Hey Hey Hey!

Well, it’s been more than a minute, so I figured today was a good day to pop in and share some randoms with ya.

Happy Friday!  I’m taking a half day today and am thrilled.  I’m taking it because I have a few errands and stuff around the house to get done, but that’s OK, still means no work!

Running

My half marathon is 65 days away.  Doesn’t sound SO bad now that I’m typing it out.

Running has been going OK.  I’m trying to do all the OTF treadmill workouts as runs, versus before when I’d do power-walking.  So far that’s going well.  I’ve gone on a couple of runs outside as well and they’ve been OK.

On Saturday I ran 5 miles outside and felt good.  I ran with my other half and while he struggled, I felt great!  It’s been a long time since I’ve felt that good.  Fingers crossed that this weekend I won’t crash and burn.  I’m planning for 6 tomorrow.

While training hasn’t been stellar, my bare bones plan is to add one mile per week, which would have me at 10 by the end of May, which is fine with me.  It’s also getting lighter earlier, which means that early AM runs will be more doable during the week.

Running Fashion

I used to be extremely structured in what I wore to run.  I had to wear pants with a drawstring waist and a pocket, I had two sports bras that were OK, and of course a buff/neck warmer.

Somehow I’ve become a bit more flexible and have done a bunch of runs in pants without drawstrings.  Hooray!  Who wants to celebrate? 😉  Same goes for sports bras.  Pretty much any of the ones I own are fine.

Now though, I’m going away from headbands and more towards hats.  I also wear hats to OTF because I feel like with a hat I’m tougher (don’t laugh).  I can just put my head down and get sh*t done.

Hats are expensive though. I refuse to pay +$20 for a hat.  Thankfully TJ Maxx/Marshalls are great places for that sort of thing.  Of course it’s totally lucky since the inventory turns so quickly.

So when I saw a cute hat that didn’t look stupid on me (many do, I have  BIG head) and it was only $6.99 I snagged that thing up.

Note that that is not me.  🙂  So it has a cute pattern, reflective detail, and like I said, doesn’t look horrible.  The tag said “Running Hat”.  When I got home and removed the tag, I saw the tag that indicated the brand…Limited Too.  Ha!  While I could be wrong, I’m pretty sure this is a kid’s brand.  Not sure what kid has a head this big, but whatevs.  I like the hat and will proudly wear my Limited Too hat.

Have you ever bought a random brand?  I had a non pregnant friend who fell in love with and bought a pregnancy shirt.

Other Cool Stuff

A dear friend of mine was on Good Morning America a week or so ago!!!

That’s Amy!  After dealing with some crazy medical issues for years, she ended up writing a book about dealing with chronic conditions and advocating for your health and yourself.  I highly recommend her book.  Link to buy on Amazon.

It was amazing to see someone I knew, who had been through so much, on TV talking with Robin Roberts!  I was in tears with pride.

Cookies

Ending on a sweet note.  I’ve been baking a fair amount.  The other half takes my baked goods with him to work where people supposedly go nuts for them.

While I’ve made more complicated items, what everyone seems to go nuts for are my cookies.

These aren’t truly “my ” cookies as they’re based off the Nestle Tollhouse recipe.  That said, I do tweak that recipe a bit.  I also play around with the “toppings”.

The photo above is chocolate chip, butterscotch chip, Heath bar, and cocoa sea salt.

What I’ve started doing it putting a mixture of sea salt and cocoa powder on top of all my cookies before baking them.  I love the salty/sweet combination and apparently lots of others do too!

What I do struggle with is that the cookies always fall.  They come out of the oven all puffy and pretty and then they collapse.  Don’t get me wrong, they still taste amazing, but they’re not perfect.  Any suggestions?

With that, please have a most wonderful weekend!!!!  Talk soon! ❤

A Little Bit Of Everything

I finally have pictures to post!  They’re random, but still photos.

It’s been a couple of weeks (I think).  I’ll try to recap.

Food

Last weekend the other half cooked a massive meat feast for him and a friend.  Too good not to share.

Yesterday, at his request, I made blueberry lemon streusel bars, which are one of my favorite summertime desserts.

Recipe here.  So good.

Looking to spice up your cooking?  Give some calabrese pepper paste a try.  He found this at our local italian grocery and has used it in just about everything.

