Fickle Shoe Love

You may recall when I got new shoes here and here.  I have fallen out of love once again and returned the last pair of shoes and bought a new pair.

I took them for a spin on the treadmill last night and they felt pretty good.  Well, two spins actually.  I ran a quick 2 miles, hopped off to do some weight training, and then ran another slower two miles (because squats make my legs angry!).  I was very happy with the way my leg felt during both runs.  I'm hoping this is a long and loving marriage for the next 300-500 miles. 

I think the answer to my leg issue is to run outside more.  I went for a run with my dad over the weekend and felt really, really good!  The best part about it all was the I was too busy focusing on the not tripping over roots and rocks that I wasn't over thinking my stride/gait/whatever.  My leg never bothered me or crossed my mind once!  I tend to focus on how I am feeling and try to make too many adjustments in my stride when I am running on the treadmill...and I don't think that is a good thing.

Anyway, after my workout, Julia and I enjoyed a delicious, peach-strawberry smoothie :)  Alex had gone out for the night to a Hokie event so it was just a girls night in.  I have to admit some of my favorite moments are the ones where it's just the two of us.  What can I say?  I'm selfish and love having her all to myself (when she is behaving, happy, and quiet) ;)

Back to my usual self after I finish this smoothie!


Do you have fickle shoe love?

What's your favorite time with your kid(s)?

It's like drinking Pumpkin Pie :)

Good Evening Everyone!  I hope your week is going well :)  Today I ran two miles on the treadmill....at least it was something.  I had the hardest time getting out of bed.  I think my body just needs more sleep.  Tomorrow I am teleworking from home so I am planning on doing a four mile run outside before I start work. 

Julia and I had a delicious treat this evening :)

Healthy Pumpkin Smoothie

3 heaping spoonfuls of pureed pumpkin
3 tbsp agave syrup
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp all-spice
2 tsp cinnamon
6 ice cubes

Put everything into a blender, blend and enjoy!

This was definitely a great way to get Julia to eat another vegetable for the day.  I still have pumpkin puree left so maybe we will have pumpkin pancakes tomorrow morning!  Mmmmm!

Mostly Cloudy but All Smiles

Good Morning :)  It's 73 degrees out, most cloudy and I love it!  Dare I say we are in our decent into Fall weather????  I had the most enjoyable run this morning.  I went six miles!  It felt really great and I didn't feel exhausted at the end.  I also did not walk at all and my pace kicked some booty! 

Of course, I ran in my new Mizunos and wore my running pak.

The running pak says that it doesn't bounce while you run and I suppose that is technically true.  It DOES ride up though.  I started with it down by my belly button and two minutes into the run it was almost to my chest.  Maybe if I tighten it up that will help....

The plan for my run this morning was to try a new route.  It involved going down the Prince William Parkway, which doesn't have a side walk.  It was a little scary at times but the shoulder was large enough to put adequate space between me and traffic.  I finished up the route that I planned out and looked at my Nike+ to check the distance.  I had gone five miles.   Emily had six miles planned for today and I thought I might as well do the same :)  So I started running through the side streets of my neighborhood to get that extra mile.

Once I finished my six miles, I went home for some breakfast.  I usually love to fix eggs and sausage on the weekends but after all that running, I didn't feel like being in front of a hot stove.  So Julia had yogurt with fresh berries and granola and I had a delicious smoothie!

Today's smoothie had frozen, sweet cherries, fresh blueberries, fresh strawberries, spinach, wheat germ, chia seeds, almond milk, vanilla protein powder, and baking cocoa powder.  It was soo good!  I can't remember if I have tried cocoa in my smoothies before or not, but I will definitely be doing it again.  I can't wait to try a smoothie with cocoa and put some almond butter or peanut butter in it too.  YUM!

Well I am off to train with Patrice now and then to the running store to check out compression socks.

What's your favorite way to refuel after a run?

~Andrea

Back to the Grind

Tonight was my first workout since coming back from vacation and I was really glad that I went.  Exercise is just one of those things that you never regret doing.

The morning that we left on vacation, I got up and went for run around our neighborhood because I knew it might be difficult to get my workouts done while on vacation.  I have to admit that I had Kara in my head that morning.  She's an ulta-marathon runner and she is also the mother of a toddler!  People ask her how she has time to run all the time and her response is "I make time."  If I want to be fit and healthy and want my daughter to see that fitness is important, then I definitely need to make time for it and make it a priority.

This doesn't apply to anything I just wrote about, but aren't we cute? Haha

Last night's workout with Patrice was pretty good.  To be honest, I wasn't hurting as much as I thought I would be.  Don't tell her this, but I thought she could have pushed me more.  I have been toying with the idea of not continuing on with the personal training but investing in some weights for my home instead.  I was thinking about doing it alone for some time and then possibly hiring her again a couple months before our wedding (still no date yet....).  Good idea or no?

After my workout with Patrice, I had a delicious smoothie.  It had frozen peaches, fresh raspberries, spinach, and vanila whey protein.  Yum :)  I really like the spinach in smoothies; you don't taste it at all.  Alex even had some so you know it was at least decent to the normal person.

I do feel that I have come out of my rut a little.  I have felt like there has been a little more swagger in my strut (haha!) and my mood has definitely been elevated.  I did not get up this morning for my workout so I am will work out tonight. 

So I'm feeling good again and I love it!  Today is my "Friday" and it's a holiday weekend so I am off for the next four days!!  Woo hoo :)  My plan for the weekend is to clean my house (read: unpack from vacay), run every day, and do some scrapbooking!  Alex's parents have also set up and official meeting of our families on Saturday too :)  I will let you know how it goes!

What are your holiday plans?

~Andrea

I bleed purple

Hello!  I have either caught the attention of fellow Dukes or Emily with this title :)  Yesterday just seemed to be very purple for some reason.  It started out very delicious too!

