Update

I am sitting here & all is quiet. That is RARE in this house. We live in a small space with 3 kids, so it's not often that SOMEthing isn't going down. I am waiting for more people to wake up so I can make my protein shake. I love it & always look forward to it on days when I lift weights!

I got up to workout this morning feeling really tired. I didn't get to bed at a decent time last night, but we HAD to catch up on Celebrity Apprentice AND watch just one more episode of Prison Break. Not to mention a certain SON of mine came into bed with us last night...AGAIN, which always interrupts my sleep. SO, my 5:25 wake up call this morning was feeling super early today. I didn't get to workout yesterday though & I was feeling off all day, so I KNEW I had to get up & get at em this morning to start off the day on the right foot. I ran 4 miles on the treadmill & did my Monday plan from Bodybuilding.com. Gotta love the plan! I am on week 2 & I am excited to see how things look by the end of week 4. THEN, I started a new plan for weeks 5-8. I'm so excited about this lol I bought  a new swimsuit last night, so I am feeling really motivated to keep up the plan & rock the pools this summer :)

I have NOT been clean eating lately. Yesterday was really off. The kids are on spring break, so they didn't have preschoool in the morning. It was a relief not to have to be anywhere in the morning, BUT we didn't have anything to do either, so I took the kids out to Chik Fil A. They like the play place there & the staff is so helpful with kids. I ended up ordering my old stand by, the chicken nugget meal with Coke. It was the first time I had Chik Fil A in 2013 & the first time I drank pop in 2013. I was hoping to go longer, but I WILL say, that I didn't love the pop or the fast food & it was only one meal yesterday. I had a clean breakfast & dinner, although we did make Smores in the microwave for dessert LOL See? Yesterday was not the best day for eating for me. However, today is a new day, with new choices to make & I can do better today :) I am actually looking forward to re-doing the Whole30 in April to give me more structure.

Random

I am TIRED! I've been getting up earlier to get a run AND weights in. I love it, but I do end up feeling sleepy by mid-day. I've been weightlifting more to build muscle & burn fat. I printed off a plan from bodybuilding.com and am finding it fun & nostalgic. We did weight lifting in HS gym class & it reminds me of that! This is just my first week of lifting using the bodybuilding plan, I am curious to see what muscles develop in the next few weeks!

I am excited & thrilled with all of the people I know who are doing the Whole30 Challenge!! I love that more & more people are taking charge of their health & eating habits and trying something new & different. I am thinking of doing it again in April, so please let me know if you want to do it with me. One of the biggest things to help you get through the challenge is support! I am here to support anyone who needs it in March & will gladly ask for some support as I take on the challenge again in April :)

I have been meaning to share about THIS!

Pink Himalayan salt. OH.MY.WORD! It is heavenly. I know that salt is a simple thing & you normally don't even notice it until you use it incorrectly. WELL, my friends, pink Himalayan salt will totally change your mind! It's not that is has an overwhelming taste or anything, it DOES taste like normal salt, it is just so far & above normal salt in a way I can't even describe. It truly adds magic to anything you make with it. Think I'm being dramatic?! I dare you to buy some for yourself and see!! I bought this glorious bag at a local international store for about $2.50 but I saw crystals the other day at Trader Joe's for more than I paid & you got a LOT less :/ So it might not be feasible for everyone to buy some, but if you can, I highly recommend it! 

Eggs

On the Whole30 or paleo diet, eggs are pretty much a staple for breakfast, however they can get boring. In January, I started off making an old standby, the "Paleo pancake" which I found floating around the web. It's basically eggs & bananas mashed up together. I would fry that up in my coconut oil, since it left a sweet after taste & then top it with fruit, blueberries & strawberries were my favorite. After a few weeks of that, I got bored of it though & started making my sweet potato hash & topped it with a few scrambled eggs. That was good too and would keep me fuller, longer, so I continued that for breakfast through January & February.

