Day 105 - A Small Taste

This morning, I'm heartbroken.

I'm trying to will myself to stay in the game because mentally, I'm 100% in my training. Physically, I've never felt worse. EVERYONE (Kyle, my mom, etc) is mad because I haven't gone to the MD yet....but I kinda thought things would get better....sadly, they are getting worse.

I don't care that I'm losing two toenails. It doesn't even make me cringe to bleed through my socks on a lot of runs.

Every morning, I wake up feeling incredibly nauseous. Like, I have to move slowly or just moving too quickly is going to make me throw up. Some mornings I have dry heaves. Every day, my stomach just aches for at least two hours. Nothing about my digestion is right.

I was ok with feeling that way and just thinking that it was my body getting used to training.

This morning, I got on the treadmill and ran a quick mile. Then literally, had to get right off because I almost threw up right there. I tried to push through to finish my run, but no success.

I feel like such a failure because I want to do this run 100%, I know I have enough endurance to get through it, but I seriously don't know if I can feel this way for the next 25 days. It's hard to explain (and trust me you don't want me to go into all the nuances of this....TMI for this blog) but I've never been in so much pain.

The other thing is that I can't find anywhere that this has happened to people....so if anyone knows how to fix this so I can train, I'm ALL ears.

To me, this is just so weak because clearly I didn't have my stomach cut open and have to retrain from that. But, I'm pretty good with pain and I feel like I'm really hurting myself here somehow.

I'm devastated that I've already failed at Week 4, only doing 2 miles today instead of 4.....and not sure whether my mind or belly will win at this point.

Ouchie.

Day 98 - Pushing through...

When I woke up this AM, there was no way I was going for a run. I pretended I was by getting out of bed, but I was back next to Kyle within two minutes. He asked me if I really wanted to quit and I told him yes....so he let it be.

Fast-forward to my trip to Manchester, NH and I got my groove back! Walked into the hotel, got into my running outfit, and kicked ass at 3.5 miles. I ran it faster than my assumed race pace (don't get that excited, it's not like my race pace is anything awesome), but it felt awesome.

Apparently, there must be some changes in me as one of the women I work with told me that she thought I looked a lot more toned....and actually said (and I quote) "your arms look cut". Then, while I was running today next to a full length mirror (LOVE it) I could actually see the muscles moving in my upper arms and back. I was a little turned on by it....which is weird because usually I'm all about "skinny" and now I'm into "muscles"??? Strange.

Funny moment in the gym. As I open the door, this 38 year old man is literally groaning and grunting his way through pushups. I'm thinking he's really at the end of his workout for how much bitching and moaning are taking place. Then I start watching him....he's not even doing real pushups!!!!! He is faking his way through really shallow dips and keeping his arms bent. What a mess. I thought that was enough....but oh no, it gets better.

He goes over to the free weights section and tries to lift two 40 lb dumbells off the rack. He can't do it, so he brings one over to the bench and then makes another trip. He benches them for maybe three reps. Again, no full extension of the arms. He is groaning and then collapses on the bench to watch TV for five minutes.

THEN, he goes over to the free weights and picks up two 30 or 35 lb bells. He walks over right next to me (please note we have the entire gym to ourselves to spread out in) and cleans the dumbbells. Then he attempts to do a push press and almost drops one on his head. He can't get them higher than his shoulders. He shakes his head, takes a peek at me to see if I've noticed (I'm pretending I'm seeing none of this) and then goes over to get the 25 lb bells. He does maybe 5 of what I would call clean & press, but instead of doing the cleans, he is letting the bells fall down to his side and then trying to beast them back up with his arms. No wonder he can only do 5.

At this point, I seriously wanted to get off the treadmill, take the 2 25's and double his workout. It was so sad....and I thought it couldn't get any worse!!!! Never fear....it did.

THEN, he gets the 2 15 lb bells. I'm completely snickering inside because seriously, why is a guy using 15 lb bells. I use 15 bells for a light workout with a lot of reps! Then....think about what he did next....yep, you guessed it...that asinine exercise where you hold the two 15's above your head and extend your arms forward and back to work something...I think triceps? Either way, it's a completely pointless exercise that will do nothing for your physique. Mr. Gym Rat did 10 of them before he was completely beat.

He then took a towel to wipe off ALL the sweat from his excruciatingly tough workout and poured himself a large glass of water. Then he watched TV for 10 minutes and then he decided to do sit-ups. On the sit-up machine. Nothing weighted...just 15 to 25 sit-ups.

It took every inch of my self-control not to walk up to him and suggest he look into Crossfit or a local barbell club. The man wasted a good 35 minutes on nothing.

I've determined that is why America is overweight. You have people doing idiotic exercises that will never help you lose weight. Let's be honest, even if I work out for an HOUR on the elliptical machine as hard as I can...am I really breaking a sweat or struggling in the slightest? Not so much. I went to Olive Garden afterwards and they have only one or two items that can even be modified to be part of a healthy diet. I actually took a glance at the nutrition information online....even the chicken they advertise as "healthy" has over 42 g of carbs. Completely unnecessary.

I was pretty good...I got the mixed grill with all steamed veggies instead of the potatoes. I caved a bit at the end of the meal by having one breadstick and my after-dinner mint....but that was the best I could do!

In other great running news, I've been waking up every morning feeling really nauseous and it stays with me for hours....whether I eat breakfast or not. I'm not pregnant for the one smartass that will ask. Now, when I've run recently, the back of my throat and upper chest start burning and I start coughing. Acid reflux? I guess I'll go read my runners symptoms book again...if it's not one, it's another.

Day 97 - Things Happen for a Reason?

I've always told everyone that I believe things happen for a reason. But, could it be that deep down I don't really believe that or I try to circumvent the process?

It's amazing to me because there are so many things that have happened to me that truly did happen "for a reason"....most of them are deep dark secrets because why would I ever want anyone to see me as less than perfect.....but honestly enough there have been some real changes and disappointments along the way. I'm not quite ready to expose myself to all of them....but perhaps a few.

Here's some that I can remember.....and please don't judge me.....

1. I didn't really want to move to Ft. Wayne. Sure, I rated the job highly and thought it was an awesome opportunity, but I figured that somehow I'd really stay in Philly or one of the other jobs I wanted - I would get.

What happened: Probably the toughest and best learning experience on the job EVER, the career experience of a lifetime, learned how to be on my own and without a group of ready-made friends for a year, spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted, lost 20 lbs, MET MY HUSBAND, learned that I was a pretty good bowler, got to spend at least one weekend a month with my family and saved a lot of money

2. I was absolutely heartbroken about not being promoted last year even though I secretly knew I wasn't ready (although NOW I'm ready to kick some butt!) and took a lot of comments about why I didn't go for the team leader job.

What happened: Most of the team got laid off and I would have potentially been in a very tough spot.

3. I thought my life was so sad when my parents told me that I had to get a "real" degree from Northwestern instead of a theater degree (sorry to all my theater friends..they just didn't see it as useful!).

What happened: I got a lead in the Mainstage musical my freshman year and HATED performing....apparently it turned out I was a bit of a narcissist and only liked performing for audiences where everyone was my friend...I would have been a terrible professional!

I'm sure there is many more. I'm struggling right now between trusting in my own instincts at pushing forward....to believing that God has a plan and I fit into it somehow....or to take my friend's psychic who predicted eerily true things to find out where I belong.

All I know is that I'm being tested right now and hopefully a change is coming soon.

Is it in the cards for me to be a laid-back Southerner, with a new accent, a convertible, and dye my hair blond?

I guess we'll see shortly.

Day 96 - What really matters

As I sit here, procrastinating from working on preparation for my interview on Tuesday, I've been thinking and dreaming a lot about the things that really matter. I tend to focus on the here and now and 100% go with my gut on things. I don't do a good job (at all) of appreciating the things that I have in my life right now that are wonderful and I'm always striving to be better, to have more, and to win at everything. Some people might say those are good characteristics, but if you're my family or my husband, you are probably annoyed and think that really, it keeps me from ever being truly happy.

I think one thing that I hope to accomplish this year is to find out what makes me happy. One thing I want to do to start the process is to make a list of things that are great about my life and to remember to read it when I think that the world is crashing to an end (yes, I'm slightly overdramatic at times).

So, here we go with the list.

1. I have a wonderful husband who loves me no matter what, who puts up with the crazy things I do, and realizes that I will always have fun with him, but really will never learn to clean up and put my clothes away. He is supportive, kind, and a truly nice person.
2. I have parents that I am very close with and growing closer all the time. They are alive, healthy, and love vacationing as much as I do which is definitely a benefit for us!
3. I have a job. I make money. I have benefits. Enough said.
4. I have a roof over my head that I own.
5. I can go out to dinner whenever I want and don't have to care about the cost. Same with shopping.
6. I'm getting closer with my sister, brother, and "new" married family all the time and really enjoy being with them.
7. If I wanted to quit my job tomorrow and go on a cruise around the world, I could do it. I probably won't because I'm a little neurotic about work, but I could if I wanted to.
8. My girlfriends are tried and true and I love all of them so much! I know they would be there for me if and whenever I need them.
9. Not only can I get out of bed every morning, but I can run a half marathon. I need to appreciate my fitness and muscle and stop worrying about being a size 2. It's just not me.
10. I am better off in the world than so many people and families and have financial independence.

I think it's time to stop and smell the roses or I won't appreciate being "one of the Joneses" in a few years.

On a less serious note, late last week I remembered why I told Sera that I would never run another half marathon after Disney earlier this year. Because I hate running.

Apparently I only do all this running to make myself crazy. But, I got through 6.5 today...it wasn't pretty, it was a lot of run/walk combination, but that's half the run that I know I can get through even with not a super fast pace.

In happy news, I did outfit myself with a brand new wardrobe of running attire yesterday. Hello 6 new running skirts and a bunch of new tops. At least if I am going to suffer, I'll do it in style.

