Hello! It’s Monday again and time for another roundup of healthy motivations to get you through this week! I was just recalling that it’s been about 2 years since I started posting some blog posts and almost exactly 2 years since I signed up for my first Iron Girl! It’s crazy to see how this journey has taken shape over the last couple of years with all the little bumps in the road. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be doing the race again this year though I haven’t signed up yet. My sister and I are still planning on running the Chicago Half Marathon as our first half at the end of September so that’s the money priority at the moment.
In other news, the Summer Corn Chowder is back at Panera! This is the first thing I ever tried at a Panera after going on a date with my mom to see Mamma Mia back in high school.
Meal Inspirations
I’m currently working on cleaning out my recipe book and reorganizing it into a more useful resource because at the moment, I’m rarely using it and so many of my printed recipes are just hanging around. I follow a good collection of food blogs and I often find some recipes there that I can use or modify to fit my needs. Pinterest is another tool I use a ton but if I’m looking for something a tad more specific, Google search is a great recipe finder. Here are some of the recipes I’ve curated this week!
It’s been a beautiful week around here as all the flowering trees are fully in bloom and the landscape is greening up. Last week was Brady’s birthday and we were able to do a lot of outdoor adventuring to celebrate. I had been planning a weekend backpacking trip to Shenandoah National Park for the weekend but we didn’t end up going because the weather forecasts were looking potentially stormy and I was also dealing with a strained muscle in the hip flexor area. Sad. We’re still hoping to go this summer and we may try doing a shorter and close to home backpacking trip this weekend.
Since Brady worked late on his actual birthday, we went out on Wednesday evening to Brookeside Gardens to see the tulips before meeting up with his family at Cheesecake Factory for dinner.
Happy Boston Marathon Monday! Hope you all had a lovely weekend and a great Easter with your family yesterday.
I spent some time being frustrated because it seems as though the Boston Marathon organizers have sold out and the only way to view the marathon is by logging into NBC Sports with a cable package account. Thanks for making the decision to choose money over everything else that this race is supposed to stand for.
I’m not bitter.
Anywho. This last week I’ve been dealing with a few aches and pains that have prohibited me from running and even held back my step count for a couple days. I broke a 14-day streak of 10K+ steps per day. I strained a muscle in my hip flexor and though I’m not 100% positive, I’m pretty sure it happened while I was doing yoga. Serves me right for trying to stretch out my stiff body. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to start running again in the next few days as the pain keeps subsiding.
If you’re currently dealing with an injury and something else that’s keeping you from running, here are a few ideas to keep you fit and going. Do what you can but don’t hurt yourself even more!
Hello Again! I’ve been loving this gorgeous spring weather, haven’t you? Everything’s in bloom and I couldn’t be happier.
The last few weeks have been busy with some traveling, making travel plans, birthdays and other exciting things and I’ve managed to fall behind, but I wanted to make sure I shared some of the things I’ve been loving lately starting with a couple food things!
Talenti Sicilian Pistachio Gelato
I have been obsessed with this Sicilian Pistachio Gelato and it’s bad because it’s one of the only ice creams I can sit down and eat the whole pint in one sitting. It’s bad and I try not to bring it home too often for this reason. I’m a bit of an ice cream snob and I’d often much rather spend my money on a small amount of amazing ice cream then get eh ice cream for less. This stuff is super creamy and flavorful and there’s enough pistachios to have some in every bite. I tried a cheaper brand of pistachio ice cream lately and I could barely eat it so… yeah this stuff is the best.
Forager Project Organic Cashewgurt in Lemon
I really loved this stuff. If I had been blind taste testing, I would have thought that this was the real stuff. The consistency was on point, the lemon adds the sourness that traditional yogurt has but that’s not to say that it’s sour because it definitely is not. I saw it at Whole Foods and decided it was something I needed to try because I’m trying to back away from dairy since it messes with my digestive system. It’s hard to find worthy vegan substitutes for some of my favorite things and I’ve wanted to try some cashew alternatives but haven’t gotten around to it until now. I’d definitely recommend checking this out!
It’s been 7 years since we started dating! We met almost 12 years ago now and we’ve been dating more of that time than we haven’t which is crazy to think! Our getting together story is actually pretty long with lots of high school drama, but today’s the day we celebrate the beginning of our dating relationship. Who knew that these high school besties would be where we are today. I thought I do a throwback to the beginning and share some of my favorite pics with you!
We met officially in 2005 but didn’t really start to get to know each other until he came to my school freshman year of high school in 2006. We got closer with each passing year and by the start of our senior year, we were each other’s best friend.
March has come and gone and another birthday month is in the books. It’s kind of crazy how fast this year has been flying by because I feel like I only just wrote my goals for the whole year and we’re already 1/4 through it! It’s time to move on and share my April goals, but first, a quick March health and fitness recap:
Eat vegetable centered meals for lunches and dinners
Start weight training
Strengthening my back and core
Posture awareness
Keep track of my steps and water intake for this month: Iโd really like to try and be getting my 10,000 daily steps in at least 5 days a week. Iโm obviously in favor of 7, but if I can get 5/7 each week this month, Iโm going to be pretty happy.
Run
I’d say that for most of my goals, they were moderately accomplished and I’m improving in each category. Considering that I was sick for most of the month of March, I’m really happy with what got done.
I’ve only started running in the last week because I felt like I really needed to just be walking. Even now, I’m taking up running slowly because of some issues with my knees. You can see a general workout recap below.
The biggest accomplishment for the month was getting in my daily 10,000 steps! I really had to work for this one because if I wasn’t being proactive or dedicated to the goal, I would have come way under on most days. The crazy thing is, I’ve started to notice changes in my body due to the step taking and I wasn’t expecting much of it to happen at all. Over the last month I’ve realized that –
I’m getting more workouts and walks in. I’m not spending days just sitting around and I’m making less excuses
My back still has the same triggers but overall I’m in a better place
I don’t think I’ve really lost much weight, but I feel that my body is toning and looking a little slimmer.
Sure, some of this could be because I’ve also been working out as well, but I will definitely attribute most of my success this month to taking my 10,000 steps. It’s like having this goal as a central goal is keeping everything else in line.
I didn’t start until March 2nd so for the purpose of making better calculations, March is going to be 30 days long ๐
22/30 days with 10,000+ steps
296,129 steps total
Average of 9,871 steps per day
Most steps in a day: 16,187 steps
Part of the step counting motivation has been to prepare for our Disney World trip next month. We’re going to be in the parks for 5 days and if you’ve ever been, you know that there’s usually a ton of walking. The last 2 times I’ve gone, I’ve ended up in a wheelchair for part/most of the trip. I’d really like to be able to handle all the walking and not have too much pain so I’m trying to prep myself to be ready.
Here are my April Goals:
Again I’m going with trying to get in at least 10,000 steps in for every day in April. I didn’t get a full 7-day streak in last month so I’m attempting to get a really long one this month – maybe even 30 days! ๐
Running 3 times a week.
Getting in a proper stretch after each run and workout — I really need to start doing this because I keep forgetting and I’m paying for it. I need to do more yoga.
Strength training. I have horrible muscular endurance and I’d like to do at least 3 20+ minutes sessions a week with some random throughout the day exercises thrown in to help build up strength
Mindful eating. I’ve been realizing more and more how much of my life is focused on food. I love to eat good food and sometimes I just love to eat which leads to overeating. I’d really like to focus on eating slower, enjoying my food, and not stuffing myself.
Do you count steps?
In terms of overall health, is there any one thing you can point to that keeps you on track to accomplish your goals?
