Today I went for a run with Amy R. She wanted to do a relatively long run which I was up for since it meant I could eat more today. The run was filled with lots of laughs starting with the fact that we both decided that we had to run at least 7 miles to account for the food that we had already eaten earlier that day, LOL. Is it sad that I schedule my workouts around what I want to eat or is it just a good plan? I'm going to go with it being a good plan.
We did a little over 7 miles at an average pace of 10:33. The great part was that we pushed it the last mile and did it in under 10 minutes. We did do one mile over 11 minutes but I blame that on the huge hill we had to run up and the fact that we broke out into a laughing fit moments before the hill. It was one of those laughing fits that is sparked by a small, funny comment and just turns into uncontrollable and unstoppable laughter.
I'm starting to feel even stronger in the running department and I'm strongly considering doing the High Point half-marathon in May. It just depends on my schedule because I might be out of town that weekend.
Have I ever told y'all how much I love running?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Weekly Wrap-Up and Goal Setting #7
Dang I've been slacking on the posting....I'll do better this week I promise!
Wrap Up:
I feel like I start off the week on track and then I just start to fall off towards the end of the week. This is especially true when it there is bad weather on the weekend. I find it soo much harder to work out when it was raining because I'd much rather be curled up on the couch. So here is how last week went:
Weight-loss/nutrition: Not so great...gained back the 2 lbs I lost last week. Oh well.
Swimming: Once - 650 meters
Running: 4 times (21 miles)
Biking: none :(
I need to figure out who to maintain my motivation throughout the entire week. Oh and I didn't do any strength training either.
Goal Setting:
I still need to figure out exactly what I'm going to do this week because I already know that I'm going to be going out of town this weekend. That means I'm pretty much going to blow my diet this weekend so I'm not going to even worry about it, LOL.
Swimming: 2 times
Running: 4 times
Biking: I'm going to try to do some biking at least once but I'm not making any promises.
Strength Training: once (for real, I'm going to do it this week!)
If I didn't have to go to work it would be a lot easier to fit in all of these workouts but I'm glad I have my job so I'll figure out a way to make it work.
Wrap Up:
I feel like I start off the week on track and then I just start to fall off towards the end of the week. This is especially true when it there is bad weather on the weekend. I find it soo much harder to work out when it was raining because I'd much rather be curled up on the couch. So here is how last week went:
Weight-loss/nutrition: Not so great...gained back the 2 lbs I lost last week. Oh well.
Swimming: Once - 650 meters
Running: 4 times (21 miles)
Biking: none :(
I need to figure out who to maintain my motivation throughout the entire week. Oh and I didn't do any strength training either.
Goal Setting:
I still need to figure out exactly what I'm going to do this week because I already know that I'm going to be going out of town this weekend. That means I'm pretty much going to blow my diet this weekend so I'm not going to even worry about it, LOL.
Swimming: 2 times
Running: 4 times
Biking: I'm going to try to do some biking at least once but I'm not making any promises.
Strength Training: once (for real, I'm going to do it this week!)
If I didn't have to go to work it would be a lot easier to fit in all of these workouts but I'm glad I have my job so I'll figure out a way to make it work.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Weekly Wrap-Up and Goal Setting #6
OOPPS! I forgot to do my weekly wrap-up and goal setting yesterday. I was tired and it completely slipped my mine. Anyway, better late than never.
Wrap Up:
I didn't accomplish ALL of the goals I set out for the week but I still did pretty good. I lost 2 more pounds which is great. I didn't even feel hungry the entire week like I was afraid I might. The good thing about this week was that it was sunny and not too cold. So here's what I did.
Swimming: Once (750 meters)
Biking: 16 miles - I decided not to run on Wednesday because I just didn't feel like it.
Running: 21 miles - my 6 mile run by myself was an excellent run.
Goal Setting:
This week I started my official triathlon training with Marisa. I am really going to try hard to stick to the plan that she gives us. Here's what I'm doing this week.
Swimming: 3 times
Running: 4 times
Biking: 2 times (these may have to be on the stationary or in spin class...UGH)
Strength Training: 1 time
This is a definite step up in my working out but you know what that means? It means I can eat more!!! Whoo hoo. I definitely run (and other stuff) to eat.
What are you doing this week?
Wrap Up:
I didn't accomplish ALL of the goals I set out for the week but I still did pretty good. I lost 2 more pounds which is great. I didn't even feel hungry the entire week like I was afraid I might. The good thing about this week was that it was sunny and not too cold. So here's what I did.
Swimming: Once (750 meters)
Biking: 16 miles - I decided not to run on Wednesday because I just didn't feel like it.
Running: 21 miles - my 6 mile run by myself was an excellent run.
Goal Setting:
This week I started my official triathlon training with Marisa. I am really going to try hard to stick to the plan that she gives us. Here's what I'm doing this week.
Swimming: 3 times
Running: 4 times
Biking: 2 times (these may have to be on the stationary or in spin class...UGH)
Strength Training: 1 time
This is a definite step up in my working out but you know what that means? It means I can eat more!!! Whoo hoo. I definitely run (and other stuff) to eat.
