New fitness "goal"

Jen and I were talking tonight about water drinking. I am SO bad about it. I can't drink water before my coffee in the am (Jen was saying how she drinks at least 20oz before breakfast! She's so good!) and I have to FORCE myself to chug massive amounts at a time to meet my daily 64oz (IF I do meet it.) I'm picky - I think tap water tastes bad. In my house, I've realized that basement water tastes worse than upstairs bathroom water!  

So my new goal is to drink more water.  Water BEFORE my coffee in the am. Increase my total water intake for the day. 

Goal: 

This week (July 30) - 64oz daily

Next week (Aug 6) - 100oz daily

Will be adding this to my calendar. I like to track things in a color-coded fashion if you couldn't tell!

Do you drink enough water? If not, will you join me in my new goal?

Twitter Accountability at Work

If you are on Twitter, we have started an accountability hashtag !! So if you're in need of support, the bat signal is right here -

 #helpmetrain 

I've been having a STELLAR week since Monday's post. I have been ON - for the most part. 

As you can see, I did my 3 miles on Tuesday. Wednesday I was on the treadmill, running with a friend and I just could.not. power through the three miles. But she was heading to a class and I thought "Well, I'll do the class, then come back for a fast mile run." Haha. Here's the class description: 

Interval training that alternates between Hi/Low aerobics and muscle conditioning exercises.

It wasn't nearly as difficult as the other cardio classes I took but I definitely got a good workout! So even if I didn't hit my scheduled three miles, I feel confident I did enough for my health that day!  

Today, my third running day in a row, I woke up dreading it. I got dressed (in gym clothes!) and went downstairs for coffee. At that point, I fully intended to stay in my gym clothes in the basement all day. I tweeted that I didn't want to go - that my body isn't made for three consecutive running days. I expected to get tweets back saying "oh yea, you can't run three days in a row, it's not good for you!" 

What did I get?
@Nic get rest, eat right, drink plenty of water. #helpmetrain you can do it!

@Nic can you do some cross training instead? Spin class? #helpmetrain 

@Nic you can do it. I've got to get mine done this afternoon. Gonna be hot!  

@Nic you can doooo it! 

So wow, this hashtag really does work!! And those encouraged me to get off my butt, head to the gym and run. I did my full scheduled 3.5 miles in 36 minutes! Yay!!  

Tomorrow is a rest day, then I WILL do a long run Saturday or Sunday.  Feeling good, people, I'm feeling good! 

I've been allowing more sugar than "quitting" levels for sure. But I'm not feeling terrible and my weight is staying around in the same place. I've been weighing in anywhere from 152-155, which I am comfortable with at this point. I'm coming to terms that this may be my "comfortable" weight now.

Acountability!

So fellow running friends, what do you do for accountability? (If you require such a thing - I obviously do!)


I misread my calendar for Thursday.  I didn't get much sleep thanks to an unhappy baby waking all night. I went in DETERMINED to meet my training plan distance. I stopped after a mile to rest (less than a minute off the treadmill).  I stopped after 1.5 too.  At 2 miles, I was thinking I would give up. But I pushed to 2.5.  At 2.5 I STOPPED the treadmill, reset it, wrote down my distance and gave up. But I didn't because then I had this GENIUS thought - "If I turn the treadmill up to 7.2, I can finish a half mile in FOUR MINUTES." So I did. And almost died (but I didn't!). And I was proud of myself for sticking it out, regardless of my 4 hours of sleep the night before.

Then I got home and realized that I was supposed to have run 3.5 miles. *facepalm*  I think I felt defeated.  I skipped my Saturday run. Didn't do it Sunday either.  This morning rolled around and instead of going to the gym, I ate Peanut butter Cap'n'crunch & did laundry. It's been a WEEK, I can't fall off my training plan yet! 

So who wants a check in? Daily, weekly, anything - I just need some accountability. I will be happy to post a daily thread on here or anywhere else if that helps! If you're on Twitter, let's have a daily running hashtag or something, because there is just no way I'm going to make my time goals left to my own devices!

Training Again

So I have officially begun half marathon training again. Actually, I started Monday, but close enough, right?