Then I started seeing things on Pinterest &  people posted it to my wall a few times, of eggs cooked in a muffin tin with bacon wrapped around it. I am not doing bacon in March, just to try to cut out some fat from my diet, but I've also seen prosciutto used in place of bacon. I got the nerve up to try to make my own egg "muffins" on Sunday. I had found some prosciutto where the ingredients were only ham & salt. Those ingredients are even Whole30 compliant! I was excited to try something new in the way of eggs. Anyways, I covered the bottom of a few muffin tins with the meat & then mixed together some red pepper, onions & a few eggs in a bowl. I then poured the egg mixture into each "meat cup" & then baked it for about 15 minutes. I made some this morning too & I have to say, that it is a yummy, protein packed way to eat eggs in the morning. Plus, you can switch it up by using different veggies or even making it sweet by adding a banana & fruit in there (I wouldn't recommend wrapping that in bacon or prosciutto though!) Here are a few of my beauties from this morning.

Paleozoic 25K & future races

Things have been crazy around these parts lately! I wasn't home at all last week, so I apologize for the lack of updates. Anyways, yesterday was a fun but exhausting day. I ran my first trail run!! I have been training on the trail for over a year, but have never done a trail run. It was an intense experience.FOR.SURE! It was rainy/snowy a lot this week, so I knew the conditions of the trail would be rough, actually the official website for the race said that it would be "challening" after going over the route Friday night. It was EXTREMELY muddy, I even heard my friend running at one point b/c the mud was so thick!! It was also snowy/icy at some parts & there was even standing water here & there too. Our feet were definitely wet & muddy! These are my feet, they were muddy THROUGH my socks & shoes. GROSS!

The best part of trail runs are the aid stations. We went through 3 and folks, there is CANDY at the aid stations!! At some longer runs they even have pop along with the standard gatoraid & water. I definitely took the M&Ms & gummy hearts at each aid station LOL If you can't eat candy when you're running, when CAN you eat candy?! 

This was the inaugural race, so there were some kinks to iron out. One of the most glaring is that the trail was not properly marked all along the way. At one point my friend & I came to a fork in the trail, we were about to turn left, when a whole group of people came from that way saying they were 60% sure we needed to be going the other way! lol So we followed the group, not even knowing if they were right or not, but the chance seemed to be in our favor ;) My friend & I ended up cutting of 2 miles from our run though. There was a "back" 5 miles that we were supposed to run, and at another fork in the trail we started going left when we saw flags to the right. We had been told the trail would be marked with orange flags, which we saw to the right, so we ended up going right instead of left & cut off a couple miles from the run!! But we are proud of our awesome run & good finish :)

I have to say, now that it's over, I'm sad we lost those miles, but at the time, I was totally fine not doing them LOL It was a hard race, the trail was yucky & muddy, it was cold & there were a lot more hills than I was used to. When we ended up shorter than we were supposed to, I was OK with being done lol I definitely had a good experience though & I could see a trail run being really nice in the fall, when the weather is a little better. I was delighted by the aid stations & I LOVED the small atmosphere of the race along with the friendly people. I made a few friends standing in line for the porta potty LOL It was really cool & I'm glad that I did it!! I'll have to do a few more trail runs this year for sure.

Next up, I am going down to Kentucky for a half-marathon. I am planning on going down with my sister & staying our older sister. I am excited for the race b/c part of it on the Kentucky Derby race track! SO fun, right?! Then I found a marathon in May that I still need to register for & I have another half-marathon coming up in June. I'm excited to be busy & keep up running and working out. I always need a reason to keep doing it, so I like to register for as many races as possible :)

Updates!

