Monthly Archives: August 2013

The Enforcer

Hey guys! I haven’t shared a general life type of post with you all lately so let’s go through some highlights!

I of course have obligatory kitten nursery pictures. I only have a few more weeks-crazy! I’ll miss seeing those faces every week!

ImageImageImageImageAfter the nursery, I drove one highway exit away for training run #2. I ran by the bay where I normally would do my long runs. It wasn’t my first location choice for a shorter run, but one highway exit was all I could manage in that traffic! 

Being the smarty pants that I am, I failed to bring my Garmin. That wasn’t really an issue for me. I planned to run for time, but I kind of failed with that too. Luckily, when you do enough hard, long runs in a place, you have a very good sense of when you have 2 miles left. Since my run was 4 miles, I hit that out and back point from memory and it was fine. I felt kind of tired-the run felt long. At the same time though, I think I was going at a good pace. My original plan was 3x per week of running, but I think I’m going to bump that up to 4 for the next few weeks. Unfortunately, me feet weren’t great by the end-my new inserts aren’t the solution…

Overnight oats were exactly what I was craving for lunch, so I whipped them up from my vanilla yogurt that was on its last legs. 15 minutes of waiting, and they were good enough for me!

ImageI listen to an audiobook on my long runs. I had the idea a week or so ago that in the afternoons, instead of reading a book, I should just take my audiobook and go for long walks. This summer, I’ve felt pretty sedentary when I’m not working out. 

I really enjoyed it-my walk ended up being 2 hours long and very hilly. I’m thinking these walks will be decent training at least for the downhills of my half, sicne the movement is pretty similar. 

Here are some of the views:

ImageImageI didn’t sleep enough Thursday night. I had a 5:10 wake up for spin Friday morning. The thought of staying in bed could have crossed my mind if it wasn’t for this.

ImageAt 5:08 am, this guy busted my door open (not really sure how…) and started meowing his lungs out for me to get up. Not for attention, not to be petted, but so I would get my rear end out of bed. So, on 5 hours of sleep, I got up before my alarm. I don’t understand how he knows. When I wake up early for a workout (or the kitten nursery) he always wakes up and gets ready with me. I’m not sure how he can possibly know the day and time, since Thursdays I wake up an hour later. I swear, that cat!

After spin, I refueled with a plum, and eggs with kale and chive and onion cream cheese.

ImageAfter a quick nap, I helped my mom take our car in for service. While the car was being worked on, we headed downtown in search of a coffee shop.

We happened upon a little place that attracted us with its produce and Blue Bottle coffee. Blue Bottle for some reason sounded familiar to me, so we decided to check it out. 

ImageI ordered an oat bar and a cappuccino.

ImageImageHow adorable is this??

We got talking about health, nutrition, weight, eating plans, and life. We ended up staying for 2 hours, leaving only when the parking meter was going to run out. This little discussion sparked my last post, as well as another one I wrote at the same time, which should appear on Monday. It was really, really nice. 

That evening, I went to Crossfit and was able to Rx the workout (go at the prescribed weight/height of box). The workout was 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 of kettle bell swings and box jumps. The kettle bell swings were a non-issue. The box was higher than I was expected…And I thought for sure the workout would end with me picking pieces of Aurora out of the box. I have a bit of a fear of box jumps-and a pretty little scar on my shin to prove it. I’ll spare you the pictures of when it first happened. When I first began working with my trainer 3 years ago, I bashed my shin REALLY badly in one of the first sessions with him. He later told me he thought I’d never be back after that! I did it again a year ago, and now box jumps always make me nervous when I know they’re not a super easy height. 

I was worried also that I’d be tired at the end and mess up. It took intense focus, and a lot of nerves, but I successfully Rxed the workout! I don’t care that I was the last to finish-I still did, I pushed my boundaries, and had a ton of focus.

That evening I visited my sister in her new apartment where she invited a whole bunch of friends over. It was a ton of fun-pizza, boba, games. The highlight was learning how to make paper airplanes-which of course degenerated into all out paper airplane warfare. 

