Look what I got in the mail yesterday!

Wordless Wednesday

Fitness wrap up

The last few days have been amazing!! The sun is shining, it's been warm, the perfect days to get outside & RUN!! I got in 9 miles on Sunday & it was awesome. After spending all of last week in the basement, on a treadmill, it was glorious to feel the sun on my face! I had to play around with my route a little bit & try to make my run longer. I did my usual loop, but it's only 5 miles normally, so I kept adding on here & there to get to 9. Monday morning I got together with my loco running buddies. Seriously, we are a crazy bunch!! You don't see many runners out there on the trail when it's snowy, icy & wet. We need to get a long run of about 12 or 13 miles in SOON, but time only allowed us to get in 8 on Monday. Today I dropped the ball on the mile-a-day challenge today, I only got in weights this morning. However, I think I have running fever! When the weather started to change & the snow started to fall, I actually thought to myself "I bet it would be awesome to run in this". LOL I might be going a little crazy...

The mile-a-day challenge is extended into March & I am not sure I can keep it up. I guess I might as well try though, right?! I haven't been perfect about it in Feb, but my goal is run as much as possible & I think I should keep doing that through May, especially if I want to get my marathon in that month.

Speaking of March, I am re-doing the Whole30 Challenge. YAY!! I am excited to get started with that again. I have been mostly paleo this month, with slip ups here & there and a few blatantly, NOT paleo days. I know where I want to be though & clean eating will get me there. I am excited to start on Friday! Just a reminder for those of you wondering what the Whole30 Challenge is: Intro to Whole30. This challenge I am looking forward to burning FAT, to getting leaner & building muscle. I am really going to focus on being sugar free & eat more lean proteins. Y'all, I am saying Good-Bye to BACON this month!!! What the what?!  No lie, THAT will be the challenge for me, for sure! HAHA

I'm skurred!

I'm SO excited!! I signed up for a half-marathon in April. It's in KY, so my plan is to stay with my sister & her family for the weekend. I can't wait :) I am also planning on signing up for a marathon in May. I will have already been trained up to 15 miles for my race in March, so I figure, I might as well continue training rather than stop & then start again for a fall marathon. I would LOVE to reach all of my running goals for 2013 by May :)

I am scared of something though. I want to start something new-to-me fitness wise. Something I've never done & am totally excited about, but also scared of it too. I have only told 2 people that I want to do it, I'm scared to really talk about it until I feel more confident about it, but I am really the most nervous that people will laugh at me b/c it's not something you would think of when you think of me. Sorry to be so cryptic!! I am excited to talk about it when I feel ready, but for now, I'm still kind of preparing for it, so I can only talk about it vaguely.

Do you do things that scare you? I think it's a good practice to have. We'd never do anything new, or grow as a person if we didn't try things that scared us, right? Sometimes you just have to go out on that limb & take a chance, right? Honestly, I love the feeling I get when I accomplish something I thought I could never do. I love proving myself (and others) wrong. I am hoping that the new thing I want to pursue would give me that feeling too. It would certainly push me out of my comfort zone & would give me a bunch of new experiences & hopefully make some new friends & meet new people.

Tropical Salad

Feeling down in the dumps due to the gray skies & cold weather?? Longing for the bright sun & scents of the  tropics? I got a yummy salad for that! :) I had a few chicken breasts left over after making dinner the other night & I've been wanting to make coconut crusted chicken breasts for awhile, so I decided to give it a go! I melted some coconut oil in my pan & crusted the chicken breasts in some shredded coconut & almond meal. I cooked them up & threw in my salad along with some tangerine. I am usually not one for sweet salads, I like them to be savory, but my husband ordered a salad over Valentine's Weekend that had spinach, grapefruit & orange in it. It was YUMMY!! I really wish I had pineapple to add to my salad, but I could only come up with tangerine to fulfill my tropical whims today. I always add some nuts to my salads to give them some healthy fats so that I'll stay full longer. I topped off my salad of mixed greens, coconut chicken & tangerine with some chopped up cashew pieces & oh my YUM!!! All I need is a daiquiri to go with it...maybe some sun & a nice sandy beach....

