What's worthy to you?

It's been a tough few days.

As we speak I'm supposed to be in Kentucky filming a pilot for a television show my company was commissioned to shoot. It's a really big deal because we've been cultivating this production company for a few years and this is a great opportunity. Sadly, my partners had to go without me.

My darling hubby came down with a severe ear infection that was so bad it has forced him to be hospitalized. It's been a stressful week but we're hoping he comes home later today. If all is well and he feels relatively back to normal, I may try to join my colleagues for the end of the shoot.

We shall see.

Between working, running to the hospital and juggling our four year old it's been stressful but squeezing in two and three milers when and where I can has been helpful so thank God for that.

I almost decided not to run at all yesterday and today because I barely had time for two miles. Now I even wrote a big post about the importance of every mile, of "leaving no mile behind" but still sometimes I grapple with the "worthiness" of these short runs.

But you know what, they are soooo worthy. My two 2 milers have yielded tremendous stress relief, has burn a combined total of 450 calories and allows me to keep some semblance of balance and momentum.  That's some good stuff. I would feel a million times worse today if I hadn't run yesterday or today. Never take for granted the opportunity to run, no matter how small  or short.

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And in other news… A few favorite new finds.

Ever since finding out that I have to avoid gluten, dairy and almonds, I've had to get creative with treats and stuff. I'm not a big snacker (and when I do snack, it's typically fruit, nuts or yogurt) but a girl has to have a little something extra every now and again…

First favorite new find:

Kind bar: Walnut & Date. 100% gluten free, no GMO ingredients, dairy free and almond free. I don't do too many bars (and now they are hard to find with all my restrictions) but this one is tasty and tummy friendly. I keep a few in my purse for when I need a little something between meals.

Second favorite find: 

Red Bridge Beer: Made by Anheuser-Busch, this gluten-free beer is actually really good and won't break the bank. I found it at my local grocery store liquor store for only $8.99 for a six pack. That's not bad for a specialty beer. Especially when you consider how much the first rounds of gluten-free beers I found were.

Finally, last but certainly not least…

You had me at hello

Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams: No dairy, no gluten, no chance in hell of resisting this stuff. Like that cool guy in class, full of swag and dreaminess - this one can get you in trouble and I suggest you proceed with caution.  I fricken LOVE this stuff. My treat on a day where I'm craving chocolate or something a little sweet is a tsp of this on an apple, with a banana, on a rice cake or even by itself. I can't really have cookies with the gluten and dairy thing but this on a rice cake with a few chopped walnuts really does the trick.

What are some of your favorite treats?
If you're "supposed" to run 4 -6 miles or something but only have time for 2 -3 do you typically run the 2 or 3 or just blow off the whole thing?

XO
Jen

Weekend recap and other crap

Porky's next to my WW center never gets old to me - yes,
my actual center

After my crappy run on Friday, I decided to take Saturday off. I camethisclose to taking today off too but I was starting to feel a little depression creep in. Not sure why. I was just having a serious case of the blahs and at 4:30PM I looked down to realize that I was still in my pajamas. Not good.

The rain has me feeling a little ho-hum too.

So I pushed myself to the gym. (I didn't have the hoorah in me to run in the damp, icky rain…) 

Because I was still not feeling particularly motivated I decided not to do my Nike+ thing. My Nike+ app asks for how many miles you are planning to run before starting and it then automatically tells everyone on face book that "Jennifer has just started a 2 mile run" or whatever...  

I didn't want to put the pressure on myself to run a certain distance or pace so I just went. I gave myself permission to do just one mile and to just walk if I really wanted to. I knew that doing just one slow, walking mile would still make me feel slightly less crappy than doing nothing at all.

I got there and started with a walk - before I knew it, I was running and running pretty well. I finished 2 miles in 21:00 or so - better than I would've thought.

And while I still feel slightly blah, I do feel at least 50% better than I did before and that does count for something!! AND it was a waaaay better little run than my Friday debacle.

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As far as the cleaner eating - I'm doing pretty good. I would give myself a B to a B+ this week.

The good: I juiced 6 out of 7 days. I had the Chia Seeds 4 out of 7 days. I cut out most gluten, ate tons and tons of fresh fruits and vegetables and swapped most of our meats, eggs, dairy to organic versions.

The bad: I'm still far from being 100% onboard. Yesterday I visited a friend and dove head first into a bowl of tostitos, crackers and goat cheese. I also polished off a half a bottle of wine and a giant piece of cake.  Ooops. Ah well. That's gonna happen. Won't be the first time and probably not the last.

