Back on Track

First, a quick look at where I'm at:

I joined a gym upon my return to San Antonio, frustrated at my lack of progress last semester. It has lots of group classes, which I attend pretty regularly. Zumba, cycling, yogilates, ab classes, the works. I also do cardio and weights on my own time, and one a week meet with a personal trainer for 30 minutes to make certain I am getting really put through my paces at least once per week. On a bad week, I am working out about 5 hours in total. On a standard week, I'd say it's 8-10. On a good week, 15.

So, working out is going pretty well. I'm already building strength, making improvements in my assisted pull-up, and I was able to follow along with the entire cycling routine on Friday. I didn't go full out with some of the resistance, but I did all of the stands and hovers, and all of the speedwork, and made some effort with the resistance.


Food is where I am still struggling. I am getting in nutrients here and there- I finally got a decent blender, and have made smoothies on several occasions. I have also been using my Starbucks gift card left over from who knows when to get smoothies occasionally after workouts. But all in all, it's been pretty sad.

To that end, I decided today to pick back up with my food journal. After logging my morning meals, I decided to take a look back at that solid month of journaling I did last summer, when I was really making an effort food-wise.

It is astonishing how little food the human body can function on, when it is the right kind. I was eating small meals, or maybe even large snacks, 3-5 times a day, with one larger indulgence every couple of days. If I combine that type of eating with the working out I am doing now, I will see results. No two ways around it.

I've been self-sabotaging for so long, grumbling that the major things I ate during that period were Trader Joe's products that I can't get here- ww pita pockets, TJs hummus, and TJs vanilla Greek yogurt. No other hummus or yogurt is that good, and good luck finding any pita, much less mini pita pockets. Well, you know what? I can pretend. Whole Foods  had some whole wheat pita pockets (full sized) the other day, and I grabbed some. I have tahini and everything I need to make my own hummus, and there are decent brands out there. And I can just suck it up and eat a different yogurt. There is an intriguing option in the vanilla skyr they sell at Whole Foods, and I do hear good things about Fage. I can even try getting plain Greek yogurt and mixing in vanilla bean paste on my own.

And I need to stop fearing the pasta. Yes, white cheddar sauce on ww pasta isn't as high on the nutritional scale as one of the salads on Oh She Glows, or even a bean burrito. But a reasonably sized portion of that (and when I was having them on a semi-regular basis, I was eating very reasonable portion sizes) is worlds better than giving in to a binge on white cheddar popcorn, or eating half of a pizza in one sitting. Same with the whole wheat tortellini with olive oil. Continue to work to diversify, but don't fear the pasta.

But if I'm really not feeling the bean and cheese plate, which I haven't been lately, I can certainly switch it up with a bowl of Kashi or a green smoothie. No need to make it uncomfortable.

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?...

Small Steps into Training

Just back in from completing my second training run. That is as far as I have pretty much ever gotten in any self-policed training program ever. Farther, in many cases. I generally stop at the planning stage, or sometimes after Day 1. I also have never had an actual, scheduled event coming up that I have trained for, so hopefully that is the kicker that will continue to get me out the door.

I know from previous experience (walking the Breast Cancer 3-Day -60 miles-) that I can physically finish something relatively low-key but still strenuous without training, but it was darn uncomfortable, and I was near to dead last on each of the two days of it that I walked alone. Note to Self: I want to walk it again. Must start earning money so I don't have to worry about the fund-raising (much harder than walking 60 miles in 3 days on little-to-no training, btw). End Note to Self.

However, I don't want to whimper through my Santa run. I want to charge through it, perhaps with a pathetic time, but with oomph and energy to spare. So training it is.

I was originally going to do my second run yesterday, but as with any time I restart my running program since switching to minimalist running, I have to deal with the overwhelming calf and ankle pain for a few days after as my muscles recover. Yesterday was the peak of the pain, so I scrapped the running plan and pushed it to today. The area below my main calf muscle but above my ankle was still pretty tight today (I suspect my ankles still need a lot of strengthening), but it loosened quite nicely by the end of my run. Still sore, of course, but feeling better.

