Sum'n New... Soy Protein Powder

I started back counting calories. For one, I've gained 15lbs since last summer and a pair of my 6's weren't fitting like they could. The latter is most important to me. Clothes ain't cheap. Somebody got too comfortable, I see. This maintenance mode crap ain't that easy either. I eat ONE cookie and my fitted shirt accentuates my rolls and belly. I don't have to work as hard as I did to lose the weight initially, but dang, I do still have to work.

I'm using Lose It! again and there's a feature that allows you to monitor your fat, carbohydrates, and protein intakes in percentages. I would like to ultimately lower my body fat percentage so I pay closer attention to my protein intake more than I do my calories necessarily. I also want more muscle. So, I decided to up my protein intake. I usually eat meat (chicken breast, turkey, or fish) at lunch or dinner. I still wasn't getting the amount I needed. I forgot the article or wherever I read this, but I want to get a minimum of 75 grams a day. 

I went to Kroger and noticed the Genisoy vanilla protein powder was on sale and decided to purchase mid-May. I've added them to my smoothies so far and attempted drinking just the powder mixed with skim milk (gross!). I'll try a protein pancake recipe I found on Carrot 'n' Cake's blog  Tone It Up!'s site next.

Mixed Berries, Banana, Spinach, Plain Nonfat Yogurt, Soy Protein Powder, O.j.

That Time of the Month... Yes, THAT time.

This topic is obviously for the ladies, particularly female runners.

Source: Uploaded by user via Brenda on Pinterest

Ever since starting to exercise regularly, there's been changes with my body other than my outer appearance. For one, my cycles have gone from 5 to 3 days (NOT. COMPLAINING. ABOUT. THAT!), BUT I also tend to have cramps and lower back pain that I didn't experience before. I mean... was there too much fat cushioning that area before to the point where I couldn't feel pain or what? I also feel extra tired. I almost skipped my run today because of it, but I ain't no punk. :-)

I was just sitting here wondering how others dealt with this issue. My experience has been this... I'll run or do some other activity and during I won't notice any pain, but afterwards I'll feel it again. I don't like to pop pills unless the pain gets excruciating though.

What are other natural remedies used to alleviate "time of the month" pain besides physical activity? Does running or exercising period alleviate any of your menstrual blues or you can't even peel yourself off of the couch to know how that'd feel? Side note: I want a apple pie with vanilla ice cream on top or a chocolate cupcake. :-/

Just curious.

Today's RUN

We kept it short today only running 2 miles. That street has hills though, so it wasn't like 2 easy miles. I put in work. I'm trying to get used to running in my suburban, non-pedestrian friendly neighborhood. There's a street nearby that isn't too bad traffic-wise, but I've driven by before and noticed mangy mutts in some of the yards. I'm more concerned with that than the cars. There weren't any the past couple times I've ran that street and they are usually tied up or fenced in. I'm not afraid of dogs usually, but you don't know the temperament of EVERYONE's dog. Especially the people who have their dogs tied up outside and barely walk them. They have too much pent up energy. But, I digress. I'd never run this route alone. I'm always with the hubs when I run it. With my luck, they'd probably choose me to chew before him though... but I'll just bring my pepper spray next time. 

I'm Just Being Lazy.

I don't know what's wrong with my mojo lately. I can go hard with my workouts one week and flop the next. Last week I was kickboxing, running, AND strength training. I can't even blame it on the heat lately, only on pure laziness. Well, I could also blame it on the fact that if I want to go for a SAFE run I can't just step outside of my home, I have to drive somewhere. There are no sidewalks. The suburbs, or at least where I live, is just not pedestrian friendly. That's probably the main culprit. I used to attend all the group runs around the city whenever I could, but now I just don't feel like driving and gas prices aren't helping (Maybe if I stop driving around town eating at all of the trending restaurants I could. HA!).

I lost most of my weight at the gym and doing home workouts, but that's not going to cut it for me anymore. My primary cardio is running, by choice. I'm not going for long distances over the summer, I'm supposed to be going for speed. But um, how can I become faster without consistency? I probably wouldn't have ran today if it weren't for the hubs. I have not been eating my best and before today I hadn't worked out in 4 days. Matter of fact, I was surprised I pulled off an average pace under 10 min/mile after so long without doing anything. My motivation should be trying to lose this tummy, but I was in the store the other day and thought, "shoot, I'll just wear a one-piece". No, no, no, I'm going to Miami in January for the ING half marathon and I NEED to feel at least 95% comfortable with the belly budge by then. Miami just doesn't seem like the place to go to be self-conscious. Anyhoo, I'm trying to pysch myself up to get back in my groove. I want to start back with JM's 30-day shred and the Nike Training Club app. Now that I've put it out there for the "public" to see, maybe that'll make me get off my butt every week instead of every other week.

Before my 2-mile stress relief run