How I'm Fitting in Running Now That School's Back in Session

So hard to wake them up when they are sleeping so soundly!

 Yeah, so I'm a little late on the "back to school" post, but I would wager that most of us are still getting back in the swing of things. I have to admit, its nice having a routine again. But sometimes this routine is a little grueling. I can't wait for Thanksgiving, just to get the long weekend (even though we just had one for Labor Day) because I am going to be burned out by then!

So, in my school district, the kids start at 7:45 am, which seems insanely early to me. I don't know who is in charge of making up these hours, but to wake up my 6 year old Monkey at 6:15 am every day is hard sometimes even for ME! He's my grumpier child in the morning, and very difficult to get out of bed and get going. Maybe because I live in a small-ish town, everybody goes to bed early because there is not a lot going on at night, the school board must figure we all pop right out of bed before the rooster says cock-a-doodle-doo. Fortunately the Buddha's preschool doesn't start til 8:30. In my younger days, I never would have believed I would be grateful for an 8:30 start.

Me and Scrappy Mama on the move! Blair Witch looking!

I still have to get my runs in.  And now, its not just in the morning before I have to leave for work, its got to be done before I even wake Monkey up. I have got to really hand it to my running buddy, Scrappy Mama. She does the 10-minute drive to my house to arrive by 5:30 am so we can crank out 4+ miles before I have to get back and get the kids morning routine started. If I had to physically get up and leave my house and be at her house by 5:30 am I think I'd fail miserably. There are so many non-running days that my alarm goes off at 5 am and I decide I am too tired and turn it off. I wish it were different, but I'd truly be lost without my running buddy. She is pretty reliable, and there are times when we have to flake for various reasons but we always have running on the brain. If we have to cancel today, can we make it work tomorrow? We both want to be healthy and fit, for ourselves and our families. We meet up at least 3 mornings a week. On Saturday we typically do a longer run (as our childrens' sports schedules permit) and don't have to get up at so ungodly of an hour. 2 other days out of the week I do yoga or another cross-training type DVD, plus have my YMCA membership for Sunday morning TRX.

 It's all good!

--Yawn.

Transition: Working It Out

The only thing that is constant is change. I don't know who the first person was who said that but man, they weren't kidding. Monkey goes back to school on Thursday. He's going to be in shock, starting at 7:45 and all. The poor kid is going to have to get up at 6:15 am, a full hour earlier than he had to get up for preschool. And for the first time, he'll be going to school every day. I have been trying to put him to bed earlier the last several days, but that's not going so hot. I guess he will eventually self-adjust.

And what about poor Mama? I had been working out and running in the mornings before my kids get up. I have been dedicated for the last several months, but I just don't see myself getting up at 5 am. I will have to work out, get ready for work, get the kids ready for school, drop them off and go straight to work. I shouldn't knock it until I've tried it but I have never been much of  morning person and that just seems like it would be pushing it. Just a little.

I am also contemplating going to work in walking clothes, doing a power walk for 30 minutes around my office complex and changing before I head into work. There is also an onsite gym but I don't know if I will have time to get a decent work out, shower and walk into the office before 9am. My 45 minute commute unfortunately eats into any good chunk of time I would have to be productive. bleh. It will be a work in progress, stay tuned.

My Fitness Week (Weak)

No Rest For You! (Soup Nazi Voice) 
I'll be the first to admit, I wasn't very dedicated this week. After an inexplicable bout with insomnia Sunday night which ruined my Monday, I managed to pull off Yoga Meltdown on Tuesday. I don't know why I did Level 1, I really needed the push of Level 2. But whatever, I broke a sweat. I vowed to work out every day this week. Right.