This week is going to be tough to get my workouts in since I'll be in Boston Tuesday-Sunday. I think I'll run 3.5 miles early Tuesday AM, do some strength training Weds night at the hotel gym, skip my workout on Thursday (unless timing works out), and get up early Friday and do another 3.5 miles. Sunday I'm supposed to do 7.5 miles or so and I have no idea how that is going to work out. We'll have to play it by ear as I don't know if the second hotel has a gym...I would assume not.

Luckily the diet of a wholesaler bodes very well for running as I'll be eating steak and vegetables all week. I also have new rules....no more drinking and no more carbs (I accidentally typed crabs....and then snickered a bit....apparently I'm still 12 years old mentally).

Happy 1st wedding anniversary to me!

Day 93 - My first blister

Boo.

Today, after running three miles in the new shoes and wondering why my foot hurt so badly....I found my first blister on my heel. It's about the size of a quarter and I really have no idea what to do with it.

I thought somehow I would be the first runner ever to escape blisters. After all, I've already been lucky enough to experience my toenails falling off, skin chafing and a wide range of other lovely runner symptoms.

Now, in dancing, we always would pop the blister, expose it to air, and then douse it with Nu-skin to have a second tougher layer of skin.

Any thoughts on how to treat this blister? I'm not really excited about running 6 miles with it hurting like heck on Sunday.

I did get through the three miles and I tried Sera's news article way of sprinting intervals. I actually like it a lot better....I did 1.5 mi regular and 1.5 mi sprints. It was actually fairly amusing!

Good news is that now I can have fun with Qamara & Jen tonight instead of run, run, running....

Also, my coach is working on a crossfit endurance program to help me do more Crossfit and less long runs in order to still train for the half. We'll see what exciting things come out of that!

Day 92 - Not my favorite...

Yesterday, on Day 91, I completed a 3 mile run that was outrageously hard. It was my first run in my new Asics and it just sucked. I officially hated everything about it. That's the funny thing about running - sometimes, it's the best run of your life and sometimes you would rather be doing anything else.

The good news is that I sucked it up and got through it.

Today's workout was as follows:

Squats
45 lb x 5 reps x 2 sets
65 lb x 5 reps x 1 set
85 lb x 5 reps x 1 set
105 lb x 1 rep x 1 set
Work Weight: 115 lb x 5 reps x 3 sets

Presses
45 lb x 5 reps x 1 set
52 lb x 1 rep x 1 set
Work Weight: 54 lb x 5 reps x 3 sets

Weighted Sit-ups
15 lb x 10 reps x 3 sets

Met-Con
25 lb x 2 continental cleans
4 overhead lunges (2 Left/2 right)

The above for time x 10 sets

Time was 4:03.

I'm tired, and dirty, and smelly....but getting stronger!

Day 90 - Week 1 Complete!

Today was the major test of this week....a 5 mile run.

Because it was 90 degrees out with 95% humidity and isolated thunderstorms, I decided that in order to get through it, I did most of it at the gym (I know, somewhat of a cop out).

However, I was totally amused. The 5 miles wasn't really that hard. My arms didn't hurt, my legs didn't hurt, my skin didn't chafe.....actually, all was right with the world. The biggest problem I had was endurance - I was getting out of breath and working my lungs pretty hard.

This means I owe my coach one heck of a THANKS for putting muscle on me because when I was training for running before, my body always gave out before my lungs/endurance.

Today was a positive run, where the miles just flew by and I stayed incredibly motivated the entire time. Or maybe it was just that I was watching "The Parent Trap" on Disney and I'm not going to lie, I love that movie. Something about the happy ending coming true even when two people are apart for 10 years just gets me everytime. Either that, or little Lindsay Lohan as twins. Either way, a complete winner.

I think I did give myself a bit of a system shocker as I have a monster headache as I write this and actually feel slightly hungover. Is it possible to get a runner's hangover? I think I might coin the term, because I can tell you that's exactly how I felt after the other half marathon.

Let's do a report card for week #1:
1. Two short runs - that gets an A- as they were completed, but with a bit of whining and a bit of a short run on the second day due to my "organs jostling" (yes that is a scientific term).

2. One hour conditioning & strength training - A for effort and because we did longer than an hour.

3. 30 min conditioning & strength training - F because I was too hungover to do it.

4. 5 mile long run - A- because it wasn't done outside, but was definitely a winning way to finish the week.

Food gets a D and not drinking gets a C so I definitely have some things to improve upon this week. However, I sense that it will be a good week ahead.....particularly in my new running shoes that were obtained today.

In closing, ouch, my head hurts. 42 days and counting to 13.1.....

Day 88 - A serious runner

First, my updates for Day 87. The alarm goes off at 6:00AM and already I'm annoyed because I'm tired. Then I think about the fact that a million others have already gotten up, completed their run, and that I need to remember what a lazy bum I am. Kyle (sweetheart that he is) looks outside and tells me to be careful because it rained during the night. It's summer, so I clearly automatically think that it is sunny and warm every day......maybe not.

I put on a really cute running outfit, I get my iPod & GPS watch, and I step out the front door. And start shivering. Then I realize it's currently raining lightly. For a second, I decide to wimp out, go back inside, get my gym pass, and do my run indoors on a treadmill. But then I remember that I'm a SERIOUS runner and a serious runner would run outside no matter what the weather. So, I take off and start running.

It was the exact opposite of my run the other day. The first mile was pure hell. My muscles were sore from the night before. My mind kept saying, "It's raining. You're crazy. Just walk the 13 miles. It's not that important." I'm sure I looked a bit like a crazy person in a nice running outfit muttering to myself in the middle of the street.

The first mile was almost like running in a dream. There was no one out and about. I was running through a hustling, bustling city without any hustle or bustle. Very surreal. After getting on the path to run along the riverfront, I was amazed at the true starkness of Philly early in the morning in the rain.

I ran a few steps and saw a homeless man sitting on a bench. He didn't even seem to be fazed by the rain (it was raining much harder by this point). I ran past two anorexic-looking girls who were so frail that I couldn't even imagine how they were running. No eye contact made by them as they were much too serious about burning calories. I ran past two little old ladies out for a walk. They were a little overweight and were power walking. The rain didn't seem to bother them as they were having a spirited conversation.

I ran past an amazingly attractive guy and gave him a quick smile. After all, I'm a serious runner, he's a serious runner - there's a connection waiting to happen. He made eye contact, looked me up and down and gave me a very strange look. I didn't put two and two together until I got home and realized my selection of a white running shirt in the rain made things a little "interesting". Clearly, I didn't think that one through so well....

I ran past a homeless man who was pushing all his worldly belongings on the drive. He made eye contact, smiled, and gave me a nod. He was probably the friendliest of all the humans out on the path.

As I was making it into the home stretch, I passed this little Asian man who was taking shelter underneath an awning. He smiled at me and actually told me words of encouragement as I was running. That was just one person....imagine what it is going to be like with hundreds of people. It feels so awesome!

Then, last night, I broke rule #1 and told Kyle I was going to be designated driver from the Northwestern University happy hour. Ha. Multiple drinks and multiple shots later, he just laughed and said he knew I wouldn't do it. Darn it. Did we really make friends with the owner of all of the Cavanaugh bars last night? And did I really make friends with all those animal shelter people and then abandon Kyle to talk to them? I'm pretty sure that at one point, there were at least 30 shots lined up on the bar. It's just so hazy.

So, that meant I failed miserably as I was supposed to get up this AM and do 35 min of strength training and conditioning. Hmmm...we'll see if that gets made up at some point today, but I realistically doubt it.

Other than that, Sera and I have been discussing our running outfits at length. I'm really excited that we're going to get shirts for people to wear who have supported us (more to come on this SOON!) and also have our own personalized shirts.

I'm signing off until Sunday as I'll be at the lovely New Jersey shore. Wish me loads of luck for my 5 mile run on Sunday morning...because I will need it!

Day 86 - Where's the motivation?

Today, as I was sweating through "Bad Luck 13", my coach realized that she didn't know what my motivation was. I didn't answer her - at the time, this was because I was breathing so hard I almost threw up. But, on the way home, I stopped to think for a bit about motivation.

I've always been considered by others to be "a very motivated person". I commit to things and I try to do my best at them. But, what actually motivates me? Why do I want to be the best at everything? Why am I motivated to show up and work hard at things? I'm not sure I have the answer to this. Is this an innate quality? I would blame it on being competitive and wanting to win at everything I do as a personality trait....but is that really all of it?

I'm not even sure what other people would say they think motivates them or me. What are the prime drivers of why we are motivated to do certain things and not others? Or in my case, why I have to be uber-motivated at things I do even if I don't really like or care about them? I'd love opinions on this to know if I'm alone on this.

Today's workout was pretty awesome - ask me on Friday how I feel.......

Squats
45 lbs x 5 reps x 2 sets
60 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set
80 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set
95 lbs x 1 rep x 1 set
Work weight: 110 lbs x 5 reps x 3 sets

Deadlifts
102 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set
122 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set
Work weight: 135 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set

Weighted Sit-ups
15 lbs x 10 sit-ups x 3 sets

Pull-ups
2 negatives on the rings
3 negatives on the bar

Metabolic Conditioning - "Bad Luck Thirteen"
13 calories on the rower + 13 35-lb kettlebell swings + 13 burpees
3 rounds of the above for time
I don't know what my time was but i worked my butt off and this workout sucked hard.....

Day 85 - The stages of running

I'm fairly certain that all runners go through stages when they run. Without fail, every time I lace up those shoes, a number of emotions and thoughts run through my head.

Here's some of those stages I got to, today.

