My first weekly recap

This week went really well! I did a workout or a run every day and ate pretty healthy. I started eating "clean" again and I really enjoy it. I don't snack without really thinking about what I need, I enjoy my meals because I'm actually hungry when it's meal time and I feel really good at the end of the day. I'm trying to lower my body fat percentage and diet plays a huge role in fat loss/gain.

I'm so glad today is a rest day! I woke up with a migraine around 6am and that pesky thing women have to deal with every month... -_-
I hate you pain.

On to the recap..
I started my 30 day exercise plan on Tuesday and did Jillian's 30 day shred, level 2.

Wednesday: 20 minute run, leg workouts with resistance band and high/low planks.

Thursday: Yoga and leg workout with resistance bands.

Friday: 20 minute run, legs with resistance band.

Saturday: Jillian's Killer buns n thighs level 2, and planks.

I had a couple new-to-me meals that were really good! Black bean and corn tacos!

I'll share this spaghetti squash recipe soon! It's almost like a healthy spaghetti without sauce. Which is great for me since I have acid reflux and haven't been able to eat regular spaghetti in a long time. Squash, onion, garlic, tomatoes, basil, sprinkled with olives and feta cheese and tossed with chicken = delicious! I added chicken, it wasn't part of the recipe but it made it more filling.

(Photo from allrecipes.com)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone! I'm looking forward to another week of healthy food and great workouts! 

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

I was a bit surprised (and happy) to find out that Kristy @ RunawayBridalPlanner nominated me for the "Very Inspiring Blogger Award". (Thank you!) It feels good to know that I inspire someone with the things I write. I thoroughly enjoy encouraging others in any way possible so if I can do it while doing something I love (writing) it's a win-win!

Kristy is one of the first people I started following when I started blogging almost a year ago. I was intrigued by all of the adventures she's been on, her goal to run a marathon in every state (19 to go!) and the structure I see in her blog/posts. I was (and still am) encouraged by her struggle with her work related injury and how it took her out of running for a long period of time.(a year or more?) It puts my little six month IT band injury set-back into perspective! She has kept a positive attitude and is still working towards her goals. Her blog is all about adventure and optimism! I think anyone who visits would enjoy sticking around to see what she posts about next!

Here are the rules for this award:
-Thank & link to the person who nominated you.
-List the rules & display the award.
-Share 7 facts about yourself.
-Nominate 15 other blogs/bloggers who inspire you & comment on one of their posts letting them know you nominated them. 
OPTIONAL: Display the award logo on your blog & follow the person who nominated you.

I came up with these 7 facts pretty fast. I could've put more thought into them, but I'm pretty open on my blog anyway, so I think eventually you'll all end up knowing way too much about me. ;-)

1. I have very poor eyesight in my right eye. Which is why I wear glasses. My left eye does most of the work. Right at this very moment, I am glasses-less (so not a word) because I drop them a lot, and the last time I dropped them the left lens got scratched and they had to be sent in to get fixed... (forgive me if this post is not error free)

2. I love sappy romance movies like Gone With the Wind and Pride & Prejudice. Any Jane Austen films will do. :-)

3. My parents spent over $4,000 on my teeth & mouth when I was 12-14 years old. I had braces for a couple years, along with two surgeries. One was to remove the skin that connects your top lip to your gums and to remove the gums in between my two front teeth. The other surgery was to remove my molars before they could grow in and mess up my freshly straightened teeth. 

4. A dream of mine is to travel the world and live with whatever I can carry with me. Maybe not for the rest of my life, but a few months would be nice.

5. We have a dog and I really do love her and she's a great dog, but I really love cats. (that was more of a confession)

6. I'm terrified of big frogs. Big, meaning larger than a quarter. 

7. I was adopted! .......... Just kidding!
My favorite meal of the day is breakfast. Wow, that was a hard fact to come up with... It's a good thing I wasn't awarded with the "most interesting person award". ;-)

The blogs/bloggers I'd like to nominate all inspire me in one way or another. I read their posts daily and I look forward to what they have to say. I may not have 15 to nominate but these ladies sure know how to inspire others in more ways than just physically! In no particular order:

 Ashley @ KickAshMom
 Chaitali @ RunningAndEnjoyingtheJourney
 Ali @ AliOnTheRun
 Karey @ NuttyAboutHealth
 Lindsay @ LindsayWeighsIn
 Gelcys @ RunnerUnleashed
Stephanie @ CatLadyRuns
 Jill @ JillConyers
Joanna @ RunFastEatLots (She is busy riding 4 thousand miles for 4K for Cancer)


Take some time to check out these blogs as well as Kristy's. You won't be let down :-)

Planning my workouts

I have a confession to make: I won't be training for a duathlon or triathlon any time soon. Ahh! There. Glad I got that off my chest.
I can come up with a long list of excuses as to why I changed my mind but the truth is, I just don't want to right now. I like the idea of completing those races some day. One of my favorite quotes is "ya gotta have the want to." And well, I don't have the want to.