Good stuff

"Who's Your Daddy?" - Jillian Michaels
Wednesday I took a day off for no apparent reason other than I usually take Wednesday off from working out. Although I wasn't supposed to, since I flaked Monday. But again, whatever. Thursday I ran about 3 miles before work - we cut it short because it was sort of windy and my RB hates wind. I am still glad we went, 3 miles is better than no miles, right? Friday we got back on track with a nice, 5 mile trail run. Saturday morning, back to Ripped in 30...which if I keep going the way I have been will be more like Ripped in 60.

Bad Office Food, Part XVII
I am officially grossed out by my snacking! You know how in the past I have talked about Bad Office Food? I took it to new heights this week. Monday, someone brought in a Boston Cream Pie. I had a decent sized piece, and felt I deserved it for no apparent reason. On Wednesday, there were brownie bites. The size really is an illusion that can mess with your mind. The serving size on the package was 1, and they were about 130 calories. I had already eaten 3 or more by the time I heard this information, because I didn't even read the label before I ate them. The same person who reported the calories started to talk about the fat and sugar, but I didn't even want to hear it because I was fully disgusted with myself and did not even want to know! This is why I eat healthy meals at home and at work, and am so obsessed with staying on track with fitness, people! Because I want to eat pie and brownies!

The Moral of the Story
I need to be better about bringing healthy snacks with me to work - I know that eating crunchy foods helps me work better. I can't explain it. So I need to pick up some celery and carrots for work snacks, and make that part of my regular grocery list. That way I will always have them on hand. I really love pita chips too, and I had them at home and have no idea why they did not make it to the office with me. And I will tell myself a thousand times I need better willpower to fight the bad food, but I don't know if I'll ever listen.

Friday, Time to Break Out the Wine

Clos La Chance, drinking local tonight!

 
TGIF my friends! What a week. It's rained non-stop here, fortunately everyone seems to be out of town because traffic was a breeze to and from work every day. I bring this up because my commute has an enormous effect on my mood. I mentioned a couple days ago I was having some challenges (um, my kids!) with exercise but have still managed to fit it in when I can. Doing even part of my yoga work out and doing arm weights and core exercises while I watch a bit of TV is not so bad! Sure I'm not out running 5 miles but I think our bodies need variety and new challenges to stay in shape. It's supposed to rain all weekend but my running buddy and I still hope to get in 10 miles between Saturday and Sunday. As a matter of fact, when I am done with this post, I plan to get on my treadmill. I am sitting here with my treadmill staring me in the face. I have no excuse! And Good Lord, will that Valentine candy just go away already??

Chip is off tonight - so we are going to do something as a family. Since its raining and one of our brood is too small to sit through a movie at the theater, I am thinking a family dinner out is what's on tap. Probably not anything too healthy as my Monkey is already telling me he is ordering a corn dog (so I'm thinking Chili's). Other than the Valentine candy I have been eating well all week. Breakfast was oatmeal, with almond milk sprinkled with blueberries and cinnamon and vanilla. This was my lunch today:

Black Bean Burrito
1 whole wheat tortilla wrap
3/4 cup black beans (rinsed if they are canned)
1/2 avocado
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Trader Joe's corn salsa
dash of salt n pepper (optional)

This is the quick and dirty assembly: Put tortilla on microwave safe plate. Put beans in center, top with cheese. Microwave for 40 seconds, depending on your microwave. Top with avocado and corn salsa. Dash with salt and pepper if you so desire. Fold up the bottom, and roll the sides. Easy, healthy and tasty.

Just waiting for the hubs to get home so I can crank out a run, and have a glass of wine. Aaah Friday. Finally. Have a fantastic weekend!

Fitness Eff-Up

The boys in their pj's playing inside Buddha's new dresser

I'm not the type to complain a lot, and I'm not really even complaining now. This week has been a mixed bag, and I fell short of some of my typical goals. I have been eating really well, despite a few pieces of See's candy from that darling heart-shaped box I got on Monday. A lot of vegetables of all different colors, hardly any meat, and no processed food. It's my blogging and exercise that sucked. I was good about running Saturday and  Sunday, but Monday my running buddy "called in sick". We already were not scheduled to run Tuesday, so I planned to get up early anyway and do Body by Bethenny. And I did, sort of.

