Long Overdue Update

Confession

I didn't post much last week because it was not a great week. I've been SUPER stressed out and our dear Aunt Flow was making things even worse. My weight was up 2 lbs. But I'm starting to de-stress and get back on track. As of this morning, the 2 lbs are gone, and they took another 1.2 with them. Yay!

Food

I found a wonderful fast food breakfast that I am totally in love with: The Western Egg-White Melt from Subway. It's a lower calorie wheat English muffin, egg whites, cheese, ham, onion, and green peppers. They toast it, and you can choose any other veggies to put on it. It is GOOD.... and only about 160 calories! I've been searching for a healthy takeout breakfast item for years and it's finally here. THANK YOU, SUBWAY!!! I've also had a few Subway turkey sandwiches this week since I've kind of sucked at the whole going to the grocery store and packing my lunch thing. Sadly, my Subway gift card is now all used up, but it was lovely while it lasted.

Health

I finally found the time and motivation to make an appointment with a chiropractor who came highly recommended, and went in today. I've been having some problems for years.... hips often feel crooked, upper left side of my back always feels off, middle right side always feels off, and my neck feels stiff and like I don't have the proper range of motion.

It turns out there is a reason for every single one of these issues, the biggest ones being my lower back, where a disc has started to degenerate, and my neck which has completely lost its curvature and the next step if I don't do anything about it will be disc problems.

He recommended I not push it too much with the running. I am not going to stop running. I figure I go so slow it barely counts as running anyway. However, I will probably keep the distance to 7-8 miles tops and won't be working toward a half-marathon. Instead I'll just work on my 5k and 10k times. I'm also going to start bike riding too. He thinks there are many things he can do to help, and it will also help if I can continue to lose weight. I feel better after the adjustments he made today and feel confident that it would continue to get better if I could continue to go.

Insurance Rant

Unfortunately, due to the horrible health insurance issues in this country, it probably won't be covered and therefore I can't afford it. In my opinion it should be 100% covered as preventative care because that will be a heck of a lot cheaper than the future surgeries that will probably need to occur when everything gets worse 10 years from now. I seriously don't understand why people are all pissed off saying that Obama will make it so you can't choose your own doctor. Guess what, like millions of other Americans, I can't choose my own doctor NOW because the doctor I want isn't in network. I want to know what insurance these people have where they supposedly have the freedom to choose any doctor they want. I want that insurance. We teachers obviously do not have that insurance, and in fact this year we lost our dental and vision coverage. Kirsten Not Happy.

How to make your entire body sore.

Step 1: Go for a 13K run on Sunday.

Step 2: Do this workout on Tuesday:


You do 200 jump ropes and 50 sit ups, then 160 jump ropes and 40 sit ups, then 120 jump ropes and 30 sit ups, then 80 jump ropes and 20 sit ups, and finally 40 jump ropes and 10 sit ups. The goal is to get through it as quickly as possible. I think I did it in 14-ish minuts? Or 15?

Oh but before that, do 30 push ups. MAN push-ups. Well the closest you can get to man push-ups, which for me is man-style on the way down then go back up on your knees.

Step 3: Do this workout on Thursday (by the way, you just need to go on walks Monday and Wednesday. You won't have the energy for anything else because your class is draining every ounce of energy out of you):

Set the timer for 1-minute increments. For the first minute, do thrusters. Thrusters are where you hold a hand weight in each hand (mine were 15lb, which was way too heavy), bend your arms so they're at your shoulders, do a squat, then when you come up push the weights up above your head until your arms are straight, then bring your arms down and go back into the squat for the next rep. Sorry that's kind of a horrible explanation. Do those for the first minute. Then when the minute is up, start the next minute right away on the timer and do 3 burpees, then keep doing thrusters for the remainder of the minute. At the end of every minute, you do 3 more burpees then finish that minute doing thrusters. Once you've done a total of 100 thrusters, you're done.

