Food Blog Series, Part 2: Snacks!

Hey friends!

I hope you were able to enjoy the first of my Food Blog Series, focusing on choices for breakfast.  If you missed it, catch up here.

This week's food blog is focusing on another VITAL piece of the healthy eating puzzle - snacks!

I really think snacks are underrated.  In fact, in previous attempts to lose weight, many times I would cut out snacks as I didn't want to use up my calories for the day.

The benefits of snacking are:

1) Snacking keeps your metabolism going throughout the day - if you eat a snack in between meals (just don't get crazy of course) you will keep your body burning all the time. 
**By the way, the same article said that eating breakfast is the first step in boosting up your metabolism; in fact, studies indicate that people who eat breakfast may increase resting metabolism by 10 percent.  That's alot! See the entire article, about 7 ways to boost your metabolism here.

2) Healthy snacks keep you from overeating at mealtime.  I know I eat less when I'm not ravenous.  I eat when I'm hungry and try to stop when I am full.  I am also a fast eater, so its even more important that I snack and don't get over hungry...or I eat way too much too quickly.  Damage done.

Some challenges to snacking are:

1) What do I choose?  There are TONS of options for snacks out there.  How do you know what is best?

2) It takes time to plan and portion snacks out.

3) You have to constantly keep variety going, or boredom will set in and you'll find yourself looking for something else to snack on vs. what you brought for yourself.

Obviously, I'm a believer in snacking, so let me share some of my absolute favorite snacks with you and why they are my faves.

I'm a HUGE fan of greek yogurt.  Yogurt period is a good choice most times, but greek yogurt has almost twice the protein of regular yogurt.  It definitely takes a bit of time to get used to the texture of greek yogurt, it is thicker and feels more substantial going down - because it is!  Twice the protein means you will stay fuller, longer.

This yogurt is 5.3 oz, and has 120 calories, 0 fat grams, 45 mg sodium, 17g of carbs (16 g of that is sugar)  and 13 grams of protein.  It also has 15% of your daily calcium requirement.

This brand and flavor is my new SUPER favorite greek yogurt (the blueberry and the peach are also VERY yummy).  The little pocket to the bottom right of the photo is full of strawberry jam to  mix in with the plain yogurt in the larger section.  It is just the right amount of sweetness.

This was my original favorite brand and flavor - now don't mistake the caramel flavor for the honey flavor.  MAJOR difference in taste.  I love the caramel flavor.  This one is 4 ounces and has 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, 60mg sodium, 140mg potassium, 17g carbs (16 g sugar) and 10 grams of protein.  It also has 15% of your daily calcium allowance.

The plain greek yogurt can be fairly bitter, so you need something to mix in it. If you prefer to buy plain, you can mix in some honey and/or granola to flavor it up. Greek yogurt is a GREAT choice for snacking, and I typically choose it for my mid-morning snack between breakfast and lunch.

Pistachios!  I love love love these nuts.  I portion them out into baggies - because like ANY snack that isn't already portioned out, they can be dangerous if not eaten properly!  This baggie (1/2 ounce) has around 80-100 calories, 6.5 grams of fat, 4g carbs (3g dietary fiber).  You have to crack them open, which keeps your hands busy (or your stapler on your desk at work, for that one or two in the bag that aren't easy to crack open - lol!).  These are a great mid-afternoon snack for me.  Now, the side of the bag of pistachios will tell you that one ounce is a serving (around 49 nuts) whereas I have quoted you half an ounce above.  Cut that in half, and you have a good healthy snack without overdoing it. I also really like roasted almonds, we're just on a pistachio kick at our house right now. :)

Trail mix!  This is a newer favorite of mine.  Now, that is 1/4 cup of tropical trail mix which equates to 142 calories, 6 grams of fat, 22 carbs and 2.2 g of protein. You must be careful with trail mix, just like you are with nuts as it is easy to grab a bag and then wonder where the heck it went!  Recently, I was lucky enough to get to tour a plant that bags up nuts and trail mixes - and saw how they portion things out to go into the baggies - its all very scientific and the machines drop the different components onto a conveyor belt at certain speeds to control how much of each thing goes in each bag.  This is why you never run into trail mix that is mostly chocolate (darn!).  Thought I'd share that tidbit with you.

 Wait, didn't I share Larabars as breakfast items?  Well, folks, they can also be a snack!  I don't recommend eating more than one a day as they are higher in calories, though they are nutrient dense - meaning they pack a good punch of health and no preservatives (huge to me!).  These are great on the days I eat oatmeal or cereal for breakfast, just before one of my 2 hour workouts in the evening.

Yeah, that's an apple.  A gala apple at that.  Does that seem boring?  It shouldn't.  Once you rid your taste buds of all the sugary processed crap you've been eating, this apple will taste like candy.  I promise.  Apples range from 70-100 calories per apple depending on the size.  Try some different brands and types until you find your favorite!  They are also a great source of fiber.

Bananas are a great choice as well.  They also range around 80-110 calories depending on their size.  I love a banana as a morning snack, or sometimes just before my workout in order to prevent cramping and get my blood sugar to a good place just before I sweat like crazy. I don't eat a banana as a snack on the days I chop one into my oatmeal or cereal.

Not pictured are my little grapes and baby bell cheese snack baggies (I'm out right now).  Basically I put about 15 grapes in a baggie with a little round baby bell light cheese round.  The cheese is around 50 cals as are the grapes.  It is SUCH a yummy snack and very satisfying with the protein and fat from the cheese and the sweetness of the grapes.  Those seem to stave off my search for sweets in the afternoon.

So there you have it, my most frequent snacks!  Sometimes I pair the apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter if its post long run or something like that.  I also like my almond milk mixed with a serving of ovaltine for a "chocolate milk" type of snack.  Filling and yummy.

Do you notice anything common about my snacking?  Most of it is real food with minimal processing.  Look, I am not a perfectly "clean" eater, but the cleaner I do eat, the better I feel, and my tummy thanks me...along with my scale being a good friend to me.

This next week I'm traveling for work and there will be an ABUNDANCE of food around. My biggest goal? Stick to my healthier options (which may mean stealing a banana off the breakfast buffet for later) and not to eat just because food is available.  Food will be available to me forever, God willing.  I don't have to sample everything, all the time.

But I also will NOT allow myself to get so hungry that I eat things I don't really like (because I'm staaarving) or clean my plate and feel miserable the rest of the day.

My other plan of action?  Go to the hotel gym EVERY morning AND dance at every opportunity (there will be several).  This will be funny because I've never been much of a dancer in public, and since I haven't had alcohol at all in around 7 years, I'm wondering, who do I think I am planning to dance? 

Well, ya know what?  If I can do Zumba, and I'm half Colombian, darn it, I should be able to cut a rug.  And cutting a rug or two will help me out if I decide I *have* to have that chocolate torte at dinner.

Pray for me?

Have a great week.

~Clara

PS - next Food Blog adventure will take us into the land of LUNCHES!  Hoping to get some good pics for you this week or next while traveling of some of my favorite lunch options.

Food Blog Series, Part 1: Breakfast!

Hey friends!

So as you know I have LOTS of opinions on food  and what is healthy.  Ha!  I get questions all the time about what I eat exactly and its kind of tough to describe exactly how I eat without going into the "why."  I don't believe in "dieting" and yet, what you eat does constitute your "diet."  When asked, I usually don't recommend anyone dive into eating like I do today cold turkey as my eating has morphed over the last 2.5 years slowly and hugely.  It morphed slowly so my new healthy lifestyle could be "doable" to create a permanent change, rather than having an end date for my eating plan and ultimately, my health.

Over the course of a few blog posts, I'd like to share my favorite food items with you along with why I like them and how they fit into my healthy lifestyle.

Why don't we start with the most important meal of the day?  I get asked about what I eat for breakfast all the time.  If you are like me, alot of times your mornings are a scramble to get out the door with everything you will need to have with you for the next 15 hours...for me that would include snacks, lunch, my water bottle filled with green tea and more snacks if its a workout night.  Many times my breakfast ends up going with me as well by the time the rest of that is all packed up!

BREAKFAST is VITAL to starting your day off well. It's really not just something "people" say.  If I eat a good breakfast in the morning, I tend to eat better the rest of the day.  If you don't eat, thinking you are saving a few hundred calories, you will certainly make up for them in your starvation snacking later on during the day.  Don't like breakfast?  Learn to like it - or don't blame me when you find yourself waking up from an I-ate-everything-I-brought-for-the-day-by-10am coma.

Here are some of my faves:

Sometimes I start off with a smoothie with Almond Milk as the base (I like Silk's brand, or Blue Diamond; whichever is on sale at the time - Vanilla and unsweetened is good to have some flavor without too much unnecessary sugar.  Stephen also likes to use this as his coffee creamer). I am not a coffee drinker; I simply don't have a taste for it.

One scoop of this Vanilla Whey Protein packs a big punch of protein (15 grams) and only 100 calories.  So far our smoothie is only up to 140 calories.  Add in a handful of fresh spinach (it only changes the color NOT the taste! Also add in a handful of your favorite frozen fruit - I love frozen blueberries, or you can freeze a banana and add that in.  The frozen element is essential to your smoothie being cold.  Smoothies don't have to have a milk type base; yesterday I made one with a half cup of OJ, handful of spinach and 5 strawberries blended up (I did NOT add the protein powder - only when I make them with almond milk).  It was delicious and about 150 calories, went nicely with my sandwich for lunch and added a bunch of veggies/fruit to my day.  Bottom line; smoothies are a great start and if you make the protein shake version it is great for post-workout recovery as well.

When I don't have time to fool with the blender, I grab a Larabar and a Banana.  I love Larabars as they are all natural (they are also gluten free - but for the record I will say I'm not an advocate of going gluten free UNLESS you have an allergy).  The ingredients label reads: dates, cashews, semi-sweet chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla.  The chocolate chip cookie doug is my absolute favorite flavor, its like eating cookie dough without the sin and guilt.  Now Larabars seem small for the calorie punch which is why they should be limited to one per day - but realize they really do fill you up!  220 Calories, 11 grams of fat (6 grams of which are monounsaturated = good fat!) 320 mg of Potassium, 3 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein.  These are also a GREAT pre-workout snack and I'll do that often in the evenings before my 2 hour workouts (as long as I didn't have one for breakfast!).

When I have a few minutes in the morning (not a run day usually) I will mix up a batch of oatmeal in the microwave.  I put a 1/2 cup of oats in a bowl with enough water to cover it and microwave for a minute on high. When it comes out, I mix in a splash of the vanilla almond milk, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and....

Two tablespoons of Golden Raisins.  You could also mix in Craisins, a chopped apple, banana, etc.  It is totally up to you what you want to use to flavor your oatmeal.  This is healthier than buying the pre-sweetened oatmeal as they typically have many more additives and preservatives and even more sugar.  Check out the label next time you are shopping and compare the plain oats with my additions to the boxed sweetened kind.

Uncle Sam's cereal was a part of my life once.  It isn't just good for breakfast, it serves a purpose.  Not to get too graphic, but sometimes we aren't as "regular" as we'd like to be and that can, well, be a PAIN!  With 8 grams of Insoluble fiber per serving, this cereal will DEFINITELY help in that department.  That said it is super bland in taste on its own...it is best eaten with 1 teaspoon of sugar (15 calories) and either raisins, craisins, bananas, strawberries etc.  I try to eat this most days if I am not too rushed.  You can also mix 1/4 cup of this into your favorite greek yogurt to add some crunch to your snack.

So there you have it - my breakfast "regulars."  I also LOVE eggs and on the weekends I like to sautee one over easy on the stove and put it on top of a toasted piece of wheat bread and let the yolk run all over the bread. Yum!  I really don't believe that real eggs are "bad."  It's what we do to food like eggs that makes them bad!  I don't add cheese, and truly do not miss butter on my bread either.  Those little tweaks have really made a difference over time.  Now the egg beaters...hmmm...what does the label say?  Just saying.  Oh - and I DO love the occasional chocolate chip pancake with pure maple syrup (I use the whole wheat blend pancake mix or I mix up my own with whole wheat flour).

Overall, if it has 3 or more ingredients that I can't pronounce without assistance, or are not actual FOOD, I won't eat it (for the most part).  Period.  That makes it easy!

That's all for now...I will do a series of posts about food over the next few weeks including snacks, lunches, etc.  I plan to try to share some of my dinner recipes as well as time permits.

Hope you enjoyed...now get to planning your breakfast for tomorrow!

~Clara

PS - coming soon on the blog will be a review of a BUNCH of workout videos! I have tons of them and tons of opinions to share about them! 

Why the Scale Isn't Everything...

In having a conversation with a friend tonight who recently began her weight loss journey, we were discussing the scale and I was complaining that I have been in the 180s forEVER!  I also complained this morning to my friend Meggan, and earlier this week to my friend Beth.

I'm sure my friends are sick and tired of hearing me complain about it.  In the interest of keeping said friends, I've been trying to readjust my mindset about it.

The scale is important in that you should weigh within a certain "range."  Is it the antiquated BMI range?  Not necessarily.  But you probably have your own healthy weight you are reaching for and that's good (your doctor can help establish it too if they aren't so fuddy-duddy and BMI-chart-gospel).  That's why I only have the main "scale" goal to lose weight in increments and I only record my weight weekly, sometimes bi-weekly if I have an off week or its my bloat week...but my other goals involve overall health, like my BMI, body fat %, healthy eating, and athletic endeavors.

I'm working into understanding and fully owning that I cannot focus so much on the scale as it has been consuming me lately (pun intended).

The most frustrating part about the scale, is that it might not move, but then my clothes show a difference and I can see a difference in the mirror!

I began the 180s as a solid size 14.  I am now a size 12, and can fit into several items (dresses and jeans) that are size 10.  So while I've been in the 180s for 6 month (geez already, right?) I am still shrinking physically.

If you've been following my blog, you know that I recently began a new workout schedule.  Still running several days a week, but have begun focusing on other endurance sports like Boot Camp and Zumba.  Both of these activities are making me train my upper body in a way I almost never have consistently since I am a runner primarily, especially Boot Camp.  I have seen a visible difference in my chest, back and arms in just a few weeks! 

RECENT NON-SCALE VICTORIES:

1) At Zumba on Wednesday night, I caught a glimpse of myself when I had my arms in the air and was jumping - I did a double take and decided the glass must be messed up as I looked slender!  Then I saw the woman to my right and her reflection was exact. 


2) Wearing my size 10 jeans on a date with my husband.


3) Putting on a size 10 dress and rocking it (below).


4) Someone gasping when I mentioned being overweight and saying, "You are SO not overweight."  And it wasn't a "friend" who might feel they needed to say it - lol.


5) My good friend tonight commented on the same; she said she has seen my shape change drastically in the last 6 months.

So while I am not settling for staying in the 180s forever, I am realizing that I might not have 20 more pounds of FAT to lose that won't be replaced, in some part, by MUSCLE.  GASP.  What if I end up in the 170s at 5'6?  Preposterous!  Well, if my body fat percentage ends up being below 25% then the BMI chart can take a long stroll of a short pier!

Not to mention changing the landscape of your body takes time.  I should know.

I'm not losing this weight quickly; I never have.  And I think that is part of why I don't have a bunch of skin leftover, especially with my muscle development.  I'm excited that I likely will never have to have a skin removal surgery to get my body to look how I want it to.

Because I'm not trying to be bone thin.  I'm working on being fit, strong, and I'm totally fine with having fabulous muscles.  Not necessarily body builder looking, but I'm good with some toned arms and legs, and I'd like my stomach to be as flat as possible (giving up on concave, ok?).  Oh, and for my butt and my thighs to have a clear beginning and end.  :)

It helps that I don't "look" like I weigh 180 something.  People tell me that all the time when I share my weight (part of why I don't mind sharing my number - ha!). What do you think?

So if the scale hasn't been your friend lately, don't stress too much about it, ok?  As long as you are working hard and feeling stronger, your body WILL change with time IF your nutrition is on point as well.  I posted a recent link to my facebook page to an article about "malnubesity" which is a sort of made up term about people who eat small amounts of crappy food (i.e. fried, sugary, white flour, etc.) and even though their caloric intake may be low, they will not lose weight as they are nutrient starved.  Think about WHAT you are eating...and of course, how much, but WHAT is almost more vital to begin with to be sure you are getting the nutrition you need.

I'm down to 30% body fat.  I started at 56% body fat!  I've almost cut that in half.  I'm incredibly proud of that, and happy.  Averages online say between 25-31% is considered average.  I'd like to get below 25% into the "fitness" range. 

I'm excited to check my body fat % a month from now when I've been at this new crazy workout schedule for 6 weeks.  No matter what the scale says then, if that number changes, and my size continues to shrink, I will be a HAPPY girl.

Find your happy in something OTHER than the scale this week, ok?  My happy in the form of yet another non-scale victory came yesterday when I ran my 2 miles in the morning after a crazy workout schedule the night before and my legs felt STRONG not tired.

Make friends with your scale weekly if you must, but don't let a daily step up create a meltdown in your mood or routine.  Celebrate those "non-scale" victories, like wearing that new dress finally, zipping up the next size down jeans, realizing your legs don't rub together like they used to.  They are many if you'll pay attention to more than just the number.  Keep on keeping on!

I plan to! 

~Clara

Month 1 Down, 11 to Go!

Well, here we are folks.  At the end of the first month of the year.  This day is pretty important.  I mean, if you look at the goals you accomplished in January, I think it sort of sets the tone for the rest of the year.

And my 2012 looks pretty stinking AWESOME right now.

I did a true "last chance workout" yesterday, knowing it was the last day of the month and my big weigh in was near.  I ran intervals in the morning with a friend, then did an hour of Zumba and an hour of Boot Camp last night.  Yes, I am thoroughly physically exhausted...but it was SO worth it!  I ran a few miles this morning before I weighed in.

My goal for January was to reach 185 again.  I had gained some weight over the holidays and felt like I was going to be stuck forever in the 180s.

Well today I weighed 182.2. 

This is the lowest I have weighed in 12 years.

WOW!  That's exactly how I felt.  And still feel.  The end of the 180s is near.

So then I was faced with a quandary, do I completely redo my goals or do I keep my goals and adjust the dates?  My goals are pretty fun as they are all tied to something, and are all even numbers.  I'm afraid to leave them as is, because that means I may not work as hard to stay on track if I know I have some wiggle room.  Yep, I can totally do that to myself.  This is why setting goals that mean something, and are actually attainable is so important.

You will absolutely not achieve something you don't think you can achieve.  I can promise you that.

Here are my adjusted goals:

Goals - 2012
Weight (starting weight 192.6 after holidays)	Deadline	Actual
185 pounds - 100 pounds lost (recoup after holidays)	1/31/2012	182.2 GOAL EXCEEDED!
180 pounds - wedding weight (105 pounds lost)	2/14/2012
175 pounds - high school grad weight (110 pounds lost)	3/13/2012
170 pounds -  less than my hubby (115 pounds lost)	4/10/2012
165 pounds - GOAL weight (120 pounds lost)	5/8/2012
Body Fat % less than 25%	3/31/12
Track food consistently (Body Bugg food log)	Ongoing	Ongoing
Exercise (or do something active) 6 days/week (BB)	Ongoing	Ongoing

If you compare to my goals at the start of the year here  you will see I've adjusted some of my dates.  It would be easy to cop out and say, well, I am just ahead of schedule and will stay that way.  Well, I have decided I am on a roll and not stopping.

I'm joining Courtney's Studio and plan on hitting up boot camp at least once a week - maybe even twice when I can in addition to Zumba classes.  And I'll keep running.

I know a huge part of my success this month is due to having started up at Courtney's studio, as I have pushed my body to a new limit.  It was time for me to shake things up a bit and change up my routine.  I'm hoping this will push me to lose this last 20 pounds or so of fat so I can then determine my next, longer term goals.

I am sitting here about 17 pounds from my original goal weight.  From 120 pounds lost.  I almost can't believe it.

But how sore my muscles are feeling is telling me I can believe it.

Take a trip down memory lane with me and read my back story posted in February 2010 here.  As I round this bend here I'm so thankful to have been where I have been.  And to be heading where I am heading.

Life is good.

Remember that post about Choosing Your Hard?  Well...my hard is working. And yep, its hard alot of the time.  But nowhere near as hard as it was to be unhealthy. Two years will pass like the blink of an eye.  It has for me.  I'm glad I started when I did.  It's never too late to change your own blueprint!  What are you waiting for?

~Clara

Choose Your Hard

I have seen this quote a few times; I can't seem to find where it came from, if you know, then let me know and I'll cite it...

Losing weight is HARD.

Maintaining weight is HARD.

Being fat is HARD.

CHOOSE your HARD.

This healthy lifestyle thing is by no means the easiest thing I've ever done.  But weighing 285 pounds wasn't exactly a picnic either.

Let's compare.

Hard was: not being able to bathe my 5 year old daughter.

Hard was: not being able to buckle my seatbelt on the airplane.

Hard was: trying to find something in a size 22-24 that didn't make me look fat.

Hard was: seeing myself in pictures and believing that was actually me.

Hard was: smiling on the outside when I felt terrible, physically and emotionally, on the inside.

This picture still takes my breath away.  I didn't recognize myself in the white shirt when I saw it.  That was hard.

The results of the above hardships were leading me to being on cholesterol medication, alienating myself from my baby girl, continued and building self-loathing and eventually some very serious health complications.  That would have been really hard. 

Now my hard looks alot different.

Hard is: making healthy choices when people around me eat the foods of my past.

Hard is: being sore.  Just about every day, some muscle is aching.

Hard is: missing family time to get another workout in.

Hard is: getting up at 5am and going outside in 20 degree weather to get a run in before work.

Hard is: being between underwear sizes.

 My before picture July 2009...and September 2011 after a hard race.

I have chosen my hard.  Every day for the last two and a half years.  And while it is hard, no lie, sometimes there are days that it is easier than others.  I have learned to enjoy how hard it can be; challenging my body to do more, work harder, sweat more.  Knowing that sweat is my fat crying fuels me on to push myself to a new limit with every workout.

Why would anyone choose this hard?

 

Hard was running my fastest 5k (3.1 miles) in 32:16 (first race finished in 44:27).

Hard was running my first 10k race (6.2 miles), without stopping.

 

 All that hard work led to me buckling the airplane seatbelt...and having plenty of room to spare.

 All that hard work has led me to trade in my size 24 jeans for size 10 (and shrinking).

That's why I will continue to choose THIS hard.  The healthy eating, challenging workout schedule, pushing myself to achieve things I never imagined I could kind of hard.

I wouldn't have it any other way.  The sweat, tears, sprains, strains and imperfect journey that I've had.  It has all been worth it.  And so I'll press on.

Which hard are you choosing?

~Clara

Working it Out

I think everyone's workout schedule needs to be challenged every now and then.  This past week I pushed myself to the limit, and was really surprised with what my body was physically capable of doing.

You've heard me say that 90% of running is mental.  Physically, we can do more than we *think* we can.  But unless we believe it, we aren't likely to try it.

Last week I blogged about the new studio I was using for Zumba. {Courtney's Studio}  I have really enjoyed the intensity of the classes I've attended.  This past Monday I did Zumba after work, and I had already run a few miles that morning.  I ran intervals with my friend Tuesday morning, and then Wednesday packed my clothes to do Zumba Toning.  It is just like Zumba but you hold weights the entire time.  Towards the end of the class I felt a burst of energy, which I thought was weird.  After class I was chatting with Courtney and realized there was another class starting in a few minutes.  Boot Camp.

No one officially dared me to do it.  I mean, I just completed an hour of Zumba with weights, using the heavier sticks.

But I wondered, can I hang?  Can I do it?

I decided to give it a try.  After getting my class card punched I noticed the board that had instructions for what we would be doing that night.  We headed outside and I gulped.  Wow.  I really don't think I can do this.  Am I crazy?

Here is what a round looked like:

A 1/4 mile run around the building, then 15 jumps up and down from a 2 ft concrete landing.  Next, we were to caterpillar crawl (pushup position on a curb, then walking down the curb, about 40 feet, two times).  Next, 40 tricep dips, 80 kicks (same position as the tricep dip but on the ground - I can only kick one leg at a time and not fast), then 15 x squat jacks.

That was round 1.  We did 4 rounds.

After round 1, I really wasn't sure I could physically continue.  But I did.  At that point, muscles were spent, but it was mind over matter.  And I was going to finish.

After the fourth round, we had more to do inside - AH!  We did these crazy dive bomber pushups, where you have your butt in the air, then you go down into pushup position but pull up, almost like a sun salutation in yoga, and hover for 10 seconds.  My arms were SCREAMING.  I literally felt my arm bones shaking.  After a round of those, we ran across the room and did 30 jumping jacks, then ran back and did more pushups, 100 crunches, ran again, jumping jacks again, ran back, more pushups.  I mean, literally I wanted to lay out on the floor.

We ended with a Zumba song - some guys attend the boot camp and were cracking on Zumba - so Courtney showed them it wasn't easy...and we got props then for doing both classes in a row.

That was one of the hardest 2 hours of my LIFE!  But I felt so accomplished afterward.  Really there should be an "I survived boot camp" t-shirt.  I would so buy one.  Sweat wicking material of course...

I ran Thursday morning as much as my sore quads would let me. I took yesterday off of exercise.

This morning I did Tae Bo for 45 mins, burning around 400 calories.  I needed more of a burn and wondered, hmmm, could I run after that?  I headed outside with my puppy and gear and decided, "I'm going to run 5k today."  Mind you, I've only hit 5k once since before Christmas!  I wanted to stop a few times, but I kept going.  I ran that 5k.  Slower than my personal record, but I did it!

I believed I could do it.  And I did.  SO much of this journey, the eating well, the exercise, everything, is successful based MOSTLY on how willing you are to believe you can do it.

So I've decided I will have 3 days/week that I "double down" on my workouts.  Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Here's what my new schedule will look like along with expected calorie burn (based on estimating what my Body Bugg would read):

Sunday: Run 3-4 miles. (600 calories)
Monday: Run 2 miles in the morning, and do an hour of Zumba at night. (350 run, 500 Zumba)
Tuesday: Run intervals (speedwork). (350-400)
Wednesday: Zumba Toning and Boot Camp. (600 Zumba and 500 Boot Camp)
Thursday: Run 2-3 miles, or whatever my legs will allow after boot camp. :) (400)
Friday:  OFF - rest day.
Saturday: 45 minute video workout followed by 3-4 mile run. (400 video, 600 run)

I'll increase my distances on the long runs by a 1/2 mile/week so I can work back up to 10k distance again.  This plan should burn me around 4,000+ calories a week (in addition to my basic metabolic rate).  Hoping this shows some RESULTS.  Realizing this won't be easy to stick to, but I am excited to give it a try.

Will let you know how it goes this next week!  What are you doing to get your activity on schedule?  I do much better staying on track with a plan.  What's your plan?

~Clara

PS - I never think "pushing through pain" when its real, I'm hurting myself pain, is a good thing.  Muscle soreness and pain is one thing, but you can tell the difference.  Don't be afraid to push yourself, but be smart too!

Mid-Month Check-In

So a good friend pointed out that I hadn't posted in a long time...wow, so sorry!  :)  It has been quite a busy month, but one with lots of progress in the health and head area, so lets get right down to it.

I'm not sure how public I made this at the time, but let me just share that when I arrived home from the 2 week work trip/vacation to Disney, I climbed on the scale and it said I weighed 196.6.  Yep, I'm being completely serious here.  I was hovering around 185 still when I left home...so that is an over 11 pound gain in a little over 2 weeks.

WHO gains 11 pounds in 2 weeks?  THIS GIRL!

Seriously, I was bummed.  And I literally felt rotten; all the way home from Archer I was nauseous and felt bloated.  25 oreo truffles at new years will do that for you.  Yep, a 2 week food hangover.

I sort of went completely and totally off plan.  It started with being sick and in a hurry to get out of town for the 2 week period and all the craziness that goes along with both of those things.  I had "debugged" myself (i.e. removed my body bugg) for a week or so before leaving town as I felt I needed a break from the guy wagging his finger at me and accusing me of sneaking oreos.  Then we were traveling and it was easier while not tracking my food at all to just forget about tracking it.  And eat very strange, untrackable things.  Like cheesecake.  Cinnamon rolls.  Coffee mixed with a packet of hot cocoa and tons of hazelnut creamer.  And ice cream...twice in one day.

Picture a full slide to the bottom of mud mountain, then it erupted and I was buried.

That's how I felt.  What was I to do?  I'm hoping to be an inspiration to people!  To one day be known as a "fit" blogger.  I had it figured out, didn't I?  What the heck?  How in the world do I explain myself?

Let me skip quickly to how this horror story ends, then we'll discuss what I learned; I just can't bear all this negativity.  Two days after that terrible weigh in of truth, I was down 4 pounds.  A week later, I was down 11 pounds total.  How?  By literally just going back to eating mostly clean and tracking my food and activity.  Sigh.  Um.  It works.

Freaking duh.

