Finding a Healthy Balance

This is exactly why I started this blog – so I can help myself find a healthy balance in my life (it has been hard in the past).  This weekend, I think I found what I was looking for.

Friday night, hubby and I went out for a friend’s b-day at a new place in Denver called the PunchBowl.  We had a blast talking with our friends and having a drink.  We didn’t party hard, but still had a great time.

Saturday started with a great running workout:

A delightful morning date with hubby to see:

And then I made these (yes, I MADE them and they were delicious!):

Sunday was a great hike with Jack and a good friend and her dog.  It was the first time they met and I was worried about Jack, but he surprised me and was amazing!

For the Super Bowl, I made some super-spicy chili and we went to a friend’s house to “watch” the game.  Really we played Cards Against Humanity during the game and watched the commercials until the second quarter.

I say I have found healthy balance because this weekend was the first time in a long time with me-time, hubby-time, friend-time, party-time, down-time, and puppy-time that didn’t make me feel overwhelmed and wanting to retreat to the house to take a breath.  It is a healthy balance because I ate well, but didn’t obsess about my food choices.  I skipped a solo bike workout to go hiking with a friend and didn’t feel like I had to justify it to myself.  I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate this about my life right now – because I haven’t felt this way in a long time and I want to remember it!

I want to create a healthy balance in my life.  And I think I am on my way to that.

TGIF

I almost named this post “TGIFF.”  I will let you guess what the extra ‘F’ is for!  This week has been busy and laid back all at once.  Here’s why:

1. I finished the Whole30 program!  I’m still shocked that I was able to get through the whole 30 days (and 1 extra!) without many issues/cravings.  Of course there were a couple of things I did first thing this morning: I weighed myself (6 lbs gone!) and put my eggs and veggies on a whole wheat English muffin.  I know, I know: I’m not supposed to get my gluten on (even after the diet is through), but I wanted to see if gluten actually causes any hormonal/GI issues.  I figured that now was the time to find out (after my system has been cleaned out!).

2. Workout madness has made me unable to walk.  Ok, that was an exaggeration.  It just hurts to walk, or stand, or sit… So this is what I have been doing:

Wednesday Workout:

Biking: 8.51 miles in 32.30 mins and then some MAJOR stretching/yoga.  My legs were feeling it!

Thursday Workout:

Strength Training (squats with shoulder press, pulsing lunges, rotating bicep curls, chest press, tri-kickback, tri-pulse – as many reps until failure x2) and then 3 mins on eliptical (because all the treadmills were full).  Then I ran 2.76 miles in 35 mins.

Friday Workout:

Biking: 8.6 miles in 32.02 mins (hey, better than Wednesday…marginally) and then some ab work (standard crunches, side crunch with tri-lift, bicycles, banana/superman – P90X anyone?, leg drops, and more).

I’m still on a swimming embargo until the new suit comes in (which should be today!!).

3. Eats: It may have been my last week on the Whole30, but I kept experimenting in the kitchen (for some huge wins).  Here are some of the new recipes I will be using again:

Spaghetti squash with spicy sausage and homemade tomato sauce (WIN)

Balsamic marinated chicken with sweet potato fries (both are huge wins)

Apple Chips (Super win!)

That was a lot of cooking for someone considered a novice in the kitchen!  I’m not exaggerating when I say that my husband could count how many times I have cooked for him since getting together (8 years ago!) on one hand.  I blew that out of the water this last month!

Also, my love affair with smoothies continues: strawberry pineapple has been the winner this week (with strawberry banana close behind).  I love the whole frozen strawberries my husband got me – very handy for smoothies!

I leave you with my favorite thing to do when I’m done with the working out, cooking, working, cleaning, etc:

Cuddle Time with Jack! (How could you not cuddle with that big goof butt?!)

I Have None of the Luck

First of all, this was the view for my morning walk with the puppy:

Absolutely gorgeous winter morning!

Now down to business.  I am currently nursing my finger and my pride.  I just seem to attract small misfortunes that make me feel a little like an idiot (or just slightly unlucky).  This was not nearly as embarrassing as the last incident (read about it here if you would like a good laugh), but it had the potential and I’m very happy it didn’t go that way.

I was happy to make it to the gym this morning, even after dealing with a blender that just didn’t want to blend this morning and icy roads.  I got started on the treadmill and enjoyed the first 15 mins just getting my run on (I felt awesome!).  Unfortuntately I wasn’t paying much attention to my swinging arms when I picked up the pace…or how close I was getting to the HR bar.  As a shorty, I always have to watch out for that stupid bar because it is at exactly waist height, which is where my arms swing.  I basically rammed my entire left hand into the bar, bent back my fingernail (son of a…that hurts!!) and proceeded to stumble on the treadmill going 6 mi/hr.  I know I flailed (a lot – limbs were going everywhere) and said a few choice words (more than a few – it was a good thing that there were no kids there, I would have felt bad!) before I was able to right myself and keep on going.  I’m VERY lucky I didn’t fall off of the treadmill or hit my head!  I heard a few snickers from the older gentlemen using the stationary bikes…I smiled and threw them a thumbs up sign and kept running.