Stage 0: Getting Ready
Somehow, I have to talk myself into actually getting out the door. I have to pick the perfect outfit, make sure my iPod is ready to go, get the GPS watch ready, and if a longer run, strap on my marathoner belt. From an emotional perspective, this is usually me on a teeter-totter. I come up with all these great reasons I shouldn't go running right now and then I just dismiss them. It amazes me that people walk out the door and just say that they'll run however long/far they feel like. For me, if I don't have a goal (really...an ending point), I don't think I'd ever make it out the door.

Stage 1: The first mile
Oh, it just feels so good. The sun is shining, I feel like I'm quite the dashing runner figure (aka look like I know what I'm doing), and I'm just zipping around the city. Life couldn't be better in the first mile. I'm not even looking at my watch to see my time or to see how far I've gone because I could do this all day. My music is pumping me up and all is well with the world.

Stage 2: The slow-down
I surreptitiously start checking my watch and am shocked at how long it takes for a tenth of a mile to tick down. I'm impressed that I was running faster than a 9 min mile, but then I start to wonder if maybe I was going too fast and now I'm spent? I will myself by sheer force not to stop running and to keep going. Now, I'm flipping through music on my iPod trying to find a song that is great to run with and of course, not having much luck.

Stage 3: The half-way point
A very dangerous point because now you're headed back for home and while most people would get excited about being in the home stretch, my non-runners psyche starts to tell me that I already worked hard enough and did a good enough job, so now I can just coast. Here is the lazyness that I didn't know I really had.

Stage 4: Sprints/the end....
I try to reason with a body that wants to give up and a mind that subconsciously does too. I make internal deals with myself....i.e. if you run hard for two minutes, you can walk for 30 seconds. Or, just run until the song is over. This, in my opinion, is pretty weird because really, who negotiates with themselves??? It's almost like the angel and devil are both sitting on my shoulder and trying to see who will win.

And that's the diary of a complete non-runner.

If I was a real runner, here's what my diary would have been like this AM, instead of having my mind completely clouded over with the above....

"Wow, it's so great to be outside this morning. I feel so happy to be able to be out and about on a beautiful morning. It's wonderful to be able to explore the city on foot and to run by all these neat little pubs and cafes that we've never tried. Oh, that one looks like a fun place to take Kyle on a date. Look at those men working so hard already over there. And look, there is a little Japanese lady at the waterfront doing tai chi. I think I'd like to get into tai chi to be more relaxed. How lovely my life is and how wonderful it is to be running right now"

Hmmmm.....how do I get to that point? Or even get to a point where I can think about things and clear my head while running vs the obsession with "getting through it".

I know it sounds like I went out and ran a marathon this AM....but 2.5M was more than enough when I haven't ran since May. 3 months of zero running is not exactly the best platform to start from.

In more positive news, I ordered my very own Abmat to do 15 lb weighted sit-ups, which should really help with some core strengthening. That is one thing that I do have in all of this crazyness - at least I currently am stronger and have more muscle in my arms and stomach than I have ever had (well, at least since the end of college).

Day 1 is complete for this 49 day trial.

Day 84 - The emotional beginning....

In writing this blog, it has been straightforward, without a lot of emotion or "guts" or anything to really personalize it. Yes, I love to help people eat healthfully and am trying to be more fit, but there's a lot about myself that I'm hiding behind these workout times and eating logs. As you may have noted, it's very controlled and even somewhat censored.

One of my best friends in the whole world, Sera Fiana, went through what most people would view as a devastating time. She is brave, and kind, and tried to go through a horrific ordeal with as much strength and dignity as she could muster. I, on the other hand, cried about getting a migraine from having my wisdom teeth out and didn't exercise for four weeks with that as my excuse. She didn't even mind me complaining about something so menial because for a moment, it distracted her from the serious issues she was facing.

Sera is the reason I ran a half marathon in Feb/March of this year. It wasn't because I am a runner or an athlete or just plain crazy. Four girls who were friends with each other signed up to do this once in a lifetime trip to support a friend in need. Little did we know that it would be a trip that would change all of our lives, our friendships with each other, and our outlook on the future. Maybe I'm just speaking for myself, but I feel that it was a true connection. I know that sounds far-fetched, but it's true. Four girls with very different personalities decided to run a half-marathon. One of them realized it was too soon to be back on the horse and tried to be as brave and supportive as possible while the other three actually ran it. I will never understand how much she tried to be ok with not running it and watching us complete something she loved. Sera, I promise if you want to go back to Disney, I will suck it up and do it again. One of them realized she could open up about how she truly felt about a recent heartbreak and how to move past it. One of them became better friends with the three others and opened a door to let others in to her worries and hopes. And one of them (this one is me) realized that it was ok not to be the best at something and that doing things for the pleasure of doing them with other people was just as much of an accomplishment as always trying to win.

I will always be grateful to Sera, Allison, and Rachael for the amazing trip that we had that, in my opinion, really helped to form a support system for all of us.

Sera's story is something I hope everyone reads and understands and donates to in order to get more funding behind this rare and terrifying tumor. No, it's not mainstream like breast cancer or heart disease, but it is something rarer, similar to my epilepsy. There is not enough money or research or knowledge behind how to diagnose, treat, and prevent recurrence of this scary and painful tumor. Please, please, please....go to her website (part of my links) and also her donation page (part of my links) and if you can, give something in support of this effort.

Sera and I have a lot in common and a lot that is different and I'm going to take a page from her courage and start writing about the things that really matter to me. I'm not going to worry about who is reading this or censor it or worry about how people judge me. Because we are all human and we all have failures and it's ok for me not to be perfect (or so I've heard).

I'm going to run the Philly distance run. Maybe I'll have to walk part of it. Maybe my time will be worse than Disney. Personally, I couldn't care less. And I'm really excited about it. 7 weeks to go from running ZERO miles per day to running over 13. I am almost the type of person who needs to be put into crisis mode to actually do something because this must happen and I know that I can do it.

I'm running this race for Sera because I promised to run her first race back with her. If you had ever asked me if I would run a 5k, I would have groaned and told you I couldn't do it. But, I can do it and I will do it. The slight pain and agony of pushing myself to do 13 miles in 49 days is nothing compared to the ordeals that people are going through every day. One of my husband's brother's classmates was killed on Saturday at the age of 19 because she was unlucky enough to be sitting in the wrong seat. A girl was killed on the way driving home from her college graduation. It's so important to take advantage of the time that we have and spend it with the people we care about doing the things that we love. And I'm going to spend some time doing something that someone else loves in order to raise money for this tremendous cause.

I hope that anyone reading this, even if you don't know Sera, can take a minute to read her story and the tremendous battle that she went through. If you do know her, you know how much it took for her to post her struggles, and her constant pain, and how much it is taking to get back on that course. We are going to do this together. Quite frankly, she is going to kick my ass with her time and I'm totally ok with that.

Sera, I love you and I can't wait to run this distance with you. I can't wait to wear our team shirt and I hope that all of our friends will be wearing our shirts to cheer us on and to raise money for this devastating disease that you overcame - your spirit has touched me and everyone that is lucky to know you over the last year.

Here's to loving our ability to run and smile and hug those we care about - today, tomorrow, and as far into the future as we can see.

Day 84 - Ok I'm obsessed

Ok, in 5 minutes, I've convinced myself I can do it. Here's a training plan....and also some rules that I am going to have to set in order to do this!


Week 1 (Week of August 3rd)
Tues: 2.5 M run
Weds: 1 hour strength training & crossfit
Thurs: 2.5M run
Friday: 35 min strength training & crossfit
Sat: Rest
Sun: 5 mile run


Week 2 (Week of August 10th)
Tues: 3M run
Weds: 1 hour strength training & crossfit
Thurs: 3M run
Friday: 40 min strength training & crossfit
Sat: Rest
Sun: 6 mile run


Week 3 (Week of August 17th)
Tues: 3.5M run
Weds: 1 hour strength training & crossfit
Thurs: 3.5M run
Friday: 45 min strength training & crossfit
Sat: Rest
Sun: 7 mile run


Week 4 (Week of August 24th)
Tues: 4M run
Weds: 1 hour strength training & crossfit
Thurs: 4M run
Friday: 50 min strength training & crossfit
Sat: Rest
Sun: 8 mile run


Week 5 (Week of August 31st)
Tues: 4.5M run
Weds: 1 hour strength training & crossfit
Thurs: 4.5M run
Friday: 55 min strength training & crossfit
Sat: Rest
Sun: 9.5 mile run


Week 6 (Week of Sept 7th)
Tues: 5M run
Weds: 1 hour strength training & crossfit
Thurs: 5M run
Friday: 60 min strength training & crossfit
Sat: Rest
Sun: 11 mile run


Week 7 (Week of Half Marathon!!!)
Tues: 3M run
Weds: 1 hour strength training & crossfit
Thurs: 3M run
Friday: Rest
Sat: Rest
Sun: Half Marathon (13.1M)


What are the rules????



1. Limited to no drinking

2. 30 weighted situps daily with ab mat

3. Healthy diet

4. No punking out on workouts....if I can't run it, I have to at least walk it.



Yikes. What will my decision be???

Day 84 - Unbelievable progress....

Who knew that I would see such unbelievable progress.....let me direct you back to Day 18 of this journey.

400 m run
10 burpees

3 rounds for time.

On day 18, this was completed in 11:30 and I thought that was a pretty good time. Andrea suggested 10 min. The SAME workout was completed in 6:49 on day 82!!!!!!! I was booking it and working as hard as I could. Of course, it might be estimated at 400 m - might be a bit shorter, but the comparison stands because both workouts were completed in the exact same place at the shore. I'm truly amazed that I almost cut the time in half!!!!!!

In other news, I'm toying with the idea of running the ING Distance Run on Sept 20th....is it possible to train for a half marathon in 7 weeks? My gut tells me it is if I really put my mind to it, keep doing Crossfit workouts to train endurance, keep up with the strength training, buy my own ab mat and do sit-ups every day, and actually complete all long runs and cross-training as scheduled.

