Oops. I forgot to make the font bigger, last post. Sorry, to all you out there who are living life without strong enough glasses! This is what happens when I write at a time of morning when I can barely function.
Speaking of moments that Karen is a little slow on the uptake: multi-tasking. When I got all those groovy groceries at Greatest Grains (say THAT 4 times fast...groovygroceriesatGreatestGrains groovygroceriesatGreatestGrains groovygroceriesGreatestGrains groovygroceriesatGreatestGrains but I digress...) anyway I thought I was buying the regular, flourless Ezekiel bread. But when I was having some yesterday morning, I noticed this is the "Genesis 1:29" version, which is NOT flourless after all, though it is chok full o' goodness. I'm not stressing about it much. Before I discovered that, I had already resolved to cut the breakfast peanut butter toast down to half a slice, so that I can reintegrate my awesome bowl o' oatmeal full of goodies (which a friend joked "looks like an industrial accident") that I so enjoyed at JPUSA. It currently contains, in addition to a tiny little blob of oatmeal: raisins, dried cherries, walnuts, brown sugar, granola, and coconut milk.
So that's been my breakfast today, along with my supplements, and I'm feeling like the day is well begun.
What's your favorite healthy breakfast?
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
new shoes and other new good stuff
I made it back to Fleet Feet yesterday. Last month a great friend and I went there and let staff spend quite a lot of time helping us determine which shoes would be best for us. The girl who helped me first talked with me about where I am at physically and what my goals are...what these shoes would be doing. Then she measured my feet carefully, both sitting and standing. Then she put me in these uber-flexible shoes that could literally be rolled into a ball (so flexible that they let my feet just do whatever they do without guidance/stability added/etc) on a treadmill and she and a coworker watched me run and evaluated my level of pronation (something about the way your foot and ankle move/roll). She had me try on 4 nice pairs of shoes...I think they were Nike, Asics, New Balance, and Mizuno.
I had never heard of Mizuno. Apparently they are made in Japan and are very popular among runners. They were the shoes that felt the most perfect of all. I wanted to buy them on that day, a month ago. My feet practically went into mourning at being put back in my worn-out running shoes. But I couldn't afford them. Until yesterday. And then...it happened...that one of the colors was on sale! Normally $110, yesterday $60. The sales girl asked if I minded the different color; the truth is as far as I can see, ALL Mizunos are very ugly (which doesn't matter to me, because as the signs inside the store say, "You can't pick your running shoe by its color") so I just grabbed these with a smile.
This morning my feet are singing for joy and my knees are weeping with relief. I realized this morning that not having new shoes is almost certainly the reason I couldn't get my act together enough to remember what my running intervals are. Running faster for the 2-minute segments is a MUCH higher impact activity than my slow jog has been...I don't think it would have been a good idea in my old zero-protection shoes. And where my knees most of all thanked me for the new shoes was walking back down my giant hill...for the first time ever, it didn't make my knees hurt. HOORAY!
Other items I bought this weekend with my first paycheck that made my run a little better: little "energy cubes" (bite-size) to give me a shot of nutrition/calories before exercise and prevent my body from going into "hold onto the fat" mode, a sweat band (and I would definitely have had sweat in my eyes today...those 2-minute fast segments almost made me puke and left me drowned in sweat) and one of those white reflective vests, the better to not get run over by passing cars.
All I need now is some kind of running timer...I'm jogging slowly 4 minutes and running faster 2, in rounds. It should have been 5 rounds, obviously, in 30 minutes of running...but it was 6 rounds and I still finished running 2 minutes too soon. My current "timer" is counting seconds in my head (thousand one, thousand two...) and counting minutes on my fingers. I'm thinking when I get my iphone, it'll probably have a timer app that I can set for multiple times like that. Anyone recommend a good one?
In other news, I forgot to mention over the weekend that my giant shopping spree yielded supplements. Fish oil, iron, and Vitamins C and B-Complex. That, along with my amazingly healthy food, looks like another way to love my body well.
Guess I'm feeling the groove on this thing. I set my alarm for late this morning, planning not to run because I've had 3 late nights and 3 early mornings in a row...I thought getting more sleep was the best plan for loving my body. But then I woke up well before the alarm, and WANTED to get out there and run...so I did!
That feels like progress.