ImageThat’s all I have for you today! Also-expect a recipe coming your way soon!

What did you do this weekend? What is one exercise you’re terrified to do?

What is More Than How Many

Hey guys! I owe you a no sugar challenge recap. But how about a post no sugar challenge recap as well?

I haven’t talked much about the no sugar challenge since the beginning. Usually, this means it kind of trickled out of my mind and I failed. But THIS time, I actually finished.  For this challenge, I defined “sugar” as “sweets or desserts.” I enjoyed it, but I didn’t realize the impacts it had until POST no sugar challenge. 

ImageAs many of my longer time readers may have picked up, sugar is an issue near and dear to my heart. So much so that I want to spend my life studying it. I’ve always been sensitive to sugar. I’ve done a lot of research into its metabolism. I’ve done quite a few no sugar challenges in the past. But this, in a way, may be the last. 

So, let’s talk numbers. At the end of last week (the end of the challenge) I was feeling leaner. I initially thought it was because of my weight lifting schedule-it was a more intense week than the week before. However, I was annoyed because the number on the scale didn’t really change. That’s kind of the story of my summer. I posted a while ago about the weight I gained recently. I gained that weight through a bout of horrible eating habits. Over the summer, I exercised a lot, including training for a half and starting Crossfit, and really cleaned up my diet. I expected the weight to just fall off-I was eating so badly for a little while that I figured any improvement would have that effect. However, over the course of the summer, I lost maybe 2 pounds. How was that possible?

The mirror, however, told a different story. I definitely looked slimmer. The difference was the muscle I build through all the lifting and exercise. Showing once again that WHAT is more important that HOW MANY.

ImageAnd back to the no sugar challenge. Although the number didn’t change, I felt and looked better. 

Flash forward to almost a week post-challenge. I ate my first sweet. And I. Felt. Awful. It’s really easy to forget how something really makes you feel. But that’s not all. (Keep in mind, I’m super sensitive to sugar, so these reactions won’t happen for a lot of people.) This week, I’ve continued in indulging in sugar. Nothing too crazy, but desserts regularly. 

I feel like a different person. I feel like my body fat has gone up (but still little change on the scale, mind you). I’m on edge. I don’t feel in control. I feel sick. One cookie is enough to give me a stomachache-and make me crave more. Now let’s talk about what I’ve been eating this week. 

Carbs. Lots of carbs. All carbs. Very few vegetables. 

ImageBut here’s the real zinger. I confess-I count calories. Why? Quite frankly, because I suck at intuitive eating. And I like data. Cold, hard facts. Am I accurate counting calories? Probably not. But that’s fine with me. I’m consistent, and that’s all that matters. I know how many my body needs in my counting system. So it works for me. 

Back to the point-numbers don’t lie; I’ve eaten a similar amount of calories last week as this week. But those calories were oh so different. Fresh fruits, veggies, lean protein versus carbscarbscarbs and sugar. And my body is reacting to the two things very differently. Once again, WHAT I’m eating matter more than HOW MANY calories I’m eating. 

ImageWhat’s the point of all this? I know it’s been said before, but once again, A NUMBER ISN’T EVERYTHING. Sure, calorie counts and numbers on a scale can give you a rough check in, but it’s stupid to focus on them. There’s SO MUCH MORE to the equation than numbers. 

Think of this-

4+4=8

4×4=16

Both equations include fours, but the result is very different; there is another factor, the operator. If you eat exactly 2000 calories a day (the government recommendation) and are exactly the perfect BMI, are you healthy? What if those 2000 calories are just doughnuts and cheetos? What if you have very little muscle and excess body fat? Is that the same as a person who eats 2000 calories of local, organic produce, lean protein, and low sugar, lifts weights, and is the same weight?

Health is so, so much more than a number. And EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT.

