Archive for July, 2010
-
A Cool and Refreshing Breakfast
Yesterday morning I stumbled into my kitchen and, by accident, made what is my favorite breakfast so far this summer.
Lately I’ve been doing a yogurt + banana + flax breakfast but we are out of bananas.
"That shizz is bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!"
Not for long it wasn’t. I took a cup of plain nonfat yogurt, added sugar, and frozen mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries). Fast-forward to me walking into work, feeling the sweltering humidity stick to me, thinking about the news that the heat index was going to reach 111 F. Yuck.
It had been about an hour before I got to my breakfast, so the berries were about 75% thawed. MMM! This was so good. Lightly sweet, and cool – so cool that I had to put a sweater on – just perfect for July
Once you mix the berries and yogurt together, the berries thaw a bit more. I had to make this breakfast again today!
Hopefully it will keep me cool for a little while. I’m off to enjoy my Saturday. Hope everyone’s having a good weekend!
-
Dinner blogger
Dinner blogger (dinner blogger)
Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my blog?
It took me a few minutes to write, will you take a look?
It’s based on a dinner by a woman named Shell
And I need a job, so I want to be a dinner blogger,
Dinner blogger.Did you pick up on the Beatles reference – Paperback Writer? It’s in my head for some reason.
Moving on.
Mark and I had a big night in store tonight! Big, big plans.
But before we got to the plans, I went for an afternoon run on my treadmill. I used to do my runs in the afternoon all the time – I was working from 7-3:30. I discovered there is no reason why I can’t keep those hours now, so I went into work early today, and went for a run when I got home. At first, the run seemed easy – maybe more afternoon runs are in store for me? Anyway, I forgot how HUNGRY I feel following these runs! I did about 5.5 miles, mostly at 9:00 pace.
But it was good to be hungry because as you know, Mark and I had big, fancy plans… for dinner at Red Lobster. We had gift cards. *shrug*
We got crabcakes!
They were just ok.
And a garden salad… same deal with this just being OK. However, I was happy that it wasn’t drowned in dressing.
Cheddar biscuit. I think you should all be impressed that I only had one – Mark had three! They are so good.
For my entree, I got peach bourbon bbq bacon-wrapped scallops and shrimp. I substituted rice for onion rings. This was really good stuff people. I ate all the seafood, no problem. And then I was done. Honestly, I was kinda full after the cheddar biscuit.
But the best part of the meal?
This guy! Aren’t I lucky?
We’ve got some True Blood dvds to watch, so off I go! Happy Friday!
-
Weights before cardio or cardio before weights?
Chicken before egg or egg before chicken?
The chicken and the egg question is one of the most well-known philosophical dilemmas; the weights and cardio order is one of the most well-known and argued topics in fitness. My friend asked me if I had an opinion on this topic today – and what do you know, I did
Usually the conventional wisdom is to lift weights before cardio. And usually the advice is given in this tone, as though people doing cardio before weights is worthy of physical assault.
The advice I agree with is supported here, although he talks a lot about why cardio before weights is the way to go, I’m going to pick out the quote that I agree with most:
If you do your cardio before you lift, there’s little doubt you will do this part of your program more efficiently, which probably means at higher intensity and with a higher aerobic fitness outcome. Heavy legs and arms after weights are not conducive to a good cardio session. I’ve tried both sequences many times, and running first is my preference even without the technical considerations.
So, the author does not come out and directly say it, but I think it’s understood here that he values an efficient cardio program with as high an intensity as possible. It’s understood that whatever part of your program is done first is the one you are going to have the most energy for. Now, the advice given above is biased inherently towards the benefits of cardio – he’s ignoring the benefits of weights.
That’s why I agree with the end of this article best: ask yourself what is important to you – either that day or your long-term goals – and do that first. Experiment and find out what feels good to you.
Personally I’ve done weights before cardio – normally I expect 100% of myself to perform cardio – and let’s just say I don’t get that 100% if I do weights first. I prefer to have myself give 100% to cardio and whatever’s left to weights. I think that’s pretty typical runner’s advice. But that’s why you came here, right?
On a completely different note, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to my weight and fitness dilemmas. I am a bit frustrated that I have not been successful in losing the weight I want to lose. I’ve tried diets, but I don’t stick to them well. Running marathons is not the solution either – I’ve tried that. I think I have a pretty good understanding of the concept of weight loss and nutrition and fitness – but I don’t practice what I know. I’ve actually been considering Weight Watchers.
I’m hesitant to do that though for a few reasons, so I called my mom to get her advice. I explained to her that I think one of my problems is personal accountability – I have no problems lying to myself. I feel like it might be different in a group setting, and in a setting that I pay for (I feel that might be a motivator in staying accountable). But I also don’t want to feel judged (since I am not obese) and I don’t know how I feel about points, keeping track of them, and learning what sounds like might be a PITA. I think I might give it a try for a couple weeks and see what happens.