I felt really strong during the first part of my run today. I felt I could go longer than the prescribed 60 seconds, and take shorter breaks than the prescribed 90 seconds. By the second half, I was dragging a lot more than I was during my first run. Perhaps not enough water and proper fuel this time, or a result of slightly giving in to the urge to push harder during the first half of the run? Time will tell, I suppose. Still learning who I am as a runner. One thing I have learned just from my scattered running exploits over the past year is that I run fast. Not when it comes to sprinting- I'm probably pretty slow at that. But out-on-the-street jogging/running- I zoom. Unintentionally, I assure you. It might be a biproduct of working on quick turnover that will fade away as I settle into my running form, it might be that love of speed I discovered in DC, or it might just be something about my own form or body or what have you. For right now, I consciously work to slow down so I don't exhaust myself early on, but I hope to don't stamp it out. It amuses me!

Now I must go fuel. Normally I'm all about hot beans in some fashion (stir fried tofu, beans with melted cheese, burritos, falafel, etc.), but since San Antonio doesn't believe in fall weather (I just ran in near-90 degree heat), I am actually craving something cold. I think my spinach is probably dead, so I'm running to the local HEB for some spinach, and then it's time to pound back a Green Monster! Woot!

It's Official

Well, I did it. I signed up.

As I walked out of class today, I started to suspect that, seeing as it was a Monday morning, I would find that my parents had replenished my checking account. I logged on as soon as I was in the door, and sure enough, there it was: a nice large, shiny number, from which I immediately removed $38.60 to sign up for a 5k.

I will be running the inaugural Santa Antonia 5k on December 3rd. It's a little more than 6 weeks, but I don't yet know what my Thanksgiving schedule will be, so I couldn't sign up for any Seattle-area Turkey Trots at this time. So maybe, by the time I get around to it, the Santa Antonia won't be my first race. But it will be my first in a Santa suit! That's right- they provide every runner with a Santa suit on race day. I am so psyched. (I have a serious love for all things Christmas)

As previously stated, I am running this thing whether I train or not. So, in order to feel better about it all, I'm going to train! I'm all dressed, I've just checked Day 1 of the Couch-to-5k program, and I'm about to head out the door.

And this evening, Katie is coming over for our first day of co-P90X-ing!

Two major undertakings started in one day. I'm so accomplished! (And yes, my first 5k totally counts as a major undertaking. I don't care if it is weeny compared to the ultimate goal of running ultramarathons, for me to be able to run for a mile without stopping is going to be huge. I am so excited!).

Perfection

An amazing thing happened about 10 days ago.

I decided to stop feeling guilty about eating junk food, and just subscribe to Michael Pollan's idea: you can have as much junk food as you want, you just have to make it yourself. I promptly made myself some cookie dough, as I often do. Usually, an entire (half-recipe) batch is gone within about 24 hours. Not good. And I feel guilty from the moment I think of making it to well after I have finished scraping the bowl.

This time, it lasted almost a week. I could go snag a bite or two whenever I wanted to, no strings attached. Most of the time, that more than took the edge off of the sugar craving, and I wandered away, or ate some beans if I was actually hungry.


I also decided that going completely whole hog with vegetables and One Hundred Percent Mega Nutritional Meals Only was not really working about, and I didn't want to spend time in my kitchen. In addition to working harder to keep my kitchen a physically inviting space, I also decided to focus on just getting in there and cooking most meals, regardless of their nutrients. Making alfredo sauce on pasta, or buttermilk pancakes, or what have you, is going to be a sight better than nuking some pizza rolls or filling up on cookie dough because I just want out of that darn kitchen. 

And then I started making reasonably healthy things, based on craving alone. Sun-dried tomato pesto on whole wheat bowtie pasta. Falafel (I think this is the best batch I've ever made!!). Peanut-sauce tofu and quinoa.


Once I took the pressure off of myself to be immediately perfect, I started improving! I've still got a long way to go, but I've already lost two pounds this week. So something is starting to work.

