Yesterday Jennifer and I did the walk from my house in Salinas to San Juan Bautista. Paul and I have done this before, but we started in SJB last time. It was a lot harder this time, I think because instead of hiking the 1,000 feet in the beginning of the walk, Jennifer and I walked 9.5 miles, gradually going up 500 feet, and then hiked up the last 500 over the course of about a mile. I couldn't handle it! I was so tired from the first 10 miles, I had to keep stopping to take a breath and had the sensation that I would faint a few times. I felt crazy: I've done this before! I also felt angry. How have I let my body get to the point where I can't finish a 13.5-mile walk/hike?
I'm used to setting pretty high goals for myself and I'm very used to being able to accomplish them over time. However, these goals are usually job-related, or center around organizing a major event or fundraiser. I feel like this is going to be one of the hardest goals I've ever set out to accomplish because my body really isn't in strong athletic shape, and now I'm only 2 months away from a 13.2-mile marathon in San Francisco, where there will be a lot of hills. This walk was a major wake-up call - but I'm not stopping!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Friday: Weigh Day
I'd like to weigh in once a week on Fridays to track my progress. I know, this is about being healthy, not the weight, but the weight is naturally my easiest benchmark to measure against. Today's weight, after one full day of this blog, is: still 241.
Last night I went shopping for produce and milk and found myself pondering "could chocolate-covered raisins count as one of my servings?" I resisted, but I really do feel that I'm figuring the rules out as I go. I met my goal yesterday with a serving each of: banana, blackberries and strawberries (in my morning smoothie), romaine lettuce, green beans, an apple, 1/2 of a small avocado, blueberries, some cherries, and a few slices of dried mango. Should I count a serving of dried fruit? Input is appreciated.
Looking back, my day was pretty fruit-heavy, and I want to try to balance it out. I'm a sweet-tooth, and I know that a strawberry is better for me than a brownie, but I still need to get those greens in.
A lot of people have asked me today for Jennifer's smoothie recipe. To make it you blend together the items listed next in the amounts you choose (a scoop here, a pour there). Here's what you put in it: protein powder (she brought me a big tub of vanilla to get me started, it was pretty good), 1 egg (wash the shell with soap and water first), 1/2-1 banana, a handful of spinach, some blueberries (frozen or fresh), 1/4 cup of dry oatmeal, milk (cow, rice, soy, almond, etc.), yogurt, ice if you like, and any other fruit you may want to include. I like that you can change it up easily based on what you have. Another friend suggested adding wheat germ for an extra kick of fiber.
I didn't run yesterday because of the rain, but I plan to exercise quite a bit this weekend...will let you know how it goes!
Last night I went shopping for produce and milk and found myself pondering "could chocolate-covered raisins count as one of my servings?" I resisted, but I really do feel that I'm figuring the rules out as I go. I met my goal yesterday with a serving each of: banana, blackberries and strawberries (in my morning smoothie), romaine lettuce, green beans, an apple, 1/2 of a small avocado, blueberries, some cherries, and a few slices of dried mango. Should I count a serving of dried fruit? Input is appreciated.
Looking back, my day was pretty fruit-heavy, and I want to try to balance it out. I'm a sweet-tooth, and I know that a strawberry is better for me than a brownie, but I still need to get those greens in.
A lot of people have asked me today for Jennifer's smoothie recipe. To make it you blend together the items listed next in the amounts you choose (a scoop here, a pour there). Here's what you put in it: protein powder (she brought me a big tub of vanilla to get me started, it was pretty good), 1 egg (wash the shell with soap and water first), 1/2-1 banana, a handful of spinach, some blueberries (frozen or fresh), 1/4 cup of dry oatmeal, milk (cow, rice, soy, almond, etc.), yogurt, ice if you like, and any other fruit you may want to include. I like that you can change it up easily based on what you have. Another friend suggested adding wheat germ for an extra kick of fiber.
I didn't run yesterday because of the rain, but I plan to exercise quite a bit this weekend...will let you know how it goes!
Smoothie Time
This morning I made my friend Jennifer's protein smoothie. Oh my goodness - I'm full! I got 3 of my servings: banana, blackberries and strawberries, and it was really good. I didn't add the raw egg yet, but tomorrow I'm adding fresh spinach. My daughter was so interested in it too - I think I'm going to start making her a modified version in the mornings.