Thoughts, anyone????

Day 81 - OUCHIE!!!!!

Ok, I'm only posting because everything hurts like crazy right now. Apparently my most awesome workout ever comes with a price.

For those of you who are self-destructive, I'm taking a page out of your book the last few days.

Nicole has great workout = pigs out on Indian food, doesn't drink any water, and stays up too late.

Yikes.

However, I am somewhat setting myself up for success this weekend. We will be headed to the beautiful Jersey shore where I have made a very healthy and Zone happy menu. Unfortunately, I'm sure I'll be surrounded by chips, sandwiches, and basically every delicious carb known to man that I will have to be good about. I did also bring workout clothes and shoes for both days.

We are taking pictures of ourselves in a bikini next week as both our coach and the master coach are putting together customized nutrition plans for us to take pictures as we progress. I'm really excited about this because I'm already starting to see more definition in my arms and stomach even without major nutrition changes. This will give a good plan to be more focused on these items and see quicker change.

Depending on how brave I am...we'll see if these pictures get posted. I might be that ballsy.

However, I'll let you in on a little secret. Most smart people would try to watch their diet for the first few days before taking the pictures so that they look a little better. My twisted mind tells me to have at it and go for the glory and eat everything in sight so that the pictures look the worst that they could....and then I'll have a better before and after pic. Does that make sense to anyone else?

In more sobering news, I found out that a few of my cousins have been having health problems lately related to their heart and circulatory system...and at a young age. This makes me want to be more serious and really stick to a plan that includes anerobic workouts, strength training, some aerobic workouts (sorry Andrea), and a strong nutrition foundation.

Day 80 - Awesome workout!

This week has been going pretty well so far....I've kept the food intake fairly in-check and Zone friendly.....my only lapse was Tria on Tuesday with Stephen, but I'm allowed to have fun every once in awhile :) The bad news is that I've been craving Indian food lately.....so at some point, I'm going to cave and have some...and let's be realistic....I can give up the naan, but not basmati rice!

Anyways, enough about how I'm food obsessed.

Workout yesterday was AWESOME.

Squats:
45 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set
65 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set
85 lbs x 3 reps x 1 set
105 lbs x 5 reps x 3 sets

Presses:
45 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set
52 lbs x 3 reps x 1 set
52 lbs x 5 reps x 2 sets

Situps:
15 lbs on chest x 10 sit-ups x 3 sets

Pullups:
5 really GOOD negatives...and 1 where I almost jerked my arms out of their sockets...oops.

Met-Con:
100 m walk with either 45 lb bar held above head or 60 lb carry at waist + 5 burpees x 3 sets
Completed in 5:08

Day 77 - Detox :)

Last week, I was on-point for eating every day! The weekend was a bit more free-flowing, but in general, it was a great week. A ton of phenomenal recipes were tried and will be posted later.

This week's plan - DETOX!

In keeping with the theme, as delicious as wine is, last week was a bit much as far as wine was concerned because my friends want to have a glass or two every day of the week. So, there will be no wine tonight, Weds, or Thurs. We will be headed off to the shore this weekend and that's always a challenge...but we'll see how it goes.

Either way, I have a ton of amazing fresh fruit and vegetables in the fridge for consumption this week. Let's go, antioxidants!!!!!

Workouts for this week are TBD as Andrea is out of time and I am swamped with "being a good friend" duties over the next few days. Plus a delicious date with Steve at Tria tomorrow!

Day 71 - Not bad...

no workout....bad Nicole.

Breakfast: none
Lunch: Turkey wrap & some potato chips
Snack: 1 chocolate kiss
Dinner: Antipasto salad, 1 cup of fruit salad, spiced apple wine with Sera

My problem is that too many people want to drink wine with me on a daily basis. That's what I'm blaming it on...for sure!

Day 70 - Back in the groove

Food:
Breakfast: none
Lunch: Turkey & cheese rollups, sugar free jello cup
Snack: One Milky-Way mini and 4 potato chips
Dinner: Creamy Dijon Salmon & Mango salad, glass of red wine

We won't talk about yesterday....let's just say it was ugly. Very ugly.

Recipe: Creamy Dijon Salmon

Easy, but tastes very complex and difficult to make. A fantastic dish for having company over.

Creamy Dijon Salmon
2 salmon fillets (6-8 oz each)
3 tbps dijon mustard
3 tbps light sour cream
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dried dillweed
8 crackers (whole wheat Ritz or regular Ritz), crumbled

Preheat the oven to 400. Place rinsed salmon on a baking sheet covered in tin foil. In a small bowl, mix the mustard, sour cream, honey, and dill. Spread the mixture over the fish. Place the crumbled crackers over top of the mustard mixture. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done. If a crispier finish on the crackers is desired, broil for 2-3 minutes at end (but watch to make sure crackers don't overbrown).

Recipe: Mango Salad with Mint-Mustard Vinaigrette

Sounds super weird...I promise, it's amazing! Qamara wants me to make this every day and she HATES mango...but this is ridiculous.

Mango Salad with Mint-Mustard Vinaigrette
1 mango, chopped
1 bag red/green butter lettuce mixture
1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts (roasted & salted)
1/4 cup cheese (any or a mixture of crumbled feta, goat cheese, or shaved parmesan)
1/4 cup chopped scallion

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
Dash of kosher salt

To make the dressing, add the olive oil & mint in a blender. Puree lightly, then add rest of ingredients. Pulse lightly to mix. **NOTE - this makes double the dressing needed for this salad, so you can save some for another night or just to serve over lettuce as the dressing is incredibly flavorful.

Add all salad ingredients in bowl and toss well. Add 3 or so spoonfuls of dressing to salad and mix. Leaves should be lightly coated.

If you wanted to make this an entree salad, adding a skewer of grilled shrimp or a filet of fish would be perfect over top.

Day 69 - At the beach!

Weekends are definitely the hardest part....particularly SUMMER weekends!!!!!

Here's the report....some good, some bad.....

Day 67 (Friday)
No workout
Lunch: Gazpacho & cornbread
Dinner: Shrimp tempura sushi (2 pieces), Hamachi sushi (4 pieces), 1 spare rib, 1 shrimp tempura (now for the bad.....1 lychee martini, 1 jade blossom martini, 1 glass of riesling)
Now for the WORST part.....1 lamb gyro from the street.....oops.

Day 68 (Saturday)
Started off great with a workout...
0.25 mi sprint + 10 swings 25 lb x 4 rounds
Also did 20 push presses with 30 lbs

Food....worst day ever.....
Breakfast: 1/2 bacon, egg & cheese wrap
Lunch: Beer, beer, and more beer.....and some Yankee Stadium nachos
Dinner: Shrimp tempura roll (3 pieces), tuna/yellowtail roll (4 pieces), 1.5 pieces of cornbread (baby size), 3 bites of clam chowder, 2 bay scallops, and 5 french fries
Snack: Melonball cocktails.....courtesy of Aunt Diane. At least I vetoed the ice cream that everyone else got!

Let's see if today is any better...but we're at the beach, so don't count on it.

Day 67 - You win some, you lose some

For Day 66:

Food:
Breakfast: none
Lunch: Gazpacho soup, chicken saltimbocca
Snack: Chocolate cupcake (bad Nicole!), 1/2 cup peanuts
Dinner: Date night with Kyle.....2 glasses of white wine, 1/4 piece of cornbread, 2 fried green tomatoes, mixed salad with ranch dressing, a few bites of grits, crab cakes, fried chicken, and chocolate cake

Rest day per coach

Recipe: Chicken Saltimbocca

This is an excellent recipe to impress guests but quick to prepare on an average weeknight. Very healthy and delicious. The sauce is amazing......I may make a double batch next time.

Chicken Saltimbocca

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (small pieces or large breasts cut in half)
Fresh sage leaves
Flour (for dredging)
4 slices prosciutto
Olive oil
1 tbsp butter
8 oz sliced mushrooms
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup Marsala wine
3 tbsp water
1/3 cup light sour cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 375. Lay the chicken on a piece of wax paper and season with kosher salt & ground pepper. Lay 2 sage leaves across the chicken breast and then wrap a piece of prosciutto around each breast. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter until melted. While skillet is heating, place flour on plate or dredging bowl and dredge chicken with flour until lightly covered. Place the chicken in the skillet with the prosciutto seam side down and cook for 3 min, then flip and cook for another 3 min. Prosciutto should be lightly browned. Place chicken into roasting pan and finish in oven, cooking for approximately another 10 min.

While chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. Turn skillet heat to high and add mushrooms, garlic, and a touch more olive oil if necessary. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring well. Add Marsala wine and 4 sage leaves; cook until liquid is almost gone. Remove from heat and add water, sour cream, and parsley. Mix together and season with salt/pepper.

Place the mushroom mixture on a large serving plate and top with chicken pieces.

In my opinion, I'm going to double the water/sour cream/parsley for next time to get a bit more juice for the chicken. It had amazing flavor!

Recipe: Chicken & Strawberry Salad

Whether you make this as a recipe or make just the dressing to spice up a salad, do not miss this one!

Chicken & Strawberry Salad

Tomato Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp minced shallot
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
Dash of salt & pepper

Salad
1 bag of baby spinach (6 oz)
1 rotisserie chicken - the breast meat only, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 heaping cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

NOTE: You will have double the salad dressing you need for this recipe with the amounts above. We saved it and will be eating delicious salads all week with the rest of the dressing. You can make less if you want to, but you're already going to the trouble of making a small amount!

To create the dressing, mix all ingredients together EXCEPT the olive oil in a blender until they are a smooth puree. While the blender is running on low, drizzle in the olive oil to create an emulsion. This will last for 5-7 days (must be refrigerated).

Mix the spinach with 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette.

