2 Year Hiatus...a short explanation and perhaps a comeback.

Soooo...I said to myself this morning, "I should start a blog" then I remembered that I already have a blog that I have neglected for 2 years. Part of me wanted to just start a completely new blog but I decided that since this one is still mine and I still like the name I might as well just pick back up here.

I'm not going to pretend that I haven't been away for 2 years nor does the irony of my second to last post escape me. I won't make any promises of being back or of being a consistent blogger but I do plan on attempting to do better.  So what have I been up to? Well... a lot really. Work has taken most of my time and energy with my travel increasing (I was away about 5 1/2 months total in 2013). I spent time in both India and Switzerland both of which were wonderful experiences.

On the health front...I gained weight and slacked on my running/working out last year but hey, it's a brand new year so perhaps I can turn all of that around. I'm going to do a half marathon this year, I start training on Monday. I've dabbled in a Paleo lifestyle and by dabbled I mean I visit all the blogs and have a bunch of cookbooks but I can't seem to stop eating pancakes so I've pretty much failed at it.

I have done more cooking (when I'm at home) and I love it so I do expect to post some recipes on the blog this year. I'm not terribly creative when it comes to cooking so I normally just follow other people's recipes and then make a few modifications.

I don't know if anyone is still reading this but hopefully I can get some of you to come back and visit me little corner of the internet this year :-)

S.A.D.

I'm starting to think that I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) which is also known as "the winter blues". I just don't really feel like doing anything other than sit on the couch and watch TV and honestly I barely feel like doing that. I wish I was a bear and I could just hibernate for the winter. I also wouldn't mind eating a whole bunch of food to prepare for hibernation. Sadly, I'm not a bear so I have to deal with the cold and dreary weather.

I need to come up with a happiness kit, full of items and activities that make me happy so that I can survive this winter. Hmm...maybe I can find a way to bottle up some warmth and sunshine.

Okay, I really just wanted y'all to know that I haven't frozen to death in a block of ice. I'm still here just haven't been in the greatest mood and I didn't want to bring anyone else's mood down with a bunch of depressing posts. So that I don't end this post on a "sad" note, I'll share with you a few things that make me happy and keep me warm.

• A mug of hot chocolate with melted marshmallows on top
• My snuggie
• A large pot of homemade soup
• Fuzzy slippers
• Super soft pajamas
• Hot bath with red velvet scented bubble bath
• The best chili ever
• Cuddling with my hubby

What things help you make it through the winter blues?

Theme for 2010: Completion

In keeping with my switch from just a list of resolutions I'm instead choosing a theme for the year which will help guide me. I've decided that my theme for 2010 is "Completion". It took me a while to decide on one word to sum up my ideas for the next year but I think that does a pretty good job. I have been working on a number of areas in my life and this year I will be completing some of those items. As you may have figured out by reading my blog, I'm good at planning but not so good at follow-through. Having a theme of completion also signifies that I'm going to follow-through. Plan and COMPLETE those plans.

There are a few specific goals that I am going to list out. I may also post detailed plans for each goal in some future posts.

1. Ran a half-marathon: I don't want to take the time to train for a full marathon but I need a race to help me stay motivated with my running schedule.

2. Pay off 2 of my debts: I'm working on a specific plan to accomplish this.

3. Lose 15 pounds by June: That's less than 3 pounds a month which I think is very doable.

Those are the only goals I'm going to post for now. There are numerous other small things that I want to accomplish over the next year but I'm only posting my top 3.

What do you want to accomplish in 2010?

2009 Mission Accomplished???

The end of the year is here...like every year, I've been going over the past year and determining if I met my goals for the year. So how did I do?

These were my goals for the last year:

*Complete a triathlon
*Complete 2nd marathon (still deciding which one this will be but I'm leaning towards Chicago)
*Improve eating habits (I do have a specific plan for this particular goal which I will share soon)
*Create a 3 year personal/career development plan and begin implementation of the plan
*IMPLEMENT!!!

Well I didn't complete all of these goals but I'm still satisfied with the past year.