Keep that in mind when I say this-I could see myself living a no sugar life, long term, more than just a challenge. I’ve said it before, I’m super sensitive to sugar. One cookie is enough to send me off the wall-jitters and mood swings. If that cookie works well in your lifestyle-GO FOR IT! We are not the same people! Sugar can definitely be part of a healthy lifestyle-and it is for most people. But I don’t know that it is for me. 

Image(Excuse the awkward tween picture.)

It’s not about body composition-it’s about health. Physical and mental. When I eat sweets, I lose control. It messes with my hormones-I’m super emotional and I crave sweetssweetssweets. I can envision a very low-sugar lifestyle. I’ve never regretted not eating a sweet. I feel better when I don’t eat them. I think it would be sustainable FOR ME.

As bloggers, we expose ourselves to all kinds of comparisons. I sometimes read a blog thinking-if this person can eat sugar and feel great, I should be able to too! But in reality, we can’t possibly make that comparison. We share a passion, not a body. We have different lives, different metabolisms, different circumstances. Just because one thing doesn’t work for me, doesn’t mean you all should stop eating it. Or because the blog world is obsessed with some food, it doesn’t mean I should jump on the bandwagon if I or my body don’t like it. 

Hopefully you’ll think about what I said. Going forward, I’m hoping for sugar to play a minimal role in my life. (Don’t make big decisions under the influence of alcohol-how about under the influence of a sugar high?) I want it to be a non-factor. Hopefully, I can hit you guys with some lower sugar recipes in the future as well-don’t think I’m going to miss out completely on all the fall treats!Image

Thoughts?

What…me? Fashion?

Since I’m a little behind on day to day happenings, let’s take a little trip back to Tuesday. I began the morning with Crossfit. The WOD was 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, and 15 air squats-for 20 minutes. I used a lighter band than I ever have for the WOD before, so I was really excited about that!

From there, I went straight to yoga. I’m really trying to incorporate it into my routine again, especially since running is picking up. I didn’t think anything of the Crossfit workout until I tried a chaturanga. Yeah. Low push ups? That was not happening. At all. So that was interesting. 

Since I was missing my post-early workout nap, I decided to walk over to Peet’s for an iced green tea.

ImageIt was STRONG. Way more so than Starbucks-which I guess I should have expected. But I’m not complaining! 

I picked up some groceries at Whole Foods-I needed coconut sugar for a recipe I’m trying in the near future. All the pastries smelled so good in there though-I was really tempted by the cinnamon raisin scones. However, I knew if I gave myself such a shot of sugar on an empty stomach I’d feel awful all day, so I settled on some plain yogurt and DELICIOUS vanilla granola. 

ImageThen, I got a quick but much needed haircut, and headed to the mall to meet up for shopping with my best friends from high school.

One of my friends is the best shopper. She can pick a ton of cute things in about 10 minutes. It’s amazing. Both my friends are a lot of fun to shop with because they both try on and buy things. And I’m bad at picking things out. Which leads to the title of this post…

Wait, what? Me? Doing a fashion post? Think of this less as a recommendation, but more of an idea of what I like to wear. 

Here are my finds from the mall the other day:

ImageImageI love this dress! 

So what’s my style like? Simple, slightly athletic. Mostly simple. Throughout high school, I wore jeans and a sweatshirt pretty much every day. Now that I’m in college, I feel like I need to make a little more of an effort. Sometimes. I’m lucky that my school is super casual. Nike shorts to class? 100% acceptable. It’s a good fit. But the biggest reason I’m getting away from wearing jeans and a sweatshirt is frankly because biking in jeans stinks. It just does. It’s not comfortable. So that combination of factors has forced me to be a bit more creative. 

Here’s one of my weird quirks-I don’t wear jewelry. At all. For some reason it kind of annoys me to have it on-hence the “simple.” So what do I wear?

I’m a big fan of loose sweaters. My favorite is a peach and white striped sweater that I seem to have no pictures of. I also love scarves-specifically infinity scarves. I could never figure out how to properly wear/wrap a regular scarf so at this point I exclusively buy infinity scarves. I love dressing up a simple crewneck sweatshirt with a scarf. Plus, in winter it usually keeps me warm enough to avoid wearing 2 jackets. (Yes, I’m a wimp. Weather in the 50s merits 2 jackets, and I still ‘freeze.’) 