I had never heard of Mizuno. Apparently they are made in Japan and are very popular among runners. They were the shoes that felt the most perfect of all. I wanted to buy them on that day, a month ago. My feet practically went into mourning at being put back in my worn-out running shoes. But I couldn't afford them. Until yesterday. And then...it happened...that one of the colors was on sale! Normally $110, yesterday $60. The sales girl asked if I minded the different color; the truth is as far as I can see, ALL Mizunos are very ugly (which doesn't matter to me, because as the signs inside the store say, "You can't pick your running shoe by its color") so I just grabbed these with a smile.
This morning my feet are singing for joy and my knees are weeping with relief. I realized this morning that not having new shoes is almost certainly the reason I couldn't get my act together enough to remember what my running intervals are. Running faster for the 2-minute segments is a MUCH higher impact activity than my slow jog has been...I don't think it would have been a good idea in my old zero-protection shoes. And where my knees most of all thanked me for the new shoes was walking back down my giant hill...for the first time ever, it didn't make my knees hurt. HOORAY!
Other items I bought this weekend with my first paycheck that made my run a little better: little "energy cubes" (bite-size) to give me a shot of nutrition/calories before exercise and prevent my body from going into "hold onto the fat" mode, a sweat band (and I would definitely have had sweat in my eyes today...those 2-minute fast segments almost made me puke and left me drowned in sweat) and one of those white reflective vests, the better to not get run over by passing cars.
All I need now is some kind of running timer...I'm jogging slowly 4 minutes and running faster 2, in rounds. It should have been 5 rounds, obviously, in 30 minutes of running...but it was 6 rounds and I still finished running 2 minutes too soon. My current "timer" is counting seconds in my head (thousand one, thousand two...) and counting minutes on my fingers. I'm thinking when I get my iphone, it'll probably have a timer app that I can set for multiple times like that. Anyone recommend a good one?
In other news, I forgot to mention over the weekend that my giant shopping spree yielded supplements. Fish oil, iron, and Vitamins C and B-Complex. That, along with my amazingly healthy food, looks like another way to love my body well.
Guess I'm feeling the groove on this thing. I set my alarm for late this morning, planning not to run because I've had 3 late nights and 3 early mornings in a row...I thought getting more sleep was the best plan for loving my body. But then I woke up well before the alarm, and WANTED to get out there and run...so I did!
That feels like progress.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
much mo betta
I may or may not have lost my mind in Greatest Grains and the Target grocery section last night. Perhaps I might have rather excessively enjoyed the pleasure of spending part of my first paycheck in 9 months on food so good it counts in my mind as medicine. I'm not saying, one way or another...just maybe! ;-)
In addition to lots of great veggies and fruits and a big ol' bottle of organic olive oil, I have fun new-to-me things that I've long wanted to try. Some of them include:
This morning I will do my "Walk for Alzheimers" and tomorrow I will head for Chicago to get my bike and a decent pair of running shoes. Great developments for getting more strongly back in the groove of the activity level I easily enjoyed in the city.
In addition to lots of great veggies and fruits and a big ol' bottle of organic olive oil, I have fun new-to-me things that I've long wanted to try. Some of them include:
- Ezekiel bread - it's not made from flour (and heaven knows I've been learning in the past few years that flour is not my friend); it's made from the ingredients listed in Ezekiel 4:9: "Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it..." It is sprouted grains, organic, and a complete protein. It was in the freezer when I bought it, so that's where I put it when I got home and will just bust out the pieces, one at a time. I forgot this morning that I had it (you're not surprised, if you've read long enough to know how much I just can't think first thing in the morning!) so my toast was the whole grain whole wheat left from last week. I'm quite curious to check this stuff out.
- Almond milk - just let me say, this is about a hundred times better than coconut milk. Much better taste, much better texture. And it has more calcium and anti-oxidants than cow's milk, with just 7 grams of sugar instead of the 11 or 12 in cow's milk (and hey...only 60 calories per cup...WOW). My palate does not yet prefer it to my beloved skim milk, but I don't think the switch will be as difficult as the coconut milk was being.
- Kefir and Kombucha - two drinks I heard constantly highly praised while I was living at JPUSA. The first is a yogurt beverage and the second is a fermented tea-based drink; both are supposed to offer all manner of digestive and other health benefits. I intend to use the kefir for smoothies (bought a blender) and...well...just gulp the kombucha down in small bits (I am dreading the flavor of it, but willing to try it just to see.)
