Quick Turnaround on a Quick Tour

It's interesting how much my body really wants to be healthy. I guess it makes sense, from an evolutionary standpoint. I've been hiking the Scottish Highlands for the past 5 days, and I really do mean hiking. Lots of elevation, clambering on rocks, jumping off things. I'm really seeing how far I've let myself slip in Paris, and how much work I have to do to be ready for that bachelorette party hike. The fact that I'm now stationed in Edinburgh will help with that- this city is nothing but HILLS. Crazy hills. I was going to change into basic flats now that I'm city-bound again, but I think I'm going to stick with my Vibrams so that I don't find excuses to stay on level ground.

In addition to all of the walking and climbing, I'm also eating less often, and making a bit more of an effort to eat well. In the UK, they have many more foods that are closer to my American style of healthy eating- lots of beans, whole wheat and whole grain products, raw nuts rather than salted and roasted and smoked and the like, etc. Plus, the hostels have all had kitchens with fridges. Don't get me wrong, I've still been plenty naughty, but just five days of a slightly altered eating style and more movement, and my cheeks have hollowed out again.

I actually found refried beans on the remote island of Skye. It was a teeny 100 or 200 gram can, and they were spicy (really spicy!), but they were refried beans! I spread them out on a plate and melted some mozzarella cheese on top, until the edges were crispy. Heaven. This is what I'm planning on doing frequently for breakfast once I'm back home in the US. With regular refried beans (maybe even of my own making, if I get really into it) and a cheddar-jack blend, most likely, but the same general thing. I had them for lunch after a particularly extensive hike on Sunday.

It's odd how I get so much more of a mental buzz out of feeding myself nutritiously than I do out of giving in to a binge, yet binges still run my life to a certain extent. Still, over the past few days, I am seeing even more how healthy habits build on themselves. When I am out and being active and eating healthier, I get on a roll. I can't tell you how many times I tried to buy tofu during our travels this weekend. No one had it! Amazingly, the only tofu I found for sale was in a little remote town of 300 that takes over 90 minutes of traveling, via bus and ferry, to get to. They sold both tofu and vegetarian sweet chile sauce! I didn't get it there, because we weren't going to be cooking for ourselves that day, but I'm betting now that I'm back in Edinburgh I can find some. Even if the major shops don't have it, apparently there is an Asian market here. I am so psyched about the sweet chile sauce! I'd found a recipe to make my own, but the stuff in the bottle looks just like the stuff at my favorite restaurants. Also hoping that one of the Thai restaurants here serves my favorite appetizer (the tofu with the chile sauce), unlike the one in Iverness, which oddly had corn fritters instead of tofu (very delicious corn fritters, but not what I was hoping for).

Something really cool about European foods, as much as I miss my American foods: they are labeled "Suitable for vegetarians and vegans" (or sometimes just vegetarians) when applicable! No more scouring the label, wondering if they forgot to mention that the cheese is made with animal rennet, or if gelatin goes by any other name. In France, obviously, this label is much harder to come by, but up here in Scotland I'm finding it on most everything I think to look at.

Going to go walk the Royal Mile today, and probably do a little shopping. But I'm going to do it in my VFFs, and I am going to throw in a few hills. There's nothing like powering up a huge, endless hill to make me realize how out of shape I'm in, and know that I'm definitely doing something about it!

When I get back home in the US, I think I'm going to do hills every day. It won't actually be a big deal- I live right at the base of an extremely steep hill. It's not huge, but if every morning I speed up it three times, that will do so much for my endurance. If I want a huge hill, about a 20 minute walk from my house (up moderate hills) is an absolutely gigantic one. I always am wildly impressed when I see a biker attempting it. But just stick to the healthy eating, my Superfit, and adding in that little hill each morning. I'm getting giddy just thinking about it. Also still really hoping I can convince the parents to get a recumbent stationary bike off of Craigslist...

But first, Edinburgh.

Pink, Glorious Pink

My new inspiration:

I WANT THESE SO MUCH

These are the pink-and-black Vibram FiveFingers Treksport (no affiliate link here, they are just awesome). They are like my basic KSOs, but a little more specific to trail running. 

More importantly, they are pink. 

These are my new inspiration. I can't talk myself or my parents into springing for these ($100) if I'm not an avid trail runner. Therefore I must become one. Therefore I must run.

They make me SO HAPPY. I just get a total buzz from looking at them. I kept popping up to look at pictures of them during my push-up regimen today, to power me through the last few sets. Hey, whatever it takes, right?

