Building Better Ankles

After taking about a week off, I got back on my running schedule today to finish off Week 2. And I actually think the week off did me some good. While my ankles felt a little funny, I think my leg and ankle muscles have really developed over the past few weeks, because I didn't notice any pain until I was almost done with the program. I definitely felt the cardio in my lungs, but not to the point where I had to stop. A few times I even went over the target running time by accident. The whole endeavor just started to feel more natural. Time passed quickly, and I was able to run happily without any music (even though my iPod was actually charged for once). And when I got home, I was able to put a big X through another training day. Hooray!

P90X again tonight, more juicing, and more time on the bike. I have been also taking a serious break from juicing, so I'm going to make up for it today by trying out broccoli in a juice. I'm thinking broccoli, spinach, collard greens, and an apple. Should be very green! On the bike front, however, I've been much better. I've gotten obsessed with NCIS lately, and I've taken to marathoning episodes from my bike, on and off throughout the day. I've logged as many as 25 miles in one day, which is exciting.

Now I should really go have breakfast. What shall it be?...

Potentials and Partners

Today's juice: celery, kale stems, and apple, with chia seeds mixed in and left to gel. Not the most pleasant drink. I don't think I'm a fan of celery. It seems oddly... peppery? I'd like to get used to the chia part, however. Once my mind and body have gotten used to juicing (at least another week, if not two, I should think), I'd like to grit my teeth and try a 10 -Day "ReBoot," or juice fast, as seen in Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. Because I will be working out quite a bit during that time, I want to make absolutely certain I am getting enough oomph in my diet to continue progressing. I have heard that mixing in chia seeds is a popular method of accomplishing that.

Started P90X with Katie today (though she had to leave early because it is her mother's birthday, so we didn't get to AbRipperX). For now, we are doing it three times a week- her idea- but today she expressed some interest in maybe bumping it up to the full schedule! And, added incentive to keep up with it: one of her roommates will start joining us several times a week. So now there are three people all poking at each other to stay on track.

I've been keeping up with my running schedule, but I'm still experiencing a lot of tightness and sometimes a little pain in my lower-calf/Achilles area. Looking into strengthening exercises and stretches to try and alleviate that, and trying to monitor my runs to not push it to the point of injury. I do think that my endurance is already improving, however. Tomorrow pushes the running up to 90 seconds a shot. I'm interested to see how it goes.

An Hour a Day

I found a list on Huffington Post that shows the most common habits among people who have lost a great deal of weight and kept it off for at least five years. The key findings that interested me:

1. 78% eat breakfast every morning. I vacillate when it comes to how good I am at this. I generally strive to, but sometimes sleep or last-minute studying take the place of getting up early enough to eat before I run off to class. I will work on improving my consistency.
2. 90% exercise about an hour a day. It doesn't specify cardio or weights, but I want to make sure I am doing both. Simply being skinny has never excited me- I want to be tone. I want defined arms and abs. I want to be able to pull myself up onto that darn dock in Chelan. But I also want to stop being out of breath whenever I have to make the mad dash from my dance class all the way across campus to my economics class in one passing period.
3. 62& watch fewer than 10 hours of TV a week. I have three, soon to be four, shows I watch each week. This should bring me to a mere 4 hours, but I have a tendency to channel surf sometimes. I am instituting a new rule: the 4 shows can be, but don't need to be, watched while sedentary on the couch. Anything else, be it a game or an awards show or any other movie or show I find, must be watched from on the bike. Still trying to figure out what rule I institute for watching Netflix on my computer. 

Specific to getting my minimum of one hour in a day, then. One of my best friends lives a two minute walk from my door, and works out pretty diligently. After talking about it earlier in the week, we are officially partnering up to do P90X. Right now, we are just scheduled for three days a week, but I am going to add in at least some basic resistance training on off days, so that I don't go two weeks between exercising a particular muscle group as we currently will be scheduled to do. It's an actual proper schedule- specific times on specific days. I can already tell that I'm going to be pretty hard-nosed about it. I don't intend for us to miss these sessions.

