and effect.  Anything that could go wrong did and this was not part of the plan.  Many tried to talk me out of moving but I felt it was time for a new life so on a leap of faith I bit the bullet and I did it anyway.  I felt trapped,  powerless, and afraid.  I envisioned homelessness, starvation and a life of begging on the streets.  I tossed and turned at night, I worried, I cried I regretted my decision to move from my old neighborhood. This new life I carved out for myself and my son seemed like a mistake.  In my old neighborhood had I lost my job I would have been able to make the rent even if I had to rely on Public Assistance and would still have money left over.  I had now placed myself in a position where there were no safety nets.  That can be scary...to take a leap of 'faith.'  I felt abandoned...my father in Heaven appeared to be giving me the silent treatment.

I searched for employment but nothing materialized.  I investigated child care options and the rates were $1000 per month because my son was still in diapers.  My earnings capacity was decent, but a grand a month would certainly have left me in a precarious financial state with little to feed ourselves with. I was in a bind.  When we find ourselves in the middle of what appears to be chaos, the best thing to do is be still.  Fighting blocks the ability to 'hear' the voice that will lead you.  In times like this we must learn how to surrender.  When events begin to take hold of our lives, sometimes we can only help ourselves by relinquishing control. 

I have a sister whom I don't refer to as a half sister although we do not share the same mother.  We were not close for several reasons - first being an age gap second she was married and lived abroad most of my childhood.  One Christmas she visited my mother and I and left her son with me for a week so we could get to know each other.  I must have been about 14 years old.  Being an only child this was a joy to me.  I took my nephew all over New York City.  I took him to the Central Park Zoo, the Museum of Natural History, The Empire State Building, FAO Schwartz.   I bought him a toy boat for bath time, and his own special bottle of Mr. Bubbles.  I was elated.  I had my own little real life 'doll' to nurture and spoil, but then the week came to an end and he went back home.  We kept in touch for a time and then contact fizzled.  I dreamed of him, I missed him terribly.  I would fantasize about connecting with them again.  Years would pass before I caught up with them again, life went on.  One day out of nowhere, during this in this period of time when I was facing so much emotional and financial difficulty, something brought my nephew to mind. 


I remember toying with the idea of visiting him; however, it did not seem feasible as at this point he lived in Atlanta, GA.   I did not fly, and I could not envision myself driving, and I was limited financially.  The other element of serendipity is that when it came to my sister and my nephew, although we did not communicate much there seemed to be a telepathic connection as I would think of her and sure enough three days later or so, I'd hear from her or she'd literally land on my doorstep.  


Imagine my surprise when three days later out of nowhere after decades of no real contact with my nephew, my mother calls me up and says:  "I need a vacation, why don't we go to Atlanta and visit your nephew?"  This was the universe at work here.  I did not share any of my thoughts with my  mother having to do with my nephew.  We hadn't spoken or seen my nephew for at least twenty years!  I had my own feelings about him, I missed him but there would be nothing to inspire my mother to  suggest we do that.  "Let's visit your nephew" of all people, I still can't figure out what brought that on but it was yet proof if I ever doubted, that there exists out there in the galaxy, something more that really is in control...which is why we must learn to be still and listen.  The answer is in the silence.  I said yes because I just felt it was a 'sign.'  It really was too much of a coincidence to ignore.  A week later I found myself on an Amtrak train headed south with my mother and my baby boy.

By day four, I had a job offer in Atlanta, GA.  Daycare was $500 a month and it was a beautiful facility.  In fact there seemed to be a daycare facility on every corner!  Atlanta is a beautiful city.  I lived in the suburbs amongst beautiful homes, some had horses roaming in their backyards, of course I lived in an apartment but to take in that scenery, to be in the center of calm.  The south has a totally different energy.  While I faced a dip in salary, my needs were met.  I had less than a week to get back to New York pack and report for work.  I had no idea how I was going to pull this off, but I said "Yes!" I raced back spent three days packing.  I had no means of securing anything.  I was afraid to make a permanent commitment, I was afraid to give up the security of my New York apartment that while more expensive than I was used to was still affordable.  I had no one who could babysit my apartment for the "Just in case."  I had one person lined up who two days later reneged.  I had no idea how I was going to make the rent to cover this risk I was taking.   Two days before leaving,  I found my house sitter.  I packed up my car with a pot, a pan, some clothing, a small TV, a small radio and I was gone!  Just like that.  No furniture, no idea of anything other than I was gone. 

