Monthly Archives: January 2010

Perfect Day!

Posted on January 30, 2010 | 1 Comment

Hello there! I hope you are having as good of Saturday as I am. I have so many thoughts I want to blog about today! Perhaps a double post is in order! If I don’t get all my thoughts shared today for sure I will tomorrow!

I have been having what I would call my perfect day!  I slept in until 6:45am (I know, I know, to some of you that might not seem like sleeping in but when you get up regularly at 5:30am it is!). Made myself a little breakfast, notgreen smoothie today as I was out of spinach, not to mention almost all my regular produce! I had a bowl of oatmeal, topped with one fried egg, cheese, and hot sauce. I know it sounds weird but trust me it’s really good and it gave me the energy I needed to teach back to back Group Strength and Zumba classes at the YMCA. Both classes ROCKED but my Zumba class was particularly on FIRE! The best part, to me, about teaching fitness classes if the instant gratification. In my full time work it often takes a long time (think years here) to see the fruits of your labor. You often hear about the negative more than the positive. When I teach a 55minute fitness class not only do I feel awesome afterwards but people thank me and tell me how much they enjoyed my class. I can see how my hard work paid off and how what I do benefits others. It may seem a little self centered but it keeps me going.

I then headed off to our local food Co-Op If you live in my area or any area that has a Co-Op check it out. Ours is particularly AWESOME! They have so much good and reasonably priced produce which is mostly what I buy there. They also have some hard to find health food items which I splurge on now and again. There’s just something about walking around surround by all that healthy food that makes me feel good! I just love coming home and filling my fridge with fresh produce!

For lunch I made the most AMAZING Veggie Spelt burgers. I have never tried to make anything like this but, they sounded good and now that I have REAL food processor I just had to try them. I got the recipe here from Angela at Oh She Glows. If you haven’t checked out her web site it’s really inspirational. I found it about 8 months ago and it has really changed how I think about eating and body image. I pretty much followed her recipe to a “T”. I even bought spelt flour (one of my splurges). The only thing I changed was I used half of an onion because the one I had was pretty big and it called for a small one, I used a whole can of garbanzo beans, and I left out the chia seeds since I didn’t have any. I debated eating one on two slices of bread or two with a fork and then I remembered I bought some Stacy’s pita chips and that sealed the deal. Here’s my plate

100_4599  100_4598

These were seriously SO DELICOUS! They were crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. I might add a little more garlic and cayenne pepper next time but otherwise they were great! And super easy. I also drank some  GT’s organic Kombucha (another splurge).

100_4596

I like to drink these after a long workout or a crappy night of eating. They tasted really good and I feel cleansed and energized after I drink them.

So there you have it! My perfect Saturday morning. Not much planned for the rest of the day. I need to finish prepping some veggies, take a shower, and head off to work/church but that’s about it. I should probably do some reading for grad school but I found some really old pictures I want to scan and up load to facebook! Priorities people! Have a good one!

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , ,

Like a fish!

Posted on January 29, 2010 | Leave a comment

Well, I got my morning swim in and it was GLORIOUS! I LOVE to swim! When I first started training for triathlons I had never run a mile in my life, was a terrible biker BUT knew I could do the swim part. My mom had me in swim lessons when I was just a baby. It was pretty much the only activity I did (or could do) growing up as an overweight child. When I’m in the water I feel so free and beautiful. There are no mirrors reflecting my sweaty, red, face, no sound of treadmills and other machines, no ice, no cars. Just the sound of splashing water and my breath. I think that is also why I like swimming it helps me to focus on my breath. I also feel like I’m getting a total body workout. My upper and lower body are working as well as my core. I love it! Unfortunately I don’t do it very often. Since swimming is my strongest event in a triathlon I feel like I need to focus more on the other two events. Also, seeing as I teach so many other classes swimming is the first to get eliminated from my weekly workout plan. I did 2,000 meters today. A little over a mile.  The pool was PACKED today. Not sure if it’s all those future triathletes getting ready for summer, or just the cold weather bringing people inside. I felt very lucky to get a lane because after I got in there wasn’t an open lane the whole 45 minutes I was in there!