Finally, for my running. I read over Emily's Journey to Running this morning, and she started out right where I am now. So, as soon as I get some money back in my account, I am signing up- and paying for- a 5K. Two months away, maximum. And then I am going to run it whether I train for it or not. I'm hoping that having that looming deadline will get me out and training more often than not. Maybe I'll luck out and my friend will train for that with me as well, or I can at least get a friend to run it with me, but regardless, I need to actually get out there and run a race. Running just isn't happening for me without something to strive to. So let's see what happens when there is a tangible goal.

Steam Frying and Derrière Burning

In light with my topic from yesterday- too many diverging dietary opinions- I have another little compromise I'm going to make. As I was making up some of my healthy falafel for lunch, I thought about how many things I will be sauteing in olive oil in the coming months. At least it's good for me, right? Then we run into the whole debate on oils. Gah.

For some items, I am going to continue to use the olive oil. Probably with the falafel, possibly also with the tofu. Though I do want to experiment with baked falafel.... Anywhoo, for the standard "saute the onions" bit that precedes most recipes, I want to experiment with this:






Hopefully I can figure out how to do this with other items, though I have my doubts about it being a viable option for tofu. I guess it's worth trying, though! (Also- assuming the man in that video is neither married nor gay, I call dibs, ladies)


In quick workout news, stalled on P90X Day 2, but getting back on the horse tonight. Not going to allow myself to feel guilty- the first day I missed was due to honestly not having the time- I was working on homework or in class from 8am to 3:30am. The days that have come since are not ideal, but starting something as big as P90X is bound to have a few stumbles. I don't want many, but I don't view having one or two as failure. As long as I get back on the horse, that is ;)

Additionally, I did a standard longer bike ride this morning, then hopped on for some HIIT. Only made it through 2 high-intensity intervals instead of the goal 4, but my heart and breath were going nicely haywire. I can still feel a little of that horrid feeling in the top of my chest that I get when I really push it on cardio, and it's been easily half an hour now. Walking was also interesting for at least 10 minutes- recumbent bikes are excellent for the posterior region!

Off to a Good Start

52 minutes on the bike today, for 8.78 miles and supposedly 450 calories. Those things tend to be inflated, but I think it probably still did me some good! Legs feeling decidedly shaky, even if I wasn't absolutely pouring sweat or out of breath at any point.

Did my first day of P90X today! Actually tracked my reps this time, which I didn't do when I first experimented with it in France. I had to cut out early on the AbRipper part, due partly to muscle fatigue, but also in large part to just plain running out of steam. I first noticed this second phenomenon during the second half of the summer at SuperFit, after I stopped fueling as well as I did during the first half. My body just doesn't have the energy to go all-out during an intense workout, because I am not feeding it properly. Had some of the chili today, so that's a start, and now that I've busted through that barrier, I'm going to use it in burritos with some of the quinoa that's also chilling in the fridge.

Didn't get any time in on the bike yesterday, but I was out and active all day. Well, not active all day, since we were floating a river, but I put in quite a few good swim intervals, especially when I was towing 7 linked tubes with my friends in them. I now sport some very interesting-looking sunburns, despite my best efforts to stay sun-safe. Off for shower and more aloe, then!

Tomorrow: long easy bike (probably with television or movie), and short interval bike. Day 2 of P90X (I think it's legs and back?). Beans in at least two meals or snacks, whole grain in at least one. I have the sweet chili sauce, so tofu is a distinct possibility, though I don't have anything for the quinoa yet. Hopefully I can find a good teriyaki joint around here that sells their teriyaki sauce. If not, there is always peanut sauce, and in one week (!!) I will be 21 and will be able to buy my own sake to make my own teriyaki sauce.

Giant Post of Update- and a Bike!

