Morning Run Whoo!

Yesterday was a great success. I woke up and made myself egg whites with feta cheese, at 10 am I had a protein shake, for lunch I hit the gym for a weight workout (which I am FEELING today), then I followed it up with a turkey and cheese sandwich, at 4 pm I had some yogurt. After work I hit up Kroger and picked up eggs, milk, orange juice, cucumber, tomato, romaine lettuce, bread, strawberries, celery and turkey. Came home, did a 2 mile fun run. I decided this week, I will not time a single run. I will just get out there and do 2 miles and enjoy it. No pressure to run a good time. Just a week of solid short runs to get myself back into the grind. I had chicken and pasta for dinner with 2 pieces of chocolate and a glass of milk. Bedtime. Boom.

I felt great this morning. I woke up before the alarm clock! N

ormally, I would have lazed around in bed but I couldn't even doze so I hopped out of bed and threw on running clothes... INCLUDING....

MY BRAND NEW NIKE GLOVES!

Aren't they fantastic? And twelve bucks at the Nike Store in the mall near me (which I would like to LIVE in if possible). I'm sure the people passing me thought I was crazy as I ran down Peachtree in my long sleeved shirt, shorts and gloves but I felt fantastic! My hands were a little warm after a mile but much better than FREEZING like they have been in the past. I am glad I finally bit the bullet since 40 degrees is a little too cold to not have gloves.

I followed up my run with 20 pushups. Okay they weren't the best but they were done. I did them on my feet instead of knees and got them done. I'm hoping to build up to GREAT pushups.

Tell me, what are you excited about this week? I'm excited about my renewed motivation and to be blogging again. I am loving the comments back to me and am enjoying logging everything on dailymile.

I'm baaaaaackkkkkk

Okay, life has been hectic lately but now that I am getting settled into the new apartment, I have GOT TO START BACK ON THE HEALTHY LIVING TRAIN. I'm back up to 155 after this weekend's shenanigans. I have wedding related stuff all month but that is no excuse to just let myself go completely.

With that in mind, I hit the grocery store last night (it helps that I finally have a little money in the bank). The Kroger I went to is INCREDIBLE. It was so nice! And I love, love, love a store that has sushi and a salad bar. I want to move into the Kroger. Of course, everything took longer because I don't know the layout of the store yet but WOW. So much to choose from! So, here is what I picked up to add to my empty fridge (and pantry. and freezer):

• Pirate's Booty White Cheddar (it's like crack. But on sale for 3 for $5)
• Green Grapes
• Romaine lettuce
• Crumbled Tomato Basil Feta Cheese
• Tomato
• Back to Nature Granola (which is my favorite!)
• Hot Pepper cheese
• Diet Coke (aspartame be damned)
• Eggs
• 100 calorie bread thingies (the receipt isn't helping and I'm blanking on what they are called)
• Organic Chicken

That's all my meager paycheck could afford this time around. But slowly I will build the kitchen back up! Next up, tackling my workouts!

In other news, my boys over in Toms River, NJ will be playing tonight for a chance to head to the Little League World Series. They lost to the team they are playing once so I'm looking for a little revenge. You can catch them at 8 pm on ESPN2.

And don't forget to sign up for the Virtual Race for Boobies! I might even give out a little sumpin to the first person to sign up!

Day 2 of Cassandra the Devil

Bitch is ON me like white on rice. Texts, emails, running up to check on me when I'm on the treadmill. You name it, she's encouraged it. I have had two days of absolute soreness since meeting with her the first time. I curse her when I'm staggering down three flights of stairs clinging to the wall and handrail and praying I won't fall. When I struggle to sit my ass down on the toilet (hands outstretched propping me against the stall walls) I think how nice it would be to murder her. On the other hand, I just know all of this will be worth it...someday. Just not today!

Today, we took it easy on my legs using the fly machine to do side squats and pull the weight across my chest (12 on each side, 2 times). Then with 5 lb weights (big ups to the girl who jacked the 8 lb weights so Cassandra had to go down. I love you girl!) I got into pushup position, pulled one weight up to my shoulder and did a tricip kickback. 10 times on each side. Moving to the squat bar, Cassandra lowered it and had me lie down under it. Then pull my chest up. Ummmm, about that upper body strength. Zilch. Nada. Not a damn thing. Luckily, moving my chest up an inch and bending my arms seemed to make her happy. After a couple of rotations, we moved to doing resistance bands (arms out front, arms to the side) and then worked the kinks out of my back in the stretching area with something that felt like I was supermanning dat ho. All in all a good workout.

