Crash and burn

Maybe I should be blogging at night. Because yesterday I crashed and burned a little. I took a ride to the grocery store on my bike in the record breaking heat of the day yesterday - 92 degrees (looks like Satan wants to bust out his playground early this year), and around 4:30 I was feeling faint, shaking, blurred vision. I could barely hold a conversation with my husband. And so I ate some tilapia. And it was awesome. I ate it with my dinner smoothie, and it took about an hour to kick in. But I felt much better. And I don't feel the least bit guilty about it.

You can, however, imagine how surprised my husband was when he walked into the kitchen this morning and I was making a smoothie for breakfast, with kale none the less. But today, I start the Paleo diet which is basically only things a caveman would eat: fruits, vegetables, and proteins (lean preferred). Seeds and nuts are ok, legumes are not. This is fine by me. While I will miss black beans, I can't stand the texture of most other legumes and I already hate peas so..... For those of you peanut lovers out there (again, I am allergic), peanuts are a legume so they are also out. Only natural sugar like honey and maple syrup (no, not Aunt Jimima) are in. Alcohol is discouraged, but they say if you have to do it some are better than others. Red wine is recommended. Thank goodness.

So a smoothie with flax seed (one of my favorites), kale, and mixed fruit isn't totally off base. I added almond milk and a little almond butter to the mix, and actually really enjoyed it. I think being another pound lighter this morning and waking up with a little energy helped motivate me to not totatly hate a smoothie. That being said, I am super excited to eat lunch - Baked Eggs in Avocado, minus the toast and bacon, add homemade salsa. I also know that I have book club tonight with my girlfriends, which usually means a lot of eating. I already know the evening menu and want to make sure I plan around it. The biggest challenge I will face this evening will be not over-eating. There is one thing I feel I have to constantly remind myself of is that it is ok to go to bed a little hungry. I also have a great running workout planned today, that I may do this morning if I can get my butt in gear before it is too hot, and a date with the gym at 2 for weights with my husband.

I wish Spring Break would never end.........

http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/baked-eggs-avocado/

Cleansing

Just last week when one of my co-workers asked me what I was having for lunch, I stuck my tongue out and replied, "Ugh. I am so sick of food."  Nothing will turn that attitude around like a cleanse. 

I am on Day 3 of the Dr. Oz cleanse. I am not a Dr. Oz fan. He isn't telling anyone anything that can't be found on the internet, and he talks to people like the are 5 and stupid. I don't get the hype. But I do get, and am a huge fan of Pinterest, where I found the 3-day cleanse. I have a few cleanses pinned on my Health and Fitness board, and have had success with each of them. There are usually some basic side effects: headaches, fatigue, irritability.  I haven't experienced any of these so far, but Jon certainly is cranky. For a man who eats relatively healthy, he consumes way too much sugar on a daily basis.  Not experiencing any side effects/symtoms of de-toxification makes me think I am not doing things right. Of course, I am not following it to the tee. Could that be a problem? 

I wish that when you read these cleanses they explained what each ingredient does for your body. I have to rely on my nutrition knowledge to make substitutions. Yes, substitutions. Because here is the deal. The first time I did a weight loss program, I beat myself up and was miserable because I was obsessed with the rule book. It almost made me want bad food more because it was ruining my positive relationship with food. Eating is an essential part of every person's days. Not only can we not survive with basic nutrients, but a large part of our socialization occurs around a plate. I firmly believe that self control with portion size is why there is an obesity problem, not as much as the food itself. Because anything can taste good if you know what you like. And I will try just about anything. So I followed the recipes the first day. But then........

I kind of feel like anything on the list of foods to eat on a day is fair game. I really want to like kale. But my lunch smoothie on the first day took 2 hours to choke down before I finally strained it. I miss chewing my food during cleanses, but this was ridiculous. Not to mention, all I could taste was lime, and coconut. Coconut is in my top three most hated foods (behind mushrooms and olives). So on day 2, I eliminated the coconut oil, added 1/4 avocado and used 1/4 lime instead of a half, and put 1 1/2 cups of spinach in instead of kale. I substituted a fat for a fat, and a leafy green for a leafy green. I also didn't have time for a 4th smoothie on the first day because it took me so long to drink the other 3. I also bought fruit blends, and my cup of raspberries or blueberries were a mix of the 2 with blackberries. Same for mango and pineapple (mixed with papaya). It isn't like I was adding a cup of sugar, so what if there was a little extra fruit?  I also didn't think everything needed to be pureed. So I ate my banana and licked my spoonful of almond butter, and ate my avocado -happily.  

Today, all 4 will be consumed. I am hungry today. And today's workout may only be another bike ride to the store because I am a little tired (so maybe I am feeling a side effect). I can't wait to buy food I get to actually eat, and not just digest tomorrow. 

Bad Habits

I have some really bad habits. "Who doesn't?" I ask myself, during a justification process. But enough is enough. I have worked hard to make some really great changes in my life over the past 5 years in order to be happy. And there is no reason to slack on the little things.

People are always telling me that I have a lot of energy, that I do so many things, blah, blah, blah. The truth is, I am quiet lazy. REALLY lazy. Half of what I do, I do because I can watch TV at the same time. And I am bad at prioritizing because I only do what I want to do. So when time comes for things that I have put off, I stress out, and don't handle things well.  If I had just done those things when I knew they needed to be done....... It is time to abandon the I-work-best-under-pressure theory lifestyle that I have been living.

