Kale

Kale..... I keep hearing about it.
Some are making chips with it, some are eating raw, and when I saw it in the produce aisle today, I wondered why I thought it was something it was not.  They put it in the wonton soup when I buy Chinese cuisine.

AND so, I bought fresh Kale today.


One recipe suggested sauteing the Kale in garlic-olive oil.  I have both:  garlic and olive oil.

I used the Kale as the salad base, and added white asparagus, Japanese eggplant, as well as sweet peppers and yellow grape tomatoes.  I added sea salt and pepper for seasoning and texture.  

YUM!!!!


Perhaps, I will try Kale chips at some point.

Master's Swim

Yesterday, I decided to commit to swimming once a week with a Master's group at the YMCA.   It is a coached session, and I could tell it is going to take a week or two to get back in the rhythm of swimming.  

With that said, it was great to be back in the water!!!

I need to do this to be committed to my training-- funny how that happens.  We have an appointment we go!!!

Today, my shoulders are saying.... yeah, I haven't swum... but in a good way.

Still concerned about the limited range of motion in my Left Shoulder and arm..... but I am not letting this stop me.  

And I definitely could feel my hamstring on the kicking drills.  I have to keep up the strengthening work!  More one-legged squats and step-ups, as well as some other stuff!!!

I am glad to be back in the pool!

Thai Eggplant

Thai Eggplant

As I have been challenging my water fitness classes to eat more fruits and veggies and to experiment with new foods, I had stumbled onto Thai Eggplant.  When I found it in the market, I didn't know what it was..... it looks like a tomato that didn't know what to do... or forgot to choose a color.  A kind woman shared what it was and how she prepares it.  I also learned that it is good for the heart and possibly the liver-- and after reading on wikipedia (a goto for quick information), it is great for the heart and lungs.  

And in the fashion of Asian cooking, I pulled out my Wok.  I cooked this in olive oil with garlic, and added a variety of vegetables to create an interesting stir fry.  To me, it tasted a little bitter, having a different taste than it's American cousin.  I have some Japanese eggplant in the fridge, so perhaps I will cook it with it's closer cousin and see how the two work together.  

I stopped counting calories.....

Well, I don't think I ever did count them.   I have been using My Fitness Pal (an app you can find for your Iphone and Android based phone) to determine energy expenditure and ensure I am eating enough-- you see I am one who gets busy and can have food in front of me and not eat.

My Fitness Pal.... measures exercise and food and water intake.   Great for me to track what I am eating-- it creates accountability.   You know for the human factor-- how many pieces of dark chocolate did I just eat?-- or I just ate the whole bag of pita chips?  Which is good..... but honestly, I hate it.   I hate having to think of measuring everything, or worrying about how many raspberries I actually ate, was it a cup or was it more, or exactly how much spinach did I put in my omelette?  The result-- I am sure my calories are off by several hundred daily-- either way..... too much or too little.

And so, I have STOPPED counting calories.  It is funny as I logged on to write this, I found this article:    When is a calorie not a calorie?    The author shares insights about what I am sharing now.

I have learning to listen to my body.  I am learning to eat like a child again-- in other words, a bite will satisfy, it is OK to leave food on the plate, and let my body decide what it wants or needs.  Our bodies are pretty smart-- the problem is we have been teaching/learning bad things and telling our body to be quiet.

Wow....... I fell......

Off the bandwagon. I lost my vision. I lost sight of the goal.

In the midst of stress and tough decisions, I left my goals fall to,the wayside. I fell off the track.

Today, I pick myself back up and continue my journey. I have reissued a 30-day challenge. I am looking at my entire lifestyle.....what I want as opposed to what I am doing. AND how I plan to get there.

The first step: Downsizing. I have a lot of stuff-- from clothes, to bags, to shoes to books to stuff. Many of the clothes I have kept to return to wearing as I lose the weight. I will not be tossing those. I have many t-shirts from events and races-- I train in those. I plan to keep storage for my totes for shipping and packing-- overflow of office storage (my apartment is small) and seasonal stuff-- summer/winter clothing, as well as summer furniture. I have eliminated a dresser from my bedroom. The size of my space increases as I am eliminating clutter.

 

The second step: Putting fitness in my lifestyle. I have been teaching a lot of spin classes and coaching. I have found that spin is taking away from my running and other training. While spin is an income, it needs to be second to the other priorities I have.

-I plan on taking evening walks after dinner.

-I will train (including rest) everyday. I am tired of being on the sidelines.

-I will be ready to run with my team in August.

*i want to be that person who can go for a hike, random run, or swim..... Because I want to.

And I don't want to feel self-conscious doing it.

 

And the next steps will continue building along the way. Join me?

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Day Five has begun

I really don't like counting days...... One tends to count the life away. But day five of my challenge has begun. Yesterday, I found myself in a funk. And so I had a small piece of carrot cake-- more about the icing, honestly.

I couldn't get on cape. I ran out of gas on the way home from my spin class ( money spent on a service call that could have gone in the gas tank. Pffffft! Back to AAA). And I came home exhausted, but couldn't settle to sleep. I felt like the day went away, with me doing much of nothing......

And the thunderstorms came. I slept.

And now, I feel tired.

Working on creating situations to improve my sleep quality, so I can rest. No electronics in the bedroom, phone on do not disturb mode, and other interventions, so I can sleep.

 

I think part of my restlessness stemmed from the previous day when I taught three spin classes. I felt great teaching, but I was tired.

 

Well, day five has begun and I am off to tackle it..

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A 30 - day challenge

What better way to regain my focus and strength, than to give myself a 30-day challenge ( which was originally a 21-day--- 30 seemed more well-rounded).

I took measurements this morning, which BTW is always challenging with cats. They want to 'help'.

I also found the athletic setting on my body composition scale--- I didn't realize that it would make a 13% difference in overall composition and measurements. AND yes, I still consider myself an athlete.... Teaching multiple classes and training daily. I know what my struggles are, and now, it is time to put these to rest.

I am eating like a warrior. (It works for me). But I am also making the effort to be prepared, so I can eat appropriately when I am hungry, and not on the fly. I have tucked my measurements away, and will revisit on 7 June, which is 21-days (from yesterday.... The day I began my challenge), prior to leaving for Texas, so I have accountability while in Texas.

My goal over the next 30 is to lay a foundation-- better eating, better choices, improve my running, and begin training for racing. Working in an aesthetically driven field is challenging at times, because sometimes people don't look beyond appearance.

Today...... I continue the journey.

 

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