I wrote a lot about triathlons today. I am seriously considering doing an intermediate distance (.9 mile swim, 24 mile bike, 10K (6.2mile) run) triathlon this summer. I’ve done about 9 sprint (.25-.5 mile swims, 12-17 mile bike, 5k (3.2mile) run) triathlons over the last 10 years. Last year I came in 6th in my age category and I was at the “old” end of my age group. It’s tempting to try and place in a sprint distance tri seeing as I would be the youngest in my age category BUT I really want to challenge myself with the longer distance. I know I could do each event on it’s own, especially since I’ve kept up with my running over winter. Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point is training for an Olympic distance tri and it’s been fun reading about her training. It all depends on what other stuff if going on in my life. Stay tuned! For now I’ll be keeping up with running, swimming, indoor cycling (since it’s FREEZING out!) as well as Zumba and weight training. Have a great weekend everyone!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged ,

What’s in a name?

Posted on January 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

Afternoon blog world! Wow two posts in one day! That’s what happens when you get up early! I’ve felt a bit sluggish all day. Not sure if it’s because I chose to rest this morning instead of workout or what! I am definitely looking forward to some pool time tomorrow morning! I did manage to find some “greens” in our fridge that still looked good so I was able to enjoy a green smoothie this morning. It helped to perk me up a little!

I wanted to share with you the reason why I chose my blog name. I kept thinking about it and thinking about it and wanted to chose something that would truly represent me! You may notice this picture on my blog header:

Pink sneakers

 

Those are the shoes I wear for my Zumba classes! When I trained to be a Zumba instructor almost two years ago, they suggested buying a dance sneaker. Dance sneakers have smooth, circular, disks on the bottom to help you slide and pivot easier. I went shopping online and found these pretty ladies on Zappos.com. I am, if anything, a girly girl! My favorite color is purple but if I can’t buy something in purple, pink will be just fine! One time my mom was at a Zumba class (I was not there) and she and another class member were chatting about Zumba instructors. The other woman said, “I like that girl with the pink sneakers!” My mom said, “That’s my daughter!” So, that’s how I picked my blog name. I guess they have kind of become my trademark. Don’t worry! I usually don’t chose my workout shoes based on color. These just happened to be a good dance sneaker for me and they just happened to come in PINK!

Hope you are all having a great day. I have NOTHING on my agenda for tonight which is good because I need some rest! See you tomorrow!

Technorati Tags: ,,

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Rest

Posted on January 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

Good (EARLY) morning to you!

Yes, it is rather early for me to be posting. This is normally the time of day that I work out BUT at about 4:30am I shut the alarm off and decided it was a rest day. I had a hard time falling asleep last night and then didn’t sleep very well (hence waking up at 4:30am). I had planned on swimming some laps this morning, one of absolute favorite types of exercise, but I decided my body needed more rest. Unfortunately, my husband has to get up at 6:00am any way so now I’m awake. I still don’t feel well rested. Sometimes when I don’t work out in the morning I actually feel more tired throughout the day. I hope a shower and some green tea will help perk me up! I use to feel guilty for “skipping” a workout. I also use to be pretty “hardcore” and work out 6 times a week with only one rest day. Now I shoot for working out 5-6 times a week and listen to my body more than my “schedule” of workouts.

Earlier this week I concocted a lunch using quinoa, tomatoes and spinach. I had to use my green smoothie spinach so now I don’t have anything to make green smoothies with! I really truly miss them when I don’t have them. I plan on going to the Co-Op later this week. I hope I can make it!

Have a great Thursday everyone!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged ,

Motivation

Posted on January 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

Hello peeps! Happy Hump Day to you! I don’t know about you but the week always seems to fly after we get through Wednesday. Sorry for not posting yesterday. I was crazy busy at work, then taught a Zumba class at the YMCA, headed home for some dinner, and then had to head back to work for a meeting! I we pretty bushed by the time I got home late at night! My Zumba class was pretty great except for I completely forgot what moves we were suppose to do during part of a song. I literally stopped dancing and just stood there! Fortunately member in the class who is also a Zumba teacher reminded me what to do!

