A few years ago my left foot had developed a "stress reaction" and I had to take a break from running and wear a boot. After several weeks wearing this boot, I was getting frustrated and desperate for "my" injury to heal, and I happened upon a woman in my church who stopped, placed her hand on my foot and prayed for healing. We got to talking briefly about what was going on with my foot, when she said something that has stuck with me since.
She told me that I needed to stop taking ownership of the injury. That the injury did not belong to me and that I needed to stop defining who I was by this one injury. She told me I was God's, and that God gives good gifts to his children, so why would I accept this curse as my own. I needed to release the injury and fully give it to God.
I got to thinking about it and she was right. I was taking ownership of the injury as though it was inevitable and belonged to me. If I really wanted to be released from the injury, I had to release it and allow God to heal it. This is not an easy concept to grasp much less to do and it takes a lot of refocusing your heart and mind.
I was thinking this evening about how we often take ownership in our imperfections. When someone says I am overweight or I am obese they are defining themselves as overweight or obese. If that is who you are, then what motivation really is there to change? It can apply to so many conditions, think about it, I am diabetic or I am an addict. If this is who you are, then there is no need to change... right? Because when you change, then who are you?
The opposite is true, you can define yourself as your accomplishments. I was obese, but now I am thin because I ate healthy and started to exercise. I learned this a few years ago. For the longest time, I would define myself as the guy who lost a lot of weight. People would be talking and I would be thinking, not long ago, I weighed more. Another instance would be when I met someone new, Hi, I'm Paul, you don't know this, but I lost a lot of weight. I didn't really do this, but I thought it... a lot.
The thing is, ultimately, no one put me on their shoulders chanting my name. I still went to work, did my job and came home. My wife and child still loved me regardless of the weight loss. I was and am still me, whether fat, thin, tall, or short.
As we travel through this 40 day Lenten fast, I challenge you to some introspection. Really examine yourself. Journal if necessary. You are a unique and lovely person and you are better than you think. You are not your weaknesses, nor are you the sum of your strengths. You are not your failures, nor are you the sum of your successes. You are not your ailments, nor are you the sum of your health. You are a beautiful child of God with a purpose and a call on your life. You are the only thing that can stop you from pursuing that call and purpose.
I truly believe that there is an enemy that tries to stop you from seeking your call. The enemy will use anything in his arsenal to prevent you from even trying, because he knows that if you rely on God's strength, you will accomplish God's call on your life. The enemy uses obesity, addiction, health condition, injury, psychological attacks and many more weapons against you. The moment you release these attacks and disown them, the moment you give them fully to God, you will, in God's full strength, see and experience all the great things He has in store for you.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Soup is EASY!
If you can make stock, you can make soup. The very best way to make stock is to follow my friend Faith's blog at this link http://tryandlike.blogspot.com/2011/06/homemade-stock.html . After you have mastered the art of making stock the right way, you can EASILY make any soup of your choosing. You just need to... well... have some patience.
Today, I got home and took out 2 quarts of home-made stock and poured them into a pot. This is the stock I made after I made the whole chicken on Sunday. I simply took everything that was chicken related that could not be eaten by me and put it in the pot with water. I then simmered the carcass and all the parts in this water for a few hours, then strained it into another pot and stored it in the refrigerator. I had one extra quart which I froze.
I put the 2 quarts of stock in the pot and chopped up some celery, carrots, onions, and minced some garlic and dropped it in the pot. I also, just for fun, put a cup of black-eyed-peas in the mix along with a pre-apportioned pile of chopped up chicken (from the chick on Sunday). I then put some salt, pepper and basil into the pot and let it simmer for about 2 hours.
That's soup.
Just take what you have and put it in some water or stock, then season it and let it simmer over time.
If you are anything like me, you get overwhelmed by the list of instructions recipes provide. Soup should be the complete opposite. Why? Well, think about the origins of soup and stew. Basically, take whatever might rot in the next couple of days, chop it up and cook it. Blamo! Soup. You season to your taste. My taste might be completely different, but soup is entirely up to you and your taste.
If you are anything like me, you thought for the longest time that soup was something you either buy in cans, a box, or at a restaurant. It was too hard for you to make. Well, as I've learned over the last few years, soup is very easy to make, just take what you've got, put it all together and simmer over time. Season to your taste and you might actually find that making soup is extremely easy, tasty, and significantly more healthy than buying it in a can-- no matter how clever the commercials!
Just treat bullion cubes as the devil and you will be A-O-K!
Enjoy your 40 day fast! I hope this helps in some meal choices... one more thing, if you are ever in a restaurant and they have soup as a special, ask, what is the base of the soup? If bullion is the answer, RUN! If stock is the answer, order it. If I don't know is the answer... order something else.
Thanks for reading and God be with you!
Today, I got home and took out 2 quarts of home-made stock and poured them into a pot. This is the stock I made after I made the whole chicken on Sunday. I simply took everything that was chicken related that could not be eaten by me and put it in the pot with water. I then simmered the carcass and all the parts in this water for a few hours, then strained it into another pot and stored it in the refrigerator. I had one extra quart which I froze.
I put the 2 quarts of stock in the pot and chopped up some celery, carrots, onions, and minced some garlic and dropped it in the pot. I also, just for fun, put a cup of black-eyed-peas in the mix along with a pre-apportioned pile of chopped up chicken (from the chick on Sunday). I then put some salt, pepper and basil into the pot and let it simmer for about 2 hours.
That's soup.
Just take what you have and put it in some water or stock, then season it and let it simmer over time.
If you are anything like me, you get overwhelmed by the list of instructions recipes provide. Soup should be the complete opposite. Why? Well, think about the origins of soup and stew. Basically, take whatever might rot in the next couple of days, chop it up and cook it. Blamo! Soup. You season to your taste. My taste might be completely different, but soup is entirely up to you and your taste.
If you are anything like me, you thought for the longest time that soup was something you either buy in cans, a box, or at a restaurant. It was too hard for you to make. Well, as I've learned over the last few years, soup is very easy to make, just take what you've got, put it all together and simmer over time. Season to your taste and you might actually find that making soup is extremely easy, tasty, and significantly more healthy than buying it in a can-- no matter how clever the commercials!
Just treat bullion cubes as the devil and you will be A-O-K!
Enjoy your 40 day fast! I hope this helps in some meal choices... one more thing, if you are ever in a restaurant and they have soup as a special, ask, what is the base of the soup? If bullion is the answer, RUN! If stock is the answer, order it. If I don't know is the answer... order something else.
Thanks for reading and God be with you!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Release Your Inner Beast
I went for a short, 4 mile run today pushing my 4 year old son in his jogging stroller. He's over 36 pounds now and I haven't pushed him in the stroller for a while. While we have had such a mild winter, it still hasn't really been warm enough for a jogging stroller ride, but my wife was away for the afternoon and since it was supposed to be a short, easy run anyway, I figured that instead of asking the baby sitter to stay a little longer, I would just take him out for a run.
A lot has changed since we last went out together. Rodichoks, our local farm market, has closed, so as we ran by, I had to explain that we can no longer go there on summer days to get fresh, locally grown fruit, sweet corn, and veggies. As we continued down the usual, what I'll call the "stroller route" (since no other routes are very kind to strollers) he kept asking about seeing the firetruck. One of the local fire companies has, for several years, kept an old, yellow firetruck up on blocks with parts slowly disappearing. It was one of our trade mark stops, but alas it, too, is gone. We turned around to head back down to see many other changes to our run... times like these get me to reflect.
I looked through my old Facebook photos, starting at the end and working my way to the beginning. There are also some old pictures from high school and college mixed in. The transformations that have come through the years are remarkable, sometimes I even wonder if these are pictures of the same guy. Well, perhaps it's not. I'm not the same guy I once was.
Sitting in a meeting today, where most of the members are either runners or "pre" runners (they'll get there), one of the members mentioned going long, somewhere in the 4 mile range. Then, as usual, looked at me and mentioned that the distance might not seem long to me, but it did to them. In addition, I come home and find an email that my friend's wife just gave birth to their second child (despite my best efforts, they did not name the child after me.) All this is connected.
When I was in college it was this friend that I first tried running with. Twenty minutes, nothing more- very light runs. I remember our conversations about joining this running culture- about how when we passed people riding bikes, we barely made eye contact; when we passed walkers, we just went by; but when we passed another runner, we would nod our heads give a two finger runner salute and possibly even a "hey". We joked that only runners can understand the runner's pain. Don't worry, we weren't actually this snobby, but it was just an observation that we were making as we attempted to break into the culture.
Our twenty minute runs were pure torture. There was one day, however, that we timidly invited another friend to join us... this is when we learned that we were not runners, just people who ran occasionally. We got to our 20 minute mark, and the guy says, "Oh come on, let's go at least another 10 minutes." We looked at each other in terror... we didn't say anything, but we knew what we were thinking, THIRTY minutes? Of RUNNING? What kind of a person does that?! Today... we die. Or something along those lines. In truth, we barely survived... but like most people who run, who do not become runners, we stopped our running experiment shortly thereafter.
It was years later that some well meaning old chap, challenged me to train with the AIDS marathon training program to do a Walk-Run marathon and raise money for AIDS research in the process. My run/walk was 1 to 7 (run 1 minute, walk 7 minutes). I failed this attempt at mile 20, most of it walked because my legs gave up on me somewhere closer to the half marathon mark.
The very idea of running for more than 20 minutes plagued me for years after that. I attempted, and failed at another marathon with the walk/run philosophy. I even did a 10K (walk/run) at one point. Even the thought of running a full 5K was daunting and not something I would have actually considered- I mean 3.1 MILES! Who does that!? Crazy people, that's who!
My weight fluctuated all this time as well, I would go in fits and spurts and the runner that was dying to break free stayed shackled by my own perception of limitations... but then... a little over 4 years ago my son was born, and my wife wanted to lose the baby weight. And, well, you can read the story in earlier posts, but something changed... something got transformed in me. It started February 6, 2008 (Ash Wednesday) with a little 40 day challenge with my wife. She lost too much weight, I lost a whole lot.
During the last week of May that year, I decided to give running one last try. I decided that if I could run just 20 minutes without stopping, then I'd be happy. Thirty minutes later, I was still running. When I returned to my house, I was elated... that little runner trapped inside had finally been released. It took time, but I eventually just kept increasing my time and distance. A year later, I decided to try a marathon, just one last time, to get that monkey off my back. Well, I completed that one, so I decided to slay the beast by completing my first failed marathon, then I'd be done. Finished... Then I said to heck with it, when's the next one?
I guess as we run, things are bound to change. Your long may not be my long, but we still share a kindred spirit. Even if some people ride their bike, walk, do aerobics, lift weights, do yoga, pilates, whatever- we still share the same ideals. No, it's not that we all want to live healthy. We all look to change ourselves in some way. To push beyond our perceived limits and be transformed in the process. We all do that differently at different times, but we all do it. We set goals and exceed them. We are truly better and stronger than we think we are. There is no pill that can change us into what we want to become, just us and our own willingness to break free.
So, change in life is inevitable. The terrain changes as time moves on. We cannot control it, it is beyond us. But we all know there is a little something inside of us that wants to break out and change things for the better. So, release your inner beast and enjoy the ride. The 40 day challenge is in full swing- God be with you!
A lot has changed since we last went out together. Rodichoks, our local farm market, has closed, so as we ran by, I had to explain that we can no longer go there on summer days to get fresh, locally grown fruit, sweet corn, and veggies. As we continued down the usual, what I'll call the "stroller route" (since no other routes are very kind to strollers) he kept asking about seeing the firetruck. One of the local fire companies has, for several years, kept an old, yellow firetruck up on blocks with parts slowly disappearing. It was one of our trade mark stops, but alas it, too, is gone. We turned around to head back down to see many other changes to our run... times like these get me to reflect.
I looked through my old Facebook photos, starting at the end and working my way to the beginning. There are also some old pictures from high school and college mixed in. The transformations that have come through the years are remarkable, sometimes I even wonder if these are pictures of the same guy. Well, perhaps it's not. I'm not the same guy I once was.
Sitting in a meeting today, where most of the members are either runners or "pre" runners (they'll get there), one of the members mentioned going long, somewhere in the 4 mile range. Then, as usual, looked at me and mentioned that the distance might not seem long to me, but it did to them. In addition, I come home and find an email that my friend's wife just gave birth to their second child (despite my best efforts, they did not name the child after me.) All this is connected.
