Day 141

The gym was full this morning. In the midst of a sea of blue running shorts and gray, logoed t-shirts, my black and neon felt out of place. The military squadron that accompanied me on the running track was….intimidating to say the least. Due to the lovely Autumnish weather this morning, my friend and I moved our 6:15 AM run outside this morning. I say “run”: read jog/walk/jog/walk 1 mile. It was progress though because (drum roll please) : my ankles don’t hurt!! A fact I was so thrilled about that I took a second run this evening. The second one, also in beautiful (this time evening) weather was just around the neighborhood, but it felt good. Maybe, maybe 1/2 a mile.

A new dish I love (new to me at least): broccoli , roasted with olive oil and seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper. I had made it before in the oven and it took over 15 minutes to cook. However, this week I found out I can make the same dish in the microwave in under 1 minute– win!

I am trying to find a good protein powder. I need something that will nourish my body, that I can put into smoothies etc, and that won’t make me retain water or add unnecessary calories. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Happy Tuesday my loves.

Day 137, 138, 139, & 140

August 23rd

Nothing to note- no workout, moderately healthy eating…nothing exciting.

August 24th

Met the in-laws for lunch at Longhorn. Had a carefully chosen entrée of grilled chicken breast on fresh greens with no dressing. Yummy and healthy— the bread, however, was a temptation I simply could not resist!

August 25th

Made brownies for Sunday School and DID NOT EAT A SINGLE ONE. I’m kind of proud. (Admittedly, I had my fair share of batter while making them last night). “Pride cometh before a fall” My workout buddy brought me some fantastic cupcakes as a thank-you for editing her paper. They were so, so delicious. Somehow I managed to eat just one (oh yeah, I remember how: I fed them to my husband).

August 26th

PMS. Enough said. Please hand over the candy bar. OK, only half. That’s right, people, I ate half a candy bar. I do this so infrequently that I don’t even know what kind it was– Milky Way? Maybe a Three Musketeers? In any case it was not nearly as satisfying as I had hoped, but my body told me I needed it. I didn’t, of course, but you simply cannot argue with the Beast that is PMS.

Days 135 & 136

August 21st

In some crazy moment of motivated, fitness desire, I agreed to meet a girlfriend at the gym at 6:00 AM. How horrible. But it was a good workout. Ate healthy foods, but felt like I ate far too much. Will try to watch it tomorrow.

August 22nd

I was good about not snacking today. What helped was the promise of a reward at the end: I haven’t had a Starbucks Frappucino in I-don’t-know-how-long, so I promised myself if I did good all day I could have a small Frap with no whipped cream. I got a Soy Strawberries & Cream and it was so yummy. Well worth the no snacking all day.

I made a delicious lunch sandwich: Chia seed pocket flatbread with sliced turkey, turkey bacon, spinach, garlic, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Oh my gosh, best sandwich I’ve ever made- and healthy too!

Day 134

August 20th

I ran to the grocery store this morning– literally. My yoga bag (thank you wonderful husband for buying it for me!) is a cross-body backpack, and the store is only about 1/2 – 1 mile away. NO big deal, but it still felt cool. I walked back because my bag was full of fruit and Greek yogurt (breakfast!). Healthy lifestyle = healthy life!

Day 133

August 19th

So far my ankles seem okay from last night’s run. Healthy meals today, but I found myself snacking a lot. I made some “Quinoa Crunch” to put on my Greek yogurt tomorrow morning and I went to a really tough kickboxing class. It could have been harder if I did everything the instructor did, but we had talked before class and agreed I would take it easy on my legs a little bit.

Days 131 & 132

August 17th

One of my girl friends got married today! (Congrats Kristen!!) It was such an awesome wedding- my favorite since, well, ever. And the cake was delicious, absolutely delicious. This is my weekend of carefree eating and vacation living. Wedding? Check. :) On to New Orleans!