This morning I will do my "Walk for Alzheimers" and tomorrow I will head for Chicago to get my bike and a decent pair of running shoes. Great developments for getting more strongly back in the groove of the activity level I easily enjoyed in the city.
Friday, September 9, 2011
no coherent message this morning, just details
Yesterday morning I had the hungries. Actually, the night before, I had gone to bed hungry for the first time in quite awhile. I ate my usual breakfast and then proceeded to be so hungry it was distracting me all morning at work. Looking back, I'm thinking it would have been wise to just find a snack, but I wasn't thinking that clearly so I toughed it out.
Bad idea. The end result: I ate ALL the cookies in the little basket on my table at the Bistro at lunch. I usually just eat ONE, or on a really decadent day TWO (they aren't very big). But yesterday I think there were FOUR and I ate them all. Bad. Very bad. I gotta not spend anymore mornings being that hungry til lunch!
In other body-related news, I am happy to announce that although I will do tomorrow's Alzheimer's walk in my Very Tired Shoes, by the next time I run I shall be wearing better stuff! Headed to Chicago on Sunday to get my bike; I will stop by the shoe store that spent so much time determining what would work best for me, and pick some up. Pretty stoked about that!
Finally: I am still working on liking coconut milk (or, as I learned it is actually called, "coconut milk beverage.") A friend gave me a can of real, straight coconut milk, which is a much thicker, more substantial product, with the idea that I can stir some into my very thin and not so rich drink. And I almost did that, but in the end I decided that if I got used to skim milk, I'm pretty sure I can get used to this stuff. So I'm saving the thick stuff to add to coffee for a treat...sounds yummy to me. Meanwhile, I don't hate the stuff in the carton in my fridge as much this morning as I did at the beginning of the week, so I think I'm headed in the right direction!
Little bit by little bit....
Bad idea. The end result: I ate ALL the cookies in the little basket on my table at the Bistro at lunch. I usually just eat ONE, or on a really decadent day TWO (they aren't very big). But yesterday I think there were FOUR and I ate them all. Bad. Very bad. I gotta not spend anymore mornings being that hungry til lunch!
In other body-related news, I am happy to announce that although I will do tomorrow's Alzheimer's walk in my Very Tired Shoes, by the next time I run I shall be wearing better stuff! Headed to Chicago on Sunday to get my bike; I will stop by the shoe store that spent so much time determining what would work best for me, and pick some up. Pretty stoked about that!
Finally: I am still working on liking coconut milk (or, as I learned it is actually called, "coconut milk beverage.") A friend gave me a can of real, straight coconut milk, which is a much thicker, more substantial product, with the idea that I can stir some into my very thin and not so rich drink. And I almost did that, but in the end I decided that if I got used to skim milk, I'm pretty sure I can get used to this stuff. So I'm saving the thick stuff to add to coffee for a treat...sounds yummy to me. Meanwhile, I don't hate the stuff in the carton in my fridge as much this morning as I did at the beginning of the week, so I think I'm headed in the right direction!
Little bit by little bit....
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
little faster now
I'm accidentally coasting a bit, where my running is concerned.
Here's the deal: I finally got up to running (jogging slowly) 30 uninterrupted. What an achievement, for someone who's been this overweight and this opposed to running for 25+ years. So it was okay to just do that - jog slowly for 30 minutes 3 times a week - for a week or maybe 2. But now I am on week 3 of that regimen, and I'm past due to pick up the pace.
Monday night I looked in my tiny running book to see what the regimen is for speeding up a bit this week (no, I did not get up and run on the holiday morning and no, I am not sorry about that). I closed the book and promptly forgot, not realizing I had done so until Tuesday morning when I was walking out the door. And I DO NOT stop for anything when I'm headed out for my run...I dare not, or I will probably end up back in bed. So I just did the 30 minutes.
This morning as I was walking out, I realized again that I hadn't gone back to the book to see what's next. So again, I just did my 30 minutes (and they were sluggish minutes, at that). Still, I did 'em.
So just now I looked in the tiny book and I'm writing it down so I can do it for the next run (and probably for next week as well): I will jog at my usual, very slow pace for 4 minutes, then faster for 2 minutes, and repeat this cycle for the entire 30 minutes (should be 5 rounds, methinks).
