Saturday, January 28, 2012

Pause

Somehow my phone broke yesterday and my blog will be put on pause until I can get my new one.

Updates to ensue...

Friday, January 27, 2012

Day 4: Thursday

Pre-run snack again a few spoonfuls of cottage cheese
6:30AM: 6 mile run around the mall with my 2 girl friends.  We actually ran our fastest consistent pace per mile ever.

Breakfast: green pepper, onion and mozzarella omelet and a slice of toast.  Another tip for really good omlets - cover your pan with a lid and will help the egg cook more evenly, seal in some of the moisture and maintain the fluffy-ness and crisps it up nice on the bottom.

Lunch: Salad with sliced roast turkey = yum.  cafe Phillips are all over DC business areas for lunch.  They roast turkeys, hams and other meats daily for fresh sliced meat to order.  It is all white meat which I like best as well. You can customize your salad to have whatever you want in it.  I also has some pretzel crisps on the side and a peanut butter dove chocolate.

Dinner:  Precooked/ prepacked chicken sausage from Whole Foods chopped and sauteed.  Green and Red Peppers and Onions sauteed in another pan.  Mix together after cooking and presto = healthy yummy dinner.  I like to cook them separately because they a different amount of time to cook and my boyfriend and I tend to like them on the crispier side, but you can monitor the cooking best this way.  I do not season the sausage, but I do season the peppers and onions with garlic powder, oregano, salt/ pepper, and a dash of crushed red pepper flakes.  I use no oil for the sausage, but I mix Pam and olive oil to cook the veggies in. *
*Note: I forgot to take a picture tonight, but above looks like how I cut them, but I usually make it a bit crispier.

Dessert: fudgecicle and 2 mini kit kats





Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Day 3: Wednesday

Pre-Yoga: 2 triscuts
7AM: Vinyasa Flow - signing up for classes is another great way to commit to working out. If you sign up and put it in your schedule you are more likely to commit to going.

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Cereal and Barabaras Shredded Wheat with Blueberries and Skim Milk.  I like to mix cereal - makes it taste better to me and feel like I am eating more.  These cereals are low in sugar and high in protein.  They keep me full until lunch.

Lunch: I got the Veggie Delight wrap today instead of the one with Humus.  This one has provolone cheese, cheddar cheese, sprouts, lettuce, tomato, avocado, green pepper and light ranch dressing.  I love it!  However, probably more calories then I want to admit to myself between the cheese and dressing.  I also had my 100 cal. pop chips for a side.

Snack: Kashi granola bar - honey almond flax during class.

Dinner: My amazing boyfriend had dinner waiting for me tonight when I got home.  He ordered from the Greek Spot = one of my favorite places.  We split the pasta salad and by split, I mean I ate most of it and then a chickpea salad.  They are both light on the dressing and were very yum.  My desert tonight was 2 small kit kats = my daily chocolate dose.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Day 2: Tuesday

6:20am: Pre-run 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese and 2 triscuts
6:30am: 6 mile run.  I run in the morning with 2 friends.  One of my strongest recommendations is if you want to work out in the morning because you have something at night, commit to it with a friend.  Neither of you wants to be the one to bail.  Plus you have someone to commiserate with if you don't like getting up early or talk about your day or just for companionship and motivation. Another suggestion is find a local running group that does morning runs.  Yes - there will be someone your pace and in your shoes there.  DC has some great ones including:
 - pacers store running groups http://runpacers.com/
 - Georgetown running company: http://therunningcompany.net/georgetowns-homepage
 - Meetups - join meetup.com and there are Arlington groups, Bethesda groups and more or start your own.

Breakfast:  This morning I made homemade oatmeal.  It's really easy if you use quick oats and it's a great stick to your ribs breakfast after a work out.  Has a lot of protein/ fiber, etc.  How I like to make it:
 - 2 servings (one for me and one for the boyfriend and yes I wake him up with breakfast almost every morning)
 - Add a drop of maple sugar - lets face it you aren't going to eat it if it doesn't taste good, just do not go overboard and I like to use the reduced fat syrup.  I also add about a tablespoon of brown sugar.  To balance the oatmeal I also cut up a banana and blueberries.  These add density and trick your body into thinking you are eating more.  One serving of oatmeal on its own in my opinion is not enough calories for breakfast, but if you are like me, then you cant really eat more then one serving so adding the fruit really helps balance the meal for me.

Lunch:  I almost always buy lunch.  I do not really have time to make lunch in the morning, I never really remember to do it the night before, and I like leaving my desk for a break in the day as well.  Today, I went to lunch with my boyfriend at Nado Peri-Peri.  They post all nutrition facts online and I typically enjoy eating at restaurants that I can check the nutrition online before i go to plan my meal.  Today I had the chicken pita and side of butternut squash.  Remember, my calories this morning were less especially fro already running, had I not run, I most likely would have foregone the side.   As you can see, the pita has plenty of yummy fresh vegetables and protein and very balanced meal.

I had class tonight form 5:30 - 8PM.  I had 2 mini kit kats before class  = bad idea.  I should have had a granola bar and yes I have them at home so that's not an excuse and I should have brought water.  I was starving and parched by the end of class.  I have to take the metro home after class and then walk about 3/4 mile to my apartment, thus I was about ready to eat my hand on the way home.

Dinner:  I should have gone healthier, but it was easier to eat Sunday's left over calzone.  This calzone was not as bad as most as the crust is very thin and we added peppers and tomato and Canadian bacon to it, but still its no chicken and asparagus like I made the night before. For dessert tonight I had a greek yogurt because I always like to end my day with something sweet.