When I was in college it was this friend that I first tried running with. Twenty minutes, nothing more- very light runs. I remember our conversations about joining this running culture- about how when we passed people riding bikes, we barely made eye contact; when we passed walkers, we just went by; but when we passed another runner, we would nod our heads give a two finger runner salute and possibly even a "hey". We joked that only runners can understand the runner's pain. Don't worry, we weren't actually this snobby, but it was just an observation that we were making as we attempted to break into the culture.
Our twenty minute runs were pure torture. There was one day, however, that we timidly invited another friend to join us... this is when we learned that we were not runners, just people who ran occasionally. We got to our 20 minute mark, and the guy says, "Oh come on, let's go at least another 10 minutes." We looked at each other in terror... we didn't say anything, but we knew what we were thinking, THIRTY minutes? Of RUNNING? What kind of a person does that?! Today... we die. Or something along those lines. In truth, we barely survived... but like most people who run, who do not become runners, we stopped our running experiment shortly thereafter.
It was years later that some well meaning old chap, challenged me to train with the AIDS marathon training program to do a Walk-Run marathon and raise money for AIDS research in the process. My run/walk was 1 to 7 (run 1 minute, walk 7 minutes). I failed this attempt at mile 20, most of it walked because my legs gave up on me somewhere closer to the half marathon mark.
The very idea of running for more than 20 minutes plagued me for years after that. I attempted, and failed at another marathon with the walk/run philosophy. I even did a 10K (walk/run) at one point. Even the thought of running a full 5K was daunting and not something I would have actually considered- I mean 3.1 MILES! Who does that!? Crazy people, that's who!
My weight fluctuated all this time as well, I would go in fits and spurts and the runner that was dying to break free stayed shackled by my own perception of limitations... but then... a little over 4 years ago my son was born, and my wife wanted to lose the baby weight. And, well, you can read the story in earlier posts, but something changed... something got transformed in me. It started February 6, 2008 (Ash Wednesday) with a little 40 day challenge with my wife. She lost too much weight, I lost a whole lot.
During the last week of May that year, I decided to give running one last try. I decided that if I could run just 20 minutes without stopping, then I'd be happy. Thirty minutes later, I was still running. When I returned to my house, I was elated... that little runner trapped inside had finally been released. It took time, but I eventually just kept increasing my time and distance. A year later, I decided to try a marathon, just one last time, to get that monkey off my back. Well, I completed that one, so I decided to slay the beast by completing my first failed marathon, then I'd be done. Finished... Then I said to heck with it, when's the next one?
I guess as we run, things are bound to change. Your long may not be my long, but we still share a kindred spirit. Even if some people ride their bike, walk, do aerobics, lift weights, do yoga, pilates, whatever- we still share the same ideals. No, it's not that we all want to live healthy. We all look to change ourselves in some way. To push beyond our perceived limits and be transformed in the process. We all do that differently at different times, but we all do it. We set goals and exceed them. We are truly better and stronger than we think we are. There is no pill that can change us into what we want to become, just us and our own willingness to break free.
So, change in life is inevitable. The terrain changes as time moves on. We cannot control it, it is beyond us. But we all know there is a little something inside of us that wants to break out and change things for the better. So, release your inner beast and enjoy the ride. The 40 day challenge is in full swing- God be with you!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Some Sound Advice
I've been experimenting the last couple of weeks of trying to boost my protein. The first time I attempted this experiment, I had some intestinal problems, but now I think I might have something. With the right balance of complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat and less refined sugar I have noticed the scale tipping a little bit more in my favor. That's good news.
I don't suggest and never have bought into the idea that we need to eliminate carbohydrates from our diet, but I am more and more convinced that adding protein and fat while carefully reducing and choosing more complex carbohydrates is much healthier and simpler than trying to cut carbs altogether.
What I mean by complex carbohydrates is the sources of carbohydrates that include a naturally high level of fiber and a high level of protein. Whole wheat flour naturally contains a high level of fiber and protein as do lentils, quinoa, just about any type of bean, split peas, oatmeal, brown/black rice, nuts, whole wheat pasta, etc.
Take notice, too, that I am saying to choose foods that naturally contain fiber and protein. I highly advise you to avoid foods that have added fiber. Why? Because these foods may or may not have had fiber in them before processing, but now fake-fiber has had to be put into the food. It's also possible to overdo the fiber, protein, fat... remember, too much of a good thing can easily cause problems. Too much of anything all at once can cause intestinal problems that you do not want to deal with.
What I have discovered is that the better balance is higher protein and fewer carbohydrates. Specific carbohydrates to reduce would be the simple sugars. Think about your breakfast. If you are typically eating cereal every day, even a granola, organic, all natural, super-healthy variety that says "Good source of protein" right on the box, you may be sabotaging your day. The sugar content, even if all the sources of sugar are super-tree-hugging-all natural-organic, can be way too high. We like our foods sweet, and even the organic cereal producers know that, and they know that if the cereal isn't sweet, people won't buy it. But in the long run, sugar is still sugar and too much is not good for you.
There is a lot of research that has shown a connection between obesity and sugar. This is why the Atkins, Sugar Buster styled diets are so popular. These diets are designed to break our addiction to sweets by completely removing sweets from our diet. To replace the sugars, these diets encourage a higher amount of fat and protein. It's almost counter-intuitive, but it works. The only issue I have with these diets is that I'm not sure they're as "natural" as the creators of these diets suggest. Because users of the diet tend to suddenly need supplements to make up for the lack of certain nutrition that they are no longer receiving. Certain fruits and vegetables, for example, are forbidden. However, their point is taken and I won't disparage a diet that has worked for some, I just caution dramatic diet changes that I'm not sure are healthy in the long term.
So, I tried this experiment and it seems to be doing me well. Here's an example of my typical day of eating.
Breakfasts (each bullet is a typical meal- no, I'm not eating ALL of this every morning!)
Lunches
Dinners
I don't suggest and never have bought into the idea that we need to eliminate carbohydrates from our diet, but I am more and more convinced that adding protein and fat while carefully reducing and choosing more complex carbohydrates is much healthier and simpler than trying to cut carbs altogether.
What I mean by complex carbohydrates is the sources of carbohydrates that include a naturally high level of fiber and a high level of protein. Whole wheat flour naturally contains a high level of fiber and protein as do lentils, quinoa, just about any type of bean, split peas, oatmeal, brown/black rice, nuts, whole wheat pasta, etc.
Take notice, too, that I am saying to choose foods that naturally contain fiber and protein. I highly advise you to avoid foods that have added fiber. Why? Because these foods may or may not have had fiber in them before processing, but now fake-fiber has had to be put into the food. It's also possible to overdo the fiber, protein, fat... remember, too much of a good thing can easily cause problems. Too much of anything all at once can cause intestinal problems that you do not want to deal with.
What I have discovered is that the better balance is higher protein and fewer carbohydrates. Specific carbohydrates to reduce would be the simple sugars. Think about your breakfast. If you are typically eating cereal every day, even a granola, organic, all natural, super-healthy variety that says "Good source of protein" right on the box, you may be sabotaging your day. The sugar content, even if all the sources of sugar are super-tree-hugging-all natural-organic, can be way too high. We like our foods sweet, and even the organic cereal producers know that, and they know that if the cereal isn't sweet, people won't buy it. But in the long run, sugar is still sugar and too much is not good for you.
There is a lot of research that has shown a connection between obesity and sugar. This is why the Atkins, Sugar Buster styled diets are so popular. These diets are designed to break our addiction to sweets by completely removing sweets from our diet. To replace the sugars, these diets encourage a higher amount of fat and protein. It's almost counter-intuitive, but it works. The only issue I have with these diets is that I'm not sure they're as "natural" as the creators of these diets suggest. Because users of the diet tend to suddenly need supplements to make up for the lack of certain nutrition that they are no longer receiving. Certain fruits and vegetables, for example, are forbidden. However, their point is taken and I won't disparage a diet that has worked for some, I just caution dramatic diet changes that I'm not sure are healthy in the long term.
So, I tried this experiment and it seems to be doing me well. Here's an example of my typical day of eating.
Breakfasts (each bullet is a typical meal- no, I'm not eating ALL of this every morning!)
- Eggs (WITH the yolks) and cheese over 1 piece of my own whole wheat bread, glass of milk with chia seed, water, coffee
- Big bowl of oatmeal made with milk with blueberries, pecans, maple syrup, and chia
- 1 Cup greek yogurt with blueberries, maple syrup, oatmeal, pecans, chia
Lunches
- Sandwich made with homemade whole wheat bread
- Peanut Butter and banana - chia mixed in the PB, with 1/2 sliced banana- no sweetener
- Peanut Butter and blueberry- chia mixed in the PB, with frozen or fresh blueberries- no sweetener
- Same as above, but with Almond Butter
- Chicken/Steak with spinach, brown mustard, and cheese
- Usually there is a side of Greek yogurt or an apple
Dinners
- This is where it gets creative, but typically there is some sort of Protein/Fat source, grain source, and vegetable- sometimes meat is included and sometimes not
- Meat Proteins have included: Chicken, beef, steak, fish
- Other Proteins have included: beans, lentils, etc
- Grain sources- quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, etc.-- occasionally, I have made corn bread with whole wheat flour
I've actually lost weight eating this way. I usually like a big breakfast, light lunch, and reasonable dinner and will snack in the evening... in fact, the snacks may do me in if I'm not careful. But I have snacked on peanuts, grapefruit, grapes, apples with peanut/almond butter, and occasionally animal crackers and goldfish crackers.
I really hope things are going well through this fast and maybe I've given you some ideas. I pray your fast is uplifting for you and eyeopening. God Bless!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Fresh Food is ILLEGAL!
Read this article
http://rawmilkfreedomriders.wordpress.com/press/farmerfacesprison/
Basically, our government has made it illegal to buy food that has not been treated chemically or with heat or with potentially cancer-causing agents for our own protection. Now, if you read Upton Sinclair's, The Jungle, you might realize that, yes, in a factory-food culture, there should be some regulations to ensure that people who eat processed food shouldn't also be eating too much rat hair and fecal matter.
But when a private group of consenting adults, committed to health and nutrition, work in private clubs with local farmers to obtain clean, fresh foods, why on earth would our government get so involved as to fine and imprison peaceful farmers. Imagine these guys in prison.
inmate 1: What are you in for?
inmate 2: murder, you?
inmate 1: rape, how bout you over there?
inmate 3: drugs, how bout you, other guy?
farmer: illegal milk
inmates 1, 2, 3: woah... stay away from that guy, he's a menace to society!
True confessions, several years ago, someone gave us a gallon of raw milk... this guilt has plagued me all these years, and now I am so happy to finally have that weight off my shoulders.
Read this one now!
http://americanvisionnews.com/1674/former-monsanto-lawyers-now-fda-czar-leads-raids-on-amish-organic-producers
Raiding the AMISH!? Who raids the Amish!? Our government. Who is in charge of this? A former Monsanto lawyer. Who is Monsanto?
Monsanto developed and patented genetically modified corn and soy products that are resistant to Round Up. They pretty much have a tight grip on all the corn, soy, etc products that are grown in the United States. If you want to be a farmer, you are almost required to buy your seed from Monsanto, unless you want to be an organic farmer. In this case, you can buy your seeds from whomever else, then use the seeds that are produced with your crop to produce another crop- this is how it used to be done. But Monsanto carefully monitors organic farms for seed cleaning, a process that prepares seed to be used in the next season's crops. They constantly harass these farmers, and anyone who practices seed cleaning. They are a multi-billion dollar corporation and have the resources to bankrupt any farmer who wants to fight them in court. It also might be worthy to note some of the accomplishments of Monsanto: Agent Orange, Round Up, rGBH for milk.
There just might be a conflict of interest...
But wait, shouldn't our own government protect us from such corporations? Shouldn't we, as consumers, have the ultimate choice in what we eat? Well, who's in charge? Maybe we should ask them.
FDA- Michael Taylor- Deputy for Foods and former Monsanto Lawyer
USDA- Tom Vilsack- Secretary of USDA and leading advocate for Monsanto and genetically engineered factory farming.
