Highs and Lows

I have some highs and lows to post about this week.  If I sound preachy it's only because I care about you!

Highs:
I realize that most women dread getting their yearly "well woman" check ups but these check ups are SO important in order to ensure good health.  I've struggled with lots of stress, pain and treatment in my reproductive areas for the last several years, so I find it absolutely necessary to be diligent in my well-women appointments.  I strongly encourage all women to go to their yearly well-woman exam and perform breast exams even if you feel great and have a healthy lifestyle.  I'm finishing out this year with GOOD news about all of those lady areas.
- First, (sorry if TMI guys) my periods are regular for the first time ever.  I've had periods two weeks apart, two months apart, etc.and that is not the sort of variety I need in my life.  However, since I started eating (mostly) paleo friendly foods and exercising regularly, my periods come much more regularly - every 29 days plus or minus only a day or two. Praise the Lord!  It is much easier to prepare for and deal with something like that when it comes on a regular schedule.
- Second, my pap results were normal.  Woot woot!  I've actually had to go to the dreaded well-woman exams every 6 months (instead of the 1 year standard) due to an irregular pap a while back.  Having an irregular pap was a huge scare for me.  I am so used to going to my appointment & hearing from the doctor's office shortly thereafter letting me know everything was regular.  It was pretty traumatic getting a phone call from the doctor saying "your results weren't normal - we need to follow up".  I vividly remember that I was in downtown Dallas walking past a McDonald's near the courthouse when I received that call.  My mind immediately jumped to every worst possible conclusion.  Do I have cancer?  Can I not have babies?  Do I need major surgery to get things removed?  My doctor performed a colposcopy shortly after that irregular pap to rule out the worst possible scenarios and remove some tissue.  The procedure was not a pleasant experience at all but I'd go through it 5 more times if it means I don't develop something serious.  I am so thankful that we detected the problem early and were able to deal with it before it became serious.  I am also thankful that my Hubby is so supportive and encouraging when it comes to staying on top of my health.  He knows that I get major anxiety about these tests and procedures due to issues from the past, but he is always there to be supportive of me.  He absolutely will not let me miss a scheduled appointment and he is always in the waiting room after any procedure, even if means taking time off of work, to give me a gift and make sure that I'm okay.  After all the anxiety that I now associate with these tests, having a normal pap was the highlight of my month!!  It is so much easier to appreciate something like that when you have had an issue in the past.

Lows:
I hurt myself and it stinkin sucks.  Looking at my weekly workout updates...it's not too hard to see why I'm injured right now.  Instead of being consistent with my routines, I pushed extra hard with weights one week, neglecting runs, and pushed extra hard with runs the following weeks without a gradual buildup.  Also, I ran in the dark without paying attention to where I was running and managed to step into an area that was deeper than expected.  I could feel the unnatural stretch in my leg at that step. Ugh.  Now, I get to pay for my carelessness with mandatory rest!!  Booo.  The worst part is that I hear injured hip flexors can take several weeks or even months to heal.  I'm going to try to rest my legs for three weeks (today is only day 5 and its killing me not to run!) because I really don't want to re-ignite the injury and put myself out for longer period of time.  Rest days are no fun for me but, again, my overall health is what matters - not my weekly stats.  The whole point of the weekly stats is to ensure regular exercise and promote my overall health.  I won't be thrilled about my running/walking stats for the next few weeks but I'll keep doing other exercises and focus on all the things I can do to stay healthy.

Weekly Workout Updates:

Week 7

Running - 2 miles

Walking - 1 mile

Bootcamp - 3 hours 15 minutes (this is a record for me! - up from a Week 1 time of 1 hour 50 minutes)

Week 8

Running - 5 miles

Walking - 2.1 miles (up from a Week 1 distance of 1 mile)

Bootcamp - 3 hours 5 minutes (another strong week! - up from a Week 1 time of 1 hour 50 minutes)

Week 9

Running - 6.1 miles

Walking - .35 - I didn't track some other walking I did here and there because my speeds are ridiculously slow and my walks are completely sporadic due to my injury.

Bootcamp - 1 hour 55 minutes (I'm killing my arms & core here while my legs heal - go biceps!)

Week 6

What a great week!

My sister & I have been working out TOGETHER so much!
We started the week off right with a nice 4 mile jog & then started attending Bootcamp together!  I've been going to bootcamp for a while but Elisa was previously unable to go...she gave birth so...
I love going to bootcamp with Elisa!  She pushes herself really hard & it makes me push myself!  No whiners!  We're hard core!

