Short but Sweet

Exercise: 40 mins elliptical 25 mins strength

Somehow it's already 10pm which means it's bedtime. I feel so behind on everything, especially this blog. I promise I'll catch up one of these days but the next 3 days are jam packed with kid stuff, appt's, business dinners. The usual.

Well, if I don't get to bed now that opens up the possibility of getting very little sleep depending on Little Man's schedule. Enjoy the rest of you week and I'll try to check in.

Little Man says hi!

Hello New Hotness

Exercise: 4 mile run-9:30 avg pace

I gots me a new jogger... Hello New Hotness

Goodbye old and busted

I loved my old jogger but apparently plastic wheels MELT. It wasn't like an oozing melt but the wheels warped so the tires no longer fit and made all the wheels wobble. No bueno. Also, the front wheel unlocks so it has a slight wobble as well. But all in all, this jogger probably ran and walked close to 1500 miles. That's like 5 pairs of shoes. And you know good running shoes can cost you a $100 a pair, so 1500 miles on $119 stroller is pretty awesome. Also this stroller has all the bells and whistles intact like a movable canopy, 2 cup holders, an ipod jack, huge under carriage basket and child drink and snack tray. Even with the wheel issue I highly recommend this stroller.

I am already loving my new jogger though. It has no wheel resistance which makes pushing 40 pounds easy peasy. It didn't come with cup holders but Music Man installed a bike bottle cage and I will probably install another. The only thing I really missed was the child snack tray but I'll figure out how to hack that eventually.

I took the new jogger out for the first time Sunday. I'm used to having the top cup holders and I use one for my water and one for my phone. Since this jogger only has one bottle holder I used it for my water and stowed my phone in the storage basket. The only problem with this is that I use my phone instead of a Garmin, so I couldn't check my pace. I knew this beforehand and decided that I would just do my 6 mile run at a comfortably hard pace. I was getting a great cardio workout, feeling my heart pound, but could talk and enjoy the run. I loved not paying attention to my pace. I did worry that I wasn't going fast enough but I relied completely on the way I felt. And guess what? My average pace was 9:15!!! 9:15 with a jogger, not tracking my pace, running comfortably! What a difference a stroller makes.

I have been photographing my meals but have had a crazy last few days. So here are a few pics and I'll start fresh tomorrow.

Oatmeal with chia seeds, peanut butter, strawberries and brown sugar. Tasted like a pb&j. yum!

Baby Greens with brown rice, madras lentils and home grown tomatoes

Steak, broccoli and penne inspired by Gourmet Runner

I have many more weekend photos I'll post tomorrow but Music Man needs to borrow the lap top and I don't want to switch to another computer soooo...

Night Night

Seriously?

The wheels on my jogging stroller melted! That has been the culprit if all my tire problems. Looks like I'm on a running hiatus until I figure out what to do. Man...

From Yoga to Flat on My Face

Exercise: 45 mins elliptical

Today was a cross training day and I normally do weights but I was feeling a little tired so I decided to just do some easy yoga. I've been practicing yoga off and on for years but I stick to the basics, never trying the more challenging balance moves. When I started practicing again back in March I decided I really wanted to improve my practice and further my balance and core strength.

In the beginning I started doing a lot of the standing poses like chair and tree and moving on to half moon and warrior 3. A few months back I decided I really wanted to be able to do some of the arm balancing poses. So, pretty much, every day I do my strength training I try to incorporate push-ups, plank, side plank and chaturanga. I'm really trying to develop that arm strength and balance. But all along I've really wanted to be able to do the crane, side crane, peacock and firefly. I have been trying to do crane for awhile and yesterday I held it the longest yet, maybe 3 seconds. But at least I'm getting that balance.

Today I made the mistake of just seeing if I could hold crane longer than yesterday. I got my knees on my triceps and started moving forward, towards the balance. I was there for a second before one of my dogs came to investigate what i was doing with my rear in the air and before I knew it I was going face first into my concrete slab floor. I was convinced I had broken my nose because it felt like someone stabbed me in the face and then my teeth went numb. Sounds bad, but it was fleeting. I'm doing just fine now, not even a bruise.

Next time the dogs stay outside while I practice yoga.

Here are today's meals and a snapshot of my day.

