Healthy Options

Good Morning and happy Friday! Does anyone have any big plans for the weekend? We sure do here! JT's TOUGH MUDDER! It is down in Austin and it is going to be a BLAST! After I get done with this blog I am going to pull everything together so we can leave as soon as he gets home from school.

Overall, things here are going pretty well. I missed blogging yesterday (mostly due to time constraints and not enough to talk about). The only issue I am currently having is a severe migraine. It started during my 2nd softball game last night (very lightly) and got progressively worse throughout the night. I couldn't sleep because it kept waking me up, so, I'm just trying to relax a little to get it to at least calm down to a manageable level. I haven't had one like this in a long time - I get migraines often, but this one is something I only really ever experienced at A School when I first joined the Navy, it is like a throbbing every time my heart beats. I can feel my heart beating in my head and when it does it is painful and a throbbing pain. It SUCKS. lol. I am definitely ok though - I get headaches so often I can actually work with them if need be. :)

Ok, enough with the negative crap. I have some GREAT pictures to share today. The first thing I want to share is my DELICIOUS salad recipe - I master arts like salad making because there is no cooking involved! lol! Then,  I want to talk about "health options" when cooking at home, or juicing at home isn't possible. There are a TON of options!

My Salad -

The ingredients include: spinach, kale, arugula, green leaf lettuce, onion, half of a granny smith apple, sesame seeds, avocado, dehydrated organic cherries, organic garlic sticks, feta and balsamic vinegar for the dressing. :) Easy to make, affordable and 90% raw and whole foods. (the feta and garlic sticks aren't whole foods or raw.)

If you don't have time to make a gourmet salad at home, there are plenty of healthy restaurants as well as grab-and-go options at the grocery store. JT found a list the other day that I will try to dig up, but there are several restaurants that have a goal of health, sustainability and working with local farmers. Some of you who live in bigger cities might have actual "vegetarian" or "vegan" restaurant options, but for those of you who don't, there are still lots of options. One of those places is Chipotle. They offer a vegetarian option and it is not only delicious, but it is also affordable. I enjoyed it so much I didn't even snap a picture of it! So I got one on google images to give a representation of it.

This is pretty close to what I get, although I usually ask for half of a scoop of guac (they have a TON on theirs!) :) I usually get lettuce, black beans, corn salsa, peppers and onions, guac and usually another form of salsa. :) I sometimes also opt for cheese, but not always. This is a particularly good option if you have family that is not vegetarian because the meat is farm-raised in the local area (all of the ingredients are actually).

The next place I'd like to recommend is Jason's Deli. They are also committed to working with local farmers and providing healthy food options with no additives. Their soda's are all made with cane sugar as is their tea. They designate specific vegetarian options on their menu and they have a kick-ass salad bar! :) I have particularly been enjoying Jason's "Freshca" sandwich! :) SO yummy!!

It is focaccia bread with basil pesto (so obviously it has olive oil, which I generally try to avoid.) tomatoes, spinach and artichoke hearts. The olive oil makes it a little high in fat  and calories FYI, but it is really yummy and I feel like it is a good option. If it is not for you though, they also have several other vegetarian options including  a variety of vegetarian soups. The fruit is fresh too!

Now, if you're on the run and don't have time to juice, or need an afternoon pick-me-up between errands, a simple stop at the grocery store can do the trick! For juice, I usually pick one of these bad boys up at walmart for 4 dollars. It is a FULL meal replacement if you drink it all at once - so although 4 dollars sounds steep, it is definitely not.

The only downside to the odwalla is that it is flash pasteurized which takes away some of the nutrients. In terms of choices though, I think this is a practical one for most and a much better option than a drive-thru salad (with high-fructose corn syrup dressing on the side!) Naked is also an option - they are a bit more expensive and they also flash pasteurize.

The other on-the-go option I LOVE is raw food bars! I LOVE THEM! I eat them as snacks and meals. In fact, due to my headache I have felt pretty nauseous, and the raw food bar stayed down. :) There are several brands such as Raw Revolution, Lara, GOOD foodbar and a couple of others. They vary in price from 88cents (Lara on sale) to 3 dollars.

The bars are also great options for people with a sweet tooth! Some of them are like eating a candy bar!

Those are only a few of the many many options available when eating on the go. People always have excuses like "I don't have time to eat healthy" or "I don't have time to find a healthy option on my lunch break." Total bullshit. Those are excuses, there is ALWAYS time for health!

Thanks for reading! We'll have a great blog update come Monday with JT's results and a recap of our eating. We're going to find a vegan restaurant in Austin to enjoy! <3 Everyone have a great weekend!

The Joys of Juicing

Happy Hump Day everyone! It is another absolutely beautiful day here in Texas. <3 Lets get started with another great song today!



Im sure I've shared this before, but I LOVE this song - it makes me want to get up and dance!

This morning JT and I were dragging a bit and running late so my plan of juicing for the two of us didn't work out. After he left, however, I decided I would juice for myself! A lot of people ask how we consume so many raw fruits and veggies -- juicing is exactly how!

We jumped on the juicing bandwagon after watching "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead."  Before going out and purchasing a juicer, we did some research (Melanie also did a lot of research and shared with us!) and we found that a masticating juicer would yield the most juice. Well, masticating juicers are expensive, so we opted for a cheapo centrifugal walmart juicer just to get started and see if it was something we really wanted to do. We started with a cheaper Hamilton Beach juicer,  and then after using it for a couple of weeks traded up for a black and decker big mouth juicer. The 2nd (and current) juicer works MUCH better than the other and was still pretty cheap (about 50 dollars.) The only problem we've really found is that we cannot juice greens. So, to remedy that problem, we purchased a wheat grass juicer! HERE it is.

It works GREAT! And, the two of those are still much cheaper than a quality masticating juicer. We do plan to get a masticating juicer in the future, but for now these two things works for us.

Before I even start, I just want to say that juicing is EASY. Just pick some fruits and veggies that you love and mix them! There are also lots of resources available online with recipes you can be sure taste great. We usually focus on green juice (green apples, cucumbers, celery, spinach, kale etc....) But we've made straight carrot juice, straight apple, orange juice etc... You can do anything.