So, yes, it might be harder than I originally said to eat whole, fresh foods; but let me just be an advocate for your health. Your purchases drive the market. If you purchase more whole and fresh foods and absolutely refuse to purchase boxed, prepackaged, processed food, you will not only save money, but live healthier.
Don't get caught up in any diet craze, just keep your eyes on fresh, whole foods. Do your own processing at home (cooking). I have posted now several thrown together meals that don't take long and aren't hard to cook. Do not buy diet foods, do not buy processed diet foods, do not buy processed diet foods. Oh yeah, and experiment with increasing your protein intake, not necessarily with meat, but with beans, lentils, quinoa, etc. Try to limit your carbohydrates (unless your running a lot)- and I don't mean eliminate, I mean limit. Make sure the carbohydrates are complex. And finally, try different breakfast foods (I haven't had cereal in over 2 weeks, and have actually lost weight). Finally, finally, if you eat eggs, eat the yolks too- there is a lot of nutrition in the egg yolk.
Thanks for reading! God bless your fast!
http://rawmilkfreedomriders.wordpress.com/press/farmerfacesprison/
Basically, our government has made it illegal to buy food that has not been treated chemically or with heat or with potentially cancer-causing agents for our own protection. Now, if you read Upton Sinclair's, The Jungle, you might realize that, yes, in a factory-food culture, there should be some regulations to ensure that people who eat processed food shouldn't also be eating too much rat hair and fecal matter.
But when a private group of consenting adults, committed to health and nutrition, work in private clubs with local farmers to obtain clean, fresh foods, why on earth would our government get so involved as to fine and imprison peaceful farmers. Imagine these guys in prison.
inmate 1: What are you in for?
inmate 2: murder, you?
inmate 1: rape, how bout you over there?
inmate 3: drugs, how bout you, other guy?
farmer: illegal milk
inmates 1, 2, 3: woah... stay away from that guy, he's a menace to society!
True confessions, several years ago, someone gave us a gallon of raw milk... this guilt has plagued me all these years, and now I am so happy to finally have that weight off my shoulders.
Read this one now!
http://americanvisionnews.com/1674/former-monsanto-lawyers-now-fda-czar-leads-raids-on-amish-organic-producers
Raiding the AMISH!? Who raids the Amish!? Our government. Who is in charge of this? A former Monsanto lawyer. Who is Monsanto?
Monsanto developed and patented genetically modified corn and soy products that are resistant to Round Up. They pretty much have a tight grip on all the corn, soy, etc products that are grown in the United States. If you want to be a farmer, you are almost required to buy your seed from Monsanto, unless you want to be an organic farmer. In this case, you can buy your seeds from whomever else, then use the seeds that are produced with your crop to produce another crop- this is how it used to be done. But Monsanto carefully monitors organic farms for seed cleaning, a process that prepares seed to be used in the next season's crops. They constantly harass these farmers, and anyone who practices seed cleaning. They are a multi-billion dollar corporation and have the resources to bankrupt any farmer who wants to fight them in court. It also might be worthy to note some of the accomplishments of Monsanto: Agent Orange, Round Up, rGBH for milk.
There just might be a conflict of interest...
But wait, shouldn't our own government protect us from such corporations? Shouldn't we, as consumers, have the ultimate choice in what we eat? Well, who's in charge? Maybe we should ask them.
FDA- Michael Taylor- Deputy for Foods and former Monsanto Lawyer
USDA- Tom Vilsack- Secretary of USDA and leading advocate for Monsanto and genetically engineered factory farming.
So, yes, it might be harder than I originally said to eat whole, fresh foods; but let me just be an advocate for your health. Your purchases drive the market. If you purchase more whole and fresh foods and absolutely refuse to purchase boxed, prepackaged, processed food, you will not only save money, but live healthier.
Don't get caught up in any diet craze, just keep your eyes on fresh, whole foods. Do your own processing at home (cooking). I have posted now several thrown together meals that don't take long and aren't hard to cook. Do not buy diet foods, do not buy processed diet foods, do not buy processed diet foods. Oh yeah, and experiment with increasing your protein intake, not necessarily with meat, but with beans, lentils, quinoa, etc. Try to limit your carbohydrates (unless your running a lot)- and I don't mean eliminate, I mean limit. Make sure the carbohydrates are complex. And finally, try different breakfast foods (I haven't had cereal in over 2 weeks, and have actually lost weight). Finally, finally, if you eat eggs, eat the yolks too- there is a lot of nutrition in the egg yolk.
Thanks for reading! God bless your fast!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Keep Strong
Well, you should be on Day 2 if you are doing the 40 Day fasting challenge. I do want to remind you that if you have committed to this plan, this 40 Day fast is really a 46 day total fast. Since I am modeling the challenge after the 40 day season of Lent in the Christian church, technically Sundays do not count in this fast. I will leave that decision up to you, but if you do decide to call Sunday a cheat day, then let me encourage you to just get a small taste of what you are giving up and not go all out. However, I do encourage total fasting.
Holy Saturday will be the last day of the challenge and on Easter Sunday you break the fast. Now, by this time I hope and pray that this new habit will have taken hold and you will continue to live out the new life.
I have one piece of advice. If you are trying to lose weight, don't weigh yourself every day. This creates an almost obsession over ounces and is not healthy to do. Please, at most, weigh yourself no more than once a week and always do it at the same time of the day. In other words, if you normally weigh yourself on Saturday at 8 AM, then always weigh yourself on that day around that time. Your weight fluctuates throughout the day, so if you weigh yourself at different times it will be different and you will not have an accurate weight. But please, don't obsess about these numbers... it takes a long time to put on weight and it takes a long time to take the weight off.
Keep strong!
Holy Saturday will be the last day of the challenge and on Easter Sunday you break the fast. Now, by this time I hope and pray that this new habit will have taken hold and you will continue to live out the new life.
I have one piece of advice. If you are trying to lose weight, don't weigh yourself every day. This creates an almost obsession over ounces and is not healthy to do. Please, at most, weigh yourself no more than once a week and always do it at the same time of the day. In other words, if you normally weigh yourself on Saturday at 8 AM, then always weigh yourself on that day around that time. Your weight fluctuates throughout the day, so if you weigh yourself at different times it will be different and you will not have an accurate weight. But please, don't obsess about these numbers... it takes a long time to put on weight and it takes a long time to take the weight off.
Keep strong!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Day 1
How did your first day go?
It's always hard to start something new. Trying to lose an old habit and starting a new one is harder on the first day. It will be harder for about a week then it will start to get a little easier.
The only thing I will say to you today is to keep going. This will be worth it.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Tomorrow is Coming... Fast!
Ok, if you are out of the loop, please look at my previous post called 40 Days of Fasting, if you are in the loop, then get ready for a new adventure. Today is the last day of indulgence... Fat Tuesday, Mardis Gras, Fastnacht Day, Doughnut Day. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the first official day of the 40 day fast called Lent.
For 40 days, you are challenged to make a major change to your life. Toss aside something big, refrain from it for 40 days and take on something good and wholesome to replace it. I gave a myriad of examples in the previous post, but those are only ideas, you are the only one that knows you. You know your secret habits, your weaknesses, your unhealthy habits and your indulgences. Only you can know what will replace it.
The good news is that even though this is an individual challenge, you don't have to go through it on your own. I will commit to praying for each person who has responded on Facebook and I will pray for those of you who have not responded. I encourage you to pray for and encourage others who are taking part in this challenge.
Forty days seems really long, until it's over- then you won't believe how quickly it went. I can't believe it's been 4 years. Wow! Four years! When we started this 4 years ago, who knew I would have been able to keep the changes, keep the weight off and become a marathoner. It all started with 40 days of fasting... this could be it for you!
Four years from now, you will be encouraging others with your story, giving advice, and teaching others about healthy and enjoyable living. I can't believe it's been 4 years!
I still have my old ID badge from school that I have to wear because it has the microchip that gets me in the building- it is attached behind my new ID badge. When I talk about losing weight, people who didn't know me then or who forgot what I used to look like don't believe me that I was that heavy. I always show them the old badge. I'll never forget going into school on that first in-service day in August '08 after I had dropped the bulk of the weight and some people thought I was "the new guy".
Believe me. Forty days is nothing! Don't count the days though... just know that Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday is the last day (technically, the 40 days doesn't include Sundays- you make your own choices on that one).
Just remember the hardest miles in a marathon are the first 3 and the last 3. The hardest part of a 40 day fast are the first 5 and the last 5. And just for your information, the hardest part of a 10 x 800 speed workout are the first 5 x 800 sprints and the last 5 x 800 sprints... just sayin', that was a really hard workout today.
Remember, I am praying for you... pray for each other and me!
For 40 days, you are challenged to make a major change to your life. Toss aside something big, refrain from it for 40 days and take on something good and wholesome to replace it. I gave a myriad of examples in the previous post, but those are only ideas, you are the only one that knows you. You know your secret habits, your weaknesses, your unhealthy habits and your indulgences. Only you can know what will replace it.
The good news is that even though this is an individual challenge, you don't have to go through it on your own. I will commit to praying for each person who has responded on Facebook and I will pray for those of you who have not responded. I encourage you to pray for and encourage others who are taking part in this challenge.
Forty days seems really long, until it's over- then you won't believe how quickly it went. I can't believe it's been 4 years. Wow! Four years! When we started this 4 years ago, who knew I would have been able to keep the changes, keep the weight off and become a marathoner. It all started with 40 days of fasting... this could be it for you!
Four years from now, you will be encouraging others with your story, giving advice, and teaching others about healthy and enjoyable living. I can't believe it's been 4 years!
I still have my old ID badge from school that I have to wear because it has the microchip that gets me in the building- it is attached behind my new ID badge. When I talk about losing weight, people who didn't know me then or who forgot what I used to look like don't believe me that I was that heavy. I always show them the old badge. I'll never forget going into school on that first in-service day in August '08 after I had dropped the bulk of the weight and some people thought I was "the new guy".
Believe me. Forty days is nothing! Don't count the days though... just know that Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday is the last day (technically, the 40 days doesn't include Sundays- you make your own choices on that one).
Just remember the hardest miles in a marathon are the first 3 and the last 3. The hardest part of a 40 day fast are the first 5 and the last 5. And just for your information, the hardest part of a 10 x 800 speed workout are the first 5 x 800 sprints and the last 5 x 800 sprints... just sayin', that was a really hard workout today.
Remember, I am praying for you... pray for each other and me!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Make it Up as You Go Along
Everything you see below is something I came up with as I went along using the ingredients at hand. I happened to have picked up some ripe avocados the other day and was dying to try them, so that became the basis of this whole meal. Avocados are really good for you and they are an extremely healthy fat source. The amounts and portions are enough for 4 adult servings and 2 four-year-old servings. I set the meal up as a way to be able to have a good meal with these as leftovers tomorrow. Of course, the four-year-old isn't all that interested in the guacamole, so his servings came down to chicken, rice, tomatoes, and spinach- I'm not even going to try to fight an avocado battle with the boy.
MAKE IT UP AS YOU GO ALONG GUACAMOLE
2 avocados mashed
2 tomatoes diced
1/4 onion
4 cloves garlic chopped
Several bunches of spinach, chopped
Salt and Pepper
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Cumin
Turmeric
Cayenne pepper
Basil
Thyme
Olive Oil
(Cilantro if you have it, but I didn't have any tonight)
MAKE IT UP AS YOU GO ALONG GUACAMOLE
2 avocados mashed
2 tomatoes diced
1/4 onion
4 cloves garlic chopped
Several bunches of spinach, chopped
Salt and Pepper
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Cumin
Turmeric
Cayenne pepper
Basil
Thyme
Olive Oil
(Cilantro if you have it, but I didn't have any tonight)
- Put olive oil in a pan and put on medium heat
- When pan is hot, saute the onion until clear
- add the garlic for about 2 minutes, continue to stir
- add the tomatoes
- add the spinach
- add a little of each of the seasonings and continue to stir
- When mixture is cooked down remove from pan and set aside
- Cut open the avocados and drop them into the bowl of the mixture
- use two forks or a masher of some sort and mash and mix the avocados into the mixture
- add a little of all the seasonings, stir well, then taste
- add seasonings to your preferred taste
CHICKEN
- 2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 12-16 thin strips, seasoned with salt and pepper
- Grill in pan coated with olive oil
RICE
- 2-2.5 cups chicken stock/broth (I used homemade)
- 1 cup brown rice
- First boil the stock, then simmer
- cook for about an hour
BLACK BEANS
- 1/2 cup dried black beans in a pan
- boil water in a kettle, then pour over the beans and immediately return the water to boil in the pan
- boil about 5 minutes, then simmer for 45 min to an hour
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
- Drain the black beans and combine the bean and rice mixture
- Season to your liking, but I used similar seasonings to that of the guacamole
- I put a small bed of raw spinach leaves on the bottom of the plate
- Portion the black beans and rice mixture as the base of your stack- I portioned it onto 4 plates, two for tonight and 2 in to-go containers for tomorrow
- I put 3 slices of chicken on top of each portion of rice/beans
- I then spooned the guacamole mixture evenly on top of each stack
*It was good and filling, and overloaded with complex carbohydrates, protein, fiber, healthy fats, etc.