I got an e-mail this morning about keeping up with the 10-a-day from one of my favorite colleagues from days gone by. He said "Eating 10 F&V's a day will require discipline and will pretty much keep you eating all day, and not much else, facilitating weight loss and health improvement to say the least." I think he's right! I've always had a lot of produce around our house, but this morning I realized we needed to do some serious shopping to make sure there's enough for all of us. I pretty much wiped out our berry supply this morning!
I'm also realizing that the more I'm eating fruits and veggies, the more I'm sharing them with Olivia. Her generation is on track to be the first to not outlive their parents due to the obesity epidemic. I'm finding that this "walking the walk" applies to many areas of my life.
I got an e-mail this morning about keeping up with the 10-a-day from one of my favorite colleagues from days gone by. He said "Eating 10 F&V's a day will require discipline and will pretty much keep you eating all day, and not much else, facilitating weight loss and health improvement to say the least." I think he's right! I've always had a lot of produce around our house, but this morning I realized we needed to do some serious shopping to make sure there's enough for all of us. I pretty much wiped out our berry supply this morning!
I'm also realizing that the more I'm eating fruits and veggies, the more I'm sharing them with Olivia. Her generation is on track to be the first to not outlive their parents due to the obesity epidemic. I'm finding that this "walking the walk" applies to many areas of my life.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Amazed
I'm amazed at all of the support I've received in just the past 5 hours since sending out a notice about this blog - thank you. I just went on a great run using the Couch to 5K program on my iphone. I'm in week 5 and for the first time, I made it back to my house before my 30 minutes was up. Considering I've been using the same trail this entire time, that's an indication that my runs are getting faster.
Tomorrow is my first day of eating 10 servings of fruits and veggies. A girlfriend asked me this afternoon if that was 10 of veggies and 10 of fruits. I don't think I'd have room in my stomach! My goal is to eat a total 10 servings of any fruits and veggies each day.
Another girlfriend gave me her recipe for a protein shake which calls for a couple of servings of fruits and veggies. She adds spinach (which I'm totally into) and raw egg to hers. I'm a little hesitant to go for the raw egg, although if you wash the shell it's supposed to be completely safe. She says these keep her full all morning, so I'll let you know tomorrow how it's working.
Tomorrow is my first day of eating 10 servings of fruits and veggies. A girlfriend asked me this afternoon if that was 10 of veggies and 10 of fruits. I don't think I'd have room in my stomach! My goal is to eat a total 10 servings of any fruits and veggies each day.
Another girlfriend gave me her recipe for a protein shake which calls for a couple of servings of fruits and veggies. She adds spinach (which I'm totally into) and raw egg to hers. I'm a little hesitant to go for the raw egg, although if you wash the shell it's supposed to be completely safe. She says these keep her full all morning, so I'll let you know tomorrow how it's working.
First Day
Today is my first day writing this blog, and my first time doing ever doing anything like this. It's a little intimidating writing all of this down. Today I weigh 241 pounds and I'm stuck. I've been running with friends for two months, but I'm not getting much faster...because I'm overweight.
Every day I work for an industry I've grown up in, I'm passionate about, and that grows the healthiest food in the world. However, I don't live the talk. I don't eat as many fruits and vegetables as I should to live a healthy life, or even when I do I still eat too many unhealthy foods.
I visited my doctor last week and my weight had shot back up. He told me that the running was good, but in order to really be healthy for another pregnancy I need to lose 65 pounds. Last time I was pregnant I had gestational diabetes, and if I don't make a change I have a 60% chance of getting Type 2 diabetes within 5 years.
Thank you for following me on this journey - my goal is to eat 10 fruits and vegetables a day and be able to run a 10-minute mile. I have a half-marathon on July 25 and another on August 7. I'm going to walk the walk...or rather "run" it. Thanks for reading...
Every day I work for an industry I've grown up in, I'm passionate about, and that grows the healthiest food in the world. However, I don't live the talk. I don't eat as many fruits and vegetables as I should to live a healthy life, or even when I do I still eat too many unhealthy foods.
I visited my doctor last week and my weight had shot back up. He told me that the running was good, but in order to really be healthy for another pregnancy I need to lose 65 pounds. Last time I was pregnant I had gestational diabetes, and if I don't make a change I have a 60% chance of getting Type 2 diabetes within 5 years.
Thank you for following me on this journey - my goal is to eat 10 fruits and vegetables a day and be able to run a 10-minute mile. I have a half-marathon on July 25 and another on August 7. I'm going to walk the walk...or rather "run" it. Thanks for reading...
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