Jan 2, 2013

Super Foods Shopping List

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So I have been trying to organize my shopping trips and really concentrating on bringing “good for you foods” into the house so good for you foods are my only option to put in my system. If I want fuel to be one of my New Years Resolutions I should do everything in my power to make that happen. So I have been doing some research to determine what my SUPER-FOODS grocery list should look like so that I know what I should be purchasing weekly and/or bi-weekly. There are more super foods than I have listed below but these are the top 10 foods that I enjoy eating (included are some additional benefits/notes to go along with them)…

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1. Why Avocados?

They are good for your heart, can help lower cholesterol, contain tons of vitamins, and are an excellent source of healthy fats if eaten in moderation.

2. Why Beans?

They are an excellent source of protein and fiber, which may help lower cholesterol levels while possible reducing the risk of many different cancers. NOTE: To get the most out of beans, you should combine them with a grains such as brown rice, corn or wheat. Combining beans with one of those items helps form complete proteins.

3. Why Blueberries?

They have the most antioxidants of any fruit you can buy and give you a nice portion of fiber and vitamin C per cup. 14% and 24% respectively

4. Why Carrots?

One medium carrot has only 25 calories and a study done last year shows that eating carrots prior to a meal can increase the consumption of other veggies served at mealtime.

5. Why Dark Chocolate?

What?? I said chocolate? Dark chocolate (not milk chocolate) may be great for cardiovascular health, premature aging and cancer. And guess what!? Dark chocolate is low on the glycemic index.

6. Why Mushrooms?

It may help control blood pressure and lower your cholesterol and may fight cancer too!

7. Why Brown Rice?

This is a great carb option and a very low allergen food that may also protect your heart and fight diabetes, kidney stones, and cancer.

8. Why Tomatoes?

May be a great cancer fighter and help to battle high cholesterol

9. Why Sweet Potatoes?

They may protect your vision, encourage a good mood, fight cancer and keep your bones strong.

10. Why Walnuts?

These nuts may be great for lowering cholesterol, fighting cancer and improving your memory.

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But remember… everything should be consumed in MODERATION (yes even the chocolate). Can you imagine only eating walnuts all day long? Gosh you would have a memory like an elephant but you would be acting like a real nut.

I really “crack” myself up sometimes. Another nut joke- get it?

Happy Wednesday! AND REMEMBER…

Food is Fuel

 

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Jan 15, 2012

A Perfectly “FIT” Christmas Present

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So as some of you may know I received a pretty cool Christmas present from my mom this year! So last weekend we spend the weekend in Columbus doing all sorts of fitness related activities.

So I left work at noon and then my mom and I started out our journey to Columbus by meeting one of my bestfriends at her work to learn a little more about our bodies before we headed off to the cabin we were staying in.   Rose is pretty amazing and has a lot of fun machines to play with at work! We started off by getting into the “Bod Pod” to figure out what our body fat was. This is one of the most accurate ways to find out what your body fat % is.  I can’t disclose all my personal information because well I don’t want to but I will say that I have a little way to go to get to my ideal % but my mom was pretty impressive I’ll tell you that! We looked pretty funny but had a great time!

Ahhhh help me I'm in the bod pod egg!

And Rose was totally a professional talking us though all of the ins and out of how these machines work! It was nice to have Rose doing these tests because it made us so much more comfortable which really helped things go by faster!

Rose helping me breathe correctly

After the Bod Pod, both my mother and I completed metabolism test to figure out how many calories we burn at rest. We had been pretty much fasted and had been sitting in the car still on our way to Columbus so we figured it would be relatively accurate. My breathing was so steady and so spot on that I actually finished the test in 10 minutes!  Mom took just a few minutes longer but Rose sent us a spreadsheet of our results to us that evening and we were all ready to head out to the running clinic in the morning.

Plus, it is just nice to see your friends doing their jobs! Rose is so impressive.

Before the night was over we managed to get in a quick 3.3 miles run on the running path around the campus of the McConnell Heart and Health Center. After the run I spent a little bit of time resting outside of our cabin!  The one bedroom, one bathroom cabin was fantastic! Equipped with a fireplace in the living room, a sink, a fridge, and a pretty impressive sized restroom!

A little relaxation after a long run!

After the run and a few minutes of relaxation we headed out the “Fish Market” which was only about 5 minutes from the cabin. There we had a very satisfying dinner of Lobster Bisque Soup and an assorted of tilapia, salmon, scallops, and shrimp. A true feast! Plus, the atmosphere was pretty fun… full of fiish all over the walls!

So many choices!

Delicious Dinner!

I was very excited for my dinner!

We got to bed pretty early and had no problem sleeping!  When we woke up in the morning, we had a great day with our Chi Running instructor Jeanette. Chi Running is essentially a running technique that reduces the amount if impact that causes injury in running. It had you align your pelvis and your body together so that running becomes almost effortless because gravity and the road end up doing most of the work for you. You can read more about Chi Running here so learn the basics if you would like!

Our class was great! There were a few other beginning runners in our class like my mom and I, there was a tri-athlete, and a couple who has run quite a few marathons. Everyone had really already established their way of running but we were all committed to learning the best way to enjoy our hobby!

 

Lots of stretching was involved!