I’m not creative so I wouldn’t know what to do with it, but if you are (and like heat), try it.  We like the one on the right better.

Running

I did roughly put together a half marathon training plan, which will officially start in the next week or 2.  It’s 12 weeks long and since we have more time than that, we should be OK.

We went out for a slow 3ish miles on Saturday.  This is the first time I’ve ran outside since moving and so now it’s a question of finding new running routes.  This one was OK.  I ran with my other half and we took it very slow.  Picked up the pace a bit in the last mile and it felt good.

Looking forward to more outdoor runs in the near future.

Spinning

The gym I teach at just wrapped up a Cycling Across America program to try and boost interest and attendance in our cycling program.  It was really neat and it was great to see the members get excited about it.

Here’s me looking scary happy after our last cycle across america class.

This was a group photo (selfie) but i cropped the members out.  And yes, I am always that happy at spin.  Before, during, after.  Psychotic smile 🙂

Also in spinning, one of my classes is being cancelled.  I teach a Sunday morning and a Monday evening and the attendance on Monday has been struggling.  With the quarterly changes they decided to do away with Monday night.  I understand and know it has nothing to do with me.  The members are not happy, so I guess we’ll see what happens.

I don’t envy the role of making group exercise schedules at a gym.

Wedding

Not much to report here.  We did have a cake tasting and in doing so realized we like the style of a “naked cake”.  We’re not really doing this exactly, but I figured I’d share a photo of a photo anyway 🙂

My favorite topic…

MINNIE!

Here are a couple of shots of minnie to wrap up the post.

Looking really excited.

Happy with her donut.

She never truly looks happy, eh?  It’s that sad Sarah McLauchlan face.

So that’s more or less what’s been going on here.  I’ve been sticking with OTF two times a week, which has been great.  Body Beast has temporarily been put on hold while we focus on cardio/running.  I’d like to get back to at least some of it soon as I enjoyed the weight training challenge.

Have a wonderful week!!!

February

Holy crap it’s March!  Of course I knew March was coming, but somehow it still snuck up on me.  Guess that’s what you get with a 28 day month.

I’ve still been debating this blog and whether or not to post, but I think I’m going to try to keep up with it since it helps me clear my head.

So how was your February?

My February was good.  I think.  😉  Just kidding, it was fine.  It was busy but nothing overly  notable.

I did a pretty good job of going to Orangetheory regularly, meaning two times a week.  I only have the 8 class/month package, so it is what it is.  I’ve thought about asking how much it would be to up to the next level but haven’t done it yet.  But that combined with my two spin classes a week is a start.

You probably don’t remember, but I mentioned that I was going to work out with my other half the three remaining days.  That was the plan since January.  Let’s just say that it just started.  Yesterday.  (all him, not me)

I registered for the Fairfield Half which is at the end of June.  Training for that will start later this month.  Hopefully.

I’ve been having some foot pain and am hoping that it’s just due to my needing new inserts for my sneaks.  I think they will be delivered today or tomorrow, so we’re close.

I tried Super Feet but still find them to be super uncomfortable.  Am I the only person who isn’t a fan?  I use Power Step inserts.

I’m currently running in Saucony Triumph ISO 2s.

I had the first version of this shoe and loved them, so I figured I’d try the next version.  I think I like them.

In a totally different style, my sister also about me a pair of the Adizero Bostons.

This is the shoe she runs it, but it’s WAY more minimalist.  I did one OTF class in them and the running felt OK during and great after.  But later that day I had some foot/shin/achilles pain.  Again, could be the shoe, could be in the inserts.

I’m kind of going to play around with these two for now and then go from there.  Hopefully both will work, but if not, at least one.  Fingers crossed!

Now I need to come up with a training plan.  To the interwebs I go!

As I mentioned, the other half and I finally started working out together.  We’re doing Body Beast.

He’s a big fan of at home workouts and likes the Beach Body stuff.  I don’t really care for at home workouts (or Beach Body) but am giving it a go.

Body Beast is clearly more targeted to men (although plenty of women have used it).  It’s led by a super muscle-y guy who comments on how he can feel his shirt “getting tighter”.  Definitely entertaining!