On that note, I'm pretty proud of my push-ups today. I was still sore from last time, but I got down on the floor and pounded them out anyway. Strangely, the 4th push-up of each set was the hardest. Not the last one, not the second one, the fourth. Each time. But after the second set, the pain in my muscles went away temporarily! I think my muscles were too fatigued to even bother sending out pain signals. "Why bother, she's just going to keep doing this to us anyway. Let's save our energy...."(I imagine this in a little squeaky voice, but then, I am currently high on pink running shoes, so feel free to sidle away slowly).

Grains, Greens, Beans

I'm slowly working my way past the whole no-refrigerator issue. Partly it is because I am accepting that not everything actually has to be refrigerated as much as we Americans tend to, particularly if kept in an air-tight container, and partly through a new awareness of the concept of meal planning. If I make a batch of something, or open a can of something, if I have planned my meals out for the week, I can make sure I use it all within two days or so, so it is still good.

Also, I may or may not be getting a hot plate for my room, which you nor I know nothing about.


NoMeatAthlete was doing a post on how to afford a healthy, athlete-friendly vegetarian lifestyle, and he brought up a suggestion that has taken the comments, and me, by storm. A simple one-pot meal, A Grain, a Green, and a Bean. This is totally something I can do! Admittedly, greens will be scarce for a while, but once I come up with several reliable, flavorful favorites, I am going to bully myself into adding small torn up bits of spinach.

Some ideas I have had (many will include lentils and quinoa because they can cook quickly, and therefore I can justify making only a single serving, or brown rice, because I can buy these adorable single-serving microwave-ready packets here):

• Red lentil curry over brown rice (see inspiration recipe here)
• Quinoa and black beans in coconut milk with a dash of cinnamon and vanilla
• White beans lightly mashed with lemon and garlic, quinoa
• Green lentils and quinoa with coconut-curry sauce
• Coconut red beans and brown rice (see inspiration recipe here)
• Brown rice with peanut sauce- what bean or lentil to go here?
• Green lentils with garlic and rosemary, salted quinoa

Any suggestions? I anticipate playing around a whole lot with coconut milk, often with cinnamon or curry added. 

Trying to work up the nerve to take my laptop and P90X down into the gym on the community floor here. I don't think many people use it. It would give me more space, and access to some machines, which would help with the bands because I haven't found a sports store that carries any here. But it does mean that I have to venture out into the world of French college kids, wearing my little running skirt and VFFs. A main point behind the purchase of the hypothetical-object-which-shall-not-be-named is to remove the excuse of not having enough courage to go downstairs to use the kitchen. During the limited hours it is open. I want to remove as many excuses as possible, since I know I tend to cling to them. Maybe I can convince one of my girlfriends on my floor to join me- make it a regular, bonding thing...

Parisian Growing Pains

I found all of the runners! They are in the Luxembourg Gardens (Jardins du Luxembourg, je crois). And the walk there would be a good warm up- especially necessary given the near-freezing weather currently, and the less-than-cozy nature of my Vibram Five-Finger KSOs! Also my lack of warm workout gear.

Definitely slacked off after day 3 of P90X. Haven't done a single one since. Owning up to it here, and now not going to bash myself about it any more, but rather use this wide open Sunday to get back on track.

Still taking the stairs at all opportunity. When taken just on my toes, I'm actually starting to notice a definite improvement in my stamina! However, when I use my entire foot, I am definitely still feeling it. Taking stairs in 3-4 inch stilettos, when you put weight on the entire foot, really activates that hamstrings, but not in the slightest at the expense of also working quads or glutes. Basically, everything from the knees to the chest goes into hyperdrive. So, yeah, still feeling that. But it's only two weeks into the daily multiple hikes, so I'm optimistic about where I'll be by the time I go home. Maybe even by the time it's warm enough for regular outdoor jogging! I should just lady up and go out and do it anyway...

Food is still a problem here, but I'm starting to feel my way a bit more. Made up a batch of unflavored chia gel, which I'm taking regular spoonfuls of, plus eating a handful of almonds each day. So that's a little whole food back on the menu. I've also noticed that they don't refrigerate their eggs here, so I could pick some up, and some salt and pepper, and at the very least start doing scrambled eggs, if not also adding some cheese and spinach for some basic omelets. If I can locate some vegan marshmallows, I might also do a few nights of candied yams. I'm pretty sure I've seen yams/sweet potatoes in the stores. And that doesn't require refrigeration. And finally, I'm regaining a little tenuous control over gorging on chips and Mars Bars in an attempt to feed myself with familiar food. It's only been a few days, so no happy dancing yet, but each day counts!