Temptation

Today was a normal day at work. Until we celebrated my boss' birthday. One of my coworkers had brought some cupcakes in from Dinkles Bakery. I knew she brought them in, even before the celebration, and that's when the struggle began. I knew I could eat one, I mean, I'm not doing the Whole30 challenge again until March. I can eat whatever I want, BUT will it benefit me? The struggle was already in my head, but then they cracked open the boxes with the cupcake in them & everyone took one. They asked me if I wanted one. I tried to say no, but then I thought that I *might* eat it, or even just half. So now the cupcake was on my desk! It was chocolate with chocolate frosting & everyone else was raving about their cupcakes. They all commented how good the frosting was & how the cake was so delicious. It sat on my desk for the whole party. I wasn't sure if I should eat it or not. Then everyone left & I was alone with the cupcake. BUT then I felt like an idiot eating this cupcake all by myself....so it sat on my desk a little longer as I struggled with what to do. I knew if I ate it, I would have the momentary sugar rush, I knew it WOULD be delicious, but I had already had some nuts & chocolate with my lunch. I didn't really NEED any more sugar or chocolate. I knew that it wouldn't help me reach my health or fitness goals. I ended up moving the cupcake from my desk & gave it to my coworker to take home to her daughter.

As soon as the cupcake was off my desk, I felt relief. The struggle was over, I had chosen not to eat it & I was happy. I knew that's what I wanted to do, but I knew it would be hard to give up that momentary pleasure. I had been reminding myself of what I really want, more than I wanted that cupcake. I was to be healthy & strong, I want to gain muscle, not fat. I want to get vitamins & minerals from my food, not sugar & empty calories. I want to eat with a purpose, to nourish myself & give my body the fuel it needs to get through my day. I don't want to eat mindlessly b/c that is what everyone else is doing. I don't need to have "fun" by eating junk, I get my fun in other ways. I have goals for myself, my health & my fitness that do not include being like everyone else. I want to see results from the work I'm doing and I won't get that by eating whatever is in front of me. Obviously I know that ONE cupcake won't ruin everything for me. It is FINE to eat a cupcake, there are no laws against it. However, one small slip can lead to another & then another and before you know it, you are right back to where you started. 

This applies to our spiritual life as well. Sure, we can do whatever we want, even things that are fun or pleasurable, but are they good for us? Will they nourish our souls? Will it please God & draw us closer to Him? I don't think so! Take a look at what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:12&13

^"12 Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims.

¹³ You know the old saying, “First you eat to live, and then you live to eat”? Well, it may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that’s no excuse for stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body!"

WHOA, I added verse 13 in there too b/c I love that the Bible DOES talk about our bodies. That we are to take care of them & to use them to Honor our Creator. So, what do we do when temptation hits? Whether it be from food, alcohol, sex, or even just being pure lazy. I think we need to look at our greater goals & whether it would honor God or not. What I do with my body, what I think about, the use of my time; all of those things matter to God. He could use those things to further His kingdom or those things can be used to honor yourself & draw you further away from Him. As a Christian, I want to use my time, my talents & yes, even my body/health/fitness to honor Him & to be used by God to further His kingdom. 

Things are Changing

I have Bible study on Friday mornings & I am so thankful for the ladies in my Bible Study group :) Today I was talking to one of the girls in my group about change. Often times I am overwhelmed when I think of all the things I would like to change in my life. I want to be more patient with the kids, clean the house more regularly, continue to eat healthy & exercise, learn more about exercise and nutrition but most of all, I want to be more Christ-like. Overwhelming, huh?! 