So, open your cupboards, refrigerators, and cabinets- you may just have a healthy meal at home that just needs to be put together by you.
**Don't forget the 40 day challenge! Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday, Mardis Gras, the last day of indulgence before the fast begins. I hope you accept this challenge as I know many others have. I can't wait to hear your stories!
God bless you all!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
40 Days of Fasting
I was inspired a little over a month ago to make a challenge for a 40 day fast. I decided this would be a good way for anyone, anywhere to experience what I did 4 years ago, when I started my transformation.
In case you've missed my story, here it is in a nutshell. I was within striking distance of being 300 pounds, my son had just been born the previous June, and my wife was looking to lose the baby weight. She happened upon an infomercial for Beach Body's "Hip Hop Abs" and pitched the idea to me. I reluctantly agreed, saying that if we were going to pay the money, then we were going to do the program exactly as it was designed.
It was pretty simple: take pre-pictures, follow the exercise calendar plan, follow Michi's Ladder for what kind of foods to eat, create a calorie deficit (burn more than you eat), and don't eat anything 3 hours before you go to bed. When finished with the first 30 day cycle, we took post-pictures. When we were finished with the first 30 day plan, we bought level 2 and followed the 60 day plan. When finished with this, we bought the third level (there was no calendar for this one so we just decided what to do when). We chose a start date, February 6, 2008 (Ash Wednesday) and decided that this was going to be our Lenten discipline. By the end of May, 2008 I was running regularly, and by October 2008, I was under 200 pounds for the first time since high school.
My challenge mirrors what my wife and I did. Start on Ash Wednesday (February 22) and make a commitment for 40 days. Give up at LEAST one unhealthy behavior and add at LEAST one healthy habit.
Examples:
1.) Give up soda, drink only water
2.) Give up fast food, bring your lunch to work
3.) Give up 1-2 TV shows, use the time to exercise
4.) Start a new video based exercise series
5.) Get a temporary gym membership and utilize the services of a personal trainer
6.) Get some friends together and start a morning/afternoon walking group
7.) If you are a parent, you can work with other parents in the community to take turns baby-sitting once during the week and consider your baby-sitting duty day as your day off
8.) Give up meat and find other, very good and healthy sources for protein
9.) Go 100% whole foods and give up processed white-flour based foods
10.) Give up all processed foods, learn to make your own variations of the same foods
I can't do all the thinking, but I hope you get the idea. If you decide to accept the challenge, what might help you is to realize that you will either hate it and be thankful to return to your old ways after the 40 days; or you'll have developed a brand new, healthy habit.
40 days is almost 6 whole weeks- you can easily do a couch-to-5k plan in 40 days. During my 40 day challenge those many years ago, I averaged 2 pounds a week- losing 12 pounds is a huge encouragement to keep going- so why not give it a try. After all, it's only 40 days.
I will pray for you.
In case you've missed my story, here it is in a nutshell. I was within striking distance of being 300 pounds, my son had just been born the previous June, and my wife was looking to lose the baby weight. She happened upon an infomercial for Beach Body's "Hip Hop Abs" and pitched the idea to me. I reluctantly agreed, saying that if we were going to pay the money, then we were going to do the program exactly as it was designed.
It was pretty simple: take pre-pictures, follow the exercise calendar plan, follow Michi's Ladder for what kind of foods to eat, create a calorie deficit (burn more than you eat), and don't eat anything 3 hours before you go to bed. When finished with the first 30 day cycle, we took post-pictures. When we were finished with the first 30 day plan, we bought level 2 and followed the 60 day plan. When finished with this, we bought the third level (there was no calendar for this one so we just decided what to do when). We chose a start date, February 6, 2008 (Ash Wednesday) and decided that this was going to be our Lenten discipline. By the end of May, 2008 I was running regularly, and by October 2008, I was under 200 pounds for the first time since high school.
My challenge mirrors what my wife and I did. Start on Ash Wednesday (February 22) and make a commitment for 40 days. Give up at LEAST one unhealthy behavior and add at LEAST one healthy habit.
Examples:
1.) Give up soda, drink only water
2.) Give up fast food, bring your lunch to work
3.) Give up 1-2 TV shows, use the time to exercise
4.) Start a new video based exercise series
5.) Get a temporary gym membership and utilize the services of a personal trainer
6.) Get some friends together and start a morning/afternoon walking group
7.) If you are a parent, you can work with other parents in the community to take turns baby-sitting once during the week and consider your baby-sitting duty day as your day off
8.) Give up meat and find other, very good and healthy sources for protein
9.) Go 100% whole foods and give up processed white-flour based foods
10.) Give up all processed foods, learn to make your own variations of the same foods
I can't do all the thinking, but I hope you get the idea. If you decide to accept the challenge, what might help you is to realize that you will either hate it and be thankful to return to your old ways after the 40 days; or you'll have developed a brand new, healthy habit.
40 days is almost 6 whole weeks- you can easily do a couch-to-5k plan in 40 days. During my 40 day challenge those many years ago, I averaged 2 pounds a week- losing 12 pounds is a huge encouragement to keep going- so why not give it a try. After all, it's only 40 days.
I will pray for you.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Home Made Pizza
Yes.
I know.
Pizza is EVIL!
Write it down.
2 1/2 Warm Water
2 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour
2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tsp of Yeast
2 Tsp of Evaporated Cain Juice (natural sugar)
2 Tsp Kosher Salt
Cheese (I actually forgot mozzarella cheese at the store, but had slices of Munster cheese and provolone cheese, so I used those as the cheese for the pizza)
4 tomatoes chopped up and squeezed
1/2 clove of garlic, chopped
1/2 half sweet onion
Kosher Salt
Fresh Pepper
Oregano
Big bunch of Spinach
Parmesan Cheese
Here's How
1.) Get out a bowl and fill it with the water.
2.) put in the yeast and stir it to dissolve the yeast
3.) Put in the olive oil, salt, and sugar and stir around
4.) Add the flour a little at a time until it resembles a blob of flour with a dough ball in the middle
5.) Kneed the dough, dusting it with flour as needed, until it can be formed into a ball
6.) Coat with more olive oil in a bowl and set aside covered with a "lent free" damp towel, let the dough rise for at least an hour or more
7.) while rising, place some olive oil in a pan (I used a cast iron plan) and saute onions first, as they cook down, add the garlic. As the garlic cooks down, add the tomatoes, as the tomatoes cook down add the salt, pepper, and oregano. As they cook down add the spinach.
*Set the oven to 450 degrees
8.) take the risen dough ball and flatten it out on a floured pizza pan
9.) Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on the flattened dough
10.) Spread the onion, garlic, tomato, spinach mixture onto the dough
11.) Put the cheese (provolone, Munster, or mozzarella, or mixture) on the crust
12.) place in the oven for... um... for about 20 minutes (check after 10, 15, then 20 minutes)- when the cheese looks a little brownish, it's done
As I am not a professional recipe maker or writer, I hope this is a good idea of what works.
And just for your information. If you are ever running a 20 miler and start high-fiving the limbs of trees... you have lost it. ((not that I have EVER done such a thing)).
Blessings!
I know.
Pizza is EVIL!
Write it down.
2 1/2 Warm Water
2 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour
2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tsp of Yeast
2 Tsp of Evaporated Cain Juice (natural sugar)
2 Tsp Kosher Salt
Cheese (I actually forgot mozzarella cheese at the store, but had slices of Munster cheese and provolone cheese, so I used those as the cheese for the pizza)
4 tomatoes chopped up and squeezed
1/2 clove of garlic, chopped
1/2 half sweet onion
Kosher Salt
Fresh Pepper
Oregano
Big bunch of Spinach
Parmesan Cheese
Here's How
1.) Get out a bowl and fill it with the water.
2.) put in the yeast and stir it to dissolve the yeast
3.) Put in the olive oil, salt, and sugar and stir around
4.) Add the flour a little at a time until it resembles a blob of flour with a dough ball in the middle
5.) Kneed the dough, dusting it with flour as needed, until it can be formed into a ball
6.) Coat with more olive oil in a bowl and set aside covered with a "lent free" damp towel, let the dough rise for at least an hour or more
7.) while rising, place some olive oil in a pan (I used a cast iron plan) and saute onions first, as they cook down, add the garlic. As the garlic cooks down, add the tomatoes, as the tomatoes cook down add the salt, pepper, and oregano. As they cook down add the spinach.
*Set the oven to 450 degrees
8.) take the risen dough ball and flatten it out on a floured pizza pan
9.) Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on the flattened dough
10.) Spread the onion, garlic, tomato, spinach mixture onto the dough
11.) Put the cheese (provolone, Munster, or mozzarella, or mixture) on the crust
12.) place in the oven for... um... for about 20 minutes (check after 10, 15, then 20 minutes)- when the cheese looks a little brownish, it's done
As I am not a professional recipe maker or writer, I hope this is a good idea of what works.
And just for your information. If you are ever running a 20 miler and start high-fiving the limbs of trees... you have lost it. ((not that I have EVER done such a thing)).
Blessings!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Three Good Articles to Read
When you look at the ingredients list on the back of processed food and want to know what is that? There's an app for that!
http://www.foodandtechconnect.com/site/2012/02/07/chemical-cuisine-app-makes-understanding-food-additives-easier/
Ever wonder, what is the difference between HFCS and just corn syrup? Here's an interesting article to read.
http://www.thefitshack.com/2007/06/19/high-fructose-corn-syrup-vs-corn-syrup-solids-whats-the-difference/
And finally, here is an interesting video about sugar and the idea that sugar should be treated like a controlled substance.
http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2012/02/11437/societal-control-sugar-essential-ease-public-health-burden
http://www.foodandtechconnect.com/site/2012/02/07/chemical-cuisine-app-makes-understanding-food-additives-easier/
Ever wonder, what is the difference between HFCS and just corn syrup? Here's an interesting article to read.
http://www.thefitshack.com/2007/06/19/high-fructose-corn-syrup-vs-corn-syrup-solids-whats-the-difference/
And finally, here is an interesting video about sugar and the idea that sugar should be treated like a controlled substance.
http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2012/02/11437/societal-control-sugar-essential-ease-public-health-burden
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Treat Others Better Than You Treat Yourself
Another day of intense work in Harrisburg, sitting on a panel of 16 math/science teachers, administrators, and college professors working to recommend a "cut score" to PDE for the new 4-8 teacher certification tests.
Really interesting, but sitting all day long while every about 1.5 to 2 hours the Hilton Harrisburg staff would bring in more snacks and treats for us became a real challenge. They also provided a plethora of food for lunch (I ate breakfast at home every morning, so I skipped that part). First, I needed to make sure I didn't go hog wild with all the food; second, I am not used to sitting all day long.
I decided that since today was so nice, before I went home I'd go for a run in Harrisburg, which has a really nice riverside run/walking/bike path and has a footbridge to take you across the water to City Island, which is a huge island in the middle of the Susquehanna river. I was dressed to run and got into the elevator to put my bag in my car.
One of the guys in the elevator asked if I was going for a run, I said yes. Another one of the guys, in a nice suit, chuckled, "Run..." he said, "I haven't run since I was being chased by the cops." He laughed, as though he had thought of a clever joke. I have to admit, in my mind I thought, don't worry, I don't think anyone would mistake you for a runner.
There was another panelist who was trying to lose weight, so she was on a restrictive diet. She explained it as 4 levels, each 17 days long. She was on the first level, so she was not allowed to eat any carbs, but all the chicken and turkey she wanted. I only bring her story into this because on some of these days, all she could eat was a salad, and she had to get the staff to bring out oil and vinegar so that she could have dressing. She ultimately needed to have special meals, as her diet was not on the menu.