Dinner party preparation: Spoon spinach onto individual salad plates and top with walnuts, chicken, strawberries, and feta. Drizzle with a bit more of the dressing for color.

Weeknight preparation: Mix chicken, feta, walnuts, and strawberries into spinach and toss well.

Serve immediately!

Day 65 - GREAT Day!

I worked out with my trainer today...and although I was tired and still sore from Monday, I still had a pretty good time.

Workout:
Squats
45 lbs x 5 reps x 2 sets
65 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set
75 lbs x 2 reps x 1 set
Work set: 95 lbs x 5 reps x 3 sets

Presses
45 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set
Work set: 50 lbs x 3 reps x 5 sets

Sit ups with weight (on the ab mat)
10 lbs x 10 sit ups x 2 sets
5 lbs x 10 sit ups x 1 set

Metabolic Conditioning
In 10 minutes, do ten 120 ft sprints carrying a 25 lb sandbag

Rockin' awesome. And yes, I am not writing these correctly due to the fact that most people who look at this blog have absolutely no idea what the proper notation means....

Food
Breakfast: none...oops
Lunch: Half a Saladworks salad
Dinner: 1 chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto (amazing recipe!), watermelon & arugula salad, 1 or 2 glasses of red wine....

Day 64 - Oops, forgot my lunch...

It's amazing what a small error can do to your day! Like a naughty schoolchild, I forgot my lunch today. And Kyle had the car so I couldn't leave the office to get something....so I made do with what was in the office...a very, very bad plan.

Let's start with the good news. I did a workout this morning and it was pretty good.

10 clean & press with 25 lb sandbag
10 swings with 25 lb dumbbell

Most rounds you can do in 10 minutes....

I did 5 rounds in 9:15....so not terrible.

Food...not so great...

Breakfast = none
Lunch = 2 oreo cookies, 2 chips ahoy cookies, a handful of swedish fish, and a soft Philly pretzel
Dinner = fresh gazpacho soup, chicken strawberry salad (recipe to come later), and a glass of white wine
Snack = salted peanuts package & can of chicken noodle soup (campbells)

Day 63 - And it starts over...

Well, summer came and that means beers, brats, and a whole lot of suntanning. Not exactly the best things for getting in shape. SO, we are back in the saddle....yet again. Yikes.

Today was an excellent day.

Workout - I trained with my coach and I upped my weights on everything even though I took a week off last week.

Squats:
45 lbs x 5 reps x 2 rounds
55 lbs x 5 reps x 1 round
65 lbs x 5 reps x 1 round
75 lbs x 5 reps x 1 round
Work Set: 90 lbs x 5 reps x 3 rounds

Presses:
45 lbs x 5 reps x 2 rounds
Work Set: 50 lbs x 5 reps x 1 round, 50 lbs x 3 reps x 1 round, 50 lbs x 4 reps x 1 round

Metabolic Conditioning:
Swings: 25 lbs x 30 swings x 1 round then 20 lbs x 30 swings x 2 rounds
200 m dash carrying 25 lb sandbag x 3 rounds
Time was ????

Food Today
1 slice thin-crust broccoli pizza
1 slice thin-crust cheese pizza
1 chicken breast
7 macadamia nuts

Day 49 - Yes I'm still alive...

It's been a really rough couple of weeks. I know that is no excuse, but it has been. I was dreadfully sick for 10 days, we've been traveling around, I've been prepping for tests and interviews...oh my crazy!!!!

So, I am starting again...unfortunately, I have let myself vacation too much and been too lackadaisical about my diet and exercise routine.

However, my lovely friend Sera is going to be running her first 1/2 marathon since she's been training again in Sept. And I am considering running it with her in support and to raise money for her cause.

Andrea, my coach, has agreed to disagree about training for this run since really it is kind of stupid to run 13 miles. I mean, really, who wants to do that? And now I will have done it twice??? I'm really nuts.

To that point, if I'm going to be ready to run 13 miles in two months, this is the week I need to start training....so tomorrow will be d-day for my first run. I need to put together a training schedule but instead of running every other day like I did for my first half, I plan to do a mix of strength training, metabolic conditioning, and endurance training to keep my injuries at a minimum and maximize my ability to run a good race. We shall see how this plays out or if I decide to commit to the race.

Good to be back in the saddle!

Day 36 - Workout Pics

Picture #1 - My press (I'm terrified of hitting myself in the face with the bar) - this is 45 lbs.

Picture #2: Me pressing (is that a six-pack or ribs I see?? Either way, I'm totally into it)

Picture #3: Good press position....yay, I'm so proud!!!

Day 36 - Oops.

Weight: -5.5 lbs (how, I don't know)

Ladies and gentlemen, I must confess. I have been on a binge and therefore too embarrassed to blog. Yet, I have to relay my sins in order to move forward.

I have been on a no-cooking, eating crap food out place...and the worst thing is that I've actually lost weight so I feel like it's not a problem.....no, it's clearly a problem.

Here goes (don't judge me):
1. Indian food (including the (gasp) rice)
2. Taco Bell (rough day)
3. Chinese food - not the grilled no-cornstarch side of it, but scallion pancakes, crab wontons side...oops.

Tomorrow, I regain control and start planning my meals again, but I let the utter and complete chaos of my life allow me to escape my Zone-ness.

In better news, I'll post some pics from a previous workout next....pretty funny stuff.

Day 30 - I am a golden GOD (dess)

Weight: -3.5 lbs
Workout: Monster awesome workout with Andrea....

2 warmup sets of 45 lbs back squat x 5 reps

3 work sets of 60 lbs back squat x 5 reps

1 set of 102 lb deadlifts x 5 reps

1 deadlift pull at 142 lbs!!!!!! - Yes, i felt like a stud.

At this point, Qamara interjected and said that I wasn't allowed to get in any bar fights since I'm getting so buff. I'll have to stop, apparently. (the bar fights...not the lifting)

2 negative pull-ups
3 negative pull-ups
5 body rows

Then the workout.....

Initially, I was to throw a 25 lb sandbag over my head, sprint to it, and do one burpee. Unfortunately, I split the sandbag open with my hefty throws after the first minute of workout, so we had to change it.

Adam and I were a team and were given a 45 lb bar and 35 lb set of dumbbells. One of us had to lift the 45 bar overhead and walk as quickly as we could about 150 m as one set. The other person had to carry the 2 35 lb dumbbells for a total of 70 lbs the same distance. We couldn't walk when the other person set down their bar/bells and had to go as many rounds as we could in 7 min. Adam and I did awesome!!!! He was a great partner and really kept me motivated. I was psyched because I was able to complete the workout and the other girls were using a 32 lb bar instead of the 45 lb bar and 25 lb dumbbells instead of 35's. After the first 4 rounds, we got to switch out one of the 35's for a 25 because our arms were starting to become numb, but I was psyched I could walk with a 45 lb bar overhead and 70 lbs as a carry. We went for 7 rounds in 7 minutes which was really good for how much weight we carried.

I'm feeling good now, but I can tell you I am going to be feeling this all week!!!!!

Let's see what the workout is tomorrow...

Day 29 - Can I make it to 30???

Weight: -2.5 lbs
Workout: Skipped it because I'm lazy and exhausted
Mood: craving Indian food like there is no tomorrow

At this point in the journey, I find that I've completely forgotten about the health benefits of eating well and working out and instead have absolutely no time to cook or do anything.

Oh how happy I will be after my big exam on the 15th so that I can get back on track...but until then, I am going to do my best to progress or at least keep the status quo.

We're going to Andrea's tomorrow so at least I will be doing one hard core workout this week.

My self-motivation has somewhat slipped, to say the least.

Also, I lied yesterday...I ended up eating some french fries with my chicken fingers...i'm so bad.

Day 28 - Can't I be fat and happy?

At this point in the journey, I've started to rationalize how perhaps only I think I'm fat and everyone else doesn't really notice....well, newsflash - they DO notice, they're just too polite to say anything. I will keep on target even though I almost caved today.

Weight: -2 lbs (wedding damage)
Workout: none - too hungover
Mood: Why does everything that is bad for you taste so good?

Bonnie's wedding was yesterday and the day started off so well....I had a Zone bar and a glass of water....but then nothing else until I put my dress on. This lovely bridesmaid dress was unfortunately a bit snug....seeing as how I was measured for it at my skinniest point and let's just say I didn't quite stay there. And by snug I mean digging into my ribs, hoping it won't rip, and oh my, I cannot breathe snug.

After I put it on, I almost fainted so I figured eating would be a good thing just to make sure my blood sugar was ok...sadly I ingested a glass of OJ and an eighth of a bagel. Awful carbs.

I managed to make it through the ceremony ok and even kept the sugary drinks at bar for the evening, sticking to wine, vodka, and one ceremonious glass of champagne. Ok, the toast was ceremonious, but then Candy gave me a glass, so what was I supposed to do? Was a bit of a bad girl having a bit of pasta during the cocktail hour...but lucky I did because I didn't eat my entree at all.

Then, the dessert room opened and all hell broke loose. I was trying to be good - limiting myself to a small square of cheesecake. Until Qamara and I spotted the chocolate cordial bar. Oh yes, baby shot glasses made of pure chocolate. And it was such a social activity to do cordial shots with everyone....six blissful shots later, I knew I would emerge this AM a disaster....especially when Kyle and I stopped to get a panini on the way home....terrible....

After waking up this AM with a bit of a monster headache...let's just say I drank less than Kyle & Qamara and more than Jen's husband Jim.....getting on the scale was not so exciting.

Today's food:
Breakfast: String cheese
Lunch: Salad
Snack: Pear & havarti cheese
Dinner: Salad & chicken fingers

Somebody give me the metabolism of an Ethiopian please.

