It's not all cookies and ice cream!

Sometimes it's hard.  Sometimes you want to quit.  Sometimes you have no idea how you are going to go another mile.  Jess and I ran 12 miles this morning and there are 3 words I would use to describe those 12 miles.....HOT, HILLY, HARD!  Man, I wanted to quit!  At the 6 mile mark, we ran past my house.  OUCH!  That was a tough one!  

We did hill work today.  Jess tried to get a picture of this ginormous hill that we had to climb but the pic does it no justice!

Being FINISHED felt oh so good!

Jess took a short video.  It's not always easy but get out there anyway!!  IT'S WAY WORTH IT!!!

(Yes, I am aware that I am wearing the same workout outfit as last week!  ha!  I own drawers and shelves full of work out clothes.  Funny that I'm in the same thing!)

I am going to leave you with this article about rest.

http://www.jazzercise.com/articles/09_rest_recover_from_execise.html

Don't forget to rest too!  Jess sent me a text that said, "In the last 6 days we each taught 3 classes and ran 40+ miles that included hills and speed training.  That's hard core!  Rest day well-deserved tomorrow - ENJOY!"  YES!  I am looking forward to a REST day!!  :)

Have a great 3-day weekend!!

You guys are never far from my heart....

We had a 12 miles training run this morning and I decided to show you guys one of my favorite routes.  It was just 3 of us this morning.....me, Jess, and Tammy.  Some of our group ran yesterday but we were never short on some good laughs and great conversation!!!  Love these two gals!!  You get seriously close to someone when you log as many miles as we do together!!

 It just so happened that the Iron man was today so when we ran over the bridge we got to watch some of the swimmers!  Check them out over at the edge getting ready for their turn!

This is the best part though!  I videoed for you guys!  Your welcome!  Ha!  Just excuse my sweat and my heavy breathing!  Hee hee!!  We were over 11 miles in at this point.  We were almost finished. 

I LOVE going over the bridge with the sun coming up over the horizon!!  Breathtaking!!!

We were feeling great so we decided to go 13.1 this morning instead of 12!  Great, great decision!  I can't wait for our race coming up September 22 in Nashville!!

Do you feel like you eat the same thing over and over again?

I do!  I know what I like and I know what's healthy so that's what I eat.  I get tired of that sometimes though.  Check out this website....

http://skinnyms.com/

I love that it lists the nutritional information right there for you!  Awesome!

Let's have a chat...

School is back in session for me.  Things are busier again.  Sam is playing fall ball and flag football.  Jake is in preschool.  This means that on Tuesdays and Thursdays we have 3 drop-offs.  Practices are 2-3 nights a week.  Daniel is on the Athletic Commission at Sam's school and he coaches.  I am back to working part-time.  I still teach Jazzercise and I volunteer.  I could go on and on about being busy.  The truth is that we are all busy.  Don't let that be an excuse for you!  Build your workout into your schedule and stick with it!

I have changed the way I've been eating a little.  I've been eating more lean protein....chicken, greek yogurt, cheese, etc.  I still stay with-in my allotted calories for the day.  I can really tell that I am staying fuller longer which helps!  I am also really trying to make my biggest meal of the day lunch.  I feel so much better the next morning when I do this.  It's hard with a family because I cook for them every night but I am trying.

I am still training for the Nashville Women's Mini-Marathon on September 22.  Training is going really well.  I am running a lot and it feels great!  I am running 6 miles and doing Jazzercise Thursday, 6 miles Friday, the Rugged Maniac on Saturday, and we are doing 12 miles on Sunday.  I am looking forward to it all!

We have a group of people doing the Polar Bear Grand Prix.  This is a series of 3 short races (2 miles, 4 miles, and a 5K) that will keep you running through the winter months.  (December, January, and February)  Let me know if you would like to join us!  Here is the registration site.

http://www.active.com/running/louisville-ky/polar-bear-grand-prix--13-2012

The Triple Crown of Running on-line registration is open.  Early (and cheaper) registration is now until the end of the year.  Most likely, I will not do these.....just because I am cheap but they are a great series of races!

http://www.louisvilletriplecrown.com/index.html

You can also register for the Kentucky Derby Mini-marathon/Marathon.  Early (and cheaper) registration is now until October 31st.

http://derbyfestivalmarathon.com/

Sign up early to save some moo-lah!