This was the most amazing smoothie I have made so far!  I put frozen peaches, frozen blueberries, chia seeds, almond milk, spinach and.....da da da daaaaaah....

Oh my yummy!!  I've never tried this protein powder (in a purple-y bag) before so of course, I bought it from Costco!  No regrets.  This powder mixes so much better than my last one and tastes so deliciously vanilla-y.  I'm sooo tempted to run back and grab the chocolate too :)   I was a little sad that I was running late getting ready for work because I loved that smoothie so much!  I wish I had time to really enjoy it.

Anyway, my workout was pretty intense yesterday morning.  I did the Jackie Warner HIIT workout on the treadmill.  Usually I do it only four times in total but yesterday I decided to do it one more time for luck.  I was exhausted and sweaty!  Both signs of a great workout! 

After my workout and delicious smoothie, it was time to get to work...

I had at least one admirer of my outfit ;)

What color was your day?

~Andrea

Frosted Fig

Good Evening All!  This past weekend, as many of you know, I began running again.  After a run in the heat, I have little to no desire to eat anything.  My breakfast all weekend was smoothies :)  Now, some of you may remember that when I decide to try a new food, I often buy it in bulk from Costco.  This is true of figs.

A coworker convinced me that figs were delicious and that I should try them.  The next day I came home from Costco with twenty-four fresh figs.  I had no idea how to eat figs so naturally I googled it.  Turns out you just bite in :)  My google search also informed me that fresh figs start to rot very quickly.  I had approximately 3 days to eat twenty-four figs.  EEK!

As you know from my Personal Chef :) post, Alex was wonderful and made some delicious chicken that used some of the figs but there were still many remaining.  Alex is not one to support the waste of food or money, so he looked up online and found that fresh figs freeze very well.  So into the freezer they went!

After my ridiculous runs in code red heat, I had little to no desire to cook or eat anything.   Smoothies were the very natural choice to get some protein and cool off.  This was the perfect opportunity to use my frozen figs! 

I put one scoop of protein powder, 1/2 cup blueberries, 2 frozen figs, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 cup Greek yogurt and 1 packet of splenda.  It was delicious!  I have no doubt that I will be able to use all of these figs :)

What do you put in your smoothies?

~Andrea

ch-ch-ch-CHIA!

Good Evening All!  I have a lovely coworker of mine that has introduced me to something new that I want to share with you.  Chia seeds.  Yes, that's right the kind that you spread on a terracotta cow and it grows into grass :)  Please do not eat the seeds that come in those packages; buy them at a food store.

Source

So basically, these little seeds are pretty awesome when it comes to health and weight loss.  They are able to absorb tons of liquid so they are really great for thickening up smoothies/oatmeal and help with hydration.  On Tuesday night after my training session with Patrice, I made a smoothie with protein powder, almond milk, blueberries, strawberries and chia seeds.  I was pretty amazed at the way it thickened up the smoothie so it almost had the same texture as a milkshake.  It was very enjoyable.  It also made me feel very full :)

After such a good experience with them in my smoothie, I decided to make overnight oats and include them.  This is one way my coworker has used them so I decided it would be a safe choice.  I usually make my overnight oats with 1/2 cup rolled oats and 1 cup milk, which makes it very soupy (but I like it).  With the chia seeds added to it, the mixture was much thicker and even pudding-like. 

Anyway, I have really enjoyed the ch-ch-ch-Chia seeds so far.  I'm really glad that my coworker gave me some to try!  I will definitely make the investment in a supply of my own :)

~Andrea

Hello Again!

What a long time it has been since I last posted...Yikes! I have been busy meeting with Patrice and doing lots of holiday activities so I have been pretty busy.

So far, I have not been disappointed with the investment in personal training. Patrice really works me hard and I am sweating buckets and breathing hard through every workout. I keep thinking that I need to be writing down these workouts so I can duplicate them once my time with Patrice is done. ***mental note to self***

I haven't seen any dramatic progress so far in the way my body looks but it does seem as though some of my clothing is fitting a little looser. I just keep reminding myself that gradual progress is more likely to be permanent results. If you get results too quickly, it's likely they will leave just as quickly!

Yesterday Julia came home for a day after being with her father for a week and a half :) It was soo good to see her again. I have missed my little girl! In the afternoon, I made us a smoothie of almond milk, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. YUM! It was a healthy treat that was very satisfying.

After dinner, the whole family went out for a bike ride around the block. G-pa has an attachment for Julia that makes his bike a tandem. She loves to ride it! It is about a mile around the block so it was a good bit of exercise too.

That's all for now!
~Andrea

HIIT me!

What a great morning workout!  I did some high intensity interval training (HIIT) and it felt really good.  I completed 30 minutes on the treadmill and I was seriously sweating!  Basically, the HIIT is alternating between short periods of exerting your maximum effort followed by periods of rest/recovery.  HIIT

After a tough workout, I decided to make a delicious smoothie for breakfast.  I just used a Yoplait smoothie mix that I bought from Costco and added in some protien powder and ground flax seed.  Yum!  With no straws in the house, I decided to eat my smoothie cereal-style in a bowl with a spoon.

The rest of my day seemed to fly by which was good.  I have continued to try to keep track of the foods that I am eating, which oddly enough I think has made me less hungry.  Before I started tracking my intake, I just felt like I was just trying to cut back on what I ate and felt deprived and hungry all the time.  Now that I know how much I want to eat each day, I feel more empowered to make the decision of what and when to eat.  I'm not saying I don't feel hungry anymore but I don't feel like I need to eat every thirty minutes.  Does that make sense?

Tonight I'm going to experiment with overnight oats....stay tuned tomorrow for what that is and how they turned out!

~Andrea