I'm not exactly endorsing her diet, nor am I excusing my own snarky thinking, but it does remind me of when I started to lose weight. We'd go out to special dinners, receptions, parties, etc and have to pick through the available food. We'd go out to eat and have to be very meticulous about what we ordered. I'm used to the feeling of being a bother to someone else when needing special provisions so that I can eat the healthier foods. At first, it is very difficult and you feel like you're sticking out, but after a while, you get used to it.
The same thing happens when you prioritize your workouts. Others simply do not understand. Whenever I ride my bike, inevitably I tick off some motorist- they drive too close, honk their horn, yell out the window. Go for a walk- people stare. Go for a run- comments from passers by, motorist not too happy to share the road. Talk too much about it and you seem to alienate people, inspire them, or make them feel inferior.
It has never been my intention to look down on others who aren't committed to personal health, because I've been there, and I know what it's like to see other people doing things that, really, I wish I would do. So, the comments fly, the "clever" jokes are told, the horns honk, the people stare. My biggest issue is to remember where they are coming from, not to judge them, and to just keep my eyes on the road and keep going.
Treat others better than you treat yourself, try not to look down on them because their values don't match up with yours. Live your life in peace, recognizing that, if you're reading this, you probably want to or already have a commitment to health- not everyone around you will. Make this lifestyle your priority, and let others do their thing- you never know what's going on inside their head, and if you leave yourself open to conversation, you may learn something.
You may be the only person in their life who is committed to health, and your successes may actually help them to see their own possibilities. You may become the inspiration to others, and if you judge them too harshly, you may be just another discouragement in their life.
February 22 is just around the corner and that starts the 40 day challenge. Starting February 22, cut one damaging behavior out of your life (whether if be a food, a drink, smoke, etc) and add one healthy behavior (food, exercise, prayer, etc). Make it something big. Then, after 40 days, if you want to go back to doing whatever it is you gave up, then go back- it's only 40 days!
Really interesting, but sitting all day long while every about 1.5 to 2 hours the Hilton Harrisburg staff would bring in more snacks and treats for us became a real challenge. They also provided a plethora of food for lunch (I ate breakfast at home every morning, so I skipped that part). First, I needed to make sure I didn't go hog wild with all the food; second, I am not used to sitting all day long.
I decided that since today was so nice, before I went home I'd go for a run in Harrisburg, which has a really nice riverside run/walking/bike path and has a footbridge to take you across the water to City Island, which is a huge island in the middle of the Susquehanna river. I was dressed to run and got into the elevator to put my bag in my car.
One of the guys in the elevator asked if I was going for a run, I said yes. Another one of the guys, in a nice suit, chuckled, "Run..." he said, "I haven't run since I was being chased by the cops." He laughed, as though he had thought of a clever joke. I have to admit, in my mind I thought, don't worry, I don't think anyone would mistake you for a runner.
There was another panelist who was trying to lose weight, so she was on a restrictive diet. She explained it as 4 levels, each 17 days long. She was on the first level, so she was not allowed to eat any carbs, but all the chicken and turkey she wanted. I only bring her story into this because on some of these days, all she could eat was a salad, and she had to get the staff to bring out oil and vinegar so that she could have dressing. She ultimately needed to have special meals, as her diet was not on the menu.
I'm not exactly endorsing her diet, nor am I excusing my own snarky thinking, but it does remind me of when I started to lose weight. We'd go out to special dinners, receptions, parties, etc and have to pick through the available food. We'd go out to eat and have to be very meticulous about what we ordered. I'm used to the feeling of being a bother to someone else when needing special provisions so that I can eat the healthier foods. At first, it is very difficult and you feel like you're sticking out, but after a while, you get used to it.
The same thing happens when you prioritize your workouts. Others simply do not understand. Whenever I ride my bike, inevitably I tick off some motorist- they drive too close, honk their horn, yell out the window. Go for a walk- people stare. Go for a run- comments from passers by, motorist not too happy to share the road. Talk too much about it and you seem to alienate people, inspire them, or make them feel inferior.
It has never been my intention to look down on others who aren't committed to personal health, because I've been there, and I know what it's like to see other people doing things that, really, I wish I would do. So, the comments fly, the "clever" jokes are told, the horns honk, the people stare. My biggest issue is to remember where they are coming from, not to judge them, and to just keep my eyes on the road and keep going.
Treat others better than you treat yourself, try not to look down on them because their values don't match up with yours. Live your life in peace, recognizing that, if you're reading this, you probably want to or already have a commitment to health- not everyone around you will. Make this lifestyle your priority, and let others do their thing- you never know what's going on inside their head, and if you leave yourself open to conversation, you may learn something.
You may be the only person in their life who is committed to health, and your successes may actually help them to see their own possibilities. You may become the inspiration to others, and if you judge them too harshly, you may be just another discouragement in their life.
February 22 is just around the corner and that starts the 40 day challenge. Starting February 22, cut one damaging behavior out of your life (whether if be a food, a drink, smoke, etc) and add one healthy behavior (food, exercise, prayer, etc). Make it something big. Then, after 40 days, if you want to go back to doing whatever it is you gave up, then go back- it's only 40 days!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Never Give Up
Put this one in the column of "never give up". Even on your worst days, you can still salvage something with a little creativity and a stubborn attitude.
My planned run today was 4 x 1 mile repeats. This means I was planning to run fast (goal < 7:15 mile) four times with a quarter mile recovery in between each mile. Would've been nice... but, I don't know, call it a weird diet this week- as I've been at a conference/study where they have been feeding us every day and while the food is good, it's not my usual, meticulously planned for carb/fat/protein that I usually eat. Maybe it's that I have been sitting throughout the day- I am normally walking around a classroom all day so that my legs are regularly moving. In any case, it was not a good day for 4 x 1 mile repeats.
I attempted the first one, but had to stop after 1m 30s, so I jogged back to my starting point and tried again. I made it to 1m 45s before imploding. Should I quit? I decided that I needed to do this, so I changed my plans and decided that I would do 2 x 10, which meant that I would run hard 2 minutes, then jog slow 2 minutes- this sequence would be repeated until I had run hard 10 times. I made it through 3, but imploded on my 4th attempt only making it to 1m 30s. Should I quit? I decided I would do something like "Fartleks" (ridiculous name from Swedish words meaning speed play)- but funny as heck in English, so laugh it up!
At this point I had run essentially 6 hard sprints at different levels. So I reset my watch one last time to create a 30-60-90-120-150 interval run. Run hard 30 seconds, recover 30 seconds, hard 60, recover 60 and so on. When I finished the 150 interval (which I barely made it through), I stopped and called it a day. Ultimately 11 sprints and recoveries. I've had a lot of great successes in my runs, but this week hasn't been the best.
Sometimes you have great weeks, where everything works out exactly as you planned- your eating is spot on, your workouts are phenomenal, and you feel great; other weeks you stumble, implode and feel like a disaster. The important part is this: never give up. Life happens and things aren't always perfect, but if you can plow through the tough times and make appropriate adaptations to suit your needs for the moment, and just keep your eyes on the road and your head up- the good times will return. Without the tough times, we can't fully appreciate the good times.
What I did today was not what I had planned, and it didn't feel good; but I adapted to the situation and made something happen, and I can feel good about that.
Blessings all!
My planned run today was 4 x 1 mile repeats. This means I was planning to run fast (goal < 7:15 mile) four times with a quarter mile recovery in between each mile. Would've been nice... but, I don't know, call it a weird diet this week- as I've been at a conference/study where they have been feeding us every day and while the food is good, it's not my usual, meticulously planned for carb/fat/protein that I usually eat. Maybe it's that I have been sitting throughout the day- I am normally walking around a classroom all day so that my legs are regularly moving. In any case, it was not a good day for 4 x 1 mile repeats.
I attempted the first one, but had to stop after 1m 30s, so I jogged back to my starting point and tried again. I made it to 1m 45s before imploding. Should I quit? I decided that I needed to do this, so I changed my plans and decided that I would do 2 x 10, which meant that I would run hard 2 minutes, then jog slow 2 minutes- this sequence would be repeated until I had run hard 10 times. I made it through 3, but imploded on my 4th attempt only making it to 1m 30s. Should I quit? I decided I would do something like "Fartleks" (ridiculous name from Swedish words meaning speed play)- but funny as heck in English, so laugh it up!
At this point I had run essentially 6 hard sprints at different levels. So I reset my watch one last time to create a 30-60-90-120-150 interval run. Run hard 30 seconds, recover 30 seconds, hard 60, recover 60 and so on. When I finished the 150 interval (which I barely made it through), I stopped and called it a day. Ultimately 11 sprints and recoveries. I've had a lot of great successes in my runs, but this week hasn't been the best.
Sometimes you have great weeks, where everything works out exactly as you planned- your eating is spot on, your workouts are phenomenal, and you feel great; other weeks you stumble, implode and feel like a disaster. The important part is this: never give up. Life happens and things aren't always perfect, but if you can plow through the tough times and make appropriate adaptations to suit your needs for the moment, and just keep your eyes on the road and your head up- the good times will return. Without the tough times, we can't fully appreciate the good times.
What I did today was not what I had planned, and it didn't feel good; but I adapted to the situation and made something happen, and I can feel good about that.
Blessings all!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Busy Week
I have a rare opportunity this week. I was nominated by my district and selected by ETS (Educational Testing Services) to participate in a standards setting study to recommend the "cut score" for the new Praxis tests that will be used starting in April. The new tests and the cut scores will be used to determine what minimum score prospective teachers need to score in order to be certified to be 4-8th grade teachers. This is such an awesome opportunity, that I can't pass it up.
Only problem- I am the chief cook and chief marathon runner in the household. Which means that I need to cook nutritious meals, run a lot and be available to ETS Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 8am to 5pm in a place that is at LEAST an hour away. My wife has office hours on Monday night, a meeting on Tuesday night, and we both have choir practice on Wednesday night. Since it's still not kosher to leave your 4 year old in the house all alone, this is going to be a challenge. This is pretty tight for a regular week, but now that I am commuting and not going to be back in time, well, meals and running become the issue.
My solution... Chicken.
On Sunday, I roasted a chicken for dinner. I made a lentil and quinoa mix for a side and green beans as a veggie. The leftovers would be for dinner tonight (Monday). I used the chicken carcass to make broth/stock on Sunday as well.
Tonight, I realized that I can easily make soup for Tuesday and Thursday (as Thursday, I am planning a 10 mile Tempo run plus I need to be ready for Thursday night worship by 6:15). I have every intention to use some of the stock/broth in Wednesday night's dinner, too. Which means that I have effectively used 1 whole chicken to feed my family for a week.
I was told a long time ago that this type of time schedule was not possible. That when you have to manage so many things that it is impossible to eat and live a healthy lifestyle. I say, that's a cop-out- an excuse. You can make anything work. With a little planning, you can make your own refrigerated or frozen meals. I am not the only person who does this. You can do it, too with just a little preparation and planning.
Never give up, you can do it!
Only problem- I am the chief cook and chief marathon runner in the household. Which means that I need to cook nutritious meals, run a lot and be available to ETS Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 8am to 5pm in a place that is at LEAST an hour away. My wife has office hours on Monday night, a meeting on Tuesday night, and we both have choir practice on Wednesday night. Since it's still not kosher to leave your 4 year old in the house all alone, this is going to be a challenge. This is pretty tight for a regular week, but now that I am commuting and not going to be back in time, well, meals and running become the issue.
My solution... Chicken.
On Sunday, I roasted a chicken for dinner. I made a lentil and quinoa mix for a side and green beans as a veggie. The leftovers would be for dinner tonight (Monday). I used the chicken carcass to make broth/stock on Sunday as well.
Tonight, I realized that I can easily make soup for Tuesday and Thursday (as Thursday, I am planning a 10 mile Tempo run plus I need to be ready for Thursday night worship by 6:15). I have every intention to use some of the stock/broth in Wednesday night's dinner, too. Which means that I have effectively used 1 whole chicken to feed my family for a week.
I was told a long time ago that this type of time schedule was not possible. That when you have to manage so many things that it is impossible to eat and live a healthy lifestyle. I say, that's a cop-out- an excuse. You can make anything work. With a little planning, you can make your own refrigerated or frozen meals. I am not the only person who does this. You can do it, too with just a little preparation and planning.