So some habits are about to change. A little late for a New Year's Resolution, but hey. Better late than never. And by writing things down, I will be more committed to them (or so studies show). So here are some of the things that are about to change around here:

1.  I am going to workout. Seriously, really workout. I belong to a gym, and I go sometimes. The excuse? I am on my feet all day. The reality - tough it out, Girl! I completed 2 more half marathons, one I half trained for, and the most recent, not at all. It motivated me to move again. Fo real. Yesterday, I was at the gym, some running, some weights. Today a bike ride to the grocery store, an aerobic house clean (dancing with my iPod on through every scrub got my heart rate up). Tomorrow, the gym? A run? Some Nike FIt Club (app)? Who knows. But it will happen.

2. I am going to change my diet. I am getting fat again. Not Biggest Loser fat, but out-of-my-comfort-zone-fat. I lost 35 pounds once. When I met my husband, I was only 110 pounds, which is ridiculously thin. And I have no problem throwing out there that at my heaviest I was 163 pounds, and a size 14. Well 12, but I should have been a 14 because those size 12 pants were bursting at the seams. I don't want that again. While I am ok with my size 8, I know my frame can handle a little less, and I have gained 7 pounds since school started. My ultimate goal: 15 pounds (to 125) or a size 6. I am sure they go hand in hand. Ultimately, it is about health. And while I don't want to be my pre-married weight, I could definitely shed some fat.  So it is time for me to get back onto My Fitness Pal app, and track things again, right after I finish a cleanse. I am also going on the Paleo diet. This means no dairy, grains, or sugar. So I will have to plan ahead, and not be so lazy. But don't worry girls, red wine is Paleo-approved!

3. Follow a budget. Sigh. The one hot spot in out marriage. I know this is my fault. So it is time to get serious. Mint.com has a great program for budgeting. And I plan on being all over it. I am sure you will hear more about this, as I like to over dramatize a lot........

4. Less TV. I am hoping to convince Jon to ditch the cable and get Apple TV, Hulu Plus, and renew our NetFlix. This will save us money, and force me to watch what I want, not just have it on and channel surf.

5. Less time on the computer. I don't really know how realistic this is, trying to start a business and all. But I could spend more quality time on the computer, and less farting around. Damn Facebook and Pinterest. Time to back off a little and use the internet for quality research and networking. It will be a lot easier to do if number 4 (above) is happening.

6. Blog again. Every night I write a blog post in my head. And I never seem to do it. Even with all the time I spend in front of my computer. For my own sanity, I need to type things out.

7. Get my side business going. This could be an entire book. I'll just say there is a lot in the works, and this could be big, or it could be a small side income. Depending on how much effort I am going to make. And I am excited about it. That says a lot. One day at a time with this one......

Now that I have thrown it out there, I am counting on you all to keep me honest. Time to change some of my bad habits into good ones.

Womens Half Marathon - Nashville

I like challenges and I like change. You would think I was an uphill kind of girl. Maybe in life, but definitely not while running. Bring on the downhill.

Today I completed my third half marathon at the women's Half Marathon in Nashville, TN with my friend Kim. we have had a lot of fun, which usually happens when I am with Kim. I think I am crazy when I keep signing up for these events. Or really stupid. But maybe only half crazy, because people who do full marathons are straight-up, full blown whackos.

This race was the first one that I had a lot of fun at. My first, P.F. changes was a huge disappointment after 2 11.2 mile events in Big Sur, CA. Very little food and hoopla at the end. It was freezing (literally, below 32 degrees in Phoenix that day) and overall miserable. My second was the Lost Dutchman which was beautiful, but I don't really know why I signed-up for it. I did it alone and had to wait for my medal to arrive by mail because they ran out and I was that slow that I didn't get one at the race. Jon came to cheer me on at the finish line for that one though. Which was a bonus.

Tis event was different. It had over 5000 entrants, all women. I finished (unofficially) in 2:50 which is a personal best, I think...... Kim pushed me hard, and I kind of hate her right now. Her response - "that's ok, you will like me again later." she trained better than I did which is not saying much since I didn't train at all. I would say we ran about half of it. It was empowering to see so many women together for a common cause. And though I have never had someone close to me die from breast cancer, I know people who have and it sucks. Besides, i do have these gigantic boobs that I would like to keep, so I believe in helping find a cure. Our names were on our bib numbers and everyone we passed would cheer us in by name, which was pretty awesome. And the signs and support from the crowd were great. Most inspirational include (feel free to pay attention because I am running this same race again in November at home if you want to come cheer us on):

You are also smart and beautiful.
I don't sweat, I glisten.
This one is for Gramma, we miss her every day.
You will achieve, triumph, dominate, prevail, conquer, and overcome.
Women are my favorite people (from a man, with a big stupid grin).
This isn't sweat, it's liquid awesome.
Your feet hurt because you are kicking ass.
Don't stop, people are watching.
This is the worst parade ever. (may be my favorite)
Puking is awesome (which I did at mile 2.5 and still trying to figure out why. I have never pikes while working out, and that was early in the race!)

All in all a great morning. It is a huge accomplishment and while I wish I had trained better, I am thrilled to have finished it.


Girls rock.