New Month, New Challenges

It's time for new goals and new perspectives. Make the last part of the the year even better. Remember those 2015 goals we made last December?

Today was pretty uneventful. Just the way my introverted self likes it. I did go to the gym this morning and joined a cycle class. It's been over a year since my last class. I did so much better than I thought and I can't believe I stayed on beat and with the instructor about 95% of the time, ha ha. I guess it helped that this class seemed somewhat on the beginner's level. I want to continue going. It IS a good exercise for runners. I also feel like my weight has plateaued so it's definitely time to break it up. My body is used to running and I don't burn as many calories as I used to from it.

I stopped by Walmart on the way home for some snacks for my upcoming road trip. Among the items I bought was more Greek yogurt for my smoothies and for this new healthy toddler treat idea I saw on Pinterest, yogurt drops. They're hardening in the fridge as I type, so I'll have to report on how this different texture tastes to me and most importantly to my son. He's the pickiest eater ever.

Good to the last drop. Ingredients were: berries, banana, & vanilla Greek yogurt

On to the next! If you follow me on Instagram, you may of seen that I joined a challenge calling "Jumping Into June Challenge". We were to jump rope a certain number throughout the week. It was going well for me the first couple days as far as completing the reps, but on my runs that followed, I experienced fatigued legs and what I hate most of all...SHIN splints! So yeah, that challenged ended in less than two weeks for me.

Checking through my e-mail today, I noticed FitFluential started a new challenge for this month called the July FitFluential Challenge (search hashtags #FF100 & #FFChallenge for motivation). There's a calendar with one type of exercise for every day in July that you should complete 100 reps. I think that's doable, right?  I'll incorporate this with whatever other workouts I decide to do even after Saturdays 10 k.

Check it out! Maybe you can join me.

So as I mentioned above, today was pretty uneventful. There was rain in the forecast, which meant I didn't want to risk taking the boy anywhere and getting caught in it trying to hold him and an umbrella...again #disaster. So I decided this was the perfect time to get half way through packing for our upcoming trip. It. took. forever with this little one throwing my shoes everywhere, re-wrinkling clothes I'd already ironed... ugh. I finally finished after about 2 1/2 hours and a lunch break.

Did I mention how much I love summer break? At home with so many options, getting so many things done. No? Well I do! I have about 4 more weeks to go and I'm so trying not to think about it. Life is about to get real hectic around here plus grad school, too. Lord help me.

What did you do today? What are your goals for part 2 of this year?

Fueling for a Stellar Performance!

This post idea couldn't of come at a better time as I am preparing to run a 10k this Saturday. I can definitely tell a major difference during my workouts or my runs when I eat properly and when I don't. I look at choosing the green smoothie over that scrumptious warm looking chocolate chip cookie as an incentive.

For one, if I'm going to choose the cookie I may as well not work out. I'm wasting time and energy. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been super perfect in the nutrition lately. But I can say I've done about 70% well and I can still tell a difference even then. I have a general rule for myself and that's just not to eat too many fatty meals in a row. My problem can be the unhealthy snacking in between those healthy meals.

So with that being said, I feel my best when I am consistent, eat less fatty meals, and DRINK WATER.

Before Workouts
If I work out in the morning, I don't eat anything. If I have to have something it's oatmeal and/or a banana. I tend to eat late at times and I feel too full if I try to eat before my morning workouts. If I turn in early the previous night or are half marathon training, then I'll have something light for breakfast like a banana, eggs, or sometimes a green smoothie.

During Workouts
My normal workouts are usually an hour and a half or less, so I'll have water and that's it. If I'm half marathon training, I like to bring water or the sports beans (something with sugar). I usually hit that mark of needing something around 8-9 miles out.

Post Workout
Post workout I'll usually have a carb (green smoothie w/soy protein powder, plain banana, occasionally bread) and a protein. My protein usually ends up being eggs.

...

I like to keep my diet as simple and natural as possible. I don't judge for using artificial supplements, but personally I would only use those if I need to save time or can't get to my kitchen...as an actual supplement and NOT a total replacement as some folks I know work out on a regular do.

So, that's it in a nutshell. Hopefully my post helps someone. If there's any questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to post them below.

Before I end, today was my rest day, but I decided to have a little fun with my sister and try some core work using my stability ball. I realize my form was a little off, but this won't be my last time.

Photo credit: Pinterest

How do you 'fuel up'? Share the link to your post or comment below.

Today's Run Was Awesome!

Despite my blog title, I woke up feeling the monthly miserable, lethargic, and unmotivated. I didn't feel like moving out of my nice comfy bed, dressing my child to drop him off, OR driving the 45 minutes to the safest place to run solo. On top of that I got to that side of town and I could now tell it had been raining. I was praying I wouldn't get caught in the rain or maybe I wanted it to rain so I could use that as an excuse not to run? Hmmm? All #firstworldproblems, yes.

Anyhow, I got to the park and was preparing to run when I realized not only had I lost my armband, but my second set of earbuds weren't working. So a run with no music it was. This is where people watching and listening to my breathing really came in handy...because fast forward to the end of my run, 5 miles later. It. was. awesome!

Without all of my gadgets readily available to look at, I wasn't distracted by how fast or slow I was running. I just ran and listened to my breathing. I was very surprised at my splits.

The last two miles were super hilly as you can see.

What I was most surprised at was that I worried for nothing. If you read my last post (I'm getting the vibe that I don't give myself enough credit), but I mentioned I was worried that my slower pace while running with the jogger would slow me down on my next solo run. It didn't. 

Despite this route being super hilly, this was my fastest time around it in a looooong time. So yeah, I'm pleased with only 6 more days until race day. :-)