I have landed once more in the Lone Star State, to start my senior year. I've got my own place, with my own kitchen, which is nice. I went a little crazy with junk food and binging during my first week here (interesting factoid: brownies make me uncomfortably full significantly faster than other foods, at smaller quantities even). But it's really been eating at me for several days now, and the arrival of my bike coincides nicely with my revived interest in being healthy and fit and generally smart about how I am treating my body.

So that's probably the biggest news: I have a cardio machine! I mentioned to my parents that I was looking on Craigslist for a recumbent bike to get for myself, and they decided to help me get a nice one. It isn't one of the $300 or $600 ones, but it is a good, solid, highly rated bike. I was figuring it wouldn't have enough resistance to do High-Intensity Interval Training, but until I really build up on it, I think the top resistance level will definitely do the trick for HIIT. Putting together the bike took somewhere in the range of an hour, give or take (I didn't think to look at a clock to time it), and was a lower level work-out in itself on a few occasions. But I prevailed, and it is solid, and looks good! Some of the cheaper ones just looked cheap, and weird. This one isn't quite as substantial as you would find in a higher-quality gym, but it looks like a proper piece of equipment. It looks like it should. Which makes me more inclined to use it!

I have it set up in my front room, near the TV. One of the reasons I wanted a recumbent bike over any other cardio machine is that it is the only one where your head doesn't bob up and down at all while you work. When I have lots of reading to do for class (and I'm a history major, so you'd better believe that extensive reading comes with the territory), I can work on a recumbent bike, but not anything else. Same for reading for pleasure. But, of course, for most workouts, I will be glued to the TV. I have DVR, which is excellent, so I can watch my shows whenever the workout mood strikes me, but I do like to watch things real time when I can. I love being the first to know about new plot developments! So commercial breaks could make for good built in intervals. We'll have to see about that- the intervals in HITT are generally supposed to only be the length of one or two commercials. Some trial and error over the next week, then.

I want to do both planned workouts and just general moving on this bike. HITT and hard, sweat-inducing rides are a must. Tonight, I pulled up George W. Bush's 9/11 Interview on my DVR and biked more than 6 miles, at a pretty consistent 10 mile pace on varying medium-high resistances. That was a pretty solid workout. And I'd like for that to be mostly what I do. But I also love to just watch and watch and watch full seasons of shows in one sitting. So, I want to have the option of not actually sitting. While I don't want it to be my main activity, I want to give myself permission to bike a little slower, on low resistance, sometimes, just to make sure that I'm still moving when I have a marathon TV session. Leave being entirely sedentary for being in class and working on the computer.

Ultimately, I want to put in a solid workout on this bike most days of the week, if not everyday. Even a ten minute HITT session if I'm totally slammed that day. I know you are not supposed to do HITT every single day, so I'll need to stay aware of that.

On the eating front, from this point out:
I've been making plans to be eating healthy this whole while, even if I have been sabotaging myself. I stocked up on whole grains and beans. I am even storing them in a wonderfully mismatched set of mason jars like my favorite bloggers! I made a batch of quinoa, and a batch of Cuban black beans. I made half of the CBB into a really fabulous looking chili. It's all chilling in my fridge right now- I've only had a scoop of the quinoa, in a burrito one morning, and haven't touched the beans or the chili. About half way into the first can of vegetarian refried beans I opened, as well. Tomorrow I'm going all out, though. I've had some of my Kashi a few times, and I'm definitely having a bowl tomorrow. A plate of beans and cheese for a mid-classes snack. Maybe a burrito at lunch, and then the chili and some corn muffins for dinner. I have the makings for a Green Monster, and a block of tofu, but no blender for the GM or makings of a sauce for the tofu.

I do have a food processor, which is excellent. It's huge, not like the wonderful 3-cup one we have at home, and certainly not as nice. But it should do for making falafel, hummus, and pesto, and for blending soups until I get a blender. I have my eye on a $50 Ninja one. It gets fabulous reviews for not being a Vitamix or a Blendtec, but is still reasonably affordable. I want one that really pulverizes the spinach in my GMs.

