Ok, I start class (9-noon daily) on Monday, and have been holding on to that as “restart day”. (Because let’s get serious, life is really about trying to minimize time between these restarts sometimes…)
But why not today?
“Because I don’t wanna.”
But you’d be one day closer
“Because half of today is already gone. What kind of start would it be in only half a day?”
So?
Alright. Argument won. I will get off my butt and accomplish something.
Fuck losing weight.
Fuck it all.
My new goal is to get my athlete back. The person who can walk around holding her head high, knowing that she could take any comer.
Last week, I went to yoga every morning, and ran 2 miles to and from CrossFit each day. Best week ever. This weekend I’ve been working hardcore on giving myself more stretch marks with all the junk I’ve been stress-eating as I study for finals that are this Tuesday and Wednesday, but that’s life.
I know I need routine. I know I need to push myself. Week after this one, I start a “Maymester” intensive class that’ll be three hours of class per day. This just begs for order, schedule and routine. Sweeeeet. Also, I’m not going to buy a parking permit, so it’s either take the bus in or ride my bike the 9 miles. Hopefully I’ll be doing the latter more often.
I’m going to get this book on my Nook. Or, maybe audio if it’s available, and then I can listen to it on the bus on my iPod (yay technology!).
I read about processed foods a while back, and it certainly got me thinking. Most baked deserts you buy in a package aren’t even baked! They’re just the result of a chemical reaction.
This is a great interview that further encourages my increasing skepticism of any food in packaging that will last longer than the broccoli in my fridge…
Best question: “In the book, you write about visiting a plant that mines phosphorus, an ingredient used in explosives, matches and artillery shells. Why is it used in a Twinkie?”
Zucchini spaghetti!
New favorite paleo dinner.
Slice up a zucchini into “noodles”, put into boiling water for one minute, then rinse with cool water.
I added pasta sauce and some ground turkey for yum-yum-yumness.
Whole Wheat Bread:
One hundred percent whole grains are high in fiber and help to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Unfortunately, many bread manufacturers are adding too much salt in their recipes, negating the bread’s health benefits. Slices can average from 260 to 400 mg, and considering most people have 2 slices at a time, the sodium can add up. There are brands that provide less than 170 mg per slice, which should be the maximum amount per slice.
Breakfast Cereal:
A high fiber bowl of cereal with low-fat milk and berries is a healthy way to start the day. On the other hand, if you aren’t careful, it could be the start to a high sodium day. Many people check the cereal’s food label for calories, fiber, and sugar and rarely look at the sodium content. With ranges approximately 170 to 280 mg per serving, this nutrient should not be overlooked. Hands down your best bet to avoid sodium in cereal is to look for shredded wheat brands and plain oatmeal.
Cottage Cheese:
Whether you have it with fruit salad, as a topping on a baked potato, or in place of regular cheese, this versatile food is known as a good source of calcium and protein. But with an average of 400 mg sodium per ½ cup serving, it can change a healthy dish into a high sodium one. Choose no-salt-added cottage cheese for just 60 mg sodium per serving.
Nut Butter:
The only ingredient really needed to make peanut butter is peanuts. Yet, so many companies add sugar, palm and hydrogenated oils, and lots of salt to enhance the taste. An average 2 tablespoon serving of nut butter can have as many as 125 mg of sodium. Get into the habit of buying a no sodium added nut butter or break out the food processor and make your own.
Salad Dressing:
Salad should be a staple in your diet because of the endless health benefits of greens and veggies. Also, eating salad with dinner helps to fill you up so you’re less likely to overeat. Beware though because your salad dressing may be sabotaging your good intentions by adding a giant dose of sodium to your meal. Be on the lookout for dressings that range as high as 230 to 550 mg per serving. Follow this simple step-by-step guide to making your own vinaigrette.
Tomato Sauce:
Opening up a can of tomato sauce and preparing an antioxidant-rich pasta dinner is a simple, go-to dinner. However, many brands of tomato sauce are as high as 670 mg per serving. If you can’t find a low sodium brand in the store, try making your own.
Ok, so at the moment I am running as slow as molasses. But ah don’ cayre :)!
I listened to Born to Run on the treadmill, and yesterday moved on to The Widow Clicquot, about the female founder of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin champagne (it’s my favorite; in fact we’re using their trademark yellow as one of our wedding colors this summer) in the early 1800s. So far, seems pretty interesting. And
audio books on the treadmill? AWESOME.
Unlike outside running, I have trouble focusing/getting in the zone on a treadmill, and listening to a book makes it soooo much easier. Now I just have a favorite spot I stare at on the wall opposite in the gym, and go in to zen-zone-out for like five minutes at a time.