What are you doing this week?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Solo Bike Ride
I was too wimpy to get up and go for a early morning bike ride in the cold so I had to settle for riding alone. This was my first bike ride alone and while I am comfortable on the bike I am not THAT comfortable. I decided to do the 10 mile loop I mapped out around my house. It was okay but there were a bit too many cars for me. I am a "worst-case scenario" type of person so all I could think about was, what if I get hit, what if I pop a tire, what if my chain falls off, etc, etc. I wanted to do more than 10 miles but I didn't want to do that same loop again so I decided to turn into my neighborhood and ride around on the smaller streets for a while.
It was great. There were almost no cars on those back roads and the area was beautiful. I rode past a small lake, some animals including an adorable pony. I thought I might get lost but I didn't which made me proud of my memory and directional skills. I'll just be happy when I learn a little more about bikes and riding so that I will be more comfortable riding alone.
It was great. There were almost no cars on those back roads and the area was beautiful. I rode past a small lake, some animals including an adorable pony. I thought I might get lost but I didn't which made me proud of my memory and directional skills. I'll just be happy when I learn a little more about bikes and riding so that I will be more comfortable riding alone.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Recipe of the Week: Fluffy Pancakes
We did a 10 mile run today and it was a pretty good run. The urban loop is a wonderful route to run especially in the morning when there isn't a lot of traffic. This morning was colder than I expected but after getting warmed up it was nice. After burning off over 1000 calories I figured I deserved some pancakes so I decided to try a pancake recipe I found on-line.
-makes 50 to 60 silver dollar pancakes
Ingredients
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup flour
2 cups sour cream
3 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
1. Put the eggs in a mixing bowl and stir until well blended.
2. Add the salt, baking soda, flour, sour cream and sugar, and mix well.
3. Heat a griddle or frying pan until it is good and hot, film with grease, and drop spoonfuls of batter onto the griddle--just enough to spread to an approximately 2 1/2 inch round. When a few bubbles form on top of the pancakes, turn them over and cook briefly, no longer than 45 seconds.
4. Serve with warm butter and warm syrup. Enjoy!!
*I halved the recipe and it turned out just fine. The pancakes are VERY light and fluffy which made them somewhat difficult to flip but don't worry, they will turn out great.
-makes 50 to 60 silver dollar pancakes
Ingredients
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup flour
2 cups sour cream
3 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
1. Put the eggs in a mixing bowl and stir until well blended.
2. Add the salt, baking soda, flour, sour cream and sugar, and mix well.
3. Heat a griddle or frying pan until it is good and hot, film with grease, and drop spoonfuls of batter onto the griddle--just enough to spread to an approximately 2 1/2 inch round. When a few bubbles form on top of the pancakes, turn them over and cook briefly, no longer than 45 seconds.
4. Serve with warm butter and warm syrup. Enjoy!!
*I halved the recipe and it turned out just fine. The pancakes are VERY light and fluffy which made them somewhat difficult to flip but don't worry, they will turn out great.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Smell of Rain
I love the smell of rain when it first starts to fall. It smells all earthy and clean. It is one of my favorite smells in the world.
I had the most AWESOME run today! When I was putting my running clothes on I wasn't that excited about the run. I was feeling tired from an all day workshop and somewhat weary about the dark rain cloud I saw forming in the distance. I hoped that I could out run the rain so I hopped in the car and headed to the shop to start my run. Of course it started to drizzle before I could even get out of the car. At this point I had already decided that I would run regardless of the rain.
I have finally figured out how to have my Garmin give me 1 mile lap times so imagine my surprise when the first mile time was 9:26. I was thinking....hey I must just be starting out fast because of the rain. Then the second mile was 9:26 - okay so maybe I'm feeling great today. Then the third mile was 9:09 - WHAT! I was booking it and I didn't even feel that stressed. I will admit that the majority of the 3rd mile was downhill. I made up for it on mile 4 which was mostly uphill and at a 10:08 pace. I was still happy with that because it is way faster than I have been running lately. The last two miles were 9:49 and 9:29.
My overall pace was around 9:33. For SIX miles. I am so hype, LOL. This just made my day.
To make the day even better, I went to the triathlon training information session that Marisa held. I will give you more details about this tomorrow but if you're in the area and you are interested in doing some triathlon training then hit me up in the comment section.
I had the most AWESOME run today! When I was putting my running clothes on I wasn't that excited about the run. I was feeling tired from an all day workshop and somewhat weary about the dark rain cloud I saw forming in the distance. I hoped that I could out run the rain so I hopped in the car and headed to the shop to start my run. Of course it started to drizzle before I could even get out of the car. At this point I had already decided that I would run regardless of the rain.
I have finally figured out how to have my Garmin give me 1 mile lap times so imagine my surprise when the first mile time was 9:26. I was thinking....hey I must just be starting out fast because of the rain. Then the second mile was 9:26 - okay so maybe I'm feeling great today. Then the third mile was 9:09 - WHAT! I was booking it and I didn't even feel that stressed. I will admit that the majority of the 3rd mile was downhill. I made up for it on mile 4 which was mostly uphill and at a 10:08 pace. I was still happy with that because it is way faster than I have been running lately. The last two miles were 9:49 and 9:29.
My overall pace was around 9:33. For SIX miles. I am so hype, LOL. This just made my day.
To make the day even better, I went to the triathlon training information session that Marisa held. I will give you more details about this tomorrow but if you're in the area and you are interested in doing some triathlon training then hit me up in the comment section.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Recipe of the Week: Curry Grilled Mahimahi
I went for a short run today, ~4 miles. Nothing spectacular to discuss concerning that; it was a nice slow run and I enjoyed being out in the sun with my friends.