I completed a triathlon and had a lot of fun doing so. I decided not to run another marathon because I was feeling burnt out and my heart just wasn't in it. My eating habits were just so-so, I definitely could have done better in that respect. I created my personal/career development plan and I have begun implementation of that plan. I received a promotion a few months ago and that was the first step in my plan, I feel I'm well on my way career-wise.

I'm still trying to finalize what my theme for next year will be. Last year I stopped doing resolutions and decided to instead have a theme for the year and to list a few specific goals associated with that theme. I'll figure it out by tomorrow and post my decision either tomorrow or on the 1st.

Easy Living

I've often wondered how people can let themselves get morbidly obese. I still DO wonder how it happens but today I did have an epiphany about how it starts. I'm not about to disclose some mind-blowing revelation, so don't get excited. I just simply realized it happens because it is EASY. It is so much easier to just do nothing. It takes virtually no effort to sit around and not be active. To just eat whatever you want and not even think twice about the amount of calories or the impact of what you're eating on your health. But here is the thing, the longer you take the "easy" route and go down the path of destruction the HARDER it is to get back on track. The harder you have to work to lose the weight and fight the urge to live unhealthy.

I've been taking it easy lately which means it is going to be harder for me to get back on track. It's okay though, I'm ready for the challenge....

Good Luck Amy!

My running buddy Amy (who I've been neglecting) is running her 1st marathon on Sunday. Although I won't be there to cheer her on I will be cheering in spirit. I met up with her yesterday for a short run and it was great. I don't know what I was thinking staying away so long but I made her promise to let me know when she was going to start back running after her marathon so I could join her. The plan is to always stay trained well enough to be able to do a half marathon. That sounds like a pretty reasonable plan to me.

I'm looking forward to hearing all about her run and even though she claims it is going to take her 12 hours to finish, I'm predicted that she'll run it in well under 5.

GOOD LUCK AMY! I know you can do it.

Never Underestimate Your Spouse

I've been reading this book, "The Primal Blueprint" and it really has me considering a major lifestyle change. When I say major, I mean MAJOR. I won't say that this is a Diet because it isn't something you do for a period of time, it is a way of life but the changes are mostly focused around your eating habits.. I'm not going to go into great detail in this post because I haven't actually finished the book and I want to have the full picture before I discuss it here.

The biggest change is that this way of life calls for the elimination of grains from your diet. That's right, no bread, pasta, rice, corn or any other grains. The book goes into depth about the science behind the recommendation to eliminate grains and how it will lead to a healthier life. I usually give the side eye (o_O) to these books that propose what seems to be radical changes in the way I live my life. This book, unlike many others, provides a large amount of references and I've found other, unrelated, articles that agree with the beliefs presented in this book.

Why am I even considering this? Because I want to feel better. I'm in relatively great shape (although I could still stand to lose a little body fat) and there isn't nothing medically wrong with me. But I don't feel GOOD. My stomach is almost always upset and it was clear from my non-dairy exercise that it isn't just lactose that is a problem. I more than likely have a gluten sensitivity and eliminating grains from my diet is one way to ease that pain. Eliminating grains is something I was considering before I even heard about this book but since reading the book I'm even more motivated to actually do it.

Last night at dinner I brought this up to my husband. I just knew he was not going to be happy about my decision and was definitely not going to participate. Surprise, surprise he just said, "so does this mean I can still eat meat?". Apparently his breaking point is taking away his steaks, he doesn't care so much about bread and pasta. I'm not going to go "cold turkey" because that would more than likely just result in a binge and because I'm not going to waste the food I already have in my pantry (that is open). The items that are unopened that won't be a part of my new lifestyle, I'll just add to my donation to the local food bank. This will be a gradual thing but my plan is to be at least 80% primal by the beginning of the year. I'll keep you posted....

The Only Thing to Fear

"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself" - Franklin D. Roosevelt

It's not that I don't understand the quote, of course it is the fear of (fill in the blank) that is the problem and not the actual thing we are fearing. Perhaps this is true but even if fear is the only thing we HAVE to fear, it most certainly isn't the only thing we DO fear. There are a lot of things that we fear and everyone has their own private fears. When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, the fear of change plays a big part.