It's not too late to register for the Louisville Sports Commission Half Marathon on November 3.  I am pretty sure I am going to go ahead and do this one.  I might as well, right?  I will be trained up and ready to roll after the September 22 mini.  The price goes up October 1st.

http://www.lscmarathon.com/

How are things going for you?  How are those hurdles treating you?  Don't be afraid to comment here.  I love your Facebook messages but other people can't read those.  We can help each other.  Don't be shy!  I have well over 2,000 hits on this site so I know you are out there!  Speak up!

I will leave you with these.  I just love them!  ha ha!  They are so me!

REMEMBER: "If you keep on doing what you've always done, you'll keep on getting what you've always got."

--  W. L. Bateman Ask yourself:  Are you happy with that?

I found a new page on Facebook!

I love my crock pot!!  Now try.......Skinny Slow Cooker!!

We see these things all the time......

.....but some are just soooo true!!!  

What a novel idea!

I have had 3! people come up to me this week and say something like...."I need to start exercising.  My (insert older family member here) has (insert ailment here) and I don't want to end up like them."  What a good idea!  Start now.  Start what you should have been doing all along.  Don't wait until you are old and can't move.  Don't wait until you are already on medicine.  It is NEVER too late.  Keep that body movin' and a groovin'!  Keep it STRONG!

Just remember if you keep doing the same thing, you are going to get the same results.  What is stopping you?  What are you waiting for?  It's time to make a change.  You can do it!!!!

Preferred Meats for the locals.

Does everyone know about Preferred Meats?  I am always surprised at how many people aren't familiar with it when I talk about it.  It's a fresh meat counter off of Interstate 65 at exit 7.  They sell a wide range of items.  Mostly meat but other things too.  Their prices are reasonable especially compared to Meijer and it's so much better for you.  I tried these chicken sausages tonight.  They are only 100 calories each.  They were so tasty!  I will definitely buy them again.

Restaurants

Eating out.  Oh it's so hard and such an easy options for busy people.  I am guilty when it comes to this.  Here are some pointers that I try to live by:

1. Try to plan ahead and be ready to cook at home.  If I don't have anything planned, I am likely to stop and grab something for dinner.  Not usually a healthy choice.  Do you use your crock pot?  Plan it and use it!  Dinner is ready or almost ready when you walk in the door.
2. I know. I know.  "But we have football/basketball/gymnastic/dance practice every night so I just go through the drive-thru."  Plan ahead and pack a dinner.  Don't think you have to cook.  Think outside the box.  What about a cold lunch packed in a cooler?  
3. When you do go out, plan ahead.  Most sites list the nutritional information for their food.  On some sites, like Qdoba, you can calculate the number of calories in their different entrees.
4. Ask your waiter/waitress how the food is prepared.  Sauces add lots of calories.  Ask for half the sauce.  I do that if I go to Olive Garden.  Watch creamy sauces.  High in calories and fat.
5. Lots of places have a "healthy/light/low fat" section.  Look for it or ask if there is a separate menu.
6. I've heard of people doing this (I've never done it though).....ask for a box as soon as you get your meal.  Then you can box up half of it so you won't eat it all at once.
7. Watch for too much cheese and meat on a salad.  
8. Have you ever dipped your fork in your dressing instead of pouring it all on at once?  Ask for your dressing on the side and dip your fork in it with each bite.  You will use much less.
9. Make sure to order plenty of vegetables.  Think about what your plate looks like.  It should be covered mostly with vegetables.
10. Grilled is always a good way to order your meat.

Any other tips or tricks out there that you use?

Answers...

I love these things....

Amber asks...Is this calories counter correct?  It seems high to me.

It seemed high to me too.  I did a little more research and I like this one better....

http://www.fitwatch.com/qkcalc/caloriedeficitcalculator.php

Jessica asks...Should I take in more calories when I am burning more?

I think you have to think about your goal.  If your goal is to lose weight, then no.  You should lower your calorie intake.  If you want to maintain, then you can take in a higher amount of calories and maintain.  I am always thinking about losing BUT I would like to build more lean muscle so I've been thinking of how I should change my diet to do that.  Any ideas out there?

I am not sure about your dressing question.  I really don't have a feeling or thought one way or the other.  I looked it up and couldn't find much.  Anyone else have any thoughts?  Which would be a better option for dressing on a salad: oil/vinegar or a fat free/low fat dressing?