She also advised that before working out in the morning, I need to go ahead and have a protein shake and a banana. Then when I'm getting ready to leave the gym, eat a small meal. That way I've had two meals before heading into work. And she said I needed to get some potassium tablets. So we'll be doing some shopping today and I'll update you on that later!

CONTESTS!!!!
Barefoot Angie Bee is giving away a pack of Sweatybands which I've always wanted to try but never been willing to buy (seriously how much do I spend on hair shit?!?!).

Julie's Very Cool First Giveaway is INDEED very cool. So cool, I'm sharing it with you instead of keeping it to myself and the hundreds of others who entered. Yes, hundreds cause bitch has 100 followers. Sigh, one day my 19 followers. One day.

Run To The Finish is giving away a cool prize pack that includes tinted moisturizer, power balance bracelets and sweaty bands.

Run Courtney Run is giving away awesome Lift Your Sole jewelry! Check it out- so pretty and inspirational!

If I win one giveaway I want it to be Secrets of a Running Mom's Tanks and Tunes giveaway! LOOKS AMAZING. Easy to enter :)

Grocery List

So, I have opted to sign up for the training sessions with Cassandra the Beast. The first thing she asked me is about my eating habits...Uhhhh... WHOOPS.

Okay, so I can do cardio until the cows come home. But lift weights and fight my cravings? IM.POSS.IBLE. Seriously, I last about 5 days and then right when the weekend comes around BAM. Anyway, in an effort to get on the right track so as not to "waste our time" (her words) I went shopping today. Here is the list:

• Skim Milk
• Dannon Yogurt- Vanilla, reduced fat
• Strawberries
• Romaine Lettuce
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Red Bell Pepper
• Green Bell Pepper
• Banana
• Ovenroasted Turkey breast
• Reduced Fat Feta
• Vegetable Oil
• Fat Free Caesar Italian Dressing
• Roasted Red Pepper Vinagrette
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Kellog All-Bran cereal
• Pita Bread
• Eggs
• Chicken Breast

I have to say it felt good to be picking up healthy foods for myself. I'm a little worried about the whole cooking thing and I don't want anything to go bad before I get a chance to eat it. I looked at other people's carts and thought to myself, "Do you even know what you are ingesting?" I sure as hell don't but I'm making a real effort to find out. I even examined several boxes of cereal and pita bread before determining one that was low on calories and carbs but high on protein.

Of course, it was Cinco de Mayo and while all my friends were out having a blast at block parties and Mexican restaurants I opted to get some extra hours in for extra cash. So I hit up Moe's where they were doing a promotion for $3 Burritos. I got a Triple Lindy and a small serving of cheese dip. I ate half the burrito and took the other half to the fridge immediately. Then I enjoyed one beer before bed. I can't say I felt deprived but I know if I were out with friends I would have ordered something totally different and drank too much. Sometimes making good decisions can suck in the short term but in the long run, they are the best decisions you can make!

Day 27- Sunday Funday

I behaved, don't worry. I was definitely surprised to see the scale read 160.6 when I woke up this morning. After all I drank last night and ate chicken wings. But thanks to Brian's grilling, the wings were healthier than normal (no frying= good!). And I cut myself off which I think is saying something about my self control these days. Definitely still have days where I make less than stellar choices but they are getting to be fewer than in the past. Wanted to hit the gym but didn't realize it closed at 6pm. So I took it outside and ran in 40 degree weather for 47 minutes. It was incredible and I felt so good- the cross training is really making a difference. Also, hit the grocery store today. List is below my food diary.

breakfast I wanted Einstein's so bad. But I controlled myself and hit the grocery store. Came home and made a two egg omelet with pepperjack cheese and a honey wheat english muffin. Glass of cranberry juice rounded it out.

lunch Bourbon chicken with pepperjack cheese and mayo in a pita with skim milk.

snack hummus and crackers

dinner 1/2 of a turkey sandwich with tomato, lettuce and mayo on multigrain bread. With that I had half of a BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad. According to Panera's nutrition calculator I ingested 530 calories, 20g of fat, 57g of carbs, and 32 g of protein. Not too shabby for eating out. Paired this with a glass of skim milk