The great: Not one yellow packet of sweetener in more than a week. NO artificial sweeteners of any kind. That I'm going to really try not to bend on.

The kinda annoying: I gained a pound and a half at WW this week. Damn those fattening Chia Seeds and juice! (Just kidding… Eh, it's fine - I'm still well with-in my goal range - just, still, it's a little annoying.)

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And speaking of gluten free eating, on Friday my allergy tests came back. I do not have celiac or any food allergies so now the doc wants to send me to a GI - Yippe.   

Still, I do think I could be gluten intolerant because I really have felt better since cutting most of it out. Today I don't feel so awesome but it follows a day that had gluten in it - coincidence? I don't know yet.  Could've been the wine too? 

For dinner I'm going to try this organic brown rice pasta from Trader Joes and will be making a homemade meat sauce to top it.

I tried to make this picture of my pasta a little jazzy ;)

Hope you had a fab weekend!

What have you successfully given up lately?

Know anyone who is gluten free?

Have you ever tried brown rice pasta?

Do you ever go to the gym with the intention of working out for only 10 minutes? (ha) that's probably just me.

XO

Jen

5 ways to move that caboose when you're feeling stuck at the station

Siers / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

After a few years of losing weight / maintaining weight loss and finally having developed a healthy and active lifestyle there is at least one truth that cannot be argued - to truly be healthy we have to move it and keep moving it.

Oh trust me, prior to finding this unlikely love and passion for running I fought that concept every step of the way. I faithfully counted my Weight Watcher points, I worked at eating cleaner and leaner but still grumbled, kicked and screamed when it came to real fitness. 

This is probably why it took me more than 2 years to lose my first 40 pounds (and then after finding running) less than a year to lose 50+.

Now-a-days, exercise is a healthy habit that I have grown to love and appreciate but even with this appreciation comes many a lazy day where it seems like I can find any crappy excuse in the world to procrastinate or skip a run.

So here are a few things that keep me moving my caboose when all I want to do is stay at the station: (and blog hop, Facebook obsess, watch another Real Housewives episode or whatever…) 

1. ONE MILE. or rep, or sit-up or jumping jack. Whatever it is, sometimes you've got to fake it 'til ya make it. If I truly don't feel like running that five mile run I will put on my sneakers and tell myself to just run for one mile or just for 10 minutes. Sometimes I'll force myself to sit on the exercise bike, "for just 5 minutes" or do "just one set" of bicep curls.  First off, even if it's all you do, at least it's something - mentally and physically it is better than nothing, second, you have indeed "moved your caboose" and third - there's a very good chance that the momentum will build for you to do much more than the "only" that got you moving to begin with! You know how I feel, this is not the first time I've talked about doing whatever you can. I still believe in leaving "no mile behind."
2. POWER UP. Do you have a favorite work out song or two? Good. Fire them up! Blast it, remember the best sweat you ever had to that song, close your eyes and imagine those endorphins flooding your body. Likewise if you have a favorite running quote, blog post or inspirational passage.  People watch romantic movies (you know what I mean) to get in the mood for love so why not call upon images, music or words that will get you in the mood to move? Tap a foot, sing along and "get a good feeling," go for "the eye of the tiger," or remind yourself why you were "born to run" and get out there!
3. RACES. Keeping a race on the schedule is super motivating for me. I have to be working for something or some goal or it gets too easy to become complacent. The temptation to skip too many workouts is lessened when I know that I have my cold hard cash invested in a race and an expectation on myself to perform well.
4. DIAL A FRIEND.  Find one accountability buddy or cheerleader. Someone who'll gently (or not so gently) kick ya in the caboose when you need a little shove out the door. And even better if that person will get out there with you. Many times I have been lagging, and with a little help from my friends, got back out there and on track. In fact, some of the best workouts I've had in my life was courtesy of friendly 'peer pressure' from my friends - like the intense Cardio Barre and Boot Camp classes that my friend Angela forced me encouraged me to do!
5. NEW STUFF.  Now don't break the bank but I will say that when I need a little extra pep in my step and have a little extra money to burn that buying something new does wonders for my motivation. Whether it's a new gadget, pair of socks or cute new tech tee - there's something about something new that gives me that extra little boost to get going when the going is tough.

having a goal helps! couldn't wait to get this sticker on
my bumper!

On a side note, if you are really struggling to get going you might have to do a little digging. Have you been pushing yourself too hard and legitimately need a rest day? Are you burning yourself out with doing the same work out every day at too high of an intensity? Don't be afraid to try other activities.  Sometimes you do just need a break. That's OK too, as long as your break doesn't turn into a break-up, it's all good.

So what do you do to keep that caboose moving? 

