Feel the burn!

Today was calorie filled, to say the least.  We spent the early part of the afternoon making pierogis for Easter; a family tradition that we are now passing down to M.

After making about 8 dozen pierogis I met my new student teacher at Panera.  It was great to get to talk to her before she started, but Panera is a huge weakness of my.  One cinnamon scone, a chai latte and 810 calories later, I was on my way.

Needless to say, I HAD to work out tonight.  I knew I hadn't eaten the best and I didn't want to get on the wrong track, especially with my trip to my sister's right around the corner.  So I dragged my butt to the gym and hopped on the treadmill, I admit I really didn't want to.  I will say, knowing that I was "naughty" during the day motivated me.  I got 4 miles in, and felt like I could get more if I wanted to.

As I was leaving one of "the regulars," an older gentleman who recently told me about his knee replacement surgery, asked why I ran so much.  I explained to him that I was training for a half-marathon.  I then tried to explain my training plan to him.  In the end, I think he was a little overwhelmed by my excitement and all the talking I had done; but it occurred to me that there may be people out there who may be in my situation. 

For those who are interested, I am following one of the Run Disney Half Marathon Training Plans.  A friend of mine recommended them, as they are aimed at those who are not necessarily "marathon runners."  Plus, considering I would LOVE to run the Princess Half Marathon someday, I feel like using the plan is one step closer to accomplishing that goal.  So far, I really like the plan.  It consists of three running days a week; two days are focused on time (30-45 minutes) and Saturdays are the "long run."  Last week I had to do 3 miles for my long run, today I was up to 4.  As I said before, I felt great.  I'll keep you posted on how the training is going from time to time.

Wait, why was I doing this again?

When I first started this journey, my focus was on losing weight.  Especially after gaining so much when I was pregnant with M, it was the only motivation I had.  It got me started, but it is funny how things change. 

Now that I'm well on my journey, I'm shocked at how my focus has changed.  Sure, I'm all about losing a few pounds, who isn't?  However, now I'm content with healthy.  As Tim puts it, I wasn't made to be a size 2.  My wonderful sister took all of the skinny genes in our family.


Still, even though I may never be as small as I like, I'm doing thing I've never imagined I'd be able to do.  Getting in shape has been one of the most rewarding things I've done.  I have energy, I can run a mile without passing out at the end, and I'm teaching my daughter healthy habits.

So as I continue on my journey towards a healthy lifestyle, I need to keep evaluating my purpose and my motivation.  Although a smaller pair of pants will always be a nice perk, I no longer thing they are the main motivation behind my efforts.

New Heart Rate Monitor = New Perspective

With my new found exercise obsession, I wanted to get a better read on how much I was burning.  After some research, I found a decently priced, decently rated heart rate monitor that sounded like a good fit.  I ended up getting the Polar FT4, read more about it here.

So far, after using it twice I'm really impressed.  It's extremely easy to use and gives me just the type of information I was looking for.

One thing I realized after using it a few times was that the calorie burn I was originally calculating for myself was far above what I am actually burning.  In some cases I was burning well over 100 calories less than what I planned.  When I was eating back those calories, I very well could have been overeating.  This could explain why I have been getting more fit, but not necessarily losing weight.

So my next step is to start to use the HRM to calculate my calorie burn and see if that helps with the weight loss, I figure it's worth a try!

Stupid Sugar

Today was not a good day in the healthy-sense.  It was a little stressful, and as we've learned in the past, when I am stressed I eat.  Today, it was the Swedish Fish that got me.  Those sweet little buggers normally don't call my name, but they were in the right place at the right time.

Even though I may have caved and had a few handfuls of Swedish Fish followed by several Tootsie Rolls, I still tracked my food.  As of 4:30, things were looking pretty grim.

Although today wasn't the best of days health-wise, it did help me realize an important fact.  I am consistently over on sugar.  Tracking my food the way I do, I can see that over eating sweets is a definite trend of mine.  Even when I don't reach for the chocolate or candy, I'm still over due to the other foods I am choosing.  I decided that cutting my sugar intake is definitely something I need to make a priority.

I found this article from Reader's Digest that offers some great tips to get started.  Lower Your Sugar Intake  I'm hoping it will get me going in the right direction. 

So starting tomorrow, I'm going to really start watching what I eat, especially related to sugar content.  I need to see if I can get my sugar down and maybe lose these last few pounds that are hanging on for dear life!

To the Guy Running Next to Me...