I almost feel like I don't even know where to start & some times I just feel stuck, when facing the possibility of change in my life. When I realize that I failed at something on a particular day, I feel down & disappointed in myself. I feel like I will never get past the habits & situations that bring out the worst in me. How thankful I am that those feelings are not true!! We are always able to change. We can always choose to do something or not do something, we can choose to react differently in a situation. It is called self-control and it is a fruit of the Spirit. I am amazed that God would equip us with just what we need to be able to make changes in our lives. He truly doesn't leave us where He found us. We are able to break free from our struggles, especially when we lean on Him for our strength. 

I also feel like it is best to take one thing that you want to change about yourself or about your life & work on it for 30 days. I am loving 30 day challenges this year!! I truly do think that you can really make a difference in your life when you break your goals into smaller more obtainable action plans. I feel like 30 days is a good amount of time, it's enough time to form a habit or break a habit & yet you don't feel like it is an endless task. The days are easily counted down & ticked off on  your calendar & you will feel a sense of accomplishment when it's all said and done.

I don't think all challenges or changes that we attempt to make in life need to be that of deprivation. I think a lot of goals or changes made in our lives, can be things that we add to our lives. Perhaps you can choose to read your Bible every day for 30 days, have quiet time every day, pray every day, or exercise 30 minutes every day for 30 days. These are just some thoughts as I contemplate ways I can become a better wife, mom, daughter, friend, ME. Obviously the best change is the one that God can do in us, but we have to participate. We need to take the first steps to make those changes in our lives. God will give us the strength, but we need to make the moves, take the time & use our God-given self control to make changes in our lives for the better. 

It's Valentine's Day today!! I have to say that I am excited!! :) I love Valentine's Day, maybe b/c I love hearts, roses, pink & chocolate?? I don't know where this love stems from, but it's there & I like to make it special for my kids & my husband. I started the celebration yesterday morning, with heart shaped cinnamon rolls & today I will serve the kids hot dogs cut in half & then put back together to create a heart. Last night, I just had to feed my husband & myself, so I made heart shaped hamburgers for us. Love is on my mind <3

Today I ran with my loco running buddies. We are crazy!! Last week we ran in ankle deep snow & today we ran on the trail that was basically a skating rink. The best part of our run today was getting off the trail & just running on the sidewalk. We did end it on the trail & we got 10.5 miles in, not the 12 we had planned, but for the conditions of the trail, I think we did pretty well :) I also had an amazing run around PR on Monday, when the kids were in preschool. It was cold, windy & a little snowy, but it was awesome. Except for those random sidewalks where people hadn't shoveled well & left tons of ice all over. There were many times where I was sure I would slip & fall, but thankfully I kept light on my feet & was able to hobble, jump & walk over the ice.

All in all, I am happy folks!! I am happy with how I feel, I am happy with the foods I am eating, I am happy that I feel healthy & am starting to see results of the lifestyle changes I've made so far in 2013. I have hit my stride with the daily mile challenge for Feb & have run every day since last Monday. That makes 11 days so far :) I love lifting weights & seeing muscles pop up! I am beginning to look into what supplements I need to help build up my muscles. I am still losing weight, which is not bad, but I would rather be building muscle right now. I do want to lean out, burn fat & build muscle, so really the # on the scale will eventually go up again, once those muscles get bigger. lol I'm hoping that some changes I'm going to make during my next Whole30 will help with that. I used bacon occasionally during my last challenge, but I am cutting it out this time around. Sadsies!! If you know me at all, you KNOW that will be a big challenge, I Lurve me some bacon :)

Other than that, I just want to celebrate love today, so I hope that all of my dear readers get to enjoy the day, whether it be with family or on a romantic date.

Confession

OK friends, I have something to confess. I have not been eating clean the past few days :/ It all started on Saturday. My husband worked hard on the house all day, so I decided he should have a treat & should pick where he wanted to go for dinner. Turns out he wanted Chicago style deep dish pizza. UM, so NOT clean :( Sometimes we have to do things for other people though, right? I checked out the salad options & none of them piqued my interest. Not enough protein, or worse yet, FRIED protein & I hate paying for a salad at a restaurant that will leave me hungry. So I decided to have some pizza. WORST.DECISION.EVER!! I definitely paid for eating all of that cheese & grains!! It sat like a brick in my stomach for the rest of the night & even into the next day :( UGH!!