Day 26 - I'm an old lady

Weight: -4 lbs
Workout: None - I was thinking about going for a run (sorry Andrea), but my lower back has never hurt so much. Ever.
Mood: Laid-back

Yesterday's food:
Breakfast: Zone bar
Lunch: Turkey/Roast Beef wrap in low carb wrap
Dinner: Peanut butter and 5 pieces of sesame chicken
Snack: Glass of white wine and aged parmesan cheese

Today's food:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs & bacon (Kyle cooked for me...cute!)
Lunch: Slice of bruschetta pizza
Dinner: Piece of chicken parmesan, one large meatball, and 2 bites of tiramisu, 1.5 glasses of white wine
Snack: Decaf coffee with cinnamon & splenda

Ow, ow, OW said my back.

Day 25 - Ouch

Weight: -3 lbs
Measurements: wow, I have a big butt
Mood: Blah - it's cold and rainy out

Workout this AM was BRUTAL.

For max sets per round:

1 min dumbbell cleans (30 lbs)
1 min squats
1 min swings (25 lbs)
Rest 1 min

Repeat 3 times

Round 1:
14 cleans
26 squats
17 swings

Round 2:
17 cleans
20 squats
13 swings

Round 3:
15 cleans
22 squats
10 swings

Grand Totals:

46 cleans at 30 lbs
68 squats
40 swings

Ouch. Every muscle in my body just aches.

Yesterday's food intake:
Breakfast: Lemon Yogurt Zone bar
Lunch: Egg Drop Soup (no cornstarch)
Snack: 3 oz colby jack cheese & sugar free jello
Dinner: Remainder of chicken & broccoli (no cornstarch or sugar)
Snack: Peanut butter and sugar-free fudgsicles

Day 24 - Feeling Strong

Weight: -3.5 lbs
Workout: we overslept so either later today or tomorrow morning
Mood: Inspired

Yesterday's food journal:
Breakfast: Zone bar (Chocolate Fudge)...yummy! (can be ordered from www.zonediet.com)
Lunch: The last serving of Chicken Gorgonzola from Trader Joe's
Snack: 1 oz colby jack cheese (I gave Adam this snack too as he was sizing up a zone diet nightmare...an oversized sugar cookie....he made the right choice and took the cheese)
Dinner: Egg drop soup (no cornstarch), chicken w/ broccoli w/ garlic & no cornstarch or sugar in sauce (I did have 2 bites of Kyle's sesame chicken and 1/4 of a piece of scallion pancake)
Snack: PB out of the jar and 4 oz of milk

I'm totally in love with this Chinese restaurant who will make all my food from scratch and will change their recipes to make them Zone appropriate and still taste great. Fantastic! If you're a Philadelphia person, check out JoJo's Chinese at 20th and Chestnut. Delicious!

I woke up feeling strong today. I actually have a battle wound - a small circle of broken blood vessels from carrying the sandbag. I'm into it.

Kyle woke up feeling sore and hurting. He can barely walk. I think (but he doesn't believe me) that it is because he is eating all these refined carbs and they make you more tired and don't help your muscles to recover as much as eating a healthy dose of protein and vitamins from vegetables. And of course, because he is not used to the workouts, but neither am I but I feel better....I think it's the diet.

We shall see.....

Day 23 - Post Training Session #2

Tonight, Andrea taught us the push press. I've only done push press with 15 lb dumbbells before....little did I know what work weight she had in store for me.

45 lbs above my head later, I was shaking and sweating like a monster. Adam rocked out with a work weight of 100 lbs and Kyle held his own with 75 lbs (approximate..I don't know exactly what his was).

I also learned that this has become the family blog so apparently Kyle will be posting or I will be posting for both of us.

Then, I did 3 sets of body rows (previously described) - then we did pull-ups. I can't do one on my own, so Andrea helped me do a bunch.

Then it was WORKOUT time. I don't think Andrea has ever laughed so hard in her entire life...let me try to paint the scene for you...

Adam was given a 50 lb sandbag and I was given a 25 lb sandbag. We had to run up the hill next to Andrea's house and down her driveway, then back again, running as fast as we could carrying the weight. 10 times with a minute to run and then rest....so therefore the faster you run the longer you get to rest. Hypothetically.

Kyle, because he's so skinny, isn't allowed to do metabolic conditioning; he can only do strength training. So, he was given a 25 lb sandbag to use for the workout, but instead of running, he had to do walking lunges down the driveway.

So, Andrea counted us down and Adam and I take off running. I beat him on the first one and we're laughing because we think it's easy and fun. He beats me on the second one. Kyle hasn't even finished one rep....he's starting to turn a little green. I beat him on the 3rd one. Andrea is still laughing hysterically at how competitive we are getting against each other. On the 4th one, Andrea switches the 50 lb bag from Adam and gives it to Kyle. So Adam and I have equal weights and he beats me. Then she tells me to drop my weight, so I beat the pants off him. Then we do it again and I forget who wins because we are both dying by this point. On the 8th one, she gives me the 50 lb bag and I can barely carry it. I can only walk. Adam runs by me laughing and pointing. I beat him on the 9th one and I think 10th although I was slightly hallucinating by that point because our hearts are racing so fast we can't even think.

Kyle manages to make it through only 4 sets and he is hurting bad. No one is laughing with or at Kyle. Andrea (being the great coach that she is) decides to make Kyle feel better and lines everyone up for a 100 m dash. Of course Kyle wins and Andrea has a pretty funny video of me whining about how I can't beat boys in a run.

Then Kyle throws up for awhile. I take pictures. We decide we are going to have a BBQ after our workout next week. Everyone learns how to do dumbbell cleans for the workout tomorrow. We all get into the car and go home. Everyone hurts.

Tomorrow's workout for Kyle is 12 pushups x 6 rounds for quickest time.

My workout is:
1 minute of cleans (30 lb dumbbells)
1 minute of squats
1 minute of swings (25 lb dumbbell)
rest 1 minute

Max number in each round is best.

Pictures of today will be posted tomorrow or later this week. I'm sure there are some classic ones.

Day 23 - Short & Sweet

Weight: -3 lbs
Measurements: will be taken tonight for the first time!
Workout: Soon to come as we are training with Andrea tonight
Mood: Busy, busy, busy!!!

More to come later....we're doing dumbbell presses tonight and Andrea has a really fun workout for us, apparently....her idea of fun and my idea of fun may be different...but we'll see.

Day 22 - Good things! Quick & Easy Greek Salad

Weight: -2.5 lbs
Workout: none today, had a great one yesterday
Mood: happy!

Yesterday, I did a workout that I've done before - Colleen & Jerk. Last time I did it three weeks ago, I did 19 sets in 5 min. Yesterday, I did 23 sets in 5 min. Improvement!!!!! And, last time, I woke up the next day feeling AWFUL. This morning, I feel a little stiff in the neck, but nothing like last time.

The Zone is definitely a help with feeling hungry or not hungry. I think one of the major issues I face is that I feel hungry all the time when I am actually not.

By the way, go to Trader Joe's and pick up the following items immediately - they are AWESOME!!!

1. Chicken Gorgonzola (frozen foods section) - this is very zone friendly (except for higher fat content) and very low carbs for a prepared entree
2. Salsa Verde - the best salsa I have ever had. Ever.
3. If you can take the carbs, get the flaxseed tortilla chips - they pair perfectly with the salsa.

New easy and great lunch recipe -

Quick & Easy Greek Salad

Take a large ziploc container and fill with lettuce or mixed greens. Add 3-4 small spoonfuls of Wegman's bruschetta (from their olive bar). Add 5-6 pitted kalamata olives from Trader Joe's. Add a sprinkle of crumbled feta cheese if desired. Kraft now makes this Greek Vinaigrette with extra virgin olive oil and flavored with feta and oregano. Use a little of that. Put together in the AM and by lunchtime, you have a perfect meal. Pair with protein for Zone friendly meal.

Finally, on the good news front, my bridesmaid dress for this weekend fits perfectly!

1st Training Session - Pics!

Qamara - Workout #1 - doing body rows (works the same muscles as pull-ups when you aren't strong enough to do a pull-up yet). Qamara was WAY better at them that I was, but I am better at burpees. Andrea's comments: "Enjoy being stronger now, because she is going to quickly overtake you" Yeah, I know.

Kyle during Workout #1 - he was the last one to finish. But that's ok because he's sweet and nice and not super competitive. Although, I bet he gets more competitive as this goes on. He HATES waiter's walk. After the first workout, he told Andrea he wasn't hurting that much...hahaha Kyle, let's see how much you have to lift this week....

Me almost at the end of Workout #1 - at this point, I can't feel my fingers or wrists and I'm just hoping I don't drop the 60 lbs of dumbbells in my hands....because I'm totally numb. After dropping those weights, doing 5 burpees almost felt good...I felt so light!

Finally, note the stop sign in the back of this picture. Kyle & Adam (not pictured here) both slammed their barbell into it a bunch of times. In weeks to come, this stop sign may be obliterated.

That's all for now....until next week's pictures!

Day 19 - A great start!

Weight: ?? I'm at the shore!!!
Workout: Already completed for the day!
Diet: Will do very well today
Mood: About to get my study on for one of the last tests I will be taking...well, this year.

This AM's workout:
400 m dash
10 burpees

3 rounds of this for time

Completed in 11:30 at fairly high intensity (plus, it was HOT out) and got quite a few strange looks from the neighbors. That's ok.

I'm also proud of the fact that I packed all Zone appropriate meal fixings and have started off the day well with an egg white omelette w/ colby jack cheese and chicken sausage....delicious and very appropriate. I'm having an orange too for the carb and used a bit of olive oil to cook the sausage and eggs. I've also already had two bottles of water today...go me!

I also want to give a shoutout to my excellent behavior at Buddakan on Thursday night. For anyone who has ever been...heck, for anyone who has looked at the menu, you know there are a lot of delicious and very tempting options on there. I also need to thank Kyle for helping me to stay strong when we considered getting the ribs (dipped in hoisin sauce...hello pure sugar..).