My husband's food preferences don't always line up with mine, so I am always excited when I prepare a recipe that he really likes!  This week's hit was Enchilada Chicken Stew and it can be found here: Enchilada Chicken Stew
Crockpot recipes are my friend. My favorite recipes are those that allow me to eat healthy & delicious food without spending a ton of time in the kitchen (or a ton of money).  This is one of those recipes!

I've been having some food struggles lately & it's made me realize that I need to prepare ahead of time for "emergency situations".  I can be discipled about what I eat at home & about being selective when buying groceries to eliminate unhealthy foods, but putting together meals for work hours is more difficult.  At times, my schedule is very unforgiving, not even allowing for lunch breaks, but I've always managed to get by in the past by having processed food as my holdover.  My go to "meal" when I couldn't take a lunch break used to be protein bars.  However, now that I am on the paleo diet, I don't have an emergency go-to meal!  I'd love some suggestions.  I keep a few items around my office such as bananas, almonds & hard-boiled eggs, which I eat in the event of an extremely busy day, but I never have anything on me (like in my purse) for when I'm stuck in court for a long stretch of time or when I'm sitting in a deposition for six hours through lunch.  My goal for the month is to find a great portable healthy snack/light meal for times when I find myself in a pinch.  I need it.

In happier news, check out my stats!

Weekly Workout Update:

Running - 10 miles - double digits baby!! (up from a Week 1 distance of 6)

Walking - 3.23 miles (up from a Week 1 distance of 1 mile)

Bootcamp - 2 hours 20 minutes (up from a Week 1 time of 1 hour 50 minutes)

Week 5

Not a bad week!

I ran a 5K with my hubby, sister and brother-in-law.  I am so excited that the temperatures are finally dropping out here in Texas, so it is now perfect running weather!  This was an extremely enjoyable organized race.  It was fun to run in a big mass of people & it was so inspiring to see wee little people running the shorter races.  I LOVE when I can run a race with my hubby and/or the rest of my family.  Of course I love spending time with my family and, beyond that, I love knowing that they are out there getting some exercise & maintaining their health.  I need to step it up to prepare for the Turkey Trot (8 mile), Dallas Half-Marathon (13.1) and I will scatter several 5Ks, 10Ks or other runs in between!  Let's do this!

SISTERS!!!

OUR HUBBIES!!!

Two serious subjects.
First: Without going into my health background...yet...I have a few doctor appointments coming up this month.  I am hoping for a clean bill of health from each doctor but each of the doctors I'm seeing have previously given me some stress-inducing news.  I am certainly hoping for the best but it's hard not to get a little bit of anxiety in the wait period... All prayers & other forms of support are greatly appreciated.
Second: The good that comes out of hitting health lows in the past is that the upcoming appointments Definitely serve as a good reminder of why we must Eat Healthy, Exercise, Manage Stress, etc.  We only get one body.  We need to treat it with care so that we may maintain our health.  There are some inevitabilities that our genes will throw at us, but overall we choose our own future health.  The decisions & actions of today will manifest themselves in our future.  With that said, I'm kicking off 27 days worth of health push.  I do not believe in a lifestyle that involves NO indulgences.  I know that it will not destroy my body if I have a glass of wine now and then, nor will it destroy my body if I take a longer-than-normal break from exercise.  But, I want to prove to myself that I can be disciplined, go beyond my comfort levels, and treat this body as the temple that it is.  Especially at a time in my life when murmurings of potential baby-having are in the air, I really want to prove to myself that I can give my body & any future co-habiting bodies all the health benefits they deserve.  Feel free to share tips with me & wish me luck!

Weekly workouts:
5.40 running
2.16 walking
1 hour 50 minutes bootcamp

Week 3 & 4

I'm a fat hobbit!

I'm not really a fat hobbit, but I sure didn't exercise as much as usual during the last two weeks.  I feel good about the fact that I did some exercise during trial though. I have NEVER exercised on trial days until now!! Progress!

This trial was killer.  We all worked very long days/nights for two weeks straight and put so many witnesses on the stand. I think the hardest part for me was being out of town and away from my hubby, sister, dad and all my other work out buddies. It was hard to force myself to jog on a Treadmill all Alone.  At least the jury came back with a verdict 100% in our favor!! Woot!

Now that I'm back from trial, its time to get back to fitness and cooking. Two food tips:

1.

