I suppose it's inevitable. We can't be perfect all the time. I read this quote today, and I love it:
“The tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.” – Benjamin Mays
I'm an emotional eater. When I get upset, I lose all willpower. I got some startling news at work on Friday, and though I fought the rising temptations, I eventually gave in. I ate badly that night, and it continued through the weekend, ending in a kind of bad run yesterday. (Not terrible, but I just wasn't into it and finished 3 minutes slower than my best time) I probably didn't go over my calories by much, but I had almost no fruits and veggies the entire weekend! Yikes!
Anyway, today's a new day, and I'm getting back on track. There were some good things about the weekend, as opposed to the eating-without-tracking that was going on. I tried falafel for the first time, and I absolutely loved it! From what I've read, falafel is basically ground-up chickpeas on a pita with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers with a tahini-based sauce. Delicious! (I consider myself a flexetarian since I often find myself eating vegetarian meals like this one and the Greek Spinach Veggie Burgers I made last week)
I bought a hydration belt for running! I went with the Nathan Trail Mix which has two pockets for stuff and two 10-ounce water bottles. I tried it on yesterday's run. For the first mile, I absolutely hated it! It bounced around and spilled water all over my back (which I didn't exactly mind in the upper 80-degree heat!). Then when I took a walking break, I tightened it, and it was a million times better! I hardly noticed it then! I'm definitely going to use it on my runs now!
Speaking of running, my very first 5k race is this weekend! I've practiced the course several times now (at least 5, I think), and I'm going to take a break from it this week, I think. It's a tough course, and I'm getting a little tired of running it, honestly. So instead of trekking it one more time, I'm going to do a nice and slow run at a local state park later on this week. I'm going to give myself two rest days before the race, though.
Then next week, I'll start training for the 10k in October! My sister and I still want to run together on the weekends, working on increasing our distance.
So I'm not going to let a little "off-the-wagon" session get me down! From here, I can only move forward! Today's a new day!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
great run today!
8 days and counting until my first 5k race! I ran a practice run on the route again today (sooo glad I'm practicing! it's a tough course!), and I got another best time, 33:32! I'm ecstatic about my progress! I was never a runner, and now I'm averaging an 11-min mile! Woo-hoo!
I have to make myself take the first mile slow, though. Usually, I've got so much energy, I just want to sprint! LOL!
I'm not sure what was different about today's run, but I just felt really powerful today. I almost didn't run because my calves were feeling a little tight during a strength training session this morning, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. I figured if they got bad, I'd turn around and walk back to my car. I made it through, though!
The last mile was a little tough, but the first mile (I took it a tiny bit slower, 10 seconds slower, I think) felt amazing. While I ran, I looked around at the beautiful scenery, and I just felt so good running! I really wish I could bring a camera with me on my runs. The area is really beautiful!
I did take one photo when I was finished:
This is the starting line for the race. 8 days away, 2 more practices and I can't wait!
I have to make myself take the first mile slow, though. Usually, I've got so much energy, I just want to sprint! LOL!
I'm not sure what was different about today's run, but I just felt really powerful today. I almost didn't run because my calves were feeling a little tight during a strength training session this morning, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. I figured if they got bad, I'd turn around and walk back to my car. I made it through, though!
The last mile was a little tough, but the first mile (I took it a tiny bit slower, 10 seconds slower, I think) felt amazing. While I ran, I looked around at the beautiful scenery, and I just felt so good running! I really wish I could bring a camera with me on my runs. The area is really beautiful!
I did take one photo when I was finished:
This is the starting line for the race. 8 days away, 2 more practices and I can't wait!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
update!
It's been a while, I know! I tend to blog often over at SparkPeople, but I don't want to neglect this place!
So what's been new with me? A lot, actually!
For starters, I finished the Couch-to-5k Program! In 9 weeks, I went from no running experience whatsoever to being able to run 3 miles! I doubted the program (and myself) a little, but it really worked! Now I'm totally hooked on running, and I'm thinking about possibly starting a local running club!
Here's another new thing:
I created a nutrition/fitness journal. I already track my food & workout info on SparkPeople, but for some reason writing it down on paper makes me feel more responsible for what I'm doing. It makes me want to stick to my goals. I've covered the front cover with motivational words and sayings.