I’m not sure if it was because I worked out last night or because of the bitterly cold weather we are having but I had an awful hard time getting out of bed to go run this morning. People often say to me, “I wish I could be that motivated to work out!” I guess I’ve never really thought about my motivation to exercise because it’s more of a habit then anything else. If I don’t exercise for a few days because I’m ill or on vacation I really start to miss it. “They” (whoever “they” are!) say it takes 21 days to form a habit so I guess motivation is crucial during these 21 days. Despite feeling like exercise is a habit I still need a little motivation, especially when my bed is so warm and cozy!  I have to have a little dialogue in my head. It goes something like this,

Why don’t I feel like running today? Do I truly need a rest day? How many days in a row have I exercised (answer: 3)? Will I have a chance later in the week for a run (answer: no)? How will not running this morning affect my day? My week? My training plan? How will I feel if I don’t run today?

Even after deciding I did in fact want to run once I got to the YMCA I didn’t think I wanted to run my full planned 50 minutes on the dreadmill! So I told myself,

Okay, so maybe you are a little tired. Just do 30 minutes. That’s all you have to do.

I started out and felt like my pace was a little fast, that there was no way I would even last 30 minutes! So I dialed it back. Well, after 30 minutes I still felt good. I kept up my slower pace and went the full 50 minutes. My mileage was a little less then previous runs but I did my whole workout!

So, if you’re just starting out with any exercise program  and feel like you’re losing motivation ask yourself  those questions. If your body is really truly tired and hurting take a rest day! If once you get to the gym or start your workout and you still don’t feel motivated tell yourself you only have to do 10minutes. I bet you’ll end up doing the whole workout!

I off for a little lunch time yoga! Have a good one!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , ,

Green Smoothie Tips

Posted on January 25, 2010 | 5 Comments

Good Monday afternoon everyone! Check out the AWESOME header that Heather from Then Heather Said designed from me. You should really read her blog. She is a wonderful writer and truly shares all her joys and struggles on her blog. Plus she is originally from Wisconsin!

Well, it is my day off from my full-time job but boy have I been busy! It’s 2:00pm and I’m just sitting down to relax! I started off the day with a dentist appointment, yay! Then I returned home to do some weekly cleaning. I worked on some new Zumba moves for tomorrow night’s class and then taught the noon Group Strength class at the Y.

Lot’s of people have asked me about green smoothies. I’ll admit when I first heard about them I was pretty skeptical. Once I started drinking them I became addicted! I’ve even kept drinking them through these chilly winter months. You’s be surprised though how popular they are. Just do a Google search for “Green Smoothie” and see what pops up! There are a couple of reasons one might want to add green vegetables to their fruit smoothies.

1. You get a serving of veggies right off the bat

2. You get tons of energy from the plants because the cell proteins are already broken down in your blender and more easily absorb in the body.

Some tips for first time green smoothie drinkers

1. Use spinach, it seems to be the mildest of the greens. You can also use romaine lettuce but I tend to taste that more

2. Blend your liquid (either cows milk, water, or non-dairy milk, whatever your preference) with your spinach before you add any fruit.

3. I suggest adding at least two types of fruit when you begin. If the green color really bothers you I would suggest black berries. They make it purple! Blue berries and strawberries are good too but they make the smoothie brown and kind of scary looking! Pineapple and bananas are sweeter fruits and will give you a sweet taste but will definitely make your smoothie GREEN!

4. If at least one of fruits is not frozen add some ice. They just taste better icy cold, trust me on this one!

5. If you really need more sweetness to your smoothie add a low-calorie natural sweetener like stevia or agave.

I use my Magic Bullet Blender for smoothies. I know a lot of blogger out there use a Vitamix but I haven’t spent the bucks on that one yet.

Once you start enjoying basic green smoothies you can begin to experiment with adding things or trying new greens like kale or chard! Sometimes I add lemon juice and cayenne pepper because the act as cleansing agents. One of my most favorite green smoothie websites is The Green Monster Movement started by Angela at Oh She Glows check out booth sites for some great ideas!

Well, that’s all from me for now! I still have to shower and finish planning my Zumba class for tomorrow! Have a great Monday!

