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Monday, October 31, 2011

Thankful to Run

hey guys!! please check out my post on Food, Inc. if you get the chance! It's a topic that's important to me and I'd love to hear your opinions. 

Happy Halloween!!

Today I didn't have school so cross country practice was in the morning.

We did a tempo workout that included:

  • 1 mile warmup
  • 10 x 400 [continuous] at 1:40 pace 
  • one 400 fast [ended up being about the same pace as all the previous laps!]
  • 10 minute cooldown
  • 20 minute stretch
It was a tough workout but I felt awesome after! That is a good sign considering league championships are this Saturday. 

For our cooldown, we ran barefoot for ten minutes on the turf field. As I was running I realized how blessed I am to even be able to run. I know there are a lot of people out there that can't, and as much as I have complained about cross country this season, I really do love running. 


And although I have been upset at not being able to go to the gym and lift weights [no time], therefore losing a lot of the upper body muscle that I've built up, I definitely have noticed some differences in my legs. 



Worth the trade-off, haha! One of my favorite things about fitness is that if you put the work in, you will get results out. It's pure science, no ifs or buts! 


I've put a lot of hard work and time into running.. and this is my reward. 


It's funny how many thoughts run through my head while I'm running - but I love how calming it is and that I realize things like this. Instead of complaining about how exhausted practice leaves me or how little time I have, I should be appreciative of what my legs are doing for me. 

After this morning's workout they definitely deserved some TLC so the 20 minutes of stretching was pure heaven/hell <-- painful but worth it! I also rolled them out a little when I got home. 

And made a yummy breakfast! 

One of my chocolate protein smoothies and a bowl of Nature's path Optimum blueberry cinnamon oats with pb. I am in love with this oatmeal!! A review of some Nature's Path products I've tried is coming soon. 


 The river of peanut butter is revealed.... :)


Have a happy Halloween! 

What are your plans for tonight? I am going to a friend's house for a party but that's about all I know at this point! :)
Tell me something you've learned from fitness/running! 


ps I got my first college acceptance letter today!! It was from one of my 'safe schools' but I'm going to college!! woohoo!! :)

Saturday, October 29, 2011

My Thoughts on Food, Inc.

Hey guys!

I hope your Halloween weekend is great so far :)

I wanted to write about the movie Food, Inc. today. This week we watched it in my English class (another source for our childhood obesity essay) and I honestly could not have been more shocked. I am so glad I got a chance to finally watch it, though!


These are some of the things that were extremely eye-opening that struck me about this documentary:

  • Factory Farming
    • Animals are kept in terrible cramped conditions, and are inhumanely treated
    • The animals are fed corn because it's cheap, even though they aren't made to eat it (and therefore the animals are given antibiotics to attempt to counter the digestive problems that they have)
    • The amount of pollution that these 'factories' contribute to the environment
    • The unfair way that workers are treated
  • Illnesses
    • The awful conditions that animals are kept in means that their feces get everywhere
      • The animals are washed off at the slaughter houses, but all of the contaminated water gets on other foods as well
      • The astounding amount of E.coli outbreaks that occur because of this problem
  • The sheer amount of power that these major food companies have in government and in the industry
    • Many food company executives are part of the FDA and USDA and craft laws that keep us consumers in the dark about what we eat and where our food comes from
  • Genetically altered/ chemically treated food
    • This ends up in a LOT of the packaged food on the market 
    • Foods that aren't in season are in the produce section because they have been chemically treated
  • Cloning
    • Animals are cloned and this cloned meat is sold in supermarkets and the government does not require for it to be labeled
  • Corn
    • Since it is subsidized, it is very cheap and companies have found ways to put it in almost everything. 
    • Almost all processed food contains corn
These aren't all of the topics in the movie - just the few that stood out to me! 


What can WE do about all of these problems?
  • Buy local, organic produce (Farmer's markets are awesome for this!)
  • Only buy produce that is in season 
  • Encourage your local schools to provide fresh, healthy meals for students
  • Spread the word about these problems in our country
  • Read food labels! 

