Gift to Myself for My Birthday

It seems 38 is not such a bad place to be.  I have been gifted with good skin from my Mom and Grandmother so I don't look quite like a cougar yet.  I have friends all over the world and all over the interwebs.  I really don't need much.  So what to you get for the girl who has everything?

Since I am ME I would probably know.  This morning, I gave myself a dose of good health.

"GA!"  You say, "That is boring! How about a new pair of shoes or a cute purse?  What did you do? Drink one of those crazy Green Monsters or your Overnight Oats?"

Nope...what I did this morning was push myself.

"No!!!" you say, "Why on earth would you want to do that on your birthday? You could have slept in, cuddled with the doggies and then been late to work because you stopped at Starbucks overslept."

What happened was the voices inside my head told me, to take it easy this morning because it was my birthday.  I could have rolled over and slapped the alarm a couple more times but...the fact that I was another year older made me get up and out the door.  I was tired, I really was.  Last night Halo Reach came out at midnight and of course P had to go get it and play it which woke me up and/or kept me from sleeping well.  So after I walked the doggies, I set out to run.  As much as Annie Lennox told me 'One more time for the womenkind' and Cowboy Troy enticed me to 'play chicken with the train,' the voices kept telling me, "It's your birthday, you can stop at 3 miles.  It's like a gift to yourself."  I knew better.  I knew the best gift I could give myself was to push on to my 4.5 miles on my 38th birthday.  Even when the voice told me it was ok to stop and walk (which it usually is) for a bit, I felt a deeper need to power through, to prove to myself that even though I was 38 years old and I had too much pizza the night before, I could do this.  I could round the bend a the top of the hill and keep going.  I could run past the STOP sign that was usually the end of the run for me.  I COULD GO ALL THE WAY!

And I did.

Happy birthday to me!

The Run that Makes You Look Forward to the Next

I have been sick the past two days so this is a post I wrote on Friday about an awesome run.  It helped me remember that my fall runs are very, very close.

I was looking forward to this run all week! The temp was supposed to go down to around 50 overnight and I knew the temp was going to be in the low sixties and low humidity in the AM.  I didn't mind getting up early and walking the dogs first.  They were ready to go too.  I think they realized how gorgeous it was outside too.  They were frisky and and happy as they bounded through their usual paces.

I also knew today I was going to be able to get in my 4+ miles even though I had not done it in a couple months.  I could just feel it in the air.  My iPod started me off with "Womankind" by Annie Lennox from The Women soundtrack and really got me moving.  The beat is great and very uplifting.  I just added it to the mix a couple days ago and it is definitely a winner.  I also like the next song from that same soundtrack called "I Feel It All" by Feist.  It has a great beat but is a little bid subdued so it kept me from bursting out of the gate.

As I ran I noticed that the leaves are starting to fall from the trees and it made me smile becuase I know I will have more beautiful runs like this one coming up.  Eventually I cam to my some what comedic song on my mix, "I Play Chicken with the Train" by Cowboy Troy.  Don't judge me.  It's a combo of country and hip hop and it works and makes me smile every time I hear it.  It also makes me want to dance in the middle of the run.  Someday I might just do that.

Moving on, at about 20 minutes I got that feeling, you know that feeling that you get when you have hit your stride, your breathing works and you feel like you could run forever.  Made me wish I'd gotten up even earlier so I'd have a little more time to do just that.

It seemed like every song in my mix hit at just the right time to either pump me up or remind me to keep my pace even.  Songs like "The Good Stuff" by Sid Maudlin and "Send Your Love" by Sting, remixed version and finally the best one, right at the end, "Straight Ahead" by Tube and Berger.  "Straight Ahead" hit as I was on a straight away towards my endpoint.  I did 4.3 miles in 38:30. :) I am now in a fantastic mood and can't wait for all of my fall runs!

Entire Playlist
Womankind, Annie Lennox
I Feel it All, Feist
I Play Chicken with the Train, Cowboy Troy
Hong Kong Garden, Siouxie and The Banshees
Aphrodisiac, Bow Wow Wow
Show Me the Money, Petey Pablo
Head Like a Hole, Nine Inch Nails
The Good Stuff, Sid Maudlin
Merengue, Robert Abigail (featuring DJ Rebel)
Send Your Love, Sting (remix Dave Aude)
Belleville Rendez-Vous (French Version), Beniot Charest
Straight Ahead, Tube and Berger

Planning is Key...or...Why I Was Late to Work Today

Although I just started regularly writing about healthy living, I am not a stranger to the brown bag (or lovely Built lunch bag or large Whole Foods lunch bag).  I know how much to cook if I intend on having leftovers the next day and I have go to lunches just in case I happened to not have leftovers because I went to the local bar and had a REALLY good seared crab cake (and maybe a Victory Festbier)  for dinner with the husband.

However, I cannot stress the importance of planning when it comes to healthy living. 

This morning, unplanned,  I let the dogs sleep in a little...no really...M-dog has been difficult to get out of bed at 6am lately so instead of trying to lug all 86 pounds of him off the bed I decided maybe he needed an extra 30 minutes. 