I've been doing well on training for my first 5k race (in 9 days!) and I've practiced the route 3 times now, improving my time by a few minutes each time! I'm getting really excited for the race, and I'm hoping the weather cooperates!
I'm mostly working on being a healthier, more positive me, and I'm happy with my progress so far!
So what's been new with me? A lot, actually!
For starters, I finished the Couch-to-5k Program! In 9 weeks, I went from no running experience whatsoever to being able to run 3 miles! I doubted the program (and myself) a little, but it really worked! Now I'm totally hooked on running, and I'm thinking about possibly starting a local running club!
Here's another new thing:
I created a nutrition/fitness journal. I already track my food & workout info on SparkPeople, but for some reason writing it down on paper makes me feel more responsible for what I'm doing. It makes me want to stick to my goals. I've covered the front cover with motivational words and sayings.
I've been doing well on training for my first 5k race (in 9 days!) and I've practiced the route 3 times now, improving my time by a few minutes each time! I'm getting really excited for the race, and I'm hoping the weather cooperates!
I'm mostly working on being a healthier, more positive me, and I'm happy with my progress so far!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A Challenge
I have a problem. I know that processed junk food is bad for me, but at times, it's so tempting that I give in. Then it escalates and I don't stop. Potato chips, candy bars, donuts, cookies. All junk!
So I issued a challenge to myself: No junk food for one week. (Basically, no chips, cookies, donuts or candy. I'll allow one serving of crackers or pretzels per day)
I'm allowing myself one piece of chocolate per day, as a treat, but that's it. I'm also trying to cook fresh foods as often as I can. Here's my report for yesterday:
Breakfast: 3 cups of coffee, 1/2 cup Fiber One cereal with 1 cup light soy milk, and 6oz light strawberry yogurt
Lunch: Chunky Greek Salad with Chickpeas (recipe from Fitness Magazine) and 1/2 cup homemade chicken salad on half a bagel thin
(This was my favorite meal of the day! The salad was really filling and tasty!)
Dinner: 4oz tilapia, 1/2 cup corn, 7 french fries (processed, I know. Oops!)
Snacks: 1oz cashews, 1 clementine, 1/2 bagel thin with 1 tbsp peanut butter, 4 pretzels, 1 mini York peppermint pattie, 1/4 cup ice cream
I disappointed myself by not exercising yesterday. I wanted to work on my arms yesterday, but it didn't happen. Today I'll be running, and I just might try to get in some strength training, too. I've had a problem in the past of doing too much at once and hurting my back in the process, so I'm trying to take it slow this time around.
I'm mostly happy with yesterday's diet. It wasn't perfect, but it was well-intentioned. :)
So I issued a challenge to myself: No junk food for one week. (Basically, no chips, cookies, donuts or candy. I'll allow one serving of crackers or pretzels per day)
I'm allowing myself one piece of chocolate per day, as a treat, but that's it. I'm also trying to cook fresh foods as often as I can. Here's my report for yesterday:
Breakfast: 3 cups of coffee, 1/2 cup Fiber One cereal with 1 cup light soy milk, and 6oz light strawberry yogurt
Lunch: Chunky Greek Salad with Chickpeas (recipe from Fitness Magazine) and 1/2 cup homemade chicken salad on half a bagel thin
(This was my favorite meal of the day! The salad was really filling and tasty!)
Dinner: 4oz tilapia, 1/2 cup corn, 7 french fries (processed, I know. Oops!)
Snacks: 1oz cashews, 1 clementine, 1/2 bagel thin with 1 tbsp peanut butter, 4 pretzels, 1 mini York peppermint pattie, 1/4 cup ice cream
I disappointed myself by not exercising yesterday. I wanted to work on my arms yesterday, but it didn't happen. Today I'll be running, and I just might try to get in some strength training, too. I've had a problem in the past of doing too much at once and hurting my back in the process, so I'm trying to take it slow this time around.
I'm mostly happy with yesterday's diet. It wasn't perfect, but it was well-intentioned. :)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Food Revolution
I just discovered Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I can tell I'm going to love the show, but it's also going to make me angry...