Pottery Barn pattern for Buddha's "surf" themed room

Let me rewind a bit. I am starting to rethink putting Buddha in a bed so soon, at 28 months. He did so well in his crib, he absolutely loved it. I don't know why I was in such a hurry to get him in a big boy bed. He doesn't want to stay in it at bed time unless I lay with him until he falls asleep. Which isn't so bad, except Mama needs "me time" and wants to put him down and walk out so I can blog and watch TV. I sound horrible, but its true. Sometimes it takes him about 45 minutes for him to go out. Before, he'd just amuse himself in his crib on his own until he fell asleep and I was so proud of his independence and ability to self-soothe. Now, I sort of feel like a prisoner who's night is pretty much over when its time for the kids to go to bed.

Even my morning work outs for me now are at risk. The Buddha is waking up sometimes a little before 6 a.m, which is when I leave for running. So far, and its been a miracle, he hasn't woken up that early on my running days. If he's telepathic and he gets it, then I'm going to encourage that. But on my other days when I am not running but working out at home, he is waking up before I even have a chance to make any noise or even start my DVD. That kind of telepathy I do not support. For whatever reason, this darling, sweet, cherubic love of mine does NOT like me to do yoga. He looks downstairs and sees me on that mat and he starts to scream.

"WAIT MOMMY!!" he wails.

I don't know what I am supposed to wait for. He lays down on the ground and writhes around like he is in pain. Yesterday, I was 20 minutes into a 40 minute work out and I was totally irritated. Since Chip works nights I have to keep the kids quiet. Monkey was awake too, but he is a total Mommy Yoga Supporter. He even goes to the closet where I get my mat, takes it out and unrolls it for me. I love it.

This work out is excellent for my hamstrings and counterbalances my running

I made do, pausing the DVD to put the TV on in their playroom which mostly worked. I managed to finish the work out although I think I might have missed part of a sequence on one side of my body but oh well. I planned to do the same thing this morning but was a complete YOGA FAIL. I had even tried asking the Bude if he wanted to sleep in his crib last night.

"NO! Sleep."

He promptly hugged his bear and fell over onto his pillow pet with a huge smile on his face. Did he fall asleep right away? No. Did I? Of  course. At some point I made it out to watch TV with my hubby who had actually stayed home sick. Naturally, both kids got up early this morning. It was a school day and before I started it was too late for me to work out and still be ready in time.

I'm not going to give up, I am planning to try the DVD again tomorrow. I think Buddha likes his bed and it might be too late to go back to the crib. I just have to be patient, and know that eventually he will get the hang of this. I also need to give a shout out to my man, who I know will still encourage me to run in the morning, even if it means dealing with Buddha if he wakes up before I get back.  And, there's always velcro. Just kidding.

Hope you all are having a fabulous week so far...we are on the downside...2 days until the weekend!

Running Crazy!

 

Speeding Up

I know its only Tuesday, but I am having a great week. I have already run 12 miles! My running buddy and I were feeling like we had hit a plateau, so we added a little extra distance on to our morning route. It's just the little kick we needed to get going again. We have also been trying to increase our pace, and sometimes mix it up with a bit of alternating between walking briefly and then running fast. We talk a lot while we run, but sometimes running gets a little boring if we just keep the same pace all the time. I swear since we have increased our pace our runs seem to go by faster, even though we have added distance. And, my legs feel it so much more. I am sore and fatigued, but in a good way. If there is such a thing.