Issue, I did not plan for this last night so my morning was a little more haphazard than usual.  Essentially, I ended up 30 minutes behind schedule.  I was able to get 30 minutes in on the elliptical after the walk but I planned to make then drink a Green Monster this morning.  My first EVER!  Since I was running behind I did not have time to wash the special cup I use to make my smoothies.  It is special because I use an immersion blender and none of my other cups allow the head of the blender to fit all the way to the bottom.  Of course since I thought I was having a smoothie this morning, I did not have any overnight oats either.  Instead I had to settle for cereal and nectarines.  Then, since I had no leftovers, I needed to come up with lunch.  I went with my go to salad; grilled chicken (I keep grilled chicken in the freezer at all times.  I usually get a family size from Whole Foods and grill the whole thing for dinner and the freezer), toasted almonds and dried unsweetened cranberries with vinaigrette.  I also brought a tomato to cut into wedges (I don't like them on my salad).  I threw a couple of snacks in the bag and lunch and breakfast were ready for me.

Now, while this sounds easy, I did this all wrapped in a towel with another on my head (ok...maybe I was running around with a towel only my head but the curtains were closed and I was having one of those moments where you are still sweating from your workout when you are done your shower).  Yes, I still had finish getting ready. 

If I had planned everything the night before (30 minute sleep in, washed out smoothie cup, etc), I would have had a leisurely morning with the doggies, added an On Demand ab and back workout video and been able to have breakfast at home instead of at my desk at the office...way too late in the morning after waking up at 6am.  

Instead I am wearing my lazy curly hair do, a skirt that I am not crazy about wearing to work and a nagging feeling that I should have done about 15 minutes on the elliptical.  It's all good though.  I still did pretty well on the fly and tomorrow is another day. 

Also, since I am running in the morning...M-dog will have to get up instead of hitting the snooze bar. ;)

The Opposite of Healthy Living

I have learned so much by reading blogs because people are actually talking about their experiences, not talking about them in theory.  With what I have learned so far, you'd think I would avoid some of the sillier mistakes that people can make when they are striving to live healthy lifestyles.

I under ate yestdarday.  I literally NEVER do this.  I love food to a fault so I rarely ignore it.  I got up and walked the dogs, did a 3 mile run, only had enough time left over to stretching and a little ab work.  I got ready for work, packed my lunch (tuna sammy with lettuce, fresh tomato and wheat bread) and snacks.  I then made myself a smoothie (nectarine, blueberries, almond milk and Stonyfield fat free vanilla yogurt and a scoop of green powder).  I drank my smoothie and my coffee on the way to work.  Not a bad start.

Things go downhill from there.

At lunch, my boss asked me to run some paperwork to the bank.  No problem.  I had an errand to run too so I decided to do that and run back to the office for my sammy.  I hit the bank and then ran to pick up some more facial moisturizer.  There was a sign that side tracked me...SHOE SALE.

Um...yeah...buy one get one half off...

That is what the problem was, if there had been a regular sale, no problem.  I would have found a pair and got out.  BUT, this sale required careful consideration.  I needed to find two pairs of shoes at about the same price to get the most out of it.  I guess I lost track of time because when I left, I was STARVING and my meal was still 15 minutes away.

I got back to to the office, shaking, and quickly made my sandwich.  It was delish.  I love tomatoes and tunafish.  It's kinda like tomato soup and tunafish but since it's summer, you don't really want the soup so much.  Despite my hunger, I was able to enjoy what I was eating. 

The shaking is probably what should have told me I was in big trouble.  I had blood sugar problems in my 20's.  When that happens, it takes my body a long time to recover.  The shaking led to a headache which led to nausea which meant I didn't want to eat my snack.  Not eating my snack made things worse and also meant I could not take anything for the headache.  I made it to 5pm and munched on a mini Luna bar.  I took my headache cocktail and got into bed for an hour.

P felt very bad for me and took me for my fave comfort food...sushi.  The miso coated my stomach and then the sushi, mega protein, and a little bit of comforting rice made my body very happy.

When I stepped back and look at the spiraling of events it just reminded me of how important it is to pay attention to your body.  Listen to the cues it gives you because it is a wonderful and complex living machine.  You have to fuel it correctly to not only just function, but function well.  Today, I missed the boat but I learned or was reminded of some important lessons.

Healthy Living Blogging: What Does It Mean?

 In honor of joining Healthy Living Blogs...Here are my thoughts...

Awhile back, I was about 186lbs.  I did Weight Watchers, got down to 155lbs and then gained it all back.  Then I did it again and went down to 143lbs.  I am still working on losing a little more.  I felt good at 143lbs but plateaued.  I was getting frustrated so I had my husband hide the scale. Seriously, I don't know where it is.

After two months of not having a number stare me in the face every morning (ok, sometimes many times a day) I started to rely on my body more than numbers.  How do I feel today?  What do I feel like doing for exercise?  What do I feel like eating?  Are these pants tight/loose/clean?  Ok, the clean part wasn't a feeling but more of a smell but you get the idea.  I started reading 'healthy living blogs' and they gave me tons of inspiration, recipes and general good advice.  Some of the info worked great for me (overnight oats, new veggie rich recipes, new workouts, etc) some didn't work out so well.  I am not going to tell you which ones because I am sure they work for some people, just not for me and I would not want to keep you from trying those things.

I loved the blogs I was reading and I wanted to be a part of the community.  The people were all so positive.  I liked that.  I am not really that but am trying.  My only worry about blogging about 'healthy living' is that some of the blogs (NOT ALL) I visited seemed like they were just about food and fitness and exercise.  That doesn't work for me.  Why?  For me 'healthy living' is all encompassing.  It is about living your life, your whole life, in a healthy way.  That means that I write about those things above but I will also write about things that have nothing to do with those topics because I need an outlet for other subjects in order to keep my mental health healthy.  To me, it is all woven together.  I now realize that I don't have to box myself in to just writing about a few topics.  Healthy living has to be woven into the craziness of my everyday life in order for it to work for me.  I hope that you stick around to see the whole fabric. :)