Favorites Friday

Happy Friday!

Today's Favorites include:

1. I love getting a really good massage... so today I did. It was relaxing and helpful the really sore back I have had for two days.

2. Having a really good talk with my Granny Barb. She is always so supportive.

3. Watching a feel good Disney movie and relaxing.

Source: profile.ak.fbcdn.net via Hannah on Pinterest

4. When Coworkers bring me fresh Vegetables!

I can't wait to see what kind of recipes I can find to make use of this zucchini.

Do you like Zucchini? What should I do with it?

100 day Challenge

30 Minute Walk

Don't Beat Yourself Up

Yesterday my plan was to get home from work and rest for a few hours before meeting my group that I run with. I knew I was going to go early to get in some added miles. I needed to run a total of 7 to be on my running plan for the Chicago Marathon. I arrived at the parking lot around 5:15 and I got out my trusty water bottle, filled it with nice and set off around 5:20.

I started at Burr and headed south toward Crown Point. I was planning to run 3.0 miles total before my group started at 6pm. 1.5 miles from Burr is just past the Rt 30 under pass along the bike trail. The heat was really bad from just before the underpass and also just past the underpass. After 1.5 miles I really started to feel it. As  turned around to walk for about 30 seconds I was completely miserable. My stomach was feeling funny and the further I pushed on the more it cramped. When I got back to the parking lot at Burr street I was a mess. Luckily another good running friend Dan showed up right then. I was telling him how hard the first 3 miles were. I was planning to go another 7 with Dan. Another runner Thomas also showed up  as we were talking about the miserable heat.

Pretty sure I looked like this guy

As we stood there to see if any other runners were going to brave the heat I began to feel worse and worse. I tried eating some ice, drinking water and nothing was working. I even got into my car and let some cool air blow on my face. Eventually I gained some composure and I walked slightly over 1 mile with Thomas. I have never really had a day when running hit me this hard. The heat just really took its toll on me. It really got me to thinking about how every run is different and every day is different. We really cannot be so hard on ourselves. I decided once I pulled out of the parking lot to head home that was it. I was moving past the run and looking onto the next one. We can't dwell on these little things. Not everything is always going to be perfect....

So remember don't beat yourself up. Stride on.

100 Day Challenge (Day 88)
3.0 Mile Run
1.20 Mile Walk

Are you committed or interested?

This morning I read this....

Source: transition.inov-8.com via inov-8 on Pinterest

I also woke up this morning and there was still no power. I was forced into using my phone as a light as I tried to navigate through my kitchen to get some food together for the day without having to open my refrigerator.

I was able to pour my oatmeal that I could make at work and my banana. I am so grateful that Dunkin Donuts has fat free milk and yummy coffee 24 hours a day!

I ended up with this for lunch after making a quick stop to the Meijer's on Route 30 (thank god they are open 24 hours)

I can honestly say before I was committed I would not have done most of this. I would have hit up fast food twice in one day. I still am able to plan for two healthy meals and have no excuses to make the best of this day.

Are you committed or interested in making this day a success?

100 Day Challenge Day 87
Does cleaning up a bunch of branches that fell in your yard count?
Back on the wagon today.

Rules to Live By

Today I saw this from one of the most famous trainers around and one of my favorites...

Source: amazon.com via Deanna on Pinterest

I really think there are many truths with this list. So here are a few more tips from his tips that I thought of as I was reading this....

1. Drink a large glass of water before each meal. I think what he is means here is stay hydrated. If you are feeling really hungry before a meal drinking the water will help your body decide how hungry it really is.

2. Don't drink your calories. Ok sometimes we do. It isn't always going to be possible. However we can limit it by not having things such as lemonade but adding lemons to water.

3. Protein... very important. Just remember it doesn't have to be from an animal it can be from many sources like greek yogurt.

4. Slash the flour... go whole wheat. It is so much better for you.

5. Fiber.... will help you from feeling hungry.

6. Eat apples and berries everyday... why not? Enjoy them in new ways.

7. No carbs after lunch... This is debatable. Just make sure you are being smart about your carbs after lunch. Really fuel on smart carbs

8. Read food labels.... I suggest before you even put them in your cart at the story.

9. Stop guessing portion sizes. MEASURE IT OUT! Get a scale and learn to love your measuring cups.

10. No artificial sweeteners. I really due believe there are ways to limit these as much as possible. For example limit your diet soda intake and drink more water.

11. Ger rid of white potatoes... honestly I am not sure I agree 100%. I do think there are other options like sweet potatoes that due provide better nutrition for our bodies. I think the key is to limit them.

12. Make one day meatless... this really can make you feel really good and allows you to get creative with your meals at least one day per week.

13. Ger rid of fast and fried foods.... I do agree. Try to limit the fast food as much as you can. If you are going to eat fast food be smart about it. Plan ahead and select the best options.

