Alright, lets do this!

Okay, so maybe updating my blog every day is not possible...I'm a little too busy to get that in with everything else.  That said there is some things I wanted to finish up about last week.....

Last Saturday I started off playing some sand VB with a guy that played a city league game with my team in the winter.  Because of the less than ideal weather (it wasn't raining, but cloudy and threatening to), we were the only two at the courts.  We peppered for a while, then took turns hitting.  We just chatted about life and got to know each other a bit and it was nice to make another connection and to get some sand practice in before taking on a game!  I think I may have even had a breakthrough on my hitting!  I figured out how to push off the sand and actually jump up, rather than out.  His wife and two kids were there for a while and they were really nice.  I think I would like to get to know them :)  Then I headed to the farmers market to get some starts from my garden!!!!  Latter that day, we headed over to my mom's so she could help me plan out where to plant everything.  Then we finished getting the other plants and seeds I needed and headed out to plant.  We were out until dark but it was really fun and I am so excited to grow my own produce!  It is going to taste sooooo good!

Sunday, we went to see "Forks Over Knives" with my mom which was interesting.  I already knew most of the information, but it was still fun to watch.  I think every person should watch that movie!  It is also nice to have reminders about why I choose to live the way I do when sometimes I feel like it would just be easier to go along with the norm.  Then my mom and I headed back to my garden to put up some shade bags for my plants so they didn't get sunburned.  Below are some pics before the bags were put up. (My garden looks the best by the way!)

Corn, cantaloupe, watermelon, lettuce, carrots, beans, basil, peppers, tomatoes, kale, rainbow chard, eggplant, pumpkin, cucumber, butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower, ground cherry (a new thing I have never tried) and some pretty flowers!

 

Me and my mama!

Then, this week my biggest accomplishment is that I worked out hard and ate really well and I am feeling great!  I went to two cycling classes that kicked my but and went on a long ride today that felt easy even though my legs felt tired!  I have also gotten two good run workouts in and plan on doing a long, slow run this weekend.  Again, though my legs felt tired, I felt like I was running strong! I am really starting to enjoy my workouts becasue they don't feel like they take as much work to work hard....if that even makes any sense.  I also got in four days of strength training after my cardio and they are kicking my butt too!  I can't wait until all this starts feeling easier so I can remember where I came from :)  I also got in a few morning yoga sessions which really helped with my sore, stiff muscles.  My eating has been good.  Lots of veggies, less snacks and not a lot of late night munching!  I have even dropped a few pounds this week and I want to keep it going :)

I have continued with the Netti Pot and am starting to get the hang of it.  Not only that, but it is really helping!  I can breath fully through my nose which is really helping me at night, but when I really notice it is when I am working out and I can breath fully through my nose.  I don't feel like I breath as hard and I can push myself harder.

Speaking of the Netti Pot, that brings me to my books!  They were supposed to be here on Tuesday, and they were, I just couldn't get them.  They were supposed to be dropped off a the office, but the office was closed, so then they got lost for a couple days, and now I think they are really in the office, but I can't them until Monday when someone is in the office...BUT I'm still excited.  I just wish I had them to read over this weekend.  I am really excited to start my Crazy, Sexy Diet and read about running and cycling and for summer and my garden and volleyball, and, and, and :)  I am having a good summer so far and it's only been two weeks!  Yay!

Good night and good health!

Week re-cap

So, I have been busy and it's been late by the time I have time to write, so I haven't had time to catch up, and well tonight isn't that much different, but I want to at least write a little bit.

First off, I have used my Netti Pot a few times, and I think it is helping.  My face doesn't hurt as bad a night and I feel like I can breath better when I sleep.  Now it's not the prettiest process, and you have to have your head in the correct position so that the salt solution doesn't run out your mouth.  I have also found that my sinuses drain differently.  When my left nostril is down, and the water is running out that side, it runs in a stream.  When my right nostril is down, it barely drips, then starts to drip more, then finally starts into a thin stream.  I'm not sure why the difference or if it is bad, but it is interesting.

Lets see...now the week in a nut shell....
Wednesday, First I helped a friend move, which made me very aware of my soar muscles from the workout the day before.  Then, I worked and had a project to work on.  Sorting through old files.  Though it sounds kind of dull, it was nice having something to do, and it is organizing so I don't mind it :)  However, I got sidetracked working on a brochure for volleyball private lessons becasue I am so excited to start them up!  I still haven't finished, but I want to get it done this week.  Right after work it was off to the volleyball academy for four hours.  I had fun as always, and got to play some a the end too!  Oh, and I found out my community garden plot was ready!