Shopping list: fixings for peanut sauce, sweet chili sauce, blender, parsley for falafel, lemons for falafel and hummus, basil for pesto, walnuts for pesto. And a new garlic press! We bought a $5 one, and it broke on the 2nd clove. I saw the nice one we use at home at TJMaxx for less than $10, so I'm going back for it. I love doing fresh-pressed garlic. Don't get me wrong, I still keep the minced around (darn good thing I did, too, when the press broke on me mid-chili), but I feel so fancy using the press.

The final piece of the puzzle is my weight training, and this is probably what I'm most nervous about. I brought my P90X DVDs, my workout bands, and my workout gloves. No more bugging out because my hands are dying! I have the requisite floor space, a TV, an area rug for the sit-ups, the whole shebang. I'm just a little worried about actually getting myself to do it. I'll keep you updated on that, for better or for worse. I'd better get on it soon, though, or I'll lose everything I gained at Superfit over the summer!

Getting Back on Track... I think

Starting a habit of waking up earlier- it's going quite well thus far! Don't feel like I've had restful sleep the past few nights, but will work on that. Getting better food in me and more exertion out of me, as I am starting to do, should help. I also think I've gotten comfortable enough in the new room to keep it darker and my music quieter when I go to sleep.

Point being, getting up earlier is allowing me to do more productive things with my mornings. My current checklist items are:

• Eat a nutritious breakfast (generally my version of Vegan Overnight Oats)
• Study French (French homework, listening to French podcast, reading Harry Potter in French, flashcards, etc.)
• Small bit of organizing (wash dishes that soaked overnight, take down trash, make bed, clear desk, etc.)
• Small resistance workout of 10-20 minutes (alternating days of the "6 Weeks to 100 Push-ups" program and Ab-Ripper X from P90X)
• Write (character profiles, outlines, actual scenes)

Update on Food:
    I found the Whole Foods/Trader Joes here- Naturalia. It's really quite tiny, but so very well stocked! I was doing happy dances and trying so hard not to grab everything in sight. Finally found my red lentils, for that Indian Lentil Curry on NoMeatAthlete, some quinoa pasta (!!!), oats and almond milk for my overnight oats, and a few other items. I finally figured out that almond milk doesn't actually have to be refrigerated, and a whole new world of breakfast foods that I can make suddenly opened up. Overnight Oats! Breakfast Quinoa! Healthy pancakes!
    Trying my first week of Meal Planning. Overnight Oats most mornings, and last night I made a wonderful peanut sauce that I had over green lentils and brown rice. Planning on doing that again tonight/soon for lunch, and also a small meal of one of my various healthy pastas with tomato sauce. I have a slight obsession with healthy pastas, it would appear. First, I couldn't find any whole wheat pasta, so I grabbed penne made out of vegetables. Then, I found whole wheat penne. I figured, why not have both! And then, as previously mentioned, I picked up some quinoa penne. At least I could have made one of them a rotini... I'm set to break into my white beans tomorrow.

My Vegan Overnight Oats:

• Approx. 1/3 cup oats
• Approx. 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• Hefty dash of vanilla extract
• Approx. 1 tsp of chia, maybe a tad more
• Shake or two of cinnamon (can you tell I have no measuring instruments?)
• Tiny sprinkle of salt
• Somewhere between 1 tsp and 1 tbsp of brown cane sugar

Mix all dry ingredients except sugar, then pour in milk and vanilla. Stir. Let sit for 30 minutes to overnight. Stir in sugar when almost set, or at least 30 minutes prior to consumption. Enjoy!

