April Already?!

How is it that I completely missed the month of March?? Happy April 1st everyone!
 
Today I am starting the New Rules of Lifting for Women program (fitness only) and continuing with my nutrition plan from my RD, Carly. One of my New Years Resolutions was to add more strength training to my workout routine. Two days a week I was taking a half hour class at the gym, but heard a lot of good reviews of this book and program and decided to check it out. I will lift 2-3 days a week and stick to cardio (mostly running) the other 2-3 days.
 
I also wanted to share a recipe that I made over the weekend. I originally found the recipe through Pinterest, but am interested in the Shrinking Jeans community which seems like a great place to find fitness and nutrition advice!
 
These Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins took only minutes to throw together (minus an hour of letting oats soak in milk). I love oats. And I love cinnamon. These muffins came out moist and delicious and make a great pairing with some greek yogurt for breakfast. The only modifications I made were to add a dash (or two) of cinnamon to the dry ingredients and I used 3-4 packets of Splenda mixed with cinnamon for the topping instead of sugar. The recipe only makes 12, so if the Boyfriend ends up enjoying these I'll probably double the recipe in the future.
 

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup nonfat milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites (I’ve used EggBeaters)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
raisins or nuts (optional but I haven’t used either yet)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Soak the oats in milk for an hour. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Combine the oat mixture with the applesauce and egg whites, and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients (except the cinnamon and sugar) together. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined. Add nuts or raisins if desired. Do not over mix the batter or the muffins will be tough. Spoon muffin mixture into muffin pan. Combine the cinnamon and sugar and top each muffin with some of the mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. These can also be frozen and reheated in the microwave for a quick breakfast.

Number of Servings: 12
Calories: 92
Fat: .5
Protein: 2.9 g
WW Points: 1

Running and Disordered Eating

Just wanted to promote this really awesome article in Runner's World on disordered eating.

Like eating disorders, disordered eating, restrictive eating, and anorexia athletica (sports anorexia) are serious issues that need awareness and education.

There is a stigma in our society in talking about mental health issues, but if you or someone you know are exhibiting signs or symtpoms of an eating disorder, disordered eating, or anorexia athletica, I urge you to seek help.

This issue means a lot to me on a very personal level. It is incredibly easy to fall into habits that can spiral out of control. Seek help and listen to those who love you and care about you.

Running through Grief

I lost a very dear friend at the beginning of this month. It has been a painful experience to say the least. It was sudden, unexpected, and hit me awfully hard.

A week after her passing I was signed up for my first race of the year - the Virginia is For Lovers 14k in Virginia Beach, VA. I didn't want to run. I didn't want to eat. I didn't want to do anything that whole week leading up to the race. The night before the run, I said some extra prayers and made a committment to run this race for her. She was always one of my biggest supporters, encouraging and guiding me through some hard decisions.

I ended up having one of the best runs of my life that day. I didn't hurt, I didn't walk, I didn't doubt myself. I finished that race 8 minutes under my goal time with a smile on my face.

Most days I wake up and think about what I'm going to be eating, what workouts I will do, what the scale is going to say, and I make myself crazy over those details. And I probably will always worry about those things, to some extent. Over the last few weeks though, I have been finding more joy in my running. I feel a sense of peace when I tie up my sneakers and hit the road. Running outside, in the cold, with the sun on my face, I feel calm.

Take the time to do a workout you enjoy. Before, I would do a long run because I felt I had to. I would take a class because I felt like I needed to burn more calories, even if I wasn't having fun. I want to have fun when I work out. It is my time, for my soul and my body. And I won't take one more day  for granted.

A Day in the Life

So since I have been mostly posting about my workout routines and plans, I thought I would do something different.

Working with Carly (my Registered Dietitian) since July, I have learned a lot and made a lot of strides with my relationship with food. 

I used to be a severe restrictive eater. Not anorexic, but I grew to fear certain food groups (oh, carbs). I bought into the hype that carbs are bad and will keep me fat. As I mentioned when I began this blog, I once did the "Carb Addicts Diet" while I was living in Minnesota. I didn't know enough about proper nutrition to realize that although I thought it was healthy, most days I would be consuming WAY less than 1,000 calories a day. I was doing more harm than good. Between my own research and working with professionals, I have finally found a balance in my eating life where I can eat all the food groups without any guilt. Okay, well if you know me you know that isn't entirely true, there are still some guilt issues. 

Since I have lost about 15 pounds since I started working with Carly- my biggest drop since the fall of 2011 - I decided to post pictures of what an average day for me is like. I was inspired by a friend who had a project for class to post pictures of what she was eating. I am using photos and including times for what it would be like for a week day, since that is when I am most consistent.

I want my readers to understand and accept that food is delicious. Food is medicine. It nourishes and fuels us. I still eat out and have my own "guilty" pleasures that would not be considered health food. But I eat balanced meals and snacks and eat enough to fuel my body for the busy life I lead. 

Here are the pictures!

6:30-7:00am - Breakfast - Overnight Oats 

For my breakfast I mix together the night before:
1/2 cup oats
4 ounces 0% plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 packet splenda
1/4 cup water

In the morning it gets nice and gooey and tastes delicious. If you don't like hot oatmeal, try this! It is thick and gooey like cookie dough.