Sounds easy, but we were all SO sore from Tuesday's workout that it was absolute TORTURE!!!!!! I seriously thought I would die before I'd be able to get through it.

Step 4: After the above workout, drive down to the park and go for a run. The longest I could manage was 4.4k. My calves were KILLING me from Tuesday's jump ropes. It's weird, my calves used to always hurt like that and get stiff when I first started running, and I'd have to stop to stretch them out often. That hasn't happened in months becuase my calves had gotten so much stronger, until today. I should probably do jump ropes more often since they're obviously a great exercise for strengthening calves.

Step 5: Go home and sit on the couch and voila! Your entire body will be sore.

As soon as I can gather up enough strength, I will be crawling upstairs to take a very hot shower and then crawl to bed.

Oh and in case anyone cares, here's today's lunch (you can't really see the lunch meat, but it was there in the baggie). It was yummy. Not as yummy as the Chinese food my 3rd grade teacher friends were eating or the Jimmy Johns the 5th grade teachers were eating, but more appropriate for someone who is having a WAR with the scale this week. And the scale is winning. :(

Bolder Boulder

I signed up. And now I'm wondering WTF I was thinking?! A race? Me? EEK! *mini panic attack*

I'm having major anxiety about being able to finish the race, and I really want to be able to jog the whole way. Looking back at my runs on Nike+, I've done 10k or more several times but I'm still freaking out. The anxiety comes in because 1. I still have to take the occasional walk break, 2. I suck at hills, and 3. I don't trust the accuracy of Nike+ so I'm not 100% sure how many miles I'm actually getting in. Also I'm just nervous about the crowds and logistics.

To deal with #3, I went to www.mapmyrun.com to get a more accurate idea of the distance I've been running. It's a pretty cool site and is easy to use. It said that my run yesterday was 7.4 miles. Nike+ said it was 8 miles, but that does include a bit that I didn't map on the website. So yes Nike+ is off, but not quite as bad as I had feared. It took me a little over 90 minutes to get through those 7.4 miles so it looks like my goal of finishing in under 90 minutes is possible.

By the way, I had some tutoring money burning a hole in my pocket so I got some new running duds. Here are some blog pics of someone else wearing the pants and tank I got (someone who looks a hell of a lot better in it than I do). The Run Zoom Crops are fabulous and SO comfortable for running! The top is so light it's like wearing nothing - perfect for sunny, sweaty days. If I pass out in the middle of the Bolder Boulder, at least I'll look cute. :)

Vampires and Werewolves and More Vampires, Oh My

In honor of purchasing my ticket today for the midnight premiere of Eclipse in IMAX, I decided to do a blog post about books with supernatural elements that I will soon be reading.

A few books arrived in a lovely Amazon box this week. The first was Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I've actually already read this book (and rated it 5 stars because I LOVED it!), but it was one I really needed to own and read again. The sequel, Linger, comes out June 20th! Here's the beautiful trailer to the sequel, created entirely by the incredible talented author. I can. not. wait.




I also got Dead in the Family, the newest book in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris (the series that the tv show True Blood is based on, which I also love!).


And finally I got Spirit Bound, the next book in the Vampire Academy series. I might read this one first because I need to know if they are going to be able to turn Demetrius good or not!!! The storyline is a bit Angel-like (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer).


Right now I'm reading Bite Me by Christopher Moore. His books are hilarious! I've only read like 15 pages though so I seriously need to get reading.

Finally, a workout!

I really don't feel like counting calories today. I had one of those bagel thin egg sandwiches for breakfast, veggies, berries, dip, yogurt, deli ham, and a chocolate cupcake for lunch. Turkey tacos for dinner.

Here's today's workout. It was good!

Do 10 goblet squats, 1 lunge (per leg), then run a lap. Then you do 9 goblet squats, 2 lunges per leg, and run another lap. Keep going until you get to 1 goblet squat, 10 lunges, and one final lap.

Now I am completely worn out. The last few weeks of school are exhausting! It's 8:31. Time for bed.