I highly encourage you to go watch this - I thought I was fairly well informed on America's problem with obesity and the danger of processed foods but I was completely wrong. 

I don't usually eat much processed food or red meat, but after watching this movie I know that I am going to avoid meat as much as possible. I'm not labeling myself as a vegetarian, but I honestly don't think that I could  eat any meat for a long time after watching the documentary. When I do eat meat I am going to try and eat locally grown. 

I am going to avoid as many processed foods that contain corn as I can. I know that it is not possible for me to entirely eliminate everything, but I can do my best. I am going to go to farmer's markets to buy local produce a lot more often- there is one every Saturday about 10 minutes from my house. I also am not going to be eating any food that isn't in season! I don't want to be eating nasty chemicals or pesticides. 

Please go check out these seasonal charts for fruits and nuts and vegetables!

Have you seen Food, Inc.? What are your thoughts? 

Friday, October 28, 2011

When a Girl Gets a Night to Herself...



I seriously love Fridays. I was quite the happy camper when I woke up this morning because I knew I would get to relax tonight.

After homecoming last weekend I was pretty exhausted and didn't get a chance to recharge before this week. I've been really tired all week so tonight was exactly the kind of night I needed!

my night included a stop in foodie heaven (aka Whole Foods).

Salad bar goodies [the perfect way to remind myself that I should be making my health more of a priority- i always feel good after i eat veggies!]:


lettuce, cucs, mushrooms, carrots, onions, egg, cheese, croutons, and newman's own dressing
 Enjoyed in front of the TV catching up on my DVR :)

in mah pjs!

I also picked up this wonderful gem - otherwise known as my favorite item in the freezer section:


with warm brownie crumbles!


The night has been perfect so far- can't get more relaxing than this.

my mom left me the cutest note today - all spelled out in candy corn! you better believe I gobbled it all up.


On a final note before I crash in bed- in my english class we are writing an essay about the cause of childhood obesity. Since 1980 this problem has escalated like crazy and we are researching and reading articles all about it. I'm so happy we're doing this topic because it's one that I'm super interested in. There are so many causes of childhood obesity, but the past few days we've been watching the movie Food Inc. in class because it ties into the topic. Stay tuned for my thoughts on the documentary - it was interesting, horrifying, and eye-opening all at the same time!


i'm off to snuggle with my babies. night!



who/what do you think is the cause of childhood obesity? fast food companies, parents, food corporations, lack of activity?... the list goes on and on!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Homecoming Recap!

hey guys!!

it took awhile for me to get some pics up from last weekend because I honestly haven't had an hour to sit down at the computer and write this post - this afternoon was the only chance I got because I went to xc practice this morning so that I wouldn't have to go this afternoon.

anyways!! last weekend was exhausting but a ton of fun - homecoming football game and dance! heres lotsa the pics :)





 green & goldd


 football game!!





 all prettied up before the dance! i had my hair cut a few hours before i had to get ready so i also had her flatiron it!


 me & my friend kevin





 i love this girl!! :) 


 all together


 friends since elementary school :)

 momma!
just before we left for dinner! 

 the dance was a lot of fun - we went out to dinner before it and then afterwards we went to my friend's house to watch a buncha movies, then i slept at another friend's house! i didn't get to bed until 2am but it was all worth it (even with being sleep deprived this week!). it was my last homecoming and i think it was a pretty good one!


anyways - other life updates! well, first up, the computer broke this weekend..wahhh :( so now we've just got the laptop aka it's super hard for me to upload pics! i'll do my best until we get another computer to put some posts up but it def takes more time on the laptop.

cross country is going fairly well, i'm getting kind of sick of running though (the horror!)... i've basically been running every day since the end of july and i'm ready to be done. with all of the other stuff going on - college apps, hard classes, work - spending so much time on cross country is starting to get irritating. i love running but i haven't been able to lift in months! i can't wait to get back to bodypump.