Egg white omelet with spinach, cheese and prosciutto and a slice of sprouted grain toast for breakfast

Little Man playing the organ

Pre workout snack: flour tortilla with black bean dip, low fat mozzarella, tomatoes, spinach and avocado

Post workout snack was a veggie burger on toast with a slice of soy cheese. I was into carbs today

I hosted a seriously fun play date today. The pool turned ball pit was a hit. Best $30 ever! Enjoyed by kids aged 1-4. there were 5 kids in there at 1 point. I highly recommend this for sweltering summer days.

There's something up with my camera so my afternoon snack and dinner aren't documented. Snack was a bit more intricate because of the play date but I didn't eat much. I made guacamole and served hummus with sweet potato chips and crackers and some sliced strawberries on the side. Dinner was weird and kinda ugly anyway, but totally tasty. I had madras lentils and brown rice on a bed of wilted spinach and steamed green beans. All fruit popsicle for dessert.

I also have an update for my 21 day challenge. My #1 objective  is to photograph my meals but I'm adding a 2nd objective: to stop snacking after 7. I think that's when I consume the bulk of my calories, through mindless eating in front of the TV. Now I'm just going to have herbal tea. This will help eliminate those extra calories as well as improve hydration. Success so far!

Day 2 and a Box of Graham Crackers

Here's today's food. Nothing too special but everything was pretty tasty.

Iced coffee with vanilla coconut milk savored before anyone else was awake

Chocolate oatmeal with chia seeds and oat bran topped with peanut butter brown sugar

Weird lunch of Chobani strawberry, sweet potato chips, homemade bean dip (yum!!!) and celery with goat cheese (eww)

Tomato flat bread with the tons of tomatoes from my garden and the surplus from the csa box. Inspiration here. So very tasty. I used a similar recipe except that I made my own crust (whole wheat) and used low fat mozzarella instead of parmesan so that Little Man would enjoy it. He did. 

We ate it with steamed broccoli and super sweet strawberries

Not pictured- I ate close to half a box of graham crackers. Never a good idea to go to Trader Joe's without having a snack first. Normally I just get a sample of whatever they are serving but today's sample was god awful. A processed chicken nugget with orange marmalade, yack. Who decides that sort of thing? 

Timed Mile

Exercise: 4 mile run

Splits: 10:43, *7:34*, 9:45, 10:44

My fastest timed mile yet! The last timed mile I ran was 7:38 just prior to my 5k. This time all I hoped for was my time to be below 7:38 and I thought 7:35 was a good estimate. I know it's only a 1 second difference but I am extremely pleased by 7:34. I feel like my hard work is paying off.

My next timed mile will be in 2 weeks just before my next 5k on 9/25. To get that sub 25 5k I need to get my timed mile to 7:30. According to Jeff Galloway you can calculate your 5k pace by adding :33 to your timed mile. And an 8:03 pace will get me my coveted sub 25. I have some hard speed work in the next few weeks but I'm thinking this 5k will be mine!

21 Days... Take 2

I realized I sucked at my 21 day challenge. Well maybe not complete suckage. I wanted to do a lot of core work and I have since added many more core moves into my daily workout. But the diet part, well that was a bust. I actually gained 2 pounds. Eek! Also, it's been a month, not 21 days. It's time to reset.

The only thing that's ever helped me lose weight has been food journalling. So For this 21 days, I'm going to photograph everything I put in my mouth. It will especially help me make better choices because I'd feel pretty gross showing you a day full of french fries and cake.

So here goes day 1

Egg white omelet with soy cheese and prosciutto and a slice of sprouted wheat toast for breakfast

Fage pomegranate cherry Greek yogurt for morning snack time

Baby greens with pecans, blueberries, goat cheese and balsamic for lunch

Pretzel slims and mustard for afternoon snack

Pre dinner brewski

Meatloaf burger things (yummy) corn and green beans for dinner. I gave Little Man some tater tots just to make sure he ate something but he was totally focused on his meat and corn.

Not pictured was 2 small pickles, 1 small bite mint ice cream, and a handful of Peanut Butter Puffins. I feel ok about what I ate except for the beer but that's not a daily occurrence, it's a holiday. I did eat kind of a lot, but I was pretty active today.