So, I didn’t make it to WOD or strength yesterday. M-W-F I go to the 11:30am WODs, but on T-Th I have to go to the 5pm. Yesterday I got home from class and was too overwhelmed by all the things to do around the house, that I spent an hour cleaning (seemingly barely making a difference) instead of working out. Then I devoted some time to getting wedding ideas together to send to the planner.
I was/am sad about it, but in the the end I’ll just do my best to get some progress in this weekend, and be glad the dishes are done and I have clean towels now. I also got all our plastic bags to the recycle bin at the grocery store, and a big bag to Goodwill. So yay for that :).
And, I got enough done wedding-planning-wise to get to sleep feeling on top of it all. Even if it meant spending several hours doing seemingly (and a little actually) unproductive bridal magazine flipping looking at things like this:
However, worth noting that I am TOTALLY ON TOP OF IT with my eating this week. Aside from Wednesday’s adjustment for the chocolate hearts, I have eaten exactly as planned, and felt completely satisfied the entire week. I plan on trying to be conservative but unplanned for the weekend and then planning ahead next week the same way I did this week.
But I know myself. The temptation will be there to relax just a bit too much and let things like portion control and good decision making slide just often enough to take a step or two backward. I should probably impose some guidelines, or come up with a way to keep my brain on track. Anyone have good ideas on how to keep focused and not end up treating the weekend as a “days off” free-for-all?
Things that arrived via FedEx today:
The first three are excellent boosts to my current goals. The last one… not so much :). Although, knowing that we’re working on being healthy, she did only send one small box of six chocolates, a box of shortbread cookies, and hot cocoa mix. And I’m totally excited for my new eyeshadow + freebies!
Now, having done such an excellent job following my food plan for three days, I decided to swap part a part of my dinner for three 64-calorie chocolate hearts. Necessary? No. Helpful? No. Harmful? Also no. I think it was a good little mid-week reward.
Today, we did Angie at the box. 100 each pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups and squats (shouldn’t they be “squat-ups”?). I did jumping pull-ups, and knee push-ups. This evening when I was done with classes, I went to the gym, ran for 30 minutes and then lounged in the steam room for a bit. Not much of a workout, but better than just the steam room :).
On one hand, I find stories like this incredibly sad. The complete lack of understanding that so many people in this country have when it comes to their health, and how their health affects more than just how they look.
On the OTHER hand though, it makes me smile. A lot :). It gives me hope that there are people willing to make actual changes, even when it’s hard.
My mom just called the type of food I eat weird.
Let me tell you what I get in terms of groceries:
spinach, celery, carrots, apples, feta, salad dressing, pistachios, canned tuna, peanuts, whole wheat tortillas, peanut butter, nutella, hummus, juice, almond milk, dried fruits, kale, quinoa,…
Check it out!
So, I’m ignoring the scale until the end of the challenge (25th), and just focusing on being consistent with food and workouts. Looked down though, and noticed these jeans are even getting loose in the thighs- when I’m sitting, no less! Granted, they need to be washed, but they’ve never been this way before, so I’m going to take it as motivation, and work my way to NEW jeans post-challenge! :)
Coming from Amazon tomorrow!
Via Tumblr and a few other sources, I’ve heard good things about Tosca Reno. So I thought I’d give one of her books a read!
New tea kettle! The current one is so well-loved that the bottom is beginning to separate from the rest of the kettle. After boiling water, there’s a little on the stove as well.
And (drumroll please…) fourteen-hundred page nuerophysiology textbook! Yaaaaaaaay! (I know sarcasm is sometimes hard to read, but I hope that came across :)
Today’s WOD was 3 rounds for time, of 40 stick jumps, 30 abmat sit-ups, 20 35# OHS, and 5 wall walks.
It went crappy. Worst workout I’ve had in weeks. Low energy, low focus. BUT, it got done. So congrats me :).
This evening I did an hour class of sort of power yoga/vinyasa (called “Yogaworks-inspired) and it was lovely.
Dinner! Baked tilapia with lemon juice and lemon pepper, with veggies (233 calories).
Wow. I’m not a fan of most seafood (no shellfish at ALL), so I’ve never really cooked fish. I always made my parents/roommates/fiance do it if we were having fish for some reason. However, I decided to suck it up, and it’s way easier than I had been telling myself it would be. Especially tilapia! This recipe is: put on seasonings, broil three minutes each side. The end.
The other tilapia recipe I’ve been loving is tilapia breaded with almond flour, lightly fried in coconut oil. I think I’ll try baking it next time to see how that goes- not having those calories would be great!
It’s all about preparation, right? Planned all my eating for the week, now to go to the grocery store to get stocked! Here’s the list:
It's small actions and small decisions that eventually build big accomplishment!Top