Minding My House

I have also been improving on the household front. I have spending less "unfocused" time online. Instead of aimlessly surfing the web or checking for Facebook updates and tweets like an addict jonesing for crack, or just sitting while watching TV, I have been multi-tasking and getting more done. Last week I managed to dust my bedroom, clean 2 bathrooms, and vacuum 3 rooms and do an insane amount of laundry. Not only did I just wash and dry the clothes, but I folded them and put them away. One night I even did arm weights while I watched TV. By no means did I achieve all that really needs to be done in my house on a weekly basis, but I have already accepted the fact that I can't do it all when I am working full time. Anything that gets done is a bonus!

Family Time

During the week this still suffers and I don't know if there really is a solution. I don't know what I'm going to do when my kids are in school and have homework, and how we're going to get it done. By the time I get home from work it seems like all I have time to do are the necessities: feed, bathe, and bed. Buddha has been sleeping in a bed now for 1 whole week! Only at night time, as he still has been napping in his crib. This is because during the week I am not here and I think it might be a little too much for my MIL and Mom who split the week watching my kids to try to sleep train him in a big boy bed. He has figured out that he can get off the bed and walk out of the room. And he tries it, repeatedly. He still desperately needs his nap during the day and I am afraid that initially when we take his crib away completely that he may end up skipping naps because his caregivers can't keep him in bed. I guess we'll get there in due time.

Food, Bite By Bite

I want to start documenting what I eat on my blog, but am afraid it will become a chore. So I may do it from time to time, and will continue to share great recipes as I try them out. I have been doing well with eating so far this week (I know, its only Tuesday!) and have discovered my love for quinoa. I stumbled upon this website for  quinoa recipes. If you sign up for the newsletter, will you receive a free download of a cook book! I can't wait to try many of them, they look fabulous and quinoa is good stuff. It's a complete protein (which is rare for a plant food). You can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

I have been eating egg whites and wheat toast for breakfast and find that it keeps me satisfied until my mid- morning snack, which has been half a grapefruit the past 2 days. I continue to bring my lunch to work to prevent me from making bad choices. Monday, for lunch I had tuna mixed with Dijon mustard, and lettuce on an Orowheat Sandwhich Thin. I love those things. I used to think I needed to mix my tuna with a bit of mayo, but Trader Joe's makes this great Dijon which is full of flavor and has a little kick to it. I can easily do without the mayonaise! I also had a small cup of Campbell's V-8 Vegetable Soup. When I was craving something sweet later I had a banana. Today I brought a piece of chicken I baked the night before, and some quinoa I had made over the weekend, which was mixed with sauteed onions, diced tomatoes, garlic, and some organic jarred marinara. I had more vegetable soup on hand but wasn't hungry enough to eat it.

Tomorrow I will be roasting a spaghetti squash, which will yield enough for me to eat the next few days for lunch or dinner. I have learned to appreciate meatless meals...not just on Monday, any day of the week. YUM!

Hope your week is off to a good start my friends!

So Far, So Good

You Can Teach a Dog New Tricks
I am midway through my 5th week of my new crazy fitness plan. Crazy for me, that is. I saw my parents the other night at a birthday gathering for my sister, and they had a good laugh over me running outside before dawn on a regular basis. They shared stories - especially with my amused husband - about how I couldn't be woken up if my life depended on it, when I was younger and still living at home. Sometimes I can't believe it, but I have grown to really cherish the "extra" time during the day this new schedule gives me. I used to be a total night owl, but I would my evenings reading magazines or other doing unconstructive things like watching TV and surfing the web. And while my Tivo was cleared on a regular basis, I was tired in the morning and my ass had couch prints.

Staying Focused
Nowadays, I am like a granny, trying to be in bed between 9 and 9:30 on the 3-4x per week I have to get up and run the next day. When I get back, my family is still sleeping. I can drink coffee in peace, eat a little breakfast, wash/fold some laundry, check my email...I have quiet time just for me!  At night when I get home from work I am still in kind of a mad rush to get the kids fed, bathed and put to bed. And after that, rather than stay up too late trying to cram in some laundry or catch up on my shows, I just go to bed. I have a really great book I have been dying to read, but I know it will keep me up too late so I have put off starting it. I really want to stay focused on this plan for as long as I can. And I have realized, I don't even miss half of the shows used to "need" to watch. I have stopped recording most of them and also not replaced series that are off season or cancelled with new shows. I still watch TV, but I keep it to just a few nights a week, and only programs that I really LOVE.

