Tag Archives: workout

Dumb or Determined

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When I got up this morning I had a dilemma – in spite of not eating much yesterday I still wasn’t hungry.  BUT, I was about to do something really dumb that would require energy.  What’s a food I’ll eat even when I’m not hungry?  Oh yeah, cheese!

I made an epic grilled cheese sandwich.  Rye bread with Thousand Island dressing, 1 oz of extra sharp cheddar, and 1 oz of 2% shredded mozzarella.  I started out with two pieces of bread, but when I burned the daylights out of one side I ended up scraping off the cheese and folding the other piece in half.

It was epic, eaten on the walk to my really dumb idea.

Where were we walking to?  The Bengal 5k race at my school!

Let me explain – when the club I’m in mentioned the race a few weeks ago, it was supposed to fall during my half marathon training.  The entry fee was a pricy $25 (which is really steep when you factor in Adam wanting to run it too), but it went towards a scholarship fund and the nice, flat race course looked fun.  But then as I passed the two-week mark of being sick, I wasn’t sure what to do.

Here’s the thing you have to understand (pardon my S-words); no matter how Sick I am, I will always be more Stubborn and Stupid.  Stubborn enough that I’m not going to skip a $25 race, and stupid enough that I’ll decide to run instead walk once I get there.

So it wasn’t easy, but I ran the entire 3.1miles without stopping.  And I might be more of a dumb-ass than a bad-ass, but I’m pretty proud of myself for not giving up.

We crossed the finish line at 35minutes on the nose (Adam ran/crawled with me like a saint).  I was crazy slow, but I ran the entire time, and when an annoying old man joked about passing me at the end I even managed to sprint the last .1!  Sidenote – my sprint at the end was actually the fastest I’ve ever crossed a finish line; there is definitely something to the whole pacing yourself business.

We’ve got strange but fun plans for lunch and dinner, I hope everyone is having a good Saturday!

GTL

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No, not gym, tan laundry; that’s gym, test, late!

Gym  Adam dropped me off on his way to school and I made my first gym visit in weeks.  40minutes on the elliptical with my metabolism flash-cards.  I was on random, level 6, but it wasn’t a very high impact workout because my legs were barely moving since I’m dying.  (Future doctor says I’m fine, but I say he hasn’t finished medical school yet and I’ve probably got meningitis.)  I wasn’t done with my notecard stack after the elliptical so I did another 10minutes of walking on the treadmill to finish up.  What I lacked in enthusiasm I made up in length.  <– that’s what she said

Test  I have my first big nutrition test today and I’m not feeling very prepared.  Think 80 multiple choice questions with answer choices A – J.  If I wasn’t queasy from dying then my nerves are taking over, so I’m not sure what the deal with breakfast will be.

Late  This evening I also have my late music class.  When I get done at 9, if I’m not too zoinked, the plan is for the husband to pick me up so we can go see a movie.  We’re wild and crazy like that.  If I post dinner at all it will be late, but do check in around noon for my final thoughts on the vegan challenge.

Do you watch “Jersey Shore.”  I’ve actually never seen an episode!

On the Clock

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If i don’t want to be late to class then I have to keep this post quick, just like my morning workout.

I started my day with a speedy trip the gym.  I didn’t have much time, so I decided to work on my quickest mile.  1.5miles in 12:40, booyah!  I did a few minutes each of warm up, cool down, and stretching, and then I was outta there.  I can do longer workouts on the weekends when I don’t have to choose between the treadmill and breakfast.  Today I was on the clock.

Plus, I knew this breakfast was going to be a good one –

Banana Breakfast Risotto

  • 1 cup canned light coconut milk
  • 2 cups water
  • 1.5 Tbsp butter substitute
  • 2 medium bananas, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  1. In a small saucepan, combine coconut milk and water and heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to low and cover the pan.
  2. Melt butter substitute in a large pan over medium heat.
  3. Add bananas and saute until they turn a deepened yellow color.  Season with salt.
  4. Add rice to the pan and toast, 1 minute.
  5. Add approximately 1/2 cup of the liquid mixture to your pan.  The liquid needs to be at a low simmer, so lower or raise your heat accordingly.  Stirring constantly, cook until all of the liquid is absorbed.
  6. Working in 1/3 cup increments and continuing to stir, add the rest of your liquid to the pan until it has all been absorbed.