August 18th

Our Lunchtime View

My wonderful husband proposed (and then scheduled) a spontaneous day and a half long trip to New Orleans, LA. I have been before, but it has been over a year and I only ever hit the highlights. The highlights of this trip were not all your average touristy things. We did not go to the Café du Monde, but instead tried…well, everything. We ate our way through that city like a Cajun PacMan. It was fabulous.
We ate lunch at Café Pontalba in Jackson Square. Street Jazz performers serenaded us from in front of the Cathedral.  I tried gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans & rice (and some of the hubby’s sausage Poboy). It was all spicy, but yummy. Hey, when in New Orleans….

Later we stopped by Antoine’s café and had coffee and split a cheese Danish and an éclair (couldn’t decide what we wanted. We liked the Danish…so we bought a second). Yes, yes, we were gluttons, BUT we (1) walked all day so that has to count for something and (2) y’all, if you don’t eat in New Orleans— why are you even there?

Fabulous Weekend! Now, back to healthy foods!

P.S. When we got home Sunday night, I went for a run ;)

Day 130

August 16th

I’m getting really frustrated with my ankles. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m being forced to take a working-out break. Hopefully it will be just a few days and I can get back into a routine!

Day 129

This morning was another failed run attempt. My dumb ankles are STILL tender and I can’t figure out why. I may try some yoga tonight and see if it helps.

I made Peaches & Cream oatmeal for breakfast using this recipe from The Hearty Herbivore (http://theheartyherbivore.com/)!

PEACHES & CREAM OATMEAL

Ingredients

1 peach, sliced (I used frozen peach slices)

1 banana, sliced (I only used half)

1/2 cup oats

1 cup water

1/2 cup coconut milk (I used Almond milk instead)

Directions:

• In a medium pan, bring water to a boil. Add 1/2 of your peach, 1/2 of your banana, and your oats to the water and stir. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the water has evaporated.
• Add coconut milk and cook until oatmeal is creamy, about 7 minutes.

 

The original recipe said to top it with more peach and banana slices, but a taste-test revealed an already potent banana flavor, so I just added more peaches. A delicious and filling breakfast. Who’s ready for Thursday?!

Days 127 & 128

August 13th

Today I planned to go to the gym and run before work, but when I woke up at 6:00 my ankles felt sore from yesterday’s workout. I think I will take a rest day, eat healthy foods, and pray my Achilles feels better!
Had some girls over for a Bible Study tonight, and I made cookies. I took regular chocolate chip cookie mix, but instead of adding butter and eggs, I added 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, one egg, and some dark cocoa powder. They turned out muffin-like and not too sweet. Admittedly I had a few.

August 14th

Wednesdays are kickboxing days; HOWEVER, my ankles– especially my right one– hurt! I put my right leg in the brace this morning in hopes of stretching the pain away, but no luck. And I stretched it several times throughout the day, but by the time my 6:30 pm class rolled around, I just couldn’t do it! I know I am slowly falling out of the groove of working out, but I am trying so hard not to aggravate my tendonitis. Apparently I did something wrong on Monday night’s class if it is still bugging me two days later.

Day 126

Healthy eating today! I found a new favorite snack: sliced raw bell peppers seasoned with a little salt– SO yummy. I also worked out like mad in a kickboxing class.

I’ve been thinking a lot about fitness (obviously) and my motivation to be fit.

Something I discovered:
I Need To:
 -Sleep More
 -Laugh More
 -Stress Less

By stressing about my size I am actually putting my body into “starvation mode” and am making it retain fat in order to protect me. How cyclical! Starting now: I accept myself the way I am right now. I will workout and eat healthy foods because my body deserves to be nourished and strengthened — NOT so I can meet a superficial standard of beauty. Words are powerful- this one perhaps the most powerful: LOVE. I am choosing to say I love myself right now and right now I am relinquishing my stresses to have the “perfect body”. My body is hardwired to be healthy- I just need to facilitate its processes by providing nourishing foods and adequate exercise.

“I am by nature a dealer in words and words, by nature, are the most powerful drug in humanity” –Rudyard Kipling