HAPPY 2013
It's gonna be a good year, I can feel it.
I know that I've disappeared for a while ::slaps own hand::.
I lost my blogging desire...hell, I lost a lot of my running desire. Things got a little out of control towards the end of 2012. But, like most slackers, with the switch to a new year, comes the need to change oneself and get back on track. This means setting goals, changing my diet, getting back to an exercise routine, blogging more frequently and bettering myself in other ways outside of fitness and health.
So the big changes ahead of me...
1.) Starting the Paleo/Primal Diet. Monday's the day, so I'll blog more on this topic later (I'm working on that post already). It's time to get my carb/sugar fetish under control because it's been so out of control for so long that it makes me physically sick. It's time to get moving to a more whole foods, healthier lifestyle. Time to lose some more lbs. Time to get my energy back. It's just damn time for some change fronds. So much more to talk about and discuss, but we'll get into that later... so come back soon!
2.) Training for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon starts in early February. Time to get back to it. My goal is to do better than I did last year. This should not be a problem. I'm not going to over train like I did previously and I'm going to take care of my body better with the proper fuel, rest and recovery. I will also plan on doing other races in 2013, but haven't quite worked out my schedule yet. I'm sure a post will come along regarding my race schedule.
3.) Hot yoga at Yoga Flow in the South Hills a minimum of once a week, but preferably twice a week. I started taking yoga recently and it has done wonderful, wonderful things for both my mind and my body. It's really hard to explain how much it affects me, but I love it. I never dread going to class. I look forward to it before hand, enjoy it during and feel like a million bucks after. It's fabulous. My strength has increased, my flexibility is better and most important to my running, my hips are becoming stronger and more flexible. If you remember my IT band has been an ongoing issue. My physical therapist told me that one of the main reasons I experience pain is because my hips are so tight, so they put major strain on my knees. And boy oh boy are they tight. I can't even get into certain poses during class because of how tight they are. So hopefully yoga will do good things for my running, my body and my mental health. All good things fronds!
4.) Tracking my workouts on daily mile. This means tracking volleyball, running, yoga and whatever else I decide to do this year. I want to have something to visually view my progress, especially at the end of 2013. This will also keep me honest because I won't want to look like a total slacker!
5.) Take better care of my hair and nails. I love nail polish but my nails are a train wreck. So I'm working on taking better care of them and also painting them more frequently. Seems like a silly change, but I hate when my nails look like a little boys (haha). Also, taking better care of my hair. My main reason for this is because I want to donate my hair to Locks of Love. I have hair that is fine and shiny, but breaks easily. So I'm working on making it beautiful and strong so that I can cut it off and donate it to an organization that makes wigs for financially disadvantaged children with long term medical hair loss. I will need 10 inches. Luckily for me, my hair grows quickly, it just desperately needs some TLC. So perhaps I'll blog about my nail and hair strengthen adventure as well.
So here goes nothing fronds. Wish me luck and please follow me on this journey. I'll need help, support, recommendations and reminders along the way. You're the best.
I'm a huge pinterest fan... especially when it comes to finding easy ways to make healthy food.
I'm a busy gal. I tend to put too much on my plate and have trouble just sitting and watching tv or a movie without doing 5 other things at the same time. I've just kind of always been that way since I was young and started working.
I'm often pressed for time and I'm also not the world's best grocery shopper. I hate grocery shopping (stemming from 5 years of working in a grocery store) so I tend to procrastinate.
I don't eat breakfast as soon as I get up in the morning. I tend to not be hungry right away, so I eat when I get to work. I usually grab something like oatmeal, greek yogurt or a cliff bar. I decided I needed to change things up a bit and give myself more options because I don't always have healthy items on hand for breakfast.
I love eggs. I almost always have eggs in my fridge. When I saw this recipe from Amy's Kitchen Creations I knew that I had try it!
Eggs for Breakfast Sandwiches
So here is what you do.
Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray
Put spinach in the bottom of the tin
Crack an egg on top of the spinach
Season with whatever seasoning you like (I just did sea salt and pepper)
Bake at 350 for 15 ish minutes. My oven took about 17. I wanted to make sure they were cooked all the way through because I wasn't going to be eating them right away.
You can then store the eggs in a container in your fridge for on the go breakfasts. Amy says they will last about 6-7 days, but if things start to smell funny to not chance eating them.
I made about 4 of them, just to try it out and see how it worked. They turned out great!
I think it would be great to try variations. Add some other veggies, maybe some type of meat or cheese and spruce them up.
I also thought this would be a great idea for a brunch or breakfast party. You can make 12 of them at a time and based on how people want them cooked, you make them a little more runny or even scrambled.
I grabbed an egg, a whole wheat slim sandwich bread (100 calorie) and a little bit of butter spread for a quick, low cal, easy protein filled breakfast. Next time, I'll also grab a slice of tomato. Yum!
So I'm back. I completed the 38 day #RWRunStreak. I completed over 100 miles in 38 days. Not too shabby. I learned so much more about myself, my limits, my strengths and why I run in the first place. Check that daily blog out
http://2012runchallenge.blogspot.com/
The streak came at a wonderful time for me and had motivated me to keep pushing myself. Immediately after the streak, I went on vacation and to be honest, lost some of the motivation.
It's hard to get up and force yourself to run in humid weather when you're on vacation and your bed is just so inviting. Or you're slightly hungover and your stomach just isn't feeling a run. Or you're exhausted because you were up until 4 am. Regardless, all excuses. Time to get back to business!
The biggest news I have to share, I'm going to do another half marathon this year. The Erie Half Marathon at Presque Isle on September 16th. I created my training plan using the Hal Higdon Half Marathon Novice 2 Training Plan. So as long as the race doesn't sell out by payday, this will be my next half marathon adventure. Which means, training has already started! I'm one run in and it was a struggle of a run. First one back from vacation so that's to be expected. Regardless, it's back to business time so time to get back at it. I had my vacation, I had my fun and now it's go time.
Other races in the next few months include the Color Me Rad 5k on August 25th and The Great Race on September 30th.
I have also decided to start blogging more about cooking and what I've been eating. I think it will help to keep me on track with food choices. I've also made a vow to cook more and pack my lunch more for work to save some cash. I also recently bought a crock pot and I'm obsessed with it. So look for more frequent posts about running and food in the near future :)