Never give up, you can do it!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Running on Empty- Disordered Eating
I want to highlight an article I've been reading in Runner's World magazine. You can find the article by clicking on this link: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-285--14203-1-1X2-3,00.html
I feel as though this article highlights some of the principles I have tried to point out in this blog, namely the dangers of over obsessing about weight and food intake. The dangers of under-eating are almost the same, if not worse, than overeating. We need to be careful about drastic calorie reduction in trying to manage our weight, and we need to recognize that weight fluctuates up and down throughout the day and over several days.
Drastic calorie reduction just to hit a target weight goal can actually cause more harm than good. Step on the scale and notice that you've gained a pound, you feel compelled that for the rest of the week you're going to only eat lettuce and drink water, in addition, you are going to ramp up your exercise routine by another hour or two per day to shed that one pound. At the end of the week, you feel sluggish, you're snapping at everyone who crosses your path, but you lost 3 pounds. So, you go back to a "regular" diet, deciding to cut 200 calories from the normal diet. The next week, another 5 pounds have been gained- so you put yourself on another restrictive diet and repeat the cycle.
Keep doing this and injuries, health complications, and other problems will abound. You might even find yourself in the hospital- then what? There's a really great picture in the magazine that shows a small protein bar on one side that reads In (representing the fuel you have taken in) and on the other side shows a sandwich, glass of milk, apple, and carrots that reads Out (representing the fuel you have burned). That's a big difference! It's OK to burn a little more than you take it, it's not OK to lose too much weight. This obsessive behavior is called Disordered Eating and has damaging physical and psychological effects that need to be considered.
Remember, my advice is that you seek out a doctor and tell him/her exactly what you want to do; then to talk to a nutritionist; then, potentially, to even talk to a therapist. I am not saying this because it seems right to say, I am saying this because doing these things might just be what you need to not just lose some weight, but to completely change your lifestyle to live and eat healthy. Food is fuel, do not forget that- with proper fuel, your body will perform at its best, but if you mess around, you're going to get hurt.
I'm going to stop here, because I want you to read the article. Even if you're not a runner, it still might offer some good insight.
I'll be praying for you. God Bless!
I feel as though this article highlights some of the principles I have tried to point out in this blog, namely the dangers of over obsessing about weight and food intake. The dangers of under-eating are almost the same, if not worse, than overeating. We need to be careful about drastic calorie reduction in trying to manage our weight, and we need to recognize that weight fluctuates up and down throughout the day and over several days.
Drastic calorie reduction just to hit a target weight goal can actually cause more harm than good. Step on the scale and notice that you've gained a pound, you feel compelled that for the rest of the week you're going to only eat lettuce and drink water, in addition, you are going to ramp up your exercise routine by another hour or two per day to shed that one pound. At the end of the week, you feel sluggish, you're snapping at everyone who crosses your path, but you lost 3 pounds. So, you go back to a "regular" diet, deciding to cut 200 calories from the normal diet. The next week, another 5 pounds have been gained- so you put yourself on another restrictive diet and repeat the cycle.
Keep doing this and injuries, health complications, and other problems will abound. You might even find yourself in the hospital- then what? There's a really great picture in the magazine that shows a small protein bar on one side that reads In (representing the fuel you have taken in) and on the other side shows a sandwich, glass of milk, apple, and carrots that reads Out (representing the fuel you have burned). That's a big difference! It's OK to burn a little more than you take it, it's not OK to lose too much weight. This obsessive behavior is called Disordered Eating and has damaging physical and psychological effects that need to be considered.
Remember, my advice is that you seek out a doctor and tell him/her exactly what you want to do; then to talk to a nutritionist; then, potentially, to even talk to a therapist. I am not saying this because it seems right to say, I am saying this because doing these things might just be what you need to not just lose some weight, but to completely change your lifestyle to live and eat healthy. Food is fuel, do not forget that- with proper fuel, your body will perform at its best, but if you mess around, you're going to get hurt.
I'm going to stop here, because I want you to read the article. Even if you're not a runner, it still might offer some good insight.
I'll be praying for you. God Bless!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
My Long Run Weakness Turns into God's Strength
It started with a decision. Because of the road-shoulder conditions on US 209 on Thursday and Friday, I decided that today I would not run my regular 20 mile route from Tower City to Lykens and back- I assumed that because the shoulder on US 209 was covered with snow on Thursday and Friday that it would most likely be the same today. I had rerouted my plans and mapped out a new route. My first 2 miles would be on a similar path of my normal 3rd and 4th miles, which meant that I wasn't going to front-load my run today by starting with a 2.5 mile warm up run.
Before I even hit my first mile, a dog came running, barking, and chomping at me. Now 99.9% of the time when a dog comes after me during a run, it is not aggressive. In fact, I would surmise that most dogs either want to play with me or run with me, but this time I wasn't sure, and I couldn't interpret the dog's actions- this is when I realized that I forgot to bring my pepper spray. I stopped running and made sure I didn't show any aggressive tendencies toward the dog, who started trying to find a place to bite (too many layers). Finally, the dog's owner called the dog back, and, unlike most other times, the dog returned to its owner.
The last thing a runner needs when starting a 20 mile run is to have his adrenaline pumping before the first mile. I've learned how to control this somewhat, as this was not my first run-in with an unleashed dog, but it still isn't a good start to a long run.
By the second mile, when I was supposed to turn around, I was surprised to find that the shoulder was free and clear. Since I like this route better for its rolling hills (rather than steep ones), I decided to continue to Lykens and try to add the additional 2.5 miles somewhere in the run.
After about 6 miles into the run, I couldn't help but notice, wow! my legs are already tired! Last weekend, I said that I had never felt so good after a 20 mile run- this weekend, I don't think I've ever felt worse! If nothing else, this goes to show how fickle running, and life, can be- sometimes everything goes perfect, according to plan, then other times nothing seems right.
I made it to Lykens, and continued past my usual turn around point to try to get an additional 1.5 miles so that I would not run less than 20 miles. I don't like guessing my mileage when I have a specific goal. I learned that (1) Lykens eventually does not have sidewalks or a shoulder worth while, (2) the coal yard outside of Lykens has deep "coal mud" all over the ground on the road, and (3) wow, my legs are really tired and sore and I'm only half way.
I turned around at what I thought was 10 miles. When you're running and you hit a flat section of road, it often feels like you're running uphill, so you naturally assume that on the way back this will be downhill. This is just a good thing to know, because when your legs are sore and tired half way into a 20 mile run, it's best to not get your hopes up only to have them crushed later. I'm still learning this lesson.
If the first 10 miles was bad, the second was worse. The only redeeming part of the second half was that I got to wave to my wife and child as they passed me on the highway while out doing errands (yes, other people do stuff while you're running 20 miles). Shorty after our paths crossed, something meteorological happened.
You and I both know that the Winter season starts officially on December 21. This year, Winter never really started. I've actually had days where I have run in shorts and t-shirt, and other days where I've dressed warmly, but not too layered. With a very few exceptions, it has been an incredibly mild Winter, to the point that I have called it "Finter" since it has felt more like late Fall or early Spring most of the time. Well friends, at about mile 13, around 3 PM, February 11, 2012- Winter finally hit.
Now, with sore legs, and a very tired body, I started to fight through what can only be described as a sudden snow/sleet winter mix with high gusts of wind. Within minutes, I started to notice that the road (you know where all those cars drive on) started to turn white. I was either running against the wind or with the wind and whenever I opened my mouth I got a little taste of crunchy ice. In addition, I had the added benefit of being pelted in the eyes. I've run in ice storms, blizzards, tropical storms, etc, but usually I have some indication that this was coming and could adequately prepare, but this just sort of happened. At least, in my looking, this was not predicted.
This is when I had remind myself of what I had posted last week. The Lord is the strength of my life. This would be my mantra when I trudged through mud, this would be my mantra when I felt like giving up and walking, this would be my mantra for the rest of the run. A mantra is only good if you believe it's true.
It's interesting that when you only have 2 miles to go in a 20 mile run and you've been fighting exhaustion and the first day of the Winter season the whole way, it actually seems like a reasonable and good idea to walk. This became a mental and spiritual battle that raged inside me until I got to the point where all I had to do was to turn right and the run would be over. Instead, something inside of me took over and I was driven to continue running. This time with some extra umpf.
Remember how I guessed that I had turned around at mile 10? Well, I started thinking that when I got home, I would map the run and how upset I would be if I found out that I had run less than 20 miles... more would be OK, but less would actually bother me. Well, now, without any warning, I continued on. My strength had returned and that little fire inside of me was stoked. I ended up running one additional mile (brings new meaning to going the extra mile). I am convinced that the Holy Spirit, you know, my strength, took over the run. Now, it was like I was being lifted on eagles wings- OK not that dramatic, but it was a pretty cool experience.
Words started to occur to me that summed up today's run as I was almost home. If the Lord is the strength of my life, then my weakness is my strength, because God's strength is made perfect in my weakness.
My run today was 20.3 miles. Had I not listened and continue the run with a weakened, wearied body, it would have been 19.3 miles. When I listened to the Spirit, when I listen to the Spirit, then His strength takes over, and I can then do all things.
Before I even hit my first mile, a dog came running, barking, and chomping at me. Now 99.9% of the time when a dog comes after me during a run, it is not aggressive. In fact, I would surmise that most dogs either want to play with me or run with me, but this time I wasn't sure, and I couldn't interpret the dog's actions- this is when I realized that I forgot to bring my pepper spray. I stopped running and made sure I didn't show any aggressive tendencies toward the dog, who started trying to find a place to bite (too many layers). Finally, the dog's owner called the dog back, and, unlike most other times, the dog returned to its owner.
The last thing a runner needs when starting a 20 mile run is to have his adrenaline pumping before the first mile. I've learned how to control this somewhat, as this was not my first run-in with an unleashed dog, but it still isn't a good start to a long run.
By the second mile, when I was supposed to turn around, I was surprised to find that the shoulder was free and clear. Since I like this route better for its rolling hills (rather than steep ones), I decided to continue to Lykens and try to add the additional 2.5 miles somewhere in the run.
After about 6 miles into the run, I couldn't help but notice, wow! my legs are already tired! Last weekend, I said that I had never felt so good after a 20 mile run- this weekend, I don't think I've ever felt worse! If nothing else, this goes to show how fickle running, and life, can be- sometimes everything goes perfect, according to plan, then other times nothing seems right.
I made it to Lykens, and continued past my usual turn around point to try to get an additional 1.5 miles so that I would not run less than 20 miles. I don't like guessing my mileage when I have a specific goal. I learned that (1) Lykens eventually does not have sidewalks or a shoulder worth while, (2) the coal yard outside of Lykens has deep "coal mud" all over the ground on the road, and (3) wow, my legs are really tired and sore and I'm only half way.
I turned around at what I thought was 10 miles. When you're running and you hit a flat section of road, it often feels like you're running uphill, so you naturally assume that on the way back this will be downhill. This is just a good thing to know, because when your legs are sore and tired half way into a 20 mile run, it's best to not get your hopes up only to have them crushed later. I'm still learning this lesson.
If the first 10 miles was bad, the second was worse. The only redeeming part of the second half was that I got to wave to my wife and child as they passed me on the highway while out doing errands (yes, other people do stuff while you're running 20 miles). Shorty after our paths crossed, something meteorological happened.
You and I both know that the Winter season starts officially on December 21. This year, Winter never really started. I've actually had days where I have run in shorts and t-shirt, and other days where I've dressed warmly, but not too layered. With a very few exceptions, it has been an incredibly mild Winter, to the point that I have called it "Finter" since it has felt more like late Fall or early Spring most of the time. Well friends, at about mile 13, around 3 PM, February 11, 2012- Winter finally hit.
Now, with sore legs, and a very tired body, I started to fight through what can only be described as a sudden snow/sleet winter mix with high gusts of wind. Within minutes, I started to notice that the road (you know where all those cars drive on) started to turn white. I was either running against the wind or with the wind and whenever I opened my mouth I got a little taste of crunchy ice. In addition, I had the added benefit of being pelted in the eyes. I've run in ice storms, blizzards, tropical storms, etc, but usually I have some indication that this was coming and could adequately prepare, but this just sort of happened. At least, in my looking, this was not predicted.