There have been a few changes around these parts. I have to admit, I am not doing the Whole30 Challenge anymore. I had an epic fail Saturday night & ate some pizza when we were out as a family. I tried to get back in the saddle on Sunday, but we had a birthday party and I quickly realized how many birthday parties/baby showers/celebrations I had in March and how difficult it would be to stay on the Whole30 for the whole month. I KNOW I could do it, but is it worth it?? I believe in the challenge & I LOVED the results I got from doing it in January. The thing is, I was super stressed about it this time around & was having a hard time with cravings, I didn't want to spend the whole month feeling that way. I am more interested in keeping my eating clean when NOT on the challenge, when I am left to my own devices and have the liberty to eat whatever I want. I want to CHOOSE to eat clean & prove to myself that I can do it even when I'm not following the Whole30 program. SO- there you have it folks. I am spreading my wings & trying to do it on my own.

Other than that, I have a race on Saturday. It's my first 25K (15.3 miles!) & it's a trail race. My running buddies & I generally train on the Des Plaines River Trail, but I think the one we are racing on has more hills. EEP! I'm nervous about the terrain. I am excited to try something new though. All of my previous races have been road races, so this one will be a whole new experience. I do have to say, the closer it gets, the more nervous I get. I am nervous about the weather holding out, we seem to have a lot of flurries & rain in our future and I am worried that the trail will be miserable. I am sure it will be dirty, hopefully not crazy muddy though. This will be the longest race I have ever run, I'm just glad that I'm doing it with my running buddies, I will have support & good conversation. Plus, I know that when I do something new & prove to myself that I can do it, I feel awesome. I really hope to have a successful race on Saturday!!

I need something to boost my morale. I've been feeling low lately. I am just really hoping to find my niche in the fitness world soon. It's too soon for me to be looking for a job, since none of my kids are really in school yet & I don't even WANT to work until they're all in school. However, I feel stuck. I feel like I'm not really moving ahead in any area. I would love to somehow learn more & become a part of something bigger. If you think of it, please keep me in your prayers, I am waiting for God's timing & leading in my life, but it is hard to wait & I am losing heart while I wait.

I cheated

I cheated, I fell off the wagon, I am back on Day 1 of the Whole30 :( I ate some pizza last night. We went out to Piece Pizza yesterday and before we left, I looked at their menu, I saw a salad that looked decent & so we were out the door. Well, things didn't go as planned from there.

There is this huge wait when we got there & we ended up waiting for well over an hour, with 3 little kids. Yikes! Plus, there's really no "waiting" area, so we were amid all of the tables that were being delivered their delicious pizzas. The smell of pizza was everywhere & did I mention that I felt like I was going to faint b/c I was so hungry?! I told Nick a few times that we should just leave, I knew I wouldn't be able to withstand the pizza that we were going to order once we sat down.

FINALLY, we were seated. I DID order my salad, I asked for no cheese, but forgot to ask them to hold the candied walnuts (sugar everywhere I tell ya!), which I DIDN'T eat, Nick snacked on those. But the whole salad was covered in dressing. I could tell it was a sugary dressing too b/c the Whole30 has given me super sugar tasting abilities LOL So I was eating the salad, but I knew I had already eaten all this sugary dressing, so I figured I may as well eat the pizza too since I would have to start over today anyway.

Let me tell you, it was GLORIOUS!! The last time we ate at Piece Pizza, I remember not being too impressed, but this time it was delicious. I tasted everything, the cheese, the crust, the sauce, the pepperoni, it was all soooooo yummy. I have to say, I am happy that I ate it LOL The 2 times I ate pizza in February, when I was off the Whole30 challenge, I wasn't too impressed. It was good, but not like this pizza, which was what dreams are made of ;) To be fair, I do have to say that it sat like a lump in my stomach all night & I did gain 2 pounds in water weight from the carbs or whatever.