Here is a recipe I made last night that I thought I would share. I don't know exactly how long it took to make but it was no longer than 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 lb mahimahi, skin removed
salt and pepper to taste (for the fish)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp curry powder
2 tsp dried oregano (I didn't actually measure these out when I made mine so I prob used more)
1 c. white rice (I used instant brown rice because that's what I had in the pantry)
2 chipotle chili peppers packed in adobo with sauce, finely chopped (if you are spicy adverse you may want to skip these or use a milder pepper)
1/2 c cilantro leaves, finely chopped (I actually didn't use this because cilantro tastes like soap to me)
Instructions:
1. Season mahimahi lightly with salt and pepper, then rub with oil.
2. In small bowl mix curry powder and oregano. Rub mixture over fish to coat evenly. Let stand, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 6 hours in refrigerator. (I only let mine marinate for 15 minutes because I failed to really read the recipe before starting)
3. Cook rice per package directions. Mix with chipotles and cilantro.
4. Heat skillet over high heat. Cook mahimahi until crispy and medium-rare or medium, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve over rice.
If you want vegetables I suggest green beans; I like to use the Steamfresh kind since it is so quick and easy.
Hope you like it!
Here is a recipe I made last night that I thought I would share. I don't know exactly how long it took to make but it was no longer than 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 lb mahimahi, skin removed
salt and pepper to taste (for the fish)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp curry powder
2 tsp dried oregano (I didn't actually measure these out when I made mine so I prob used more)
1 c. white rice (I used instant brown rice because that's what I had in the pantry)
2 chipotle chili peppers packed in adobo with sauce, finely chopped (if you are spicy adverse you may want to skip these or use a milder pepper)
1/2 c cilantro leaves, finely chopped (I actually didn't use this because cilantro tastes like soap to me)
Instructions:
1. Season mahimahi lightly with salt and pepper, then rub with oil.
2. In small bowl mix curry powder and oregano. Rub mixture over fish to coat evenly. Let stand, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 6 hours in refrigerator. (I only let mine marinate for 15 minutes because I failed to really read the recipe before starting)
3. Cook rice per package directions. Mix with chipotles and cilantro.
4. Heat skillet over high heat. Cook mahimahi until crispy and medium-rare or medium, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve over rice.
If you want vegetables I suggest green beans; I like to use the Steamfresh kind since it is so quick and easy.
Hope you like it!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Weekly Wrap-Up and Goal Setting #5
Last week was a pretty good week, I didn't meet all of my goals for the week but I still had a good week.
Wrap Up:
I think I was a bit too ambitious with my workout planning. That schedule I made last week is my ideal workout schedule but clearly not my realistic one. I felt great during the beginning of the week but towards the end I started feeling bad. One of the reasons is that my monthlydemon friend came for a visit and this was a particularly bad visit. Anywhoo...I'm feeling better now so here is how I did last week.
Swimming: Once (1000 meters)
Biking: none - it was raining this past weekend and I'm not up for riding in the rain
Running - 9 miles, I was going to run Sat but it was cold and rainy
Dang...when I type it out, it seems worse that I thought. I didn't do much at all this past week :(
On a good note, I lost 2 lbs! Things are going well for me using this calorieking thing. I have been extra hungry though so I'm still not so sure about this.
Goal Setting:
While I would like to say that I will do what I planned for last week I will be more realistic with myself. I think I am pretty much ready for the triathlon and Marisa's triathlon training starts soon so that will help me out too.
Swimming: 2 times (Monday and Friday)
Biking: 2 times (Wednesday and Sunday)
Running: 3 times (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday)
Doing one event a day is a lot more realistic than saying that I'm going to do two workouts a day.
What do you have planned for the week??
Wrap Up:
I think I was a bit too ambitious with my workout planning. That schedule I made last week is my ideal workout schedule but clearly not my realistic one. I felt great during the beginning of the week but towards the end I started feeling bad. One of the reasons is that my monthly
Swimming: Once (1000 meters)
Biking: none - it was raining this past weekend and I'm not up for riding in the rain
Running - 9 miles, I was going to run Sat but it was cold and rainy
Dang...when I type it out, it seems worse that I thought. I didn't do much at all this past week :(
On a good note, I lost 2 lbs! Things are going well for me using this calorieking thing. I have been extra hungry though so I'm still not so sure about this.
Goal Setting:
While I would like to say that I will do what I planned for last week I will be more realistic with myself. I think I am pretty much ready for the triathlon and Marisa's triathlon training starts soon so that will help me out too.
Swimming: 2 times (Monday and Friday)
Biking: 2 times (Wednesday and Sunday)
Running: 3 times (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday)
Doing one event a day is a lot more realistic than saying that I'm going to do two workouts a day.
What do you have planned for the week??
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Hopeful
I'm hoping that this week will be a good week. The weather is supposed to be better this week so I'll be able to get my workouts in. I'm feeling better too so that is good.
Marisa is holding the information session for her triathlon training; I'm looking forward to that. I think I am doing pretty well on my own with the training but it would be nice to have a little bit more guidance.
I am trying some new recipes this week so be on the look out for those too. I'll try to think of some interesting things to blog about this week....I've had bloggers block lately.