I was able to finish my work out without further incident:

Followed by 15 mins of ab work – which I am presently feeling just sitting down, so that is a good thing.

Smoothie of the Day: Blackberry Kiwi – which would have been amazing if there weren’t huge chunks of ice in it thanks to my lazy blender.

Snowing in CO! (Finally)

We haven’t gotten a lot of snow down here in the foothills. But this was unexpected! It was so nice this morning that I even forgot my coat! I had to wear my ugly sweater from last month (white elephant gift) to go to my car! I made it home safely and I’m going to make some hot tea to warm up. This is the first time I have wished to be off the Whole 30… I really would like some hot cocoa!

Monday Motivation

After a weekend of work outs, good food, shopping, friends and family – it was hard to start of my day WITHOUT a workout.  Does anyone else find rest days hard when you are feeling motivated?!  I did today.  However, my sore muscles this morning told me that a rest day would be the best thing for them.  So I though I would post some motivating images to make up for my non-work out day.

I decided I’m going to take a long walk after work – just to get the blood flowing!

Happy Motivation Monday!

Saturday Randomness

1. Today’s Work Out: I was lucky enough to see a friend today that I haven’t seen in a long time.  And you know what I like the most about this friend?  She likes Zumba! (Ok, that is not what I like most, but she does get like 10 extra friend points!)  So instead of meeting up for food or drinks, we did a Zumba class today!  I love Zumba, but haven’t done it much in the last few months.  I really need to get back on that because it works out your entire body!  My head to my feet are sore from the 1 hour class – good news!

2. Food and Drink:  After class, I continued my love afair with smoothies with another peach strawberry.  I’m working on lunch for the hubs now (Shredded Chicken Salad).  I cooked chicken thighs with Pace salsa in the crockpot last night for about 6 hours.  Then I shredded the chicken (which a spoon becauce I didn’t grab a fork and I’m lazy) and let it cook a little longer.  I warmed up the chicken and put it on a salad of romaine lettuce, added tomatoes and avocado.  YUMMMM!!!  Best lunch!

3. Yesterday I did about 5.5 miles on the bike (I set it at 4 and kept the speed up).

Then I did a lot of stretching because I was feeling very tight.  I felt much better afterwards.

4. Last night I did something I don’t normally do – went to a bar to listen to my family sing karaoke!

That is my dad and my uncle singing at a dive bar in Lakewood.  I had a blast listening to them, talking with my mom and my cousin.  Such fun!

5. Avs are playing today – wish them luck!

Embarrassing Work Out Moment

I made a training plan after a lot of research to reach my goals.  The training plan started last week and I have been loving it!  Unfortunately I have to suspend one aspect of my training  and change my training plan for a little bit because of one embarrassing moment.

So here is the story:

I haven’t actually been swimming since college.  I have been pricing swimwear, but they are not in stores just yet and I wanted to wait until I could try the suits on.  So when I was to start my swim training, I just grabbed my tankini bathing suit that covered me well and went to the pool.  Before I got into the pool, I noticed that the suit was a little big for me.  I’ll admit I was actually excited about this because that meant I had lost weight since last summer and did a little dance in my head.  I got into the water, put my goggles (that I had just purchased at the front desk) on and started swimming.  It was not pretty swimming, but I was able to go the whole length (25 yards) without stopping.  This was more than I thought I was going to be able to do (another happy dance in my head) and I was trying my hardest not to compare myself to the lifelong swimmers in other lanes.

After a couple of laps I looked down at myself while I took a breather and noticed something…I was not all in my swimming suit!  Yep, I definitely was flashing some boob to the entire pool…including the little old ladies, the 20-something lifeguard, and the old men passing by on their way to the sauna.   I’m sure my entire body turned red as I adjusted myself (as discreetly as possible) and quickly finished my laps – I was not going to let a little embarrasment keep me from my work out!

As soon as I was done, I rushed out of the pool area to the locker room to shower and leave as soon as I could.  I determined that I couldn’t wait for an athletic suit to get into the stores (that I could afford) and vowed to buy one that weekend.

Speedo Endurance+ onepiece swimsuit!  That will keep the girls in!

Now that I have devulged my most embarrassing moment, I will tell you my modified training plan:

No swimming until I have the suit!!!

I will rotate other workouts until that time occurs and then re-evaluate the plan.

Today’s Workout

15 minutes on the treadmill going 3.8 mi/hr:

2 min @ 2 incline

8 min @ 15 incline

3 min @ 10 incline

2 min @ 5 incline

I could barely walk after that – holy calf workout!