Wednesday Weigh In

I lost a pound. A downright miracle considering Teacher Appreciation Week last week and lack of exercise since Sunday.

Today I had strawberries and Yoplait Greek yogurt (SO not as good as Voskos) for breakfast (160). Here's a pic of the Voskos yogurt I wish I had instead and will be eating tomorrow (but I still have one more Yoplait to choke down). I get the one on the left, Honey Vanilla Bean.


Subway turkey sandwich with loads of veggies (280) and baked lays (120) for lunch.

I was really hungry when I got home and ate WAY too much! Pasta (2 cups, 440), sauce (40), cheese (100), and bread (300 calories, which I am so embarrassed to admit, cause what kind of psycho eats pasta AND hundreds of calories in bread and then expects to lose weight???). Dessert: skinny cow (140).

I'm scared to add that all up.

Total: 1580. Ok on calories. Not enough protein. Zero vegetables with dinner. I should have had a protein-y snack, which would have helped with the overeating at dinner. I finally bought groceries so I should be able to do well tomorrow.

My weather app says that Sunday will be the best day for a long outside run, so I'll do crossfit tomorrow and will try to get to the gym to do a shorter run Friday or Saturday.

Speaking of the gym, I only have one more visit left to the rec center and then I must make a decision about which gym to join. I'm going to go visit Lifetime Fitness this weekend, though I think it might be too expensive. I need to visit the new 24 hour super sport near work and see what their best price is. And if that all fails, there's a smaller, still nice 24 hour halfway between work and home on Lincoln which may be my best bet.

Our for Lunch

Breakfast: Toast (100), Strawberries (50), Greek Yogurt (120)

Lunch: As a teacher appreciation gift, our admin gave us the gift of time off to go out for lunch with our team! We went to California Pizza Kitchen. It was fab. BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad (697. Yikes.) and bread (Ummm. 200?)


Dinner: Edamame (100) and 1/2 of the chicken, veggies, Szechuan garlic sauce, and rice. After a google search, my best guess on calories after a Fire Bowl google search is 60 for the sauce (whole serving is 120), veggies: 25, chicken: 65, 1/2 cup rice: 120.

Dessert: Skinny Cow pudding pop thing: 50

Total: 1587. Yeah I ate out for 2 meals, but calorie-wise it was pretty decent. Fat wasn't terrible either. I know I was short on protein.

Exercise: Nothing, just resting after yesterday's 13k run. Crossfit tomorrow, short run Wednesday (on a stupid treadmill since it's going to SNOW again!!)

Ups and Downs

First, sorry for the lack of pictures lately. I keep forgetting to take them. I'll do better. :)

So Thursday and Friday were disaster days as far as food goes. I seem to have gained a pound in 2 days. All I can do now is move forward from here.

Here's the interesting part.... I thought my lunches of veggies, fruit, yogurt, and lunch meat wouldn't fill me up all that much. I didn't realize what good fuel I was giving my body until Thursday, when I had a much different kind of lunch. At work, Noodles and Company catered lunch for us. I had salad, noodle dish, and a brownie. Yes, it was yummy. I even went back for pasta seconds. However, by 3:00 I was EXHAUSTED. And I was hungry again. I had to force myself to wake up enough to go to workout and pretty much collapsed when I got home. I felt horrible! I am realizing how much better my body feels when I eat properly. I know that should be obvious, but the realization really sunk in this time.

Today has been better.

Breakfast: Toast (100), Strawberries and a little yogurt (100)
Lunch: Chef salad (550)
Dinner: homemade burrito. Tortilla (90), cheese (60), bison meat (a bit more than usual, probably around 75), beans (50).

Total so far: 1025. Will probably have a snack, such as popcorn, a bit later.

Let's lose this stupid pound, and then some!! I'm hoping to get in a long run tomorrow morning before mother's day celebration #2.

Wednesday Weigh In

I lost 1.4 lbs. Sounds good to me! I liked last week's 2.4 better, but I know 1-2 pounds a week is a healthy way to lose weight so I'm happy with it.