14. Eat a real breakfast... totally agree 100%. Starting the day off right will fuel a better rest of the day. If you are not a breakfast person find something you do like and stick with it.

15.  Eat at home more... I do agree with this. Get more creative If you love pizza instead of going out create something really good at home.
16. Banish high salt foods.. it isn't good for you. Limit them.

17. Eat your vegetables... really do it. Try new ones or new ways to enjoy the ones you know you love.

18. Go to bed hungry... I think what this really means is not to stuff yourself at dinner. Spread it out throughout the day. You don't have to eat 90% of your intake at dinner.

19. Sleep right. I truly believe cutting the caffeine and being prepare will help with this.

20. Plan one splurge mean per week..... Just plan for events or one day to really enjoy something you like. Don't limit everything. Enjoy something if you really want it. Just put it down and make yourself aware of it.

What do you think of Bob's rules? Do you have more rules we should add to live by?

100 Day Challnge
Day 86 (Monday July 23rd)
A very busy day. Took a short walk at lunch time.

Mudathlon 2012 Recap

Mudathlon 2012

3 Miles
40 Obstacles
1:25
A Muddy good Time

100 Day Challenge
Saturday: Pre Mud Run 6 Miles 57 Minutes

Sunday: 14 Mile Long Run for Chicago Marathon Training







My team met up in Valparaiso early. You have to ride a hay ride back into the farm area where they hold the race. We checked in and also went to gear check. We all had different start times but since several of us had 9AM we decided to start at 9M.

Our team plan was to stick together, help each other and cross the finish line together.

The obstacles and mud started pretty quickly. Some of the obstacles were a little tougher than I anticipated. Mile 1 came and we are shouted only 2 more to go. Our friend Angie was waiting for her team to start and she snapped a photo of all of us.











Over hay bales, Over fences, through tires, down a fire pole, water, mud, water mud... mud and more mud. Then we made it to the famous slide where a friend caught up with us.

I was having so much fun

So 40 obstacles and just over 3 miles... we hit the final stage of the famous mud pit and were able to collect these well deserved treats. We laughed, slung mud, helped each other, and all finished. We had a blast. The best part is what we all had smiles on our faces and really lived up to our name "MudAnimals"

I haven't been this sore in a really long time. Proof that even I could use more cross and strength training. The one thing I can say is that I can't wait to do this again... I mean look how happy I am.

What is the last really crazy fun thing you did?

Friday Favorites

Every Friday I will start sharing some favorites so here is favorites Friday for July 20th

This Guy: My step Dad Tony
Yesterday was his birthday. I know I mentioned him on Father's Day but here is a shout out to the best step father a girl could ask for. Honestly I am so lucky to have him in my life. He one of the most supportive and reliable people I know. He is always willing to do whatever he can for me. There are not enough words for me to even explain how amazing he is. I hope he had an awesome birthday since I wasn't able to be there to celebrate.










Yummy Food:

I saw this article today form Eat this Not that about grilling fruits. All of these ideas sounds AMAZING. I love fruit and I love cooking on my grill. I am really excited to try some of the ideas. I really like the idea most of grilling the strawberries and cantaloupe on skewers... maybe with some chicken. I also love the idea with the bananas. Although instead of ice cream I was thinking I bet that would also be good with some vanilla yogurt or Greek yogurt with cinnamon.


Doing Something a Little Crazy:
Tomorrow I am doing this: I love running and I also love taking on a new challenge. Although this is not exactly a true running event but something I am going to do for good times with friends. I am really excited. Stay tuned for the race recap sometime Saturday or Sunday.

What are you loving these days? Would you do something crazy like the mudathlon?


100 Day Challenge
Day 81 July 26th
4 Mile Run

Friendship 5K Race Recap

Friendship 5K

Dowling Park

Hammond, IN

Warm Up
1.35 Mile
12:22

Race Results

3.10 Miles

25:49

2nd place in age group

91st overall
(100 day challenge Day 80 Check)


I really enjoyed this race once again this year. I did just shy of 1 minute faster than I did last year. Last year I also finished 2nd in my age group and I finished 26:44 so just a few seconds shy of a full minute. The heat was much worse last year so I was thankful we had some relief this evening. This race does something slightly different than most by having the Men and Women start 5 minutes apart. I am not sure if I like it or not but I did start counting how many men I was passing to try to take my mind off of the race but then I lost count...

The first mile seemed to fly by before I knew it they said 8:10 and I thought ok if you can just keep this up for another mile.
Once we hit the 2nd loop of the race I knew what to expect so I was feeling good about where I stood. I just kept focusing on a new person in front of me. I love when people wear really bright clothing because it gives me something to focus on other than where I am in the race. Many people do not like races that give have to do the same loop twice especially when the race is so short. I found this worked really well to my advantage today. I knew that the race was flat and where there was some downhill for relief. Even with the heat I didn't really feel hit me as hard as it has at some other races. I think the slight breeze we had provided just enough relief for me.