This is when I had remind myself of what I had posted last week. The Lord is the strength of my life. This would be my mantra when I trudged through mud, this would be my mantra when I felt like giving up and walking, this would be my mantra for the rest of the run. A mantra is only good if you believe it's true.
It's interesting that when you only have 2 miles to go in a 20 mile run and you've been fighting exhaustion and the first day of the Winter season the whole way, it actually seems like a reasonable and good idea to walk. This became a mental and spiritual battle that raged inside me until I got to the point where all I had to do was to turn right and the run would be over. Instead, something inside of me took over and I was driven to continue running. This time with some extra umpf.
Remember how I guessed that I had turned around at mile 10? Well, I started thinking that when I got home, I would map the run and how upset I would be if I found out that I had run less than 20 miles... more would be OK, but less would actually bother me. Well, now, without any warning, I continued on. My strength had returned and that little fire inside of me was stoked. I ended up running one additional mile (brings new meaning to going the extra mile). I am convinced that the Holy Spirit, you know, my strength, took over the run. Now, it was like I was being lifted on eagles wings- OK not that dramatic, but it was a pretty cool experience.
Words started to occur to me that summed up today's run as I was almost home. If the Lord is the strength of my life, then my weakness is my strength, because God's strength is made perfect in my weakness.
My run today was 20.3 miles. Had I not listened and continue the run with a weakened, wearied body, it would have been 19.3 miles. When I listened to the Spirit, when I listen to the Spirit, then His strength takes over, and I can then do all things.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Be Free of Fat Free Foods
Ok, so you decided that you wanted to start eating healthy, so naturally you head to the diet section of the supermarket and start filling your cart with fat free, low fat, low calorie, sugar free, low sugar, low sodium, gluten free, etc foods. Every box, jar, bag or whatever says something close to, "all the taste, without the guilt." Perhaps there are even pictures of women or men who are thin all because they ate this product.
You take your haul home, unpack it, and start eating. You notice a bit of a different flavor, but not too bad, and eventually it becomes something you might tell others you really like. In reality, you wish you could have the regular fat stuff, but you do everything possible to tell yourself and others that you don't even know the difference. People have been trying to convince me of this lie for a long time, but honestly, I know when fake sugar or fat is used, and I don't like the taste.
When I go to the store, I don't go anywhere near the diet food section. Why? Well, for starters- that stuff does not taste good to me. I want ice cream, not ice milk, not fat free frozen yogurt, not sugar free (Splenda) laden "food". I want real food, that tastes good... the good news? Real food tastes good!
There are some pitfalls you need to be wary of when buying diet food. First, usually when they process out fat from foods, they add sugar for flavor. Increasing your sugar while decreasing fat is worse for you than if you just ate a lard sandwich. Seriously, there is a lot of research that indicates that sugar is the problem of the American obesity problem, not fat. While we know eating too much bad fat isn't all that great for you, it's significantly better than sugar (sucrose, fructose, anything with "ose" at the end).
In fact, one of the biggest problems with corn sugar (corn syrup) is that it is cheap and easy to put in foods to increase the sweetness so that we will eat more. And since sugar (carbohydrates) burn so quickly in our system, we just get hungrier after eating it. That's why drinking a soda will just make you thirstier and why sports drinks are only good of accompanied by water (hence the watered down Gatorade at sporting events). Eat a lot of potato chips and you just want more.
What happens with the unspent energy from sugar is that it gets absorbed into the fat cells in the body. Sugar (carbohydrates) is quick energy and burns fast, while fat is slow burning. Some weight loss tricks include long-slow runs because the slower you run the less carbohydrates your body burns and the more your body uses the fat stores for energy. Distance running is all about trying to train your body when to use fat stores so that your body conserves the glycogen levels in the muscles. When done correctly, a runner can break through his or her wall and complete long runs successfully.
Okay, you say, then I'll just satisfy this problem with Splenda. After all, the commercials say that it's made from sugar so it must be all natural. I think we need to consider an alternative before we start filling our bodies with unnatural, possibly cancer causing, chemicals that our bodies were never designed to process.
First, read the ingredients on any product you are about to buy. You're going to notice a trend in that they are all sugar laden. Next, select products with ingredients that you can pronounce. Abandon any product with corn syrup or corn sugar. Then, begin to redevelop your pallet so that you don't desire so much sugar. While you do this, learn to make your own bread and other foods without sugar. Buy some evaporated cane juice, pure maple syrup, and pure honey (there are other, even better and more natural sugars that just don't come to mind at the moment)- make sure they are not just corn syrup with flavoring, which many are. When you want some extra sweetness in a dish, add it yourself, never allow these companies (or our government) to decide how much sugar you should consume.
Learn how to make condiments on your own. Believe it or not, there are recipes for mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, salsa, etc that aren't hard to follow. When you control the ingredients, you control the sugar. If you can learn how to control sugar- not just trick yourself into eating the fake stuff- then you can start to control your weight.
Stop using fat free or low fat salad dressing- you might as well have eaten the burger and fries! Learn how to make your own salad dressing. When I was initially losing the weight, I made sure I had balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil in the house. Just mixing these two created a tasty salad dressing, but why stop there? Throw in oregano, parsley, garlic- have fun and experiment. Mix it together and spoon it over your salad- now you have a healthy balsamic vinaigrette dressing. When you go through a salad bar or order a salad at a restaurant, ask if you can have oil and vinegar instead of your regular ranch. That's all I did, and I love bleu cheese dressing. I accommodated this by putting crumbled bleu cheese or crumbled feta cheese over the top of the salad, then put the balsamic vinaigrette on the top.
Finally, oleo. Use real butter. There really is nothing healthy about oleo (fake butter). It's all hydrogenated oils and is no healthier for you than butter. Use extra virgin olive oil in place of butter whenever possible, but when butter is called for, use butter.
I know this is a lot to think about, so I'll leave you with this reminder. February 22 is Ash Wednesday. In the Christian tradition, this is the beginning of a 40 day fast before Easter. My challenge is to make one drastic, healthy change to your life. Get everything ready now for that change to happen. Then start on February 22 and for 40 days, stick to it. After 40 days, if you still want to go back to the old way of doing things, you're welcome to it. There's no harm in trying- it's only 40 days.
God Bless!
You take your haul home, unpack it, and start eating. You notice a bit of a different flavor, but not too bad, and eventually it becomes something you might tell others you really like. In reality, you wish you could have the regular fat stuff, but you do everything possible to tell yourself and others that you don't even know the difference. People have been trying to convince me of this lie for a long time, but honestly, I know when fake sugar or fat is used, and I don't like the taste.
When I go to the store, I don't go anywhere near the diet food section. Why? Well, for starters- that stuff does not taste good to me. I want ice cream, not ice milk, not fat free frozen yogurt, not sugar free (Splenda) laden "food". I want real food, that tastes good... the good news? Real food tastes good!
There are some pitfalls you need to be wary of when buying diet food. First, usually when they process out fat from foods, they add sugar for flavor. Increasing your sugar while decreasing fat is worse for you than if you just ate a lard sandwich. Seriously, there is a lot of research that indicates that sugar is the problem of the American obesity problem, not fat. While we know eating too much bad fat isn't all that great for you, it's significantly better than sugar (sucrose, fructose, anything with "ose" at the end).
In fact, one of the biggest problems with corn sugar (corn syrup) is that it is cheap and easy to put in foods to increase the sweetness so that we will eat more. And since sugar (carbohydrates) burn so quickly in our system, we just get hungrier after eating it. That's why drinking a soda will just make you thirstier and why sports drinks are only good of accompanied by water (hence the watered down Gatorade at sporting events). Eat a lot of potato chips and you just want more.
What happens with the unspent energy from sugar is that it gets absorbed into the fat cells in the body. Sugar (carbohydrates) is quick energy and burns fast, while fat is slow burning. Some weight loss tricks include long-slow runs because the slower you run the less carbohydrates your body burns and the more your body uses the fat stores for energy. Distance running is all about trying to train your body when to use fat stores so that your body conserves the glycogen levels in the muscles. When done correctly, a runner can break through his or her wall and complete long runs successfully.
Okay, you say, then I'll just satisfy this problem with Splenda. After all, the commercials say that it's made from sugar so it must be all natural. I think we need to consider an alternative before we start filling our bodies with unnatural, possibly cancer causing, chemicals that our bodies were never designed to process.
First, read the ingredients on any product you are about to buy. You're going to notice a trend in that they are all sugar laden. Next, select products with ingredients that you can pronounce. Abandon any product with corn syrup or corn sugar. Then, begin to redevelop your pallet so that you don't desire so much sugar. While you do this, learn to make your own bread and other foods without sugar. Buy some evaporated cane juice, pure maple syrup, and pure honey (there are other, even better and more natural sugars that just don't come to mind at the moment)- make sure they are not just corn syrup with flavoring, which many are. When you want some extra sweetness in a dish, add it yourself, never allow these companies (or our government) to decide how much sugar you should consume.
Learn how to make condiments on your own. Believe it or not, there are recipes for mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, salsa, etc that aren't hard to follow. When you control the ingredients, you control the sugar. If you can learn how to control sugar- not just trick yourself into eating the fake stuff- then you can start to control your weight.
Stop using fat free or low fat salad dressing- you might as well have eaten the burger and fries! Learn how to make your own salad dressing. When I was initially losing the weight, I made sure I had balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil in the house. Just mixing these two created a tasty salad dressing, but why stop there? Throw in oregano, parsley, garlic- have fun and experiment. Mix it together and spoon it over your salad- now you have a healthy balsamic vinaigrette dressing. When you go through a salad bar or order a salad at a restaurant, ask if you can have oil and vinegar instead of your regular ranch. That's all I did, and I love bleu cheese dressing. I accommodated this by putting crumbled bleu cheese or crumbled feta cheese over the top of the salad, then put the balsamic vinaigrette on the top.
Finally, oleo. Use real butter. There really is nothing healthy about oleo (fake butter). It's all hydrogenated oils and is no healthier for you than butter. Use extra virgin olive oil in place of butter whenever possible, but when butter is called for, use butter.
I know this is a lot to think about, so I'll leave you with this reminder. February 22 is Ash Wednesday. In the Christian tradition, this is the beginning of a 40 day fast before Easter. My challenge is to make one drastic, healthy change to your life. Get everything ready now for that change to happen. Then start on February 22 and for 40 days, stick to it. After 40 days, if you still want to go back to the old way of doing things, you're welcome to it. There's no harm in trying- it's only 40 days.
God Bless!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Uninspired Meal that was Delicious
-Pulled out a box of whole wheat pasta- spirals (the whole box serves 7- it makes a perfect amount for feeding 3 people for 2 days)
-Spinach leaves that were about to start to go bad, so either throw them away or eat them
-Half a bag of frozen sweet peas
-The last little bit of minced garlic I could find
-2 strips old bacon- either throw it away or cook it now
-1Tbs butter (Oh no! Not butter!!!)
-2 Tbs whole wheat flour
-2 cups milk (I actually don't usually measure this, I eye it up)
-Kosher salt
-Fresh cracked pepper
-Powdered garlic
-Oregano
-Parmesan cheese
*start making the pasta*
Burner on half heat
1. Cut up the bacon and fry in a hot pan, drain the fat and wipe the pan with a paper towel then return the bacon pieces
2. Put the butter in the pan, as it melts add the flour to the pan and stir it around in the melted butter and the minced garlic
3. Throw in the spinach and stir around until it starts to wilt
4. Pour in the milk, start stirring it around, you will need to bring this back to a very low boil and continue to stir
5. As you wait for it to boil begin adding in the salt, pepper, powdered garlic, oregano, Parmesan cheese, and frozen peas
6. Keep stirring as it comes to that low boil and the mixture starts to thicken (don't rush this process or it may become lumpy or too thick)
7. You can remove it from heat as it thicken- keep stirring when it's off the heat for a minute or so, then let it sit for a few minutes.
*when the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pan, then toss it in some olive oil
*I portioned out six servings (3 for tonight, 3 for tomorrow night)- generally, I put the pasta on the plate, and then I pour the sauce over the top
My 4 year old won't eat the creamy sauce, but he will eat the pasta, so I prepare separate veggies, etc for him and obviously don't put the sauce on his
I started this evening uninspired to cook, but I made it up as I went along and it took me something like 30 minutes, so I did this after an easy run today, and all the critics said it was delicious.