10:30am - AM Snack -1 orange (or apple), 2 Low Fat/Part Skim String Cheese, 2 Rye Wasa Crackers

1:00pm - Lunch - Sandwich Thin (Wheat with Flax) and 3 ounces Turkey breast, Side salad of Spinach, Romaine, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and 2 tbsp Reduced Fat dressing, 1 piece of fruit (this day I had strawberries in my salad)

3:30pm - PM Snack - 6 ounce 0% greek yogurt and Almonds
 

6:00pm - Dinner - 3 ounces of lean protein (splurging and having yummy sirloin here), 1 cup of starch (wheat pasta), 1 cup+ veggies (steamed green beans)

Not pictured, but just as important is beverages. One important part of my plan with Carly is that I have 1 cup of skim or 1%  milk every morning. I'm not a milk drinker so I drink that as soon as I get up in the morning to get it out of the way. Then I have around 1-1 1/2 cups of coffee. I put 2 rounds of the Keurig in a thermos and lug it to work. In my coffee I put 1 tbsp non-fat creamer and 2-3 splenda packets. The rest of the day is nothing but water. I have a 22 ounce water bottle and I fill it up 3-4 times during the day and evening. With dinner I let myself have 1 can of diet soda. Usually diet Coke or Pepsi Max. 

So there is an example of a day in the life of my nutrition. Other snacks I love during the day are celery or broccoli and hummus, air popped popcorn, FiberOne granola bars, and mixed nuts. I still make room for dinners like my families famous Kielbasa and Noodle casserole and taco night with Russ, but I watch portions and always pair things with a small side salad full of veggies. 

Thanks for checking in and reading, please feel free to leave comments or questions. :)

Looking for Muscle

One of my goals for 2013 is to add more strength training and weight training to my routine. This week I did 3 days of strength training and 4 days of cardio. Nothing crazy, some simple weight routines of bicep curls, tricep extensions, chest press, chest fly, and shoulder press. I should note that I don't use any of the weight machines in the gym, I use the free weightsI added that to some body weight exercises of squats, lunges, calf raises, burpees, and pushups. Cardio hasn’t changed much, I ran 2 days and did spin 2 days. The other addition I’ve made back in to my life is the awesome JCore workouts. The 20 minute workouts still kick my butt and since they are body weight based I am hopeful they will add to my strength building.

Today (Friday) will be a rest/yoga day and tomorrow I’m planning on a longer training run of 5-5.5 miles. I am about a month away from my first race of 2013, the Virginia is for Lovers 14k!

I won’t be seeing Carly til the end of the month, so I’m going to be up in the air about how much Christmas weight was gained/lost for a few more weeks. I will have to focus on how my body feels and how my clothes are fitting. It does feel good to be eating back on a regulated, consistent plan. Also, I’m pretty overjoyed to not have any more cookies in my house! ;)

Here’s a workout I’ve done twice so far since New Years that has kicked my butt pretty hard. All you need is a jump rope, but you can “jump rope” mimicking the movement if you don’t have one.

No-Excuses Workout (from FitSugar)

Warmup: Do each move for 1 minute

-          High Knees

-          Jumping Jacks

-          Run in Place

-          Jump Rope

-          Skip in Place

Workout: Repeat each Circuit 3 times before moving to the next Circuit

Circuit 1: 20 Squats, 15 Squat Jumps, 10 Burpees

Circuit 2: 20 Mountain Climbers, 15 Push-Ups, 10 Bridges

Circuit 3: 20 Alternating Lunges, 15 Plié Squats, 10 Calf Raises

Core Work: Do each move for 1 minute

-          Russian Twist

-          Elbow Plank

-          Bicycle Crunches

-          Superman

Proud of 2012

As the holidays come to a close and all the New Years Resolutions start flying around, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the good things that happened this past year fitness and health wise! Especially as I start the un-fun task of undoing Christmas vacation week damage.

In 2012 I....

Joined a new gym with my boyfriend
Started going to a new spin studio with my boyfriend and co-workers
Ran 7 races: 4 5k's, 1 5-miler, 1 10-miler and my very first Half-Marathon!!
Started working with an awesome Registered Dietitian on overcoming my issues with food
Completed the 40 day JCORE workout program - losing over 8lbs in the process
Bought my first pairs of size Medium and size 12 clothing
Saw the scale drop into the 180's for the first time in well over a decade

All of those accomplishments make me feel so proud and I am confident that I will not only undo my bit of Holiday bloat but keep pushing closer to my goal. 2013 has a lot of healthy things in store for me, I can feel it!

In 2013 I would like to....

Complete another 40 days of the JCORE program
Add more strength/weight training to my weekly routine
Beat 2012's Broad Street Run time
Run another Half-Marathon (or two!)
Run 1 race per month for the whole year
Continue to make progress with Carly and work on my relationship with food and the scale
Be in the 170 range by my birthday
Be happy with myself


If you take the time to read my ramblings here, I want you to know how much I appreciate your support. Thanks and have a happy and healthy New Year!