Sun 19 Jul 2009

Yoga Wisdom

Posted by admin under Yoga
[5] Comments

Tip 247, from 1001 Pearls of Yoga Wisdom:

Stand firm When you’re feeling a lack of focus at work, think about the stabilizing qualites transmitted by standing asanas. Imagining yourself in one of the Warrior Poses will help to restore a focus to get you through the day.

With today’s to-do list approaching 20 items, I thought I would take a few minutes to recharge and recenter myself.

It’s easy for me to get stressed out and pretty much work myself up into a frenzy about things not getting done or not getting done right, thoughts about if I am prepared for this test or not, am I working on one class too much and getting behind in another, etc. – whew! It’s stressful just thinking about it.

I liked this “pearl” because as I’ve mentioned before, the Warrior series of poses are my favorite. While in them, I feel strong, confident, and capable. This pearl is somewhat revolutionary because it is such a simple, yet effective concept: you don’t actually have to be in the pose to feel like you are. Just something to think about, whether you’re catching up on work from the weekend or preparing to go back to work tomorrow.

This book has so many great little tips. It is great to just flip through and find the ‘pearl’ that applies to you in this moment.

51pNjLVOcHL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_

My lunch today looked so photo-ready, so of course my camera would choose that exact time to run out of battery! I had a Gardenburger-hummus wrap with carrots (with almond butter, of course) and sugar snap peas. The colors made the plate really appealing and now I’ve got energy to continue chipping away at my to-do list :) Good luck with yours!

sig

Tags:

 

Sun 19 Jul 2009

Breaking The Breakfast Rut

Posted by admin under Meals
[3] Comments

I broke my cereal + raisins + soy milk rut today!

CIMG0737

Oats! I tried “It’s Not Just Oatmeal” by Cait’s Kitchen. The mix included (all organic) rolled oats, goji berries, cranberries, flaxseed meal, raw wheat germ, shelled hemp seeds, and cinnamon. Yum! I added a scoop of White Chocolate Wonder PB and an Adora chocolate calcium disk. It wasn’t my favorite cereal, but it was really good! The PB added a little bit of needed sweetness, as did the chocolate. The dried fruits were a great addition, and the hemp, flax, and wheat germ added protein to an otherwise carb-y meal. I would buy this again!

It took me almost two hours to fall asleep last night; I was extremely tired, but my head was spinning from my cold (?). Luckily, I slept in a bit and I feel much better today, just in time to spend the day studying for my upcoming midterms.

On the agenda today is some yoga and a Half-Marathon Week 4 re-cap post :)

sig


Tags:

 

Sat 18 Jul 2009

Seven Mile Saturday: Fuel For Long Runs

Posted by admin under Half-Marathon, running
[5] Comments

I took the day off from blogging and exercise yesterday because of an annoying head-cold-y feeling. I went to bed before 10! Luckily, this meant that I was up bright and early for my long run today. I was ready to tackle seven miles!

Last night, I puzzled over how to fuel before/during/after a long run (more than an hour or so). I stared at my collection of energy gels, bars, and chews comparing and researching. Eating should not be this complicated!

CIMG0731

I made a plan and stuck with it, and it worked out really well! I felt great my entire run, so I thought I’d share.

I woke up around 6, got dressed, and poured myself a glass of water. I drank about 10 oz. while I browsed some blogs and went down to the kitchen at 6:30. For pre-run fuel, I had a slice of Ezekiel bread toasted with some PB and a banana. I headed out at about 7.

After a four mile loop, I stopped back at my house for about a minute for some water and energy. I had half a pack of Luna Sport Moons (100 calories, 24 g carb). For longer distances I probably will have the whole thing, but I figured with only 3 miles left to go, half was a good amount. Half, incidentally, was four moon-shaped watermelon flavored chews. They come in blueberry and pomegranate flavors too.

header_sport_moons_watermelon

I wasn’t expected the best, but I was pleasantly surprised! They were a little chewy, but easy to get down, and they tasted good too! I chugged about a cup of water after and then finished the other three miles.

I don’t know if it was the water or the extra carbs, but I felt so good on the last half of my run. Compared to my 2 six mile runs, where I basically just dragged after mile 4, I was flying! I managed a 10:43 pace easily, and I think my pace for my last six miler I struggled to maintain a 12 minute pace! I’m going to try out a couple other mid-run fueling options before my half-marathon, but I definitely give the Luna Sport Moons two thumbs up! I know my water intake was also important. I think getting some water down before my run was very important.