I love that the message of the show is to help Americans eat healthier, particularly for the sake of children who are brainwashed into making horrible food choices. The state of our cafeteria/school lunch programs is disgusting! :-(
It's all about making healthier choices and cooking fresh foods rather than processed crap. It's how my husband has lost over 30lbs in the past 3 months. He still gets to eat a lot; we just don't buy processed foods nearly as much as we did before. And we can both tell the difference! Yesterday, I had microwave mini-cheeseburgers for lunch, and my stomach was killing me for the rest of the day! That crap is no good for me! (I, apparently, need a reminder every so often)
For fun, we like to go through the frozen section at grocery stores and look at the nutritional information on the foods we used to eat on a daily basis. It's insane! It's no wonder we both kept gaining weight, we felt tired all the time, and got winded walking down the street!
It's not about eating lettuce all the time, either. Healthy foods can taste really great, and the preparation time isn't much different than the processed stuff.
...now if I can get them to make more fresh foods at work. We cook food for our hot food bar every day, and we're actually required to offer a certain amount of "finger foods" which consist of things like french fries, chicken tenders, pierogies, mozzarella sticks, etc. Those are always the things that sell first. Most of our main courses are frozen, too. We just put them in a steamer to thaw and heat them, basically. The few dishes we sometimes cook fresh are things like macaroni and cheese and haluski, both very unhealthy. We do serve fresh fish often, but it's usually soaked in butter. We cook over half of what we serve in a deep-fryer... Gross!
I don't want to sound preachy or act like I know how everyone should live their lives... but you'll live longer if you take care of yourself. And if you don't care about yourself, do it for your family, your children. They deserve to feel healthy and happy and to live a long life. Right?
jamieoliver.com
Sign the petition to show you care about the health and future of our nation's children: Food Revolution Petition
I love that the message of the show is to help Americans eat healthier, particularly for the sake of children who are brainwashed into making horrible food choices. The state of our cafeteria/school lunch programs is disgusting! :-(
It's all about making healthier choices and cooking fresh foods rather than processed crap. It's how my husband has lost over 30lbs in the past 3 months. He still gets to eat a lot; we just don't buy processed foods nearly as much as we did before. And we can both tell the difference! Yesterday, I had microwave mini-cheeseburgers for lunch, and my stomach was killing me for the rest of the day! That crap is no good for me! (I, apparently, need a reminder every so often)
For fun, we like to go through the frozen section at grocery stores and look at the nutritional information on the foods we used to eat on a daily basis. It's insane! It's no wonder we both kept gaining weight, we felt tired all the time, and got winded walking down the street!
It's not about eating lettuce all the time, either. Healthy foods can taste really great, and the preparation time isn't much different than the processed stuff.
...now if I can get them to make more fresh foods at work. We cook food for our hot food bar every day, and we're actually required to offer a certain amount of "finger foods" which consist of things like french fries, chicken tenders, pierogies, mozzarella sticks, etc. Those are always the things that sell first. Most of our main courses are frozen, too. We just put them in a steamer to thaw and heat them, basically. The few dishes we sometimes cook fresh are things like macaroni and cheese and haluski, both very unhealthy. We do serve fresh fish often, but it's usually soaked in butter. We cook over half of what we serve in a deep-fryer... Gross!
I don't want to sound preachy or act like I know how everyone should live their lives... but you'll live longer if you take care of yourself. And if you don't care about yourself, do it for your family, your children. They deserve to feel healthy and happy and to live a long life. Right?
jamieoliver.com
Sign the petition to show you care about the health and future of our nation's children: Food Revolution Petition
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Why I Love Running
When I run, I feel invincible. I feel like I’m capable of anything and everything. I feel like nothing can touch me or ruin my day.
I was never in very good shape growing up. I was thin, but had no real strength. We had this test in high school where you had to try to run a mile in under ten minutes. Forget it! I couldn’t jog for more than a minute or two at a time, let alone that distance in that time! Over the years, I just grew to believe that I couldn’t run, that it wasn’t in me.
