fanny pack

Well, now that I have Lindsay's attention...

Hey everyone!

Let's just skip the uncomfortable discussion about where I have been and how sorry I am that I have been MIA. To be brief, my super awesome, easy job where I could play all day has sadly come to an end and I am forced to actually work for my money. I know... tragic.

After many conversations with my uber-supportive husband about maybe putting the blog away for now, he has encouraged me to just post when I can. We can all agree that it has helped me tremendously with sticking to my goals and you can be rest assured that I am still photographing my food and runs, even when I can't post about them. I guess just the thought of posting them, keeps me going.

So, let's just jump right in, shall we?

This morning I got up super early to be able to attend a staff meeting at the hospital. I work so infrequently there, I usually never make it to the meetings, but today I was already up and figured I would go. They gave me a super sweet new mug too, so it was definitely worth the trip.

I wore my running clothes so I could easily go for a run after the meeting. I went to one of my favorite trails, that is really close to the hospital and did 3 miles, which was a good run considering I haven't ran in about a week. I did get to use my new running belt that I purchased from TJ Maxx last week... aka... my running fanny pack, which was pretty awesome.

Super nerdy photo, and please don't mind my gross sweaty underarms... but instead, keep your eyes on the belt. You try taking a self photo of your mid-section... it isn't easy.

I love that this belt has a pocket that can hold my phone, my car key, and any other items that I may need during my run. I can tell that for longer runs, I will be so glad I can store my fuel and some chap stick in there as well. It also has a water bottle that goes with it, which fits into a carriage on the front of the belt. For my shorter runs, I won't need that, so I do wish there was a way to remove the carriage all together.  But, there isn't and the belt was only $12 so I will deal.

There is also a small ID pocket where you can write your name and any medical alerts that you may have. That way, if I am ever found face down after a run, they will know who I am and that I am allergic to penicillin. Good stuff. :)

What I don't love about this belt, besides the non-removable water carriage, is that it rides up throughout my entire run. Mike used this belt last week on his 20 mile run... yeah, we will get to that in a second... and he thought the belt was the bees knees. He raved about it non-stop. I think that for guys, their hips are smaller than their mid-section, which helps to keep the belt at their waist. Since I have a smaller mid-section than my hips, the belt rides up constantly. Definitely something I can deal with for $12, but I wanted give you my full review.

I had been wanting something like this for a while, so I am glad to finally have one. Plus, I am happy I didn't spend very much on it. It is a great thing to have, but since these things are normally in the $30 range, I would have been disappointed if I had spent that much.

Breakfast this morning was a return of an old favorite.... overnight oats, eaten COLD!

Nothing beats a cold bowl of oats after a sweaty run. All that fruit in there... all from my produce delivery box, which, by the way, is 10 times better in the spring and summer than in the winter. The fresh fruit is amazing!

This mornings oats were a combination of fresh, chopped peaches, fresh blueberries, fresh blackberries, old fashioned oats, chocolate protein powder, and skim milk. DELISH!

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Last night's dinner was stolen from another blog that I read. It is pretty rare that you open a food blog and the recipe that is featured that day includes ingredients that you already have on hand. Especially when the recipe includes peaches and blueberries.... who has that on hand? When I went to How Sweet's post yesterday, I knew what we were having for dinner.

Her photos are out of this world, but here is my rendition of her Sweet and Spicy Glazed Chicken, Corn and Avocado Tostadas, with Blueberry Peach Salsa. The only changes we made were adding black beans and using whole wheat flour tortillas, making them more into tacos than tostadas.

Then everything fell out of my first taco, so I piled the leftover toppings onto the 2nd tortilla, creating a monster pile.

I am getting full just looking at these photos. This recipe is for sure going to become a part of the rotation at our house. They were so awesome. Next time, I will take the time to make them into tostadas instead of tacos, since I think they would have been really good on a crispy tortilla.

I have to hand it to Mike, he assembled this entire meal, while talking to me on the phone giving him the instructions. He got home before I did yesterday, so he put everything together and it was ready to eat when I walked in the door.... love that guy.

Speaking of that guy.... um... when did my husband become a runner??? He ran 20 miles while I was in Vegas last weekend. I am beyond impressed with his dedication. He is weighing in at about as much as I did when I started this blog, a short 9 months ago... Way to go, babe! I am so proud of you!

Oh yeah... I also went to Vegas last weekend... so much to catch you up on!