I like to think of myself as a pretty patient and tolerant person.  My chosen profession requires these qualities on an hourly basis.  However, there are certain things that bother me to the point where I lose all sense of patience and tolerance.  I'm finding the more I go to the gym, the more of these things I discover.

Today was no exception.  I went to the gym early, since I wasn't going to be able to go later like normal.  There were a good amount of people in there, which I don't prefer but it was tolerable.  I hopped on my treadmill, got my music going (it was working today :) ), set my timer for 45 minutes and I was off. 

Within ten minutes of me starting my workout a gentleman, a little older than myself, took the treadmill next to me.  First off, there are 8 treadmills, 7 of which were open.  Why he chose the treadmill directly next to me is beyond me.  It kinda reminded me of that see from Harold and Kumar where the guy pees on the same bush as another guy.  I am assuming he wanted to watch a particular TV, or he was planning on driving me nuts.



The second thing that bothered me about this gentleman was that fact that you could smell him before you saw him.  Within seconds of him entering the gym, the whole place was filled with his nauseating AXE-induced stench to the point that you could taste it.  Having this amount of fragrance eminating from the person next to me made it very hard to breathe.  **Bri's Gym Tip #1 - Don't douse yourself in fragrance before you go to the gym, suffocating those around you helps no one.

Once he got going, I noticed that he was watching me in the mirror, creepy!  Then, he started to copy my moves.  I bumped up my speed, he bumped up his; I slowed down, so did he.  It was to the point that he was matching me, step for step.  This was making me incredibly uncomfortable.  **Bri's Gym Tip #2 - Keep your eyes straight ahead, staring at someone through the mirror is just as creepy as straight on.

Luckily, by the time I could no longer stand it I got to start my cool down. I was quite surprised when he did not start his at the same time.  I saw this as the time to make my escape.  I finished up, switched into my boots and headed home, with the taste of AXE still in my mouth as a reminder of my "treatmill friend" (as Tim referred to him). 

I normally try to keep to myself at the gym, but that's hard to do when people are purposely seeking you out!  Has something similar ever happened to you?

Workout Music and the Lack Thereof

Anyone who has been around me for more than an hour probably has a good sense of my obsession with music.  I'm convinced it is a genetic trait, as my dad is a fanatic as well.  I've played piano since I was 3 and grew up singing and performing in musicals, band, and other music-based performances.  Needless to say, music is part of who I am and is incorporated into just about everything I do.  I listen to music all day at school (what we listen to depends on what is going on in my classroom), at home while I'm working, in the kitchen when I'm cooking, while I'm working out and even when I shower (it covers up my singing).  I could not imagine a life without music.

Tonight I had to do just that.  As I arrived at the gym, I performed my usual ritual of changing shoes and getting my music set up.  However, I noticed quickly that my Spotify was not connecting to the wifi very well and the music was cutting in and out.  I hopped on the treadmill ready to go and it cut out completely.  I had no choice but to complete my workout to the wonderful sounds of the elevator music that is always playing in the gym.  Needless to say, not my best workout.  Painful doesn't even begin to descibe the hour I spent trying to fight through my urge to give up and go home. 

To prevent this from happening in the future, I'm reconfiguring my workout playlist so that it will work with or without an internet connection.  I know I'm always looking for good music to add so here is my current go to list for workout music. 

• Cannibal - Ke$ha
• Saturday - Basshunter
• Titanium - David Guetta
• Here It Goes Again - OK Go
• Mercy - Duffy
• Jai Ho! - Pussycat Dolls
• Young Folks - Peter Bjorn
• Louder - DJ Fresh
• Antidote - Swedish House Mafia
• B.O.B. - Outkast
• Remember the Name - Fort Minor
• Mercy - Kanye West
• Sammy Davis Jr. - Movits!
• This Little Girl - Cady Groves
• Breathing - Jason Derulo
• Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars
• Magic - B.O.B
• All of the Lights - Kanye West
• Runaway Baby - Bruno Mars
• Bounce - Calvin Harris, Kelis
• Raining Men - Rihanna
• Turn Around - Conor Maynard
• Spectrum - Zedd
• Turn All the Lights On - T-Pain
• If I Had You - Adam Lambert
• Blue Eyes Blind - ZZ Ward
• Can't Hold Us - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

I'm always looking to add to my playlist, what do you listen to when you workout?

List Progress 3/17

So looking back, I realized the last time I looked at my 30 Before 30 list was at the end of January.  It's crazy how much can change in such a short period of time.  Since I had nothing else exciting to post about tonight, I figured I'd give everyone a little update of how things have been progressing.