Today's grocery list:

• Skim Milk
• Hummus
• Bourbon Chicken (slices from the deli- it was cheaper than the turkey)
• Bananas
• Turkey Bacon
• Lettuce
• Pepperjack Cheese
• Tomatoes
• Navel Oranges
• Eggs
• Kraft Ranch Dressing- low fat
• Kraft Asian Vinagrette
• Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian Dressing
• Pears
• Pretzels
• Pita Bread
• Chocolate Chips
• Wheat Thins

New Year...new resolutions

1. Eat healthy. How will I make this happen? Well, I started today by making a list on this awesome notepad my mom got me for Christmas. It has a menu planner on one side and the grocery list on the other and is magnetic. So I went through Fitness magazine and picked a few recipes to try and then planned it out! I'll let you know how it goes.
2. Run three times a week. I will be training for a half marathon and I've done one before. The last one I didn't train for LIKE AT ALL and I ran 2 hrs and 39 minutes. In June, I would like to run below 2 1/2 hours so I'm hoping this will motivate me to actually train and therefore run at least three days a week.
3. Take one group fitness class a week. For my birthday, I am getting a gym membership to Gold's Gym again. It's the closest gym so there are no excuses on the weekend for not going. I am hoping they have added Zumba to their lineup because I took it in NJ and had a blast.
4. Weekend Warrior. I want to make Saturday and Sunday intense days for working out- trying new workouts from magazines and videos and just putting in more hours walking, running, biking, hiking, swimming or whatever. Anything active.
5. Join a league. I took a break from kickball for the winter but in the spring season I would like to sign up for that or softball. It's been a while since I played softball though so I might be a little rusty.

I think 5 goals is good. Not too difficult and with a clear plan of action. I will reevaluate in 3 months and we'll see where I am going. Since all this starts tomorrow, I went shopping and then picked up Chinese for the last time. And beer. Gotta enjoy my last meal before I start really focusing :)

The grocery list:

• Bananas
• Apples
• Cucumbers
• Grape Tomatoes
• Skim Milk
• Grapefruit Juice
• Yogurt
• Turkey Bacon
• Veggie Burgers
• Extra fiber english muffins
• Feta Cheese
• Hummus
• Turkey
• Fat Free Cheddar Cheese
• Hashbrowns
• Lettuce
• Chicken

MIA

I am so sorry I have been missing in action lately. I am super swamped between work and freelancing and my social life so I have left the blogs empty recently. I am proud to say my weekend in Auburn did not completely do me in; though the one beer limit was not followed. Try 5.

Today I went shopping for groceries on a meager 10 bucks. Sadly I only came away with eggs, lettuce, a gallon of milk, apples and salsa. The essentials to get me to Friday's payday. I know salsa didn't seem like an essential but I need something to snack on! Unfortunately, that impulse buy left me without tomatoes or cheese so tonight's salad was slighly lacking...in calories that is. Granted the tomatoes would have been good but I picked those up in the salsa.

So, if you had ten bucks to burn at the grocery store...what would be your essentials?

Grocery List

I forgot to post yesterday's shopping list on here (duh, it was the 15th- of course I went and blew my money!). Since I am being very careful about what I am eating now, coupons aren't going to help out anymore. Thank god for my Kroger Plus savings of $1.77 yesterday! The goal is to spend less than $50 each time I head to the store. Yesterday I succeeded even with purchasing a caddy for my cleaning supplies and a boss's day card (which of course, I forgot!). Without further ado, the list:

• 1/2 gallon of Kroger Skim Milk (with Vitamin A &D)
• Athenos Reduced Fat Feta
• Sabrero Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
• Romaine bagged salad (I know, I should get organic but I don't like cleaning and chopping it- YUCK)
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Navel Oranges
• Red Delicious Apples
• Dannon Reduced Fat Vanilla Yogurt
• Kraft Olive Oil Mayo
• Jack Daniels Barbeque Sauce (an indulgence- with as much chicken as I eat, I need fun marinades!)
• Jiff Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
• Bare Naked Triple Berry Granola
• Whole Wheat Pitettes
• Kroger Olive Oil Pan Spray

Grand Total: $39.96!

Wireless down...