I am using the Amazing Alison (Because It Worked For Her) training program ;-)  I just needed a PROGRAM or a PLAN. I needed to get back to running, for sure. I've become overscheduled in my quest to find new and different training classes, and I've forgotten why - Because I want to run RACES. And as much as I enjoy spinning, it's not helping me improve my distance running.  As much as I love body sculpt, that just hurts my back and doesn't get me closer to another medal (which is the real reason I run - the bling.)

So I finally realized that I need to put the classes (except the occasional yoga class) on the back burner and really focus on running.  I am understanding why people call it "the dreadmill" now. It's booorrring. More boring that just any old running. But I am DOING it.

So here comes my ridiculous calendar again :-)   Ready to see it? Well, whether you are or not, here it comes:

Two days down, two days of accomplishment. I am looking at MANY more ! :-)

Detoxing AGAIN. I feel like I keep saying that, but I really want to keep it up this time. This detox has been HORRIBLE. I just sit here and stare at the wall thinking about how much I want a gummy bear. The kitchen renovation hit a serious wall this week (as in running out of work and missing cabinetry!) and I think I'm just overstressed.


Here are my goals for the next few races.

August -
18th Color Run !! Woop woop! This is just for fun. I'm not doing it for time. :)

October -
14th: 10K - I want to be under 1 hour (10 min miles)
21st (My 31st birthday!): Rock'n'Roll Half - I would like to be under 2hr, 15 min (shaving 38 min off my Princess finish time)

So that's it for now from me. Trying to stay on top of it. Definitely desire some accountability, so if you see me trolling Pinterest for dessert recipes, call me out! :-)

Save!

This hunk of rosemary olive oil bread saved my booty from eating sugar tonight! Stress upon stress today, but I stayed strong. Juiced for lunch, which I've missed with the kitchen remodel having my cooking space out of commission.

Yum yum!

Disgusting

This week has been HORRIBLE after my weigh in!! Here's my confessional:

 

My daughter turned four on Tuesday. My mom, step dad and aunt flew in to celebrate with us.  My aunt, who owns a bakery and makes the most delightful, exquisite cakes EVER! The cake, with my beautiful little girl, is four layers, alternating white and chocolate cake, with an amazing chocolate ganache. It was flown here from Cleveland on my Aunt's lap.  And worth every minute and every mile!

Then was the Fourth of July. The parade starts in front of our house, so our tradition (with Jen!) is to have a yummy vodka slush as we watch what is USUALLY a pretty depressing parade (although this year was an exception!). Slush is a mix of sugar water, orange juice, lemonade & limade (the frozen concentrates) and vodka, served over 7Up.

Then I followed it that afternoon with some homemade Sangria, which was fabulous.

And the candy - oh the candy!  I swear my kids get more candy on 4th of July than they do on Halloween! For less work, too.  You sit in one place and they THROW it at you. I will openly admit, I raided their bags for banana Laffy Taffy and Tootsie Rolls (the big ones, none of that midget stuff for me)

The 5th started prep for the WORLD'S MESSIEST RAINBOW ART PARTY!  I made all the food from scratch. One of the messy art activities was decorating cupcakes to take home.  Those were, of course, rainbow colors as well. And I had to taste test the fruit dip (cream cheese + marshmallow fluff), whipped cream & buttercream icings. Quality control, you know...





 And cake. Can't have a party without cake!  I made an ice cream sandwich cake, with M&Ms on top and crushed up chocolate cookies inside (along with the hot fudge and ice cream sandwiches).  I homemade all the whipped cream and froze it into one delightful cake. 

And today? I ate my weight in gummy bears.

 So what's the moral of the story?  

I hurt. I feel "ooky." I can barely make a fist my hands hurt SO BADLY. I crash several times a day from sheer lack of energy. My temper is short.  My stomach is bloated. 

WHY OH WHY do I torture myself?? 

I know sugar hurts. I know it makes me feel gross and squishy.  Was all the indulgence from the past week WORTH it? 

Nope. Not a chance. 

I've thrown away the parade candy (except for a few things I stashed in the diaper bag, only for the kids though), the cake it gone and I'm going to ask my hubby to take those chewy little gummy guys to work with him this week. 

Juicing will be a challenge this week, as our "total kitchen renovation" starts on Tuesday. My kitchen is currently relocated to my basement, so juicing won't be convenient. But it must happen. 