Thursday was a bit frustrating.  I got up early to meet people at the garden I am volunteering at, and no one showed!  On top of that, the people in charge weren't even there so I didn't know what to do!  And because I rode my bike, I didn't want to turn around and go home, so I hand watered for two hours and only covered about 1/3 of the garden.  Then a guy in charge showed up and told me that I didn't have to hand water becasue they have soak er hoses...ugghhh!  When I got home I was in no mood to work out, but I made myself go on a run anyway.  It was a long slow process and I had "just keep swimming, swimming, swimming" from Finding Nemo stuck in my head which eventually turned into "just keep going, going, going....you're almost done, done done!"  For lunch I met my husband, mother-in-law, niece and nephew in the park.  It was fun, but I was still in a bad mood.  Then it was off to my mom's to help my sister work on her invitations for her wedding.  But it turned out that she didn't have all the stuff we needed, so I made 6 invitations and that was it. *Sigh*  I stopped at the store on the way home to get stuff to make pesto and had a veggie pesto pasta with gluten free rice pasta that was really yummy!  Feeling better with some good food in my tummy, I headed off to little kid volleyball camp which also helped cheer me up, so I came home in a good mood :)

Friday I had some room to breath.  I used it to do some fun things for me!  I made mini cupcakes for Dave at DSK for his birthday and decorated them with frosting and they were super cute and tasty (see pics below)!  And I got to eat my lunch in the sunshine :)  Volleyball academy was a little slow.  Not many girls, hot day and first day off from school.  However, Dave let me run B academy by myself!  So cool.  Unfortunately because of the lack of girls and hot weather, I came home with a lot of cupcakes.  I gave some away, but some are still sitting in the kitchen.  My sister even liked them, and I am having visions of bridal shower cupcakes dancing through my head!

                                                             Before frosting them

                                                                      and after :)

That's all for tonight, time for some beauty rest!  More on the weekend tomorrow!

Good night and good health!

Crazy Sexy

I started my morning off with a large glass of water with some lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne powder as suggested by Kris in "Crazy, Sexy Diet."  Though I haven't gotten my book yet, I am trying to incorporate some of the diet elements into my day so when I start the 21 day journey, it isn't as much of a shock!  I was surprised at how little I could taste the cayenne, it wasn't until the last little bit that I could feel some heat in the back of my throat.  That was followed up with my morning yoga routine that I do from time to time.  It felt good to stretch out my slightly stiff running muscles from my back-at-it run yesterday, and the general stiffness that comes with waking.  For breakfast I had a smoothie made with fruit, a splash of unsweetened almond milk and Vega health optimizer powder (a blend of protein, super foods and greens).  Again with the idea of helping me transition to the Crazy Sexy Diet which starts the day off with a green juice/smoothie.

Then it was off to work.  Though I don't usually have much to do, and especially now that it is summer and campus is deserted, I had a project to work on today that helped break up the 5 hour shift.  Lunch was leftovers from last night and a new "yogurt" that I found!  It is cultured almond milk and it tastes SOOO good!  Much better, in my opinion than the soy or coconut varieties. 

After work it was off to the gym.  I hoped on the cycling bike for about 20 minutes, 5 warm-up,  15 intervals (1 min fast, 1 min rest, 1 min hard, 1 min rest, repeat), 5 cool down.  It has been about 2 weeks since I have been on a bike and my legs felt good an refreshed!  Then it was on to the strength training workout that I got out of a road racing running book.  Though it looked fairly easy, I soon found out that my upper body is quite weak and the work out was challenging, but in a good way!  I felt good after finishing!

Then it was off to the Co-Op for owner appreciation day!  Where owners save a percentage off their purchase!  I got some of the necessary things to begin following the Crazy, Sexy Diet.  Though I didn't find everything I needed, I got most of it.  More on what I got in later posts, but one thing that I did get that I have been wanting for a while, is a Neti Pot.  It is a small tea pot like thing that you fill with warm water and a salt solution and is used to help clean out your nasal passages.  I have had allergy problems my whole life.  On and off medication, it works for a while, then it doesn't, my allergies get worse, then go away....yahda yahda.  Anyhow, my sinus have been bothering me lately and I am really hoping this will do the trick!  I am going to give it a try tonight and I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!

Good night and good health!

New Friends and New Experiences

Alright, here is a (semi) quick run down of my day:

I was up early (well early for my first day of summer break!) at 7 to get ready to help out at a garden on campus.  Breakfast was oatmeal with a banana and a spoonful of peanut butter, my go to breakfast!  Then off to the gardens!  I am volunteering though our Student Dietetics Association (SDA) to help keep up the gardens for the summer.  Along with the director and four other girls from SDA, we weeded and harvested some of the vegetables, which we get to take home in exchange for our work!  Though it was sprinkling when we first started, it turned into a perfect morning to garden, not to hot, not too cold.  I knew one gal from our vegetarian and vegan group, and another was a TA of mine this last term, but the other two were new acquaintances and will hopefully blossom in to some new dietetics friends!  We chatted about organic gardening, soil and I learned some new interesting things!  Did you know that rocks are not stable in their crystallized form we see them in?  And that they dissolve in water!? Crazy!

When I got home, I had this crazy idea to start a blog!  But I had lunch first with what I could gather up in the fridge, a veggie wrap and some delicious cantaloupe!  I worked on the blog for a few hours and felt very accomplished when I posted my first post!