Meanwhile, last night I picked some classes at the local fitness place to help with my lack of "other" exercise. One night a week of zumba and one night a week of kickboxing, both right after work, both leaving time for a life afterward. That should be fun. Also, there is a local bike ride once a week around the Quad Cities, called the Rafiki Ride. I'm thinking I'm going to skip Bible study one night a month to join it (been dying to ride that for awhile now).
Feeling like I'm headed back on track, where loving this body is concerned.
Here's the deal: I finally got up to running (jogging slowly) 30 uninterrupted. What an achievement, for someone who's been this overweight and this opposed to running for 25+ years. So it was okay to just do that - jog slowly for 30 minutes 3 times a week - for a week or maybe 2. But now I am on week 3 of that regimen, and I'm past due to pick up the pace.
Monday night I looked in my tiny running book to see what the regimen is for speeding up a bit this week (no, I did not get up and run on the holiday morning and no, I am not sorry about that). I closed the book and promptly forgot, not realizing I had done so until Tuesday morning when I was walking out the door. And I DO NOT stop for anything when I'm headed out for my run...I dare not, or I will probably end up back in bed. So I just did the 30 minutes.
This morning as I was walking out, I realized again that I hadn't gone back to the book to see what's next. So again, I just did my 30 minutes (and they were sluggish minutes, at that). Still, I did 'em.
So just now I looked in the tiny book and I'm writing it down so I can do it for the next run (and probably for next week as well): I will jog at my usual, very slow pace for 4 minutes, then faster for 2 minutes, and repeat this cycle for the entire 30 minutes (should be 5 rounds, methinks).
Meanwhile, last night I picked some classes at the local fitness place to help with my lack of "other" exercise. One night a week of zumba and one night a week of kickboxing, both right after work, both leaving time for a life afterward. That should be fun. Also, there is a local bike ride once a week around the Quad Cities, called the Rafiki Ride. I'm thinking I'm going to skip Bible study one night a month to join it (been dying to ride that for awhile now).
Feeling like I'm headed back on track, where loving this body is concerned.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
skinny milk alternatives
Yesterday was a turn for the better...back toward choices that love my body. Enjoyed a nice 4 mile walk in the sunshine and feasted on veggies (my favorite squash dish, along with a big pile of steamed broccoli).
I am trying out alternatives to milk. I LOVE skim milk and would drink a glass of it at every meal. And I'm not ready to give it up completely. But my mom counts her sugars after having a near miss with diabetes, and I've learned from her that milk is a place where sugar can be cut. She drinks soy milk, which doesn't appeal to me, but I'm willing to start checking it out.
Meanwhile, my son persuaded me to get coconut milk and give it a try. My vegan-ish friends at JPUSA were all about the non-dairy milks, and had already chipped away at my resistance for some time. It has only 7 grams of sugars in one cup, whereas skim milk has 11 or 12.
First, I tried it on my granola. It's not bad for that purpose. I mean...not amazing...but not bad. This morning I made myself try a small glass of it (1/3 cup, maybe) with my peanut butter toast. Let me say this about that: I remember switching from 2% to skim...it was hard. Skim seemed like milk with water added. I thought I'd never learn to love it! But now I do.
Coconut milk makes skim seem rich and thick. Sooo...there is definitely some adjusting for my palate to do, if I'm gonna make such a change. But past experience has taught me that if I'll hang in, I can do it.
Perhaps I'll hang in. Meanwhile, I think I'll give soy another try and maybe check at rice milk as well. Hmmm.
I am trying out alternatives to milk. I LOVE skim milk and would drink a glass of it at every meal. And I'm not ready to give it up completely. But my mom counts her sugars after having a near miss with diabetes, and I've learned from her that milk is a place where sugar can be cut. She drinks soy milk, which doesn't appeal to me, but I'm willing to start checking it out.
Meanwhile, my son persuaded me to get coconut milk and give it a try. My vegan-ish friends at JPUSA were all about the non-dairy milks, and had already chipped away at my resistance for some time. It has only 7 grams of sugars in one cup, whereas skim milk has 11 or 12.
First, I tried it on my granola. It's not bad for that purpose. I mean...not amazing...but not bad. This morning I made myself try a small glass of it (1/3 cup, maybe) with my peanut butter toast. Let me say this about that: I remember switching from 2% to skim...it was hard. Skim seemed like milk with water added. I thought I'd never learn to love it! But now I do.