Marisa is holding the information session for her triathlon training; I'm looking forward to that. I think I am doing pretty well on my own with the training but it would be nice to have a little bit more guidance.
I am trying some new recipes this week so be on the look out for those too. I'll try to think of some interesting things to blog about this week....I've had bloggers block lately.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Bad Weather
The weather has been so crazy lately. How is it going to go from snowing to 80 degrees back to below freezing in the course of 2 weeks?? I just need the weather to make up its mind and pick a season, all this change is really throwing me off.
I was supposed to do a 5-mile run tomorrow but I just really don't feel good. It is going to be cold and rainy tomorrow so I'm going to sit it out. It isn't that I have a problem running in the cold and rain but since I already don't feel good there is no point in me doing the run.
I've been doing pretty good on the nutrition front. I do need to be more diligent in my vitamin taking, I think that is why I've been so tired lately. I have some new recipes I want to try so I'm hoping those will turn out alright.
Now I'm going to hang out on the couch wrapped up in my wonderful Snuggie!
I was supposed to do a 5-mile run tomorrow but I just really don't feel good. It is going to be cold and rainy tomorrow so I'm going to sit it out. It isn't that I have a problem running in the cold and rain but since I already don't feel good there is no point in me doing the run.
I've been doing pretty good on the nutrition front. I do need to be more diligent in my vitamin taking, I think that is why I've been so tired lately. I have some new recipes I want to try so I'm hoping those will turn out alright.
Now I'm going to hang out on the couch wrapped up in my wonderful Snuggie!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Recipe of the Week: Chipotle Steak & Corn Salsa
I have been slacking on my recipe posting....Here is a recipe I got from Good Housekeeping (Sept 2008 issue). Somebody bought a whole buttload of beef so I'll be posting several recipes that have beef in them.
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
4 corn tortillas
Olive oil nonstick cooking spray (I use the Pam version)
2 green onions
2 c. fresh corn kernels (I actually used frozen and it worked just fine)
1 c. salsa
1/2 to 1 tsp ground chipotle chile pepper (If you can't find this in the store just use chili pepper)
1 tsp ground cumin
4 beef eye round steaks, 3/4in. thick (5 oz each)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. On cookie sheet, spray tortillas with nonstick spray to lightly coat both sides. Toast tortillas on cookie sheet in oven 9 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.
2. While tortillas bake, prepare salsa: Thinly slice dark-green and light parts of green onions crosswise, reserving green tops for garnish. Spray 10-inch nonstick skillet with nonstick spray. Add light parts of green onions and corn, and cook on medium 5 minutes (longer if you use frozen corn) stirring occasionally. Stir in salsa; cook 3 to 5 minutes to heat through.
3. Meanwhile, heat ridged grill pan on medium (if you don't have a grill pan you can use a skillet, you just may need to cook it a few more minutes) In cup, combine chipotle, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; use to season steaks. Place steaks in grill pan; cook 9 minutes for medium-rare or until desired doneness, turning once.
4. To serve, break tortillas into large pieces and place on 4 dinner plates with steaks and corn salsa; sprinkle with reserved green onions.
*I also made a sauce for the steak by adding some balsamic vinegar and some of the left over onions to the steak droppings left in the skillet. I don't have exact measurements because I kinda just threw that part together but it was good if you like sauce.
Nutritional Information:
About 385 calories, 39 g protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 9 g total fat, 6 g fiber, 62 mg cholesterol, 820 mg sodium
Tamara's Take: 8
It was pretty good, I just don't really like the trouble of preparing steak during the week. It isn't that time consuming but for some reason it feels like a hassle. I also don't really like corn salsa even though this was one of the better ones I've had. I will make this again but probably not on a regular basis.
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
4 corn tortillas
Olive oil nonstick cooking spray (I use the Pam version)
2 green onions
2 c. fresh corn kernels (I actually used frozen and it worked just fine)
1 c. salsa
1/2 to 1 tsp ground chipotle chile pepper (If you can't find this in the store just use chili pepper)
1 tsp ground cumin
4 beef eye round steaks, 3/4in. thick (5 oz each)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. On cookie sheet, spray tortillas with nonstick spray to lightly coat both sides. Toast tortillas on cookie sheet in oven 9 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.
2. While tortillas bake, prepare salsa: Thinly slice dark-green and light parts of green onions crosswise, reserving green tops for garnish. Spray 10-inch nonstick skillet with nonstick spray. Add light parts of green onions and corn, and cook on medium 5 minutes (longer if you use frozen corn) stirring occasionally. Stir in salsa; cook 3 to 5 minutes to heat through.
3. Meanwhile, heat ridged grill pan on medium (if you don't have a grill pan you can use a skillet, you just may need to cook it a few more minutes) In cup, combine chipotle, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; use to season steaks. Place steaks in grill pan; cook 9 minutes for medium-rare or until desired doneness, turning once.
4. To serve, break tortillas into large pieces and place on 4 dinner plates with steaks and corn salsa; sprinkle with reserved green onions.
*I also made a sauce for the steak by adding some balsamic vinegar and some of the left over onions to the steak droppings left in the skillet. I don't have exact measurements because I kinda just threw that part together but it was good if you like sauce.