This is what I started with this morning:

As you can probably see I have one cucumber, one green apple, celery and carrots. With JT I would use 2 cucumbers and 2 apples as well as a couple of extra celery stalks and carrots.

The first thing I juiced was the cucumber. I always start with the highest yielding veggies to be sure I get as much juice from them as possible. As you go through all of your ingredients, the screen gets full, so unless you wash it in the middle start with the highest yielding stuff to get the most juice possible.

 A lot of people don't think they like the taste of cucumber juice, but we've found that the quality of the cucumber you get makes a huge difference. If you get cucumbers  from walmart that are not organic, they aren't very tasty, but, if you get them from a farmers market (or in our case the mexican market) they are SO delicious!

And like I said, they yield SO much juice and are so cheap so they are a great base for any juice you make. Cucumbers are also nutritionally dense - they are great for the skin and have a lot of trace elements that our bodies need. :)

Here is what my cucumber yielded juice wise. As you can see, more juice is still coming out!

Next, I chopped up and added my green apple.

I don't even bother seeding them or anything, the screen takes care of that kind of thing!
Next I added the celery and finally the carrots. (no pics of the celery... but the carrot juice is SO beautiful!)

This is what the aftermath of the juicing looked like.

And this is what the pulp looks like:

Another complaint I often hear is that there is SO much waste when juicing - the truth is, it is up to you how much waste you have - you have already gotten a majority of the nutrients from the vegetables or fruit anyways, and that is really the goal in my opinion,  but, you can use the pulp for a variety of things. from baking (talk about some moist and delicious carrot cake!) to dog food additives! (Toss a cup into your dog food! make sure you do research about the ingredients you use though, if you are juicing grapes for example, your dog cannot have that!)

The last step to the process (before enjoying the yummy juice of course) is clean up. The most important thing about the clean up is that you do it immediately. If you do, it will literally take two minutes. I throw the pulp in the garbage or save it in a baggie if I plan to use it. Then, all I do is rinse the pulp out of the components. The hardest part is cleaning the screen, but, if you get a bristle brush cleaner (like one you'd buy to clean potatoes) it is much easier.

Once I finished all of the juicing and clean up, I poured the juices together into one glass :) I have found that a pint glass fits under our juicer the best, so I get a larger glass to pour the juices in as I go (that way I don't get overflow!) When I am making juice for JT and I both, I use a pitcher.

 

This may have seemed like a lot of work, but it took me about 10 minutes all together (and that was with me snapping pictures after every step.) I feel great about starting my day with a nutritional and delicious juice and my energy will be up all day. Fresh juice like this is also a great way to detox your body of all of the junk you accumulate from eating processed crap.

If you are interested in learning more about juicing, here are a couple of educational links -

http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp/health_resources

http://www.veganstreet.com/veganliving/juicing.html

I already linked this one, but here it is again - http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/

I hope you found this educational and helpful. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have and I'll do my best to answer them myself or find the answer. :)

I wear my sunglasses at night....

I don't really, but that song is stuck in my head for some reason so I thought I'd get it stuck in yours too! :)



Corey Hart is a bit creepy in this video... just saying...

This morning I decided to experiment in the kitchen a little. I am really loving the Red Mill products first of all. They have affordable organic flours, flax seed, cornmeal etc... I have their hemp protein right now, their quinoa flour, pancake mix and much more. This morning, I thought I'd try to make myself a "protein" pancake with their pancake mix.

One serving is 1/3 cup. The directions call for eggs and oil and milk, but, I try to avoid oil (yes, even olive oil most of the time), I don't have eggs (we're out!) and I don't drink cows milk. SO - I improvised! I read somewhere that you can substitute chia gel for eggs and oil, I couldn't remember how much I was supposed to substitute, so I just used my best judgement and used 2 tbsp. (1 for the egg and 1 for the oil.)

The next step was the milk. Like I said, I do not drink cow's milk. I have never been a big fan anyways, but since becoming vegetarian I have completely cut it out. SO, again I improvised and used Almond Milk!

It said to use 3/4 of a cup, but I just poured what I thought it needed in (the chia seeds are pure liquid practically, so I figured 3/4 cup milk would be too much.) Next, I decided to add some flavor to the pancake! So, I added 1tsp. of cocoa powder and 1tsp. of dark chocolate peanut butter PB2. :)

I stirred that all up and added a touch more almond milk to fix the consistency and then started the cooking process.

Once I started cooking I regretted not adding vanilla extract, agave or any other sort of sweetener, so I put some cinnamon/sugar on top :) It helped.

I definitely COULD NOT have done this alone... luckily, I had my very trusty kitchen helper by my side!

He's so damn cute.

Ok - so disclaimer time. Although I am doing great creativity and flavor wise (most of the time), I am still working on the whole "cooking" thing. So, the following product is not properly represented. Basically, it looks like a big ol' pile of dookie on a plate, however, it DEFINITELY tasted GREAT, especially with banana!

Next time I will definitely add vanilla extract and maybe some agave to the actual batter. I put some agave on top and it was delicious, but in it would have been  even better had it been incorporated. I will also add a bit more PB2 to the actual mixture (maybe a tbsp. rather than a tsp.)

I will make this for JT for breakfast one of these days and let him tell you what he thinks so you have a fair representation... I may be a bit bias because I was the creator!

Do any of you have any AWESOME and YUMMY breakfast or pastry recipes? (OMG! Do any of you have any pumpkin pancake recipes.... oh why oh why didn't I make a pumpkin pancake this morning!)

So, most of you probably saw on my facebook, but I made the paper (they quoted me about how to use a pedometer) for the fit  challenge Saturday! In case you missed it, I also made the video! The video is made by newspaper personnel, so its not the BEST in the world, but it is pretty cool! Don't bother watching the whole thing, you can see me at about the 2:51 mark. :)



It was definitely a blast.

I already swept and mopped the entire house this morning and cleaned the kitchen up (even my mess from breakfast!!!) so I am going to get ready and run a few errands before taking JT some soup for lunch and going to my internship. We're going to do a serious  workout tonight, so I'll try to post about that later today.
OH, and JT is reading the Rebel Running Guide and learning TONS - I started that this morning as well, so once I find some info worth sharing I'll pass it along. :)

Thanks for reading!