Update on Resistance Work:
    The level of effort I go to in order to avoid my common area is both ridiculous and impressive. So, as you can imagine, the P90X is not so much with the happening. I have restarted the Push-Up regimen, however, and while it is difficult as all get out, I'm so much better than I was when I started the first time. The first time around, I could barely eek out 4 good-form girl push-ups and thus started on the absolute base level. This time, I gussied up and tried the second level, and actually managed to complete it, though my breaks between the last few sets were more around the 2-minute mark. And since you are supposed to take days of rest in between for both it and the Ab-Ripper X, I'm alternating them as part of the morning routine. It's something that is actually working for me at my current level of dedication. They say that will-power is like a muscle- it's not a matter of either having it or not, it's a matter of working to build it up. So small, compact things that I can do first thing in the morning, without getting into my workout gear, without having to have a perfectly clear floor or shift furniture (which I had to do to complete P90X in this tiny room), removes pretty much all of my carefully constructed excuses. Once I prove to myself that I can stick with something on my own steam, I can start to build up. At this small of a requirement, I will feel like an absolute idiot for not doing it. Progress!

Update on Running:
    I have read so much about running in the past few days- and done precisely none of it. As I start classes near the Luxembourg Gardens tomorrow, I'm trying to work out some way that I can pack my running gear, then change after classes, go for a loop, and walk back home. My only thorn with this problem is figuring out where I would leave my other clothing, school supplies, and purse. Maybe one of my housemates will have the same time schedule as me, and would be willing to take it back with them?

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!

Reconsidered Pain

Quick update on the P90X Arms and Shoulders.

Killer but also totally doable, unlike the Plyometrics yesterday. I did, however, discover a rather urgent need for some different resistance bands. Mine are both too short, requiring me to do most moves on my knees rather than me feet, and without handles, which is really hurting my hands. I actually stopped early on a few exercises, not because of muscle fatigue, but because my hands hurt so bad. Towards the end, I got some relief by wrapping some paper towels around my hands, but it was still a little touch and go. Not really sure yet where to find exercise equipment in Paris. I'll have to ask around.

I know there is no tangible change yet, but I'm already feeling more cut in my arms. Silly, but oh-so-helpful in dealing with the full-body soreness that is going to be intensified tomorrow. The Ab Ripper X was after the arms, and I could only do half this time, being wiped out from two days ago still. And, of course, it used the leg muscles that are still dead from yesterdays Plyometrics. So tomorrow's gonna be fun!

Bring it.

Nutella Overload? Not possible.

My legs. *Whimper*

I've started P90X now that I've settled a bit into my room and routine here in Paris. I have my first round of Shoulders and Arms coming up tonight, which should be nicely pathetic. But I'll do my best.

The first day started right off with Chest and Back, and I gamely struggled along. It was hard to adapt some of the push-up moves for the modified knees position, but I managed. Definitely didn't keep up with the tempo, and didn't get too deep in most of the pushups, but I stayed all the way to the end, darn it! Mighty proud.

Yesterday was Plyometrics, and the reason for my legs' state of distress. I had to bug out after only half. That stuff is intense! They say it's the hardest, so I don't feel as bad about it as I could. I wanted to cut out after about 20 minutes, but I told myself if I gave in too early on only the second day, I would jeopardize my likelihood of actually sticking to the entire program. Still, after another 10 minutes, I literally couldn't do any more of it. But I've written down the exact stopping point, so I'll know how much further I can get next week (I can't just start it from the stopping point, because of all of the warm-ups in the beginning). The warm-ups were a workout in themselves! Once I've finished the 90 days, I think I'll keep the full set around even if just for the plyometrics. Now there's a workout that's going to get be up that bachelorette hike!

I live on the 6eme etage ici, which is to say the 7th story. And I have created and stuck to a policy of always taking the stairs up. 7 stories, usually in heels, 1-3 times a day? My tush is going to be up to there...

Eating has been a bit hard here, as expected. I'm currently subsisting almost entirely on crumpets with Nutella, and lots of water. Bought a few things (like nuts, and pre-cooked quinoa) today that I can start to add in, and I brought some chia from home.

Et finalement, I've been doing lots of walking. Lots of walking. And I'm planning on adding even more, as soon as I get some new shoes (read: cute moderately low-heeled boots). I was right, most people don't jog in the streets, but I have seen a few, so I could get out and do it if I really feel the need.