Nutritional Information:
About 385 calories, 39 g protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 9 g total fat, 6 g fiber, 62 mg cholesterol, 820 mg sodium
Tamara's Take: 8
It was pretty good, I just don't really like the trouble of preparing steak during the week. It isn't that time consuming but for some reason it feels like a hassle. I also don't really like corn salsa even though this was one of the better ones I've had. I will make this again but probably not on a regular basis.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Ramblings of a Runner
I really don't have anything specific to talk about today so I thought I'd just say a few things that I thought about today. I ran a little over 5 miles today....it was kinda difficult but satisfying.
1. I am struggling with the balance of eating enough versus too much. Maybe I need to see a nutritionist. I don't like being hungry all the time.
2. I'm tired...I think I need to work on my sleep. This is nothing new, same as always, I just don't sleep through the night and it sucks.
3. Why do they insist on serving unhealthy food for meetings at work? We've had two meals at work this week. One was breakfast where they served the chicken mini's from Chick-fil-a. Each of these tiny things is over 100 calories of carbs and fat. The second was lunch were we had pulled pork, baked beans, potato salad and cole slaw...pretty much nothing healthy about meal at all. It doesn't help that food is a weakness of mine so it isn't like I could just not eat it, LOL. I'm more concerned with the people that eat a bunch of this stuff but don't go run 5 miles after work.
4. Am I the only one that finds it annoying when people say, "You work out so you can eat whatever you want."? First of all, you clearly have no concept of all that I wish to eat or else you wouldn't have said that. Secondly, no I can't....I work out so that I can eat more of the things I want but I definitely can't eat WHATEVER I want.
Ummm, that's enough for one night. I did not intend for this to be a negative post but rereading it, it seems that it is slightly negative. Maybe a good night sleep will improve my mood. *crosses fingers and says goodnight*
1. I am struggling with the balance of eating enough versus too much. Maybe I need to see a nutritionist. I don't like being hungry all the time.
2. I'm tired...I think I need to work on my sleep. This is nothing new, same as always, I just don't sleep through the night and it sucks.
3. Why do they insist on serving unhealthy food for meetings at work? We've had two meals at work this week. One was breakfast where they served the chicken mini's from Chick-fil-a. Each of these tiny things is over 100 calories of carbs and fat. The second was lunch were we had pulled pork, baked beans, potato salad and cole slaw...pretty much nothing healthy about meal at all. It doesn't help that food is a weakness of mine so it isn't like I could just not eat it, LOL. I'm more concerned with the people that eat a bunch of this stuff but don't go run 5 miles after work.
4. Am I the only one that finds it annoying when people say, "You work out so you can eat whatever you want."? First of all, you clearly have no concept of all that I wish to eat or else you wouldn't have said that. Secondly, no I can't....I work out so that I can eat more of the things I want but I definitely can't eat WHATEVER I want.
Ummm, that's enough for one night. I did not intend for this to be a negative post but rereading it, it seems that it is slightly negative. Maybe a good night sleep will improve my mood. *crosses fingers and says goodnight*
Rockin the Red Pump!
In honor of today a group of female bloggers are "Rockin the Red Pump"
Here are some interesting statistics:
HIV/AIDS & Women in the United States
------------------------------------------------
*There are approximately 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. & almost 280,000 are women
*Among those who are HIV positive, 35% of women were tested for HIV late in their illness (diagnosed with AIDS within one year of testing positive)
*HIV is the 5th leading cause of death in women in the United States, ages 25-44
*High-risk heterosexual contact is the source of 80% of these newly diagnosed infections in women
HIV/AIDS & Minority Women
-----------------------------------
HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects minority women in the United States. According to the 2005 census, Black and Latina women represent 24% of all US women combined, but account for 82% of the estimated total of AIDS diagnoses for women in 2005.
HIV is:
*the leading cause of death for black women (including African American women) aged 25–34 years.
*The rate of AIDS diagnosis for black women was approximately 23 times the rate for white women and 4 times the rate for Latina women
*In 2006, teen girls represented 39% of AIDS cases reported among 13–19 year-olds. Black teens represented 69% of cases reported among 13–19 year-olds; Latino teens represented 19%
These statistics were pulled from The Center for Disease Control's website and the Kaiser Family Foundation's Fact Sheets (which cited the CDC). Get more information about the effect of the epidemic from these sites.
For more information on National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Day, and to find out events going on in your area, go to http://www.womenshealth.gov/NWGHAAD/events/.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Weekly Wrap-Up and Goal Setting #4
Last week was CRAZY! It snowed on Sunday and by the end of the week it was warm enough to wear shorts.
Wrap-Up:
The beginning of the week was too cold for me to exercise outside, not to mention I was feeling a bit lazy. I did better towards the end of the week. I ran 5 miles on Thursday although it wasn't a great run, I made it! The weekend was wonderful. On Saturday I biked/ran and on Sunday I biked. Here are my totals for the week:
Swimming - 0
Running - 8.5 miles
Biking - 64 miles
Goal Setting:
This week I'm getting serious! I started off today with a 1000 meter swim. I was very happy with the swim because I was able to do it in 25 minutes. I'm feeling comfortable in the water but I am still nervous about the lake.
The plan from now until the triathlon is to do three of each event a week.
Swimming: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
Biking: Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday (I'm hoping this rain will hold off otherwise I will probably skip the biking or see if I can get in a spin class at the gym)
Running: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Nutrition-wise I'm working on things. I have started using calorieking which is helping me be more aware of what I eat. I did very good today. This weekend I burned so many calories with all of the biking I did, I had a hard time eating enough calories to make up for all that I burned. I am trying to strike that balance between eating enough to provide my body with enough energy to do my workouts and not eating too much which will lead me to gain weight. This is hard.....