I will probably only do it 3 times a week, so I’m curious to see how it goes and if I get super ripped like him.  🙂

And my last item of interest is that on Saturday I’m going to look at wedding dresses.  Wait? What?  This is so bizarre to me and I have no clue of what to expect.  I just hope I don’t leave there feeling like nothing looked good (which is sometimes how clothing shopping goes).  Guess we’ll see!

Have a good rest of the week and weekend!  Happy March!

 

My not so regular check in

First…

This is meant to be an easy breezy place to read mindless content 🙂  (yes, I’m calling myself mindless).  Hopefully you get the idea.

Phew…

So let’s talk books.  I LOVE to read.  When I’m travelling I read a ton.  When I’m not travelling I typically read before bed.  Sometimes I get 20 pages in, sometimes I get 2 pages in and fall asleep mid-sentence.  Either way, reading at night helps quiet my mind and allow me to let the day go.

I innocently downloaded a book from the library and have been reading it for a couple of weeks now.

I didn’t really know much about it, but the little blurb sounded interesting enough.

I had just read on a blog that it had some really disturbing parts and I came to see some of that.  The book was very slow moving for me.  I felt like I had been reading it forever and was just barely at 40% completion.  I wasn’t enjoying it but wanted to keep going and give it a shot.

Until last night.  There was a plot twist.  When that happened, I pretty much gave up.  I just can’t read this book.  Quite honestly I think it’s pretty horrible.

I will admit that I’m very picky about books and it’s rare that I rave about a book.  Most books are a solid 3 stars to me.  That said, it’s rare that I hate a book.  Enter Pretty Girls.  Ugh.

It has made me mad and then I get mad at myself that I’m still thinking about this stinking book.  ARGH!  🙂

Have you read it?  if you liked it, please tell me why.

So aside from my apparent book fueled aggression, things are just fine.

On the wedding front we booked a venue so we have a place and a date.  Phew.  That was the biggest one to check off the list because it was the most challenging.  Now to find a way to cut down the guest list.  Easier said than done.

My hope is that people understand.  While it’s great to be invited to a wedding, sometimes it’s not so bad to not be invited (in my opinion).  Has anyone had to deal with cutting friends/family from an event?  How did it go?

I’m thinking that if i’m honest people will understand and if they don’t understand then maybe the relationship wasn’t so great to start.

On the fitness front things are going OK.  Off to a slightly slower start but still an improvement over where I was a few weeks ago, so that’s good.

I have been managing to get my two OTF workouts in each week, which is great.  Last Thursday I took a 5:15a class (I usually do the 5:30a class on Wed/Fri). It was a great class, but setting your alarm for 4:45 is not so fun.

In terms of OTF, the morning classes are pretty crowded so they changed them to a 3G format which means three groups, instead of the usual two.  So there’s a group that starts on the treadmills, the rowers, and the weight room. One morning I ended up in the weight room because everything else was full and I ended up loving it.  I almost feel like starting with weights gives my body a chance to wake up and prepare for the cardio.  Make any sense?

So that’s what’s going on with me.  Have a wonderful week!

Breathing Frustrations

Happy Saturday!  I have a rare bit of spare time and am just sitting on the couch watching the Olympics.  That said, I’m headed out in about an hour and a half for a pizza event.  It’s a wedding!  It’s also about 94 but feels like 109 out.  Good times!

I believe I’ve mentioned in briefly in other post, but my allergies are kicking right now.  I definitely have seasonal allergies and they vary with the season.  Sometimes it’s a sore throat, sometimes it’s a runny nose (or maybe that one is always), and sometimes it’s a mix of a few cold-like symptoms.  Right now though, it’s the worst of all symptoms, difficulty breathing.  It’s sort of like chest congestion without the excess of congestion or the coughing.

For me to take a deep breath I have to actually stop and think about it.  It’s bad regardless of whether I’m inside or out.  As i’m sure you can imagine, this makes everything more difficult.

Because it’s been so bad I haven’t even though about doing any sort of activity outside (although the heat plays a part there too).  It just so happened that due to poor planning, I ended up with a week where I had no OTF classes, so aside from spin I didn’t do much.  I blamed my breathing.  While it’s a valid excuse I think it’s time to get over it.