For tomorrows class I will eat my kashi granola bar as my snack and get a salad at sweet green or paneara on the way home.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Day 1: Monday

Here is the first day of back to basics:

Breakfast: (split with my boyfriend) 4 egg - well 1 egg and equivalent of 3 eggs in eggbeaters omelet with chopped green peppers, onions and mozzarella cheese. One slice of toast for me and two for him.  Yes I use a little butter in my omelet to cook the veggies, but not much and then cooking spray before I add the egg (which I add a small amount of skim milk to)  and finally motzarella cheese. Then, learn the mantra --> seasoning is your friend.  I add some salt, black pepper, dried chives for seasoning.  This result is above. Also, my vice - I drink coffee, but I try to brew it myself so Im not dishing out $3 every day at Starbucks.

Lunch:  Veggie and Hummus rap on sun dried tomato wrap from deli in my building with a 100 calorie popcorn.  I always need a snack with my lunch.  I may have also had a dove chocolate with peanut butter in there.

Snack: 10 tortilla chips and some reduced fat guacamole from Whole Foods --> really good low fat/ cal guac!

Workout: 30 min on the stair mill - the one that rotates and you actually have to climb.  Run : 10 min.  abs 50 different crunches 10 on medicine ball and 2-60 sec planks. Then 30 second planks on each side.  bicep curls 12lbs alternating arms 10 on each arm and repeat. girly clean and jerk.  flys - 10lbs rep of 10. front lift and side lift - 10lbs rep of 10. tri kickbacks on the bench - 1 arm at a time 10lbs rep of 10. free weight bench press 10lbs rep of 10.

Dinner: Chicken breast in a skillet with asparagus in the pan.  NO BUTTER.  I use a little olive oil for each and then mix it with cooking spray.  For the asparagus: salt/pepper, onions, garlic powder, dried chives.  For the chicken: cajun seasoning/ paprika/cumin, salt/pepper, onions, garlic powder, and oregano.  put in fry pan and cover with lid (helps keep chicken moist).  flip the chicken - make sure its cooked through and put a small bit of mozzarella cheese on top cover and in about 30 seconds, presto - dinner.

Dessert: because I need a little chocolate in everyday of my life - 3 tiny kit kat bars, 3 chocolate covered almonds, and a 40 cal small fudgecicle.

Good Night!!!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Back to the Basics


Now that I have finally settled down for a second after moving into a new place last week with my boyfriend and dog and starting my first week of grad school it is time to start this week of what I call “back to basics”.  Back to Basics means eating well balanced meals, working out regularly, and less mindless snacking.  For the next week, each day I am going to publish my food schedule with recipes as well as my work out and regular day schedule.

I hope by putting my information on paper, it really shows me what I am actually doing at work/ school, for work outs, and what I am really putting in my body for nutrients.
As learned week in my Tuesday night class, Nutrition for Fitness, nutrition is the foundation of your energy and wellbeing.  I am really hoping that this class is going to help me shape a more credible foundation on learning / recommending what and how to eat.

Tomorrow night you will get: full day menu and schedule…

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Make It Happen (MIH) List



As I should have done January 1st, I am finally completing today, my Make It Happy (MIH) List for 2012.  A Make It Happen List is something my friend told about over dinner the other night.  It is similar to a To DO list, but for some reason I like the ring of MIH better and seems more fun.  At the beginning of each year you write down the 3, 5, 10, etc. number of things that you want to commit yourself to accomplish in the coming year.  The thought is if you write it down you will feel more inclined to actually feel committed to accomplishing the things you want.  You also have that little paper reminder where ever you choose to save it or hang it.

Here is my 2012 MIH List:
                1.  Get an “A” in all of my graduate school classes
                2.  Complete my second marathon with goal time: 3:55
                3.Travel to a country outside the US
               4.  Get a healthy recipe that I come up with published somewhere (my blog does not count)
               5.  Work on not getting as stressed over the little things 

I look forward to completing the above goals by January 1, 2013.  I will update you all on my progress, if I have fails or completed one of the goals as well as my reflection of the list come January 2nd next year.

Good luck and let me know if you would like any help with yours.

See below some other examples that I have found online:

Friday, January 13, 2012

From Business to Fitness:


Welcome to my inaugural blog take 2.  I attempted to start a blog over a year ago when I went through what I am calling my first quarter life crisis; the point after most girls graduate from college and have been working a few years and you wonder what’s next?  Or is this it? Aside from that singular, unfocused rant I have never had a reason to start a blog until now.  Recently, I decided to make the big jump to what I am calling my new road to the future. 
It has been a personal philosophy of mine to always live what many consider a balanced and healthy lifestyle. I have always been one of those people who seem to be doing a thousand things at once and find time to “fit” everything I want/need in.   I find it very important to live the life you want and often times that means fitting more than you ever thought possible into your day.  For example, I find working a fulltime job, working out 6x/ week and balancing a social life is hard and now I am going to add into the mix school.
Follow my blog and I am going to regularly post about work outs that I am able to fit in with my schedule, recipes I fit in that I love to cook and are yummy and healthy and how I maintain my friendships.  I will talk about if I am on a goal to lose weight, run a race etc and update you on the progression.  Feel free to ask me any questions or if you want to see any blog posts dedicated to anything that might help you balance things in your own life. 
Lastly, I had dinner last night with a friend and was telling her about this plan.  She suggested an MIH (make it happen list)  I am going to work on my list this weekend and my first post Monday morning will be dedicated to her… details to unfold.