Coconut milk makes skim seem rich and thick. Sooo...there is definitely some adjusting for my palate to do, if I'm gonna make such a change. But past experience has taught me that if I'll hang in, I can do it.
Perhaps I'll hang in. Meanwhile, I think I'll give soy another try and maybe check at rice milk as well. Hmmm.
Monday, September 5, 2011
slipping, but noticing
I am definitely floundering a bit, when it comes to bringing my new, better lifestyle (where activity and diet are concerned) back with me to this life away from the place where it was easily executed.
Eating off the steam table and salad bar made portion control a breeze. Eating out and/or in my own kitchen somehow lulls me into doing what I don't intend to do. I know for sure I'm not eating as well now as I was in Chicago. Not enough veggies, too many carbs, portions bigger than I was doing before. I'm writing this down to prod myself into awareness WHILE I am eating...noticing it after the fact isn't going to keep me on track. While I must not be piling on too many pounds (my jeans still fit), I know for sure I cannot keep doing "little slips," if I'm going to sincerely continue to pursue loving my body. Some of that will definitely be easier to improve after next Friday, once I have my first paycheck in hand and can go on a veggie buying spree.
And then there's exercise. Yes, I am now running 30 uninterrupted minutes at least 3 times per week and that is pretty darn cool. BUT. In Chicago, I was doing my morning run PLUS much more. Many trips up the stairs to the 6th floor. Many long bike rides (which I can correct as soon as I get Lulu back from the big city...I should be out today in this perfect weather, glorying in riding her...) A daily walk to work and back - it was short, but still, it was twice a day of 5 or 10 minutes really moving. Regular walks to enjoy the Lake and/or chat with a great friend. Walking, rather than driving, to get places I wanted to go.
I've been for a couple of walks here in Rock Island, and I take the stairs at work. But "the stairs" are one story only, and not very often at that. The walks...there have only been 2 or 3 in over 2 weeks' time.
This ain't gonna work, if I want to continue loving my body enough to condition it.
I have a fall program from the local fitness club to which I belonged when I lived here before. As soon as I have a paycheck, I'll be doing some Zumba classes there, and I've got some other classes in mind as well. That's part of it.
The other part of it is being intentional. It's too easy, after working 8 AM to 5 PM, to come home and either putter around the house or go out and see friends...but totally skip very necessary movement.
Here's to returning to intentionality, before its too late.
Eating off the steam table and salad bar made portion control a breeze. Eating out and/or in my own kitchen somehow lulls me into doing what I don't intend to do. I know for sure I'm not eating as well now as I was in Chicago. Not enough veggies, too many carbs, portions bigger than I was doing before. I'm writing this down to prod myself into awareness WHILE I am eating...noticing it after the fact isn't going to keep me on track. While I must not be piling on too many pounds (my jeans still fit), I know for sure I cannot keep doing "little slips," if I'm going to sincerely continue to pursue loving my body. Some of that will definitely be easier to improve after next Friday, once I have my first paycheck in hand and can go on a veggie buying spree.
And then there's exercise. Yes, I am now running 30 uninterrupted minutes at least 3 times per week and that is pretty darn cool. BUT. In Chicago, I was doing my morning run PLUS much more. Many trips up the stairs to the 6th floor. Many long bike rides (which I can correct as soon as I get Lulu back from the big city...I should be out today in this perfect weather, glorying in riding her...) A daily walk to work and back - it was short, but still, it was twice a day of 5 or 10 minutes really moving. Regular walks to enjoy the Lake and/or chat with a great friend. Walking, rather than driving, to get places I wanted to go.
I've been for a couple of walks here in Rock Island, and I take the stairs at work. But "the stairs" are one story only, and not very often at that. The walks...there have only been 2 or 3 in over 2 weeks' time.
This ain't gonna work, if I want to continue loving my body enough to condition it.
I have a fall program from the local fitness club to which I belonged when I lived here before. As soon as I have a paycheck, I'll be doing some Zumba classes there, and I've got some other classes in mind as well. That's part of it.
The other part of it is being intentional. It's too easy, after working 8 AM to 5 PM, to come home and either putter around the house or go out and see friends...but totally skip very necessary movement.
Here's to returning to intentionality, before its too late.
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