Detox & getting back to goal again (and lower, maybe! without all these stumbling blocks!) is on the forefront of my mind. 

I want to get out for a run.  We aren't supposed to be over 100º this week, as we have been for the last 10+ days. I'm hoping that, compared to the 118º heat index from Saturday, the 90º weather will feel nice enough for a quick run outside. :-) 

I think I need to get my mind right this week, too. It's something I'm doing, for myself and my family, to make our lives better.

This is a LIFESTYLE, not a diet. 

It's HEALTHY. Sugar is a toxin flowing through my blood!

It's LIFE-ALTERING.  Pain is gone, mood is stable, energy is increased.  

It's CHEAPER. Fresh food is by and large much less expensive that prepackaged and processed foods.

It's CREATIVE.  It's fun to experiment, to find new ways of making old favorites, new flavors and new foods.

It's DOABLE. Proven in that I have DONE it before. I HAVE stuck with this, I CAN do it and it IS worth it.

It is NOT: 

unattainable

a punishment

a rule without exception

I have worked TOO hard and TOO long to give up now.

My race schedule is looking like this: 

August 18th - "fun" run for The Color Run 5K

October 14th - Go! St. Louis Halloween 10K

October 21st - (My 31st birthday) Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon

Thanksgiving - Turkey day 5K with my mom in Atlanta, GA

So it's time to get serious.

Drumroll....

Despite my over indulging in dinner (and drinks!) last night, this morning 

I WEIGHED IN AT GOAL!

and for my "happy weight loss" present, I think I need a new scale!

 

 It's SO great to finally see the word GOAL all over Weight Watchers!

Now the big question, do I go into maintenance mode (where I get a few extra pts) or do I reset my goal weight to something a little lower?  Part of me feels like I still have some ways to go, that I could probably lose 5 more lbs and be more comfortable. Part of me is just so TIRED of always dieting!  The weight guideline from WW says 128-160 is my healthy range. I'm at the high end of that, but I honestly don't know if my body can get lower - between my body shape and having babies, I may just be at my "right" weight now!

So there ya go. I finally did it!! What the road ahead holds, I have no idea :-) But I'm going to celebrate with a (sugar free) peanut butter and (sugar free) jelly sandwich :-)

Delicious Recipe for you!

We had a few bananas that were WAY past their prime lying around and E has been begging me to make banana bread.  I've done so well this week saying no to sugar, I just couldn't bring myself to end the week by ruining the efforts.  I jumped on the internet and found the Spoonful of Sugar Free blog where there was a whole wheat banana bread muffin recipe.

Unlike some sugar free recipes, this recipe was COMPLETELY sugar free. There was no agave, no stevia. It was refreshing! The only sugar was from the bananas.  I was able to make 8 standard sized muffins out of the batter. I did also replace the milk substitute with skim milk, because that's what I had on hand.

I would have taken pictures for you, but honestly, the muffins WEREN'T ON THE PLATE LONG ENOUGH! My son, 18 mos, had two. My hubby had two. My daughter (4 this week, eek!) had THREE of them! I would say this is a resounding SUCCESS for a recipe!!  No one even mentioned that it didn't have sugar.   In fact, it even has flax added to it for an extra health kick. 

 I'm purposefully letting bananas get too ripe now, so that I have a reason to make these again. But maybe I'll triple the recipe next time. :-)

Here is the recipe, from Spoonful of Sugar Free:

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins:
These muffins are whole grain, vegan, and of course sugar-free!

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 Tablespoons ground flax
• rounded 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk substitute (i used almond milk, but soy, rice, hemp, or cow’s would be fine, too)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil (or coconut, vegetable, grapeseed..)
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• round 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (optional. can substitute almonds or dried fruit, too)

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix together all of the ingredients, but add the baking soda last. Line muffin pans with liners (i used adorable mini muffins!). Then, fill each muffin with batter to the rim. For mini muffins, bake for 20 minutes (makes 20 muffins). For regular muffins, bake for 25 minutes (makes 10 muffins). To make banana bread, double the recipe and bake for 30 minutes.

This is a definite KEEP in our house and I look forward to trying more recipes from the blog!