Endurance

I have been working really hard at getting my endurance up to par…Cardio has never been one of my strong points but I am realizing I am starting to enjoy running (and by that, I mean Erica’s very, very, slow jog).  Recently I have been going to the rec center 2-3 times a week to use the indoor track.  Usually there are not many people at the track but there are a few regulars that I see from time to time.  One regular that has inspired me is a man I call “the old Chinese man.” He is the one person on the track that I CANNOT LET PASS ME!!!!   I don’t care if I die, but I cannot let this guy pass me as my pride is at stake here!!!  The girl in the wheelchair laps me always but I have convinced myself she would lap anyone else too (OK, probably not but makes me feel better about myself).  “The old Chinese man” has no idea how much he motivates me to move faster, but he does…  Recently  “the old Chinese man” came while I was on my last lap of the 2 miles I had completed.  I busted into “high gear” to pass him even though I was already exhausted. I came to the end of the lap and literally collapsed on the bench.  He made his way around the lap to where I sat panting and gasping for air and he had the NERVE to say (with a smile), “you giving up already?”  Oh man, he did not just say this!  If my legs could have gotten me up and moving, I would have chased him down and showed him what was up!!!  

So, the moral of my sad and pathetic tale is to find motivation in unlikely places.  

Also, you never know if you are someone else’s motivation. 

So, KEEP MOVING!!! 

Giving Up

Our breaking point.

We all have one.

And, we've all been there. 

Sometimes multiple times in the same day.

It's so easy to feel like we've set up a permanent camp at our breaking point and only visit the good life every once in a while. It's so tempting to throw our hands up and just walk away.

Just give up.

Life is hard. But, this is what we signed up for. It's how we learn and grow and become better people.

And struggles suck. They just do. No one is exempt. We just have to power through and hopefully come out the other side with a little more knowledge, compassion and strength.

So that, just maybe, the next breakdown won't be quite as long and devastating and we can pick up the pieces a little faster and move forward with more faith than we had before. And, hopefully, we can be more able to help others through their struggles.

Today was rough. We seem to all be struggling right now. We are struggling with motivation and plateauing (hmmm, that's actually a word - weird) and getting along as a team and encouraging each other and not being critical - of ourselves and others.

We are also having a hard time with comparing our success (or lack thereof) with everyone else's.

And, the worst part? We can't even drown our sorrows in chocolate and salt and vinegar potato chips (not together - gross).

So lame.

I'm not exactly sure when this all started happening, but we are seriously melting down as a whole team. (Raise your hand if you cried all the way home from the track tonight). It's so frustrating because I think we all feel powerless to make it better. 

But, where there's a will there's a way, right?! We have to turn this around!

I think it's so important to celebrate even the smallest successes - Hooray! I fit into a pair of pants I haven't worn in 5 years! Awesome! I only ate 1/2 of that bag of Cheetos! No way! I just made it through that whole set of bleachers without wanting to throw up! Fantastic! Brianne only lapped me twice today!

We also need to remember to take it one day at a time. It is so easy to be overwhelmed by 50, 10, 5 pounds.



RELAX!



I can eat clean for one whole day.

I can reach my exercise goals for one day.

I can drink the right amount of water for one day.

I can get enough sleep tonight.


And, pretty soon, those days add up to successful weeks, months and years.

We've got this girls. As my very wise father has said 1000's of times...


HAPPY UP!!


This is supposed to be fun. We are supposed to be happy. Life is way too short for anything less.

And, in the words of another great dad:

So, this post isn't really about giving up. It's about recommitting and not being so hard on ourselves and each other - and not just with diet and exercise. With everything in life.


As Ellen Degeneres says at the end of all of her shows, "Be kind to one another."




Most especially yourself.

This Girl

Erica is one of the most fantastic people alive.

She is such a hard worker and has the strength of a champion.

She definitely sets the mood for the whole team. She'll probably be mad at me for calling her the 'mother' of the team (she is much too young for that!) but she definitely has a lot of influence over all of us.

She's the best.

And, look how far she's come!

Hooray!!


She is a beautiful lady. Inside and out.

Delicious Tomato Soup

I found a great recipe for tomato soup. I know it's weird to eat soup in the hot days of summer, but I love soup and eat it often. Canned soup is fine, but I love homemade soup and feel a sense of accomplishment when I find and make a new recipe that turns out to be delicious.

Click here for the original recipe. I changed it a little and it's super good.

2 (14 oz) cans chopped tomatoes (I used the Italian flavored ones)
1/4 c olive oil (this was plenty)

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, pressed

2 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 T butter

1/2 c skim milk (fat free half and half would be great too)
salt and pepper to taste

I roasted the tomatoes for 20 minutes while I sautéed the other vegetables until they were soft. I simmered it all together for 15 minutes then blended it up in a regular blender (an immersion blender would work way better). This is a very tasty soup. It's definitely going in my regular food rotation.

It heats up well and actually tastes better left over.

Another Great MSN Article

We are big fans of the good people down at MSN.

Here is an article that resonated with me.

These are the 7 small changes they list to help you lose weight. I do just about all of these, so I will tell you how they've helped me.

1. Eat breakfast every day

This one is hard for me. I love sleep and I don't love mornings. As a result, I sleep until the very last second possible so not much food prep happens for me before I rush out the door to work. Breakfast is so important - I have found it's easier for me to eat healthy during the day if I start with a high protein breakfast. I also eat less throughout the day. I rotate between 2 scrambled eggs with salsa, cottage cheese with fresh fruit, a protein shake and plain oatmeal sweetened with stevia.