When I got back, I changed into dry clothes to have breakfast before I jumped in the shower because I wanted to refuel within the short window after exercise that our muscles are most receptive. Research has shown that after a long run, a 4:1 carbs to protein ratio is advisable. Obviously this doesn’t have to be exact, so I just made sure that my breakfast contained a bit of protein and lots of carbs. I had the other half of the Luna Sport Moons and two servings of Flax Multibran with raisins and soy milk. This kept me full until lunch!

Long runs are so important because they are basically a practice run for the race; we get to experiment with what works so that we have a definite plan on race day that will help us do our best! I’m going to experiment more in the coming weeks, but if I had my race tomorrow, I think I’d do fine with today’s plan!

Run Stats:
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 1:15:06
Pace: 10:43

Tags: , , , ,

 

Thu 16 Jul 2009

Food, Family, And New Sporting Gear

Posted by admin under Everything Else!, Meals
[5] Comments

My dad, my brother and I tonight, with my bag of farmer’s market goodies!

CIMG0724

For under $10, I got:

  • 2 fresh baby cucumbers
  • a huge bag of snow peas
  • a quart of baby new potatoes
  • a spring of chocolate mint

I can’t wait to try the chocolate mint in a smoothie! And going along with my Mix up your meals challenge, I got cucumbers (with some falafel combo in mind), snow peas to munch to mix up my usual side of carrots, and potatoes to incorporate into dinner!

Speaking of dinner, we went to a great trattoria and ate outside in the breeze. I brought this delicious crepe that I got at the market for an “appetizer“! ;) I split it with my mom. It was topped with berries and a tiny bit of powdered sugar, and was absolutely delicious!

CIMG0696

For dinner, I got the Insalata Mista with balsamic vinaigrette. I topped with with some of the crushed garlic from the olive oil dipping plate, and it was yum. I enjoyed it because I usually don’t take the time to make up a beautiful salad like this, so having it was a bit of a treat.

CIMG0697

For the meal, my mom and I split a Margherita thin crust pizza. Now the pizza from this place is just delicious. The mozzarella is fresh, there’s just the right amount of basil, and the crust is paper thin and crunchy. I had two and a half slices, which was just right. Since the crust is so thin, they don’t fill you up as quickly as the doughy, bready crusted pizzas, and you get more of the good stuff!

CIMG0699

After dinner, my brother wanted to look around in a sporting goods/bike store and so I browsed around in there too. I’m so glad I did, because I had some good finds! First up are these Brooks sneakers, which were 30% off. I got them for only $80, and they’re purple! They are a neutral cushioning shoe and are a little bit lighter than my current pair of Brooks, but more structured and cushioned than my current Mizunos. I’ve taken to wearing my Brooks on long runs for the cushioning and my Mizunos for shorter runs, or else I end up pretty sore afterwards.

CIMG0726

Lastly, I got something I’ve been needing for a while. I brought my bike up to school in April, but I couldn’t find my helmet and I don’t feel safe riding without one. So my poor bike has sat in the bike rack alone for three months. But luckily this bike store had some rockin‘ helmets:

CIMG0729

What do you think? That’s right, you know I look super cool! :)

Check back tomorrow for a new meal/recipe and more great stuff! I’m thinking about having a contest/giveaway soon, but I think I need to build the blog up a tiny bit more first. But it’s coming soon, and I already have the perfect idea!

Sleep tight,

sig

Tags:

 

Thu 16 Jul 2009

Not The Humidity!

Posted by admin under Meals, running
[2] Comments

I’m glad today was an easy day, because I was in no mood to run. It was the most humid it’s been all summer here and that combined with my lack of sleep/not drinking enough water made for a tough run! I managed a little over two miles, which is fine. I might do some yoga later to stretch out a bit.

When I got back from my run, I was in no mood for a hot meal! In fact, I was craving this combo:

CIMG0723

Yum! Since this isn’t one of my typical meals, I’ll count it for my Mix-up your meals challenge, even though it’s not that creative. I’ll have to make up for it tomorrow!

Here it is, crunchy PB & strawberry preserves on a pita, with a carrot on the side with some almond butter, and 3 tiny squares of Green & Black’s for dessert.

CIMG0722

After work, I snacked on half a Larabar and guzzled water to rehydrate myself.

I’m going to the Farmer’s Market today and I plan on picking up some fresh produce to create new meals with. I’m also going out to dinner tonight with my family at a place that has great salads and thin crust pizzas. I’ll update later with my Farmer’s Market goodies!

sig

Tags:

 

« Previous Page — Next Page »