Then I shopped around on Amazon and bought a few books, which will be coming up I'm sure in later posts :~) 
The books I ordered are:

To help me on my way to running better and longer:
Runner's World Run Less, Run Faster: Become a Faster, Stronger Runner with the Revolutionary FIRST Training Program
Bill Pierce

After borrowing this from the library and reading it cover to cover, I wanted to try this out! (Which I plan to blog about!)
Crazy Sexy Diet: Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It!
Kris Carr

And to help me on my way to being an awesome cyclist:
Base Building for Cyclists: A New Foundation for Endurance and Performance
Thomas Chapple
And 
The Cyclist's Training Bible
Joe Friel

All of which I am excited to get, read and share!

After sitting for a while it was time to get up and do something!  I headed outside for a short, get-back-into-running-after-my-break run.  I did a triathlon two weeks ago and haven't done much exercise since to give my body a break.  So I headed out for a short easy 2.5 mile jog.  It felt good, but I was a little tired when I got back.  I followed that up with some core work and some push-ups to help get me strong!  After showering I made some recovery pudding following re recipe in Brandon Brazier Thrive Diet that I copied down awhile ago.

After taking a short cat nap, I made dinner with some of the produce I got from the garden today, mustard greens and purple kale.  I steamed them with some cauliflower added rice and garbanzo beans and some homemade "Cafe Yumm" type sauce (man I love that sutff!)  I was pretty good for just throwing it together!

My day started with a new volunteer experience and it was only fitting that it end with one!  I headed down to the public library to read to nutrition related books to children for the bedtime story time.  We read a few books, did a quick activity, read some more and had a smoothie for a snack.  Tonight was about calcium and the books I read were about milkshakes and milkshake cows.  Again I met some new people in dietetics and hope that they may blossom into friendships!

Phew!  For someone who doesn't blog or keep journals, that was a lot!  But I am enjoying this so far and think I will keep it up!  I am excited for the new opportunities and experiences to come this summer and to document it all here!  I need to start adding pictures!

Good night and good health!

First Post!

Hello and welcome to my blog!  This is my first ever blog post!  So why am I do a blog?  Well, I think there are several answers to that.

Mostly it is for personal reasons.  I have always wanted to keep a personal journal in hopes that it would help clear my thoughts, make me feel better, reduce stress, give me some me time, etc, etc.  However, whenever I start one, it last for a few days and that is about it.  This seems way more fun becasue I can add pictures and I can type a lot faster than I can write, and it is a lot easier to read :)  I also feel that I will keep it up becasue there may be someone out there that might actually be reading it and enjoying reading it.  Though, if no one ever reads this, that is fine too becasue it is for me (I know, kind of selfish, but I'm just being truthful!)

Second, I am on a weight loss journey to finally loose the dreaded freshman 15 that I gained and still have yet to loose after five years.  I am also training to ride a 35 mile bike fundraiser ride in August and run my first half marathon in September, oh and getting in to weightlifting/strength training to be in the best shape of my life!  I am going to use this, again, to keep me accountable with that same idea that someone may be reading it and getting use out of it.  Plus it will all be in one spot for me to look at as well!

Third, I love to cook and bake and share recipes, and I will probably be doing some of that as well!

Fourth, I have the time.  This is the first summer that I have actually had the time off to do some more things that I enjoy.  I am currently going back to school for dietetics.  Previously I was attending college and playing on the volleyball team, so not only was my summer filled with work and working out specifically for volleyball, but it was also cut two months short becasue training started.  And last summer I was planning for my July wedding, then honeymooning, then studying for the GRE's.  Now I have a full length summer!  I am working about 10 hours a week on campus, working some evenings at a volleyball academy and then the rest is my time!  It will probably be spent growing my garden, volunteering at various places, working out, learning to play the guitar I have had for three plus years now, making new recipes and of course blogging!  Really the reason is I just needed one more thing to do!  I am the master at crating an endless list of projects for me to do and never sitting still.  Well this will give me an excuses to sit and meditate and reflect in a way.

This brings me to my final reason.  I am not only on a weight loss journey, but also a life changing journey.  I have wanted to make my life a more positive and happy one and keep saying "I need to do it" or "I want to do it" Now I am going to do it!  I am a perfectionist and naturally have negative self talk which I have been working on slowly changing.  I tend to envy others lives and fail to see the positives in mine.  I am always striving to be the best at everything and only feel rewarded when someone acknowledges my hard work to my face.  In a sense, I am really good at beating my ego to death then working hard to try and get someone else to pump a whisper of air back into it.  BUT, I also don't have many friends becasue I feel so uncomfortable in social situations that I avoid them.  I am really good at convincing myself that no one wants to be my friend and that I am annoying and not worth much to them, even though I know that is not true.  So this is my attempt to try to share with others, feel more trusting, possibly help someone who is having the same issues as me, or just know that there are others out there that feel the same as me sometimes.  I am tired of living in the negative past and want to move on to the positive future!

To myself mostly, but to anyone else who may happen to read this, here is to a better life and a more positive future led by the sharing of thoughts, feelings, ideas and accountability!