I have also thought about going to a nutritionist – however, my insurance only covers it if I’m deathly ill. Again, I think I understand the basics of nutrition, I just don’t apply them to my life. There is a disconnect there, and it’s frustrating.
I am open to any and all advice
I am still trying to get it all sorted out. -
Name Your Motivation
I read a lot of fitness magazines. It’s kind of an addiction. I love the motivation I get from them – from the tips to the success stories, I usually feel good when I’m done. About every month, I read Shape, Self, Body + Soul, and Runners World. Every now and then, I take a look at the women’s “muscle” magazines. I know that women and muscle is still taboo – which is sad – but I think these magazines have a lot of great healthy living advice (and weight lifting workouts of course) too.
Recently, I was poking around on the Self magazine website and found myself inspired by the Editor in Chief, Lucy Danziger. I’ve been reading Self for a long time, but I don’t think the editor was always this ripped. Well, anyway, she is now. She’s training for an Ironman and in a video talks about how normally she works out for two hours a day. Then, her editor’s letter in this month’s issue explained that I wasn’t imagining things. She has lost 25 pounds, and was spurred into action by a realization when her father was hospitalized with a heart problem. She realized that her father’s father had heart problems and was treated in that same hospital. She realized that she did not want to be part of that family “legacy”.
One of the things she wrote that made me wonder was that it wasn’t about vanity; it couldn’t be. It wasn’t a strong enough reason to kick off and stick to her health goals. I found this interesting. Vanity—looking better, is a popular reason to want to get fit. They call it “getting in shape” not “getting in health,” right? Tangible results (losing pounds, inches, feeling firmer) are also powerful motivators, but are they short-term in nature?
I don’t think I’m going to be able to answer those questions – the diet and fitness industry is a billion-dollar one for a reason – but it’s interesting to think about. I, for one, find vanity to be motivating, and for tangible results to be hugely motivating. I also find eating cupcakes motivating. nom nom nom nom
That’s the thing with health goals – it’s difficult to say no to the cookie and yes to the treadmill. The positive reinforcement is further removed from the healthy activity than it is from the unhealthy one. It’s why binge drinkers continue to over-imbibe and suffer hangovers – the punishment is too far removed from the immediate pleasure in order to be a deterrent. No one said getting fit and staying fit was easy.
Jillian Michaels’ answer to the “How do I stay motivated?” question is: ask yourself why you want this goal (weight loss, fitness achievement). [Is it weird that I know this without looking it up? I have her advice memorized, I think…]Your reasons are your motivation. She makes no judgment about your reasons – just that they motivate you.
What motivates you?
-
Operation Beautiful
Last Friday, I was talking to a couple of female coworkers and the subject turned to weight. Both of them are well within the healthy weight range, in fact, I would describe them as slim. We were talking about desserts and the conversation turned into one about deriding our own figures. I was surprised the two of them were describing themselves in such a negative way when they clearly looked fit and healthy to me. It’s a fact that no matter what your weight is, body image is truly mental and emotional.
It’s the kind of conversation that women have with each other a lot. I’m not sure if the true purpose of claiming how fat you are is digging for compliments but in order to stop the madness, I feel like I need to reassure the other woman. I tell her the “weight problem” or other perceived physical flaw is nonexistent. This is one of those situations where I can call a woman crazy and it’s a compliment.
Sometimes women are looking for reassurance that they are not fat, or maybe it’s just about commiserating over each other’s body image problems. I don’t feel comfortable telling other women about my body image problems in this open way (I give this job to my husband and best friend only). I feel comfortable abstaining from verbally abusing myself, but I wonder if they think I’m conceited because I’m not berating myself too. In any event, what sets me apart from them is that I think my body image problems are extremely private. What connects me to them is that I am battling the same problem.
This kind of “fat talk” is the subject of a book called Operation Beautiful: Transforming the Way You See Yourself One Post-It at a Time written by the author of the blog, Healthy Tipping Point. I truly think that this “fat talk” is utterly unhelpful in our lives as women (especially women, but also men). It’s not unlike a cancer. It gets worse the more it happens, and no true good transpires from a “fat talk” conversation. (If you get a compliment from this kind of conversation, it’s provoked. Does that make anyone feel good for more than 30 seconds?) Post-it notes may not be the cure, but they are a good reminder that we need to eliminate talking to ourselves (aloud or silently) in this terrible way. And if a post-it note makes you or someone else feel better, then that’s what it’s really about.
I am so excited to read this book that I pre-ordered it, which is the first time I have ever done that.
Let’s be good to each other, but most importantly, to ourselves.
About Me
My name is Michelle and I like to write about running, food, and fitness in general. Check out my About Michelle section for more!