So with that being said, I do want to have some planned workouts during the week and get this flabby body toned up. Thanks to Chaitali and her motivating posts about her active weekly recaps, I want to plan my workouts for the next thirty days. That may sound like a long time but for me, I know thirty day plans work.
Thanks for the motivation!

I'm going to do a series of Jillian's 30 Day Shred, Killer Buns N Thighs, and Insanity. I'll also do 20-30 minute runs in between the workout days. I already printed out a calendar and have completed two days! 28 to go!

source

Gotta get rid of those "heybabies".


I love watching our sunflower grow!

I had some not-so-healthy lunch from Costco today so by this afternoon I was craving a healthy snack. Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes from our garden and zesty Italian dressing hit the spot!

Well, I guess that's all for today. Have a nice evening everyone!

What's your favorite healthy snack? 
Do you have a weekly workout plan? 
Do you stick to it? 

The race we almost missed and some fireworks

Michael and I ran the 2 mile Run For Independence race here in our hometown.

We had a great run and the course wasn't bad but we almost missed the start!

The race was scheduled to start at 7:30am so we woke up at 6 so we'd have plenty of time to get there and pick up our bibs and t shirts.

We ended up running a little late, left the house at 6:45, but we still had to drop off our daughter at Michael's mom's house. We made it to registration ten minutes before the race started! We needed to put our shirts in the car so we jogged over to the car then came back to where we thought was going to be the starting line, only to find no runners in sight! (The website said the starting line will be on the strip behind the library...which is where we got our bibs)

We asked a volunteer if the race started and she said "I think so"... -_-

How do you not know for sure if about 400 runners started running or not?!

Michael started taking off his bib and I almost started to cry. No joke.

I (thankfully) asked a guy if the race started and he said he didn't hear the gun. So I asked where the starting line was and he pointed us down the street! We ran almost a quarter of a mile to the start, had about one minute to catch our breath then we were off.

What a fiasco!

The course was flat and went through the city of Atwater. It was marked well and had a clear turn around point for the 2 mile runners.

I finished in 17:04!! I was surprised to see 17 minutes on the clock when I was coming in! Michael finished in 14:20! We both placed 4th in our age group!
This race isn't anything fancy but I can see it being a traditional race every year since it takes place in our hometown.

Hot and sweaty but happy. Funny story:
We both HATE running late so we were both really touchy and saying some not so nice things to each other. I'll share our exchange of words:
Me-"what are we gonna do with our shirts? We don't have time to go back to the car!"
Him-"it doesn't matter! I t's just a t shirt and it's only two miles. Wrap it around your neck and use it as a sweat rag."
Me-"I'll wrap it around your neck and choke you with it."

Here's the funny part: as soon as the race was over, we were all smiles and high fives. :-) runner couples...

The photographer snapped a picture of me before the finish so I'm waiting for those to pop up on the website.

After the race we went home to shower and change. Then we went and hung out at Michael's mom's house and watched The Lorax.

We had dinner at my mom's then for the first time ever we drove out to the Air Base Museum to watch the firework show. Our kids loved it! We had a busy day but it was a lot of fun.

On a random note, our mammoth sunflower bloomed!!

Have you ever missed a race that you registered for?

How was your weekend? 

Have a great Monday everyone!!

My thought process during yoga & meditation

As a runner I think incorporating yoga or another form of stretching into your weekly schedule is extremely important.

I like to use my time during yoga to meditate as well. Since starting this routine about three weeks ago, I've felt much more relaxed, centered and carefree. I've been feeling more balanced physically, mentally and spiritually.

Today as I started yoga & meditation, I began to realize that some of the stretches went so well with my thoughts as I meditated on God.

Meditation for me is alone time with God..without words, without reading and without distraction. Just me, my thoughts and my Creator.

I wanted to share with you my thought process as I meditate and stretch. I am in no way, trying to force my beliefs on anyone. I understand everyone believes differently and I'm just simply sharing how I'm learning to be spiritually fit. For me.

I found a great playlist on YouTube of relaxing piano music. I've used this same playlist multiple times and I still enjoy listening to it.

I begin at the edge of my mat. Standing with my feet shoulder width apart. As I breathe in, I lift my arms and look up.
"Thank you Jesus, for another day of life."

As I exhale I bring my arms down, pushing any negativity down.
"I'm letting go."

Inhale up and smile as I reach towards Him.
(Repeat as many times I feel I need)

As I move into the different poses (some created by me that aren't technically yoga) I continue to focus on God. I thank Him for making me strong and healthy.

As I move into "warrior pose" and lean down towards the front leg, I lift my arm up and think, "take my hand, don't let me fall."

This process takes anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour. (That's usually all my kids can stand to leave me alone for)

I end standing, feet firmly planted, fingers stretched down like roots, "Lord, I am yours. I am firmly planted. I will not be moved."

Then I finish with prayer, Bible reading and usually some writing.

If you are someone who struggles with anxiety, depression or high levels of stress, I strongly recommend meditation. Even if it's simply taking time out of every day to sit and focus on just breathing. It will do wonders to your mental health. As well as your spiritual health. I feel, as a stay at home mom, I can handle a lot more during the day if I begin my day with meditation, yoga/stretching and prayer.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!