Learning About the Bike

Work on the Bike:

Day 1:

• Bike arrives
• Put together
• 35 minutes, 6 miles

Day 2:

• Busy all day, but hop on for my minimum required 10 minutes of solid, sweat-inducing work around 1:30 am after DD-ing and dancing all night.

Day 3:

• 50 minutes of medium resistance- enough to feel it the whole time, and work up a consistent sweat, but not to be ragged of breath or pouring sweat. No intervals, but knocked out a good 8 miles while catching up on my USA Network genius. 
• For now, this won't count as an actual workout, but will count as time put on the bike each day. However, depending on how I schedule my HITT workouts, 8 miles that leave the legs a little shaky might count as my cardio for a few days each week. I'd like to have a bit more rise in the heart rate, though. This was mainly just to keep moving instead of vegging. 

Today's experiment in using the bike while marathoning television was at once successful, informative, and perhaps a little disappointing. Overall, however, I will qualify it as a success. I burned some calories, and handily kept myself from munching while watching- a double win there! Sometimes I will want to log an actual workout while watching television, but I think just simple moving and breaking a sweat is also a worthy occupation. The main disappointment came from how much I noticed it, for what I wanted to be just moving. Time passed pretty quickly, but I was also pretty aware that I was on the bike for just about the entire time.  I only got a little into the second episode before I decided to hop off the bike. I think within a week or two I should be able to go for 3 episodes at a time, once I get some proper fuel in me, and build up a little strength and awareness again. It's been a while since I've been on a bike, and since I've eaten right.

My goals for this Saturday, then:

1. Clear up the space/finish organizing the space in the front room where I will do P90X (though I did just have a brain wave the I can probably put it on my laptop and do it in the dining room, which requires no rearranging. Should still organize the front room, though....)
2. Clean up the kitchen enough so that I am excited to be in there cooking up good things. Maybe try out that new energy bar formula on No Meat Athlete... I need to break in that food processor at some point!
3. Heat up some of the chili and have it over quinoa. I need to get some nutrients in this body, and fast! It's getting angry at me. 
4. Get the makings for peanut sauce, and sweet chili sauce so that I have stuff for tofu. I know Emily at Daily Garnish loves it with just salt and pepper, but I don't know that I'm there yet. 
5. Commit to a blender. Get said blender. Make a mini Green Monster and just down it. 
6. Homework....

Good Diet = Good Performance

Before I get into the heart of today's post, I just wanted to share some news: I officially kicked off my summer running program. My goal is to be able to pretty solidly run/jog (whichever I tend naturally towards, I guess) 2-3 miles. I'm still deciding this week whether I want to train with the standard Couch to 5k program (7 weeks to be able to walk/run a 5k, or a little over 3 miles) or with this "8 Weeks to Become a Runner" program over at Runner's World (8 weeks to run nonstop for 30 minutes, or a little over 2 miles). One lets me cover more distance, one lets me go for longer times. But regardless of which I end up with, the first week works roughly the same.

Unlike prior attempts at running, this summer I am not just deciding to myself that it would be cool. I have roped in my parents to keep me honest, and I will be printing out my training schedule once I decide on it and posting it in the kitchen, for all to see, crossing off days as I complete them. If I can complete either of these programs by the time I get to San Antonio in late August, I will be prepped and ready to join the half-marathon training group run by my school. Today, I went power-walking with my dad for a good 75 minutes or so, on hilly terrain, with 7 separate jog intervals thrown in. Not by time, but rather by distance. We estimate that the majority were about 100-125 yards, but one was an absolute killer, and included a pretty decent hill. I'm still working on keeping my pace slower but my foot rate quicker, and I experimented with the whole "leaning forward at the ankles" style. It shows definite promise, but it's going to take some getting used to.

So much for a quick update!

What I've really been wanting to get on here and talk about for a few days now is nutrition and work-out recovery. Not in the traditional sense of what to eat immediately following a workout. Rather, how my overall nutrition has affected my ability to recover from workouts.

Though I started making an effort last summer, I didn't really start eating in a totally nutritious manner, focusing on whole foods, until this past month. And despite the fact that on my first day back at Superfit I could barely squeak out reps on Blue, I am now solidly in Red, even on my weaker muscle groups like biceps and chest. I can do the full set of reps, and not be dead the next day. I'm eyeing the calendar for when I want to make the transition into Silver. I've never done Silver, but then I've never had my muscles repairing themselves this quickly.

Beans have been a large part of my focus. Refried beans with melted white cheddar for breakfast, red beans and rice for lunch or as a dinner side, sauteed tofu every which way, Cuban black beans with a little feta on top, hummus (the perfect homemade hummus is still a work in progress), sauteed falafel (nailed it on my first shot, and now it is an essential), burritos, and black bean chilies. Good sources of healthy carbs, protein, and with the exception of the tofu, fiber. All low calorie, as well. I'm not really counting calories as I go, but when I look back to see how I've been doing, I can tell that I'm staying nicely under 1500 most days.

I'm not doing milk much anymore, preferring to drink water with meals and use yogurt for my cereal, but I'm still getting in dairy. As I just said, yogurt features prominently. Still can't stand it plain, unless it is for my tzatziki sauce for my falafel, but vanilla on its own, or mixed with some Kashi Go Lean Crunch. Pretty hooked on Trader Joe's non-fat Greek yogurt right now, but I'm going to need to find an acceptable alternate, because Texas has no Trader Joe's. The nearest one to my university is over 600 miles away. Boo. Also eating small amounts of many different cheeses. Still having love affairs with feta from my time in Greece and goat cheese from my time in Paris, of course. And sometimes when I'm feeling naughty I use my vegetarian parmesan (and white cheddar if it is in the house) to make an alfredo sauce for my whole wheat penne. Made with limited butter, non-fat milk, and whole wheat flour, so I'm not being too horrible, but definitely not a simple pesto or marinara sauce.

Grains are always easy to work in. I finally got a strainer small enough to rinse my quinoa, and it really does make a difference to the taste! It's wonderful now! I'm making up batches of brown rice or quinoa each week to have as a side with my tofu, since I found out that tofu has no fiber (who knew?). Though I bet the sprouted tofu I've seen at Trader Joes does... must investigate. Then, of course, there is whole wheat pasta, corn tortillas, and the occasional healthy whole wheat pancake inspired by the various creations of Angela at Oh She Glows.

I want to work in more vegetables. A few weeks ago I was able to eat some stir-fried carrots and broccoli without the customary gag reflex (pretty much entirely a mental thing). I've asked my dad to help me learn how to do it myself. I'm also aggressively attacking my issue with onions (they make that horrid squeaking sound in your ear when you bit into them) by adding them to as many recipes as I can find. Raw but processed in my falafel, and whole but sauteed in my Cuban black beans. And more Green Monsters. I just want to figure out a way to do so that keeps the amount of beans, grains, nuts, and yogurt that I am enjoying in my diet right now, and the right amount of calories to give me enough energy to continue moving up in my weights. Especially now that I am adding in cardio to my non-Superfit days. I will have a slight increased need for calories, but I don't think I will actually need to increase my intake much at all.

From my small binge last week, I learned that I actually have significantly decreased my stomach size, or whatever else it is that causes you to feel full at various quantities of food. When I was bingeing horribly in France, I could pack away a disturbingly large portion of food before I felt it. Last week, it was easily half that before I had to take a "I feel sick" pause. I'd like to not alter that with added consumption of vegetables. So it's something to consider.

But, point being: being fit is so much easier when you are fueling right! Letting your body recover and build strong new systems with the right nutrients feels wonderful and speeds up improvement. Something to remember for the future, when I am tempted to stray into packaged meals and all white food and the like.

Home Again

I'm back, and it's time to kick this into high gear. I decided while in Iceland to dedicate my summer to two goals that I have had for a long long time: finish my writing, and get healthy/in shape.

Opening Stats:
Weight: 166.8 
   This is not as much of a net gain as I was worrying I would find upon my return from Paris. Accounting for general weight fluctuations, I estimate between 5-10lbs. I was starting to dip below 160 right before I left for Paris, but it wasn't consistent yet.  
Resting Heart Rate: 93 bpm
   Probably not an entirely accurate number, since I've been up, walking and eating and drinking ice water, for over an hour, and of course because I took it with my fingertips on my wrist, not with a sensor. But it seems about right.
Pant Size: Generous 14
   Bleck. At least I haven't popped back up into a size 16 like that one horrible two month period back in 2009. But closer to moving up a size than moving down a size.


Ultimate Goal Stats:
Weight: 130 and fit
Resting Heart Rate: 60 bpm
Pant Size: 6


First Goalpost Stats:   For June 15, 2011 (two weeks from now)
Weight: 158
Resting Heart Rate: 90
Pant Size: 12


Other Stats I Would Like to Collect:
Heart rate after a 10-minute mile
Heart rate after an 8-minute mile
Time to run a mile with a heart rate under 166 (apparently my target long-distance heart rate)
Body fat percentages
Inches measurements


This morning has started out much as I want most mornings to. I've been planning this for months, since relatively early on in Paris, so it was exciting to finally do it.

1. The first thing in my body was a glass of wonderfully cold water from the fridge filter. At some point ideally I will be able to add in a little lemon juice, because the alkalizing effect on the body and liver and what have you is suppose to be very healthy and excellent for the metabolism. But the cold water itself isn't too shabby! 
2. Second thing in the body is a source of healthy fats, which helps to keep the glycemic index from spiking throughout the day, and especially throughout the immediately following meal. Again, good for health and metabolism. I've been choosing nuts, though this morning, sadly, all I could find in the house were walnuts- definitely not my favorites. They are kind of waxy and look like brains. But I chowed down on a large one anyway, and I'll just make sure we get some almonds and maybe some cashews in the house when my mom and I go grocery shopping this weekend. 
3. Third thing: a properly portioned meal of protein without any grain or starch-type carbs. This morning, I tried out a small plate of vegetarian refried beans with some Cougar Gold melted over the top. It was incredible. I tried the beans and cheese thing once up in Scotland, after a particularly long hike, and it was fine but nothing exciting. I was using a little single-serving tin of spicy vegetarian refried beans, and some shredded mozzarella. Fine, but definitely something I was eating because it was good for me and palatable, not because it was yummy. This morning, highly yummy. Cougar Gold kind of rocks my world. Breakfast was warm and tangy and oh-so-flavorful. Plus, you know, good for me. I saw Trainer Bob talk about using your fists to gage the proper portion size for your carbs and proteins in a meal, so I spooned a slightly generous single fist onto my plate. I'm thinking now that since I'm not including carbs, I should probably allow the full meal serving of two fists, because it seems to have stimulated my appetite rather than sated it. Probably having a small handful of almonds instead of one walnut will help, and maybe I'll make it the serving size I would have if I had normal sized hands (mine aren't bizarrely small, but they are often as small or smaller than the hands of those ridiculously petite and small-boned girls we all know. I am not one of these girls). 

Some things to add to this morning:

1. Interval runs up my hill. I live at the base of an extremely steep hill. I want to do speed bursts up this hill 3 times, multiple times a week, waiting for my heart rate to subside a bit before charging up again. Studies show that going absolutely all out for short intervals and then taking decent rest periods in between is just as, if not more effective than consistent medium effort at building endurance and burning calories. This should aid both parts of my goal this summer- endurance for getting healthy (and that hike), and extra calorie burn for losing weight and shaping up. 
2. Vegetables. I want to aggressively attack my problem with vegetables this summer. I tried zucchini in Scotland, and I've been lightly poking around spinach and broccoli for a while now. I want to go full force with spinach- Green Monsters and baked spinach everywhere you look! Also really excited to try kale chips, and I've got my mom on board, so it's happening. 
3. Lemons in my water, green tea, water bottle, etc. I want to be so hydrated it is crazy. Lemons in the water and green tea both have positive effects on the metabolism, and I'd like a dedicated water bottle that I can carry with my everywhere. But for this morning, lugging around a little glass on a coaster will suffice. 
4. Some additional form of exercise: yoga, push-up routine, AbRipperX, etc. What this is will largely depend on how recently we worked what at SuperFit. e.g. If it is the morning after a day of mat abs, AbRipperX would be both painful and counterproductive. But if I know we are on a schedule of only working the chest on Mondays, and it's Thursday, then a push-up routine would fit in nicely and not jeopardize my ability to do well in Superfit the next day. I suspect yoga videos that stream on Netflix and free ones from the yoga download site place will make frequent appearances. 

I know this seems like a lot. And it is. But I think it needs to be. I'm so sick and tired of feeling run down and yucky. I want to run my darn marathon. I want to knock somebody's socks off in a bikini. I have no job or internship this summer- this is my work. I will write, and I will shrink my size and lengthen my life. This is my job this summer. And hopefully in going about it, I will build some life-long habits that will make this a permanent change. 

Six Weeks

Definitely not feeling as strong with my push-ups this week. I wonder if I am shifting into better form, and this is why? I'm being hyper-vigilant to have my chest stay between my hands, instead of behind them. I guess I don't know my physiology very well (right word?)- I would have assumed that having hands forward would use my weaker shoulder muscles more than my chest muscles. Maybe my having my hands directly under me, I'm targeting my triceps more?

Still, all shaking and griping and weakness aside, I still managed Day Two of Week Three today- a total of 70 push-ups in under 10 minutes! And all with really good form. I tried a few different times to get more than the minimum required 19 on my max reps, but I could never complete it with good form, so it stays at 19.

Did a LOT of walking over our weekend in the South of France, and have confirmed that I am definitely nowhere near ready for the bridesmaid hike this August. Five months to whip this girl into shape! Tomorrow on my way back from classes I am going to run into GoSport to grab a cheap long-sleeved exercise shirt. It's not about needing the right equipment (though I am sorely lacking in any cold weather exercise gear), it's about removing all of the excuses that I use to keep me inside and sedentary. I'm going to start the Couch-to-5K plan this week. I think it's a 6 week course, just like the push-ups.

Six weeks is a good amount of time for these sort of things, I realized recently. Think about it:

1. Week One: Yay! You completed the first week! You are on your way.
2. Week Two: Wow, you are already a third of the way done! Way to go!
3. Week Three: Half way. You are really doing it!
4. Week Four: OMG! Two-thirds of the way done! Who would have through you would make it this far?
5. Week Five: Only one week left- what?? When did that happen?
6. Week Six: You did it!!!

Constant gratification. Love it.

On the food front, still being stymied. I got my electric cooler, and it totally does not work. Kind of crushed. It whirs and makes noise, but nada. Even after being constantly on for over 48 hours. Not really sure how to return it, either. It was from Amazon, though, so it should be doable... I should have gone with my initial instinct and just bought a minifridge for 120 euro in the first couple of weeks, so it would have paid for itself multiple times over. Alas. Hindsight. Gotta love it. 

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).

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.

Very First Run

I'll get into the background story of how I started this crazy venture and the specifics of what I am doing and all that a little later, but first I want to post about my very first training run!

Well, to start, there was very little actual running involved. Primarily I just walked, with about 5 1-minute bursts of running thrown in. These little snippets of running caused my face to turn a particularly lovely shade of deep violet and my lungs to heave at roughly the sound and speed of a Airbus cargo plane. I imagine this led to those who passed me during my walking times to think I am the most out of shape person ever. On a related note, I also felt like I was going to swallow my tongue at a few different points. I hope that is normal at this stage.

There are several high points, however....
First: for whatever reason, the sort of early evening time at which I chose to go running is also the time when every single dog owner within 50 blocks decided to walk their dogs, so I saw lots of cute puppyage.
Second: I actually started training for my marathon!
Third: There were actually times I felt pretty good about my running, what little of it there was
Fourth: This is by far my favorite- it somehow worked out that whenever I crossed paths with someone who was out running rather than out with their dog, I was in one of my rare running spurts, and we shared big comradely grins as we ran by each other. It felt pretty special and cool.