We got video taped running a before and after. We did exercises to help align our bodies the way they should be and we essentially tried to train our bodies into a new way of running. It was HARD and since then I have tried to really implement this technique into my runs and I think I manage to get it for maybe 1 mile of my 4-5 mile runs!

It was a pretty great weekend! By far one of the best Christmas presents I have ever received! It really helped me focus on my health and took my running to the next level I have been waiting for!

If you want to read even more about our trip you can check out my mom’s blog here!

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Jan 3, 2012

2012 Resolutions

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Well, tis the season right? Nothing like waking up on January 1st… brand new year… brand new me… isn’t that what we all think? Well hopefully not all of us- I’d like to think some people feel so good about the year before they just want to wash rinse and repeat- but I think there is a good chance there is a chance at least 75% of us think hey we could make this new year even better than the last =)

I’m mostly a wash rinse and repeat kind of girl but I thought this year would be a good year to make some positive changes in my life so read on to see how I think I can improve well improve me.

#1. Make fitness a priority in my life: so yea I do a good amount of working out and I try to eat reasonably well however I can’t say that I have truly committed to make fitness a priority in my life. It is probably on my list of the top 10 things I worry about every day but I am committed to making it a top 3 or something close to that! And for me this isn’t about losing weight or looking better every day it is about feeling better and being proud of myself. This weekend when my mom and I meet with the running coach I think I will take a giant step in the right direction toward achieving this goal! Hopefully mother nature helps me out a little here- the snow makes it difficult to run outside and drive to the gym!

#2 Speak Tim’s love language: So Tim got me this great book about The 5 Love Languages (you can read about it here) and it talks about how each person responds differently to love. It’s all about whether something feels fulfilled from physical touch, or words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, or acts of service. You take this quiz and it helps you to understand the type of “love” you respond well to. I won’t give away all of the secrets because I think you should read it for yourself but Tim and I are just in the beginning stages of this book and I am looking forward to exploring it more!

#3 Say Thank You as Often as Possible: so this probably means every day. Sometimes I think it is hard to remember to say thank you for even the smallest things. Sometimes opens a door for you and you just simply walk right in? Someone picks up your pen when you drop it in the store and you grab it quickly and sign the credit card receipt. Your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife cooks you dinner and you enjoy the meal with a smile on your face but leave the table without a sincere thank you. So I just want to remind myself every day and a person- no matter if you know them or not- deserves a thank you when they do something nice for you. It’s as plain and simple as that. So hey I’ll start now… Thank you for reading my blog! I really truly appreciate you taking the time out of your day to spend a little time with me =)

#4 Be proud of myself: although this may sound like a selfish goal I am a firm believer that a little self-confidence (a healthy amount of course) goes a long way. Think about a girl or guy you met at some point in your life that was truly proud of themselves… they set a difference standard for themselves and they are proud of who they are. Attractive right? Fun to be around? Makes you feel better with yourself because they are comfortable with who they are. I want to be that person- even if it is just for 1 or 2 people, I want to do that for a person because I have had so many people in my life do that for me.

So all that is left to say is bring it on 2012. It is gonna be a good year!

So what’s your New Years Resolution?? Tell me about it! 

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Oct 28, 2011

October Goal- SMASHED

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I read this quote the other day and really inspired me and I hope it inspires you all too!

 “If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter is today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”

Well if that doesn’t sum up my running experience I don’t know what does!

The other day, when I got back from my second trip to Miami, FL, I decided to utilize my Friday afternoon off to run. So I got in my cute little Murano and I headed down the Valley so I could enjoy the fresh air and a nice trail to run on.  As some of you may know I am not a HUGE fan of trails that you have to run so far one way and then just run back- I don’t like the backtrack. But on this particular day I was just feeling like the same old boring neighborhood run wouldn’t cut it so I decided to trail it.

I dropped my keys off to Tim at his office and parked my car then. With my tennis shoes laced up- I just took off.  7 miles later I was done.

Yes you read that right. I ran for 7 miles which was my October goal- and it only took me a little over an hour. I’m not sure if it was the nice cool fresh air or if it was just the fact that mentally I needed that run but I know my breathing stayed steady and my head stayed out of the game the entire time. Yes, unlike soccer where I had to have my head in the game the entire time or a ball would smack me in the face, running I have made the choice to take my head out of it . If I stand there and run run run and think think think about all of the running I am doing I literally drive myself crazy. That is when my breathing gets messed up and I think about how tired my legs are going to be or hell how tired they already are in some cases. It’s unlike any other “sport” I’ve done in the past but I find the less mental effort I put into it, the better off I am.

Instead I reflected back on work and life. I have been busting my butt at work  and have had a ton of stuff to do. I have been given the opportunity to work closely with a lot of new people and it has truly been a wonderful experience. So I thought about how I felt proud of myself… I felt accomplished. I remember the first time I felt this way at Rubbermaid- my name was next to the #1 slot on our sales tracker. This time, my name wasn’t on a piece of paper that said I was number one but instead it was just inside my head that I knew I was doing what was asked of me and I felt like I was doing a fine job. Interesting how our concept of success evolves around time isn’t it?

So the October goal is DONE! I am a little nervous about November and December because the rain has already been slowing me down and the snow is on it’s way. Any suggestions on things to do in the winter to stay in shape and to keep enjoying running? I don’t belong to a gym or anything so creative solutions are what I am looking for! Let me know!

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