12/2: Meals and Fitness for the week
Since I’ve been doing distance runs once a week for half marathon training, every Sunday I wonder if my body will “know” how to run. Like, I’ll remember last week’s 10-miler (about half pushing the jogging stroller) and think to myself: there is no way I can run 10 miles. I just did it! Does anyone else do this, or am I just weird like that?
(loving the new sneaks so far)
I’m kind of glad that half marathon training is coming to an end for now. It’s still been unseasonably warm in Tucson -minus the random cold spell thrown in there the weekend of my last half marathon– so before it gets too cold, I’m gonna call it good after next weekend. I’m a huge chicken and just not a fan of outdoor cold-weather workouts (major props to those of you running in the snow).
I’m been trying to think of my next fitness goal, and nothing has come to mind. I always like to have something to work towards, but don’t feel like anything is particularly inspiring to me right now. I thought about doing something really intense, like a fitness competition, but let’s be real: I hate prancing around in a bikini anyway, and I couldn’t live on chicken breasts and broccoli. I’d love to do a Bikram challenge, but the time commitment isn’t realistic right now, and am not super into CrossFit, even though I do like it. I think a reason why I like running- is that it’s easy to measure your progress and accomplishments over time. It’s harder to say, “I hit that Zumba salsa way harder/better/crisper/funkier than last week!” We’ll see what my next kick will be, but for now, training for the half has been good motivation to get back into running after such a long hiatus, and also something fun we can enjoy together as a family.
Here’s my tentative fitness plan for the week:
Sunday: Runday
Monday: OFF
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I am definitely like that! No matter what, every time I go out for a run, I wonder if I can do it.
Ha, that meal you described reminds me of when I moved out of my apartment and was trying to clean out my refrigerator. Let me tell you, I have some really weird meals then.
Maybe keep your goals light or the month of December since it will be busy holiday stuff? For me, its all about balance. My month goals include yoga twice a week (i don’t stretch enough. Super tight hammies) and increasing my mileage on my runs once a week. You seem pretty busy so hitting small goals now will give you time to come up with a big January goal.
yeah i’m not talking about a short term goal, but something farther away to strive towards. it’s going to be busy between now and liv’s birthday!
I am new to your blog but I’ve been poking around and love it! 🙂
I’ve lost 100 pounds over 2.5 years but over the last six months since I finished my half marathon (walking), I’ve gained back about 10 pounds even though I picked up running 4-5 days a week with other activities thrown in and just had a fantastic 5 mile race on Thanksgiving. I still have the last 30 pounds to get rid of. I’m starting Jillian Michael’s Body Revolution hoping to kickstart myself and motivation again! Have you looked into this program and have any thoughts? I likely won’t follow the diet plan to a T because I don’t believe in diets and it does not have enough variety to keep me satisfied.
Have a good Sunday!
Whenever I’m training for a race, I absolutely have that same mental block when it comes to long runs. Even though I know (from experience) that I can do it, I’m always surprised when I hit a heavy distance after a long break!
Yeah, I have no idea how people crank out double digit training runs by themselves.. good for them! And good for you! 10 miles is crazy long!
I have those same exact shoes! Color and all. They are great! You will love them
Love the cactus/sun picture – so pretty, calming and serene!
And good to hear you’re loving the new shoes. Nothing beats a great pair of shoes that fit well!
Just from reading your blog, I can tell you would be a phenomenal yoga instructor. Have you ever considered getting certified? It’s kind of a secret long term goal of mine. That, and surfing. Haha. But seriously, I think you would make a great teacher.
thank you! i would LOVE to be a yoga instructor but don’t have the time commitment to practice and learn as much as i’d need to. maybe down the road 🙂
My long term goal is to run 5k without walk breaks. I bought a pair of running shoes a few days ago and alternated running/walking for four miles. Definitely over did it–I could barely move the next day! I don’t know why, but I genuinely thought I could just start full-on running with no problems, haha! I went back out today and kept it at 2 miles and then did twenty minutes of streatching. (Seriously, this is SO unlike me–I can’t believe I am working out and eating my fruits and veggies!)