1. Run a 10k....I ran 8 miles to a winery, although it wasn't a timed 10k, it was my farthest distance so far.  My latest race was a 5k for St. Patrick's Day (see yesterday's post for details on that!).  I'm still looking for a 10k to run in sometime soon, although for now I am content with the wine runs!

2. Finish a half marathon...Registered and signed up to be on my school's team.  I found a training plan and started it last week.  It is a 19 week program, so I should have just enough time to get ready.  So far, I'm pretty excited about it.  The distance is becoming less and less daunting as I gain confidence in my running.

3. Travel further west than Toledo...We had plans, but had to ditch them because of other issues that popped up.  For now we aren't focusing on this too much, maybe once summer hits.

4. Shoot a gun...This will be happening soon thanks to the hubs!  It's funny how he has gotten just as into this list as I have.

5. Visit New York City...Looking for opportunities to go.  Tim is really not a city person, and has indicated that NYC is the last place he would want to go.  So now, I'm exploring other options. 

6. Start a blog/journal Yay!  Should be hitting 500 views with this post!

7. Go to an NFL football game....Obviously will have to wait until the fall, although I have made my desire known to just about everyone that will listen.

8. Read at least 10 books off of Time’s Top 100 Books of All Time list...So far I've read The Great Gatsby and Slaughterhouse Five.  For now, I'm taking a short break to read the next book in one of the series I follow.  I'm almost done with it, and then will resume my Time's list books.  Any suggestions?

9. Take a class unrelated to teaching...Saving this for summer when I have more time.

10. Finish re-painting the house (Master Bedroom, Guest Bedroom, Downstairs Living Room, Basement Bath)...I talked about it, even picked out colors, Tim vetoed all my colors, back to square 1.

11. Have the equivalent of one month’s salary in savings...Halfway there!

12. Host/Cook a holiday meal for the family...I was told I could have Father's Day, Mother's Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, and the Cornhole Fiesta.  First on the list, Cornhole Fiesta!

13. Take a weekend trip focused on M...Started planning, will probably next February which is after I turn 30 but all the planning will be done before I have my birthday so it still counts.

14. Go to a concert...Several options have been investigated, now just waiting to see which plans pan out.

15. Have a girl’s weekend somewhere other than Erie...Between all of our crazy schedules, this is looking increasingly unlikely but I will keep trying.

16. Golf a full 18 holes, and keep score...I washed my clubs, and then talked about getting new shoes because I don't like how ugly mine are....one step closer!

17. Pay off at least 2 of my 3 credit cards. (and keep them that way!!)...Got everything consolodated so now I have 3 credit cards with a zero balance and one payment that is about half of what I was paying before.  If my calculations are correct I will have everything paid off by July 2014.

18. Get another tattoo...So far I haven't been able to pin down exactly what I want and where I want it. 

19. Organize all my pictures and back them up. Maybe even get some printed out....Umm, can't stop looking at the pictures, maybe deleted 5 that I thought I looked awful in.

20. Try at least 3 10 new foods (or re-try foods I haven’t tried in a while)...I've been experimenting with some new recipes, does that count?  Still 3/10.

21. Ride on a motorcycle

22. Change my hairstyle/hair color...Tried to make an appointment, had to cancel because I accidentally made it on the same day as another engagement.

23. Complete at least one random act of kindness/pay it forward type action

24. Make/build something...Does tiling a shower count?

25. Surprise someone...Have now given two co-workers treats.  Apparently I'm like the treat fairy or something.  Also have been trying to leave little surprises around the house for Tim and M.

26. Reconnect with the piano...For a while I was playing pretty regularly, unfortunately grad classes decided that wasn't allowed any more.

27. Improve my Spanish...I thought about it, that's about as far as I've gotten

28. Learn to drive a stick shift

29. Have a spa day – more than just mani/pedi

30. Celebrate my 30^th in style! (think Limo, sequins, bubbly!)

So I'm still 1/30, but I've definitely made progress in some areas.  If there is one thing I've learned so far, it would be that just focusing on my goals helps so much in everything I do.  I'm so much more motivated in all aspects of life, not just those listed on "The List".

St. Patty's Day!

As in the past, Erie got hit with their St. Patrick's Day snow and cold.  Last year we were lucky, and this weekend was beautiful.  After last weekend's beautiful weather I was very hopeful that this weekend would follow suit, unfortunately I forgot that Erie weather is extremely unpredictable.

My friend Jen and I had signed up for the St. Patty's Day 5k a while back.  I will admit that getting up this morning I was a bit apprehensive.  I looked out the window when I woke up and was greeted with more snow!