Okay so the title has nothing to do with food except this blog is not as fun without pictures which are on my other laptop and cannot access the internet because I have no idea how to set my MAC up for anything other than wireless. Not only am I food and workout challenged, I'm also technologically a misfit.

Anyway, today was shopping day which I will get to as soon as I share my food diary for you!

breakfast My two friends Shannon and Chloe made plans to grab lunch and since I crashed at Shannon's last night, I tagged along. I am so glad I did because we went to FLYING BISCUIT! Flying Biscuit is absolutely amazing and has such a great vibe. Unfortunately, you always have to wait 30+ minutes for a table so you end up STARVING by the time food is served! Shannon loves their hummus so we started there. I was still on the fence about hummus but I tried it anyway- boy am I glad! It's Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with tortillas and feta cheese. YUM! I am going to start adding feta to the hummus I bought a week ago :) Shannon got an awesome looking salad while Chloe and I opted for breakfast all day (it was noon by the time we ate). I ordered the Piedmont Omelette which has chicken sausage, turkey bacon, sauteed onions and cheddar cheese. I got potatoes on the side and a wheat biscuit. One cup of coffee and a glass of water rounded out a delicious meal!

snack yogurt

dinner I skipped lunch today since I really had a brunch and was STUFFED all day. After finishing up some grocery shopping, I decided I wanted to stop and get Chipotle for dinner. I went with a salad and built my own with black beans (I'm trying to incorporate new things in my diet I swear!), cheese, chicken, onions and peppers, corn and pico de gallo with their honey cilantro dressing. IT WAS INCREDIBLE and very filling. I'm feeling good about my choices while I was there since normally I would have loaded up with a burrito of some sort!

Okay, on to the shopping list for this week (this sucks- I totally took a picture of the list too).

• Horizon Organic 1% Chocolate Milk
• Kroger Skim Milk
• Lean Pockets Ham and Cheese and Spinach, Artichoke Chicken (I had a coupon!)
• Tyson Chicken Breasts- boneless and skinless
• Grotin's Shrimp
• Sargento's Reduced Fat Provolone Cheese
• Yoplait Light YoCrunch yogurt
• Red Delicious Apples
• Navel Oranges
• Bananas
• Romaine Lettuce
• Dill Pickle Spears
• Cliff Bars
• Luna Bars
• Weight Watchers Toffee Ice Cream Bars (only two points if I were following them!)

Okay, so thoughts on my grocery list? Also, I really need great recipes for chicken. It tends to be ALL I eat and I do the same thing with it over and over so if you have great recipes you can share, please do in the comments section!

Grocery Lists...meant to be broken

Heyo!

I am feeling fabulous today after a wonderful workout :) I did 20 minutes on the elliptical machine (do anyone else's feet fall asleep on this machine?) and then 25 minutes on the bike followed by 25 minutes of Pilates. And to prove to you that I am getting better at this Pilates shiz...I have included a picture for you to admire (I know you love my lime green shirt- shout out to Team Moneyshot kickball team!)

Anyway, food diary...

breakfast Multigrain Cheerios with skim milk.

snack Quakes. Amanda N. you will be proud to know that I am almost done with all the Quakes in my apt and did not purchase any more of them!

lunch My leftover Urban Flats Midwestern Flat. Just as good as it was last night!

snack Edys Overload Peanut Butter Cup Icecream. I swear it is in the eat that section of the book. Scouts honor. This was NOT on my grocery list but I made the mistake of zipping down that aisle :(

dinner Omg I made a serious effort to include something from every food group! I missed fruits but its okay. I'm full but not overstuffed. I marinated chicken in Newman's Own Honey Mustard dressing and served it with Joy of Cooking Potatoes, two rolls and a side salad with cucumbers, tomato, cheese and honey mustard spritzer. I finished it off with a glass of milk (my fav!) And I even took a picture for you!

Grocery List (less than 50 bucks- score!)

Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk
Kroger skim milk
Yo Crunch yogurt
Bananas
Caeser dressing
Romaine bagged lettuce
Tomatoes
Texas Pete Hot Sauce
Eggbeaters No Crate Eggs
Natures Own Wheat Bread with EXTRA Fiber
Thomas English Muffins- Better Start Multigrain
Cheerios
Yogurt Cheerios
Ritz Wheat Crackers
Wheat Thins
Grapefruit Juice
Edys Ice Cream

Thoughts? Suggestions? Tell me what are your must have staples?