Running on Ice

Today, I decided to go OUTSIDE to run. This winter has taken its toll on me. It is COLD, wet and snowy!!! And the sky is more gray than blue. And I have been missing terribly the sun!!

So today, I decided to journey OUTSIDE to run! Half a mile into my run, it started to snow!!

Perhaps, someone was trying to tell me to STOP!!!!

Or perhaps, someone was laughing at me!!!!

 

Today, was not necessarily about the run. I walked more than I ran. I was trying to avoid the ice. Since there is still a lot of ice on the road ways, I walked. And where the roads were clear, I ran hard.

Now, I am home warming up, feeling satisfied that I was outside, running on Ice.

 

I am thrilled to be out and about. I started prepping for the OuterBanks Marathon Tuesday.

 

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Snow Stepping

I love walking in someone else's snow prints! I found it funny that this was today's calendar:

 

Snow stepping is when you're wearing shoes, but the person ahead of you is wearing boots, and while the two of you are trudging through the snow, you just step in all the nice Snow Holes they made for you.

 

Today, I enjoyed stepping in remaining footprints left from a previous walker.

 

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Eat Like a Gorilla

I was reminded this week to eat like a gorilla.

In my personal quest for weight loss and improved overall health, I have been successful in the past by increasing my fruits and mostly vegetables, and using meat or animal protein as a garnish. In the wild, the gorilla eats predominantly leafs (veggies) and stalks with some animal protein (Beatles and slugs) mixed in. I feel better when I mimic the diet of a gorilla.

 

Personally, I don't do well on a Paleo-style diet. I feel sluggish and stuffed. The higher protein demands of the Paleo lifestyle does not agree with me.

And...... I enjoy grains from time to time. Quinoa, barley, amaranth, and other grains create different tastes and textures to my meals. BUT again, I use these as a garnish to my veggies.

I love the colors and various textures of the fruits and veggies. I also love the available nutrients and healing properties of fruits and veggies.

Yes, I am glad I was reminded to eat like a gorilla.

 

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Visions of Blizzard 2015

I took a walk this afternoon. Here are some photos from my walk around town.

My deck after clean up.

Icicles.

In the village

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love living on the coast, even in the snow. Although, I am feeling a bit chilled after the stroll through town. Maybe I will learn to wear a coat and socks. Until then, I will just enjoy the views.

I wanted to share because things get too serious sometimes, focusing on training. I want to keep it real.

Enjoy the rest of your snow day.

 

-- Coach Meg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Using Rock-Papers-Scissors to settle anything

Rock-Paper-Scissors helps you decide between pepperoni or sausage,

the freeway or or the back roads,

The drive home or the sleep home.

It answers the little daily decisions that freeze us up.

Which team starts the game?

Who pays for pizza?

And who gets to change the babies diaper?

These are all tough and challenging questions.

And they are all settled once and for all with a quick game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.

 

AWESOME!

 

---from my daily calendar

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A weight-loss challenge

I am coaching a 12-week weight-loss challenge at the local YMCA.

While I used to do a great deal of personal training, I would never say weight-loss was my specialty. I always asked people besides changing the number on the scale, what do you hope to accomplish?

When I meet my group, I anticipate doing the same thing. What do they want to accomplish?

By focusing solely on the number on the scale, we set ourselves up for failure. When the number fluctuates, we get frustrated and lose our focus. By taking the focus away from that number, we create more opportunities for over all success.

Additionally, I am going to use body composition, and circumference measurements to demonstrate progress. While, the team will get on the scale weekly, we will do these other measurements monthly.

 

I am going to ask that they track their food or caloric intake for the first several weeks, possibly a month. Many of us do not really know how much we eat. We underestimate, and are generally shocked to see that we may be eating not enough or perhaps way too many calories. I will encourage the group to use a calculating app like My Fitness Pal, to be aware of what each is eating. I also want them to observe what they are doing when eating and how they feel afterwards.

In keeping track of quantities, the participant can also start to learn how much is enough. When did she feel satisfied, when and where she feels hunger, and even what thirst feels like. These are senses we tend to ignore.

Some mindless eating stems from behavior. Boredom, randomness, conditioned to eat in front of the TV or computer, stress -- these are behavioral situations that can be changed that influence when and why we eat.

Observing how one feels after eating -- sluggish or energetic -- may indicate a food allergy, or eating too much or too little, or perhaps even the wrong combination of food.

I also am going to explore with my group a variety of activities to discover what they enjoy doing. This includes what is the current activity level. It is recommended that one takes 10,000 steps per day. For many of us, we do not accomplish this, as we have become a society of sitters. (I too am guilty).

And in their homework and group workouts, the challenges will include a variety to stimulate the senses. If they do not like group activities, asking them to do two classes a week is not beneficial. Similar to asking an individual who thrives in the group setting to do individual work.

And to be in the spirit, I will join these on their journey. Teaching and learning as we go along.

I meet my team Friday evening.

Would like to join us?

 

 

 

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The First Scoop out of a Peanut Butter Jar

From My tear Away Calendar:

 

You're an artist.

 

You can leave a big gaping hole right in the middle of the jar, you can do it up real fancy and twirl it around a little, or you can painstakingly carve a moat around the outside of the jar, leaving a perfect, flat island in the middle, becoming more and more unstable with each passing day.

 

The options are unlimited.

 

Really, I think getting the first dig in a jar of peanut butter is the kitchen equivalent of stabbing a flag into the moon and claiming it as your own. I mean, you mark that peanut butter. You brand it. You add your little stamp and declare it.

 

AWESOME!

 

* for me, it is Nutella. But same emotion. Very glad, I do not have to share.*

 

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