Friday, April 30, 2010

Fresh Produce

I haven't done any of my Fabulous Food Fridays for AGES! And I LOVE those! I love researching foods and seeing what nutrients they are loaded with. It's the inner-wanna-be-dietician in me I guess. So I am resolving to get back with the program.

Today I am going to highlight fresh produce in general. I have been taking advantage of an awesome Co-Op in my area and I am LOVING it!! A few weeks ago I got ALL THIS for $15!! Apples, bananas, tangerines,mangoes... AND lettuce, broccoli, squash, celery, tomatoes, artichokes...Crazy huh?!! This past week I got THIS: bananas, carrots, blackberries, pineapple, apples, oranges, tomatoes, red potatoes, onions, squash, spinach, swish chard, lettuce, celery, cilantro, tomatillos, limes, jalapenos, avocados, garlic and a TON of tortillas. This was more but I got so much more! I love having fresh fruit and veggies on hand. I love that it's available for my kids to snack on and I let them eat as much as they want, pretty much as often as they want; within reason, we all know how too much of a good thing isn't so much of a good thing!

It's a GREAT habit to be in, this eating lots of fruits and vegetables. I am of the opinion that you really can't over-eat when it comes to fresh produce {maybe if you're dipping them all in dips or dressings every time}. I am grateful that I have always loved these things; ever since I was very young I have preferred vegetables and fruits and I continue to crave them daily.

So here's to a fresh new start for our Fabulous Food Friday!! See you next week!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Men Vs. Women

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Ugly Monster

I'm not trying to lose weight. I've been in what I feel is my perfect weight range for quite some time. But there is a part of me that is so frustrated. There is that STUPID number in my head that I want to be. That STUPID number that I am ALWAYS telling ya'll to ignore; and it's haunting me. That STUPID number is at the bottom of my ideal weight range and it's not far from where I am {we are talking 3 pounds, 5 pounds MAX}. I think that's part of why I'm so frustrated.

I have been avoiding the scale more than usual {typically I only weigh in once a week, now it's more like 3-4 weeks}. For me that's probably a good thing right now though; I know my limits and my weaknesses and it would be stupid to let them get the better of me. But I'm frustrated that this inner demon has decided to rear it's ugly head.

So I have been trying to strategize a little bit. I NEED to do my strength training workouts. I need to change things up. I honestly haven't done a strength training workout since April 1st. Before that was March 16. YIKES!! {There's an eye opener for me} So. The plan is to get in all my strength training workouts THIS WEEK. I'm not looking past this week.

All the while I am going to be watching over my shoulder for that feisty beast. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Runner Food

I read THIS awesome article from Fitness Magazine. It's all about great foods for runners. I'll sum up:

1. Small bagel with peanut butter. This is the perfect thing to eat in the morning before a run. Great energy and staying power in here!

2. Bananas! These babies are a great source of potassium which helps regulate blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke.

3. Berries. Berries are super yummy but in addition the have potassium and vitamin C which helps your body repair itself!! Feed those muscles people!

4. Broccoli. This green tree is a powerhouse!! Loaded with vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and phytochemicals! All of which are huge for peak performance and health!

5. Yogurt {they list low fat but this is one I don't skimp on}. Yogurt is loaded with Calcium AND protein!! Great for bone density and muscle food!!

6. Lean Beef. High in protein and iron! Did you know that an iron deficiency can lead to fatigue? Yep. Just another reason I love Beef... after all... Beef, it's what's for dinner!

7. Wild Salmon. Packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Great for your heart, inflammation, and helps ward off disease!

So there you have it! 7 foods that are great not just for runners but for fitness enthusiasts alike!!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Note to Self...

This family is a home cooking kind of family. We rarely eat fast food. Tonight we decided it would be fun to take the kids, grab them some kids' meals and let them watch a movie in the car. I know... thrilling!

Not. So. Much.

We first went to Sonic Drive-In. You know the place, where the car hops ride around on roller blades and greet you with a smile?! Yeah, that's the place. We {the man and I} have been wanting to try their new Ched 'R' Peppers Supersonic Cheeseburger. Then we drove across the street to McDonalds where the kids got themselves some Happy Meals. Yay {full of sarcasm}.

Check out this monster of a burger. I will fully admit that this beast tasted scrumptious. I ate 1/2. I ate all the free tots that came with it. No Soda. The kids were thrilled with their food too.

Skip forward about 1.5 hours. We are all feeling kinda crummy. The kids can't sleep; their tummies hurt. There was nothing "wrong" with the food {besides being loaded with calories}. But when you don't eat this kind of thing, your body is sure to tell you that it REALLY DOESN'T LIKE IT!!! We aren't puking or anything, but we sure as heck don't feel very well.

It's like a rock sitting in your gullet. It's heavy. It makes you feel sluggish. At least I do anyway. I was going to do a workout tonight... I for sure would be tossing my cookies after the first 5 minutes. Now I'm ticked. Next time, I think we'll head to Arby's or Subway!

Monday, April 19, 2010

A Slump

I'm in a bit of a slump. I am still running 3 or so days a week but my cross training days pretty much never happen. BLAH! I am still eating the way I should; I'm an all things in moderation kind of girl! So I'm not sure what the deal is. I'm an AVID {understatement of the year} reader and I haven't read ONE book all the way through since I moved. What's up with that?! I have been the biggest blogger slacker; only posting sporadically about only running or running video clips. Hmmm... Nothing on nutritional benefits of foods; which is actually my favorite topic to research and blog. Nothing on various exercises and routines. Nothing on general health. Nothing profound or even slightly encouraging.