This morning I returned to OTF.  It was tough.  We started out with some rowing (400m, nothing crazy) but my breathing was bad.  I was wheezing when I was done. I felt a bit like I was sucking wind, but when I looked at the heart rate board, I was in the green (meaning I was not in fact sucking wind and everything was A-OK, not even going all out).  This odd piece of information gave me a bit of validation for some reason.  Obviously it’s that much harder to get your heart rate up when you all ready feel like it’s sky high.

Thankfully as class went on my breathing improved some.  It definitely wasn’t great, but after about 20-30 minutes it was tolerable.  20-30 minutes is a long a$$ warmup time.  As an OTF person who starts with the rower/weights, this worked out OK because once I got to the treadmills it was a bit better.  Still not great, but an improvement none the less.

So i’m loosely encouraged that I can (and will) in fact work through this.

As I sat here watching the Olympics, some track and field events were on.  Namely the steeplechase.  I’ll admit I had no idea what that race entailed.  If you don’t know, it’s a 3000m (1.86 miles) race with “obstacles” which are really hurdles(28), and water jumps (7).  It’s pretty interesting to watch.

As they were running, I had a little pang to race again.  Funny that I use the word race because i’m truly not racing but rather running in an organized event.  So I guess if we’re being literal I had a pang to jog in an organized race 🙂

I’m on vacation in a couple of weeks and I think i’ll see how the weather is when I return.  I suppose the local half marathon is still a possibility, although I’d have less than 6 weeks to train, so it’s probably not ideal.  We’ll see!

There’s my two cents on this steamy Saturday.  Have a most wonderful weekend!

Do you have allergy issues that mess with activities you do?  How do you handle that?

Where did it go?

This morning someone asked me how the weekend was and I honestly couldn’t remember.  It was to the point that it was strange.  What the heck did I do this weekend?  After some thought though, it came back to me.  It was busy enough but also somewhat lazy, and of course….too short.

I started out Friday rocking my new TOMS.  I love TOMS.  I didn’t for a while and then I bought a pair and now I buy them every time they are on zulily.com (no need to pay full price!).

I had hoped to cut out a little early on Friday, but that didn’t happen.  What did happen on Friday was a delivery of a new fridge.  Hooray!

My old fridge was about 5+ years and the freezer was a disaster.  When I bought it, I was in the midst of renovations (kitchen and two bathrooms) and was tired of spending money, so I bought a cheap model.  Sometimes you get what you pay for.  While the freezer technically still worked, what it did best was attempt to turn the whole freezer into an iceberg.  I ain’t got time for that!

So new fridge it is, and boy is she pretty!  The space for the fridge is a very specific size and as a result there are not many models that will fit.  Thankfully this one worked.

Saturday One Bro had an event at 1p, so I had signed up for a 7am (ouch!) OTF class.  I will admit that when my alarm went off at 6a I toyed with the idea of cancelling.  But I didn’t.  I got up, walked the dog and hit that class…hard.  It was WONDERFUL!  It was a good class overall and for the first time in a while, I felt like I was able to really push myself.

I’ve been having some issues with their HR monitor, so on Saturday I used a loaner and it worked fine, which tells me that maybe mine really does have issue.  I have their chest strap (versus the wrist monitor) and had thought about trying out the wrist based on all the issues I had.  They were all set to give me a wrist monitor that morning and after trying two, neither worked.  Guess it’s a work in progress.

I grabbed some coffee and was still home by 8:30, which was crazy.  I kept thinking it was later in the day than it was.  I needed to do some errands and get ready for the event.  I left the house around 11:45 and headed over.

The event was in a part of Norwalk called Rowayton, which is a beautiful area by the water.  This was the view.

Weather on Saturday was WEIRD and not at all July-like.  I had on jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt and I was actually chilly.  Because we were by the water it was quite breezy, which made it chillier.  Although from a working perspective, it was much better than 90+ and humid, especially because that oven is HOT.

Some food photos from the event…

Eggplant, chicken marsala, and salad.  Yum!

Saturday night we did nothing and it was pretty enjoyable.

Sunday I was up early once again, this time for spin.  Class is at 8:15 in Stamford (about a 10-15 minute drive) so the alarm went off at 6:45a.  Yuck.  Thankfully class was really good, so it was well worth it.  And again, being done by 9a is quite lovely.