Image

This is probably my favorite scarf. I love the color and the subtle sparkle. I also have it in purple (they were on sale-how could I not??).

Image

Here’s a really awful picture of my navy scarf. Simple, but effective. It would be good with a light or bright cardigan, depending on the season. 

Speaking of cardigans, these are my newest thing. In the winter they look great with a tank top and scarf (yes, this is a CA winter). This summer, I’ve been dressing up my workout pants with a cardigan. Yes, once again my school is casual enough I can wear workout pants to the lab and it’s totally fine. I feel like I do look a little more profession with the sweater though.

Here’s the full look-with my summery scarf and the lovely Kaitlin (old photo).

ImageHere are a few more sweatered looks:

ImageImageThat’s one of my new tanks. I wanted something a little fancier looking. This could be dressed up a lot with a pencil skirt of some type.

In terms of skirts, I am a big fan of the high waisted skirt look.Image(Ignore the fact that I was weirdly tan last summer.)

ImageThis flowy type of high waisted skirt seems to be a bit last year (not that that stops me from wearing them). The new thing seems to be the a-line skirt, which I also really like and have a few of, I just haven’t worn them a whole bunch. 

In terms of fancier clothing, this is my all time favorite dress. And pretty much my only fancy type dress until I got that blue one yesterday!

ImageRealistically, who knows what I’ll wear next year. When the weather gets colder I’ll almost certainly turn to the crew neck and scarf look. Once again, I’m a wimp in the cold-any breeze in the air and a cardigan just won’t cut it!

I hope you enjoyed this post. I’m not necessarily the most stylish person, but hopefully this gives you a sense of my ‘style’!

WIAW-Summertime Loving

Happy Wednesday! That means-you guessed it-another edition of What I Ate Wednesday, hosted by the lovely Jenn.

Image

By the way, did you guys see her chocolate chip banana bread recipe? It looks AMAZING! I was going to make it but was short a ripe banana, and my dad may have killed me if I made it and ate it all while he was out of town. 

But now onto what I actually DID eat! 

Saturday lunch-leftovers. Sloppy joe meat (with turkey) in a lettuce leaf, plus leftover sweet potato wedges. 

Image

ANOTHER fruit bowl. I’m kind of obsessed with these. The best ones include bananas and peaches. WIth or without peaches though, there needs to be a tangier component than just banana-like berries or even apple in a pinch. Topped with crunchy sunflower seed butter for some healthy fats.

ImageI also tried a new chobani flip-vanilla with corn flakes, honey oats, and praline pecans.

ImageI paired it with a slice of veggie pizza and broccoli. My overall opinion? A little boring. And corn flakes+yogurt are not a great combination, just because they got super soggy.

ImageSince over the weekend I was still on my no sugar challenge, when my parents broke out the peanut butter cups, I decided to make my own no sugar version. I heated up unsweetened chocolate and coconut butter (unsweetened chocolate is really hard), and then filled mini muffin cups first with the chocolate, then sunflower seed butter, and then topped with chocolate again. I also added a touch of sea salt to the top-to make them gourmet of course! I wouldn’t recommend using no sweetener if you aren’t use to the taste of unsweetened chocolate, but this would work just as well with dark chocolate.

 ImageOne thing I love about summer is going to Farmer’s markets. I love tasting all the fruit-especially peaches. White peaches or nectarines are by far my favorite! However, fruit is not the only amazing foodie find at Farmer’s markets. Have any of you ever gotten kettle corn there? It’s the best kettle corn ever. When you get it, it’s so hot and crisp. What better to munch on while browsing the produce?

ImageI do love my fresh produce though too. Some highlights-white raspberries and butternut squash hummus! I love topping salads with hummus, and I prefer less sharp hummus for this. Butternut squash worked just perfectly!