→ 5 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged ,

Running + Yoga = Energy!

Posted on January 24, 2010 | 2 Comments

I was just dragging today! I have no idea why! I got enough sleep ate a healthy breakfast, drank some green tea but was still a big sleepy head. I had planned on running on treadmill at the YMCA and then hitting up the 4pm Yoga class with the AWESOME instructor I had last week. As I sat at home doing laundry and play on the web I began thinking, “Maybe I shouldn’t run, I’m so tired!” But, I went any way and do you know what? I felt AWESOME! I did the same run I did on Friday and it didn’t feel nearly as painful! I don’t know if it was because I was on a different treadmill with a better fan system or because I was wearing a tank instead of a t-shirt but 5miles just flew by! I then did a quick shower and changed into my yoga clothes. Yoga was awesome too! I was really in the zone. I was even able to hold the balancing poses the whole time!

It’s funny what you crave when you are being your healthiest. Towards the end of yoga I was getting a little hungry and I thought, “Boy would some raw veggies and hummus be good!” I snacked that when I got home.

I’ll admit I’m a little tired now. The hubby is currently making some fish he just caught and I’m sipping some tea. Perfect end to a great Sunday and the perfect start to a busy week!

Technorati Tags: ,,

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Chilling out on a Sunday Morning!

Posted on January 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

Hello friends!

I hope you’re all having a good weekend.  The class I attended for my Masters program was AWESOME! It’s a really intense and long day but the things we learn and the ideas we discuss are GREAT! I wasn’t the only with healthy eats in mind. Another classmate brought a ton of veggies and some really yummy hummes, way better than mine! I hope to get the recipe from her too! I felt pretty good about the choices I made as far as eating at class goes but then the hubby and I hooked up with some friends and ate pizza and drank some beer! This morning I moved on with of course at green smoothie which contained:

  • 1C water
  • Spinach
  •  Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 pear
  • 1C frozen pineapple

Very Green! I also had some oats

  • 1 C of water
  • 1/2 c of oats
  • 1/2 c milk

Topped with

  • Almond butter
  • Ground flax seeds

I still feel pretty tired from my class yesterday and since we sat most of the day I’m looking forward to a nice run and some yoga later in the day. Okay, so I’m probably looking more forward to yoga than running! Last Sunday it was nice enough and the sidewalks were clear enough that I ran outside but today it’s raining/snowing so I’ll be treadmilling it! Other plans include church and laundry, perfect relaxing Sunday if you ask me! Have a good one!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , ,

Veggies Veggies Everywhere!

Posted on January 22, 2010 | 2 Comments

Happy Friday everyone!

Food

I’m having a very veggie day! I started off with a green smoothie which contained:

  • Spinach
  • Skim milk
  • Lemon juice
  • A pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Group flax seeds
  • Frozen pineapple
  • 1 large banana

Delicious! I had to take my doggie to the vet over my lunch hour so I picked up a veggie delight sub from Subway. It had:

  • Lettuce
  • Spinach
  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumbers
  • Green peppers
  • Banana pepper
  • Jalapeno peppers
  • Vinegar
  • Oil

And I added my homade hummes for some protein! Veggies make me feel so good! Especially after my workout this morning

Fitness

The past few years I’ve slacked off on my running during the winter. I just don’t like running on a treadmill and the weather is too crazy to run outside, plus it is still dark when I like to work out at 6am. This year I made a promise to myself not to let my running fall by the wayside. About mid February I get the itch to run again and then have to build back up to a 5K (3.2mile) distance. Before all the bad weather came I was running 5-6 miles at a time, I just didn’t want to start over. So, to keep myself interested in running and the treadmill I’ve been doing the  PodRunner   Freeway to 10K Interval Series. This is a great FREE download for anyone just starting to run (they have a 5K program as well) or for someone who wants to improve their running speed and fitness level. I found that after doing the 5K series my pace was a lot faster. The music is all electronic but it keeps you moving and you don’t have to look at a timer to see when to shift from running to walking the music tells you when to do it! You also get tips from Coach Jenny Hadfield. I’m about 4 weeks into the program (had to start over due to the holidays) Todays workout consisted of:

  • 5 minute warm up
  • (6) 6 minute run/1 minute walk intervals
  • 3 minute cool down

For a total of 50 minutes, almost 5 miles, and 650 calories burned! I’ll admit the run was not easy today. I did the same workout outside on Sunday and it went by so quick. Today the gym felt really warm. I got hot and sweaty pretty quick and couldn’t wait for it to be over. But I did it and felt great!