From there I hit up TJs for a few items and then Old Navy who was having 50% off all activewear.  I’m hot and cold with their active stuff as I feel like the quality varies greatly.  I have a few things I love and have bought others and been disappointed.  I ended up grabbing two tanks, a pair of shorts, and arm sleeves for my other half.

As you know, i’m toying with the idea of shorts, so I figured I’d give them a shot.  I went with these.

After 50% off, they were not even $10, which is awesome.  Unfortunately when I tried them on I hated them.  So back to the drawing board.  While I do like to be locked and loaded, i’m thinking that from an aesthetic perspective, fitted may not be the way to go.  I’m not a particularly vain person, but I need to at least somewhat like the way an item looks on me to wear it.  Next.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of some errands, relaxing, cleaning, and walking Minnie.  While the day started out really cloudy, the sun broke through and with it, lots of heat.  I took Minnie out and when we got back she did this.

That part of the floor is somewhat close to the AC and therefore a little cool.  Dog down.

Then I got to work on making some zucchini bread since we had a few zucchinis that needed to be used.

Here’s the recipe I used.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl.  Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well.  Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips until well combined.  Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes.  Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Sunday night I didn’t do much.  I recorded the new show on HBO, The Night Of and plan to watch tonight.  Anyone watch?  No spoilers, but what did you think?

I still haven’t run at all, aside from at OTF.  Thinking I will try to get outside for a run this week, although we’ll see just how hot and humid it ends up being.

The BAA Half Marathon registration opens this week and I’m toying with doing it.  Has anyone done it?  Would you recommend it?

So that’s that.  Hope you had a most wonderful weekend and have a great week!

Running terminology for those new to the sport

I’m totally a new runner, but since my sis is not, I’ve been around some of the language and therefore it’s somewhat familiar to me.

If you’re just getting started in running, all the terminology can be really confusing.  Boy do they love acronyms.  So I figured I’d throw together some terminology that I wondered about, hoping it would help others.  Thanks to Runner’s World for some of the definitions!

I stuck to the basics this round, but let me know if i’m missing anything!

Bib: The sheets printed with numbers (called “bib numbers”) used to identify each runner in a race.

Fartlek: Speed play, or fartlek in Swedish (the concept originated in Sweden), is a speedwork format in which you run faster for however long (or short) you want.

Hill repeats: A workout that includes sprinting uphill fast, jogging downhill at an easy pace to recover, and then repeating the sequence. It’s thought to be an efficient way to build leg strength, speed, and aerobic capacity. Hill repeats reduce your injury risk because it limits fast-running time and because the incline of a hill shortens the distance your feet have to fall, reducing the impact of each step.

Iliotibial band (IT band): A thick, fibrous band that connects your hips and knees. It helps to flex and rotate your hips and stabilize and extend your knees. It can become easily strained, leading to iliotibial band syndrome, if you increase your mileage too quickly. The iliotibial band is also often irritated on the leg farther away from traffic if you regularly run on canted roads.

Negative splits: Running the second half of a race faster than the first half.

Repeats: The fast segments of running that are repeated during a workout, with recovery in between.

Side stitch: Also called a “side sticker,” this is a sharp pain usually felt just below the rib cage (though sometimes farther up the torso). It’s thought to be caused by a cramp in the diaphragm, gas in the intestines, or food in the stomach. Stitches normally come on during hard workouts or races. To get rid of a side stitch, notice which foot is striking the ground when you inhale and exhale, then switch the pattern. So if you were leading with your right foot, inhale when your left foot steps. If that doesn’t help, stop running and reach both arms above your head. Bend at your waist, leaning to the side opposite the stitch until the pain subsides.  (I never knew this and suffer from side-stitches, so I figured it was worth a share)

Speedwork: Also called intervals or repeats, speedwork refers to any workout run at a faster-than-normal pace. Often done at a track. Performed to increase cardiovascular fitness.

Splits: The time it takes to complete any defined distance. If you’re running 800 meters, or two laps, you might check your split after the first lap to shoot for an even pace.

Strides: Also called striders or “pickups,” these are typically 80- to 100-meter surges that are incorporated into a warmup or a regular workout. Strides increase heart rate and leg turnover; they get your legs ready to run. Strides are run near 80 percent of maximum effort, with easy jogging in between.