Learning to Run

Happy Monday All! It is another beautiful fall day here in Texas, so I am enjoying the breeze through my front door and the aroma from my pumpkin spice candle! I am DEFINITELY making pumpkin muffins sometime this week!

Before I start my weekend recap and explain the purpose of my blog title, I want to share my lunch from Thursday last week, which JT and I also ate for lunch Saturday and yesterday! lol! YES it is THAT delicious!

It is an Ole tortilla with feta and olive hummus smeared on it, arugula, avocado, onions, millet with black beans and rotel and obviously about 6-7 carrots. It is delicious. When we were eating it yesterday JT kept going on and on about how amazing it was and told me it rivaled our vegetarians bowls at Chipoltle (which were SO delicious!!)  What a compliment!

We are both enjoying not eating meat. The next big and important step is moving to completely organic produce. It is hard to get here affordably, but we have a plan! We are going to start going to Dallas' farmers market at least once a month, maybe twice. We both feel like a four hour round trip is worth it to get delicious, locally grown organic food. Oh, and even better, we don't actually have to start that until November, because we're going to Austin TWICE this month, which means we can do our produce shopping while we're down there! (And of course I'll hit up World Market (best store ever) too!)

Next weekend's Austin trip is for JT's Tough Mudder. (If you don't know what that is click on it.) He is SO excited and I can't wait to watch him and cheer him on with the help of our good friends Jennifer, Eric and Nick! Should be a blast! No doubt JT will do great.

This past weekend our city had a Fit Fair at the park and I worked the Mayor's Fit Walk Challenge booth. It was a blast! JT came down and we walked around for a few minutes and made tons of contacts with the fitness people of our town. What an awesome thing for a community to put on! We had about 500 people sign up for the Mayor's challenge and there were even more than that there. The only bummer of the whole thing was that they had an AWESOME hybrid commuter bike they were raffling off and a little kid won it :( I wanted it BAD! haha. I need a bike! It was a great time though and a great way to spend our morning. 

So, on to the explanation of my title today. This past week (last Wednesday I think) I purchased the Deluxe Rebel Running Guide. It is book written by two guys named Jason and Steve from Nerd Fitness. It is basically everything you need to know about running, how to run etc... JT and I have been talking about getting me a running coach for a while now, so this seemed like a cheap alternative until we can afford it, and  maybe, after going through their techniques and advice I won't even need a coach! The book so far is awesome, there is a guide to shoes, form, technique and everything else you could possibly think about in regards to running and nutrition. They are paleo guys, so I can't really use the food portion, good news though, Matt from No Meat Athlete said he would send his vegetarian training book to anyone who bought the running guide through his link! So I did and now I have the food and running side! JT has already gotten SO much out of the running guide in regards to his knees and how to avoid injury and we've both learned a lot about our shoe choices.

As I go through the book I will definitely share any must know info!

Quick shout out to my sister-in-law Sara! She finished her FIRST half marathon this past weekend and her time was 2:16! That is an AWESOME time in general, especially for her very first one! GREAT JOB SARA! I hope you'll sign up for another one! <3 SO proud of you! 

Alright, off to my internship! We're turning Tyler PINK for breast cancer awareness!!!!!

The new health journey - Food.

Happy Thursday! Today I want to start out with a sweet picture <3 My Boys!! <3

Also, I'd like to share a picture of my breakfast.... This is a protein shake made with the protein powder I made... This was NOT a good experiment. It is disgusting beyond words and smells like absolute shit... but, it was expensive to make so I feel bad wasting it! THIS IS WHY VEGAN PROTEIN IS SO EXPENSIVE! Because it is HARD to make and even harder to make taste good! lol!

PS how cute are the sweet bullies in the background snoozing away? Also, please excuse the mess... I have a one year old bulldogge who just REFUSES to put his toys away when he is finished! lol!

OH and for those of you who want to try your hand at making your own powder (maybe you'll be more successful than me?) Here is the recipe I used -  Protein Powder


Yesterday was so productive. I went to my internship in the morning and then came home around 1 and had some lunch before decorating for Halloween. I have some great decorations so far and every year JT and I add a little more. I really love the fall!

This is probably my favorite area of my decorations so far. I think it may be a little crowded, so I may take a few things out and move them elsewhere and just keep the cool bottles. We're going to hang lights up outside too and I have a GREAT windchime up now! (This was a World Market Steal!)

I also cleaned the house up, picked up JT's drycleaning and stopped at Big Lots to pick up a loaf pan. Why you ask? Because I had TWO recipes to make that called for one yesterday. The first of which, was Millet and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers. These came out MUCH better than the protein powder. In fact, they were definitely the best thing I have ever made. Quick shout out to The Daily Garnish - the girl who writes that blog has AMAZING and easy recipes and although the protein didn't come out well for me, I'll take the blame on that one!She's also VERY pregnant right now and looks so cute! I hope I am as lucky some day!

After that, I washed the loaf pan and made Blueberry Greek Yogurt Banana Bread. It is as delicious as it sounds!

Both recipes were SO easy too. My food definitely isn't near being on par with JT's (he is truly talented...) But, i am so proud I was able to make a yummy and healthy dinner for us. It is also nice to be able to contribute more to the eating aspect of our life. I know it has to be exhausting to always have to be responsible for feeding us, and he always has been due to my lack of domestic skills (and lack of effort to learn!) That has changed though and I am going to keep working on it! :)

Eating is so important to our health. I have always been so focused on working out and cutting calories, but truthfully I've been wrong all along. It doesn't matter as much  how many calories we consume, but rather what those calories contain. And we are SO brainwashed to think we should avoid fruits and juice because "they have so much sugar." That is so not true. Yes, we should avoid fake juice that has high fructose corn syrup in it, but fresh juice? No way. Fresh fruits and vegetables? No way! And I will say one more thing about really cutting my meat consumption (to nothing but seafood) and eating 80% raw fruits and veggies - I feel so much better. I feel like a new person. I am no longer having the severe digestive issues I've had in the past, I am less fatigued, I have more energy and I sleep so much better. And I just feel better about ME. I no longer crave bad crap either (especially sweets, which have ALWAYS been my downfall.) I also feel like my skin looks WAY better.. check me out! loL! (not sure if putting a picture of myself on my blog is appropriate, but it is my blog so oh well! hehe)

The agenda for today includes: Finishing this blog, going for a run and doing some deep stretching afterward. Shower, errands (to pick up cilantro, cucumbers and other veggies for juicing, lara bars (JTs new fav!) and a few other things that I can't remember right now...shoot! I need a list!) internship (and meeting with my supervisor) then home to do more cleaning/decorating. Tonight JT and I are going to pick up prizes for his treasure box for his little babies and then I have softball. <3 What a fun day!!!