Breakfast: Same breakfast burrito as yesterday.

Lunch: Veggies, dip, strawberries, and del taco nacho bar for teacher appreciation week. Sigh. And a brownie.

Dinner: turkey tacos with 2% cheese, light sour cream, lettuce, salsa, and homemade guacamole which was delicious.

Exercise: 4 mile run, which was much needed considering the horrific lunch I consumed.

Day 2 of Fatten Up Your Teacher Week

It was Chick Fil A day, and damn were those nuggets good. I must say they were worth it.

Breakfast: Tortilla: 90 cal, Cheese (I bought the 2% grated kind): 40 cal at most, egg: 78 calories, salsa: maybe 15 calories, ground bison meat: 50. A tablespoon or so of fat free beans: 25 calories. Total: 298. This is the best breakfast ever.

Lunch: 8 Chick Fil A nuggets: 260 (and I could have EASILY eaten 10 more but I didn't), Veggies: 25, Dip: 60, Strawberries: 53, Brownie: I don't know exactly, but most of the recipes I'm seeing say about 130 per brownie and I had 2 small ones, so 260? Total: 658. Seriously??? O.M.G.

Snack: 1/4 of a small cupcake. Yes I cut it into fourths and ate a fourth of it. Pathetic. I should have just walked away. I have no idea how many calories 1/4 of a small cupcake is. 70?

Dinner: bun: 80, turkey meat w/seasoning: Probably 2 servings, 140, Veggies: 25, Dip, 40, Skinny Cow: 50 Total: 335

Total: 1361, which is a wholllllle lot less than I expected. Thankfully!!!

Workout: It was kind of weird, but fun. We had one minute rounds. The first round was 1 box jump or step up (I'm still too scared to do box jumps), then 1 squat, and they had to be good squats with your butt at a 90 degree angle to the ground. Then we got to hang out and talk the rest of that minute (my favorite part!!!). The second round was 2 step ups and 2 squats, the next round was 3 and 3, etc. Easy peasy, until about round 12. I think we got in 15 rounds. That was the point where none of us could get in all the reps during that minute, so that meant we were done. I'm feeling it a little but not bad so hopefully I'll be able to get in a good run tomorrow.

Weekend Update

I didn't blog over the weekend, but I did alright with food. On Saturday we went to The Counter and splurged on sweet potato fries and burgers, but that morning I went on a 7 mile run, my longest ever, so at least I had burned off a bunch of the calories. I did great the first 4-5 miles, then struggled through the last 2-3. I'd like to do that same route a few more times and see if I can get to where I could run it all. My knees did get sore from the concrete because I've gotten so used to the treadmill. They're still a little sore, so I just went on a walk today.

This week is going to be a challenge because it's Teacher Appreciation Week, otherwise known as Fatten Up Your Teacher Week. I so appreciate the sentiment, but we all know that I have zero willpower so this is going to be tough. Today I skipped the waffles for breakfast (which smelled soooo good!). Tomorrow is chick fil a for lunch (usually salad and chicken nuggets). I'm not sure I'll be able to skip that.

Today:

Breakfast: I followed Brenna's recommendation for a breakfast burrito, and it was delish! Tortilla: 90 cal, Cheese (I bought the 2% grated kind): 40 cal at most, egg: 78 calories, salsa: maybe 15 calories, ground bison meat: There are 200 calories in 4 ounces, and I probably had about 1 ounce, so 50. Total: 273

Lunch: turkey meat: 70, strawberries: 53, veggies: 50, dip: 80, Voskos yogurt (SOOO GOOD! By FAR the best of the Greek yogurts I have tried): 130 but I didn't eat it all, so maybe 110. Total: 363
Snack: small banana: 60

Dinner: Buns: 270, Ground turkey with seasoning: about 4 ounces is 160, strawberries: not many so probably 25. Total: 455

Total: 1091. Plus ice cream I'm guessing cause the husband is bugging me about that...