Change scares a lot of people, probably because "the unknown" scares a lot of people and that is essentially what change is. You are doing something new, something you don't have experience with and that can be scary. It is much easier to go on living life the way you always have than to potentially experience discomfort by changing your ways.

The reason I bring this up is because I think this fear is what has prevented me from making the changes to my lifestyle that I know I need to. Well that and my lack of willpower/possibly addiction to unhealthy foods. If I make the decision to eat healthy, I'm afraid I'll miss eating all of the crap I shouldn't be eating anyway. If I stop watching TV (as much) , I'm afraid I'll miss something exciting and interesting. But you know what? I'm pretty sure that in the long run I'll be much happier if I am healthier and have the potential to live a better and longer life.

If I focus on the things that will truly make me happy then I'll be able to overcome the fear of change because I know the change is for the better.

Giving Up Jarred Pasta Sauce

This all began the other night when I was making dinner. I didn't really have a specific meal in mind and since I hadn't gone grocery shopping I was going to have to make due with what was already in my pantry/freezer. I had some shrimp and some pasta so I thought, all I need is some spaghetti sauce and I can make shrimp spaghetti. Sadly, I didn't have any of my usual Chunky Ragu sauce in the pantry. What I did have however was the perfect ingredients to make my own spaghetti sauce. I whipped my "homemade" sauce up in no time and after the first spoonful I decided that I was officially giving up store bought spaghetti sauce.

Tonight I made my own sauce again, this time using lean ground beef instead of shrimp and once again it was delicious! It was sooo easy, I really don't know why I wasn't doing this before. I know you are all extremely interested in knowing my recipe, so I will try to appease you. If you know me, you know I'm not the best at explaining how I make something unless I'm following an exact recipe.

Warning: this is not exact but just a rough guide to go by.

Ingredients:

Large Can of Hunt's Diced Tomatoes (I like the ones already seasoned with garlic, oregano, and basil)

~4 oz Tomato Paste

Italian Seasoning

Crushed Red Pepper

Instructions:

1. Mix the diced tomatoes with the tomato paste. Stir the tomato paste until it dissolves into the juice from the diced tomatoes. *I'd suggest that you add the tomato paste in slowly, you may need more or less.

2. Add seasoning to taste. I never measure my seasoning so I wouldn't even know where to begin as far as amounts are concerned.

3. Enjoy! Yep, it's that simple.

Notes:

-If you like your sauce more "juicy" then you may want to consider adding a little bit of tomato juice or using some crushed tomatoes.

-I'm thinking of trying out adding additional vegetables to the sauce. Maybe one of those bags of italian vegetables.

On another topic....my GoWear Fit came today (yeah I bought it) so be on the lookout for a post about that really soon.

Planning Makes Perfect

I'm the planner queen. I make life plans, meal plans, exercise plans, shopping plans, all types of plans. I have calendars, electronic planners, notebook planners, hand-held planners. I make to-do lists, to-go lists, to-buy lists, to-see lists. I set time limits, price limits, all types of limits.

Where does that get me? Sometimes it gets me far and I follow my plan and achieve my goal. More often it just leaves me with a well-written PLAN. Excessive planning makes you a perfect planner but it doesn't make you a perfect executor. A great plan is just a nice set of words if you don't actually put that plan into action. The action portion is where I sometimes get hung up. I have some excellent plans in my folder of plans that I've never actually started. I haven't figured out what makes me see certain plans through while others stay trapped on a sheet of paper.

I saw this funny episode on South Park where they were making fun of how girls are always making lists. I found this hilarious because I've always made lists, I probably make at least one list a day. I never thought of list-making as being a female thing but maybe it is.

My point is this, I will never stop creating my "perfect" plans but I am going to spend more time implementing the plans I've created. Hmm...perhaps I should go create a plan on how I'm going to implement my plans....LOL, just kidding!

BodyBugg

I'm thinking about getting a BodyBugg or at least trying one out. I think the gym I go to has something where you can rent one for a month so I'm going to look into how much that costs. If you've never heard of the BodyBugg, it measures your caloric output to help you accurately estimate what your caloric intake should be in order for you to lose weight.