IT ARRIVED

EEEEEEE!!! My P90X just arrived in the mail (from CHINA). When I realized my eBay seller was from China, I started getting worried that it was going to be a pirated copy or something, but it's not! It's in the original wrapping and everything. It was a good price, and even though it took a while to get here, it's here before I leave for France! I'm a happy girl. It would have been a whole lot less headache and only about $20 more to go off Amazon, but I've got it now!

Off to open it up and watch the intro DVD.... YEEEP!

Vacation Wins and Woes

On my annual Christmas vacation right now, and actually got in a workout yesterday. I've been making a point to take the stairs, and we've done a fair amount of walking, but yesterday I actually hit up the hotel gym for about 40 minutes. Went on the treadmill for about 12 minutes, and spent probably close to three actually moving at around 7 miles an hour. I don't think I was properly running, more like light quick jogging, but the fact that I kept it up for almost three minutes is actually quite a victory. I guess all of those times I walked up the gigantic escalator at Tenleytown in Washington DC this fall actually paid off!

From the treadmill I rotated immediately to the recumbent stationary bike, set on level 6 "Hill" for 12 minutes, and then went hard on the elliptical for 12 minutes. Finished it up with some lat pulldowns, tricep dips, and a killer 80 second wall-sit, then the family came and fetched me for lunch.

It's been hard to eat properly here. I was just getting on a huge semi-raw, highly nutritious food kick, and there's not much here that fits that bill. If I was being very very good, I would have ordered the roasted vegetable appetizer at Pavz instead of the focaccia with dipping oil, but I'm just not that into veggies yet. Working on it, but not there yet. As it stands, I'd much rather leave the roasted veggies for places I can go anytime, like Macaroni's Grill or whatever it is called, and get what I really want the few times a year I can get to Pavz. It seems mentally healthier, if not physically. Had lots of salsa at the Mexican restaurant a few nights ago, and was happily working my way through my mom's rice and beans, when I suddenly realized that these beans might have lard in them. I never did ask, but I should. I need to start checking that at Mexican restaurants the same way I check about fish sauce in peanut sauce and sweet chile sauce at Thai restaurants (one of my absolute favorite meals is to go to a really good Thai restaurant and get the deep-fried tofu with sweet chile sauce for dipping, and brown rice and peanut sauce).

I'm making an effort at breakfast, though. I'm not going for veggie-filled omelettes, which would probably be the best choice, but the first morning I had a slice of their whole-grain bread, toasted, with a small serving of peanut butter, and the past two mornings I have gone for oatmeal. Granted, it is instant oatmeal of the Maple and Brown Sugar variety, but it's better than heading for the cinnamon rolls!

Tried to order P90X off of eBay, but after I paid eBay removed the listing, and the seller won't get back to me, so I'm starting to suspect he stole my money and ran. I'm going to get it back, but it's still irksome. It looks like I'll have to be a good girl and actually order it from the website. Don't know if I've mentioned this, but I'm planning on using it this next semester in France in order to a) not die when I return to Superfit in the summer, b) finally shave off the weight, in time to do some replacement clothes shopping in Paris!, and c) get into shape for the bridesmaid hike this summer. And I'll finally be able to do big girl push-ups. I'm excited. I've got to figure, if I can put myself through the full P90X, I can put myself through marathon training.

Over and out, y'all.

Weddings in Barns and Paris in the Springtime

I've become suddenly taken with cooking and preparing healthy, raw, etc. meals. I think this is a result of becoming hooked on several foodie blogs (OhSheGlows, EatingBirdFood predominately, also Fitnessista and Eat.Run.DoYoga.). It's probably a good thing! It means I am spending my time getting excited about all of the awesome fuel I can give my body, rather than the random junk I can stuff my face with. And the goal is to make it all taste good, which is a HUGE bonus.