...avocado... I think I could eat an avocado every single day of my life.  Avocado is my bacon, you know? I eat avocados plain, seasoned with salt & lime, or in any variety of recipes.  My parents often have ripe avocados sitting out on their kitchen island and I can't help but pick one up, peel it & eat it. Yum!  I'm glad that such a delicious food is also filled with "good fat" and nutrients.

I found a good recipe for Avocado Cream Sauce on paleomg which definitely hits the spot.  

Link here: http://paleomg.com/pork-avocado-cream-enchiladas/

Put the sauce on whatever you like! I used the Sauce on some oven baked chicken breasts. I find myself eating steak at every opportunity since its paleo-approved & absolutely delicious, but I'm trying to branch out more and find some good recipes for fish and chicken.  I welcome any suggestions!

2.

There are paleo "substitutes" for so many foods but, let's be honest, some of those substitutes really disappoint.  I recently discovered Almost butter & used it in place of peanut butter.  I then proceeded to eat a couple of spoon-fulls of the almond butter straight out of the jar. I tried the Maranatha brand and it is so yummy! Almond butter is not exactly a low calorie food, but it satisfies my sweet craving so I don't resort to really indulgent non-nutritious foods like sugary cookies or ice-cream.

Well, its not as great as usual with respect to strength training, but here is my workout update for the two weeks spent at trial:

Week 3:

6 miles running

1.5 hours dancing - DJ Jazzy Jeff is amazing.  I danced my butt off at the Borderlands 2 Launch Party & was even sore the next day.  I had so much fun at that event!

Week 4:

7 miles running

1 hour 27 minutes of bootcamp

I hope you're having a great week!

Tough Week 2

Food:

Breakfast is under-rated.  I never skip breakfast - to me its as important not to skip breakfast as it is important to not skip lunch or dinner. I'm not sure why breakfast seems to be the meal that everyone skips!  My favorite breakfast is quick & simple. I just throw some uncured bacon in a clean pan and then make some eggs over-easy, cooked right there in the stuff the bacon leaves behind.  YUM. You can't get much simpler than that - no oil added, no salt & pepper. Just savory bacon and deliciously runny eggs. *drool*

Unfortunately, I've started this blog while there is not much cooking going on at our place. That will change.  I promise! I will post many recipes on here! I have a MAJOR trial which begins on Monday and which is expected to last through 10 full days of court. It has kept me quite busy this week. While I'm in trial it is nearly impossible to cook at all - much less cook clean meals - especially while staying in a hotel in a small town in Texas. However, Praise the Lord, there is a great restaurant next door to the hotel which serves many a tasty and healthy meal. If for some reason you ever find yourself in Cleburne, Texas, stop by and have some good eats. You will find many tasty & healthy options including shrimp cocktails, various salads, as well as delicious steaks and seafood. Check them out:  http://www.caddostreetgrill.com/

Fitness:

Ok, so there were several things that made it difficult to stay on track this week.  Let's get those things out of the way and move on to the good stuff:

My Hubby was sick!!  Ugh.  I knew he was really sick when he stayed home from work! That evening I was trying to take care of him and realized he looked GREEN.  Wow. Poor guy.  He missed work Tuesday and Wednesday but, thankfully, he has mostly recovered now and just has a sore throat that won't go away. What this meant for ME is that I was down one running partner!  Oh no.  I know I can count on him to log some miles with me when he is healthy - he was missed!

Bootcamp was cancelled. Inevitably, at some point, some bootcamps will need to be cancelled. I get that. What I was not expecting is TWO cancelled bootcamps in a row! What that meant is that I had to step it up and put myself through grueling workout of my own volition.  Boo.

Now on to the good stuff:

So now its Saturday.  It's a glorious amazing wonderful Saturday and the first thing I did this morning was go for a jog in 68 degree temperatures with my sister Elisa. This is a very welcome change after a week of highs in the 100s.  It felt so good out there that we managed to push past our usual distance and got up to Three Miles!! Woohoo! I at least hit one goal from last week's post!

I went for a run with my sister and My Dad on Wednesday!  I frequently jogged with my dad last year when I moved into the area but we hadn't worked out together in a long time. He pulled off 1.25 miles of running with some added walking distance. I'm so excited to be training with him again! My dad, my brother-in-law, my sister, my Hubby and I all managed to take on a race together last year and I hope we can at least do a 5K as a group again this year. I really don't feel the distance nearly as much when I'm with great company and it makes me feel some assurance that my family is staying healthy when we get to run together!