We ended up having the most appropriate menu, consisting of:
Tuna tartare (which I ate without the pita crisps)
Seared scallops (where I avoided the rice noodles & pineapple)
Kyle had the filet which was fantastic
I had the sea bass served with haricot verts - a GREAT zone meal
And I only had one (ok maybe two) very small bites of the chocolate dessert and let Kyle eat the entire thing
And a glass of wine that Kyle had most of.

Yay!

I also have to confess that yesterday was not a good day at all. It was an incredibly busy and stressful day at work and therefore....
breakfast = did not have
snack = did not have
lunch = 2 slices of deli meat & a string cheese
snack = string cheese
dinner (eaten at 9PM) - salad w/ bacon & blue cheese (this was actually really zone friendly except I added more dressing than allowed...but it was a rough day), chicken tenders, and a glass of wine.

Not the worst day - I mean, I wanted to stop at the Asian buffet where I would have cheerfully consumed 3000 calories of refined sugars....but luckily I decided against it and Kyle knows not to get excited about actually doing these things.

Kyle is being the most supportive, wonderful man right now about all of this. Particularly because he doesn't understand this specific obsession of mine (how could he - he eats whatever he wants and doesn't gain a lb!!) but because he does it in a way that is supportive but not judgmental when I try to fall off the wagon. Then I feel guilty and I make the right choices.

I also have funny pics from last week's workout that I am going to post as well.

Ta-ta for now!

Day 16 - My first deadlift

Weight: -2 lbs
Exercise: Moderate/Strenuous
Diet: Gorged on way too much fat (i.e. sat around eating nuts all day)
Mood: HUNGRY!!!!!

Today was our first coaching session with Andrea and it was awesome. All of us had a great time, got our butts kicked, and got a great workout out of it.

I did my first deadlift!!!! Only 70 lbs....but hopefully I can do more soon.

We did 3 sets of 5 reps with that working weight.

Then two sets of 5 of body rows (similar to pull-ups, but you can leverage some of your body weight to help you)

Then the first workout!!! We did 3 rounds for time of a farmer's walk (using 60 lbs weight) then 5 burpees.

I beat everyone, my time was 5:11. I was very psyched - Andrea's right when she says I like to compete. I think I'd probably do better in a class situation too, but I'm not into this enough (yet) to start getting up at 5 in the morning!

Tomorrow is going to be a tough day for food since we are going out to Buddakan on a date. Check out the amazingness of this restaurant here: http://www.buddakan.com/

Andrea is sending me more pics of everyone and I will post additional ones throughout the week that are funny.

Day 15 - Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert

Sinful, delicious and oh so Zone friendly!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Melt

1 no sugar added fudgsicle pop
1 tsp peanut butter (or a bit more if you are ok with additional fat due to workouts/Crossfit)

Slightly melt fudgsicle in microwave so stick can be removed. Mix with 1 tsp of peanut butter. Top with sugar-free Cool Whip if desired.

Protein: 0 blocks
Carbs: 1 block
Fat: 2 blocks

Great snack, paired with some protein. Really takes the edge off chocolate cravings and the peanut butter adds richness and depth of flavor. Sounds simple, but really, really, good!!!

Day 15 - Ranch Chicken Salad

Ranch Chicken Salad

Easy to make - great dish to bring to a party that you can make ahead of time. Nice to serve with some fresh fruit on a lettuce leaf. Brings a little something extra to a traditional chicken salad recipe.

1 rotisserie chicken (the ones sold for $5.00 at the supermarket)
1 cup of celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup Almond Accents (original toasted flavor, slivered, in the bag)
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup light ranch dressing

Cut white meat from chicken into small diced pieces, until you have about 2.5-3 cups. Use dark meat if necessary and desired. Add rest of ingredients and mix well. Allow to set and chill for at least one hour before serving. Portion into 4 servings.

Per serving Zone counts:
Protein: 4 blocks
Carbs: 0.25 blocks carbs
Fats: you're going to be over on fats again, but if exercising, not as big of a deal

Day 15 - Spinach Strawberry Salad & Zone

I'm interested in becoming even more transparent and accountable so I will be posting daily/weekly fluctuations in weight and measurements. Don't get all excited....I'm still going to be slighly mysterious (after all, I am a girl!!!), but in order to view changes....it's important to track them. In addition, tomorrow starts our personal sessions with Andrea and the start of Qamara's blog as well, which will be linked to mine shortly. Finally, we will be posting both videos and pictures of us training on a weekly basis so we'll either be embarrassed or proud...whatever the case may be.

I'm counting measurements and weight from a starting in the Zone process, which will include adjectives about the day as well. It will be in the following format:

Weight: 0 lbs (baseline)
Measurements: TBD
Workout: None
Diet: Excellent
Mood: slightly hungry, motivated, excited

Next, a fantastic summer recipe that I could eat every day! Perfect for strawberry season right now and you could replace the berries in this with any other kind of berry or fruit for a bit of sweetness.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

6 cups washed baby spinach (0.3 block carbs)
2 cups quartered fresh strawberries (2 blocks carbs)
1/4 cup pecan pieces (10 blocks fat - you can decrease if you are worried about fats)
3 oz feta cheese, crumbled (2 blocks protein)

Dressing (will make enough for two salads or cut in half for just one)
1/3 cup raspberry vinegar (or any fruit vinegar)
1/2 cup Splenda (or other sugar substitute) (jury is out on if this is ok with Zone, but in moderation, probably fine)
1/4 cup olive oil (again, you are over on fats, but if exercising correctly and in moderation, a non-issue)
1 tsp dry mustard

Mix all salad ingredients together and toss with dressing right before serving. You can toast the pecan pieces in a skillet briefly for a nuttier flavor. The dressing really makes this salad - try it with other greens as well!

If split into two portions (dressing = 4 portions), while considerably over on fat content (which you can decrease by adjusting nuts and olive oil portions), this is about a 1 protein 1 carb - so perfect for a snack or for a filling part of a meal.

Day 14 - The Zone & a Renewed Focus

In place of a workout today, I took the time to do some well-needed reading and education on a nutritional topic. I read Barry Sears' Enter the Zone and Mastering the Zone. I really appreciate what he is trying to do and it is easy to see why so many athletes and "normal" people have reaped the benefits of his trials and work. I thought it would be important to summarize some of the findings and items that were of significant interest to me. From this point in the journey forward, I will be making more of a concerted effort to not only limit refined sugars and "bad" carbohydrates, but to also employ the ratio method of protein: carbs: fat that he suggests for the maximum health benefits.

The most interesting fact about the Zone is that it is not meant to be a "diet" or "weight-loss" book or program. The weight-loss that accompanies it is merely a byproduct of the true benefits (health, mental focus, emotional stability) that occur when your body chemistry is aligned and positioned to help you succeed in the best way possible.

Some things to note from this reading that I found most interesting:

Diabetic subjects following the Zone methodology compared to the recommended ADA diet showed the following results after an 8-week study:

1. Higher percentage of weight loss for Zone subjects
2. HgbA1c, typically thought of as the most accurate measurement of diabetic blood sugar control was down 3% for ADA users, compared to 12% (!!!!!) for Zone users
3. Triglycerides, a measurement included in heart disease and vascular disease risk, were down 25% in Zone users, but were actually UP 20% in ADA diet
4. Both diastolic & systolic blood pressure readings dropped for Zone users, but only the systolic dropped for ADA users - their diastolic reading was actually increased.

To keep the interest going, they studied the Zone users for another 8 weeks and they found that H1C levels dropped another 9% to just over 20% from original levels, triglycerides were down over 35% from original levels, diastolic/systolic bp readings had dropped over 10% from original levels, and total cholesterol levels were down approximately 10%.

I am not a type II diabetic, nor do I want to become one....I find it intriguing that a combination of food - or as Dr. Sears likes to note, treating food like a drug - where you need a certain dosage at certain times throughout the day can show these results.

Beyond health benefits, the books discuss the following - in that, if you keep yourself in the Zone, you will:

• think better, because in the Zone you are maintaining stable blood sugar levels
• perform better, because being in the Zone allows you to increase oxygen transfer to your muscle cells
• look better, because in the Zone you are shedding excess body fat at the fastest possible rate

I find it interesting (particularly for myself who has read a number of diet books, methodologies, etc) that for 220 pages, he discusses the science, evolution, and health studies behind this type of a plan. He doesn't do the usual diet mumbo-jumbo about helping the reader create a diet plan and put together shopping lists and recipes and then talk about a healthy exercise plan...and of course, the requisite chapter on mental health and reduction of stress.

I highly recommend both books - Enter the Zone is more for nerds like me who love to understand the science and biochemistry behind it all and Mastering the Zone is more of a condensed version to help people get started right away without most of the science.

I will be adding more interesting links and Zone-friendly recipes as I find them.

Day 10 - Chicken w/ Citrus Herb Cream Sauce

Yum! This recipe was actually better the next day once the herbs & spinach had a chance to meld together more. I would actually consider making this ahead and serving it the next day as it was a lot better in my opinion.

Chicken w/ Citrus Herb Cream Sauce - a perfect dish for spring/summer!!

4 chicken breasts (skin on if enjoyed)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (about 1 LARGE orange hand squeezed)
1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1/4 cup extra-dry vermouth

1/2 cup half & half

Herb mixture:
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 cups finely chopped baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
2 tbsp fresh tarragon
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice (about half an orange, hand-squeezed)
1 tbsp dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 425. In medium-large skillet, put 1 tbsp of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in heated skillet, skin-side down. Get a nice golden brown sear on the skin (about 2 minutes), then turn chicken, and place skillet in oven. Let cook for 15-20 min or until juices run clear.

Stir herb mixture ingredients together and set aside.