Wrap-Up:
The beginning of the week was too cold for me to exercise outside, not to mention I was feeling a bit lazy. I did better towards the end of the week. I ran 5 miles on Thursday although it wasn't a great run, I made it! The weekend was wonderful. On Saturday I biked/ran and on Sunday I biked. Here are my totals for the week:
Swimming - 0
Running - 8.5 miles
Biking - 64 miles
Goal Setting:
This week I'm getting serious! I started off today with a 1000 meter swim. I was very happy with the swim because I was able to do it in 25 minutes. I'm feeling comfortable in the water but I am still nervous about the lake.
The plan from now until the triathlon is to do three of each event a week.
Swimming: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
Biking: Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday (I'm hoping this rain will hold off otherwise I will probably skip the biking or see if I can get in a spin class at the gym)
Running: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Nutrition-wise I'm working on things. I have started using calorieking which is helping me be more aware of what I eat. I did very good today. This weekend I burned so many calories with all of the biking I did, I had a hard time eating enough calories to make up for all that I burned. I am trying to strike that balance between eating enough to provide my body with enough energy to do my workouts and not eating too much which will lead me to gain weight. This is hard.....
Sunday, March 8, 2009
"3 Hour" Ride
The plan was to go for a 3 hour bike ride; it turned out to be a 3 and a half hour bike ride. And you know what? I didn't mind one bit. The day was so beautiful that I feel like I could have rode forever. The weather was perfect and the scenery was gorgeous. I'm really falling in love with biking. I have gotten more comfortable on the bike and with riding on the road. There are still some things I need to work on (like turning my head to see if cars are coming behind me) but I think that I am progressing well.
The great thing about today was that it didn't feel nearly as difficult as the last time we did a long ride. I guess my legs are getting stronger!
I plan on being very productive exercise-wise this week. I will post my plan for the week tomorrow.
The great thing about today was that it didn't feel nearly as difficult as the last time we did a long ride. I guess my legs are getting stronger!
I plan on being very productive exercise-wise this week. I will post my plan for the week tomorrow.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
My First Brick
The weather was PERFECT today!!! I wish it could just stay like this year round. It made for a wonderful workout.
Before signing up for this whole triathlon thing I had never heard of a brick workout. Apparently it is a pretty common workout for triathlon training. Basically you do some biking and then you switch to running. This will help you get used to the transition from biking to running which can take some time getting used to.
We did a 14 mile bike and then a 1.5 mile run. Then we did a 10.5 mile bike and a 2 mile run. I was a little nervous before we started because it seemed like a pretty intense workout. I turned out to not be too bad. I felt good during and after the workout.
I mapped out our ride on Google maps before we left. I think I did a pretty good job since I had never ridden around the area before. I did a pretty good job. There was only one road that was really a gravel road and only one road that didn't exactly go through like the map said it would. That's why the first bike ride was a little bit longer than the second one.
Tomorrow we are going for a 3 hour bike ride. I hope Paul can make it, he might have overdone it today, LOL.
Before signing up for this whole triathlon thing I had never heard of a brick workout. Apparently it is a pretty common workout for triathlon training. Basically you do some biking and then you switch to running. This will help you get used to the transition from biking to running which can take some time getting used to.
We did a 14 mile bike and then a 1.5 mile run. Then we did a 10.5 mile bike and a 2 mile run. I was a little nervous before we started because it seemed like a pretty intense workout. I turned out to not be too bad. I felt good during and after the workout.
I mapped out our ride on Google maps before we left. I think I did a pretty good job since I had never ridden around the area before. I did a pretty good job. There was only one road that was really a gravel road and only one road that didn't exactly go through like the map said it would. That's why the first bike ride was a little bit longer than the second one.
Tomorrow we are going for a 3 hour bike ride. I hope Paul can make it, he might have overdone it today, LOL.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Heart Stopper
I went for a 5 mile run today with my lovely running friends. I hadn't done anything significant since Saturday so I was feeling pretty stiff. My calf got really tight about half-way through the run but luckily that passed pretty quickly. I was mad that my heart rate monitor decided that it didn't want to work tonight. The battery should still be good so I'm really not sure why it wasn't working. I'll have to play around with it a little to figure it out.
I'm really trying to wear my heart rate monitor more frequently. I have experienced very high heart rates and I want to see if this is still happening. I can actually FEEL when it is happening but I want to know exactly how high it is getting and at what point in my run. It usually only happens when I get too hot but it has also happened at other times too.
Alrighty, well I spent entirely too much timetorturing myself watching American Idol so it is way past my bedtime....Goodnight!
I'm really trying to wear my heart rate monitor more frequently. I have experienced very high heart rates and I want to see if this is still happening. I can actually FEEL when it is happening but I want to know exactly how high it is getting and at what point in my run. It usually only happens when I get too hot but it has also happened at other times too.
Alrighty, well I spent entirely too much time
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
What's Your Motivation??