ImageImageAlso from the Farmer’s market-artichokes and corn. I also had a grilled portabello mushroom, but sadly we could not find any at the Farmer’s market. 

ImageAlso-a side note: I’m not sure if anyone noticed, but I haven’t posted many pictures of my breakfasts lately. That just means they’ve been super boring and/or really quick and early in the morning. For example-this morning I grabbed a Thinkthin bar before Crossfit. And as much as I’m sure everyone wants to see the same picture every other morning….

So far this week my workouts have been good ones. Monday was my first run of half marathon training 2.0. It took me about 3 hours to get going…but hey, I still did it. I realized I haven’t A) done that run in my newer shoes and B) done that run since the beginning of my first half marathon training. I did a 3 mile run in my neighborhood. It’s pretty hilly, so it was great practice for the hills of SF. It’s a run I’ve done a million times throughout high school. I did it once, at the very beginning of my training, and was DYING. I was in pretty awful shape at the beginning of my training-after recovering from Mono a month or so prior, I never really got back into running shape. Well, the run was sooo much easier. It’s good to know the 10 weeks of training I put into for my first half helped me be in better shape. 

Confession: the whole time I was climbing the big hill I was think “I’m scaling this hill, just like Spiderman.” #facepalm

I refueled afterwards with an iced chai tea latte. A weak iced chai tea latte-because who has time for something to ACTUALLY brew fully?

ImageWhen I make my chai tea lattes, I brew the tea directly into the almond milk, which I heat up. Since I’m adding ice, I find it gets too watery if I brew it in water and then add milk. 

Aaaaand one last piece of deliciousness to leave you with. Remember how I said I wanted to bake Jenn’s chocolate chip banana bread but was a banana short? Well, I wasn’t just going to let a good banana go to waste. Or a good craving for chocolate chip banana bread to go to waste. Instead, I whipped up a concoction that turned out to be a pretty awesome banana chocolate chip custard. So let’s go with that. 

ImageImageI don’t have the exact recipe. But there’s only one solution to that-I’ll have to make it again and measure it out! I kind of just poured and mashed, but I used 1 banana, liquid egg whites, a dash of salt and baking powder, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Have a great day everybody! I’m sorry this post was a bit disjointed-I was a bit behind on food posts so I kind of just threw it all out there. I’ll leave you with some kitty love.

ImageI really wanted to take a selfie with him-because I’m cool and take selfies with my cat…but I didn’t get quite that angelic facial expression…

ImageDo you love microwave cooking as much as I do? What’s the best way to train for a hilly race? Favorite summer produce? Anyone else take selfies with their cats? Please?

Training Part Two

Guess what everyone?

Tomorrow is Monday. Which means….training starts! I am sooo excited. I can’t believe it’s only been 2 weeks since my first half marathon…and it’s 9 weeks from my second! Since I consider myself a seasoned half marathoner (hah) I’m going to go about my training a bit differently. Since I know I can put the mileage in which was my only goal for the last half, this time I’m doing speed work…and hills. Lots of hills. Hills on hills on hills. My run tomorrow is 3 miles around the neighborhood. Which means about 300 feet of elevation climb. It actually made me feel a lot better realizing the hills I’ve run around home for years are comparable to the hills of the race….

Anyways, I thought it would be fun to reflect on my training from my last half. 

Lots of running….Image

Lots of shoes necessary to get through my training.

ImageCompression socks to hold my legs together after long runs (I swear that’s what it feels like they’re doing!)

ImageFun places to run.

ImageImageImagePost-run fuel. (I may have eaten this whole thing-more or less-after my 12 miler.)

Image

Pre-run fuel.

ImageMoral support.

ImageRoller of death.

Image

Tan lines to prove it.

ImagePre-race day jitters. (And let’s be honest-whole time of training jitters.)

Image

Finish line pain bliss.

ImageAnd enough craziness to do it all again!

Image

Happy running friends! Here’s to another fun 9 weeks!