This bowl was so good.  Super chewy, and nutty, and just a bit sweet; swoon!

When do you work out the longest, during the work-week or on the weekends?

The Best Reason

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I’ve got to keep this snappy, today’s a busy day.  In addition to it being my long day (classes from 11 – 8:40) I’ve also got a lot of on-campus errands to attend to.

Luckily I’ve learned that busy days aren’t a good reason to skip the gym, they’re the best reason to get a work out in!  Starting my day by working out gives me energy, gives my day a sense of purpose, and helps me have a sense of accomplishment all before breakfast!

This morning I headed to the gym for a treadmill workout.  I’m trying to balance not increasing my distance too quickly with building endurance, so I decided to run longer for slower.  I set the treadmill to 10mph and plugged away for 20minutes and 2miles.  5 minutes each of cool down and stretching and I was on my way.

I also prepared for my busy day by setting up my breakfast last night.

Sidenote – blog reading has given me major chia envy, so I was super excited when I found this bag of Bob’s Red Mill Chia Seeds on sale at Wegman’s the other day.

I decided to try them out using a method cobbled together from a few different blogs.

Last night – in a mostly empty jar of peanut butter – I combined 3/4 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk, 1/3 cup raw oats, and 2 Tbsp chia seeds.

This morning I added in a splash of Vanilla So Delicious and half a sliced banana.

The end result was fantasmic!

The chia seeds really did make a sort of vegan ‘yogurt’ and you can never go wrong with oats in a jar!

Have you tried chia seeds yet?  What’s your favorite way to use them?  Have you ever grown a Chia Pet?

Instant Playback

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Since last night was the Super Bowl, I thought I’d give you the play-by-play of my evening.  Here are some of the things – other than scarfing single-serve pb cookie dough – I did while I was home alone –

  • found the articles (hopefully) for my big nutrition presentation
  • watched the new Super Bowl commercials online
  • organized three years worth of study note cards
  • sat in a 62* apartment for two hours before I realized the heat was off

Overall I’m not sure whether or not I’d call the evening a win or a fail 😀

I’ve gotten stuff done this morning too.  Like a kill-two-birds-with-one-workout trip to the gym where I studied notecards on the elliptical.  30minutes, elliptical level 6 and random.  I did several minutes of sprints intervals and got all my studying done.

And I made a tasty breakfast.

Before I got into the shower I made a batch of quick stewed apples – 1 chopped apple, 1 Tbsp agave syrup, 1 Tbsp h20, dash cinnamon; microwaved for 150 seconds.

Then after I got out of the shower, and my apples had cooled down a bit, I put them atop a bowl of Stonyfield Vanilla Soy Yogurt,

with a drizzle of maple syrup and 2 Tbsp of my simply sweet granola.

It was like a healthy, vegan apple crisp!

For reals though, this tasted exactly like – if not better than – apple crisp.  Make it!

What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial?  I didn’t see them all – and I wasn’t that impressed – but I think the “angry wife” Pepsi Max one was my fav.

Wonderful World of the Weekend

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Welcome to the wonderful world of the weekend!  <– said in the voice of the cryogenic lab workers from Futurama

We had a lazy, hazy summer winter day around these parts.  Light on the responsibilities and heavy on the tv reruns and being cozy. 

Not my healthiest day of eating – I needed more produce – but everything was delicious.  Like the Moe’s takeout we grabbed for brunch.

I got a junior burrito, stuffed with rice, black beans, corn salsa, lettuce, mushrooms, cilantro, guacamole, and black olives.

It came with a ton of tortilla chips…..

and I ate them all; whoops!

For dessert I tried out the single-serve cookie dough recipe I’ve seen floating around the web.

The chocolate pieces were a chopped up serving of this Chocolove Almonds and Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate.

So satisfying and delicious, and vegan to boot (butter = Earth Balance).

Yums all around.

It took me until 7pm to get the energy to get off my butt, but I did finally decide to go to the gym.  Good thing too, I got it together just in time to get in a short workout before the gym closed.  I ran 1.5 miles in 13:40 (my last 1.5 was 14:13, whoop!), with cool down 18 minutes, 1.75 miles.  Plus a few planks.