Then I hit mile two and I knew exactly what the course was to get to the finish so I just kept focusing on pushing myself and getting to the finish. There was a final water stop around the 2.70 mile marker and that is where a really great runner Frank Johnson picked me up and pushed me really hard to the finish. I almost never push myself that hard to a finish but with Frank there I really felt like I could do it. The last thing he said was put your head down and move those arms to the finish and catch her. I was really pushing myself hard to catch the girl in front of me. I didn't catch her but at the finish we gave each other a high five. She said thanks for pushing me and I said right back at you. I love that the running community is so supportive. I knew that this was my best 5K time by far. Previous to this race my best was just over 26 minutes. I really have no idea what made this race go so well but I felt really good.

The next best part about this race... Free Pizza and Beer with friends afterwards
















What is it that can make a race feel so good? What will you be proud of today?

You Must Make Changes...

Something I learned fairly quickly when I joined weight watchers was this...

Source: cambraerose.tumblr.com via Deanna on Pinterest

There are so many changes that I have made in my life and here are some of the biggest changes I have noticed about myself  that I never thought twice about before I joined weight watchers...

~Eat Breakfast from McDonald's or other fast food places

~Drink Diet Soda and Iced Coffee from Dunkin Donuts or anywhere else is not the best choices for you.


~I rarely avoid a work out/run. There are no weather conditions I cannot bare... even in 100 degree weather I can find a way to get it done.
(100 Day Challenge Day 79: 6 Mile Run Indiana Dunes State Park)





~You can make healthy options that taste really good like... Taco Cupcakes!

~Eat whatever I want whenever I want


~Order French Fries... (This is not always avoided but 9 times out of 10 I choose something else)

~Prepare healthy lunches for myself before leaving home

~Looking at nutritional facts of foods in much more detail. Truly educating myself about exactly what I am eating as much as I can.

~Eating less food from "boxes" and containers

~Keeping track of everything you eat is what keeps you on track.

~There are no excuses they are just excuses.

~Vacation is not a free for all.

~Thanksgiving does not have to mean eating until you cannot possibly eat anymore









~Christmas cookies can be given away and not left in my house.

~I can donate to the girl scouts without having those cookies in my house.

~I shouldn't be eating the same amount of food as my boyfriend. There is a reason women and men have different nutritional needs.

What are some of the key changes you have made since starting your new path to a healthy life?
~

Perspective

Do you ever actually think about what you're eating?

Well look at this picture and really think about how you feel about the food you are actually putting into your mouth...

I really believe if I learned anything from weight watchers and my weight loss journey is that eating meal one is not only bad for your health but really what does it do for your nutritionally. Really start paying attention to the decisions you are making and choose wisely...

100 Day Challenge Day 78
30 Minute Scorching hot walk
The heat is really a killer these days.

What choices are you willing to change this week?

Work hard and Earn the Sweep

One of the most difficult steps in the healthy lifestyle is loving yourself enough and working harder. It never seems to get easier. I often tell weight watcher members to remember how important they are. You are an extremely important person to someone but you have love yourself just as much as you love them. Make your food choices and your work outs important. The one thing I have loved about becoming a runner is really seeing what I am capable of.

The last few days have been great...
Friday we enjoyed a nice relaxing afternoon together. I had to leave work early so our freezer could be delivered and I got a ton of errands and cleaning done around the house.

Saturday morning I had to work until around 9:45. Since I didn't think it was the best idea to not eat anything before I ran 6 miles I tried another protein bar.

I have been doing a lot of sampling of different bars and I think I have narrowed it down to some favorites. Saturday I tried this one:

I like that this bar has so much protein but I think I need more carbs than protein before a good run. The taste was slightly better than some of the others I tried. It was the same weight watcher points as most of the bars with a value of 5 points plus.


After escaping work I enjoyed a nice 6 mile run with some friends at the Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton. I even took a quick dip in the water. Felt amazing.

Saturday I celebrated the 8th anniversary of my first date with this guy. I <3 him.

Sunday I headed out in the morning to meet the Opportunity Enterprises Chicago Marathon training group. I enjoyed 9 miles with my friend Ken. We didn't push too hard. I never stop by watch during our water breaks and we still finished in under 1 hour and 30 minutes so I was very happy with that. I have really been focusing on the not over training this year. I have been taking my runs easier and not pushing myself too hard. I do think that this weeks run could have been better if I had not "celebrated" as much the night before. Only 83 more days until the Chicago Marathon!