I went ahead and signed back up for calorieking....no more blissful ignorance denial about the calories in my meals. Take today for instance, I went to Burger King and had a Whopper Jr. with cheese. Completely inappropriate! I felt even worse when I had to put that into my calorieking database and saw exactly how many calories that contained. :( The point of this is not to make myself feel worse but to hold myself accountable. If I don't write it down, if I don't know for certain how many calories are in what I'm eating then it is a lot harder to actually stick to a plan and truly lose weight/improve my health & body. This isn't really the point of the post, just a little update on what I'm doing as far as diet/nutrition is going. I will keep you posted.
As a part of the calorieking program you have to list your motivators and barriers. That made me start thinking about my motivation. Why do I do this? Why do I worry about what I eat and how much I exercise? Why don't I just sit around and eat whatever I want until I get big and fat and can't walk so I have to use one of those scooters when I go to the grocery store to get more unhealthy food so I can get even fatter? Ohhh that's right....I want to give myself the best chance as possible to live a long and healthy life free of the complications caused by obesity and obesity related diseases (diabetes, high-blood pressure, etc.)
That is my number one motivation - a healthy body and mind. I have other things that motivate me as well. I thought that listing them out would help me and hopefully help spark your mind to think about what motivates you.
*I want to look great naked. (This is a completely vain motivator but so what, it motivates ME)
*The sense of accomplishment I feel when I finish a race or a particularly hard training session
*"Runner's High"
*My friends and family - knowing that they fully support me is one of the best things in the world
*The fun of it
Those are the main things that make me want to eat healthy and make me want to exercise.
What motivates you?
As a part of the calorieking program you have to list your motivators and barriers. That made me start thinking about my motivation. Why do I do this? Why do I worry about what I eat and how much I exercise? Why don't I just sit around and eat whatever I want until I get big and fat and can't walk so I have to use one of those scooters when I go to the grocery store to get more unhealthy food so I can get even fatter? Ohhh that's right....I want to give myself the best chance as possible to live a long and healthy life free of the complications caused by obesity and obesity related diseases (diabetes, high-blood pressure, etc.)
That is my number one motivation - a healthy body and mind. I have other things that motivate me as well. I thought that listing them out would help me and hopefully help spark your mind to think about what motivates you.
*I want to look great naked. (This is a completely vain motivator but so what, it motivates ME)
*The sense of accomplishment I feel when I finish a race or a particularly hard training session
*"Runner's High"
*My friends and family - knowing that they fully support me is one of the best things in the world
*The fun of it
Those are the main things that make me want to eat healthy and make me want to exercise.
What motivates you?
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Dinner Let Down
I like to consider myself a fairly good cook. I have a few dishes that I make really well. I can generally follow a recipe and I haven't had too many cooking mishaps. Well there was this time I tried to make lamb chops but that's a different story for a different post.
Tonight my plan was to make "Quick Chicken Cacciatore" with broccolini and creamy polenta.
First problem - I went to the store in an attempt to purchase some instant polenta only to find that they don't sell that at Harris Teeter (WTF!). So instead I decide that I will make some cornbread. Not even close to the same thing but it provides the carbs.
Second problem - I don't think I like broccolini. I thought I would, it is supposedly just baby broccoli and broccoli is my favorite vegetable. Why don't I like it then??? Maybe I cooked it the wrong way. UGH! This did not taste how I planned and I can't stand when something doesn't taste like I expected it to.
Third problem - The chicken cacciatore didn't look at all like the picture. Now I know the food pictures are usually staged and the "perfect" form but I like the meals I make from a recipe to at least look close to the picture. The sauce was too runny even though I attempted to let it boil down over twice as long as the recipe indicated. And it didn't taste like I thought it would! Did I mention how I hate when that happens??
All in all the meal was EDIBLE but definitely not enjoyable. Better luck next time.
Tonight my plan was to make "Quick Chicken Cacciatore" with broccolini and creamy polenta.
First problem - I went to the store in an attempt to purchase some instant polenta only to find that they don't sell that at Harris Teeter (WTF!). So instead I decide that I will make some cornbread. Not even close to the same thing but it provides the carbs.
Second problem - I don't think I like broccolini. I thought I would, it is supposedly just baby broccoli and broccoli is my favorite vegetable. Why don't I like it then??? Maybe I cooked it the wrong way. UGH! This did not taste how I planned and I can't stand when something doesn't taste like I expected it to.
Third problem - The chicken cacciatore didn't look at all like the picture. Now I know the food pictures are usually staged and the "perfect" form but I like the meals I make from a recipe to at least look close to the picture. The sauce was too runny even though I attempted to let it boil down over twice as long as the recipe indicated. And it didn't taste like I thought it would! Did I mention how I hate when that happens??
All in all the meal was EDIBLE but definitely not enjoyable. Better luck next time.
Monday, March 2, 2009
SNOW DAY!!! - Weekly Wrap-Up & Goal Setting #3
We had a SNOW DAY today!!! Whoooo Hooooo!!!! I woke up at 7:15am and called the hotline at work, I was expecting to hear that we had a 1 or 2 hour delay but instead the message said that the office was closed. I didn't remember how much I enjoyed Snow Days until today, it was great!
Wrap-Up:
I did pretty well last week. I ran 3 times and I went to my Pilates class. The two short runs felt great, the long run turned into more of a walk/run but since my goal was to run twice I count that as a bonus anyway. Pilates was great as usual, I might need to find a way to fit in another session per week.