What are some of your tips for keeping in the game?

Do you have a favorite song that psyches you up for running or working out? 

XO

Jen

No TWO miles left behind: running short

my recent little jaunts

A few months ago I wrote this post called, "No Mile Left Behind." Basically, I made the argument that every mile counts so if you can't get in your long run (or your short run) there's no need to abandon the run altogether because anything is better than nothing.

How quickly we forget our own rantings. I even have it up in the bar up there… Still. Do I read my own posts? Nope.

I have been beating myself up because the last few weeks I've been not getting in the miles I've wanted 3 miles here, 2 miles there - a good day maybe 4, it's been since February since I've gotten 6 or more.

There's a litany of good reasons and bad excuses why this has happened and I won't bore you with the details… but the good news is, I've kept running.

So while I feel guilty about these mini-runs there are still some good things about these little runs:

• Mental break:  A two mile run is fun. It's now (puffs out chest proudly) under twenty minutes for me. I don't have to 'psyche myself up' to run 2 miles like I do for, say, an 8 mile run.
• Speed builder: I have a little internal rule, if I'm gonna only run 2 miles, I have no excuse for strolling. It's (puffs out… ok it's not that fast...) only 19 mins or so, there's no need to 'save some for later' like you have to when running long. 
• Calorie burn: Hey. I'm still maintaining a 96 pound weight loss and burning calories counts. At around 215 calories per 2 miles my three little 2 milers this week alone has torched away 645 calories… That's the equivalent of 6 light beers or a big mac and small coke or 3 servings of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia low fat frozen yogurt --> Definitely worth running for food.

And I still maintain that momentum is super important - that was the main point of my original "no mile left behind post," sometimes you've gotta fake it 'til ya make it. Running two miles leads to more miles because you are keeping the momentum up. If you were to just skip the 1 - 2 - 3 mile runs because you couldn't do more, you might find yourself not running at all for weeks.  EGADS. The horror.

What are some of your favorite reasons to get in mini-runs?

Do you beat yourself up when your runs are short?

Do you think mini-runs are a waste of time?

Do you have a favorite flavor of frozen yogurt?

xo

Jen

From Slump to Streak - and the winner of the giveaway is announced!

Abbey L - thanks for the follow!

Welcome to all the new blog followers! We've broken 100 followers now and that makes me feel very warm and fuzzy… :)

I am feeling pretty good lately.

I think I'm really on to something with this "no mile left behind" thing.  First off, it's gotten me running (today will be my 15th day in a row that I've run!)

Before you worry about me 'over-doing' it - many of the runs have been slower or for 'only' a mile or so. I'm not killing myself with speed or distance on days where I would normally rest. The daily run is more for mood boosting, to burn a few calories and to keep my momentum up for the days where I need to run longer or faster. It's working!

When I started the 'no mile left behind' thing (basically a promise to myself to never 'poo-poo' a run again no matter how big or small. If I only have five minutes of time or motivation - I take the five minutes and run) I had no idea how many people would think this was a good idea.

It's been mentioned in blogs: Racing It Off and Cook Train Race Eat and I was even asked to guest blog about it for Words To Run By.  I'm considering making this thing a movement, of, well, movement!

Yesterday the "no mile left behind" thing really paid off. I was to run 4 miles according to my training plan and I didn't want to do ANYTHING. I was busy developing out a project for work, getting my crap together from after the storm and (admittedly) wasting a little time on Facebook. Finally I reminded myself that if 4 miles seemed too much to ask for  - just go for a mile (it's only around 10 minutes). Then I got out there and decided to go 2. Then decided to go 3. Well hell. I might as well just do the f'in 4!

I accomplished my original 4 by promising myself that I only had to do 1.  That's what it's all about. It was a slower pace than usual but that's OK too. No one ever said I had to PR my training runs. Most importantly I did it and I think that without pushing myself out the door with the thought of only doing one - I would've done none. And then I would've felt crappy.

The bottom line is you can't run 4 or 13 or 26.2 if you're not willing to run 1 and the first mile is what takes you to the rest of them whether it's now or later.

In other news - I finally took the plunge, plunked down the money and signed up for the Atlantic City half marathon on Oct. 16 - I'm very excited.

And in bigger news - the winner of the Pam Reed "THE EXTRA MILE" book giveaway is:

cue confetti and balloon drop:

RUNNING ON WORDS! - drop me a line and I'll mail you your prize! Congrats - it's a great read, you will love it!

my birthday boy

And finally Happy 4th Birthday to my son Benjamin. You were a big part of my initial motivation to get moving and get healthy and I love you.

XO
Jen