This time around, my experience with the Whole30 Challenge has been a lot different than it was in January. It.is.a.STRUGGLE! It has been so mentally hard this time around. I didn't go crazy in February when I was not doing the challenge, I basically ate the same as in January, but I did add in daily chocolate. I had pizza a few times & a couple sandwiches for lunch, but I didn't binge on anything. I was shocked that it has been so hard, BUT I think my body IS craving the sugary/carbs more because it HAS been so long since I've had them. I have been craving pastries like mad, I keep wanting donuts, but I can't even tell you the last time I even ate a donut! I don't eat those things regularly. It is insane.

I am back to Day 1 & I am so sad. This is a timeline that someone wrote up about the different phases while on the Whole30: Whole30 Timeline. I was in that Day 8-15 range where your food cravings rival that of pregnancy. I NEVER had that phase last time, at least that I remember, so if I did, it wasn't that bad. This time was cray cray BUT I was ALMOST to the freaking Tiger Blood stage. Oh, how I want to get to that Tiger Blood stage again LOL It is amazing, I KNOW how good it can feel to eat clean & have all of that energy, SO I will work hard, to get past all the yuckiness...AGAIN....to hopefully have a successful 30 days this time around. My only question is, am I on round 2 still or does this make me on Round 3??

Macadamia Nut Oil

As I've mentioned before, I am doing my 2nd round of the Whole30 Challenge. On the challenge, you are limited to what cooking oils you can use, no seed oils or butter. Extra virgin olive oil is approved, so I used that in cooking a lot in January. Now, I KNOW you're not supposed to use EVOO when cooking with high heat, it has a low burn point & can create toxins in your food. :/ Skurry, right?! I don't want to ingest toxins when the whole point is to EAT CLEAN! I would eat blueberries & hope that their antioxidants would fight off those toxins from the EVOO.

Anyhow, when I decided to do the Whole30 Challenge again, I didn't want to worry about that. I wanted to be smarter when I cooked with oil, so I researched & bought some macadamia nut oil. It's has a HIGH burn point, so it's fine to use on the stove top. I just made my first meal using macadamia nut oil, I crusted my chicken in almond meal & also made some balsamic kale. So YUM! I gotta say, macadamia nut oil is GOOD! I figured it would have a nutty smell, which is the first thing I did when I opened it BAHA. I had looked into avacado oil as well & some of the reviews said that it had a rancid smell or left a bad aftertaste, so I steered clear of that. I don't know if it was a certain brand that was bad, but I didn't want to chance it. I was buying the oil off Amazon & I didn't want to have to ship it back & buy something else. I don't notice much of a flavor, even on the Kale. It is super delicious & it's healthier to use while cooking! I love it.

On a funny note, both macadamia nut oil & avacado oil came up under health & beauty too! I guess they use those oils in a lot of hair care & facial creams. I guess what's good enough to go IN your body & is good enough to go ON your body too ;)

treadmill talk

We're experiencing a BAD snowstorm in Chicago today. I headed down to the treadmill this morning & I have to say, although it is convenient for a mom of 3 to get a workout in while the kids sleep, it is not my favorite way to run. I love being outside, the changing scenery, the elements, just the freedom of it all. I ran cross country in Highschool for 3 years  and could only take track for 1 season. I just couldn't handle the monotonous running around the track, I ran the mile, so it was 4 times around. UGH, the.worst! Anyways, the treadmill reminds me a lot of the track. It's just the same thing over & over. We've lived in our loft for over 5 years and just a few months ago we FINALLY got TVs in the workout room.That HAS made it better, but I still can't go more than 5 miles on the treadmill. Who are these people that can go over 9?! Insane, I tell you! Tomorrow will be another treadmill day, which sometimes I don't mind, I do appreciate the controlled climate of our workout room, as opposed to the very cold weather outside.