My run killed my appetite, so I bought a Naked juice for dinner.

But it was waaaay too tangy for me so I passed it off to the husband (don’t worry, he loved it).

Instead I had some Amazing Grass Kidz Chocolate SuperFood shook with 8oz of Silk Vanilla Soy Milk.

Not gonna lie, I shook in a glug of maple syrup and served it over ice to make things feel a bit more festive.

Have you tried the single-serve cookie dough recipe yet?

The Van McCoy

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Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, duh – do the Friday shuffle!  <— to the tune of “The Hustle” please

I’m liking my morning workout switch, but on Fridays I really love it, the minute I step out of the shower it’s like my weekend’s already begun!  Nevermind the fact that I’ve got to go to Biochemistry and then do some studying….

This morning’s work out was some time on the elliptical; 31 minutes, level 6, random.  I did a few minutes of sprint intervals but mostly I spent the time looking over some study notecards.  Note – I don’t have a test on the material on said notecards for more than a month, go me!

Breakfast was a menage a trois of sorts.

Maple Brown Sugar Mini Wheats, Fruit in the Middle Mini Wheats, and Multigrain Cheerios (~300calories worth total) frolicked together in a bowl of Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk.

The mix-up was way more exciting and satisfying than any of the three would have been on their own.

I’ve got class, then a study/coffee date, I’ll see you for any dinner but leftovers!

Do you do any reading while you workout?  What’s your material of choice?

Bonus – do any of my younger readers (ie not my dad) get the title reference?

Three Courses Worth Waiting For

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Thursdays are when I have my earliest class, which means they are also my latest wake-up school days.  Makes no sense?  I’ve decided on MWF (class starts at 11) that I’ll have Adam drop me off at the gym on his way to school so I can work out/come home and shower/walk back to school for classes.  But Thursday class starts at 9:25 (and there’s no time for all that) so I can wake up on my own and walk straight to class. 

Except today all my plans went out the window because the snow was basically up to my waist.  Whoops!  I had to hurry-scurry to get in the car with Adam, which meant all of my breakfast and lunch bubbles were quickly burst.

The positive side is that I got to squeeze in my workout before my lab.  I did another quick (too quick) treadmill session – warm up + 1.5mile running (14:13) + cool down – 21minutes and 1.85miles.

The negative side is that breakfast ended up being of the not-of-champions variety.

I grabbed the Cliff Builder’s Bar because it was vegan, full of protein, and most importantly sold in the only kiosk without a line.

I gave up on eating the Cliff Builder’s Bar after two bites because it was tasteless and way to tough for my aching teeth.

Better luck next time?  I brought the rest of the bar home for Adam and I’m sure he’ll love it because he’s silly.

Unfortunately I had a club meeting on campus at 12:15, so I couldn’t get home to a proper meal until that was over.  Then I had to finish/e-mail an assignment before I could let myself eat.  I wasn’t about to add ‘shower off the gym grime’ to my wait-time, so you better believe I ate lunch like this –

Before anyone asks – Why yes, I did think the appropriate response to sweaty gym hair was a pair of pony tails.

They’re a pair of ponies, not pig tails.  Pig tails come out the sides, the end.

I made up for lost time by rocking my own world with a three-course lunch.

Course 1 – Salad.

I topped a bed of spring mix lettuce with chopped pear, green pepper, radish sprouts, and poppy-seed dressing.

Course 2 – Pasta.

Amy’s Rice Macaroni and Dairy-free Cheeze.

For some reason the gluten free version is the only vegan macaroni Amy’s makes (the soy cheese version has milk proteins in it).

This wasn’t ridiculous good like the dairy one, but it was still pretty darn good.

Course 3 – Dessert.

Banana soft serve (1.5 frozen bananas, food processed with a splash of Vanilla Silk Soy Milk until delicious) topped with crushed pretzels and these adorable vegan marshmallows.

Soooo good.  BSS is where it’s at!

It took forever to eat my epic lunch, so I should probably get down to work!

Do you or anyone you know eat a gluten free diet?