I loved reading about your hurdles whether it was in a comment, a Facebook message, or in an e-mail.  Remember everyone has struggles when it comes to this stuff.  Everyone gets off track at times!  Don't let yourself get too far off track.  Get back on before it spirals out of control!  Keep your eye on the goal.  Stay focused!  YOU CAN DO IT!

Food....

My breakfast looked particularly yummy one day this week so I snapped a pic for you guys!  Your welcome!  ha!  

egg beaters, turkey sausage, and fresh tomatoes

Notice that it's on a tiny plate and overflowing with food?  It's not really that much.  Diet trick!

I love granola but have you checked the label on that stuff?  So high in calories!  When you scan most of it on Fooducate, the 'grade' is not that great.  Meijer just started carrying this kind.  It only has 120 calories per serving.  It got a B+ on Fooducate.  It tastes great by itself or in yogurt.  It's on sale this week too!  SCORE!

I try to teach my kids to eat healthy.  I really do.  This is Jake.  Maybe you saw this on Facebook but I wanted to post the carrot up the nose on my Healthy Living Blog too!  LOL!

Have you started that food journal yet?

Yes or no?  If you aren't tracking your calorie intake, now is as good as a time as any to start!  You have to see what's going in!

First, calculate the number of calories you need per day....

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Second, write down every morsel you put in your mouth and calculate those calories.

Stick to it!!  Don't give up!  Let me know how you are doing!

There is a moral to this story....

Well, how was your eating this weekend?  Are you proud of yourself for sticking to it even though you wanted to stray?  Are you disappointed because you had that fruity drink or dessert that you should have skipped?  No matter where you stand...it's a new week!  It's time to celebrate your successes and/or get back on track.  For me, it's time to get back on track.  Yes, I stuck to my workouts.  (That's the easy part!) No, I didn't eat very well.  Even if you had too many Landshark Lagers this weekend, tomorrow is a new day.  Tomorrow will be better.  Oh, and in case you were wondering, one cheeseburger from White Castle has 170 calories.  GULP!

What are your hurdles?

Heather writes:


I am interested in other people's hurdles to achieving the goal and what they use for motivation to JUMP those hurdles! For example, here are mine:

1. I am/feel too fat to put on the workout clothes...they cling to my body...what if someone sees me and how terrible I look? 

Solution: Envision the "me" that awaits the end of training and all the hard work, not what is there now. Who cares if someone sees you and thinks, "look at that sweaty fatty run" because at the end of the day, my butt was NOT on the couch :) I actually had someone elude to that once when my husband and I did the half-marathon. My response? "Oh, did YOU just run > 13 miles? No. Okay then."

2. I am tired, exhausted in fact.

Solution: just put on my shoes and show up. If I can give it at least 10 minutes, I know it will start to feel good and I will be glad that I showed up. Remembering Alicia's posting: there are 1440 minutes in every day. I should be able to spare 30 for exercise. 

3. I love food. I love sweet food.

Solution: Don't buy the crap that I shouldn't be eating. Not so easy to eat if I don't have it accessible. And again, log the calories before eating and decide if it is worth it to ruin my great week of being under calories.

4. It will take forever to get where I want to be/it's never going to happen/it is too hard.

Solution: The end result will be so worth it. After 1 week of eating right and exercising, I know I will feel better even if I don't look better yet. I have to remind myself to take it slow. Follow the program (mine are Lose It and Couch to 5K) and not try to go farther, faster. No need to burn out! 

Anyhow, these are my obstacles. What are obstacles you guys have???








Personally, my biggest hurdle is TIME!  I have 3 kids and a husband.  I have to run a tight ship.  Everyone is involved in activities.  Daniel and I are involved at Sam's school so we have obligations with that.  I teach Jazzercise.  Sam and Jake both play sports.  Nora....well, she's gonna be in dance and gymastics soon enough!  :)  


I solve that by running 6 mornings a week at 5:30 or 5:45 am.  Most days, I am home and showered before my family is out of bed.  However, this does present another problem.  I have to make sure I go to bed at a reasonable time.  If I stay up too late too many nights in a row, it really catches up with me.  If you see pictures of my sleeping in the car, this is why!  ha!  :)  It's soo worth it though!