Afterwards I did 10 min of ab work with this:

It was a short workout today, but I felt it (and I am still feeling it!)

Smoothie of the Day:  Strawberry Kiwi (super tasty!)

I Love Love Love Protein Smoothies

Just like the title says…I am absolutely in love with protein smoothies!  I have been using SMART Smoothie, vanilla flavor with various fruits for my daily smoothie.  They are absolutely perfect for after my workouts!

Please ignore the crazy eyes: I’m just excited to down that smoothie!  Today’s treat is strawberry peach…yummm!  I used 1/2 c whole frozen strawberries, 1/2 c canned peaches (because there were no fresh), a handful of ice cubes, 1 c coconut milk, and 1 scoop of the protein powder.

I meant to blog yesterday but I was too busy watching this:

GO AVS!!  It has been so boring without the NHL this season!  We were lucky enough to score club level seats (thanks to FIL) and watched the Avs crush the LA Kings 3-1.  We had a blast getting back into the season!

Why is it guys can never smile normally for pictures?  Jeez…

Now for my workouts:

Yesterday I ran for 30 minutes…or I guess I should say I walked/jogged/ran for 30 minutes.  I haven’t really ran since November, with the exception of my race in December that went horribly…so getting back into it has been something of a chore.  I don’t mind though!  Since I grabbed an annual pass at the rec center, I don’t mind getting up early and hitting the treadmill!

Today I biked (I know it is not a word… I really don’t care) for about 20 mins…the cool down was quicker than I was expecting.

I also did some full-body strength training and some ab work (because I didn’t get to do any yesterday).

Now it is time to work – those grants proposals aren’t going to write themselves!

Strangely Busy with Nothing to do…

Well hello there!

I decided I’m a terrible blogger since I haven’t updated in a month!  It is surprising how busy you can get without having as much to do!  So what have I been up to?

1. The Whole30 program!

After reading It Starts with Food, and lots of encouragement from my brother, I decided to try this program. It is 30 days of no’s: no sugar, no alcohol, no beans, no gluten, no dairy.  So really it is 30 days of: protein, veggies, fruits, and healthy fats.  It is surprising how easy this has been!  I have had so much fun finding and trying recipes.  Here is what I have been eating:

Veggie Omletes

Veggie Scrambles

Fried Egg Salad with Salsa

Chicken and Veggie Soup

Beanless Chili

Teriyaki Chicken

Steak Tacos without tortillas

Cauliflower/Avocado Soup with Grilled Chicken

I’m at day 21 in this and I am feeling great!  No major food cravings (just random “oh, that would taste good” type of craving that I soon forget).  I’m sleeping better, my skin is clearing up, I have more energy, and I even started working out in the mornings!

2. Triathalon Training

I started training this week for my sprint triathalon in August!  I am incorporating running, biking, swimming, strength training, and ab work into my training plan and after 5 days in, I’m feeling sore and satisfied!  The weeks usually look like this:

Monday – rest day

Tuesday – running & strength training

Wednesday – biking & ab work

Thursday – swimming

Friday – biking and strength training

Saturday – running and ab work

Sunday – biking and strength training

This schedule will change a lot as the trianing progressing and I incorporate BRICK training (swimming to biking, biking to running).  I’m actually excited for that!

I joined the local rec center in order to complete all of this training and I love it so far.  Yesterday, I even biked more than I was supposed to, I was feeling so good.  I only needed to do 5 miles and ended up doing 6.  Then I did some ab/strength training.

3. Everything else but blogging:

I have been enjoying my time not doing homework or working excessively.  It has given me the chance to catch up with friends, spend time with family, and read some books not recommended on any reading list!  I have some plans to start painting again – which  I haven’t done in MONTHS!  There really hasn’t been any excuse for not blogging, I just have been savoring the “I have nothing that I have to do so I am going to do nothing” feeling.  Now that I have a plan in place, I will be doing this much more often!

25 Questions

In the spirit of getting into the holiday spirit (which I have been told I do not have this year) I wanted to take up the 25 Days of Blogging Christmas Challenge (which I got from http://happyorhungry.com/, one of my favorite blogs, who got it from http://www.peanutbutterjenny.com/)…but I’m not going to do it all in one day because I know myself.

1. Your favorite Christmas movie

Mine is without hesitation:

How can you not cry, laugh and fall in love with this movie?!  We have a tradition of watching it every holiday season (in fact we watched it tonight!).

2. Your 2012 Christmas list

My family is not doing gifts this year – we took a trip to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving so we decided to skip it this year.  The hubby’s family is still doing gifts this year, though.  Does anyone else feel awkward putting together wish lists as an adult for their in-laws?  I certainly do!  This year was heavily focused on training gear…such as the Tech40 Women’s Heartbeat Watch w/ HRM:

Along with some cold weather running gear, painting supplies, and some movies I would like (MIB3 anyone?).