Do you talk to people around you while you work out? I am curious, b/c there are a few regulars who are down in the workout room in the mornings when I go down, but we've never talked to each other! I look at them & smile if they catch my eye, but no one has ever introduced themselves to me & I would feel weird being the one to do that. I would love some pointers on gym etiquette! :)

In other news, I am getting faster & I am SO happy!! I always jack up the mph on the treadmill so that I am not going to same speed for a whole workout, I always try to go faster at the end. Anyways, I am beginning to notice that my old "fast" pace is now my normal pace. I am at a 9 minute mile now, when just last year I was at a 10 minute mile. I ran the Turkey Trot 10K at a 9:15 mile pace & I was ecstatic, now when I run outside, I can go ever faster than that!! I can't even imagine running under a 9 minute mile pace, but I am hoping it will happen this year, if I keep my training up. I have run every day so far in March ;) I ran ALMOST every day in February, I think I missed either 5 or 6 days, but out of 28 days in the month, that's not SO bad. I can definitely tell that it's helping me get my pace up there.

Goals & being an example

I've been unmotivated lately. That's not to say that I haven't been continuing the Whole30 Challenge or working out...I have been, but the desire hasn't been there :( Today should be day 4 for me on the Whole30 Challenge, but I messed up on the 2nd day, so it's really day 3 for me. Anyways, I don't know if that's why it's been so difficult for me, I hope so because that means that this will pass & I'll get fired up again. I am struggling like mad with sugar cravings. That makes sense since that's what I added back into my diet once January was over. I have been able to resist temptation so far & I'm thankful for that! I can't wait to get over these first few days & start to feel amazing.

Today I needed to run 8 miles. I have to admit that I KNEW I should & I KNOW it is part of my training, but did I want to?! NO! It was cold out & I would rather have sat in a coffee shop & done my Bible study. However, mind over matter & I start to run. I have to say, that's the hardest part, the starting....but once I started I just kept going. I am also thrilled to say that my pace is picking up. I'm getting faster!! I now run about a 9 minute mile!! SWEET!!! I am so excited to run my half-marathon in April & get a sub 2 hour time. That was my goal last year & I never achieved it, so I would love to accomplish that this year.

So I have to say, I love living a healthy lifestyle. I love eating clean & I love working out. I love the way I feel when I am living this way, but like I said above, it's not easy. The thing that keeps me going are goals. I love to have have something to train for & look forward to. I also love that I know I am being a good example for my kids. I've said before that I don't tell them I'm on a diet, I tell them I am eating healthy. They know I run & workout & I am excited that my girls have said that they want to run with me someday. I try to keep healthy food around the house & we talk about what is good for them to eat & what isn't good for them. I really want them to grow up to love a healthy lifestyle, to move & be involved in sports. I want them to eat right for their bodies. This is not something I obsess over or emphasize to them, but the conversation is started & I am being the best example I can be for them. So hopefully for them it will eventually be a way of life.

Whole30 Round 2!

Today is Day 2 of my second round on the Whole30 Challenge & I have failed!! I ran out of my wonderful & lovely coconut aminos & used soy sauce for our dinner tonight. Sadsies!! So I am starting again tomorrow & going through the 31st. Anyways, I am feeling pretty good, I am eating pretty much what I was eating before, so it's not a huge change for me. The only thing I am really missing is my evening dark chocolate :( However, I know it's ONLY 30 days & I can make it through!!

So I am feeling pretty discouraged lately. The fitness convention I mentioned in a previous post is next weekend & it doesn't look like I'll be going. We missed the early bird cut off of Feb 28th for cheaper admission & now just one day is almost what the cost of 3 days would have been. It's hard to want to do something that will feed your passion & goals for yourself & yet not be able to do it. I am feeling like I have no direction & will never be able to meet my goals. I don't know if I am pushing to go too far, too quickly & I just need to slow down to meet my goals, or if I will just not be able to do it. Right now I am terrified that I will never be able to meet my goals & I'll just have to let go of them. I have had to do that before & it stinks. I want to be able to set goals & meet them, but mine take time and money that we don't have right now. I know that sometimes we have to wait, and maybe I'm just in that waiting period right now. I will continue praying & waiting for God to guide my steps as I figure out my future.