The forcast didn't look promising, I had to face the fact that today's run was not going to be under "ideal" conditions.  Still I was excited to get a little dressed up to enjoy today's holiday.  I will say, St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorites!

True to our tradition of getting to the race ridiculously early, Jen picked me up a little after 7 and we were off!

We got there early enough to pick up our stuff and snag a decent parking spot.  We have a history of getting ideal parking, since we are normally two of the first people there.  Needless to say, we had some time in the car to chit chat and get ready.

The timing chip proved to be a little difficult, but we ended up getting it on our shoes in time for the race.  We jogged a bit to get warmed up (and to get to the bathroom because I had to pee!).  The first thing I noticed was that it was slick!  I was a bit worried about running 3 miles on such a slick surface.

Still, we were pretty excited.  I love being able to run with good friends!

Once the race got started it took me a while to acclimate to the weather and conditions.  My bad ankle had a hard time with sliding in the slush, and by the end was pretty painful.  Still by the end of the first mile, I wasn't feeling the cold at all.  The route we ran was different than the Turkey Trot route, and I liked it a lot better.  There were more turns that helped to break up the straight sections.  I didn't use my running app like normal, so I had no clue how fast (or slow) we were going.

In the end, we ended up finishing at the same exact time just as the clock at the finish line hit 30 min.  I figured it out and we had a 9:16/mile average which is by far the fastest I've done so far.  I love that I had a good friend there to motivate me to keep going even though I was in pain and to push me to go faster than I probably would have on my own.

After the race, we both got to enjoy our "runner's high" together as we headed home.  We've got plans to do several more 5ks this year as well as a couple 10ks.  The big race in August will be a half marathon.  It's a bit intimindating but it is such an awesome goal. 

Now that we have the rest of the day to enjoy, Tim and I decided to take M to the annual St. Patrick's Day parade.  Erie does St. Patrick's Day like no other, and I can't wait to enjoy it with my family!  Look for more information on those adventures later!

Another Yummy Protein Cookie

I will admit, I've become a little obsessed with finding healthy ways to redo some of my favorite snacks.  So far most of what I've tried has been pretty good.  The longer I got without processed sugar, the less sugar I find myself using in baking.  It's to the point where just the natural sweetness of many of my ingredients is enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.  I've also tried to find ways to increase my protein intake, since that is definitely one area I need to contiue to work on.

Last night I was searching Pinterest and came across a couple different recipes.  Because I didn't have all the ingredients they asked for I did have to improvise a bit,but I am obsessed with the cookies I ended up with!  Even Tim and Mara enjoyed them, which for me is the true test of a new recipe.

Banana Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

Ingredients
2 ripe bananas mashed until creamy
1/3 cup natural peanut butter (I used Jif Natural Chunky)
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup protein powder (they recommended vanilla, I used unflavored and the cookies still were tasty)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups oats
1/4 cup chopped nuts (the original recipe called for peanuts, I used walnuts)
1/4 cup chocolate chips


It kinda reminded me of no bakes, just more banana-y



Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Mixed mashed banana and peanut butter until creamy and well mixed.  Add applesauce, protein powder and vanilla.
Add in oats, nuts, and chocolate chips and mix well.
Let dough sit for 10 minutes.
Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a nonstick cookie sheet.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until cookies are golden brown.
Let sit for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Makes 24 cookies.

Nutritional Information (per cookie)
76 calories
2 g fat
0 mg cholesterol
18 mg sodium (using the Natural low sodium peanut butter)
9 g carbohydrates
1 g fiber
4 g sugar
3 g protein

Could it be? Is this progress?

I was surprised when this morning I woke up and felt fine.  After yesterday's long run, I was worried about being sore.  I could tell that I had worked out, but it was no different than any other morning.

This morning was another Monday weigh in.  I was excited because I may or may not have done a pre-weigh in yesterday.  I was down another 1.2 pounds, that puts my total at just about 10 pounds since I started the beginning of February.  Not too shabby if you ask me!  I will say, this 10 pounds has been much different than any I've lost before.  I'm not sure if it is because I'm running or the strength training I'm incorporating, but the weight is coming off very differently than it has in the past.