I slept on the floor for six weeks until we graduated to an air mattress which my cat by night two successfully managed to puncture confusing it with her mother.  We spent the next four weeks sleeping on an air mattress that by morning found us on the bare floor again; but,  I had peace.  The universe brought about conditions that no matter what would find me landing in safety and security.  I would drive around Atlanta in my leisure and think of the irony of how I had landed in an environment of great wealth yet despite working I was impoverished compared to the living standard of the neighborhood.  Nonetheless, my needs were met.  I had everything I needed.  I could afford food.   Because I was a Property Manager, I had a substantial discount on my rent.  I had a balcony and a lake on property where we could feed the ducks and just relax.   We had a pool!  I had nothing and I had everything.  In all this 'wealth' people could afford to move and they'd leave furniture behind.  Within three months, my whole apartment was filled.  I had a dresser, a dining room set, and two mattresses on the floor.  Eventually the living room set arrived compliments of the resident in building 6 and a $20 bill slipped to the dude driving the Salvation Army Truck about to take it to headquarters.  It just all came together with little effort - all I had to do was be still and listen.

I look back at that time in my life when I took a leap of faith.  Even then people attempted to dissuade me.  They thought I was crazy.  I call that period of my life my "Mental Health Break."  It was a time where I detached from the material.  I went on a journey into the unknown simply on a leap of faith.  I did not abandon common sense, I made sure that certain safety nets were in place, but I took a risk and I took a chance.  I learned I didn't need much to find contentment.  I learned what we all really need is a basic means to provide for ourselves and a pot and a pan.  I learned that all is not lost with humanity.  I still experienced bumps along the way even in my new found bliss.  Shortly thereafter my car broke down.  It would have taken me three hours to get my son to daycare despite it was a ten minute drive.  Atlanta has a public transportation system, but it is not based on any particular logic.  I felt it was time to panic again...but the universe was in control so one morning out of nowhere upon hearing of my situation,  one of the maintenance men who also lived on property learning of my plight slapped a duplicate copy of his car keys on my desk and said:  "I go to Mississippi on the weekends to gamble, have my car back by 5pm on Fridays, otherwise do with it what you will." Problem solved. 

 I learned the joys of thrift shop shopping, and found many treasures and toys for my son.  My mother came to visit and was distressed to see my little one wearing a coat whose sleeves were about two inches above his wrists - she cried, but I reassured her, I was at peace and happy.  I struggled but I had peace.  The salary wasn't as much as I would have liked, I needed a new car.  My mother helped me with the down payment; however, I would now have to assume payments given that my $500 clunker was now officially dead.  I took a job at night with one of our contractors cleaning out vacant apartments.  Sometimes there would be three apartments that needed cleaning, I'd have baby in tow rest him on a blanket and clean until six in the morning then go to work...but I was at peace.

We delude ourselves into thinking that all we have to do is pray and it will land on our laps.  It doesn't happen that way.  We do have to do our part. We have to stay open and we have to put forth the energy.  We have to put forth effort; however, the most important key is to accept that the answer has nothing to do with our 'plan' but the plan of the universe.  When we have our minds cluttered with the chase, or with fear or worry, there is no room for the message to get through because we are cluttering the space with our own minutia.  If we truly desire peace and wish to guarantee that our needs are met, we must detach from the material and leave ourselves open to the opportunities presented to acquire that.  We must learn how to be still...that is the key to living with 'intent' it is not having the intention of something specific - it is the intent of being still and being open and conscious of the moment to moment.

This story does not end with my eventually living the life of Reilly in Atlanta, Ga.  In fact within a year's time I returned to New York...the universe's involvement with that decision is a story for another time; however, I can end this story stating that I have had a few "Dark Nights of the Soul" and in each and every instance despite what seemed to be impossible circumstances, I have each and every time landed on my feet.

I have no particular religion, I have no particular faith.  I lean more towards Buddhism and Theosophy; however, I embrace and dabble in it all and the key message, and the secret in my experience points to:  "When life hands you lemons, be still for a moment and do nothing."  The answer will come.

RHINA GETS LEAN!

Rhina Valentin, most of you know me as the host of "OPEN" every Friday on BronxNet but my most recent role as a mom to a vibrant 2 year old has been challenged by balance . That being said, everything else fell to the side, and I mean everything!  Now,  I am trying to restructure my world to transform our lives.  So, Join me on this Bronx Strong Initiative, as I try out different methods of training and re-vamp my eating habits to design a healthy lifestyle!

Taking the lead by example join me as  

"Rhina Gets Lean" a Bronx Strong Initiative! 

Coming Soon!

Reality Web series credits:

Production Manager: Marcelo Mendez

Produced, captured and Edited by Chris Figueroa 

Creative Producer: Rhina Valentin

Exe Director Michael Max Knobbe