Hope I didn't share too many pictures today. If I did please let me know - I want this blog to be enjoyable to read and something to look forward to. Feedback is ALWAYS welcome, especially if it is constructive!

Enjoy your day and life! I know I AM!

interesting week

Quick check in. It is pretty early Tuesday morning and I am ready to do my errands and cleaning for the day! The highlight will be DECORATING FOR HALLOWEEN!!! My FAVORITE holiday <3 But, before all of that, I feel the need to blog a little bit.

The past week and a half has been INSANE. Really, the last month has been, between working and trying to do my internship, but with JT JUST getting hired to teach last week it has been a full on sprint to get his classroom together. I am happy to report it IS in fact coming together... but as a result we've been struggling to keep our eating as clean as  we'd like.

Just to clarify, We have both been eating mostly raw, very little meat and dairy etc... We generally juice for at least one meal a day and we had been working out regularly as well. This past week, we had On the Boarder, BJs and sushi ... Last night we had Taco Bueno (although I had a black bean vegetarian burrito and it was AWESOME!) The good news is we actually made good choices overall for as much as we ate out, but we both feel super guilty about eating out so much... it just isn't something we like to do (or really have the money to do!) And it is increasingly difficult to eat out at many places since we've changed our eating. I am officially a vegetarian. I do not eat any meat besides seafood and I eat very little dairy. The seafood is rare as well because I am not a fan of fish farming and that is where a lot of seafood comes from now... Im also not a fan of the overfishing we're doing in the oceans - so yeah, its tough. Eventually I'd like to go completely vegan, but I think that will take a little more time and a little more control and organization. I found when we weren't eating any meat that my protein levels were low (we donate plasma and I was turned away due to them being low) and I wasn't real sure about that. So I am now figuring out how to incorporate more protein into my diet.

Speaking of low protein, I actually made my own protein powder... lets just say it was... disgusting. Words cannot even describe the smell. :( It was expensive to make too! lol! Luckily we still have all of the supplements I added so we'll just have to use them in something else I guess. :) 

So yeah, to curb our eating out (although we are meeting friends for sushi tonight! We can't wait either! It has been too long since we've seen them! ) I am going to find healthy vegetarian/vegan recipes and go shopping for the ingredients. For those of you who know me and love me, you all know I would starve or be 300 lbs. if not for JT... so this should be fun. haha no I am way better so it will be fine... but its funny that I will be taking charge of that aspect of our home for a couple of weeks. Im sure JT will still do much of the actual cooking, but shopping and planning and all that other jazz is just too much right now while trying to teach babies and organize his work space. Honestly, Ill  take the blame for all of the eating out, because if I would have just done this at the beginning we'd have stuff in the house.

The cool thing about me doing all of this is that lately I've been on the ball with getting stuff done - I am definitely starting to manifest mommy traits and although I will definitely NOT be a mommy any time soon, it is really awesome to be getting to the point where I could handle it.

Later today I will post recipes that I decide on, pictures of my awesomely decorated house (without pumpkins though - that will be a FUN trip to the pumpkin patch with our sweet boy! On a side note, I am SO sad that even the extra large costumes would be too small on him... someone teach me how to sew!) and a couple other random thoughts. I am going to get better at this again. I love posting when I do it! OH and I got a new phone and it is AWESOME! So maybe Ill start blogging in the mornings and using that!

Thanks for reading!

Phone blogging?

Maybe!!!

So much to share

The need to start blogging again has been a long time coming. I have so much information to share - so much news to share and so much self reflection to share (and do... :)

First of all, and most importantly, JT and I are back in Texas and things are completely different in our worlds health wise than they were just this summer. While in Ohio we started trending toward vegetarianism, whole food, supplements etc... but now that we are back in Texas in our own home, things are absolutely and completely different.

We got to this point thanks to a few awesome documentaries and some great friends. These documentaries are MUST sees if you care about food, nutrition, health, fitness or living really...

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead - this is a documentary about a guy from Australia named Joe who is very obese. He has an autoimmune deficiency which forces him to take 11 pills a  day . Joe decides to completely detox his body by doing a 30 day juice fast. The results are astounding... until Joe meets Phil - who is also very sick and quite ironically has the same autoimmune disease. Joe helps Phil start a juice fast and the results go from astounding to unbelievable. Check it out for yourself on netflix! (and join the revolution on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/FatSickandNearlyDead )

Food Matters - of all of the documentaries I believe this is the most important and beneficial. If you watch only one, make it this one. It is about eating right, but it is also about prescription drugs, government cover-ups of true cures for cancer and how eating and supplementing can literally change everything. Simply AMAZING.

King Corn - This is the story of two young men who get their "make up" tested with a hair sample, only to find they are made up completely of corn. They decide they'd like to learn more about corn farming so they can understand better why they register as being made up of corn. They rent an acre of corn field in the midwest and go through the process of "being corn farmers" with their one acre. They learn a ton along the way including how corn farmers are paid, how the corn is processed and everything in between. Although it drags a little at times, the information is important and it is a must see.

Forks Over Knives - This is also a documentary about food and vegetarian/vegan eating. We follow the stories of several sick individuals on their quest to regain their health and life. There are several interviews with doctors, nurses, people who have changed their diets etc... Very informative.

In addition to the documentaries we've been doing SO much reading. We are both currently reading "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan and we both just read "Born to Run" by Chris McDougall. I don't really know about the first one yet (still have a ton to go) but, Born to Run is AMAZING. Thank you Sara for sending that to me and suggesting it. If you haven't read it, please do yourself a favor and pick it up. So awesome in every way. A great story, very informative and just ... well AWESOME. lol.