Today I gave into convenience & at a peanut butter & jelly sandwich and some corn chips. Ugh, now I don't know why I did that, but at the time, it just seemed easier than making anything, even a salad, I was just too hungry in the moment & to be honest, I've missed pb&j!! Anyways, it was good & didn't hurt my stomach as much as the pizza did. I am trying my hardest to be kind to myself and not beat myself up for a few poor choices. I will not be defeated by these slips & am choosing to continue on, eating clean. Besides, I am doing another Whole30 in March, and I don't want it to be a bad transition. I want it to be a pretty smooth adjustment since I am trying to continue on the Paleo diet.

Life is a struggle though isn't it? I mean there will always be falls & failures. We will never do everything perfectly. I am learning that I can't  beat myself up for that. Life will not be perfect or easy, this side of Heaven. I am beginning to think that how you react to your slips, screw ups, & falls determines how the rest of your journey will go. I think it can get into your head & make you give up, or it can spur you on to do better. It can actually strengthen any future resolve.

I have obviously learned that I will not be eating deep dish pizza again LOL I hated the way it made me feel. However, I think a sandwich here or there is OK. It will not be my normal lunch, but I can't let the fear of what may happen scare me away from starting over & from having grace with myself. I will admit that I began to think of where eating like that has gotten me. I was not happy with how I looked & I didn't have energy and I don't want to go back to that lifestyle. I would rather be eating clean & moving forward, I will hopefully be better prepared & have a lunch in mind when I am out and about in the morning.

It's been too long! I've been busy, sorry blogland! I have been trying to run more, I must thrive on challenges. A group I am a part of, challenged the members to run at least a mile every day in Feb. One of my friends has taken that VERY seriously & has inspired me to do it too. I was going to do it, but then didn't run for the first 3 days or on Thursday, so that makes 4 days total that I missed out on. Anyways, my other workouts have suffered a little bit because of that, although when I run on the treadmill I always try to lift weights too.

I ALSO told a friend I would do this workout every day:

ummmmmmmmm, that has suffered more than the running one, I think I've done it twice!! Sorry Kallay! I did incorporate it into my Thursday night circuit workouts, so it also includes strength & cardio. Fun times!! We had a blizzard come through Chicago on Thursday night, so I had to cancel our Thursday night workouts at church. So I did my circuit at home by myself. 

Spicing up my side plank ;)

Actually it was funny, my kids joined in for a little while, but then got bored & went off and played. The rest of my workout was uninterrupted with them needing things from me or me having to split up their fights. Fun Times!! 

I got paid yesterday, and I had to go shopping for a friend, so I stopped by my old trusty friend, Nordstrom Rack. I haven't been there for ages!! I still liked it, but the prices weren't as good as I remembered  Anyways, I found myself looking at the workout gear. I need a heavier "jacket" to wear when my running buddies & I are out this winter, when it's supposed to *ahem* SNOW on Monday. Yeah, I think I'll be happy a got a running jacket. Anyways, I think that cute workout clothes definitely motivate me to get more workouts in! LOL

New jacket, forgive me, my bathroom lights are really dim! BAHA

Snowy 10 mile run.

Today I did a "two-a-day". I ran 4 miles this morning & lifted weights and then this evening I did a Jillian Michael's DVD. Feeling pretty strong today!! I am just motivated to keep working on building strength, especially now that I am training for a 15 mile run in March. I don't want my strength work to suffer b/c I am getting more miles in.