One of my number one meals right now is pretty simply and very good for you. I came up with it after reading Born to Run. It's pretty simple:

• Small corn tortilla (high in fiber, whole grain)
• Thin layer of cheddar/jack grated cheese blend
• Generous layer of quinoa (high in fiber, high in protein- a complete protein, whole grain)
• Layer of refried beans (fiber, high in protein, good for processing fats)
• Second layer of quinoa
• Layer of chia seeds (high in fiber, protein, high in omega-3 fatty acids, high in antioxidants)
• Smallest dash of ground sea salt (for taste)

If I have the time and inclination, I like to prepare the tortilla with a dash of olive oil on the stove, then melt the cheese onto it, and preheat the quinoa and beans in the microwave, assuming I haven't just made the quinoa fresh. However, the tortillas I have right now, combined with a very enthusiastic stove, tend to create solid shells that don't wrap nicely, so I've taken to just loading everything up and popping it in the microwave. A little less gourmet, but still tasty, and very convenient! If I was super snazzy I would layer in some grilled pepper chunks or strips of kale, but I'm just not that hopped up on vegetables yet.

I've restarted my intensive circuit training three days a week at Superfit. It's my first week back, and I've made it in all three days this week. Actually holding up fairly well. I'm on significantly lower weights than I would like, but I've been able to make it through each work out and be functional the next day. While it's cold out and we are still without treadmill, I'm using jumping jacks and a funky stair regimen to work on my cardio, in lieu of actually going out running. I know, I should just lady up and do it, but it turns out that jumping jacks are actually a lot more work than I remembered. Seriously. Get up and do a hundred. Right around 40, you will start to realize it's not just kids play.

I read about the stair thing somewhere online, I think. I don't remember where, or I would link it. It's a way to get in a crazy stair workout, without having to go find stadium stairs or anything in your city. All you need is a standard flight of stairs that can be found in any house.

1. Climb up one stair, then go back down.
2. Climb up two stairs, then go back down.
3. Climb up one stair, then go back down.
4. Climb up two stairs, then go back down.
5. Climb up three stairs, then go back down.
6. Climb up two stairs, then go back down.
7. Climb up one stair, then go back down.
8. Climb up two stairs, then go back down.
9. Climb up three stairs, then go back down.
10. Climb up four stairs, then go back down.
11. Climb up three stairs, then go back down.
12. Climb up two stairs, then go back down.
13. Climb up one stair, then go back down.

Are you starting to get it? The first couple of times you do this, making it to six stairs is a real accomplishment (if you are cardio-challenged like me, at least). The goal is to make it to ten stairs (and then obviously work it down, with 9 stairs, then 8, then 7, etc.).

Stairs are really an excellent workout. It is NOT a gentle one. It lands a body blow to your heart and lungs if you aren't careful. I try to mix it up, whether or not I work to the gasping state (usually if I'm climbing actual stairs and I'm late for something) or slow down when my heart really starts to pound.

I'm going to be in Paris spring semester, which has me a little worried as far as keeping up my eating regimen, not to mention solid workouts. Apparently, in Europe, people don't go out jogging on the streets. I'll have to see if that is still true. My current plan as far as workouts go is to get P90x to use in my dorm room, and then just walk everywhere. When I get back for the summer, I'll start training in earnest for the San Antonio Rock'n'Roll Marathon that will be held in the fall of my senior year. Fortunately, I have a more firm goal than an as of yet un-signed-up-for marathon: one of my oldest, best friends is getting married this August, and she wants to go on an overnight backpacking trip for her bachelorette party! I don't want to be the stick in the mud that slows the whole group down, so I want to be in tip top shape this coming August.

I'm really glad about that last part, actually. I do genuinely want to be healthier and in better shape for what it will do for me, but I can't deny that the largest part of my desire is to lose weight and look good. And while that is perfectly valid, any fitness guru will tell you that looks aren't enough motivation to get you out of a nice warm bed on a chilly day. So, wanting to look good in my bridesmaid dress wasn't going to get the job done. But I legitimately want to be able to keep up with the bride-to-be on her bachelorette hike, and not slow anything down. And she is a freakishly fit person. So it's going to take some doing, but I'm feeling motivated and confident.