OK - so right now here are the things we are doing:

Juicing (usually at least once a day, sometimes more.) Most of our juices are "green" juices with cucumber, celery, green apples, ginger and carrots. We also just got a whole flat of Wheat Grass (a lot cheaper than buying it individually) and will begin juicing that starting Monday.

Chia seeds - if you don't know about them already check THIS out. We make the gel and add it to our water, coffee, juice etc...

Eating a VERY limited amount of meat or dairy - and when I say limited I mean RARE. We have switched to non-dairy milk options such as coconut and almond.

Mostly Raw and vegan and absolutely NO processed foods. In fact, I am even doing vegan/gluten free baking (well Ive only made one thing... but I plan to make lots! and I will def. share the good recipes here!)

My blogging has really always been about where Im at fitness wise and what Im doing, but I am definitely going to try to provide more useful information from now on. I really hope this will be beneficial and motivational!

Thank you for reading!

Slacking :(

well - it hasn't been two weeks yet.. but I still feel like a slacker for not writing and I feel even worse because my workouts have been lacking.

It is such a different beast to be with JT and the dogs. I don't even have children yet and I already feel like I can't find the time (or won't find the time is actually the truth) to go out and just get a workout in. I hate that. SO much so in fact that even though I said I'd change it last time, I am going to say it again and actually do it. I am still in great shape and I am still losing weight - I have to keep my commitment to myself to get back into my routine.

Luckily, despite not working out I have been quite active. Between work, dogs and doing cool stuff with JT I feel like I am burning roughly the same amount of calories. I actually know I was because I had been wearing my HRM - however, the strap on my armband is breaking and I don't have the money to get a new one (and I have like 5 in texas... so I'll just start up again when I get home.)

We are still eating healthy too by the way, which is one change I am SO thankful we made. IT is so easy not to go out every night (well... especially because we don't have the money to do it....) but it just isn't something we want to do. we just make some to eat and move on. Usually it is delicious to! :)

Anywho... time to say goodnight for now, but please give me some grief on FB and on here about slacking - I need some motivation to keep going on the path I was. I made a vow to myself to get my PT license when I hit my goal weight and I will be damned if I don't meet that goal.

wow... two weeks...

I can't even believe it has been two entire weeks since I have made a post. I am a bit disappointed in myself... but I am also happy because the reason I have not been writing is because I have been so busy LIVING!

JT is back in town. It has completely changed my schedule and routine. I am no longer living my life with just me, now I am living my life with me, JT and 3 bulldogges! Although I have not had regimented workouts (a few runs over the days) we have been SO active (lol... in more ways than you all are probably assuming...) and I have kept my calorie burn up.

As I move forward with my weight-loss journey, I realize that I have to change my routine up a little bit to continue in a downward weight direction and an upward fitness direction. As much as I freaking hate it, I am going to have to get up in the mornings to get in my workouts. JT and I have changed our lives - we are hiking, biking, playing disc golf and much more for fun - but those will be "extras" for me from now on and I am going to do additional workouts at times that are more convenient to my schedule.

Eating is still easy. JT is a great cook and he is dedicated and motivated as well (thank God) so he has been cooking us delicious and healthy meals.

We're still not 100% sure about our "going back to Texas" schedule, but by the end of summer (Sept. 1) I will be at 150 and 145 by Sept. 24 (the date of our Beach Palooza).

Well, I have an early morning if I plan to get up and run. Thanks for reading and I will do better about writing! :)

I am a Warrior!!!!

I had the dash this weekend!



This dash was a lot harder than I expected. I really thought Texas was difficult, but I was pretty out of shape when we ran so I thought for this race I'd SMOKE it! My goal was to finish in 29 minutes and BOY was that a JOKE! lol. This dash was a lot different and A LOT harder! The video I posted doesn't even begin to show the difficulty of the course... but you can see several people (who look seemingly in shape) walking ... that should tell you something. Also, the fact that I finished in 35:52 and was in the top 20% of finishers (maybe 22%... but up there) should also tell you something!

Here are my stats
Place - 1816 out of 9782 (They place you with the day you ran - this was for Sunday)
Place in age group - 66
Time- 35:54.60

Rhonda and me after the race! Look at those GUNS! 

Just looked up Saturday and if I would have run that day I would have placed 2844 out of 9836 so if I add all the people that finished before me for both days I finished 4658 out of 19708! Not too shabby!

I am pretty stoked. I can't believe how well I did compared to so many others. I don't mean to be crappy about it - but I just felt like I was dying going up those hills, but I kept pushing myself because I wanted to do well and it really paid of. Honestly, the ONLY thing that would have made the day better was JT being there. He would have finished that thing so quick and been in the top 10%! He's gonna ROCK Tough Mudder in October!
My girl Rhonda came with me and ran it (she finished in like 29 minutes... she's a freaking BEAST) Kristy and Yvonne and Rob and several others also came and we all met up and started together! So much fun! They all finished and did great!

Gonna keep on keeping on and get stronger, better, faster and stronger...

OH ps... guess who is heading my way....

JT!!!!! HE HEADS THIS WAY TOMORROW! Life is so freaking amazing. <3

Kristy donated her shoes! I had to protect her little feet from the stones! lol!

Serious Burn

I had my most difficult run yet yesterday... Intervals!

I talked to JT and together we determined I would aim for an 8:30 mile. That meant my lap time had to be around 2:07. I would run my lap on pace, rest for 45 seconds and then run another lap on pace. I did that 5 times. Before I did that though, I ran an easy mile with a pace of 9:55 and when I finished by 5 laps, I ran another easy 1.75 miles to finish my day with 4 miles all together.

My split times on my laps were
1. 2:05
2. 2:01
3. 1:58
4. 2:04
5. 2:05

So I did ok all together. A little to fast on lap 3 - but overall pretty close to pace. I finished my final 1.75 miles in 18:33. I feel great about my overall time and run and really feel like I pushed myself. I also ended up burning 4606 calories. IN-FREAKING-SANE! I can't even believe I burned that many calories... I don't even know if that is correct... I am thinking it is broken lol.

I decided to take today off. Lifting Tuesday made me really sore and after last nights run and a full day of work I decided I would hold off on my 2nd lifting session until tomorrow. :) Then, I'll take Saturday off and Sunday is my Warrior Dash! I can't wait! I had SO much fun the last time!

Hope everyone else is on target! I will have a more substantial check in tomorrow!