Have a great weekend!

where are you, Motivation?

Source

People, my cardio mojo is still lost...  I am starting to get a bit frustrated. I haven't done any type of cardio since last Friday. Even though I would have liked to stay in bed this morning, Mike forced me to get up. I had planned on just doing cardio today, no weights or other work outs to get in the way. That was a big, fat, FAIL!

Well, I got to the gym, jumped on the treadmill, and realized my shoe was feeling loose. So I stopped and tightened my laces. While I was doing that, I decided, why not try a different cardio machine to see if that will shake things up a bit. I got on the stationary bike and started pedaling... nope... no fun. Actually, within seconds I remembered why I hate any other cardio machine out there. Back to the treadmill. Ran for 2 minutes, felt exhausted, like I had just finished a marathon (side note, I have never finished a marathon, so you can imagine just how tired I felt, for no reason at all). Slowed down to a fast paced walk and increased my incline to try to compensate. Still not feeling it. Tried to run again, and felt as if my legs were one thousand pounds each... back to walking. Finally, I just quit. I figured it would do me no good to half-ass a cardio session, so I might as well do something that I know will get my heart going and end with me feeling good about myself.

I decided to spend my gym time on legs. It is time for it in my rotation, so it isn't like I didn't need it. And I worked pretty hard at my lunges and squats and ended up feeling really worked after, so at least I can be happy with my work out. But, I am just so annoyed that I can't seem to get any cardio in. I can't figure out why I have no desire to run, when normally I am excited about it. I still have a lot of motivation to work out, and have gotten in a good weight work out every day, but I just don't feel like doing cardio... Why???

I have decided to break down the most common reasons why people lose their motivation, in my opinion, to see if any could be the reason why I am lost right now.

• Time - I have been getting to the gym with plenty of time to get both cardio and weights in, so that is not the problem. We have also been staying in town this entire month, and plan to for the next month, so I don't feel like I am in a time crunch at all.
• Lack of Sleep - This is certainly not the problem. I can't figure out why I am even tired when I go to bed most nights between 9 and 10. I did work at the hospital last night, but I got off on time and was home and in bed by midnight. That is not that late, especially since I went to bed at roughly 8:45 on Monday night. 
• Injury - no injuries that I know of. I actually feel really great (body wise) and am feeling stronger with each of my work outs. 
• Poor Eating Habits - As you all can see each day, I have been right on track with what I want to be consuming when it comes to calories, sodium, and protein. One thing that I may need to do is to evaluate my nutrients to make sure I am getting enough. Maybe I could start taking a multivitamin or maybe I need to start making veggie and fruit juices again. We have a pretty stocked fridge right now, so maybe that will give me the energy I need. I haven't changed what I am eating lately, so I don't know why just this week I feel so run down, but I think I will give that a shot.
• Plateau - I am right in the smack middle of a plateau, which is pretty normal for me to feel a little unmotivated. The scale is staying the same, and on some days, it is even creeping up. But, I know my body pretty well, and I know that this is just part of the journey. My clothes fit better, I feel slimmer, and others notice my body changes, so I know it will swing back. I feel like that makes me MORE motivated if nothing else.
• Challenge - This is another area that I think could be an issue. When I am not feeling challenged, I seem to let go a little bit. Right now I am itching to get outside, go running on a trail, or try something new (like the recent basketball exercise I have been doing), but I know it is too cold (for me) to go outside, and I am not sure my basketball exercise will give me the same result as running does. I need some kind of change up to my normal routine, I just need to figure out what. Since obviously the stationary bike was not the solution. 
• Making Excuses - This one is definitely hitting right on the nose. See the bullet above this one? Yeah, that would be excuses. I make excuses that I can't run outside because it is too cold, or I don't have the proper clothing... but I really just need to do it. I am just such a wimp (<----- another excuse). 

I definitely think it helps to have those all out there. Now I can see the areas that maybe I can focus on and make a change. I hope that Mike will join me at the gym starting tomorrow, since he has had to go to work early this week. That might be helpful to have him there to push me and snap out of this rut.

Sorry for a boring rant post today. I am hoping tomorrow will be better. If anyone has any good motivational tips for me, please send them my way!

I am making those tacos again tonight... yes THOSE tacos. I just can't get enough. And, my friend Lindsay made them last night and sent me a text about how good they were, so now I have to have more. :)

Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (+) 76
Sodium (-) 84
Protein (-) 2