In skillet, place again over medium-high heat. Add orange juice, vermouth, and orange zest. Reduce until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add half and half slowly and bring to a boil. Stir in herb mixture. Reduce until slightly thickened.

Yum!

Day 10 - Oops!

So, I've been slightly delinquent the last few days, but I actually have been doing a good job. I skipped my workout on Weds, but had an awesome food day. I made (with my sous chef, Qamara) a chicken dish with fresh citrus herb sauce. Amazing! I will post the recipe in another entry. This dish does take slightly more effort, but it is worth it.

For workouts, today I did Bad Luck 13 and I did 3 rounds. After further review, Andrea mentioned that I might not be ready for 5 rounds...and that would be correct. It took me 10:45 to do 3 rounds of thruster x 13 (30lb), kb swings x 13 (25lb), and 5 burpees. I am pretty pleased with the fact that I did complete 39 30 lb thrusters, 39 25 lb kettlebell swings, and well....15 burpees sounds like none, but they suck more than anything I've ever done.

Tomorrow, I am going on my first trip of the summer - 4 beautiful days at Long Beach Island, NJ!!!! I'm going with my lovely friend Rachael and she is very much into working out, so we'll probably go for some runs, walks, and even some swimming if the weather is nice! I might even throw some burpees in there to make it tougher. It will be more of a free-for-all, but that's all you can expect on a holiday weekend.

The good news is that I am attempting to be food responsible. I put together a delicious menu for the weekend including:

• Mexican taco salad w/ avocado-ranch dressing
• Spinach strawberry salad with feta & pine nuts
• Home-made hamburger patties
• Hot dogs - we have to have them!
• Veggie Scramble (see previous recipe)
• Arugula salad (see previous recipe)
• Chicken salad - i'm trying out a new recipe and will post if good
• Turkey, cheese & scallion roll-ups
• Fresh mozzarella, tomato, & basil salad

And of course, a bunch of fresh fruit & veggies!

Rachael (who is Ms. Dessert herself) will be bringing her personal favorites of which I will try my hardest not to indulge!!!!

And of course, we'll add some wine, vodka w/ club soda, and Coke Zero to the list....good for the beach and chick flick DVDs.

I'm very excited, if you can't tell.

I'll post the chicken and herb recipe next, but I'm signing off until Sunday or Monday!

Enjoy the holiday weekend, everyone!!!!

Day 8 - Workout Update

2 min of pushups = me falling apart after 10. So, I decided to start with sit-ups instead.

2 min of situps = 43

2 min of kettlebell swings with 25 lb weight = 33

2 min of squats = 43

2 min of burpees = 7 in 35 seconds and then I quit.

I thought these were pretty dismal results, but then I talked to Andrea about it and she said that for where I am at right now, she wouldn't expect me to have the strength to do the straight 2 min of pushups and then to do burpees last would really screw things up. Well, yes, it did!

The diet has been going well - today consisted of almond-crusted grilled chicken with a light helping of lettuce with ranch dressing, steamed broccoli, a tomato and fresh mozzarella salad and a nice chicken dish I made - chicken with citrus herb sauce. Very good and healthy - it's pan seared chicken with fresh spinach, thyme, and tarragon, dressed with light cream, orange zest, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Cooked in a vermouth sauce....yummy! I may post the recipe at some point.

Workout for tomorrow is the Bad Luck 13. 5 rounds for the best time possible of the following...

30 lb thruster x 13
25 lb kettlebell swing x 13
Burpee x 5

Andrea thinks it will take me 17 minutes....so keep your fingers crossed that I can beat that!!!!

Thruster video - he's doing a bit more than 30 lbs, but 30 lbs is pretty good for me!
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/Barbell_Thruster.wmv

Kettlebell Swing video - http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_KBSwings.wmv

And the dreaded burpee....http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_Burpees.wmv

Let's see what happens!!!!!

Day 7 - Renegade Row

Renegade Rows are brutal in a weird way....only because I am soft. I did 50 (L side + R side = 1) in 7:45. The hardest part was how much my hands hurt from the dumbbell grips. I did two and winced in pain (yep I know I'm a softie...but I have no calluses yet!). So I covered the grips with washcloths and that helped a lot. Not enough, but a lot. My legs and stomach didn't start shaking until #45 and my arms started giving out at the very end at #48.

So, 50. I'm pretty happy with that.

Tomorrow's workout is super hard, but it really gets your blood pumping....in 8 minutes!

2 min of pushups - as many as you can
2 min of full situps - as many as you can
2 min of squats - as many as you can
2 min of burpees - as many as you can....ah yes, the dreaded burpee is back.

Tonight, I'm going to dinner with Kyle and another friend at Continental Midtown. Totally delicious tapas and martini bar....so the food challenges continue! Will report back on my behavior (whether good or bad) this evening.

www.starr-restaurants.com

Day 6 - Arugula Salad w/ Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette

Lazy, lazy day of rest. I am not at all looking forward to my workout tomorrow. But, before we get there, check out this very easy and delicious salad recipe.



4-6 cups arugula (use one bag or a regular size container) or mixed greens work well if you can't get arugula
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 a shallot, thinly chopped
1/2 - 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Shredded parmesan cheese (Not the grated kind that comes in the canister, but fresh shredded parm cheese)


To make dressing, mix lemon juice, shallot, olive oil together and season with kosher salt. You can use 1/2 to 1 tbsp of olive oil depending on preference. Mix dressing with washed arugula and then sprinkle liberally with shredded parmesan cheese. Let sit for a few minutes to soak up dressing and meld flavors. Serve at room temperature or on chilled plates.


Easy salad for every day and really great flavors! This is also a great salad for lunches


Health benefits:

• Arugula as a green leafy vegetable contains Vitamin A, C, folic acid, and calcium, among others. Most importantly, it contains glucosinolates, which are anticancer compounds and antioxidants.


• Shallots are in the same family as onions, garlic, and leeks. However, they are noted for having even heftier health benefits than some of their cousins. In particular, shallots contain flavenoids, which are antibacterial in nature. They are known to reduce the likelihood of developing cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. In addition, they also help the liver to eliminate toxins from the body and process alcohol....so have some shallots with that glass of wine! Finally, shallots have saponins, which have been proven to eliminate cancerous cells in the body.

If you aren't familiar with shallots, buy some at the local produce market and start using them to replace some of your dishes with onions or garlic. They are very flavorful and add increased benefits to your diet!

Now, for the dreaded workout for tomorrow.....

Renegade Row using 15 lb dumbbells - 50 on each side (L & R = 1 pushup) for time. Basically, a Renegade Row is to be in a high pushup position balancing with your hands on two dumbbells. You push into one dumbbell while pulling the other up to your chest. It's an exercise for back/arms/core. Check out a video of someone doing them here....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2veldVGfrPI

Day 6 - Refrigerator Breakfast Scramble

Eggs are one of the best ways to get started in the morning. I used to have a two egg omelette every morning, but recently, I've been running out of time! So, being as how today is Sunday, Kyle and I were able to enjoy a fantastic breakfast scramble. I call this the refrigerator breakfast scramble because you can really put anything you have in the refrigerator in this dish and it will taste delicious. Nothing novel or exciting in this recipe, but good old-fashioned flavors.

Refrigerator Breakfast Scramble

1/4 cup small chopped broccoli
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced roma tomato
1/4 cup chopped ham (I use lunchmeat)
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper
4-6 eggs (depending on how much "stuff" you like in your scramble)

Heat a saute pan over medium heat. While pan is heating, chop broccoli and onion. Place broccoli and onion in saute pan and drizzle with olive oil. While broccoli and onion are cooking, chop tomato and ham. Let broccoli and onion cook until broccoli turns a bright green and onion is becoming translucent. Add diced tomato and ham and cook for another 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat eggs together with salt & pepper. If you want a "fluffier" egg, add a bit of milk, sour cream, or cream. Pour egg over mixture and season with salt and pepper. Let bubble in pan and then flip in various sections (not all at once like an omelette). Cook until runniness of egg is gone. After egg is cooked and while in pan, top with shredded cheddar cheese and stir so cheese melts. Serve immediately!

Health benefits:

• Eggs are low calorie and high protein. They get a bad rap for having a high cholesterol level, but studies show that most people can process the cholesterol in eggs without having it affect their cholesterol level. If you're worried, you could always use egg whites or egg substitute in this recipe. A great way to reduce the level of cholesterol is to use 1/2 regular eggs and 1/2 egg whites or substitute. This keeps the taste level high. One large egg has 6 grams of protein, plus riboflavin, vitamin E, folate, B vitamins, and iron. It's an especially good food for non-meat eaters as you can replace a high level of iron and protein that you miss from not eating meat with eggs.
• When you're thinking about health in food, pay attention to color. The bright colors in food that you eat usually signify a wide range of vitamins and minerals. This dish is perfect for great eating with the bright green broccoli, red tomatoes, yellow eggs, and white onions.

Other options for this omelette include mushrooms (add at tomato step), zucchini, carrot, bell peppers, and anything else you have on hand. For cooking, just remember to add the "crunchier" veggies first, as softer veggies will overcook if you add them all at the same time.

Day 5 - Roasted Asparagus

Here's a great vegetable side we had tonight!

Roasted Asparagus

Preheat oven to 400. Take 1 lb bunch of asparagus and bend each stalk so that the bitter ends are discarded. Place a piece of tinfoil in a baking pan and place asparagus on tinfoil. Drizzle olive oil on asparagus and rub so that stalks are covered with light oil coating. Sprinkle kosher salt over dish. Roast for 7 min for thin stalks, perhaps 10 for thicker stalks. Do not overcook or asparagus will be stringy - you still want it to have some crunch. Also good with a sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese over top once you serve it.

Perfect for this time of year when asparagus is in season and so fresh!

We also had a raspberry shallot chicken that was nothing to write home about and a basic tomato and fresh mozzarella salad.