Monday Fun-Day!

SOOOOOOOOOO wonderful to have a 3 day weekend! WOO HOO!

And to prove my happiness about that, please enjoy the following video... If only I could be buffed, beautiful and bitchin'



Today was a good day. I got up and went to the Goodwill, they were having a 75% off moving sale. I was able to get 5 articles for only 3.99! you CANNOT beat that! And guess what I got... A PAIR OF EXPRESS JEANS... SIZE 9/10!!!!!!! That is a HUGE accomplishment for me. They look awesome too and i'll be out of them soon too. :) They fit in the waist pretty perfectly but are surprisingly loose in the legs (that NEVER happens to me!) I also got a dress shirt, a pair of dress capris, a cool vintage red dress and a cute little brown skirt (bathing suit cover etc...)

I got home and mowed the back yard for my dad and then met Kristi for a nice 8.65 mile bike ride. :) Then I helped my dad get dinner together and clean up the kitchen. Pretty chill Memorial day. :)

Unfortunately I have to work at 330 am... I HATE that - but what can I do? I need the monies! lol.

BIG shoutout to my SIL Sara! She finished her 5K in 25:25! She beat her previous 5K time by an ENTIRE minute! She also finished 2nd in her age group! Great job Sara!  And another shout out to Melanie! SOO glad to hear you're getting back into running! :) Make sure to share any info you find!

I am really looking forward to my warrior dash Sunday! Anyways, bed time, until next time - thanks for reading!

Another PR

Age group 25-29
Place in age group - 10 of 25
bib number - 904
age - 25
place overall - 144 of about 260+
chip time/official time - 28:28
clock time - 28:39

I knocked another 11 seconds off of my PR time! I am pretty excited. My split times were decent too, I obviously got A LOT slower toward the end of the race.

Taking into account my 11 seconds from my chip time (There were a couple 100 people running so I was in the middle of the pack, by the time I crossed the official start line, 11 seconds had passed on the clock - so my official time when starting the race is the "chip time")

Splits-
Mile 1 - 8:35
Mile 2 - 17:53
Mile 3.1- 28:28

I slowed significantly there on the last mile. I was very happy with my time today, even though I didn't get my 27 minute goal. That will come with time. JT gave me a few tips (such as running in shorts rather than pants like a crazy person.... it was SO hot... doing my interval training instead of skipping it every week etc...) It will also make a huge difference when I drop some more weight too. The other obstacle on  today's run was that it was quite hilly, so maybe some hill training would be beneficial as well!

Next week is the warrior dash (click on the words "warrior dash" to check out the website!) and my previous time is 35 minutes. This is a 5K also, but this one has obstacles along the way. :) My blogger profile pic is actually me after the first one JT and I ran! I am SO excited! My friends Kristie and Yvonne are running and my friend Rhonda, who isn't running, is actually going to ride down with me and cheer me on. I am going to have to make a Tshirt or something this week to wear in the race!

Speaking of Kristie, she PR'd her run today too! She ran it in 29:20 and her last race was a PR at 29:58! QUITE an improvement Kristie! CONGRATULATIONS! My  friend Anita, who had a fun night out last night, did awesome too with a time of 26:32! So fun when you know others in the race!

Alright, bed time for bonzo here... but before I go, here is a cool article posted on active today. It is funny and full of interesting and need-to-know information:

http://www.active.com/fitness/Articles/How-Does-Your-Body-Burn-Fat.htm?cmp=17-3-708

a BIG HUGE SHOUTOUT to my SIL Sara! She is running her first "paid" 5K in the AM! YOU CAN DO IT! She is fast and her goal is to do her run in less than 26:25! GOOOOO SARA!! WOO HOOOO!!!!

Run in the morning

I have a 5K tomorrow morning and am getting ready to go to bed so I can ensure a great nights rest. :) I need to figure out a "race day" routine so in the future when I participate in runs I can eat a good breakfast, get there by a good time, use the restroom beforehand etc... because as of right now Im a little nervous. That is quite strange for me, but for some reason I am... maybe because Im going for another PR?

Ive taken two days off in preparation for the race too - I really needed to let my poor feet rest ... work has been really tough on my feet for some reason and they've been SO unbelievably sore. I need to start icing them or something. Anyone have any suggestions about how to make them feel better? I have kept my workouts up besides the last two days though and those were actually designated off days on my training program :) So, Im trying not to feel bad about taking them off (I do though...) I really needed some time off though!

On a different note, I went to an anniversary party for some family friends today - their daughter actually bought them new wedding bands and had a pastor "re-marry" them. It was pretty sweet :) However, I decided to indulge in some cake and cookies and punch... I now have a splitting headache - WAY too much sugar for one day. I also feel a lot more tired than usual and a little anxious. I hope I feel better by the morning! I would hate to have sabotaged myself just because I had some dessert.

OHH I got a new blender!! I had been using my moms, but it kicked the bucket and ive been desperate! (I have a protein shake every morning before breakfast - I blend them as im walking out the door and drink them on the way to work.) So I went to Target and bought a Hamilton Beach Single Serve one... I LOVE it. It works great, blends everything thoroughly and quickly and isn't too loud. I highly recommend it to anyone in need of a blender! 

Anyways, this was just a quick check-in because I said I was going to write again today - I will definitely check in about my race. tomorrow. :) Does anyone have any big Memorial day plans? If so, what healthy eating choices do you have planned (or do you!?? lol).

SOOOOOOO Tired... :)

It has been a very long and busy two weeks. I have worked about 102 hours the last two weeks - run 15+ miles and lifted and worked on my couponing. I have also had plenty of time to relax and chat with my sweet husband and enough time to go to an amazing middle-eastern/Lebanese restaurant with friends (shout-out to Ash and Danielle! thanks for the invite!)

Today has been the most difficult of all of the days. I am brand new at my job and I am already training someone.... which is difficult because I still  don't know exactly what I am doing sometimes! I tried to let my trainee (who is VERY nice by the way) run the machine a little today, but he was SO slow and kept forgetting everything I just told him ... I literally almost lost my damn mind. Thanks goodness I somehow kept my cool and was very patient with him. I would hate to ruin his day just because I am grumpy and  overtired! lol.