2. Downsize your dish

The bowls in my favorite set of dishes are huge. This has been a problem for me because it's hard to control portions when my cereal bowls hold 3.5 cups. I have had to down-size. I bought smaller bowls so I have more control and feel more satiated with the right amount of food because it takes up more room in a smaller bowl.

3. Trade up your fork

I haven't tried this but the article says using a bigger fork and taking larger bites helps you feel full faster. I'll have to try it.

4. Drink lots of water

Mike tells us to drink half of our body weight in ounces of water each day. That's a lot of water! To be honest, I haven't slept more than 4 hours straight since February 26th. Lots of trips to the baño, if you know what I mean. Water makes such a difference for me. I definitely lose more weight when I drink the right amount of water - and the right amount for me is up to a gallon a day. Most days, I don't drink anything but water, just to make sure I get enough. I definitely notice when I do and do not drink enough water.

5. Display produce proudly

Eating healthy is expensive and it takes a lot of work. Mostly because I make 2 or 3 trips to the store every single week. It could have to do with the fact that I'm not a super great planner, but mostly it's because I have to buy fruit and vegetables more often then the packaged food I used to eat. For me, if it's out of sight, it's out of mind and, since I like fruit and vegetables cold, I keep them on the top shelf of my fridge. That way, they are staring at me each time I open the door. I also am more likely to eat them for a snack if they are washed, cut up and ready to eat. I usually do that on Sunday nights so they are ready for the week ahead.

6. Snack on yogurt

I haven't always liked yogurt but I can now eat it on a fairly regular basis. I lived in Spain for a few months and people I met there often eat yogurt for dessert. I thought that was so weird but now I find myself eating it after meals - instead of ice cream - and I think it's great. You have to be careful because a lot of yogurt has lots of sugar. I eat Chobani plain yogurt sweetened with 5 drops of stevia. Of course, it's not as good as a big bowl of ice cream but it helps me stay on track.

7. Enjoy a small treat

Mike - for sure - is not going to agree with me on this one, but I think a small treat, every once in awhile, is perfectly okay. (I'm pretty sure I'll have to do extra burpees when he reads this). So much in life centers around food - birthdays, hanging out with friends, dating, parties, good days, bad days. Plus, if I don't let myself have a small treat every so often, I might go crazy and eat a whole row of Oreos (I have actually done that in my pre-Mike life).

I like this list. Nothing life changing, but simple things that can make a big difference.

Misery Loves Company

My best baby sister Jordan has been staying with me for a few weeks while her husband is doing an internship out of state. It has been so fun.

A couple of weeks ago, I suggested that she join us for a workout with Mike and she (completely naively) agreed!

Buckle up!

I was really excited for her to have this 'hell on earth' experience and I was not disappointed. The poor thing almost didn't make it. Is it sad that I kind of enjoyed watching her suffer?

(Yes, it is sad and I'm seeking professional help).

She sent me this text before the workout:

Although, she had absolutely nothing to worry about. Mike for sure went easier on her then he did/does on us. I mean, he didn't even make her do "Sally" but we all had to.

"Oh Jordan, you're tired? Come sit over here and rest. You'll feel better in a minute. Do you need any water? How about a towel? How are your shoulders? Do you need a massage?" Are you kidding me?! He was WAY nicer to her then he has ever been to any of us. It's so not fair!

Here is her re-cap of the workout:

Working out with Mike and the “crew” was such a fantastic experience. Everyone there is super supportive and it makes for such a great atmosphere. The workouts were difficult but it was fun to challenge myself, with Mike doing it a little more adamantly in the background, to see just how much I could do! Not going to lie, I felt like I was going to throw up a few times and I couldn’t walk for days afterwards, but the experience that I had made it all worth it. 

You guys are the best!  

She's so funny. She makes it sound like it was a trip to the mall. It was so hard but I'm so proud that she came and made it through the whole workout. Two days after the workout, I tossed her something. She didn't catch it and it fell to the ground. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, that's just where it will have to stay because I can't bend over to pick it up." Hooray for sore muscles!

I can't find the text she sent me the next day, but I forwarded the message on to Mike:

Here we are in action:

Cute Jordan.

Nice Jess.

Pay no attention to all the back sweat.

(there's definitely a reason I wear black to every single workout - TMI? Sorry)

Aaaah, so cute!

So, yeah, this happened. Erica took off her bra for the weigh-in and Jordan is champion at photo-bombing. (Then there's Jess, just looking good in the background as usual).

Great job Jordan! Thanks for coming!

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 3 carrots, chopped 
• 3 ribs of celery, chopped 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed 
• 8 cups vegetable broth 
• 2 cups lentils, rinsed 
• 1 tsp. dried thyme 
• 1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar 
• 2 tsp. salt 
• 1 tsp. ground pepper 
• 1 bunch kale, washed and chopped 
• 1 can diced tomatoes (optional)

Cooking Directions

Put all of these ingredients in the slow cooker. Set it on low if you are leaving it all day, high if you are starting it around lunchtime. 

About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve the soup, add the last four ingredients. 

This soup tastes even better the next day, I portion out into individual servings and have my dinners ready for the week.

This is healthy and super filling.

I got the recipe here: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=7213095