I know, I know....do I really need to spend money on another gadget? Probably not, but I have come to the realization that I have a small addiction to gadgets. I love them, when I find out about a new gadget I want it. If I had the money or less restraint, I'd probably have all of the items that they sell in those infomercials. I think this particular gadget could be useful in helping me break my current plateau, at least I hope that it will.

I'll let you all know if/when I get it and what it tells me. What I really need is something that I can just attach to my body that will beep when I've eaten too much. Maybe I could even set it to give me a mild shock when I even think about eating unhealthy food.....too extreme?

Where's Elvis?

I apologize for leaving so abruptly and not letting you all know. I've been in Memphis since Sunday for work and have been super busy. I promise to get back on top of my blogging when I get back in town this weekend. I shouldn't even be up right now because I have my last session in the morning and without some sleep those things aren't the easiest to stay awake through.

I hope everyone is doing well and is on track with whatever your individual fitness goals are. Free food and no time to exercise means I'm going to have a lot of work to do when I get back. I might need to go ahead and call Paul about that 100 mile bike ride he wants to do.

P90X Question

Has anyone tried the P90X series? From what I can tell it has been out for a while so it isn't something new that people are doing. I've read a few reviews and like reviews for anything of this nature people either like it or love it. It is clearly not for beginners but I took the "fitness test" that they recommend before purchase and I passed (with flying colors). 

I am enjoying cycling and running, the swimming not so much but it is getting better. I still want to do triathlons but I feel like I'm not seeing the changes body-wise that I am looking for. A few people that I've talked to that actually did the program said that it was "life changing" for them and that they finally saw the results they had been trying to get for a long time.

What do you all think about the program?? I do have my 10 year high-school reunion coming up soon....

Body Fat Percentage Bullcrap

So I told y'all yesterday about how I bought the body composition scale and how upset I was by the percentage it gave me. I was convince it was a liar so I decided to have my husband (who rarely works out and eats cheesecake like 3 times a week) get on there to see what his is. Umm yeah so now I'm even MORE upset. His body fat percentage is less than half of mine. I mean COME ON! In what universe is this even fair? He went out and ran/walked a mile and a half today and he'll probably lose 2 pounds. Me on the other hand, if I go more than 3 days without working out I gain 2 pounds.

My mom asked me the other day "why aren't you skinny?". Yes, why am I not skinny? I'm really starting to think that I have some sort of condition that isn't allowing me to lose weight. I think I'm going to go get this checked out because something isn't right.

On another note: I'm going to try to go for 2 weeks without eating any dairy product. I think that dairy is really causing me intestinal distress so I want to see how I feel if I just eliminate it from my diet. This is going to be extremely hard for me because I LOVE pretty much everything diary. I haven't met a cheese I didn't like, ice cream has always been a great friend to me, cream sauce *sigh*. Oh well, if it gets rid of my stomach pains then I guess it will be worth it....maybe...

Happy Anniversary to Us

Today is our 1 year anniversary! Whew...we made it, LOL. The traditional present for the 1st anniversary is paper. Since we are in the digital age I count the internet as "new" paper. So in celebration of our anniversary I thought I would list 10 reasons why I love my husband.

1. He puts up with my messiness and even picks up the shoes and coats I leave thrown around on the floor.
2. He lets me have control over the remote.
3. He has semi-agreed to us getting a cat despite his cat "allergy".
4. He tells me that every meal I make is delicious (even though I don't really believe him).
5. He supports me fully in my work and training.
6. He rubs my sore muscles after a long hard workout.
7. He laughs at my jokes and some of them are pretty bad.
8. He puts up with my constant mood swings, I am truly a Gemini.
9. He entertains the fact that I say that I am going to become a more organized person at least once a week but it has yet to happen.
10. HE GETS ME!

There are a bazillion more reasons why I love my husband...these are just a few. Now I'm off to start preparing a wonderful dinner of stuffed mushrooms, crab cakes, filet migon, cole slaw and double-baked potatoes. YUM!

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.

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!

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*

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?

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.