I went running this evening with the Nelson Roadrunners, a group of women that get together to run. I'm not sure if I will be able to run very often since they usually meet at 6:30PM. I'm more of a 5:30AM kind of runner. It's nice to know they are there and if I haven't exercised during the day I can catch them in the evenings. They meet at 6:30 Tues and Thurs in Lovingston (location varies depending on weather.) They also do a Saturday morning run, which I will never make since we have ballet lessons every Saturday. I took the girls with me tonight. My oldest daughter runs faster and farther than most average adults and my youngest is happy to sit in the stroller. Tonight the wheels on the jogging stroller were flat so I grabbed the umbrella and figured if I'm working the Couch to 5K I'd be doing a lot of walking anyway. Lucky for me the Roadrunners weren't interested in hardcore running tonight. Whew! Didn't have to embarrass myself on the first night. I stuck with the first workout from the 5K plan and it worked great!
An update on the running wear...I was able to leave the undergarments on as I wore my tights and fleecy running pants on top. I wore my brand new running shoes I got for Christmas. I wore my headband fleecy that covered my ears that I got for Christmas a few years ago. I think it's the first time I wore that, which tells a lot about how much cold weather running I do.
My goal for the weekend is to do an official "weigh in" to get a starting weight and to post a picture of the "before" bod. Have a great New Years!!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Christmas
Whew! Okay made it through the holidays...well holiday. There's still New Years and then immediately following, my birthday. Yikes! Okay, so after reading the entire original Skinny Bitch on Thursday the 23rd. I haven't had a single soda and the only meat I've had was some locally made sausage. I haven't, on the other hand, stopped sugar (and don't plan on it entirely.) So I don't think there has been much weight loss yet. And last night for no real reason except that it was in the fridge we baked a brie. Whew! Won't be doing that again anytime soon. It's never good when you can actually see the fat. So I've decided to be a lacto ovo vegetarian. That means that I eat dairy and eggs (though I don't eat many eggs I think they are fairly gross); however I will make every effort to only eat organic milk and dairy. My kids may end up being the only ones in their class who don't have boobs or their periods at the age of 10, but I'm okay with that.
Remeber that balance ball I picked up in Barnes and Noble and then put back on the shelf? Good thing I did because I got 2 for Christmas! One is going back to Barnes and Noble, but I'm psyched because it means I can pick out something else from the Gaiam display! Kettleballs, water weight ball? I also got a new pair of running shoes. I am so set. I have no excuses, but you can bet I will find one and use it over and over and over.
Which brings me to Run Like a Mother. It's pretty good, I'm not too far in. So far it has been a pep talk, I haven't gotten to the workout advice yet. Dimity, one of the authors, did clear up one question I had about undergarments with workout clothes. She says no, otherwise you have unsightly VPL (visible panty lines.) I'm a little concerned about chafing and possibly warmth if I do decide to venture out in 25 degree weather. I think I'm mostly concerned about being in a gym situation with VPL. My underwear is a slight bit snug right now and that only makes the lines worse. If I'm out running on my own in Nelson County I don't think I will worry about it. People passing in cars won't no the difference. The authors were talking about running and passing folks in the neighborhood who were also running. Clearly in Lovingston I won't have that problem. Next time I'm running in Central Park I will make sure to have baggy pants! (That is actually a possibility, we've been going to NYC more often.)
Remeber that balance ball I picked up in Barnes and Noble and then put back on the shelf? Good thing I did because I got 2 for Christmas! One is going back to Barnes and Noble, but I'm psyched because it means I can pick out something else from the Gaiam display! Kettleballs, water weight ball? I also got a new pair of running shoes. I am so set. I have no excuses, but you can bet I will find one and use it over and over and over.
Which brings me to Run Like a Mother. It's pretty good, I'm not too far in. So far it has been a pep talk, I haven't gotten to the workout advice yet. Dimity, one of the authors, did clear up one question I had about undergarments with workout clothes. She says no, otherwise you have unsightly VPL (visible panty lines.) I'm a little concerned about chafing and possibly warmth if I do decide to venture out in 25 degree weather. I think I'm mostly concerned about being in a gym situation with VPL. My underwear is a slight bit snug right now and that only makes the lines worse. If I'm out running on my own in Nelson County I don't think I will worry about it. People passing in cars won't no the difference. The authors were talking about running and passing folks in the neighborhood who were also running. Clearly in Lovingston I won't have that problem. Next time I'm running in Central Park I will make sure to have baggy pants! (That is actually a possibility, we've been going to NYC more often.)
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Eating Out part 2
Went to Guad's downtown and ordered the fish tacos. The tilapia was described as "breaded." Hmm...yep they were fried. I guess I assumed they would be grilled. Well, as it turns out my pescetarian friend whose fish tacos I envied were grilled because he knew you have to ask to have them grilled! I didn't know that. They were yummy. I will order them in the future, I'll just ask for them to be grilled.
So in my past post Imentioned a Skinny Bitch book. I wasn't specific enough. It was the Skinny Bitch Everyday Cookbook. The introduction talks about the horrors of our food production in this country. Last night I bought the first Skinny Bitch book, which talks about all of the chemicals in our food. Let's just say I skipped the daily soda at lunch. OMG I don't know how our bodies have stood it for so long and of course evetually the chemicals do get us. I'm frankly shocked we're living as long as we are. First of all I think EVERYONE needs a copy of this book. Go out and buy it NOW. It's written by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. I am going to quote the book at the beginning of my blog each day, or whenever I feel like it.
I also bought Run Like a Mother. Since I haven't put down Skinny Bitch I haven't delved into that yet. More to come.
So here's a bit from Skinny Bitch..."Don't go patting yourself on the back if you drink diet soda. That stuff is even worse (than regular.) Aspartame (an ingrediant commonly found in diet sodas and other sugar free foods) has been blamed for a slew of scary maladies, like arthritis, birth defects, fibromyalgia, Alzheimer's, lupus, MS, and diabetes. When methyl alcohol, a component of aspartame, enters your body it turns into formaldehyde." Yummy!
So in my past post Imentioned a Skinny Bitch book. I wasn't specific enough. It was the Skinny Bitch Everyday Cookbook. The introduction talks about the horrors of our food production in this country. Last night I bought the first Skinny Bitch book, which talks about all of the chemicals in our food. Let's just say I skipped the daily soda at lunch. OMG I don't know how our bodies have stood it for so long and of course evetually the chemicals do get us. I'm frankly shocked we're living as long as we are. First of all I think EVERYONE needs a copy of this book. Go out and buy it NOW. It's written by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. I am going to quote the book at the beginning of my blog each day, or whenever I feel like it.
I also bought Run Like a Mother. Since I haven't put down Skinny Bitch I haven't delved into that yet. More to come.
So here's a bit from Skinny Bitch..."Don't go patting yourself on the back if you drink diet soda. That stuff is even worse (than regular.) Aspartame (an ingrediant commonly found in diet sodas and other sugar free foods) has been blamed for a slew of scary maladies, like arthritis, birth defects, fibromyalgia, Alzheimer's, lupus, MS, and diabetes. When methyl alcohol, a component of aspartame, enters your body it turns into formaldehyde." Yummy!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Eating out
This is what is going to kill me. Eating out in restaurants. When I was a kid it was pretty much a treat to go out. We didn't go out that often. Now, eating out is more of a convenience thing. When my family is in Charlottesville for other activities (we live 30 miles away) we always seem to drift into a meal time and end up eating in a restaurant. However; I am still in treat mode and think once I step foot in a restaurant I can have anything I want.
Tonight I am meeting a few friends, including my thin, in-shape friend. I will watch how she orders! We are going to Guadalajara's a local Mexican restaurant. I have been there with a pescetarian who ordered fish tacos which looked fabulous. That's what I am ordering as of now, we'll see what happens. Wish me luck. Of course all of this is somewhat fruitless since I am still eating all the Christmas goodies, but I'm laying the foundation...
As a side note here are Runner's World's top foods for 2011:
1. Black Rice
2. Brussel Sprouts
3. Cacao Sweet nibs
4. Eggs
5. Kefir
6. Maple Syrup
7. Red Onions
8. Trail mix
9. White tea
If you find out what cacao sweet nibs are let me know!
Tonight I am meeting a few friends, including my thin, in-shape friend. I will watch how she orders! We are going to Guadalajara's a local Mexican restaurant. I have been there with a pescetarian who ordered fish tacos which looked fabulous. That's what I am ordering as of now, we'll see what happens. Wish me luck. Of course all of this is somewhat fruitless since I am still eating all the Christmas goodies, but I'm laying the foundation...
As a side note here are Runner's World's top foods for 2011:
1. Black Rice
2. Brussel Sprouts
3. Cacao Sweet nibs
4. Eggs
5. Kefir
6. Maple Syrup
7. Red Onions
8. Trail mix
9. White tea
If you find out what cacao sweet nibs are let me know!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Running plans
Okay, so I think I have a few things figured out and have some goals. I am going to try to follow the Couch to 5k program. At first it is varied enough I could do it on a treadmill without becoming completely bored and when the running legs get longer it should be nicer outside. It promises I should be able to run a 5k in 9 weeks. Here in the Charlottesville area there is a race nearly every weekend. 9 weeks from January 1 is about March 5, the one weekend there is no race. So my goal will be altered a little bit. I'm shooting for April 16, which is the second annual Fun Run in Lovingston, at my old high school. I know the course well, in fact I ran it last year (with no training.)
I also happened upon Jillian Michael's Jump Start Diet today on the Self magazine website and she had developed some "Calorie-Burning Cardio" plans that I hope to alternate with the Couch to 5k. They are also do-able on a treadmill and involve other gym equipment that I hope to have access to when school starts again. I realized today that the fitness center hours may be limited because of classes being held. How dare they get in the way of my plans! I'm on the cusp of having my workout plan written in stone, well as much as it can be.
I also happened upon Jillian Michael's Jump Start Diet today on the Self magazine website and she had developed some "Calorie-Burning Cardio" plans that I hope to alternate with the Couch to 5k. They are also do-able on a treadmill and involve other gym equipment that I hope to have access to when school starts again. I realized today that the fitness center hours may be limited because of classes being held. How dare they get in the way of my plans! I'm on the cusp of having my workout plan written in stone, well as much as it can be.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Holiday Eating Tips
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare... You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-oholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to aHoliday party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand and wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
Have a great holiday season!!
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare... You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-oholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand and wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
Have a great holiday season!!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Second thoughts??
Yikes! This is going to be so much harder than I thought! Firstly, last night I was in Barnes and Noble, always a bad place for me when I shouldn't be spending money, but I had a gift card. A Skinny Bitch cookbook caught my eye. I picked it up and started thumbing through it. It's all vegetarian and vegan! I had no idea. It had lots of great recipes and tips on shopping locally and what sorts of things to have in your pantry to how to mix different spices...just what I need! I carried it around with me,then I bumped into the Gaiam display and there was the balance ball kit I have on my Amazon wishlist. Should I buy it? Maybe someone got it for me for Christmas. I shouldn't be buying myself around Christmas, but the gift card was a gift....Okay left the balance ball there. It will still be there if I don't get it for Christmas.
As of yet I am not a vegetarian nor a vegan. I could be a vegetarian and my family has been talking about it for a few years. My 7 year old calls herself a vegetarian but still eats the turkey bacon my mother makes for her each morning. My husband in the last few days has said as long as he gets in that last steak and rack of ribs he would be willing to do it. I haven't been pushing for it but after seeing the movies Food Inc. and Fast Food Nation it's hard to ignore the injustices that our animals face.
So anyway...I move on to Panerea where I'm supposed to meet 2 friends for dinner. I had my heart set on soup in a bread bowls. I know, I know the bread is CARB, CARB, CARB. It's 25 degrees outside, I just want it! Turns out Panera is out of bread bowls! I guess everyone else had the same idea. I'm scrambling to figure out what to order. I finally settle on a turkey sandwich with bacon and some flavored mayo. My friend gets garden vegetable soup with pesto and an apple on the side. Why can't I be more like her? From now on when I am with her I will order what she orders. She's tiny and works out regularly.
Then I come to work this morning and a friend has posted an article about how exercise doesn't really help us lose weight. Basically after we exercise we are hungry so we eat more than we normally would or else we feel the need to reward ourselves for such a good workout and eat a donut or French fries. It goes on to say that we are not equipped to workout for an hour as well as eat very little fat. We just can't sustain it. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html
I'm not going to let that disuade me. I am going to proceed with my plans to eat more healthfully and exercise regularly. It certainly can't hurt me to try. I should mention that my goal is not to lose much weight, just the 5-10 pound creep.
As of yet I am not a vegetarian nor a vegan. I could be a vegetarian and my family has been talking about it for a few years. My 7 year old calls herself a vegetarian but still eats the turkey bacon my mother makes for her each morning. My husband in the last few days has said as long as he gets in that last steak and rack of ribs he would be willing to do it. I haven't been pushing for it but after seeing the movies Food Inc. and Fast Food Nation it's hard to ignore the injustices that our animals face.
So anyway...I move on to Panerea where I'm supposed to meet 2 friends for dinner. I had my heart set on soup in a bread bowls. I know, I know the bread is CARB, CARB, CARB. It's 25 degrees outside, I just want it! Turns out Panera is out of bread bowls! I guess everyone else had the same idea. I'm scrambling to figure out what to order. I finally settle on a turkey sandwich with bacon and some flavored mayo. My friend gets garden vegetable soup with pesto and an apple on the side. Why can't I be more like her? From now on when I am with her I will order what she orders. She's tiny and works out regularly.
Then I come to work this morning and a friend has posted an article about how exercise doesn't really help us lose weight. Basically after we exercise we are hungry so we eat more than we normally would or else we feel the need to reward ourselves for such a good workout and eat a donut or French fries. It goes on to say that we are not equipped to workout for an hour as well as eat very little fat. We just can't sustain it. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html
I'm not going to let that disuade me. I am going to proceed with my plans to eat more healthfully and exercise regularly. It certainly can't hurt me to try. I should mention that my goal is not to lose much weight, just the 5-10 pound creep.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Making plans
I've decided to start a blog about a me, a skinny couch potato, and my struggles with exercise and the willpower to eat healthfully. I've been lucky enough to stay relatively slim all of my life. That's because I was blessed with good genes. I've not had to work at staying slim. Now, as I turn 40, my metabolism is slowing down and frankly it has been since the birth of my second child. I have a muffin top to brag about and for the first time in my life my thighs touch. For most of my childhood my knees were the widest part of my leg.
I can feel you rolling your eyes. But listen...I know I am relatively slim compared to the rest of the nation; however I am not relatively slim compared to what I have been all my life and I'm uncomfortable about it. Since I haven't had to work at it and have eaten anything I have ever wanted I've never had to practice much willpower. So now when I have to do something about it I'm not sure where to start. Of course, I know which foods are better than others. What I'm concerned about is dropping all my bad habits at once, I'm doomed to failure. I'm not sure which ones to start with. I always make New Years Resolutions. 2 years ago I decided to switch from regular soda to diet. It worked and I've been without regular ever since. This year I was thinking of dropping soda altogether. The other thing I considered was all deep fried foods. I think this will be more difficult. What about Chinese dumplings? I could probably live without French fries, but what about the fried chicken sandwiches at Chik-Fil-A? Maybe I can just cut back to once a month or something? Yikes...I didn't even think about potato chips. My real downfall though isn't even salty or fried food....it's sugar. I never met a dessert I didn't like, well, I don't eat coffee flavored anything. I know cutting out sugar is unrealistic so again I may need to make a plan, once a week?