I did make it to the gym tonight.  I was going to take it easy, but then my dad was there.  I love working out with him.  Not because he is overly motivating or makes me work harder.  We barely even talk.  However, just working out next to someone is, to me, very motivating.  I tried to run a bit tonight, yeah that was a big mistake.  I made it about a mile before good ol' jellylegs came back.  So instead I walk/ran a total of 2.5 miles.  Then I worked on my arms.  I can definitely tell I'm getting stronger, and I added a bit more weight today.  I thought it was adorable that even though he finished up about 10 minutes earlier than I did, my dad waited for me to finish so that he could walk me out to my car.  Always daddy's little girl :)

So I've seen progress on the scale, in inches, and athletically.  I've also seen progress in the way I view food.  Before I saw food as the enemy.  It was something I had to have, but I knew in the end it would just make me fat.  This is how I gained so much to begin with.  Dieting is hard and by nature makes you hate the foods you tend to love.  I no longer view food like this.  I'm starting to enjoy my food and look forward to certain snacks or meals.  I've learned that it is ok to come home from the gym and have a pepperoni ball (like tonight).  It won't kill my progress, in fact it may help it.  Before I got in trouble because I denied myself foods that I loved.  Now, I know that denial only leads to an all out binge.  So I enjoyed my pepperoni ball (just the breading, Tim ate the pepperoni and cheese; I know I'm weird).

So I'm going into this week with a positive outlook.  I've got the St. Patty's Day 5k on Saturday and can't wait to see how I do.  I feel like I am much better prepared than I was at my last 5k on Thanksgiving (apparently I have a thing for holiday-based 5ks).

Wine Run

A fellow teacher has been on her own journey towards health for the past year or so.  She not only has lost weight, but has also improved across all areas of health.  Back in January, she got the idea to run to some of the area wineries as a mini-challenge.  I was unable to join her on the first two, but the opportunity to join her today.  She had a great turnout, a total of 13 fabulous ladies!

I will admit I was pretty nervous going into it today.  Before today, the furthest I had ever run was 6 miles, and that was on the treadmill.  Today's run would be 8.1 miles and was far from flat.  However, I was excited to have the opportunity to get to know some fellow runners that had similar interests and goals.  I must say, they made the activity most enjoyable!

The first mile and a half was by far the hardest.  It took a while to get in a good groove, and this stretch of the route included a pretty steady incline.  However I found that once I got through that part, the rest of it went much better!

My colleague that coordinated the run thought of anything.  About halfway, she found a good spot for us to stop for water and to go to the bath room if we needed to.

We couldn't have had better weather.  Normally, this time of year is cold and snowy, but today was a gem.  Sun shining and it was close to 70!  Later this week is supposed to get cold and snowy again, so it was great to get out and enjoy this wonderful day!

Finally reaching the winery was such a great sense of accomplishment, and I am so happy that I was able to share it with so many great people. 

 On top of the great run, we got to top it off with another one of my favorite things, wine!  I will admit, I didn't taste any once we got there because I wasn't really feeling it at the time.  However, I did make sure to get myself a bottle to celebrate with next time!

Today was, by far, one of the best times I've had in a while.  What made it even better was that everyone there was so supportive and awesome!  I can't wait until the next one!

 

I wanted to send a big thank you out to my friend who provide several of the pictures for the day and organized the run.  I can't wait until the next one!  Check out her blog, http://www.lessonsfromthelamppost.blogspot.com/ !

Saturday....

It was so nice to wake up today and see that the snow was slowly melting away.

Hopefully this is the last thaw of the winter, and nicer weather is on its way.  It was beautiful today, sunny with clear skies.  It was a bit chilly, but I'd still take 42 over below freezing any day!  It would have been the perfect to go for an outside run; unfortunately Tim had to work so that was out of the picture.

Instead, I decided to get out of the house and take M to the children's museum.  Chasing her between the three floors was exercise enough!  She had a great time, and I really enjoyed a mommy-daughter day!

I made it to the gym later in the evening, after M had gone to bed and Tim was home from work.  I was all by myself the whole time, which I totally took advantage of!  I started out feeling great!

I warmed up with a quick mile, and for the first time since November was sub-10 minutes!  (9:58, but still!)  I didn't run any further than that because I'm going to be running about 8 miles tomorrow.

It was my arm night, and since there wasn't any one there, I started to try out some of the machines I normally don't use as well as ventured into the free weight section of the gym.

 

Now that I've had a chance to try out some of these things, I don't think I will be as uncomfortable the next time around. 

 

Tomorrow I am going on a "wine run" with some people from work.  We are starting at one winery and then running the 8 miles to another winery.  Once we get there, we'll be able to taste before getting a ride home.  This will be my longest distance so far, but I'm excited about it!  Definitely look for that post when I get home tomorrow evening!