We went from 2.2 MPH and dying and not being able to keep up with the group on the mountain to walking an average of 2.8-3.2 MPH AND making it up all the mountains plus plus plus. We can now do hills, mountains AND stairs at about a 20 minute mile average. We average 3 miles a walk. We have one more huge mountain to climb before the end of the year. What should be our next goals be??? Pick up our time? Walk farther? What do you think? One wants to lose weight and the other wants to keep in shape. Some just want company. I vote for a faster more HIIT type of challenge with a lower mileage. What do you think? Should we keep the same pace and shoot for 4 miles? Should we try and cut our time on the monstrous mountain? Climb it twice? Wow, so many decisions.
I have a step at home and would love some sort of workout using it with maybe some light free weight work. Any suggestions?
I want a fitness goal to work toward too, but am kind of unsure about what I should choose. I was going to start Crossfit, but it has kind of fallen on the back burner now. I would love to do a Bikram challenge because the periods I go to Bikram a lot I always feel so amazing. It’s just hard to find the time for it very often these days!
I definitely feel you on having a difficult time finding a goal to work towards outside of running! I use to run often and found it so easy to motivate myself if I had a race coming up. But then I started having serious knee issues and haven’t run for almost 3 years now.
It’s certainly a lot harder to find motivation to exercise now- especially since all I do is yoga, and like you, don’t have the time to commit to a challenge. I look forward to reading how you find a goal to meet!
you would totally rock it at a figure competition! i’ve read about lots of people doing competitions on different diets-many paleo or gluten free….i don’t think you’d have to eat boring chicken and broccoli all the time. just something to consider. personally i’d love to follow along if you decide to do one!
What about Insanity or P90X? Every once in awhile when I get tired of coming up with different work-outs I do those programs. It’s nice because they are great work-outs and you don’t have to decide what to do. I always feel stronger after going through the entire program – especially Insanity!!
I think it is so funny that you say that. Granted I run most days of the week but sometimes I think to myself “can I really do this?” I make fun of my run amnesia all the time…I will literally be in the middle of my run and think, wow I really am a runner!
I agree that running is a great sport in that you can measure your progress and I like that you can continually achieve a goal then make a new one whether it be distance, time etc.
My goal at the moment is my first full marathon in January! I can’t wait (especially to be done training is this NY cold, brrrrr).
I do Fitness Competitions – and I eat a heck of a lot more than chicken and broccoli. In fact, I eat more than most of the people I know on any given day. Maybe you should look in to it? You already have the discipline for the training. Just a thought 😀
do you have a blog or a sample eating plan posted? all of the ones i’ve checked out look miserable to me haha
No blog 🙁 But I can email you a typical day of eating for me. Everyone’s macros are different and in fact my food intake just went up. I would suggest looking in to a trainer who does competition prep and talking to him/her. There are also online trainers, Team Bombshell is extremely reputable within the competition world. I don’t use them, but they were on my top list of trainers when I was looking! Anyways, I can email a typical eating day if you’re interested 🙂
i would love that- thank you!
oh, and I agree. I would stab myself in the eye if I had to survive off of chicken and broccoli 🙂 The ladies (and men!) who do that may get results but they are completely misinformed!!
Wait, what’s the plan for your Monday workout?
did i skip it?? oops!! off! tuesday is december workout and wednesday is going to be easy cardio- need to fix that
I’m doing a Bikram challenge in Dec. but I’m doing it my own way– 24 practices for the month. I thought about 30 but I heard even Bikram himself says that’s nuts, six is perfect.
A fun challenge if you don’t mind wearing a pedometer is 10,000 steps/day. Check out the Fitbit… tiny enough to wear on your bra and it transmits data to the computer automatically, wirelessly. You can automatically tweet or post to FB your step counts, too, I think. I did 10,000 steps/day for a year once. You probably get a lot of steps in already, with your lifestyle, but it’s fun to see it add up. And perfect for shopping season and stroller/dog owners.
Seems like every blog I’ve visited today is outlining menu plans and fitness goals, I need to do the same! I’m looking forward to the sweet & sour tempeh with veggies recipe, I’ve got 2 logs?? of tempeh just waiting for me to do something with!