Tip for social eating situations

Tonight I have class for my Masters program from 5:30pm-10:00pm and then again tomorrow all day. I LOVE my classes. Part of the class is a tradition iwhere most people bring some type of food to share during the weekend. There is all kinds of delicious food, not to mention we often order out or go out for lunch on Saturday. These types of situations use to cause me a lot of stress and anxiety. I use to tell myself, “You CAN’T eat this or that.”  “You SHOULDN’T eat too much!” Well, guess what I ended up doing? I ate WAY too much and then felt guilty. Here are some of my new thoughts going into the situation

  • How will I feel physically after eating some of this food?
  • Will it help me stay alert and focused during the lecture?
  • Will I feel bloated and uncomfortable while sitting in class?
  • Is this something I REALLY want or do I just want to eat because I’m bored/tired/everyone else is eating it?

If I REALLY want something I will eat it, especially if it is something I don’t normally make myself. I generally will stay away from crackers, chips, and processed food because well, who needs them! Homemade cookies on the other hand…now that’s a different story! I also prepared a veggie tray and my homemade hummes. I’ll also be brining Stacy’s Pita Chips . These are SO good! Here’s my recipe for hummes:

Ingredients

  • 1 can of garbanzo beans (reserve liquid in a separate glass)
  • 2 TBSP Lemon Juice
  • 1 TBSP of Olive Oil
  • 1 TBSP of creamy peanut butter (I use this instead of Tahini)
  • Minced garlic to tasted

Directions

  • Blend all ingredients in a food processor except for the reserved liquid. Add the liquid while blending until mixture reaches the desired consistency.

That’s it! Hope you all have a good weekend! I probably won’t write much as I’ll be busy with class!

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , ,

Everything in Moderation

Posted on January 21, 2010 | 1 Comment

So I bet your are just dying to know what the terrible, awful, very bad, not good food I ate last night was. Well, I’ll tell you. It was….

2lbs of Chicken Wings,

1 Pitcher of Beer AND

LOADED Nachos!

No! I didn’t eat all that by myself! The husband and I split it, and I’m sure he ate more than me. This is pretty much the worst thing I eat EVER. My philosophy is 80/20 (sometimes 90/10). I eat really clean and good 80-90 percent of the time. The other 10-20 percent I indulge in what ever craving my body is wanting. Why do I do this you may ask? Well, before quitting my 15 year relationship with Weight Watchers I was plagued by the constant voice in my head that said, “Don’t eat too much…you’re going out to dinner.” Or “Crap! You ate a few wings and nachos I guess you better eat like crap for the rest of the week!” I think that the problem with this way of thinking is it leads to a starvation/binge way of thinking. Saving “points” (starving your self) and then feeling guilt for having used so many “points” (binge) which leads to eating more or trying to starve yourself again. Yesterday I exercised, had my normal breakfast, a lighter lunch (I went to yoga over my lunch hour so ate late and wanted to be hungry enough to enjoy dinner), ate my wings and nachos but not until the point that I was stuffed. I enjoyed them! They were yummy and it was nice to go on a date in the middle of the week. I didn’t try to counter act my unhealthy dinner by starving myself today or continuing to binge. We walked the dog when we got home and I had a cup of tea and went to bed. When I woke up this morning I didn’t feel guilty or the need to “blow my diet” for the rest of the week. I just went about my day, exercised, drank a green smoothie, and ate healthy clean foods the rest of today. This is truly a new way of thinking for me. Let me tell you, the freedom from the mind games feels WONDERFUL. I haven’t even given a second thought to what the scale might say because quiet frankly I haven’t been weighing myself but once a month. My jeans still fit and that’s all I need to know.

What are your thoughts on eating in moderation?

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , ,