Paleo and Whole30 Must Haves and Resources

This Thanksgiving, I attempted to make a full day of meals for my family that were Whole30 friendly so I could demonstrate just how GOOD this food is. While I was going through my grandmother's kitchen, I suddenly realized just how many unique ingredients have become staples in our kitchen at home.

So, if you are doing the Whole30 warm up or strict Whole30 with me, or looking to grab the essentials for when you're traveling to visit and cook in new and strange kitchens, I recommend the following:

Pantry:

• Almond Butter
• Almond Flour*
• Arrowroot Powder*
• Canned Pineapple 
• Cayenne*
• Chili Powder*
• Cinnamon
• Coconut Aminos
• Coconut Flour
• Coconut Milk*
• Coconut Oil*
• Cumin*
• Diced Tomatos (canned)
• Paprika*
• Red pepper flakes*
• Rice Wine Vinegar 
• Sea Salt*
• Tomato paste (canned)
• Tomato sauce (canned)

Fresh Produce:

• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Celery
• Garlic
• Jalapenos
• Onions
• Shallots
• Tomatos

Protein:

• Chicken Breasts (boneless skinless)
• Chicken Thighs
• Eggs
• Ground Beef
• Ground Lamb
• Ground Pork

Tools:

• Crockpot
• Food Processor
• Good Knives
• Julienne Peeler

Cookbooks:

• Elana's Pantry
• Every Day Paleo
• Nom Nom Paleo**
• Practical Paleo
• Primal Cravings
• Well Fed
• Well Fed 2

* If you don't want to fill your pantry with all of these items, at least get these. 

** This isn't out yet (I am COUNTING down the days to December 17th) but I am sure it will be amazing

If you're looking to make your family's Christmas shopping easier for you - you can send them this collection. If it looks sparse now, don't worry, I add to it every day. These are books and products I use daily and am not paid or encouraged to endorse. I just like them. 

If you eat paleo or Whole30, what are your must haves? 

Whole30 Resources

When Victoria did Whole30, I was FULL of skepticism...not that it would work, but that it was possible for someone who is no where near as dedicated as she is.

Amazingly, it wasn't hard. Once I made the decision, I only once or twice had the "ugh why I am doing this" feeling. Looking like this at the end was 100% worth it:

That red dress is tiny. I am wearing a slip under it, btw. And no, not spanx.

What I really DID love was all of the cooking. I recognize that I may be alone in loving cooking at night, but to me, there is nothing more wonderful than coming home, having nothing else on my plate to deal with, and spending time making a beautiful dinner. This is my recent, brag-worthy meal:

Seared halibut with broccoli, mango salsa, cauli-rice, and paleo aioli 

I am already a pretty good cook, at least, I like to think so. I've come a long way from making a too-lemony steak and only having about 2-3 staple dishes. Even better, I've gotten much faster in the kitchen. A good dinner doesn't take 2+ hours, and a quick dinner is sometimes the best food I can make. But even for those of you who are not yet amazing chefs, I think you'll find all of this to be pretty easy.

I rely on a few different cookbooks for inspiration. If you are interested in going Whole30, you should pick up the following resources:

Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat

If you follow that link, you can can a free 30 page PDF of the book. You can also check out the other recipes that Melissa has written. I love love love her cookbook and have made some of these dishes several times. Most of them reheat very well and make excellent lunches.

Paleo Cooking from Elena's Pantry

This cookbook has produced some of the best recipes (most notably the bacon quiche, the apple dessert, and the chicken "gumbo.") Again, very very easy. 

Primal Cravings

I've just gotten into this book and I already love it. I've had a miss or two, but some of the recipes are real winners.

Practical Paleo

My parents gave me this cookbook for Christmas and it is probably my most cherished cookbook. I have hoards of notes in it. This book convinced my that paleo was a) practical (ha) and b) delicious.

I'm still gathering and testing paleo cookbooks, so if you have one, please let me know!

Pantry Staples:

The stranger side of going paleo meant introducing new foods to my pantry as staples...things I figured I would NEVER use again. Wrong. 

1) Spices. I had a pretty serious stock of the normal spices, but halfway through Whole30, I found myself walking down to Georgetown to pick up almost $100 of spices from the Spice and Tea Exchange. I strongly recommend buying spices in bulk from a vendor like this (Central Market offers spices in bulk, which is very unfair for those of us living outside of Texas). 

Here are a few of the things I go through on a weekly basis:

- Cumin

- Paprika

- Chili Powder

- Cayenne Pepper

- Cinnamon

- Ginger

- Nutmeg

- Corriander

2) Non-Wheat Flours. I really like something sort of sweet after dinner. I love quiche. I want to bread things. Enter these new flours:

- Coconut flour

- Almond flour

- Potato flour

3) Coconut milk. This goes in so many things - from sauces and marinades to coconut whipped cream to...frankly, just eating the coconut fat out of the can. I have at least 4-6 cans of it at any time. Pro-tip: the blue can (I think goya?) SUCKS. Not nearly enough fat. Stick with the trader joes or whole foods brand.

4) Coconut oil. We'll never use butter or vegetable oil ever again. Seriously. Just go buy a jar at costco. It's all I cook with.

5) Produce. I go through onions, shallots, green onions, red onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach like no tomorrow. Onions especially. They seem to be the base in almost everything I make. I have also been buying an untold amount of cilantro and parsley. For fruit, we're a little light since we try to stay away from sugar in most forms, but we try to eat seasonally - berries and apples right now. And PEACHES.

6) MEAT. Just...go buy all of it. I go to Costco for things like pork tenderloin and ground beef, as well as chicken. I get sausage at WholeFoods, as well as lamb, ground bison (delicious), bacon, steak and fish. The better the quality, the better the result. Btw, please stop freezing your steak. Do not make the mistake I made.

A brief note on the "expense" of paleo. First, you need to be buying high quality food. Go organic (even if only for the dirty dozen), buy free range, antibiotic free, and vegetarian-fed protein. Do you want to eat a chicken that hasn't moved and has sat around only eating another bird's shit until their next grain serving? No? Me either.

I am not a vegetarian because...no thanks. But I do believe in the sanctity of living things. I do my best to honor the animal that I am eating by choosing protein from providers that treat animals well. It's cheap to treat things poorly. It is expensive to care for the life of this earth. Do your part. 

Also - I KNOW it is more expensive in some cases. But if you bought a really nice car that required premium fuel, but you only fueled it with cheap gas....what do you expect would happen? Your body is a pretty expensive car. Fuel it with the good stuff.

And finally. If you cook in bulk, buy intelligently and seasonally, you'll probably come out on top.

Going back around on Whole30 a week from today when I get home from Colorado! Do it with me.

How to Get a Sportz Job

So. You want a sportz job.

Most you probably don't know this, but I didn't. 

I grew up wanting to be many things, the list is painfully bizarre, ranging from writer to actor to publisher to stock broker to archeologist to accountant to god knows what else. But one thing I never mentioned was working in sportz.

When I was in middle school, I started a baking "company." I  baked a variety of goods, then dragged them around my neighborhood. I took cookie orders around holidays. I had honest to goodness business cards, care of my dad (they were seriously awesome, thanks again, Dad!)

The boring story of my life is how I wound up in communications and marketing strategy. The more interesting one is how I wound up working in in sportz.

After several years of teaching a variety of fitness classes, I wound up in love with running, but burning out in teaching and being a trainer. I theorized on new gyms - what that would look like - where fitness was the focus - not money. But, I knew I didn't have the capital for the overhead and I knew no savvy investor would trust a young 20 something with little to no gym management experience. Then, I built a race, down to the logo, obstacle design, and began on the cost analysis. That one is still simmering on the back burner of my mind, but I'm off track.

So you want a sportz job. Here are a few things you should know:

1) Work for free.

I know a couple people who have stumbled into a job with a major race organization literally by accident, but most people with sportz jobs have worked their tails (and fingernails) off to get them, and here's the important part: they worked for free.

If you really believe in what a race is selling, volunteer for them. There are only three things that can come of that:

a) You will appreciate the race and it's core team

b) You will decide that this is not a job you want

c) You will have a better candidate to work with the organization

1b) Work for free - happily.

God help you if you complain about the work you're volunteering to do with the same mouth you're professing to love the organization. Seen it.

I'll humble brag and use myself as an example: when I worked as a major exchange manager for Ragnar DC, I had the mud pit field. Our generators were delivered to the wrong field (several miles away) and it was about 11pm when we started work. By the time the first 50 teams showed up, we were already losing shoes in the mud, and my tutu was dirty. I pushed 11 (ELEVEN!!!) vans out of the mud. We had to call AAA for a tow truck for another one. The coffee percolators stopped working, everything started to stink the way a bog does after a rain...But you know what? I was all smiles. You know why? Because I was working for my dream company. I was a part of the most amazing race experience and if I was a raving bitch, how would that affect people who were tired, muddy, and exhausted and PAYING for the experience?

I went home after our shift ended. Thanked each of my volunteers profusely. Then I cleaned myself up and went to the finish line to see where I could help out. Which leads me to...

1c) Work for free [happily] and add value.

Anyone can stuff flyers into a bag. My relationship with Ragnar started not when I became an Ambassador, but before, when I needed to find a way to fulfill our volunteer requirement for DC. I helped stuff all the goodie bags for DC before I'd even done the Ragnar. I saw a better way to get the bags done faster. I redirected other volunteers and Kent, the then-race director, now good friend, saw it.

The next year, I worked SWAT (muddy story above) and when I went to the finish line, I saw that things were getting hectic, so I jumped in where I could and made a better system for getting runners their gear, checking in safety flags, and cleaning the finish line. I proved I could add value, even when no one asked me to. 

2) Networking isn't just for corporate America

While volunteering at an expo for Ragnar one weekend, I struck up a conversation with some of the staff who was in town from race HQ. I didn't even drop hints. After having proven that I could work hard and happily (for free), I told him that I was willing to do anything to work for Ragnar, even learn to drive a truck, would he keep me in mind if something opened up in his department? Could I have his email address?

The next time a different staff member was in town, I went out of my way to meet up with them briefly and talk shop. That was the staff member who alerted me to a posting for a position in the company.

It didn't hurt that I'd tried to meet every race director at each event I did. I thanked them, asked them questions that were on my mind, and continued to be a brand ambassador - all for free, all happily.

I went through the interview process with Ragnar for a position that wound up not working out due to some organizational changes, but I had the chance to speak with everyone from the CMO to the CEO to the founder of the race while I was out there. The CEO called me the other week just to check in. When the part time position in DC opened, I was the first person they called (at least, I hope I was!).

I will admit, I was heart broken when I didn't get the dream job with them. But I didn't send a horrible email to them. I didn't burn my bridges because even though I didn't get the job, I still believed in the race, the experience, and couldn't turn my back on the one thing I love more than anything.

2a) Networking happens all the time

So, maybe you don't volunteer with a race. Maybe you just enjoy racing and find yourself at expos and events frequently. Do you know what makes my day when I'm working an expo? When someone stops to talk to me about working for Ragnar. If you're curious, start a conversation with someone at a booth, get their information, follow up.

I wound up as an ambassador for Pearl Izumi not because I am an amazing athlete (hint: I'm not), but because I'm passionate about my sportz, passionate about the community, and because I've networked myself into becoming a connector/influencer (oh my god, I hope so, because they think so).

Talk to people. Be passionate. Ask if you can help. In an industry in constant need of a set of hands, you will be surprised how well connected you can become.

3) Dream Bigger

When I met C.J., we were both ambassadors for Ragnar. We'd talked here and there, but at some point, god knows how, we wound up talking about improving the sportz community. I should really give C.J. all the credit here - he's a man of HUGE ideas. When he approached me about a business idea (now called The FitBase), I was interested. I went to a few meetings, but when push came to shove, most of our initial interested team couldn't see the big picture. But I saw the opportunity to take over the operations side (cue being a little a lot OCD and my project managent background).

Now, a few months later, we're in the initial stages of launching FitBase. I couldn't be more proud of our team and more excited about the future of our company. At our launch party last night, all I could think about was how amazing it was that we'd gotten this far and so soon.

Sportz is an industry rife with opportunity for change. If you can dream it up, start talking to people, get advice, share ideas, then roll up your sleeves and push vans out of the mud.

Mia Cooks - Pork Tenderloin, Green Beans, Scalloped Potatoes, and Gravy!

Alright! I'm injured. Still injured. My ankle was swollen to the size of my biceps Saturday night (only slight exaggeration). Until my health insurance kicks in...Coach has mandated (wisely) that I am NOT allowed to run or do anything resembling impact. Blah blah blah, Coach is right, blah blah. Running resumes March 1.

In the mean time, I figured it was time to dedicate myself to some time in the kitchen! One of my goals for these two weeks with Christine has been to make a food plan at the beginning of the week and cook more of my meals. Normally, I'm really good at this, but probably one week a month, I fall totally off the wagon. We'll be out of food, I'll be too tired to go to the grocery, and face it, tomato soup from Cosi sounds SO good right now...

But this weekend, we hit up Costco and Safeway and Washington's Green Grocer delivered an abundance of beautiful produce. The freezer and fridge are PACKED, and mostly with produce!

And so, in the frustration of being off my ankle, I decided to cook! This episode of Mia Cooks focuses on how to cook a pork tenderloin. The best think about this dish is that the meat is craycray cheap. You can get a two pack at Costco for pennies.

Below, I've got my recipes and step by step for pork tenderloin, green beans, scalloped potatoes, and gravy. If you decide to make everything, here is a list of what you'll need in total:

Tenderloin:
- Pork tenderloin(s)
- soy sauce
- sherry cooking wine
- rice wine vinegar
- vegetable oil
- orange juice
- shallot
- fresh or ground ginger
- rosemary
- italian seasoning
- butter
- salt, pepper, garlic salt, seasoned salt
- garlic cloves

Green Beans:
- green beans
- onion
- powdered chicken bouillon

Scalloped Potatoes:
- 5-8 small potatoes (enough for 2-3 c. sliced)
- chives, bacon, cheese (optional)
- powdered mustard, paprika, salt
- 1 1/4 c. milk and cream

Gravy:
- broth (optional)
- flour
- left over juice from cooking tenderloins

1) Optional Trimming I thawed the tenderloin out over night and then, mid afternoon, I trimmed up the tenderloins. This is optional. I recently had the opportunity to observe an incredible chef cook - during this time, he demo'ed how to trim a tenderloin. I will admit, I am not nearly as adept at it, but here is the general gist, via video:
 (video coming shortly)

Basically, take off the fat and the tendons (anything white). You can do this with a sharp knife and some patience. If you're lazy/time crunched, don't bother...though I REALLY do recommend doing this.

2) Marinade. Then, I marinaded the meat for a couple hours. My marinade recipe is:
- 1/4 c. soy sauce
- 1/4 c. sherry
- 1/8 c. rice wine vinegar
- 1/8 c. veg oil
1 tbsp orange juice (or just a splash)
A couple dashes of rosemary
1 chopped shallot
Dash of powdered ginger (it's preferable to have about a tablespoon of chopped fresh ginger, but use what you've got.)

You can put this in a big bowl or dish, but I prefer the "no clean" option of a plastic ziplock. Easier to move the meat around the marinade this way.

3. Wait. Let it sit in the fridge for however long, but 2+ hours is preferable. Overnight is even fine.

4. Crust. (ps. now is the time to preheat your oven to 400). I like seasoning the outside of the tenderloins in addition to the marinade. Here's the "no clean" way to do it. Pull out foil and grind a good layer of salt, pepper, seasoned salt, herbs (italian blend works fine), and garlic salt. Then roll your tenderloins over it (that's what she said). Then, I have slices of garlic cloves (thin) and put small knife cuts into the tenderloins and insert the garlic slices.

5. Sear. I like to sear the outside of the tenderloin to lock in the flavor. There are more technical terms for why this is a good idea, but I don't know enough to tell you why. Go with me, here.

Just melt about 2-3 tbsp butter in a skillet that can go into the oven (which should be preheated before you sear the meat.) Make sure the butter is hot enough that when you put the meat in, you hear a sizzle, but not too hot that the butter browns before you put the meat in. On my electric stove, this is a 5-6 on a scale of 1-10. You can test the butter by dripping a tiny bit of (like, a drop or two) of water or marinade.

Cook each side of the tenderloins for 1 minute - just enough to sear the outside.

Don't worry if some of the red at the ends isn't gone. It's thinner and will cook just fine in the oven.

6. Cook. This is a tricky one. If you get the normal sized tenderloins at costco or wherever, then this is a decent cooking time: 

• 8 minutes - mostly raw
• 6 minutes more - smaller tenderloin is done
• 3 more minutes - larger tenderloin is ready

These cooking times are for a "pink" tenderloin. If you prefer yours well done (???) or have family members or small children who can only eat well done meat, I would add another 3 minutes to these times. The key, really, is to have an instant read thermometer. I've seen a range of temperatures, so I may be wrong, but 155-160 appears to be the right internal temp. 

The biggest mistake I made when I was learning to cook was taking the meat off when it was exactly where I wanted it to be. WRONG. Meat doesn't stop cooking the second it is out of the heat, so make sure you take it off a few minutes before it appears "done" (whatever that "done-ness is to you.)

Here is what "done" is for me:

7. Rest. Yes, rest. Rest, for meat, is just as important as rest is for athletes. Take the meat out of the skillet (watch the handle, it IS hot and will sear your flesh off). For the no-clean method, put each tenderloin on it's own sheet of foil and loosely wrap the foil around it. This will keep it warm and allow the meat to cool, finish cooking, and have the juices set. This will keep the juices from spilling out all over everything (and drying your meat) when you cut it. I let this happen for about 10 minutes (or while I'm finishing making dinner.)

Sides

Yes, I know we can all live on meat alone, but it's SO much better with some sides. Normally, I'd make something a lot more healthy, but I was feeling indulgent. I added scalloped potatoes, green beans, and gravy.

Scalloped Potatoes

Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking

I tend to make these when we have some potatoes have seen better days - usually, smaller potatoes. Some of them are starting to sprout and all that. No matter. Take enough to fill two cups with slices (this will be between 5-8 smaller potatoes).

1. Peel them. You can do this with a knife a little more effectively and easily than with a peeler, but it's chef's choice.

2. Slice them. The more thinly and evenly you slice them, the prettier and more evenly cooked your dish will be. I recommend going for something around an 1/8th of an inch.

3. Prep your secondary ingredients. And preheat your oven to 350. Chop up about 1-2 tbsp butter. You want smaller pieces you can "dot" around the layers of the potatoes. Grab about a 1/3 cup of flour and have that on the side. If you want to add some new flavors, grab some chives, a half an onion, or some bacon (or all of them!) Some people also use cheese. 

4. Layer. Cover the bottom of the pan with one layer of potatoes. Dust with flour and with a few pieces of butter and whatever extras you'd like to add. Keep layering until you're out of potatoes, but don't dust the top with flour or any extras. 

5. Mix liquid. Depending on your level of decadence, heat up a mixture of 1 1/4 c. milk and cream so that it's about bathwater temperature. Sometimes, I add more milk or more water to have more liquid. No more than an extra 1/4 cup, though. 

Mix in 1/2 tsp. of paprika and another of powdered mustard. I add salt in at this point (about a teaspoon). Make sure it's really mixed up or you just get a lump of seasonings in the bottom of the pan.

6. Pour liquid over the potatoes. 

7. Bake. Cover this bad boy with foil and pop it into the oven. In about a half hour, take off the foil. Cooking it with foil for the first half hour keeps it from drying out or burning on the top. Let it bake for another 45 minutes to an hour - but check it at a half hour. I just told Chadd to take it out after an hour while I was at a meeting, so ours came out a bit more "done" than normal. 

Green Beans

I assume most people know how to make green beans, but if you don't - or you want a new twist - here's how we make them in our house.

1. Heat water. Put about an inch and a half of water into the bottom of a larger pot. Add two heaping tablespoons of chicken bouillon and half of an onion, cut into large sections.   

2. Clean the green beans. Rise, then chop off the ends of each green bean. I'm not meticulous about it, don't let yourself spend way too much time doing this.

3. Cook. With about 6-8 minutes left on the rest of your meal, throw in the green beans and just keep an eye on them. Take them out when you can pierce them with a knife, but before they turn brown. They will look vibrantly green when they're done. If you like your green beans soggy - don't come over for dinner. 

Gravy

Recipe non existant, but mad props to my dad for teaching me how to make gravy.

When you took the tenderloins out of the oven and moved them to foil, I'm sure you noticed that you had a lot of extra juice and stuff floating around in the bottom of the pan. This is good. 

1. Thicken. Toss a tablespoon or so of flour into the juice in the pan on medium low heat. If this makes paste, add some water, broth (any kind, really), or left over marinade. Your choice. If you use the left over marinade - match that 1 for 1 with water since the marinade will be very strong in flavor. Don't over do it.

2. Simmer. Bring gravy to a simmer. Too thin? Add flour a spoonful at a time to avoid lumps. Too thick? Add water, marinade, or broth. Stir continuously so you don't burn the gravy.

3. Repeat. Until you have the consistency you like. A word on using the marinade - that has raw stuff floating around in it. Make sure your gravy simmers (bubbles) for a bit if you've decided to use that as a loosening agent. 

Timing

I think timing is probably the hardest thing for people to master as they are learning to cook. Here is my cheat sheet to make everything above and have it all finish at roughly the same time.

Earlier in the day: prep tenderloins and marinade them

2 hours before dinner: prep scalloped potatoes

1.5 hours before dinner: put in scalloped potatoes

1 hour before dinner: take foil off potatoes, prep green beans

30 minutes before dinner: sear tenderloins and place in oven

15 minutes before dinner: boil water for green beans

10 minutes before dinner: put on green beans, take out tenderloin and let rest

5 minutes before dinner: make gravy

And voila:

The meat is a little pink for my taste, but Chadd likes his tenderloin more rare than I do. 

Success!

Questions? Mia Cooks requests? Soup recipes coming soon!

Wednesday Motivation and Affirmation

Just a quick post on this rainy day to remind you that whatever it is that you are chasing, be it a 5k, a marathon, an Ironman or any other goal in life that you can do it if you dedicate yourself to it.

I strongly recommend signing up for daily emails from Tut's Adventurers' Club. It's a little new agey sometimes for my taste, but then I get emails like this:

The presumption, Mia, at all times and under all circumstances, should always be that you are good enough, worthy enough, and lovable enough. And that you are exactly the right kind of person, in the right place, at the right time. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been instilled with such dreams in the first place.

Ain't that the truth.

From the girl who never thought she'd run more than a 15 minute mile, let me promise you that amazing things are possible if you believe you can do it.

Happy Wednesday!

And then I slept for 12+ Hours

Saturday's workout(s) were AWESOME.

I'm finding it easier and easier to get up near the buttcrack of dawn. Maybe I really am a morning person - who knew!

I met up with the distrance running group that Coach T trains at Peirce Mill. I've never been there, even though it's ridiculously close to my house, and had first run nerves. One of the traps I get into is not trying new routes. It's a lot easier, mentally, to have mental landmarks. But, this whole triathlon thing is most certainly about trying new things.

When I run on my own, I usually clock around an 8:40-9 minute mile time. This is slightly deceptive since I tend to take a walk break every 2-3 miles (I chalk this up to when typical water stops show up in races). But Saturday's run was 10 miles, averaging a 9:30-9:40 pace (no faster) and with the goal of not stopping. That was a mental barrier waiting to be destroyed.

I got to meet Victoria in person, which was really cool. She's a blogger celebrity and my own personal hero (especially for her swim prowess). She very kindly offered to run with me and not let me get lost on the trails. And off we went. It was a gorgeous day for a run, especially along Rock Creek. We finished up around 1:35 (she went on to do another 2 miles): average mile time: 9:30 - bingo.

I had my first back to back workout scheduled for Saturday, so I got home, ate some pretzels (yaay salt!) and headed down to the pool. What I didn't know was that from 9-11 at the pool is basically kids-a-palooza. Incredibly frustrated, I left, intending to call my coach and ask how to fix this situation. I had plans in Baltimore, then I needed to be available all the rest of the evening to support Chadd for the Ninja Warrior stuff. Thankfully, I had my times wrong on my Baltimore plans, so I walked back over to the Y and pulled off a very bad 45 minutes in the pool. I started out frustrated. My form felt bad, I felt slow (and was certainly the slowest in the pool, save for the gentleman in lane 3 learning to swim) and it was crowded and I felt like a huge inconvenience to everyone.

Then I remembered the crucial swimming tip Victoria had given me: look down.

This sounds like an incredibly easy tip and one that I'm sure many of you have been doing without thinking. This was a huge lightbulb moment for me. My form improved dramatically. I still struggled with the endurance side of swimming, but at least my butt wasn't 6 inches lower than the rest of my body.

I guess this is the equivalent of when someone tells me they're struggling with running and I have 3 guesses on  form problems that, when fixed, dramatically improve the person's experience.

In case you were wondering, those tips are:
1. Run neutrally. I see a lot of people slumped forward, which cuts off your lung capacity. Sit up.
2. Tuck your hips under. This should take some pressure off your knees and engage your glutes. Big muscles give you a big hand.
3. Relax. Arms should swing naturally, shoulders away from the ears, look ahead.

I was surprised with how great I felt Saturday after both workouts. I jumped in the shower and felt awesome driving out to see some of my favorite Ragnarians (def: people who run Ragnar).

We gorged on wings and bbq: (seriously, do yourself a favor and go to Kloby's in Columbia)

Happy Ragnarians were we:

I jumped back in the car to Alexandria (my muscles weren't really happy with the hour plus I spent in the car). After watching Chadd do ninja stuff, we headed home. I managed to eat a little pizza (ok, a lot of pizza), and have precisely 1 beer before passing out at the amazing hour of 9:30. I had promised Chadd we'd watch more X-Files, but instead, I slept for 12 hours. Bless his heart, he didn't wake me and instead let me sleep until I woke up at 10 the next morning. Talk about starting a rest day off the right way.

Of course, why would one really rest on a rest day? I spent the majority of yesterday getting an unintended workout: Ikea. There's nothing like walking what feels like miles through DIY furniture and modular living land then spending 3+ hours in heavy lifting mode. But, the condo is almost re-done. Pictures when it's done, I promise!

Secrets to Health

I don't have a lot of health secrets--I think the majority of what I have to say and what works is what everyone just chooses to avoid: it's a lot of honestly, discipline, and work. Calories in, calories out.

But everyone has tips and tricks for how to deal with poofy under eye circles or how to cure the common cold. Here are mine that I just drummed up (none of them did I learn on my own, various people over the years passed on this amazing knowledge)...

1) How to stop a cold from becoming a sinus infection:
- Sleep.
- Drink water--lots of water.
- Sleep.
- When you must be awake, drop an Emergencee in OJ.
- Use a netti pot at least twice a day, Afrin 1x a day (careful you don't get addicted).
- Sudafed every 4 hours.
- Sleep.

2) How to brush your teeth. I actually have an amazing dentist who retaught me all I know.
- Start with flossing and don't jam the floss up your gums--C shape around each tooth and scrape.
- Brush with the softest brush in existence (or use an electric brush), work gums to teeth. Go in circles. Pull out each cheek and brush the insides of your cheeks. Same with lips. Don't mash the brush down--bristles should always be straight.
- Brush your tongue (if you breath out of your nose, you won't gag).
- Pop a bit of toothpaste on the back half of your tongue and rub it against the back roof of your mouth. (This and your tongue are what cause bad breath).
- Gargle with scope or some such.

3) How to avoid sun damage: sunscreen 20 minutes before you're outside (give it time to sink in), and always use at least an spf 30. Reapply every hour.

4) Poofy under eye circles: everyone has something different that works for them, but my trick is R+F eye cream, twice a day. Also, tons of water.

5) Back pain
- Immediate relief: hang your heels off of a step, curb, anything. It's more than likely if you stretch out your hams and glutes, you'll have some relief.
- Long term strategy: at least once a day, do 3 minutes+ (it can be in sets if you life) of glute lifts. Lay on the ground, feet on the ground, squeeze your butt and raise your hips towards the ceiling. Hold. You'll strengthen your back, improve your posture, and reduce back pain.
- Oh. Stop slouching.

6) Tame Grandmother guilt:
- Have her address readily handy.
- Buy stationary you love, a funny post card, anything.
- Once a week, jot down a note in 5 minutes. Know that monday morning status meeting that sucks so badly? There's your writing time.
- Topic? 2 events from the week, 2 events upcoming, ask about her plans, one friend, and mention a memory you have of you two when you were growing up.
- Always have stamps handy (wallet), or pre-stamp and address a bunch of note cards for quick sending.

7) Drink enough water. This one is easy. Buy a water bottle you love. I don't care if you spend 40 dollars on it. Find the perfect one (my boss has taken almost a year to find one, no joke). Double points if you get one that has a clip (mine can ride along with me on my purse, gym bag, etc.).

What are your tips and tricks?

Ps. Just took nyquil and it's kicking in. Excuse all typos.

THUNDERSNOW

I don't have to tell you what happens when THUNDERSNOW attacks a city.

But in case you don't know: workouts stop.

THUNDERSNOW began midday on Wednesday. I skipped my Wednesday workout because I was enjoying getting an absurd amount of sleep every night (between 7-9 hours) and figured, no big deal, I'd do my running group Wednesday night.

I left my office at 4:15 and was home by 5:15 and very glad to be off the roads. Running group was clearly not happening considering I almost broke myself just walking a block to the liquor store (THUNDERSNOW calls for beer).

Chadd and I did go down to the Dupont Snowball fight:

Unfortunately, Chadd got slammed in the face with a big snowball and got what would be a black eye if he bruised. He just wound up with a puffy face and a red eyeball for a bit. Battle scars, man.

This meant that Thursday morning, I was in no mood to get up (especially since I was going to sleep in a bit to go to a client meeting, but when the client cancelled due to the roads, I decided to work from home. Which meant there was no way in hell I was going to go to the gym when I could sit around in sweatpants.

Friday, I was feeling very Friday-esque and didn't do anything.

Saturday, I did bite the bullet and head out at 10 to the Georgetown City Sports running group. Nike was there doing a give-away. I got a free city sports running shirt (yaay technical!) and won a draw string bag, which is always nice--especially since I need something for my cycle shoes.

The run was great, save the parts where I had to navigate across ice/snow/whatever that people hadn't shoveled yet (shame on you), but man did I feel out of shape. I was EXHAUSTED after the 5k and could have gone for a nap. What a difference a few days makes...

I will say, I have found the ideal combination for winter running: running tights under pair of shorts, tank top, long sleeves, zip up, skull cap, gloves.

I taught 20-20-20 on Sunday morning, as usual, and combined my 1 minute efforts for both upper and lower body.  For example: right leg piston squats with a left arm raise for 1 minute.

My shoulder are not exactly happy this morning. But now that my gym buddies are back in town, I don't have an excuse to not get to it. We've agreed that Monday mornings basically never happen, so here's the schedule this week:

Monday: YMCA running group (7pm)
Tuesday: AM: Light Run/Leg Weights, PM: teach cycle (7pm)
Wednesday: PM: Fleet Feet Running Group (hopefully Tuesdays' "wintery mix" won't get in the way)
Thursday: AM: Light Run/Arm weights
Friday: AM Cycle
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Cycle Certifications

Clocking in with a grand total of 7 workouts.

By the way, tried out my new cycle shoes--my butt killed for a few days. They really do help with the stabilization and isolation of muscles. Can't rely very much on gravity anymore. Definitely worth the switch.

Old Habits, New Ways of Life

I had some awesome ideas on what to blog about today, but go figure, they literally flew out of my head.  So instead, I'm going to talk a little bit about how I'm trying to stay healthy with my new life.

When I joined my last job, I was more focused on the fact that I was working my first full time job and that I wanted to make a good impression.  My focus was entirely on my career, which was the right mindset...but it blew up in my face because I neglected everything else.

Over the course of two years, no joke, I gained nearly 20 pounds.  I can't even tell you how hard it is to write that.  We've all read those magazine articles about how if you do x (ex: drink a whole milk chai latte) x times a week (how about 3 times) over the course of x years (let's say 2), you will gain x pounds (how about 20?).  My downfall was not chai lattes (at least not totally), it was the general lifestyle where I didn't focus on the pizza, the happy hours, the venti coffee drinks...and then I woke up one morning (when I started this blog) and asked myself "what have you done?"  I lost 8 pounds.  Then I celebrated and crapped out.  Gained the 8 back, plus 1.

About the time that I began to realize I couldn't be happy and stay in my previous job, I also began to realize that I couldn't continue to treat myself the way I was treating myself.

You've read the story of how I managed to get through those months before I joined my new company, so now you know it's possible, but I was really worried about the transition.  As unhappy as I was, I had a schedule I knew how to maintain, but I also had horrible habits.

If I didn't get up to go to the gym, I was usually up about 15 minutes before I had to walk out the door.  I was hitting the right caloric intake, but at the risk of of getting the wrong nutrition.  How do you make a day's worth of food in 5 minutes?  Easy!  You throw a lean cuisine, a 100 calorie pack, and some other processed stuff into a bag and off you go.

I promised myself when I started this job that I would live my life in a way that I was enjoying it.  Every minute of it.

I have promised myself to do the following:
- Make a meal plan every weekend that does not involved processed food
- Wake up an hour before I have to leave
- Eat breakfast EVERY morning
- Make my lunch every day or have a plan if I have a client lunch meeting
- Make a gym schedule and stick to it (schedule must be flexible)
- Enjoy every meal that I eat (because calories suck if they taste bad)

I know it's only day three, but I've gotten up consistently an hour before I had to leave for work, gotten to work early for 30 minutes alone to have coffee and watch the news.  I made a menu plan, cooked on Sunday, and have stuck with it.  My gym schedule hit a bump tonight, but because it was flexible, I'm going tomorrow night and taking tonight to relax.

I have 8 pounds to go--I added two pounds to my goal weight loss, otherwise, I am proud to say that I've maintained my weightloss for the past two months and that as soon as I sign up for my trainer, I'll be back on track with all systems go to burn off 8 pounds by the middle of June.

I think the bottom line of this meandering post is this: if you're unhappy with where you are, nothing says you cannot change that.  I know that I need milestones to help me change things, but think about what it is that you're dissatisfied with.  Do you rush in the morning?  Skip the gym?  Rely on take out?  Make an action plan and change it, because from where I'm sitting, and maybe it's the new job talking (it's so awesome, btw, I love being there), but changing something that makes you unhappy, as small as it may be, magnifies in how happy it makes you when you change it.

Abs/Core Cheat Sheet: The 6 Moves Everyone Can (and Should) Do

Oops.  Ran out of time yesterday to finish this post. Abs.  Blah blah blah summer body blah blah. Whatever.

Summer bodies come and go, but a good posture is forever.  No, I'm not channeling your ballet instructor from years ago, I'm telling you how to avoid being a little old hunched over man/woman.

I think we all know why abs are important, but I want to reiterate what the article from last Tuesday's links said: Core Strength (not just your abs) is the key to fitness success, pain relief in back/neck/shoulders, etc., and will make you all around stronger and leaner.  Develop your core correctly (make sure you include lower back work, obliques, quads, and glutes) and you'll be one more step away from avoiding your back creeping up on you in your golden years.

Whether your new to core work or an old pro, here are my standbys that I almost always make my classes do:

1. Rope Pull:

• Lie on your back, feet on the ground.
• Imagine that someone tied a rope around your chest and tied it to a beam in the ceiling.
• Grab the imaginary rope and "pull" yourself up the rope, hand over hand.
• Your shoulders should be coming off the ground.
• Tip: If your neck gets tired/starts to hurt, put one hands behind your head to support your neck.
• Tip: Make sure your chin is lifted off your chest (think about having about the space of a tennis ball between your chin and your chest).
• Beginners: 2 sets of 30 seconds with a 30 second break between sets
• Intermediate: 4 sets of 30 seconds, 15 second break between sets
• Advanced: 6 sets of 30 seconds, 10 second break between sets
• Challenge move (try this after you can go a full minute pulling yourself up without a break): lift feet off the ground so your knees are bent, shins are facing the ceiling (90 degree angle between your body and your thighs, 90 degree angle at your knees).
• Advanced challenge: legs straight up in the air.

2) Lower back lift:

• Start lying on your back, put your hands to your sides on the floor to balance yourself, feet flat on the ground. 
• Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips up to the ceiling. Your body should be in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Tip: If you need more support, hold your lower back up, gently, with your hands.
• Beginner: Hold for 30 seconds, lower and rest for 30 seconds.
• Intermediate: Hold for 1 minute
• Advanced: Hold for 30 seconds with one leg extended, foot off the ground.  Switch legs.  
• Challenge move: Hold your hands up towards the ceiling, this will require balance and stability, keys to core training.
• Bonus Move: Do single glute squeezes, touching the ground with your glutes, then squeezing your glutes, lifting your hips up. Try to do 20.

3) Bicycle and Modified Bicycle:

• Still lying on the ground, hands behind your head, chin lifted off your chest.
• Twist your core so one elbow moves towards the opposite knee.
• The opposite leg should extend fully. Switch sides.
• Beginner: 10 on either side
• Intermediate: 20 on either side
• Advanced: 40 on either side
• Modified Bicycle/Challenge Move: Elbow to knee, opposite leg fully extends. The leg that is fully extended remains straight, lower it down to tap your heel on the ground, then back up. Switch sides.

4) Modified Sit-Up:

• Instead of having your hands behind your head as you would with a normal sit up, put your arms straight out in front of you.
• Count to two as you sit-up, then slide back down, to the count of 2.
• Make sure you keep your chin off of your chest and sit up with your chest leading--it should feel like that same rope from the first exercise is around your chest and pulling you up towards the ceiling, then down.
• This doesn't have to be a full sit up, just shoulder blades up off the ground.
• Beginner: 20
• Intermediate: 30
• Advanced/Challenge move: Hold a light weight or a ball in your hands.  

5) Invisible Chair:

• Sit up with your heels on the ground (your knees will be a little more than a 90 degree angle), back straight.
• Hold your arms out in front of you.
• You will likely feel this in your quads and your lower back.
• Beginner: Hold this position for 30 seconds, rest, then another 30 seconds.
• Intermediate: Lift feet off the ground and hold your knees for balance. Hold for 30 seconds, rest, then another 30 seconds holding.
• Advanced: Lift feet off the ground and hold your hands out in front of you, not touching your knees.  2 sets of 30 seconds.

6) Plank and Walking Plank:

• Start on your hands and knees, hands should be directly under your shoulders, knees under your hips.
• Come onto your toes, into plank position. Your body should be in a straight line from the back for your neck to your heels. 
• Hold this position without your stomach dropping (making dip in your back) or your butt rising (causing an arch in your back) for 30 seconds.
• Beginner: If you can't do a full plank, you can start on your knees. Just make sure you keep that straight line from the back of your knees up to the base of your neck.
• Intermediate/Advanced: Just hold it for longer! Other options include holding your plank while on your elbows/forearms instead of your hands.
• Challenge Move: Walking Plank: Start in a full plank (on your hands), then shift 1 arm at a time down to a plank on your forearms/elbows.  Go back to your hands.  Continue for 30 seconds.

There ya have it. 6 moves that ANYONE can do.  Your challenge?  Do this routine (any level, mix it up if you need to!) 3 times before next Wednesday.  Questions, comments, concerns?  See me after class :-)

Tuesday Linkage!

Fun stuff today!  I came up with a system of collecting links through the week (a handy old school internet browser tool called "Bookmarks"....)

So we have a ton of links, which will hopefully give you all something to do while I'm gone until next Tuesday.  Again, just to rub it in, I'm going to Copper Mountain in Colorado.  I'll be TRYING NEW THINGS and learning to snowboard for real this time.  I already have plans to have an all day lesson this Thursday.  My bro assures me that it's basically the best place to learn ever.  If  I come back in a neck brace, we'll talk.

Here are your Tuesday links!

1) Mindfulness May Change Your Health: In keeping with my belief that Yoga is good for you, here's a little bit on mindfulness.  If you really take the new-age stuff out of it, being aware of your body (mindfulness) and being aware of how you eat (mindful eating) really make sense.  Common  sense at that.  Your body talks to you a lot more than you're aware of.

2) Marathoning + Grammar = I Win!:  It's just funny.  That's all you need to know.

3) Learn the Right Way to Tie Your Shoes: It's interesting how something so small can change the way your shoes fit. 

4) Today's Training Tip: Don't Worry, Be Happy:  While it applies to how runners often times stress over the thing that actually destresses them the most (...running), it's all about perspective. Read the article (it's quick!) and apply it to whatever it is that you love to do that stresses you out.  Then, re-enjoy!

5) The Runner's Pantry List: It's not just for runners.  When you're doing your spring cleaning and chucking whatever that weird sauce you thought might be good with asian noodles out of your pantry, refresh by checking through these basics.  Not to mention, it'll make cooking a LOT easier.  My staple foods?
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Onions
- Apples
- Strawberries
- Bell Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Cheddar Cheese
- Diet Peach Snapple Tea (weakness)
- Fresh herbs on overload (I ALWAYS seem to need them...particularly thyme and parsley)
- Plus Pasta
- Chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- Quinoa
- Sparkly water
- 0% Fayge Greek Yogurt
- Pirate's Booty Popcorn
- 100 Calorie packs of almost anything

6) Mark Bittman's 8 Rules For Healthy Eating: The first five of these rules, I said to myself "this summarizes my blog...oh wait, no this one does too."  The last three, while I agree with them, don't really apply to my life.  I try to get the right nutrients, I love beef, and energy bars? Who'd rather eat one of those?? Blech.  The first five, amen brother, amen.  Read the article, but in summary:
- Eat whatever you want...in moderation
- Plants first (fill up on low cal, nutrient rich, fruit and veggies)
- Start shopping and start cooking: KNOW WHAT GOES INTO YOUR FOOD
- Buy and Make Extra: I am the queen of reheats and left overs.  Avoid office lunches.  Hidden calories galore.

7) Free Jillian Michaels Mini Workouts: I have a serious girl crush on Jillian.  And a trainer crush.  I recommend downloading and watching (and doing).

And that's it for me today--I'm saving some of my links for next week since I won't be collecting them throughout this one.  Stay active while I'm gone!
Also, do me a little favor and shoot my blog out to your friends, family, coworkers, gym buddies, whoever.  Or...follow me on Twitter.  It's good to know how many people out there are reading!

Tuesday Links

Well Happy Tuesday.  This week is already moving right along, especially considering that today is my Wednesday since I'm taking Friday off work for the fitness conference.

Here are your Tuesday links:

(quick note--the first three articles are from the association that does the gold standard personal training certification--NASM and their health fitness professional network site (HFPN), so they're directed to wards the trainer audience)

1) Stretching Yoga into the OPT Model: FYI, OPT is a training reference for a type of program that is used for most clients.  This article gives a more technical view into why Yoga might be a good addition to any training routine.  After my yoga class this morning, I was certainly aware of where I have an imbalance--I'm not talking lack of balance, but where I'm weaker/stronger and where I'm compensating.

2) Group Fitness Breakdown: Following the post I did on appropriate behavior in a group fitness class, here's an article talking a little about different classes and what they entail.  It's not a comprehensive list, but it's a good reference for learning more about Cross Fit and the various types of Yoga.

3) Anatomy of an Exercise: Cable Row: Oh man one of my favorites.  I love my back and it has a lot to do with a ton of these puppies--or the upright row done with weights.  Biggest two tips?  Keep your shoulders down and squeeze your shoulder blades together.  The shoulders down keeps your neck from straining (if your neck is straining, take the weight down) and the shoulder blades squeezing together works your entire back.

4) Spa (Weight Loss) Secrets: The first paragraph of this article is EXACTLY why I'm going to start seeing a nutritionist (tomorrow, in fact!). Do I really need 1500 calories?  If not, how should I structure my caloric breakdown between different nutrients? The one thing I disagree with in this article is that chocolate torte.  Worst recipe ever.  I promise.

5) Grilled Chicken with Roasted Tomato and Oregano Salsa: I am very excited about making this tonight, especially at 312 calories a serving, this is perfect with a serving of rice.  Review to come!

6) Angel Food Cake: Alright, I know this says Chocolate glazed, blah blah blah, but I'm not having 300+ calories for 1 inch of cake.  I am going to make this tonight, sans glaze.  I think I'll likely wind up having this with strawberries before bed at night.  Again, review to come-just trying to make up for my lack of recipe posting!

7) America's Worst French Fries: Don't worry--you can still have them!  In fact, the golden arches make a surprise showing here in the category of "best" fries in America. Man, I am craving some of those right now...must eat grapes...

8) What the World's Healthiest People Eat: As a foodie and fitness person, I love this article big time.  Also, turmeric, one of my new favorite spices gets a little shout out.  I'm not saying that any of us should adopt wholly any of these diets, but we should be a lot more willing to do what they do--they take their time, they are gentle with their food and allow it to have flavor on its own with the use of calorie free spices.  Step outside your normal cooking path and try a little something new!

And that's all for right now.  Post coming this afternoon with a frozen food review.

How to Work Out in the Snowpacolypse

So I told myself yesterday that I'd get a 2 hour gym workout in today.  With the blizzard the worst it's ever been through the past week, I figured the gym wouldn't be open.  I didn't call, but since I didn't sleep at all last night (see my last post), I figured I'd change my workout to an indoor workout.

Originally, I was going to get a 30 minute cardio session on the stairs and then a bosu workout.  That all changed, for the better, and here's how:

We live in an 8 story building, so I decided to do 10 rounds on the stairs, punctuated with intervals:
Round 1: Run up, walk down, 50 jumping jacks, 50 sit ups, 50 leg scoops
Round 2: Up, down, 50 jacks, 50 squats, 50 jumping lunges
Round 3: Up, down, 50 jacks, 50 seconds of wall sits
Round 4: Up, down, 50 jacks, 25 push ups, 50 seconds plank
Round 5: Up, down, 50 jacks, 25 squats
Round 6: Up, down, 50 jacks, 25 lunges
Round 7: Up, down, 50 jacks, 25 bicep curls with detergent bottles, 25 triceps kickbacks with detergent bottles
Round 8: Up, down, 50 jacks, 25 bicep curls, 25 triceps kickbacks
Round 9: Up, down, jacks, 50 seconds of plank
Round 10: Up, down, and finish.

All in all, it took about 50 minutes, maybe a little less.  Definitely not as fast as it could have been, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't work up a good sweat.

I did scare the crap out of one of my neighbors who came out to do her laundry while I was in the middle of jumping jacks.  But all in all, it was a great workout that I would suggest to any fellow DC'er who is stuck in the snow and has access to their stairwell. 

In addition to all that, K and I went down to a snowball fight between GW and Georgetown.  While the snowball fight was pretty short itself, getting down there, we ran through knee deep drifts of snow to get there and then back uphill after the fight. 

Stay safe in the snow everyone!  New blog ideas coming out tomorrow!

Tuesday Links!

Alright, before we get to a day in the life of the Realist, let's do some Tuesday links!

First, I'm making this tomorrow night:
Moroccan Pita Sandwich; at 370 calories, that's a nice, big dinner.  It'll make great leftovers, too.
I recommend to everyone embarking on a weightloss/healthy change journey to roll up their sleeves and try one new recipe a week from something like Cooking Light.  My parents gave me the Cooking Light massive binder cookbook and it basically is the best thing since Splenda.  All calories, fat, carbs, protein, etc. is listed. If you have issues that require you to be aware of any part of your dietary intake, switch to recipes that let you know their total ahead of time.

This is a great article from my Pact Buddy, B.
Put "I" Into Your Workout
This article talks about making yourself responsible for your own well being.  The knife cuts both ways.  Consider this in terms of excuses and praise:
Excuse: It's too cold to go to the gym today.
I statement Excuse: I am letting the cold stop me from going to the gym today.

oooooh.   Suddenly it's not the cold, but YOU deterring yourself from the gym.

Praise: Man, my cycle instructor is great.  She's made me work really hard lately.
I statement Praise: Man, I am awesome at cycle.  I listened to my instructor and I really pushed myself.

Is the scale making you sad?  IT'S JUST A MACHINE.
Take the Stress Out of Weighing-In
Part two in a three part article from the same guy above.  This is a great way to remind yourself that it's not all about weight.  It's about your health.  I'm guilty of feeling caught by a lot of the feelings in this article.  It's a nice perspective check.

And for a little inspiration:
Notes from the Universe
My mom told me about this site and honestly, I love it.  I signed up to receive the daily Notes from the Universe.  They're a little weird, but never in a way that actually weirded me out.  It actually, honestly, makes me feel special.  I look forward to this email every morning.  One from the other day that has stuck with me:

If you knew how much you have in common with every single person now living in time and space Mia - in terms of your greatest hopes and dreams, and your deepest fears and worries - you'd wonder how I manage to tell you all apart.
And from this day forward you'd likely think of every single one of them as "dearest," just as I do.


Tallyho,

The Universe
 
P.S. Yeah, like twins, to the power of 7 billion. But not to worry, dearest Mia, I can always tell it's you by your saunter.
 
I couldn't tell you why, but that, for some reason, has stayed with me.  It's like a hug from the universe every morning.
 
And with that, you have your second issue of Tuesday Links!  Please let me know if anyone is interested in becoming a guest blogger for next Monday!  Don't worry, you don't have to ID yourself.  You can be Jane or John Guest Blogger!
 
Prepare for the day in the life coming up later today!

How to Achieve a Situation (Or Issue)

I don't want to follow in Mike the Situation's footsteps, so Chadd and I have agreed to call my abs "an issue."  They may be upgraded at some point, but for now, they're an issue.

Anyway, I had a few people ask me how I did it.  Basically, here it is, here is what I did. I'm not saying it will work for everyone, I'm not saying it's easy, this really is a change of lifestyle.  But hey, here I am to tell you that it works and that it really wasn't that painful.

1) Set a goal for yourself and make it realistic.  My goal was 22 pounds by my birthday (in 2 weeks) and I made this goal late October/Early November.  I knew it was a bit of a stretch, so I had a modified "I will be happy with myself if I do X instead."  That goal was 15 pounds.  I could go all consultanty on you and say to make it a SMART goal, but I can't remember the acronym, so just make sure that it's measurable and that you have a date attached to it.

2) Enlist Help.  Remember my Pact buddy?  She's been great and without her, I wouldn't be here.  We blog every day on our private blog.  This person keeps you accountable and also gives you someone who will be sympathetic to you when you have a "I really need pizza and wine" day.  You may need to join weight watchers or something to find that person, but it's easier/better if its someone close to you.  If you're that kind of person, you can also find free online communities.  Check out Peer Trainer for a good resource.

3) Count Your Calories.  I know that this went the way of the mixtape--why bother listening to the radio to record songs when you could log onto itunes, right?  Wrong.  In this case, the old way is the best way.  Measure your food.  Look up calories (you can google it, or use SparkPeople).  Read labels and stick to the serving sizes.  Depending on how many calories you burn, you need to cut between 500 and 1000 calories a day to see weight loss.  1 pound = 3500 calories.  So if you want to lose 2 pounds a week, you need to be cutting back 1000 calories a day.  It starts by writing down everything.  I mean everything.  I never said this was a quick fix!

Example:
Breakfast:
1 packet instant oatmeal: 120 calories

Snack:
Apple: 81 calories

Also, I think it's ridiculously important to know what goes into your food.  Take back control of what is put in your food.

4) Determine your burn.  This one is hard.  Here are a few sites that will at least help you:
Calorie Count (this is pretty accurate)
Health Status

To be honest, I use my BodyBugg for this.  It's the one thing that I've found to be the most accurate and my burn was my missing piece.  You need to determine what you burn to make sure that you're accurately achieving the deficit that you think you are.  Write this down every day next to your calories consumed, deficit written as well.

5)  Plan it all out.  Make it easier on yourself, instead of getting to the end of the day starving and only having 10 calories left to eat, sit down on Sunday night and write out your menu for the week.  Go to the store and pick up those 100 calorie snacks, lean cuisines, whatever it is that will make it easier for you to space out your calorie needs.

6) Give yourself 1 day to splurge per week.  I'm not saying to go out and clear out the all you can eat buffet.  But now is the time to have a slice of pizza, or go out for a nice dinner and not worry about the calories in the steak.  It makes it so much easier when you know that you have 1 day to fudge, whether you use it for a celebratory dinner or for a day when you're captive to office food.  Life happens.  Your diet must be flexible.

7) Weigh in 1x a week, same time, same day, same scale.  Weighing in once a week under those circumstances gives you the most real picture of your weight loss.  Try and do it first thing in the morning.  If you notice your weight going up, reassess your meal plan/burn goal.  Ladies, keep in mind we do have more fluctuations than men...

8) Reward yourself at milestones.  I recently bought a groupon for a massage that I plan to use at -20 pounds.  Only 7 pounds away!  My Pact buddy is eyeing a pearl necklace to match her goal weight dress.  Just make sure your reward is NOT food based, unless it's something fun like healthy cooking lessons. 

9) Give yourself time.  I've given myself about 3 months to get here and I know I'm not done yet.  This is not a quick fix, but this is a realistic life style change. 

10) Forgive yourself. This is the most important one.  We all slip up now and again.  But when you have a bad moment/day/week, get over it, forgive yourself, and start anew.  Just because you slid backwards does not mean that you have to start all over again. You just need to keep going from where you are. 

It all comes down to this simple fact: when calories in < calories out, you get weightloss.  I encourage you, if you are pursuing weightloss, to boil it all down to this simple fact.  Learn what you consume, learn what you burn, and make it part of your daily routine.

If you want a day in the life of me, I'll post one tomorrow.  But there are the guidelines.  Tune in tomorrow!  A day in the life of me.

The Trouble with Results

I had the blown up ego and even took a picture, but it looked a little 14 year old naive myspace user, so I ditched the idea of posting pictures of my situation.  I also have sore abs due to the fact that I spent over an hour walking around flexing. 

In other news, I want to talk about results today. I've had a few conversations with a friend of mine (who may have convinced me into a three way pact with the devil to do another marathon and my first ironman...hahah, I know, right?) about results.  We'll call them...WB for work buddy.  WB's currently doing something called The Insanity Workout, which actually legitimately makes me tired to think about, but WB's been very patient indulging my fits of whining. 

Bottom line.  K and Chadd have both noticed my weight loss and WB promises me that if we were in the same city, they'd have noticed too.

Basically, the other day, when I hit 11 pounds of weight loss, I went "dammit, why hasn't someone said something?"  K suggested that I'm around her and Chadd most of the time and they noticed.  My coworkers, dude!  We are three to a cube in our client's office!  I see them more than her and Chadd combined!

The other possibility, which is legit, is that since I work in a very conservative environment, my clothes just really aren't showing it (and most of my weight loss has been around my midsection and thighs). 

Regardless.  I just wanted someone to be like "hey, you look like you've really slimmed down!" and I'd be all like "boom, look at my situation!" except not because that might get me fired.  The point is, I have to remind myself that there's a fine line between losing for myself and losing for praise.  Praise is nice, the actual loss is a far better gift since it's healthy/life lengthening.  Self praise should and needs to be a bigger part of my routine.  Every woman out there rips on herself entirely too much.  I'm seriously guilty of it, and despite my dad's never ending quest to get me to kill that inner mean voice (he doesn't like or allow self-deprecating comments, which I've always thought is one of the best dad-things he's done), it's pretty persistent.

My solution is this.  I will start telling myself one positive thing a day and I'm not talking "hey, nice hair."  More like "damn girl, your arms are getting toned!" in my very very white girl ghetto voice.  I will also freely tell people about my success (granted, at appropriate times).  I will also build and maintain a good support group.  Everyone needs outside input, so find the group that is likely to give it to you (honest feedback) and ask for their support.  They'll give it.

So that's part one of the results discussion.  The second part is not about recognition of results, but more about the effect of results.

I am guilty of the yo-yo, as I've discussed before, but the real issue is that at a certain point, we're really happy with what we've done and the next x pounds are part of the goal...but damn, we have a situation!  I can kick back and relax, right?  Yeah, no.  I do that every time.  I feel like counting my calories and working out and generally being fitness minded is great, but it's only around when I want to lose weight.  I know that most of America struggles with this issue.  We feel like we've done without or we've adjusted our schedule--temporarily.  Except that's not how this works.  You go right back up if you treat this is a temporary lifestyle.

I think I was on the dangerous edge of getting there.  Two parties this weekend, each with their share of fatty foods and alcohol.  I'm here, teetering on the edge of being close to the next set of ten pounds and I'm like...I've been so good, I can do a splurge weekend.  Yeah, no.  I can plan for the parties, have a slice of pizza, a drink or two, then call it quits.  Soooo hard to reel ones self back in, isn't it?

I say I WAS on the dangerous edge.  Last night, I went to the gym and had my body fat percentage measured.  Now, not to make excuses here, but the guy said that they only use the scale, which is apparently the least accurate means of measuring body fat.  But still.  The number on that scale was horrifying.  I might have lost 11 pounds, but that didn't mean that my body fat was gone.  It meant that I must have been a lot worse off than I'd thought.  I shudder to think about what would have happened without my Pact buddy. 

I was so upset by the % last night that I couldn't remember my weight. He said I'd lost a pound but I couldn't remember what I told him I was the week before.

So this morning, at a more appropriate time (after cycle, before I'd eaten), I stepped on the scale at my gym and weighed in. You guys, I lost 1.75 pounds since Sunday.  I had gained a half pound in Vegas, which I think is a victory, and then lost 1.75.  Woohoo!  I have moved from the 1X0's to the 1(X-1)0's!  ie, if I were in the 180s, I'd have slipped into the 170s. 

I am officially 9 pounds away from my original goal weight.  13 pounds lost (well, 12.75)!  Sometimes that number seems huge and sometimes, inconsequential.  I told my Pact buddy that I added a new goal to my weight loss--a body fat percentage change of 7%, then I'd reassess. 

Bottom line:
- Surround yourself with a good support group and stay positive yourself.
- Don't be satisfied with results.  Keep going or maintain.  Never slide back!

Tuesday Links

Following in the idea of bringing new features to the blog, Tuesdays are now Tuesday Links.  I know that's not very clever, so suggestions for something a little more catchy than Tuesday Links.  For now, I leave you with Tuesday's links!

What is a Calorie?
Fantastic article that tells you exactly what a calorie is (it's an intangible idea) and how it contributes to weight loss.  Demystify the bizarre numbers on a nutrition label!

The Importance of Numbers
This article is a bit more technical, but if the numbers you see at the gym--your weight, BMI, etc. confuse you, this is a good article that breaks it all down for you. 

Have You Ever Seen a Double Banana?
Sorry, this just cracked me up.  Maybe I need more coffee.  Fruit mutation!

Will Power and the "Slacker" Brain
Oh man do I love Robert Krulwich so hard.   But this is actually a great little blip from the radio.  It's about memory and making decisions.  People trying to balance more on their brains often times reach for the more unhealthy choice.   Clear your brain!  It'll give you a bit more balance.  Listen to this, even if only to listen to funny little quipy NPR and Robert Krulwich.  Ahaha just wait for the little voice in the back of your head.  Team emotion versus team reason!

Got some good links of your own?  Share them!

The Realist's Training Plan

I told my Sunday morning class about some up coming races and invited them to join me for the Historic Half Marathon. In anticipation of hopefully a few of them joining me (because my class is the most awesome ever), here is the training schedule that I am personally following.

If you are interested in completing a half marathon in mid-May, then I suggest looking for an ambitious training schedule that starts out a little slow to build up endurance, then does a pretty heavy back end.  I also recommend checking out this website.

I used Jeff Galloway's training program for my marathon and had great results.  He;'s wonderful for beginner runners (as well as advanced) and has a lot of great tips in his book and that website mentioned above.

If you are training for the Historic Half...Since the race is less than 19 weeks away, I would suggest taking out some of the recovery weeks.

But if you're interested in my training program, here is what I've got coming up for me:

This schedule, of course, does not include my cross training and does allow for some fudge room.  I suggest on a rigorous training schedule like this to incorporate foam rolling at least once a week along with at least 1 yoga class (my hips have never felt so good as they did this morning during yoga).  I also encourage, if you're going for a time, to do considerable strength training.  A sample week with this type of added cross training may look like this:

Monday: Strength training (lower body and core)

Tuesday: Scheduled run

Wednesday: Yoga

Thursday: Scheduled run

Friday: Foam rolling, half hour of walking, cycling, elliptical, swimming (anything low impact or no impact) and/or upper body strength training

Saturday: Scheduled long run

Sunday: Recovery

Personally, I'm swapping Sunday with Friday because Fridays are my "clean the apartment" day.

You can find another training schedule, Here at my friend's Running for the Carbs blog.  She's running the half with me, so you can see how our training schedules work out.  I strongly suggest following her blog!

Have a great start to the week.  Let me know if you're training for a race!  I'm currently working on getting some guest bloggers in line to share their "first race" stories.  Would love to hear yours!