So my realizations from that slip up, slide down, then sprint back to the top:

1) I'm not perfect, or even close.  Well, that was obvious to begin with, but I've prided myself in being real with you all and while it took me a few weeks to let you see the ugly that really happened, you need to know that its not about perfection.  If it was, I would never have made it this far.  While not proud of my behavior, I learned from it; and maybe my honesty will help you learn something too.

2) Eating badly = feeling badly.  Now, this isn't just emotionally.  Of course, I felt guilt while eating some of those foods at first; then I felt justified, then, when the crumbs were all that was left, I felt sick.  Like, literally, physically sick.  I haven't felt that way in a long time.  Bloated, and just blah.  I don't want to feel like that intentionally ever again.

3) When I don't exercise intentionally, I don't eat well intentionally.  This I've said before, many times, when I'm not active, I don't eat as well. It's that direct link between food and exercise; where I see food as fuel when I'm actually using it as such.  Now, we walked a million miles at Disney.  Imagine how much I would have gained had I been sedentary!?!?  You can actually see some of the bloat in my disney pictures.  I'll have to post one for you.

4) The story doesn't end until I (or YOU) decide its over.  Every failed diet, every out of control holiday season, every messed up eating plan, every poor decision, yes, these things add up.  But our diets don't fail us, we fail ourselves.  Just because I had a bad few meals, that led to a bad few days, that led to a bad few weeks that led to an 11 pound weight gain...doesn't mean I give up and don't look back. I picked myself up, dusted off, took some metamucil to clean out my bogged down system, and got my tail back in gear.

5) Eating well = feeling well.  Um, yeah.  I felt like a new person just a few days later, once I had begun detoxing - and all I did to detox was add my green tea back in and begin eating mostly clean again (meaning mostly whole foods, not much processed, etc.).  I feel incredible right now.

In workout news, I began a new Zumba class this week, right down the street from where I work.  I was attending a great class in my town for over a year, but it is coming to an end soon (or at least my favorite instructor won't be there) so I decided I needed a change.  Some of my co-workers have attended Courtney's studio and recommended her classes.  Last week, I packed my bag and gave it a try.  I had heard her classes were large (I'm used to maybe 15-20 people) so I was a bit intimidated.

The room was huge, they had just moved to a new space, but it quickly filled up.  Easily 50 or more people there.  I wondered how we would hear her.  Nevermind that, she is loud enough to hear over the music.  :)  And crazy energetic.  The first song started and it was like a song I knew but on speed!  WHOA! I was so sweaty at the end I had to remove my shirt and replace it with my long sleeved warmup shirt.  Everyone was having a great time, shouting out, singing along, it was hard, painful and crazy fast but WHAT A WORKOUT!

I had run that morning so my legs were really tired by the end, but I felt great.

Wednesday I tried out Zumba Toning.  She has these toning sticks that are like weights but have sand in them.  I thought maybe it would be slower than the Monday's class, given its toning.  WRONG.   Zumba Toning at Court's studio is like crazy fast Zumba WITH WEIGHTS.  Yikes!  By the end I could not lift my arms, and the Zumba sticks I used were only 2.5 pounds each (I typically use 10 pound weights for free weight work).

Tomorrow I'm going to purchase a punch card and put Zumba with Courtney on my schedule for 2x/week officially.  It takes me less than 5 mins to get there, and not only was it fun, it was an incredible workout.

I'm also running every other day or so.  I'm working with a friend who is training for her first 5k, she is on week 3 of the program and we meet a few times a week to run.  On the other days I was running a bit less, like intervals or just 2-2.5 miles.  New shoes and making sure my foot was ok, as well has having lost some serious conditioning during my hiatus from my healthy lifestyle.  I finally ran 5k this morning and felt great.  Slower than before, but I'll get faster again.  With time. :)

I have noticed my body shrinking again. I'm already down to 183 something and my goal was 185 by month end.  I'm excited that I should blow that goal out of the water and then need to readjust the rest of my monthly goals!  I tried on my size 10 jeans I've been saving and sure enough, both pairs fit.  They are still more snug than I'd like to wear out, but they fit!  I cannot remember the last time I was a size 10.  I believe it was high school.

I'm very excited about my new routine, and I think my body has somehow shifted into serious fat burning mode; I'm taking FULL advantage of it until the next plateau.

Hope your January and your goals for the year are also off to a good start!

~Clara