Then my sister started training for a 5k. I thought she was nuts, but I soon followed her progress with pride. I wondered if I could do the same thing, but I had a few false starts. I didn’t research properly and both times I started a training program, I suffered pain and slight injury. It turned me off to running even more.
However, I thought I’d give it one more try. This time, I did my research first and talked to my sister (now pretty much an expert in running). Then I started the Couch to 5k program. I was amazed that it was both challenging and fun! It was difficult, but not to the point where I couldn’t do it. Jogging for 1-2 minutes at a time was something that was feasible for me, and continuing from there wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
Today I finished my Week 4, Day 1 training. I jogged two intervals of 5 minutes at one time! I never thought I could do that! I’m proving to myself everyday that I’m capable of more than I ever thought I could do. There’s this rush when I’m running, this awesome feeling of, “I can do this! I can do anything!”
Sure, it’s hard at times, and I can’t say I’m never sore from this training. It’s so worth it, though, for that exhilarating, invincible feeling and for knowing that at the age of 30, I’m probably in the best shape of my life!
I’m almost halfway through this 5k training program, and I’m looking forward to each running day. By the end, I’ll be jogging for 25 minutes at a time! Right now, that seems a little scary to me, but so did 5 minutes, and I did that today! I know I can do it.
I can’t wait for my first 5k race! And eventually I’m going to do that ten-minute mile!
Couch to 5k Program!
I was never in very good shape growing up. I was thin, but had no real strength. We had this test in high school where you had to try to run a mile in under ten minutes. Forget it! I couldn’t jog for more than a minute or two at a time, let alone that distance in that time! Over the years, I just grew to believe that I couldn’t run, that it wasn’t in me.
Then my sister started training for a 5k. I thought she was nuts, but I soon followed her progress with pride. I wondered if I could do the same thing, but I had a few false starts. I didn’t research properly and both times I started a training program, I suffered pain and slight injury. It turned me off to running even more.
However, I thought I’d give it one more try. This time, I did my research first and talked to my sister (now pretty much an expert in running). Then I started the Couch to 5k program. I was amazed that it was both challenging and fun! It was difficult, but not to the point where I couldn’t do it. Jogging for 1-2 minutes at a time was something that was feasible for me, and continuing from there wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
Today I finished my Week 4, Day 1 training. I jogged two intervals of 5 minutes at one time! I never thought I could do that! I’m proving to myself everyday that I’m capable of more than I ever thought I could do. There’s this rush when I’m running, this awesome feeling of, “I can do this! I can do anything!”
Sure, it’s hard at times, and I can’t say I’m never sore from this training. It’s so worth it, though, for that exhilarating, invincible feeling and for knowing that at the age of 30, I’m probably in the best shape of my life!
I’m almost halfway through this 5k training program, and I’m looking forward to each running day. By the end, I’ll be jogging for 25 minutes at a time! Right now, that seems a little scary to me, but so did 5 minutes, and I did that today! I know I can do it.
I can’t wait for my first 5k race! And eventually I’m going to do that ten-minute mile!
Couch to 5k Program!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
You live, you learn.
My husband and I both thought we'd be okay to go slightly off our "diets," by splurging at my birthday party on Sunday. Problem is, we started Saturday and didn't get back on track until today!
We feel terrible! Not guilt, but physically, we feel icky. We're both bloated and having intestinal pains and stuff. Nothing dire, just a general feeling of discomfort. Sometimes you don't realize how great you feel when you're eating healthy until you fall off the wagon and splurge on stuff that's not so good for you.
We did have plenty of healthy options at the party, fruits & veggies, sushi, and ginger chicken. But we also had chocolate cake and cookies and lots of pasta... They're okay in moderation, but we didn't feel like moderating ourselves. (Oh, and the splurging on Saturday started with a trip to McD's...)
Oh well, it's a new week, and we're even stronger in our resolve to eat healthy. We want to feel good again!
I started a new 30-day challenge on EA Sports Active yesterday, and I'm enjoying it. I moved up to medium-intensity so the workouts are a little longer with more reps of each exercise. I also set a goal to do 1200 fitness minutes for February, and two days in, I've got 107 minutes, so I think I'm doing well on that.