I'm not sure why I'm running along side the wagon {not the blog wagon specifically, there's alot of wagons I'm neglecting I think}. I'm not off; but I'm not ON either. Maybe it's because I've been so preoccupied with the massive life changes in our near future. Maybe it's just because I've been lazy about it. I honestly can't tell you why. But I think it deserves some deep pondering.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Saucony

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Life

The Bare Necessities

The 17 miler went great. I listened to my body. I drank A LOT of water {emptied Max right at the end}. I went through 4 GU's {three during and one after}. I had a good cool down. I stretched really good. That night I jogged a couple miles and stretched really good again. ALL of those things made a HUGE difference. Today I feel like a million bucks!!

A few things I learned from this one that I better remember for those next few log runs; especially the BIG one... 26.2!

*Bring Chapstick {putting it on before leaving isn't enough}
*Wear Sunscreen {even if it's still "winter" and chilly, the sun will still fry me... he did}
*Body Glide {or SOMETHING}

I have a couple weeks before the next big one. I am going to add hills into these shorter runs to prepare myself for the hills on the marathon. I think it's going to make a big difference!

Friday, April 9, 2010

The Long Run

Every runner has a different number in their head as to what is considered a long run. I have been reading "How to Train for and Run Your Best Marathon" by Gordon Bakoulis Bloch. He has some interesting points on all aspects of training but with a 17 miler looming tomorrow I was going over what he had to say about Long Runs. He talks about what goes on with your body when you run long and hard. I'll try to sum up:

There are two main types of fuel that muscles use during physical activity: carbohydrate and fat. He says that in general, the more intense an activity is, the greater is the proportion of carbohydrate used to fuel it. Those activities that are performed at a very low intensity use fat as fuel.

Every pound of fat contains about 3,500 calories worth of energy. Given that, and the fact that running consumes about 100 calories per mile, you could run more than a marathon on the energy that is contained in just one pound of fat.

Carbs are different though. They are stored in two different forms: glucose in the bloodstream and glycogen in the working muscles. The body can only hoard enough carbs to power about 1,500 calories worth of activity.

What does that have to do with the long run? Well Gordon says that the "long run" is running for a time beyond which the body runs out of carbohydrate and must burn primarily fat. For the average aerobically fit person who is NOT training for a marathon that is done between 90 minutes and 2 1/2 hours. When you run out of carbohydrate your pace slows dramatically or you "hit the wall".

Long run help train your body to spare carbohydrate. Burning carbohydrate stores over a long period trains the body to postpone the point at which these stores are exhausted. So with each long run, the body will use more fat and less carbohydrate. Ideally the runner will be able to run the entire marathon without hitting the wall, or at least postpone that point until late in the race.

When ever possible, do those long runs with friends. It makes it so much EASIER MENTALLY! It is beneficial to occasionally run them alone though. It turns the run into more of an exercise in mental concentration.

A few of Gordon's tips for those long runs:
* Eat properly the day before and the morning of {high carb dinner, drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids}
* Get up early
* Make sure you have water available for the entire run
* Know your route in advance
* Wear the right clothes
* You MUST cool down, stretch, shower, change, fuel and hydrate {take 15-20 minutes and lie down}
* Check weather conditions
* Avoid heavy duty activities for right after a long run
* Go to bed EARLY

Looking forward to this 17 miler tomorrow. I little nervous; it is 17 MILES afterall!! But I ended up having a tooth get infected {from a root canal a year ago}; Wednesday the dentist re-drilled the poor tooth to death and I have been MISERABLE since. I'm going to run it either way though!!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Success is getting what you want, and happiness is wanting what you get!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

GU

So my friend has a pretty sweet hookup for GU {among other things}. So we all went in together and bought a bunch of boxes of this stuff!! I LOVE GU!!! My Mom and I are splitting these three boxes so we could have a little variety. So I added my half to my collection... I had to find myself a bigger jar! I REALLY like the Lemon Sublime; it's probably my favorite. Next fav flav's are Strawberry Banana, Orange Burst and Chocolate. I'm not the biggest fan of the Tri-Berry; it reminds me too much of the jelly inside a doughnut. I don't really love the Vanilla either. But to each his own right? No matter what flavor you like best these babies really are awesome!From the box~
How to GU Properly:
TRAINING: Eat one GU 15 minutes before and then one GU every 30-45 minutes during training.
RACING: Eat one GU 45 minutes before the start. One GU 15 minutes before the start. and then one GU every 30-45 minutes during the race.
**They also recommend washing it down with GU2O or water and remind you to drink 20-30 oz of fluid per hour during training and racing.

I haven't been using them before. During training runs I have used them around the 1/2 way point and again at the 3/4 point. I think that I am going to try their suggestion though. I have a PLETHORA now so why not right?! I do drink a lot of water though, so I'm good there. I have a 17 miler on Saturday so I think I'm going to take one before and take then around every 45-60 minutes, depending on how I'm feeling. Plus it also says on the box "GU Energy Gel. Superior Energy, Maximum Recovery". I like the thought of that!!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Free Nipple Taping

Friday, April 2, 2010

Too True!!

I saw this posted on Lisa's blog and I laughed til my sides hurt!



I TOTALLY agree with Lisa's comment about weight loss being anything BUT easy. If you're doing it the right way, it's a LONG and DIFFICULT process. Just remember, you can't compare yourself to others. Just because someone may appear to look exactly the way you would like to, doesn't mean that they feel the same way. And as one of my friends so eloquently put it, "You haven't seen them naked". Besides, I have real issues with the pressure to achieve perfect bodies. But THAT is a whole blog in of itself!

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