We haven't even touched on the exercise. In the past it has been extremely sporadic. I usually blame my lack of time for not getting motivated. Come the middle of January I will have the time..so no excuses anymore! I contemplated joining a gym thinking that if I am spending the money that will be motivation enough to get in there. However; I will have a decreased income so can't really afford the luxury of a gym. Then I found out that the school I am attending will be opening a fitness center in January. Free for students! Okay, but if it's free will I go? And I'm sorry but the Arctic temperatures are not conducive to working out outside. I am in awe of the folks that bundle up to run. It's not for me. I'm not excited about the dreadmill either. You can see I've got issues....but it has to be done!
So the purpose of this blog is to journal about my road to getting healthy and to use it as a way to hold myself accountable. I hope to have a few followers that I have to "report in" to. I also would love to get feedback and tips on how to accomplish this. Recipes, or products that might work for me. For starters what are your favorite non-soda beverages?
Starting Jan. 1, 2011 I will blog regularly. I can already tell you that day and the few that follow will be tough and may even be a wash as I'm celebrating my 40th birthday. Should I stick to my New Years Resolutions and eat healthfully for my birthday or throw in the towel because I'll only be 40 once?
Pictures of the aforementioned muffin top pending. I'm hoping to post pictures of the transformation. I just hope they are visible!
I can feel you rolling your eyes. But listen...I know I am relatively slim compared to the rest of the nation; however I am not relatively slim compared to what I have been all my life and I'm uncomfortable about it. Since I haven't had to work at it and have eaten anything I have ever wanted I've never had to practice much willpower. So now when I have to do something about it I'm not sure where to start. Of course, I know which foods are better than others. What I'm concerned about is dropping all my bad habits at once, I'm doomed to failure. I'm not sure which ones to start with. I always make New Years Resolutions. 2 years ago I decided to switch from regular soda to diet. It worked and I've been without regular ever since. This year I was thinking of dropping soda altogether. The other thing I considered was all deep fried foods. I think this will be more difficult. What about Chinese dumplings? I could probably live without French fries, but what about the fried chicken sandwiches at Chik-Fil-A? Maybe I can just cut back to once a month or something? Yikes...I didn't even think about potato chips. My real downfall though isn't even salty or fried food....it's sugar. I never met a dessert I didn't like, well, I don't eat coffee flavored anything. I know cutting out sugar is unrealistic so again I may need to make a plan, once a week?
We haven't even touched on the exercise. In the past it has been extremely sporadic. I usually blame my lack of time for not getting motivated. Come the middle of January I will have the time..so no excuses anymore! I contemplated joining a gym thinking that if I am spending the money that will be motivation enough to get in there. However; I will have a decreased income so can't really afford the luxury of a gym. Then I found out that the school I am attending will be opening a fitness center in January. Free for students! Okay, but if it's free will I go? And I'm sorry but the Arctic temperatures are not conducive to working out outside. I am in awe of the folks that bundle up to run. It's not for me. I'm not excited about the dreadmill either. You can see I've got issues....but it has to be done!
So the purpose of this blog is to journal about my road to getting healthy and to use it as a way to hold myself accountable. I hope to have a few followers that I have to "report in" to. I also would love to get feedback and tips on how to accomplish this. Recipes, or products that might work for me. For starters what are your favorite non-soda beverages?
Starting Jan. 1, 2011 I will blog regularly. I can already tell you that day and the few that follow will be tough and may even be a wash as I'm celebrating my 40th birthday. Should I stick to my New Years Resolutions and eat healthfully for my birthday or throw in the towel because I'll only be 40 once?
Pictures of the aforementioned muffin top pending. I'm hoping to post pictures of the transformation. I just hope they are visible!
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