Nutrition-wise I did okay. I honestly can't really say since I don't really keep track of what I eat. I know that I wasn't completely out of line in my eating habits so that's a good thing. I'm thinking about signing back up for calorieking since that was the only thing that really kept me in check with keeping track of my calories. I also thought about posting what I eat on here as well but I don't know if I want to be held THAT accountable for my eating habits...
Goal Setting:
This snow has thrown a wrench in my plans for the week so I really don't know what type of exercising I will get done. It is supposed to warm up later this week so I plan to run on Thursday and Saturday. If the weather holds up then maybe I can go on a bike ride on Sunday - that would be great. I spoke with Marisa and she recommended that I do three of each sport a week (running, swimming, biking) I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to fit those all in, I will definitely have to do some twoadays. I'm hoping this is the last week of bad weather because I really want to get into my training!
On a housekeeping note - I did spend a few hours cleaning out my closet. I didn't get it finished like I would have liked to but at least I made some progress and I filled a whole box with clothes to give away. I'm really trying to refine my wardrobe and "graduate' to a more professional style. I really wish I had some extra money (but when is money ever extra?) then I would buy one of these.
What are your goals for the week?
Wrap-Up:
I did pretty well last week. I ran 3 times and I went to my Pilates class. The two short runs felt great, the long run turned into more of a walk/run but since my goal was to run twice I count that as a bonus anyway. Pilates was great as usual, I might need to find a way to fit in another session per week.
Nutrition-wise I did okay. I honestly can't really say since I don't really keep track of what I eat. I know that I wasn't completely out of line in my eating habits so that's a good thing. I'm thinking about signing back up for calorieking since that was the only thing that really kept me in check with keeping track of my calories. I also thought about posting what I eat on here as well but I don't know if I want to be held THAT accountable for my eating habits...
Goal Setting:
This snow has thrown a wrench in my plans for the week so I really don't know what type of exercising I will get done. It is supposed to warm up later this week so I plan to run on Thursday and Saturday. If the weather holds up then maybe I can go on a bike ride on Sunday - that would be great. I spoke with Marisa and she recommended that I do three of each sport a week (running, swimming, biking) I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to fit those all in, I will definitely have to do some twoadays. I'm hoping this is the last week of bad weather because I really want to get into my training!
On a housekeeping note - I did spend a few hours cleaning out my closet. I didn't get it finished like I would have liked to but at least I made some progress and I filled a whole box with clothes to give away. I'm really trying to refine my wardrobe and "graduate' to a more professional style. I really wish I had some extra money (but when is money ever extra?) then I would buy one of these.
What are your goals for the week?
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Recipe of the Week: Southwest Chicken Wraps
I've been slacking on recipe posting...I will try to do better. This recipe comes from Good Housekeeping and is a very good, light recipe. I made some adjustments to the recipe because I just have the hardest time sticking exactly to a recipe.
Time Required:
Active Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Ingredients:
*2 tbs. olive oil
*1 lb ground chicken or turkey breast
*1 med. red pepper, chopped
*1 tsp. chili powder
*1 tsp. ground cumin
*1/8 tsp salt (I used seasoning salt)
*1 cup salsa (I used hot but use whatever you like most)
*1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained (the recipe actually called for pinto beans but I think those are gross)
*12 Boston lettuce leaves
*1/2 cup of lowfat sour cream (or plain nonfat Greek yogurt)
*1 tablespoon chipotle peppers, in sauce (optional)
Instructions:
1. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat olive oil on medium 1 minute. Add chicken, red pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, salt and chipotle peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken loses its pink color throughout, about 8 minutes. Stir in salsa and beans; cook 5 minutes to blend flavor and heat through.
2. Arrange 3 lettuce leaves on each dinner plate. Divide chicken mixture evenly among lettuce-leaf cups. Top each lettuce cup with a dollop of sour cream (or yogurt). Fold leaves over mixture and eat wraps out of hand. *this is pretty messy so keep lots of napkins on hand!
Nutritional Info (approximate):
265 calories, 35 g protein, 25 g carbohydrate, 4 g total fat (1 g saturated), 8 g fiber
Tamara's Take: Delicious! A healthy alternate to taco night. Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Time Required:
Active Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Ingredients:
*2 tbs. olive oil
*1 lb ground chicken or turkey breast
*1 med. red pepper, chopped
*1 tsp. chili powder
*1 tsp. ground cumin
*1/8 tsp salt (I used seasoning salt)
*1 cup salsa (I used hot but use whatever you like most)
*1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained (the recipe actually called for pinto beans but I think those are gross)
*12 Boston lettuce leaves
*1/2 cup of lowfat sour cream (or plain nonfat Greek yogurt)
*1 tablespoon chipotle peppers, in sauce (optional)
Instructions:
1. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat olive oil on medium 1 minute. Add chicken, red pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, salt and chipotle peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken loses its pink color throughout, about 8 minutes. Stir in salsa and beans; cook 5 minutes to blend flavor and heat through.
2. Arrange 3 lettuce leaves on each dinner plate. Divide chicken mixture evenly among lettuce-leaf cups. Top each lettuce cup with a dollop of sour cream (or yogurt). Fold leaves over mixture and eat wraps out of hand. *this is pretty messy so keep lots of napkins on hand!
Nutritional Info (approximate):
265 calories, 35 g protein, 25 g carbohydrate, 4 g total fat (1 g saturated), 8 g fiber
Tamara's Take: Delicious! A healthy alternate to taco night. Rating: 8.5 out of 10
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