Tempo: When runners talk about doing a “tempo run” they usually mean a sustained, faster-than-usual run of 3 to 6 miles at the pace they could sustain for an hour in a race. Tempo runs are said to feel “comfortably hard”—you have to concentrate to keep the effort going, but aren’t running with as much effort as a sprint or 5-K race. Tempo runs are a good way to boost your fitness without doing hard track workouts. (tempo runs are by no means easy!)

Speaking of those acronyms, here are a few that have stumped me in the past…

BQ- Shorthand for Boston Qualifying time. Often used to describe a marathon or half-marathon finish time that qualifies a person for entry into the Boston Marathon.
MP – Marathon Pace
GMP – Goal Marathon Pace
HM – Half Marathon (commonly used by bloggers who get tired of typing out all 12 letters)
HMP – Half-Marathon Pace (I might have made this up)
GHMP – Goal Half-Marathon Pace (this too)
USATF – USA Track and Field (comes up with course certifications)
DNF – Did not finish
DNS – Did not start
PR and PB – Personal Record or Personal best (your best time in a race/distance)

Happy running!

Hi Friday

Yet another nutty week in the books!

Yesterday I got to drive 150 miles (each way) for a meeting.  Thankfully the meeting went well so it was worth the trip, but the driving part was not so fun.  I used to enjoy driving for 2+ hours.  Not sure that’s still the case.

The good and the bad (or rather, the bad and the good)

These two news items really got to me this week.

The bad – The horrific cycling accident in Kalamazoo, Michigan which left 5 cyclists dead and others injured.  A driver apparently plowed down a bunch of cyclists on their Tuesday night group ride.  Article here.

This story just gave me chills.  While I haven’t been out on my bike in some time, I am a road cyclist and have always been a bit scared of cars and distracted drivers.  This was nothing but a weekly group ride that turned into a nightmare.

Seems that the driver is now being charged with 2nd degree murder, so clearly there’s more to his story.

As a driver or a rider, be safe and mindful.

So now we need something good, right?

Apparently it was caught on video that this boy was sneaking into the garage to hug their dog.  How sweet is that?

Here’s a link to the news and the video.

So sweet!

No spin playlist this week because there was no class.  I was there, but no one showed up.  As i’ve said before, this is a class at a business, so it’s a smaller group to start (12 bikes total).  I also feel like it’s easy for them to get stuck at their desks and miss the start of class (and no one comes late).

When I got there I just had a feeling that no one was going to show…and apparently I was right.

Pre-class I hopped on the stepmill and climbed 50 flights.  That thing is killer!  When I hit 50, I hopped off, covered in sweat and completely out of breath (mind you it had only been about 12 minutes or so).

At that point I had about 10 minutes before I needed to set up the bikes so I challenged myself to run a mile in less than 10 minutes.  I started slow and picked up the pace as I went along and managed to come in right at 10.

I headed into the class to wait for people and since clearly no one was coming I hopped on the bike and just pedaled along (I give them 15 minutes to show).

When no one came I challenged myself to another 10 minute run game.  This time I came in just over 10…by seconds.

It’s actually pretty fun because I start with a quarter mile or so at 5.5 and then pick up the pace, which I have to do to make up for the 10:52ish pace I started at.  I was ending around 7.0 which for me is nuts!  🙂

Any treadmill games you play to make the time move faster?

Tomorrow is my 10K.  Leaving my house around 5:45 or 6a and the race starts at 8.  Definitely looking forward to a) running in Central Park and b) running a large race.

Half marathon is in two weeks.  Holy crap.

Thanks and a dump

If that subject doesn’t get you interested, I don’t know what will. 🙂

First, the thanks.  Thanks to all who read/liked/commented on my post yesterday.  After doubting whether or not I was going to continue to write, it felt good to get that feedback.  Hugs!

The dump.  No, not that dump, or the other dump, just a brain-dump.  You know I love random posts, so here’s what I’m thinking today.

I subbed a class on Wednesday night.  It’s a gym that’s affiliated with a hospital so historically the clientele was older and had some health issues.  Recently they’re trying to shift that a bit, so while the average age is probably still a bit older than the chain gyms, there’s a solid group of people who want to work hard.  It’s a nice gym, complete with really nice locker rooms, shower, sauna, steam room, pool, indoor track, and they even have robes.  Yes, robes. (Side note: I love gyms that provide towels.)