I also started the couch to 5k program again. I think I'm a little past the "couch" starting point (I know I can jog in place at least 5 minutes), but that's where I'm starting anyway. This program involves alternating periods of jogging and walking 3 times per week, gradually working in more jogging and less walking, so that by the end of the 6 weeks, you're jogging 5k (3.1 miles). More info: www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
Stats (now that I'm back on track):
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Kelloggs All-Bran Complete Wheat Flakes with a banana and soy milk
Lunch: Bean and Pasta Soup (recipe: www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/B
ean-and-Pasta-Soup ) and a big salad
Dinner: tuna salad on Arnold's multi-grain sandwich thin
Snacks: 1/4 cup mixed nuts, 1/2 c whipped pineapple dessert, 15 wheat thins fiber selects crackers
I can still have 350 calories after that to reach the top of my range, and I need more protein, so I'll probably have more nuts or some peanut butter or something. (I'm working tonight, which explains my small dinner)
Fitness:
EA Sports Active: 25 minutes, 97 calories
Wii Fit Yoga: 10 minutes, 17 calories
Wii Fit Strength Training: 10 minutes, 22 calories
Wii Fit Aerobics: 11 minutes, 36 calories
Wii Fit Games: 4 minutes, 9 calories
Total: 60 minutes, 181 calories burned
So, the positives of falling off my healthy lifestyle for a few days are: I know that I feel tons better when I'm eating healthy, and at least I didn't gain any weight from splurging. Lesson learned!
My twin and I at our 30th birthday party!
My husband and I both thought we'd be okay to go slightly off our "diets," by splurging at my birthday party on Sunday. Problem is, we started Saturday and didn't get back on track until today!
We feel terrible! Not guilt, but physically, we feel icky. We're both bloated and having intestinal pains and stuff. Nothing dire, just a general feeling of discomfort. Sometimes you don't realize how great you feel when you're eating healthy until you fall off the wagon and splurge on stuff that's not so good for you.
We did have plenty of healthy options at the party, fruits & veggies, sushi, and ginger chicken. But we also had chocolate cake and cookies and lots of pasta... They're okay in moderation, but we didn't feel like moderating ourselves. (Oh, and the splurging on Saturday started with a trip to McD's...)
Oh well, it's a new week, and we're even stronger in our resolve to eat healthy. We want to feel good again!
I started a new 30-day challenge on EA Sports Active yesterday, and I'm enjoying it. I moved up to medium-intensity so the workouts are a little longer with more reps of each exercise. I also set a goal to do 1200 fitness minutes for February, and two days in, I've got 107 minutes, so I think I'm doing well on that.
I also started the couch to 5k program again. I think I'm a little past the "couch" starting point (I know I can jog in place at least 5 minutes), but that's where I'm starting anyway. This program involves alternating periods of jogging and walking 3 times per week, gradually working in more jogging and less walking, so that by the end of the 6 weeks, you're jogging 5k (3.1 miles). More info: www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
Stats (now that I'm back on track):
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Kelloggs All-Bran Complete Wheat Flakes with a banana and soy milk
Lunch: Bean and Pasta Soup (recipe: www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/B
ean-and-Pasta-Soup ) and a big salad
Dinner: tuna salad on Arnold's multi-grain sandwich thin
Snacks: 1/4 cup mixed nuts, 1/2 c whipped pineapple dessert, 15 wheat thins fiber selects crackers
I can still have 350 calories after that to reach the top of my range, and I need more protein, so I'll probably have more nuts or some peanut butter or something. (I'm working tonight, which explains my small dinner)
Fitness:
EA Sports Active: 25 minutes, 97 calories
Wii Fit Yoga: 10 minutes, 17 calories
Wii Fit Strength Training: 10 minutes, 22 calories
Wii Fit Aerobics: 11 minutes, 36 calories
Wii Fit Games: 4 minutes, 9 calories
Total: 60 minutes, 181 calories burned
So, the positives of falling off my healthy lifestyle for a few days are: I know that I feel tons better when I'm eating healthy, and at least I didn't gain any weight from splurging. Lesson learned!
My twin and I at our 30th birthday party!
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