I enjoyed a nice relaxing Sunday hanging out. I even made this:

The salad contains: 2 containers strawberries, 2 containers raspberries, 1 container blueberries, 1 peach, 1 plum. I will eat on this all week. I love how convenient it is.

Oh and my Reds did this... 


1st place baby! I love baseball!

How was your weekend?

Pop, Soda, Coke

In different parts of the country we call it something different but what it all boils down to is that in the U.S. every year we drink a lot of sugar filled drinks... Today I saw this:

I honestly can't say I was shocked to see this. In fact I started really looking into the amount of calories we spend drinking sugar filled drinks and found out from WebMD that calories from beverages for Americans make up about 21% of our calories consumed. WebMD also suggest drinking the diet with the artificial sweeteners aren't any better. This really started to make me think. I have heard a lot lately about the addictions by people to their pop. Honestly this one hits home for me. I grew up in house where we had more pop available to us than most adolescents. My step-dad worked for 7Up then Pepsi during my youth. We always had free stuff coming in the door. Even if it wasn't pop it was many other sugar filled drinks. For myself I have found it was easier to give it up than I thought but I had to have some substitutes to just drinking plain water. Here are a few I really  like:

1. Tea: I even bought a new tea maker this weekend. I love tea and with a good lemon wedge I don't even need sweetener Tea also comes in many flavor
2. Carbonated water: I really  enjoy the key lime flavor sold by 12 pack cases at Wal-mart. There are also other stores that really carry some good flavor. One of things that I have come to learn is that I really just love the carbonation from the pop. This really is a good alternative because it has no caffeine or sugar. 3. Smoothies: There are so many variations and so many different ways. I really love to make them out of:
Fat Free Milk or Yogurt, Protein Powders, and Fresh or Frozen Fruit (the frozen works well because then you don't even need ice)

Do you drink pop or what is your favorite replacement?  

Get Moving

Today I saw this picture:

It really got me thinking because next week weight watchers launches their active link device. It is one of the most exciting additions to our program. I never knew what a difference it would make for even someone as active as I am it can be a struggle for me to get to 100% everyday...

I had a few days that were just harder than others. I did get very close on a few days though. The best part is that the active link measures you. I also like it because we can do the activities we enjoy the most.

100 Day Challenge
Day 71 (July 9th) 30 Minute Walk
Day 72 (July 10th) Bridges Scoreboard Tour De Griffith (5 miles)
Day 73: (July 11th) Schererville Group Run 4 miles

What steps are you going to take to push your activity?

And We're Back

Summer time=Fun Times!!

So a short vacation was needed. Rest, Running and Sun. It was slightly difficult to start because we had to attend to some personal family stuff. The best part though is being able to be home in Cincinnati for such an extended period of time.

I had to have one of these of course:

And eat some of this with  my BFF...

Spent lots of time with these girls...

Jenna, Me, Mom, Kristen

We saw these guys in concert....

Tim McGraw

Kenny Chesney

I also spent a lot of time with this cutie... She is getting so big and she always reminds me of how time flies. We really should cherish every moment.

Day 61: (June 28th) Forced to take the day off for family reasons

Day 62 :(June 29th) 3 miles of SUPER HARD HILLS. Friday's on marathon training require however since I missed Thursday I went ahead and did my 3...  Then I swam and chased my niece around the pool my mom goes to. 

Day 63: (June 30th): 6 Miles of Sweat and tree limbs. It stormed pretty hard Friday in Cincinnati so there pieces of trees all over the bike trail near my parents home. 

Day 64:(July 1)  11 Mile Run with this girl... Meet Hillary. We went to high school together and she just started running and eating better to develop a healthy lifestyle. She even signed up for the Chicago marathon. She is an amazing inspiration to anyone who thinks they can't run. We have known each other since elementary school and running brought us together on Sunday Morning. 

Day 65: (July 2) Bike 8 miles near my parents house

Day 66: (July 3) A hilly 3 mile run... that passed by a horse farm... not a good thing on a hot day

Day 67: (July 4) Started the 4th our with  A VERY sweaty 6 mile run near my parents house. Then mom cooked some really good Chicken and we had fruit and apple pie. I had to have a sliver because it was the 4th!

Day 67: (July 5) The heat was impossible to take and then we lost power... This is the day I realized I had really just plain forgotten about Weight watchers and needed to focus on getting back on trauck

Day 68: (July 6) Mass Cleaning because it was wayyy too hot to be outside... tracked every single bite of food and finally started to feel focused again. 

Day 69: (July 7) 6 Mile Run with a good friend at Dunes State Park... we even took a dip in the lake... felt awesome! A new week began. I weighed myself and began to asses the damage my "vacation" really did. 

Day 70: (July 8) 12 Mile Run with the Lake County OE Chicago Marathon Training Group

Later tonight I am headed to one of my favorite 5K's... Did you beat the heat or did it beat you?