I’m planning on running a half marathon in March and am already stressing out about being able to run that far! LOL.
don’t stress- you have plenty of time to train 🙂
My fitness goal is a 1/2 marathon! I’m the same way – running seems like a great goal for me always because I can see and feel my progress. It’s really motivating.
I keep saying I want to run a half marathon (in support of cancer research xoxo), but don’t have the discipline or motivation to commit most, if not all, of my workouts to only running. Thank you for showing me that I can still do it with one run a week (and I realize you are active the rest of the week which I plan on doing also, while listening to my body). 🙂
I’m in the middle of a horrible flare (lupus) so fitness isn’t a major focus but this week I’m going to try to get my eats under some kind of control. Thankfully I haven’t really gained any weight but I’ve been eating too much ‘junk’ for over a month now. I know I’ll feel better if I can get some actual nutrients in. Why oh why is it so much easier to feed the pain/emotions? (that’s rhetorical of course) 🙂
Loved the pics from your color run. It looked like so much fun. I think it’s sweet that you and the Pilot ran it together.
I love that about running too–it’s pretty easy to measure. It definitely feels good to mix in other workouts too though, plus that makes me ‘crave’ running more.
Maybe you could try swimming?? It’s an amazing full body workout and a whole different kind of “in shape”!
maybe become certified to teach something? or start a local running club?
Hey! I’m a huge advocate for fitness competitions- its in some ways more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge. I have done a few figure competitions and in the beginning I had the same mindset as you- gross chicken and broccoli for months, two a days in the gym, etc. However if you already live a healthy lifestyle (which you do!) its not like that at all! I was able to compete doing only one session a day and actually only two days of cardio a week….. but probably shouldn’t admit that… 🙂 Up until the last week you can incorporate lots of healthy fats into your diet still– almonds, olive oil, avocados, etc. Its more about cutting out sugar (which admittedly is tough), tapering carbohydrates and eliminating “extra” calories (thick sauces, your beloved goat cheese). However you seem to be a great cook so I don’t see any problem with you having tasty meals all though prep! Plus you already prep all of your meals each week– thats probably the biggest thing to do. Anyway I totally understand being apprehensive about strutting around in a bikini (NOT my thing) but its a wonderful mind body challenge and I grew immensely as a person from this physical challenge. Just a thought to not totally dismiss the idea of a bikini competition it might be a great fitness challenge down the road when you have more time 🙂
If you have more questions about the type of prep or diet I’d be happy to help you.
thank you! i would love to see a sample eating plan that you followed 🙂
sure! whats your email? thefitnessista at gmail.com? i could only find the one for sponsors.
My medium term fitness goal is to run a 10k and gain some more lean mass. I never thought I’d say this, but with a one year old, school, and family, I find that these simple goals are enough to keep me satisfied and happy. I feel that relatively smaller goals like keep me focused and lend balance without overwhelming me. And I might not be super buff or super fast but for an average Jane I’m pretty good 🙂
I create weird goals, but try to make them tangible. Like, a goal might be: try three new fitness classes this month. Or, I’ll pick one new thing (like swimming) and decide to do it once a week for a couple months. I know it’s not the same type of challenge as a half marathon, but it works for me.
My goal for the winter is to stay consistent with yoga, which I’ve started being more consistent with. I love going to my local studio and bought a bunch of passes with a short expiration date so I HAVE to go.
I also kind of want to get into rock climbing again. I did that for awhile and had a killer back and core.
I would love to see you compete in a fitness competition!!!!! I love seeing strong weight lifting women that prove women don’t become men in the weight room 🙂
My goal is far away (six months!), but I started training for my first 5K this morning. I’ve never run any kind of race before, and needed a goal in order to be consistent with my workouts (And at $30 for the early race sign up, it seemed doable, financially, as well!). If I finish my 10K training long before that, I might look for a closer 5k to keep myself accountable, but I’m pretty excited, anyway.
http://www.colormerad.com
I’ve been toying with the idea of becoming a spin or yoga instructor, but I feel like I should be spending a lot more hours practicing both than I currently am if I’m going to make that leap, you know?
I’m the same with running, always wondering if I can really do it. I almost backed out of my first half-marathon last weekend because I was afraid I wouldn’t finish (I did)!
What if you signed up for an obstacle race or something a little different?