3. When/how did you find out Santa wasn’t real?

Not a super cool story…my older brother told me, the PITA (Pain in the a$$).  He’s 6 years older than I am so I found out pretty early, much to my disappointment.  So, I then told all of my friends and ruined it for them, too.

4. Favorite Christmas song.

I can’t name just one:  Baby, It’s Cold Outside, Winter Wonderland, Silver Bells (I used to play that one EVERY Christmas on the piano), Santa Claus is Coming to Town (which my Granpa used to sing to me every year), Blue Christmas (the Elvis version), Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas, any song by Michael Buble…the list goes on.  I can’t get enough of any of them.  My favorite to sing to my nephew is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

5. Best gift you’ve ever received.

My favorite as an adult was a couple of years ago – hubby planned an elaborate scavenger hunt around the house that eventually led to a Wii.  I had more fun with the process of getting it than anything!  He wrote poems and included the puppy and we had so much fun.

6. Favorite tree ornament.

This is another that I can’t name just one.  My family makes ornaments every year, so each one has a special memory and connection.  We have only DIY ornaments on our tree!

7. Most memorable Christmas.

I have two: once when I was a child we got stuck in a snow storm on the highway to Ohio.  My brother made up scary stories and got me all freaked out.  My poor parents!  The other was just last year.  Hubby and I went to Grand Junction for a small vacation during the holiday.  We drank quite a bit of Colorado wine, didn’t eat enough, and didn’t leave the hotel room!  It was great!

8. Post a pic of Christmas decor.

I haven’t decorated this year (or last!).  So…maybe later!

9. Easiest person to by for…

Is definitely hubby!  He is soooo easy!  I can find the greatest gifts for him that make me feel like the ultimate gift giver.  But he trumps me every time (and yes, we play the “who’s the best gift giver game”).

10. Favorite holiday scent.

Peppermint!  Or cinnamon apples…it is realy close.

11. Favorite Christmas tradition.

I have a few: decorating the tree with the parents, turning off all the lights in the house and drinking peppermint schnapps spiked hot chocolate; opening a gift on Christmas Eve; starting the morning with mimosas.  So much fun!

12. Wrapping paper or gift wrap?

Definitely wrapping paper!  Tearing into the paper is half the fun!  The other half is the wrapping paper war after it is all unwrapped…

13. Favorite Christmas book.

They have Christmas books?  I guess I never looked at them…whoops!

14. Real or artifical tree?

I go artifical – you save trees that way!  Plus the time you save on clean up!

15. Best gift you’ve given.

Two year ago, hubby talked a lot about joining friends for camping trips, but we didn’t have any equipment.  So I looked for months to find some affordable equipment (we were definitely on a budget!) and was able to get him a tent, sleeping bags, cookware, chair, and other assorted tools for camping.  It was fun watching him light up with every present he opened!

16. Hardest person to buy for.

My mother-in-law!  The sweetest woman alive and I just don’t know!!!

17. Post a pic of an old Christmas card.

18. When do you open gifts?

One on Christmas eve and the rest in the morning.  My mom has always required to get pictures of every single gift, so we couldn’t do the free-for-all.  We had to go one at a time from youngest to oldest.  We also had to thank the person after every gift and if they weren’t there, my mom would make us call them after we were done.  It really dragged out the process and we had a blast!  After that, we would get the stocking and go at it all at once.  With the addition of the in-laws, I don’t get to do that tradition much…which I’m feeling kind of bummed about, now…

19. Favorite stocking stuffer.

SOCKS! And chapstick.

20. Favorite Christmas meal.

When we do the extended family thing, we used to have my aunt’s chili every year – it was amazing!

21. Do you travel for the holidays?

Sometimes.  Our new tradition is to spend every third holiday season somewhere else.  Last year was our first with that and we had to stay in Colorado – not that we minded.  We are fortunate to have all of our close family right here in CO with us!

22. Eggnog or hot chocolate?

I have to choose?!?  I really enjoy pumpkin eggnog, but I would choose hot chocolate every time.

23. Plans for 2012 Christmas?

Spending Christmas Eve morning with my folks, then Christmas Eve-ning with the father-in-law, and on to the mother-in-law to stay the night and get up there for the morning festivities.  Yep, we get three Christmases!

24. Favorite Christmas Eve tradition?

My new favorite that I have done for the last 6 years, is spend Christmas Eve with my father-in-law, sister-in-law, and hubby.  FIL always makes an amazing dinner, we open presents, and usually watch a holiday-themed movie.  Plus, there is always pie.

So there you have it…you just learned a whole lot more about me than you really needed to know!