I was SO tired today though and kept telling myself I wanted to just sit around and that I had to leave and go to sleep etc... then, i remembered Johnny Waite training for his three day death race, despite numerous injurires - I thought about all of the people running 500 milers etc... and I realized how ridiculous I sounded! 

When I first started working out I tracked my calorie burn with my body bug and over about a month I burned an average of 2700 cals a day - today, I checked my average for the last 21 days and it was freaking 3200 cals! I can't even believe it. I am so excited and feel proud of my hard work and the way my body is changing.


On a completely different note my eyelids keep closing! I am going to go to bed and write more tomorrow! However, here are a few great links - Thanks for reading!!

http://www.active.com/fitness/Articles/The_Ultimate_Fitness_Formula.htm?cmp=17-1-700

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/What_You_Need_to_Know_About_Runner_Hydration.htm?cmp=17-1-699

We have a runner....

Well, as I was preparing to write my blog this evening and talking to my sweet husband about the BL finale, my sister came tearing in with Hurley... my hamster. He tried to break out. He has been chewing his cage since he was a little baby - but lately he's gone ape shit on it - so much so, that I recently purchased an aquarium to put him in! I have been putting off moving him though until I can finagle some sort of lid for it. Abby has been very worried and taped his cage with about 3 packs of scotch tape (hoping he'd hate the taste and just stop.) See the effectiveness of her plan in the pic below...

We got him all moved into his new home - life is good. Interesting thought though - is he bad for trying to escape? Not settling for what he was given? Seems silly to translate such a deep thought into a hamster trying to escape, but its true. He wasn't happy where he was. He wanted to explore and LIVE, but he was confined so he did what he could do to change his situation. :) Now he has a new pad and we know we need to get him out of his cage a lot more to roll around and play.

How do we do that in our lives? I know PLENTY of people who were dealt their cards and they are happy to play them. Others want to trade them in for better cards. They are willing to risk failure, willing to put it all on the table and dive head first into a better life, even if they could lose it all. I like a gamble myself and will continue to strive for a better hand!

On a different note, I had an AWESOME run this evening. I ran 3.5 miles in 34.20 which felt great! I really pushed it because I was feeling good. :) Last night I did strength training at the gym. I also ran 4 miles Sunday through the Geneva State park - that was a great one too. I also signed up for another 5K this weekend. my goal is to run this one in 27 mins. Then, next weekend I'll do the warrior dash. LOTS of fun workout stuff coming up and I can't wait.

I have to head to bed - I have a very early morning - thanks for reading!

What makes me love running?

 What is it that makes me want to get off the couch and pound the pavement? I am not even quite sure myself - but I know the fact that I feel completely free and without burden is some of it. It is like time suspends itself and there isn't a care in the world - just me, my ipod and the run. :)

I went on an AWESOME run yesterday. I may have even mentioned it in yesterday's blog. I do have a picture to share though, just to give you all an idea of how amazing the run REALLY was.

The best part is that it is actually part of the road my parents live on! This is the back side of North Ave. off of Padenarum. From my parents house to Padenarum is 1.3 miles - I turned right on P and went until I got to 1.5. I must have run on a further side of the road on the way home or my GPS didn't update quick enough to show me I went too far, but I ended up at 3.11 when I finished. :)

It was about 7pm, 60 degrees and it smelled like clean air and spring. It was so enjoyable. I just enjoyed the run and thought. I think that's another thing that makes a run enjoyable - the alone time to think.

I also love how "stretched" my legs feel after a run. Yes, they are sore and I still stink at running, but I just almost crave the "recovery" feeling in my legs.

I stopped doing the scheduled half marathon training  for now because I have no particular half planned and I didn't want to overdo it, but maybe I'll look for a half to run in the fall - that would be a great excuse to do longer runs and such. I am still running the 3 miles on the planned days (although this week is a bit off because I worked so much.) but I am not going more than that at this point, nor am I doing the speed training. I need both of those things.

On a different note - I worked another 12 hours today. Thats 52 hours for the week. The paycheck will be nice, but my knees, ankles and feet freaking hate me. I am in SO much pain. I even soaked in epsom salts two days in a row! Oh well, the soreness will pass by tomorrow and I'll do my lifting and running :) Gotta keep going. :)Although, I would really appreciate it if JT were here so I could get a hand, foot and leg massage! :)

I have a few friends who have been asking about running programs, so I wanted to share the "Couch to 5K" training program for new runners. I have heard many good things about this particular program, but I have never personally done it.

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Also, please feel free to ask questions if you have any - I'll do my best to research answers! :)

<3

working it!

I may have used that title in the past already... however, I felt like I needed to again because I am really working it! lol!

I uploaded my data for today at 1030pm and burned more than 3100 cals and took 17700 steps! Can you freaking believe that? How many miles is 17700 steps? seriously!

Im in an odd place right now. Mostly because I feel great and I don't know that I've ever felt THIS good before... the best thing is, is that it will only get better once JT and I are TOGETHER. As exhausted and tired as my body feels - I am so happy and thankful to have fitness and healthy food in my life. I have a hobby (couponing... save your Sunday coupons for me and send them!) and pretty soon I'll be back with JT and the pups <3 Life is so wonderful.

I HAVE to incorporate yoga into my routine. It is TOPS on my priority list. In fact, I am going to go to Target or somewhere to get a book or dvd - I just HAVE to get it going. I know it probably sounds ridiculous, but I just FEEL like I need it. So I am going to figure it out asap.

Oh, Also, although its cold and crappy and rainy here in Ohio still most days, it is warming up a bit, so people are finally planting! Which means... FARMER'S MARKETS! I went to one today that sucked, but it will get better once people actually have veggies (they literally had asparagus and only like 3 bunches of it lol... the rest was bread, jelly and plants... OH and some overpriced organic meat). I can't wait until it really picks up so I can get delicious healthy locally-grown food. :) My next task is to really start cooking so once I get into that I will post some pics (of the more successful dishes of course...lol).

