Well, we were in Oregon visiting Kev’s family for Christmas. We had a ton of fun, but now I’m having even more fun doing MOUNTAINS of laundry and trying to catch up on life. 😉 Sigh.
I must say I’ve been a little bit of a slacker the past couple weeks!! Man. This time of year is so so tough. We’ve had so many parties, get-togethers, Christmas programs, recitals, you name it….not to mention I had my little TV appearance and a 6 day trip to Oregon! So, needless to say, my workouts have been severely lacking! I’ve only been able to exercise 1-2 times/week the past 3 weeks! Dang. I’ve also been slacking on the whole eating part of it all as well. We’ve been enjoying plenty of Christmas goodies and have been eating out entirely too much because of the crazy pace we’ve been keeping!
It’s been a little bit insane. I’m sure you can all relate. I am looking forward to the New Year and the renewed motivation and discipline it brings! Yay!
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I went to my favorite Power Flex class at the gym last night and it felt so good to workout! My instructor kicked my can, however! She said it was “Lunge Day” and she wasn’t kidding! I am so sore today, I can hardly move. It’s awesome.
I also decided to go on a short run today! Yay! I haven’t been on a run in over 5 months! Quick recap: After closely evaluating my life, I decided to put running on hold for a little while. I was just so so busy and something had to give!
Well, I felt it was time to start running again!! I’m going to try running 2x/week for now. Then, if I want to increase my running and train for a race or something, I’m going to cut down on my gym time to compensate. I know I have to keep the balance in my life or I just fall apart.
Anyway, I’m sad to say I had to run on the treadmill. I really wanted to run outside, but this is what it looked like outside today….
Yikes. I don’t mind running in the cold, but the streets and sidewalks were a mess! So, I decided to run on the treadmill. Running on the treadmill is like running in dog years. I think 1 mile on the treadmill feels more like 5 miles!! I’m still happy I got ‘er done, however.
I opened the window next to me so it would feel a little more like I was outside. It didn’t work. I only ran 2.2 miles and kept it at an easy 9ish pace. I want to take it really slow and work my way up!!
Moving on…. I brought this book with me to Oregon….
It’s a great book and one I’ve been meaning to read for a long time. I LOVE reading about health and fitness. I love to learn about all the different “healthy living theories” out there and I really try to keep an open mind to all of them.
This book is a little bit extreme, I must say. It is 100% healthy and very awesome, but I think it’s unnecessarily restricting. He basically suggests a vegetarian diet, but one that is based on real food. He said too many people who claim to be vegetarians just eat a bunch of processed “organic” food that is really not healthy.
Here is an overview of the things I loved about this book and the things I wasn’t quite “down” with;
LOVED:
- Dr. Fuhrman said something to the effect of “Americans are grossly overfed, but also severely malnourished.” That really made me think. Sad, but so true.
- Love this quote, “…Don’t “try” to do it. Just do it no matter what, or don’t eat. If you are 100% committed you always find a way to make it work. If you are just “trying” you always find an excuse to not make it work.”
- He basically said the majority of our diets needs to be fruits and vegetables. They provide so many nutrients from very little calories. They are very nutrient dense. I loved this and it really got me thinking. I am going to commit to add a TON more fruits and veggies to my diet!
- He talked about the “90% rule”, which basically means to follow his diet plan 90% of the time and then eat what you like the other 10%. I like that!
NOT QUITE “DOWN” WITH:
- He discouraged most of the protein foods that I love. I tried to keep an open mind, but I still think a healthy diet can include lean meat, eggs and healthy dairy products.
- He discouraged the use of oils, even Olive Oil! That seems a little unnecessary to me.
- He discouraged the use of eggs, yet I have read from so many sources that egg whites are a perfect protein food.
That’s about it. Ultimately, it’s a very good book and it really caused me to stop and think. I am going to change and improve my diet because of it. I know that health information changes all the time. We just have to make the best decisions we can with the information available to us.
Anyway, because of this book I’ve decided to base my diet mostly around fruits and vegetables. I’m going to try to eat them every time I eat. I’m also going to add in beans more often. I’m still going to eat lean meat, but I’m going to have it as an accent to my meals….not the main dish. I’m still going to enjoy eggs, olive oil and some dairy products too. I’m not a huge dairy person, but I like to eat yogurt, cottage cheese and other cheeses sometimes too. I hardly ever drink milk or eat ice cream, though. If you recall, I went off dairy for a month a little while ago and I didn’t notice any difference in the way I felt at all.
Well, that’s my very long 2 cents about “Eat to Live.” Overall, I really loved it and would highly recommend it to anyone!
Well, Kev and I are heading out on a date tonight so I gotta run! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! xoxo
Running on the treadmill IS like running in dog years!! That made me smile :).
You wrote… “I only ran 2.2 miles and kept it at an easy 9ish pace” Does a 9ish pace mean.. you ran with the treadmill speed set at 9 ? (or) a 9ish mile… like a 9 minute mile? Also… where did you find your tank top? I need some! 🙂 You look GREAT for slackin’…
Thanks Jeanne! I kept it at a 9ish pace…like a 9 minute mile. I kept it between 9 and 9:30/mile most of the time. I bought my tank at TJ Maxx. I’m a bargain shopper and I find so many cute things there!
I like dairy, too…a little bit, like Greek Yogurt and occasional string cheese. But, I do think about it — as I heard dairy increases our cancer risk. Also, I’ve heard Tony Horton refer to the 90%, 10% eating, too. Most of the time, do what you’re supposed to do. But, 10% of the time.. you can have a treat. I agree with that, too. Have you tried Coconut Oil? It’s supposed to be good for us. I just bought my first jar, after lots of “I can’t believe this is good for us!” — but, it’s supposed to be.
I definitely love the 90/10% rule. Makes it livable! I have tried coconut oil and I like it a lot….I just forget to use it!! I need to pull it out again and figure out more ways to include it in my diet. 😉
I used coconut oil to grease our nonstick pan prior to scrambling eggs. It worked like a charm and melted quickly. That was my first try with coconut oil.
I’ve heard about people using coconut oil to grease pans, but have never tried it!! I’m glad it worked out for you. I’m going to have to try it….such an easy way to use it in the diet!