food update! after trying a gluten-free diet for a few weeks, i haven't quite been keeping up with it. yes, it has made me feel better, but then again, i can't be 100% sure if my muscles just need a break and i need some more sleep or it's the food i'm eating. i'm pretty sure it's a combo of all three, but eating gluten free required a little bit more meal planning/prep and right now that's the last thing on my list.

 i absolutely hate putting my health on the back burner, but that's just the way it is right now. frustrating, yes, but my life is honestly the craziest it's ever been. i hardly have any time to spend with family, let alone friends!  i need to cut myself a break until cross country is over in 3-4 weeks and my college apps are in near the end of november. i am pushing myself really hard in all areas of my life right now and focusing on eating gluten-free is just one more thing to pay attention to/focus on-- i'm doing the best that i can.

with that said, despite my lack of time i hope to be back with a post this weekend!! have an amazing rest of the week guys :)

how do you make your health a priority when everything else in your life is hectic?


best fall recipe i need to try?? hopefully in a few weeks i can get back to baking!!




Tuesday, October 18, 2011

WIAW #3 - A Walk in My Shoes



Hi guys!!

Peas and Crayons
WIAW!
Happy WIAW, thanks to Jenn!
I thought today I'd show you guys what a typical day [that I'm not working] in my senior year looks like - so here we go!

6:30am: Wake up, wash face, put in contacts and put on a fuzzy robe to wander downstairs.

Make breakfast! Today's was a yummy treat - oats with flax, peanut butter, and semisweet chocolate shavings


the puddle of peanut butter...
Plus some eggs n ketchup for protein


6:45-7:15: Read bloggies! I seriously think that reading blogs takes up the majority of my time on the computer. I love them more than I love Facebook (weird teenager much?? haha)!

7:15-7:30: Get dressed, put makeup on, brush teeth, pack clothes for cross country practice.


 Today's outfit was this dress from H&M and a belt I got a few years ago at a random vintage clothing store that I am absolutely in love with!



7:45: Pack lunch and make sure I have my school stuff, then drive to school.

12:30pm: Finally it's lunchtime :) I love lunch because I don't have a lot of classes with some of my close friends so I get to chat and hang out with them.


Today's lunch was a pb&j sammie on toasted Udi's GF bread, a crunchy green apple, and a string cheese.

3:30 Cross country practice - sometimes I hate it, sometimes I love it. Usually M,W,F are longer run days and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are workout or race days. We have a few weeks until our league championships with no meets in between so that is pretty much our schedule for now.

5:30: I get home and run straight for the blender to make a smoothie. But seriously, no joke - that's the first thing I do when I walk through the door.



One of my chocolate protein smoothies with a crapton of spinach (hence the sludgy color- but hey, it still tasted delicious!)

And a rice cake with pb&j


While I'm eating usually I read blogs, go on twitter and facebook, and figure out what homework/studying I have to do.

I actually don't shower right when I get home for a good reason - I spend less time on the computer when I'm all sweaty! Basically if I go shower and then eat/go on the computer, I spend a lot more time on the computer and a lot less time studying. By not showering first, usually after awhile my stinky sweat gets to me (noshame!) and then I go shower. Once I'm out of the shower (and in my pjs... i heart comfy clothes!), homework it is.

pjs are the best. things. ever.
6:30-8pm: Work on homework, study, and jam out to iHeartRadio (<---you can listen to live stations and ones that you create, its seriously awesome!)

8pm: Dinnertime! I picked up this risotto last time I was in TJ's and finally got around to making it for dinner.



It was pretty decent but lacked a little flavor and adding a handful of shredded parmesan to the mix made it 50x better. I loaded up my plate with the risotto, grilled chicken, and steamed broccoli.


8:30-10pm: Work on more homework (or watch TV/read more bloggies) and eat dessert. I <3 frozen yogurt.

[recycled photo]
Then I crash in bed.. and do it all over again :)

I hope you all had a fantastic day!!

Do you hate sitting in sweaty clothes or are you fine with going for a period of time without showering? 
Do you sit down and read blogs all at once at one point in the day or do you spread it out and read them multiple times a day?