The reason I want to start cooking because JT mentioned today that he has no one to make him dinner - I want to be able to do that when I get home without running to the local drive thru. One of the problems with us in the past is that JT gets sick of cooking EVERY DAY and I was too scared or lazy maybe to actually cook for us - instead I got AWESOME at ordering out and so we enjoyed terrible delicious food and got fat. When I have babies I am NOT going to be able to be awesome at ordering food - it is going to have to be cooking enough to at least give JT a break sometimes. (Its hard to cook when someone in your house is just amazing at it...) lol. <3

Ok - I have to get to bed. Here is a great article!

If you are anything like me you probably have back pain and no idea how to avoid it at the gym - check this article out for helpful tips!

http://www.active.com/fitness/Articles/6-Weightlifting-Tips-to-Avoid-Back-Pain.htm?cmp=17-1-593

OH and PS - to those of you who are struggling to get started I first want to point out that you can't just feel bad about not doing it... you have to do something about not doing it - but I also want to say don't have regrets, just recover. Here is a great quote for those of you who need some motivation...

"Yesterday is not ours to recover, but
tomorrow is ours to win or to lose."
- Lyndon B. Johnson

Image Issues

I think I may have some issues with my body image.

I feel great - I have been working so hard and eating well and basically busting my butt to lose it! I've been slightly obsessed with my gut lately - mostly because I've always had a small stomach and lately it feels like it is rounded and it makes me feel uncomfortable. I am pretty sure it looks that way due to digestive issues and have thus started a cleanse to see if that helps... Here is where the issue comes in.

When I look in the mirror I see my body changing and I can feel it changing, but I still feel fat and gross compared to where I want to be. But, I saw a picture yesterday of me running my 5-K and realized that I actually look quite thin and athletic. Why can't I make the distinction in real life as opposed to pictures? Was it just a good shot (well, a couple of good shots I guess) or is that my reality? Am I looking good?

I think one of the things that throws me off is that everyone gives me SUCH a hard time about wanting to lose weight - "you look great - you'll be too thin..." it is almost like they are jealous and trying to sabotage me. I just want to say "really? because I am effing 30 lbs overweight and I am TIRED of hearing you tell me I am being ridiculous" but I don't, because I do believe some people are just trying to be nice. I get so frustrated though that rather than encouraging me to keep on going, people are more worried about telling me why I should quit.

I don't mean to be negative about all of this - I actually think this realization is a good thing. Its a great reminder of having to keep the changing of my body and life in perspective. What is important to me may not be important to others, also, some people have very skewed body images - they think being overweight is what is right because others make such a huge issue about the "too skinny" body images we see on TV etc... Some people think it is better to carry extra weight.

And you know what - it may be ok - If I get to 155 or 150 and I am fit and 15-18% body fat and I feel good than I will stop, but in the mean time I am still about 168 and have weight to lose. Other peoples' opinions and ideas are skewing my body image and making me feel frustrated and bd about my progress.

I wrote all of the previous section Sunday and wanted to add some info for today (Monday). I worked a double today - 12 hours and burned a TON of calories. I also took over 16000 steps! Freaking CRAZY! The cleanse is going well so far and is almost done actually (Wednesday).

Here is an article for today too! For those of you who are runners check this out!!!

http://www.active.com/women/Articles/11-Mental-Tips-to-Improve-Your-Running.htm?cmp=17-1-641

OH and the other thing I wanted to mention! I am going to start "couponing!" I am SO excited! I am going to havee to work hard to get deals on actual "healthy" food, because most coupons are for crap - but I am excited! I spent my entire Sunday clipping coupons! :) IT was actually fun! I will compile a list of coupons I am looking for specifically and if any of you come across them and don't plan to use them you can send them to me!! :)

Anyways, thanks for reading - feel free to comment!

PR'd my 5K

A little blurry.. but that is because I was running SO fast! :)

It might not seem like a great time - 28:42, but to me it is an AWESOME time because i've been running 3 miles between 33 and 36 minutes and my goal was to finish in 30 mins. I beat myself by an entire minute and 18 seconds...

I was going to start  today's blog off with an apology for not writing in a couple of days - but I feel too good about my progress to apologize for anything. If I feel bad for not writing enough, I just need to write more - not make excuses about it.

So, instead I wanted to talk about my run today and my thought process through it - as well as a couple of other things.

First of all, last night, when I was chatting with JT via FB I still hadn't signed up for the 5K (registration was this morning at 8 for people who couldn't sign up at the church) I mentioned that the best part about not being signed up early was the chance for an out if it was raining or I was too tired to get up... talk about a ridiculous cop-out statement! JT didn't say anything to me, but I definitely realized right away that my mind was trying to screw me over. At that point I made the decision that no matter how I felt I would get my ass out of bed and run this morning - rain or shine.

And I did. In fact, I woke up at 600am on a day off of work and felt great. I ate a great breakfast, checked my computer stuff, talked to JT and got there FIRST this morning to register (AND they still had a couple of shirts! I got one of the last mediums!) When JT and I talked he asked what my goal was - I told him that I had been running it in 33-36 so my goal was to do it in 32. He said um... how about you shoot for 30 - you can do that!

So that is what I did. I was nervous before the race because I hadn't run anything like that in so long and I just wanted to do well. JT had said "don't let your mind tell you that you're tired - remember that is just your mind, you can PUSH your body." I thought about that statement the whole time. It is so true. I felt tired toward the 2 mile marker and kept repeating that to myself - I CAN keep going, I run 3 miles very regularly - I can pop out a mile in 9 minutes if that is all im doing so why can't I do 3 in 30 minutes?

It got me through. And next time I'll be shooting for 27 minutes!

Our minds are such powerful things. They give us our motivation, our will power, they make us feel and think and so much more... We have to train our minds to believe in us.

In other news, work is still going great. Im working my tail off and feel exhausted when I get home. Overall, I am still able to make it to the gym almost daily. I take two week days off for rest days and otherwise have been steady. I also found out i've lost a couple more inches... I feel SO great about that!

I have been having some issues with bathroom stuff - (don't want to go into details... TMI right?) lol so I am using Jillian Michaels Detox and probiotic cleanse. Does it work? Probably not really - but my brain thinks it is and that is all that matters right? (we can trick our brains to make our bodies work!)

Ok, I have to cut this shorter than I wanted because I have somewhere to be soon - but thank you for reading and I'll post more later!!! (check out JT's blog... it is an AWESOME one today! http://raceforthestrong.blogspot.com/2011/05/human-nature.html)