Weekly Workout Update:

Running - 6 miles (again)

Walking - 1.35 mile (tiny increase)

Bootcamp - 1 hour 40 minutes (10 minute drop)

Week 1 Update

This week was great!  I generally felt very energetic, I mostly ate clean and I worked out regularly.  

Part of what I loved about this week's workouts was having company during each and every workout!!

I like getting to work out with different people because they all challenge me in different ways.  

My favorite type of Trainer to work with is the type that will push me beyond what I believe to be my limits.  If I am going to bother with driving somewhere and paying someone to train me, I better be sweating and spent by the time the hour is up.  I can work out at home just as easily as I can work out at Bootcamp or some other training session because I have weights, a bike, a treadmill, a stability ball, etc. at home and there is a gym in my community center available for use.  However, when I work out at home, I tend to take longer breaks between sets and I tend to give up too easily on tough exercises like push-ups.  I like having someone nearby encouraging me with a "10 more seconds!!" and "your push-ups look great!!" when things get tough.  

I also love working out with my family & friends.  My sister Elisa is very athletic and dove right into training for a half-marathon soon after she delivered a precious baby girl at the end of June.  I typically complete my two-mile jogs with Elisa or with my awesome Hubby Ryan.  Ryan is always supportive of my fitness goals and is Almost to the point of committing to some of his own fitness goals.  He has been running with me consistently and at least seems Interested in signing up for the half in December!!

Just for laughs:

I think we all have dreams of becoming "super athletes" - whether we dream of finishing a race in first place, breaking a record, or getting to the Olympics. *sigh*  Well, it seems Mr. Paul Ryan also has lofty goals which, in his mind, he has already attained...though the facts are otherwise.

http://www.salon.com/2012/09/02/paul_ryans_marathon_lie/

My personal goal has varied at times and in a moment of silliness during this Olympic season I wished I had the talent and body of Kerri Walsh Jennings...who just so happens to be exactly one foot taller than me. Ha!  

I'm certainly not saying we can't have lofty goals and work hard to get there, but it helps me to set Reasonable Goals that I can attain in a Relatively Short amount of time in order to stay focused and motivated.  I focus on shorter term goals which end up being steps along the way to the more substantial long-term goals. At the present time, I can't quite wrap my mind around 13 miles when I'm only jogging 2, but I can wrap my mind around the goal of 5 for now, and maybe 10 when I hit 5, and so on.  I've run a half before and I will do it again!  

Feel free to share your goals with me!

Weekly Workout Update:

Running - 6 miles

Walking - 1 mile

Bootcamp - 1 hour 50 minutes

Aqua Aerobics - 30 minutes

It doesn't sound like much but it totals 227 minutes (or 3 hours and 47 minutes of working out).  That's not a bad start for week 1.

My goals for the upcoming week are:

Increase the distance of each run to something over 2 miles - maybe 2.5 miles per run.

Increase time spent strength training - I hope to get close to 3 hours on weights/bootcamp instead of just 2.  The longer my runs get, the more I tend to lose sight of strength-training goals...I'm hoping to avoid that while training for the next half.

Fitness Goals

I am so excited to start tracking my progress on various fitness goals! I hope this blog helps with accountability, encouragement, focus and as a place to evaluate how well my efforts are paying off.  In this blog I will track my progress, share nutrition and exercise information that I find helpful, link to other useful sites and generally share my ideas on health and fitness.

My first goal is a Big One!!  I'm working towards getting some definition in my ABS!

I realize that in order to achieve this goal I will have to step up every aspect of my diet and exercise plan but I am ready for the challenge.  I can't have well-defined abs without toning up And losing fat.  For the last few months I have consistently completed a few weight-training sessions a week and have started building up my cardiovascular endurance by jogging trails in nearby parks.  I feel ready to push myself even more.  I love exercise & I finally feel like I'm on the other side of a few major medical set-backs from the last couple of years.  My energy level is high, I have no injuries to deal with, and I am determined to prioritize work-outs in my schedule.

As far as my diet, I am generally following the paleo diet with my main focus on eating natural foods. Even though I usually enjoy healthy meals, I will occasionally eat sweets or have some drinks to indulge a bit.

I took some photographs today that I will use as a point of comparison for the weeks to come.  My basic goals are:

1) greater strength
2) more tone and definition
3) less fat and
4) more endurance.

I can currently crank out about 15 pushups, I weigh 128.5 at 5 feet 3 inches, and I jog about 2 miles per session (in addition to walking about 1 mile).  I hope to check in on a bi-weekly basis with any improvements!