Because it’s a completely different group than Tuesday I used the same playlist, just changed one song.  It was great.  I had a decent group and they worked hard.  A couple of them even came up to me after to compliment me (love that!).  But what really made my night was accidentally overhearing a conversation about me and the class in the locker room.  It’s a big locker room so they had no clue I was there and they had such nice things to say.  ♥

But I digress…I used my heartrate monitor again and am happy to say that no naps were recorded.

Much better!!  The key was that I tightened the strap.  Rocket science really!

So now here’s the dump…

Food

While at the supermarket earlier this week I saw this new addition to the frozen foods department.

So intriguing!  I bought the Buffalo Cauliflower and the Fiesta Lime Corn.  I haven’t tried the cauliflower yet but did try the corn and I loved it!

Next up I think I’m going to grab the wasabi peas.  Have you seen these?  Tried any of them?

They all look interesting with the exception of the carrots.  I hate carrots.

The time waster but good for you to do

The personality test from 16 personalities.  I took it this morning.

It’s pretty spot on and i’m interested in learning more.

Serious stuff

Read this post from Movin’ It With Michelle.  She is currently in the midst of her husband’s year-long deployment and this post is a poem written by her daughter.  It’s amazing and eye opening.  While I have zero personal experience with the military, I am a huge supporter and am blown away by the strength and selflessness of all those involved in that lifestyle.  Read it, but be prepared, it might lead to tears..and smiles.

Have  a most wonderful weekend!  I’m planning for 8 miles tomorrow and hoping the weather cooperates.  Talk soon!

The Biggest Loser

This article was just published in the New York Times, and the findings are being published today in the journal Obesity.

It’s a bit long, but it’s a very interesting read.  It focuses on how difficult it is for contestants to keep the weight off.  Ultimately it seems to conclude by saying that the contestants had lower ending metabolisms than when they started, which means that just to maintain they’d need to eat fewer calories than other people at the same weight.

I’m curious to understand more about why this is and if it has anything to do with the drastic measures the show takes, or if it’s just a bad side effect of significant weight loss.

While I no longer watch the show, I was a loyal watcher for quite a few years.  The year that Erik from Long Island won, I was captivated.  I lived on LI at the time so he was a local hero.

I also remember seeing him on TV a few years later and noticing that he had gained quite a bit of weight back.  According to popcrush.com, he lost 204 pounds on the show, gained back most of it, and then settled in around 245 lbs.

I did always wonder how sustainable the weight loss would be when a lot of it occurs during a time when your one and only responsibility is to work out and eat well.  Plus you have trainers and chefs at your disposal.

Check out this excerpt from the NY Times article:

Sequestered on the “Biggest Loser” ranch with the other contestants, Mr. Cahill exercised seven hours a day, burning 8,000 to 9,000 calories according to a calorie tracker the show gave him. He took electrolyte tablets to help replace the salts he lost through sweating, consuming many fewer calories than before.

Eventually, he and the others were sent home for four months to try to keep losing weight on their own.

Mr. Cahill set a goal of a 3,500-caloric deficit per day. The idea was to lose a pound a day. He quit his job as a land surveyor to do it.

His routine went like this: Wake up at 5 a.m. and run on a treadmill for 45 minutes. Have breakfast — typically one egg and two egg whites, half a grapefruit and a piece of sprouted grain toast. Run on the treadmill for another 45 minutes. Rest for 40 minutes; bike ride nine miles to a gym. Work out for two and a half hours. Shower, ride home, eat lunch — typically a grilled skinless chicken breast, a cup of broccoli and 10 spears of asparagus. Rest for an hour. Drive to the gym for another round of exercise.

If he had not burned enough calories to hit his goal, he went back to the gym after dinner to work out some more. At times, he found himself running around his neighborhood in the dark until his calorie-burn indicator reset to zero at midnight.

That to me is CRAZY!  Who can afford to leave their job to focus solely on health and fitness?  Not many!

Since I found this article quite interesting, I figured it was worth a share.  I’m not sure what will come out of future research, but hopefully some information that will be helpful to those dealing with obesity.

Enjoy the read!