Pushing the Limits
Additionally, I only give myself 1 day off exercise during the week, right in the middle. The days I am not running, I try to mix things up a bit by adding in yoga, pilates or doing an interval training (walking) on my treadmill. It's good practice to keep your muscles guessing by cross-training. This will prevent your body from getting too used to one form of exercise and your muscles will stay challenged by the variety. Already, my morning runs are getting easier, and my time is decreasing for the same route. Soon I'll be adding more distance!

Seeing Is Believing
I love looking in the mirror and seeing a thinner face staring back at me. I look so much better when my thighs are tight and muscular, and my butt is perky. Yoga is really toning my arms. I am working on my middle, which could definitely use some firming up and  that is always the last to go! I have to remember to keep drinking water and flushing out the toxins and things that make me puffy. As my running partner and I always say to each other - "Kick ass!"

Hope you are having a kick ass week!

How To Make A Plan And Stick With It!

Photo courtesy of D. Sharon Pruitt

Eliminate the Obstacles
It has been a week since I decided to embark on the only crazy fitness plan I could commit to, which is dragging my disoriented, sleepy body out of bed while it is still dark out to run before I go to work. I have always liked exercise (which I know isn't for everyone) and working out to be physically fit as opposed to dieting (which I hate). I believe regular exercise,  healthy eating and drinking in moderation is the best thing for me. Anything that you make too difficult, such as a ridiculously hard fitness regimen or a deprivation diet, will be too hard to stick to and only set you up for failure. My only major problem with all this has been finding time to exercise. So as I wrote about last week, I decided enough is enough - I am not going to let my job, my kids, or husband interfere with my workouts anymore. While none of it is intentional, sometimes coordinating with the aforementioned parties just makes getting out for a run difficult! The best plan for me was to get up before everyone else, and get it out of the way before someone needs me for something. So far so good.

Boost in Self-Esteem
In the last 7 days I have run 5 days, and done 1 interval training on my treadmill. I feel fantastic. I can already see a difference in my body. My legs are stronger and more defined, and my core is tightening up. I am totally in a great mood at the start of my day because by the time I get to work I have already accomplished something major (including sitting in traffic, but that's a whole other story). I have a steady stream of energy until the afternoon, but that is a work in progress. I've had a hard time sleeping on the nights before I get up to run before work because I think deep down I am worried my alarm won't wake me. I think that over time, I will get more comfortable and maybe will become so exhausted that I will pass out when I hit the pillow the way I used to.

Crying Babies Won't Stand in My Way
So far I have only had one minor snafu. This morning my 2 year-old woke up at 4 a.m. for some reason and was crying. I let it go for a while and was hoping he would stop, but he didn't. I tried to take him to bed with me, and although he stopped crying he didn't want to sleep. I turned on the TV so I could get a little half-hearted sleep but before I knew it my alarm was going off at 5:30 a.m. I had to change and meet my running buddy. My little Pork Chop (a.k.a. Buddha) cried when I tried to leave him in the bed with my hubby who was getting pretty irritated at this point. I could have turned and walked out but I felt bad for him. So I grabbed a jacket, a hat, and a blanket and plopped him in the jogging stroller and away we went. I wasn't going to look for any excuse to get out of running - I was looking for ways to make sure I went.

My parting words this evening - you can make it happen if really want to. For months I kept telling myself that there was just no good time to exercise. But I just needed to make  a good time. Choose an attainable goal - even if its just to get moving for 30 minutes a day to start off with. Make it one of your priorities like brushing your teeth. You'll be glad you did!