Speaking of more miles, I ran with my running buddies yesterday. 10 miles.Outside. In.the.snow. DEFINITELY not comfortable! lol I went into it knowing my feet would get wet. I was telling my running buddies that as we were at mile 3 or so, and we were commenting on how the snow didn't seem to be "wet" snow, we felt pretty good. Well, going on mile 5, we were feeling it. A few times during our run, we would cross streets & that's when you would feel the difference. The concrete just felt right. In the snow our feet were slipping, and every time our foot would come down, you would need to stabilize it. It was hard work and mile 6-8 were terrible. Even mile 9 was hard, but I knew we were almost done, so I hobbled through it. When we were done running, my legs just felt like tree trunks, or elephant legs. They were just heavy. And the PAIN! Oh my, I was scared to sit down, but I knew I had to go get my kids & I had to drive to go get them...so my muscles cramped up, all that stabilizing in the snow? Yeah, I felt that in every single muscle in my leg! A hot shower helped, but I still needed to take some pain medicine later that day. Sheesh! It was hard, but definitely worth it!!

It's the hard things, where you don't know if you're going to finish, that make you stronger. Running is definitely a mental thing, even more so than physical, I think. Your mind can either be your best asset or worst enemy, so that is where the real test comes in. I think a lot of things in life can be related to that. In fact running in the snow reminded me a lot of how life works out. Sometimes your footing is unstable, you may even slip & slide when you take a step. However, you keep going, not knowing how the next step will turn out. You fight through the mush, that wants to pull you down, to keep going & keep moving. Every step is a step of faith, & you need to be strong mentally & physically to finish strong. It is not easy, but it is worth it, it is painful, but you are getting stronger.

sweaty from my work out, but excited about my muscles!

First day Post-Whole30 Challenge & Paleo Pizza!

Today was my first day off of the challenge. This must have been a big deal to me because I have been dreaming about it for the past few nights! Two nights ago, I dreamt that I was making my paleo pizza (my first dinner planned post-Whole30) & then last night I was at a church function & there were only baked goods & potatoes to eat!! I chose some blue potatoes, but then when I was actually eating them, they were more like donuts. I found some strawberries, but they were all half eaten & rotten :( SAD!!

Anyways, enough about dreams, today I kept with my Whole30 routine. I had my sweet potato hash with eggs, had a few figs at church & had a salad at Jason's Deli for lunch. I went to the store & bought what I needed for my Paleo pizza tonight!

Paleo Pizza: This is the recipe I was following http://www.paleolithe.com/2012/04/17/primal-pizza-with-cheesy-cauliflower-crust/. I didn't have any other toppings than sauce & cheese, but that was fine, I was just excited to have pizza again! My two little helpers in the kitchen:

Here is the cheese & herbs that I started with. I added an egg and almond flour to it too:

This is the mixture with cauliflower added & rolled into a "dough"

Looks like a yummy crust, right?! 

C & A watching the pizza "dough" cook in the oven 

Here it is our of the oven, nice & brown! 

Now here is the pizza after I topped it with the sauce & cheese & popped it into the oven until the cheese melted.

So the verdict on the pizza....the reviews did say it was crumbly and mine was too, especially in the middle. The edges were nice & brown & that was the best part of the crust. I will say it did taste really good, the cheese & the garlic & herbs really made it yummy! I could detect a hint of cauliflower. Although I wonder if someone who didn't know it was made with cauliflower would taste it? 

So all in all, it was actually kind of a let down. I had really built up my first bite of pizza in a month in my  mind and then when I had it, it was not as special as I wanted it to be. Plus, I missed having protein & a heaping pile of veggies. I actually would rather have had that! I suppose if you added more toppings to the pizza, you wouldn't necessarily be missing out on those things, but since mine was just a cheese pizza, I did miss protein & veggies. 

For the last month, I've been craving really cheesy things & let me tell you, this was CHEESY!! And I wasn't all that impressed. I honestly didn't miss dairy that much apart from melting cheese as a topping, so to have it on the pizza & not really enjoy it was pretty crazy. 

I guess this just confirms to me that I would rather continue following the Whole30 program than be off of it. My husband even went out & got some brownie mix tonight for him & the kids and I'm not even tempted to eat a brownie. I WOULD be tempted by a square of dark chocolate, but not so much by a brownie. I have been enjoying the changes I've noticed in my body & in my energy and I don't want to compromise those things by going crazy off of the program.