I have friends who would call this CORN. Clean Out Refrigerator Night.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Marriage of the Sweet Potato and Red Skin Potato
Tonight's dinner was Chicken and Potatoes with a side of broccoli. I know I have cautioned you about potatoes, and have given you alternatives to the starchy ball, but every so often it's not all that bad. And, if you're feeling adventurous, you can blend many healthy ingredients into mashed potatoes and get the best of both worlds.
This evening, I made chicken by cutting two chicken breasts in half and filleting them so that they became thin and flat. I breaded them with a mixture of flour, corn meal, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and dill. To make the batter stick, I used an egg and milk mixture and I double battered them- a procedure I describe in an earlier post. When they were done, I placed them on a wire rack and put them in an oven at 250 degrees until I was done cooking everything else (just keeps everything hot for the final plating).
I just so happened to have two small red skinned potatoes and 1 large sweet potato. I peeled and diced the sweet potato and just diced the red skinned potatoes, put them in a pot of water and boiled them until ready to mash. Added kosher salt and pepper to taste, along with a tablespoon of butter and some milk to make it creamy. Then I used a masher and took out the day's aggression until it was smooth and creamy, with a few lumps.
The first thing you notice with this potato blend is that the sweet potato gives it a sweet flavor that you don't get from just the potato. The red skinned potatoes give the mixture that creamy texture and savory taste. Not too sweet, just right. It's a match made in heaven :-)
What's cool about potatoes is that you can blend in it just about anything to give it more nutrition (just don't forget all that starchiness, so don't go too crazy). You can blend mashed cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, mashed turnip, etc. And if you are trying to get away from your addiction to the starch, this is a great way to slowly wean yourself. By adding a little more of the healthier stuff each time until you start eating only the healthy food as your side.
I hope this gives you some encouragement and good ideas. Have a blessed day!
This evening, I made chicken by cutting two chicken breasts in half and filleting them so that they became thin and flat. I breaded them with a mixture of flour, corn meal, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and dill. To make the batter stick, I used an egg and milk mixture and I double battered them- a procedure I describe in an earlier post. When they were done, I placed them on a wire rack and put them in an oven at 250 degrees until I was done cooking everything else (just keeps everything hot for the final plating).
I just so happened to have two small red skinned potatoes and 1 large sweet potato. I peeled and diced the sweet potato and just diced the red skinned potatoes, put them in a pot of water and boiled them until ready to mash. Added kosher salt and pepper to taste, along with a tablespoon of butter and some milk to make it creamy. Then I used a masher and took out the day's aggression until it was smooth and creamy, with a few lumps.
The first thing you notice with this potato blend is that the sweet potato gives it a sweet flavor that you don't get from just the potato. The red skinned potatoes give the mixture that creamy texture and savory taste. Not too sweet, just right. It's a match made in heaven :-)
What's cool about potatoes is that you can blend in it just about anything to give it more nutrition (just don't forget all that starchiness, so don't go too crazy). You can blend mashed cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, mashed turnip, etc. And if you are trying to get away from your addiction to the starch, this is a great way to slowly wean yourself. By adding a little more of the healthier stuff each time until you start eating only the healthy food as your side.
I hope this gives you some encouragement and good ideas. Have a blessed day!
Monday, February 6, 2012
The Lord is the Strength of My Life
While on my run this afternoon, I had a kind of breakthrough... an aha moment... or, if you will, a come to Jesus moment.
While my legs were churning through the nine mile run, I started to review my current marathon goal. My first marathon was completed in 5h 8m, my second 4h 6m, and my last one was 4h 1m. I've worked hard to prepare to go beyond breaking 4h and hitting 3h 45m. However, most of my training runs have shown the possibility, even probability of breaking that goal. I wondered to what extent have I allowed my own human limitations to dictate my goals.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think I should shoot out from the start and try to win the marathon... but then again...
My human body has limits, because I'm human. My bones have a breaking point, my muscles and tendons can only do so much without proper training and nutrition. My heart can only pump so much blood and my lungs can only take in so much. But that's just my human limitations.
I was struck by two verses from Psalms in church this past Sunday that I want to share with you.
Psalm 147:10 "His [the Lord's] delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner"
Psalm 27:1 "The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?"
Two seemingly unrelated verses, but I got some pretty cool nuggets for my running.
The first is pretty simple: God is not impressed, nor does He take pleasure in my strength. I can train well, eat well, and race well, I can qualify for Boston, destroy my PRs and even win the race on my own power, and God would take no pleasure in it, nor would he be impressed.
The second is even simpler: The Lord is the strength of my life. If I truly believe this, then all my racing goals are meaningless outside of this truth. When I cross that finish line by my own strength, then I get the glory; when I cross that finish line by the strength of God, then He gets the glory. If I am running on His strength, then I train in Him, I run in Him, He is with me and carries me through the hardest parts. Then, at the finish line, He takes pleasure- not in my strength or my successes, but in His glory and power and love for me.
I do not run for me, then, I run for Him. And if I run for Him, then I ask these questions for myself. Whose finger is this? God's, then why worry about this finger, for He is my strength. Whose hands are these? God's, for He is my strength. Whose lungs and heart are these? His. Whose hips, quads, hamstrings, legs are these? God's. Whose muscles, tendons, and bones are these? God's. If I am no longer my own, but God's, then it is in His strength that I build muscle. I run at God's speed, my pace is God's pace, my race is God's race. When I cross the finish line, it is God's time, not my own.
While running with this purpose in my heart, I can find that inner strength that I need. It's not about a time goal anymore. It's not even about the pleasure of finishing another marathon. Marathons are hard to run and there is a great sense of accomplishment when you finish, especially when making an ambitious time goal, but when the race is over... it's over. Your time is your time, that's it. You place where you place, that's it. Eventually you start looking ahead to the next race, the next time goal, the next training plan. But this revelation has renewed my purpose, beyond just finishing with a good time.
If the Lord is the strength of my life, then through Him, I can do all things. If, through him, I can do all things, then who or what am I afraid of? Bonking at mile 23? The runners wall? What wall? I looked up a hill today and decided there was no hill, just flat road. In the name of Jesus, I ran as though the hill was not there.
This applies to everything I do. The way I eat, the way I drink, the way I train, the way I teach. If my legs are God's legs, then I should run as though I had God's legs. If my arms and hands are God's hands, then I should use them as though they were His. If my mouth is God's mouth, then I should use it as though it were His. If my stomach is God's stomach, then I should fill it as though it were His.
The Lord is the strength of my life. What should I be afraid of? What can't I do?
Blessings.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Water
The only thing you NEED to drink is water. Civilizations from the beginning of creation have been built solely on its proximity to water. Water is the only thing that you must drink to live a healthy, active lifestyle. If you are interested in being healthy, losing weight, reducing your risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. ditch flavored drinks.
I already know what some will and have said, "I can't stand the taste of water!" Waaaaaah!!! The wambulance is on its way to you.
Water. Just drink water. Stop with the flavored pouches, vitamin water, crystal light, and all those unnatural, highly processed chemicals, and just drink water. If you really want to flavor the water, here are three things you can do: squeeze an ACTUAL lemon wedge (not the plastic lemon juice bottle) into your water, squeeze a lime wedge into your water, make a pitcher of water with a real vanilla bean in the water. All natural flavoring is key. These add real nutrition to the water, and they add flavor to the water.
And stop drinking sports drink. Unless you are in the middle of playing a sport, running a race, or in the midst of exercising where you are actually depleting your electrolytes and need to replenish them. Even in that case, please limit the intake to only what you need, or make your own sports drink- there are a lot of good, wholesome recipes out there, including my own (to 10oz of water, add 1 TBSP Chia seed and 1 TBSP of evaporated cane juice- you could also use maple syrup if you want). Even when I make my own sports drink for my 20 mile runs, I still only carry and drink 20oz of it. All my other fluids are... well... WATER.
And stop with the juice. At least cut your intake to a quarter of what you're used to. Make sure whatever shooter of juice you drink is 100% all natural juice- without any added sugar or corn syrup. Our pediatrician actually said to us once that there is never a good time to start our child on juice. I know, some will say, "But... but... the vitamins!" Guess where else you could get the vitamins... give up? Eat the fruit. Think about it, if you eat the fruit, you get all the fiber and vitamins and only a tiny fraction of the sugar you would get by drinking the fruit concentrate. Seriously, take an apple and make apple juice with it. You get like, what, a thimble full of juice? So, imagine just how many "apples" you are consuming when you drink a full glass of apple juice.
Do I really need to say anything about soda? Completely remove soda from your diet. And I mean diet soda, too. I mean "soda 1", "soda 0", "diet soda". Soda has many uses, including cleaning your carburetor, mixing it with menthos and watching it spew into the air and dissolving flesh and bones. Otherwise, there is no value in soda. It's not even worth it to willingly have it in your presence.
I mean ultimately, one can say that certain teas (without sugar or any unnatural sweetener- with the exception of a drop of honey) have some value nutritionally. Same goes for black coffee and wine. Milk has good calcium, protein and, even though added after pasteurization, some vitamin content. All of these can be good for you in moderation, but your primary source of hydration needs to be water.
The human body is 60% water, the brain is 70%, the lungs are 90% water, lean muscle is 75% water, body fat 10% water, bone is 22% water, and blood is 83% water. Source: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html
We need to stop trying to "improve" water with chemical flavor enhancers and just drink it. Filter it if you need to, but stop thinking that anything else will hydrate you. Soda, juice, coffee, tea, wine, beer, and anything else will only make you thirstier, not refresh or hydrate you. Even sports drinks need to be watered down to be effective.
So, if you want to live an active and healthy life, lose weight, and feel good- drink water. If you don't like the taste, stop being such a wuss and learn to like it. Entire countries are in desperate need for clean water, we have it abundantly, so much so, that we ruin all its benefits by sugaring or loading it up with chemical sweeteners.
I don't know how else to say it. So I will simply end with this. If the ingredients in your glass, cup, bottle, mug are usually comprised of anything except water- stop drinking it.
I'm not saying that an occasional deviation from water is a bad thing, but water needs to be- I'm picking a number here out of the clear blue sky- 90% of the liquid you consume.
In conclusion, drink lots of water, ditch everything else.
Thank you and good day.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Make Pancakes, Read Half a Book, Run 20 Miles, Make Tortillas, Read the Rest of the Book, Blog
First, my pancakes
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
4 Tsp Evaporated Cane Juice (ie. pure cane sugar)
1/2 Tsp kosher salt
2 eggs beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Pure (not Log Cabin or some other grocery store brand, corn syrup with maple syrup flavor) maple syrup
2 Tbsp Chia seed
Then, the book- Read half of Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo while the 4 year old watched Thomas, then Backyardigans
Next, prep for and run 20 milesCamelback- 50oz of water + 2 10oz water bottles with 1 Tbsp chia seed and 1 Tbsp pure cane sugar and water- also, included is some Clif shots with mostly organic ingredients
Run to Beer distributor in Tower City, then run to Division Street in Lykens then run back home
Eat 1 Cup of Greek yogurt with 1 Tbsp of Chia seed and 1/4 cup of Maple Syrup
Shower, cause no one wants to be around you
Cook Dinner
Tortilla
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 Egg
1 1/2 cup water
Mix together and spread out on an non-greased skillet (6 inch diameter- spread out on the skillet as the mixture will be thick)- flip until done
Beef, Quinoa and Sweet Peas
I did this from leftovers- but 1/2 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup of quinoa
1/2 cup of sweet peas
season like a crazy person- my favorites? Salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, garlic, onion, green chilies, etc. (have fun with your favorite seasonings).
Plating
Place one tortilla on plate put quinoa and beef mixture on top
1 slice or sprinkle cheese on top
Heat plate in microwave for 30 seconds
Put salsa on top
Place another tortilla on top
Put a little more salsa on top
Cut it up and enjoy!
Read the rest of the book- don't neglect the book
Blog- if you are really looking for what's important in life- read the book. Love your family. Enjoy your food. Seek God.
Have a great night!
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
4 Tsp Evaporated Cane Juice (ie. pure cane sugar)
1/2 Tsp kosher salt
2 eggs beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Pure (not Log Cabin or some other grocery store brand, corn syrup with maple syrup flavor) maple syrup
2 Tbsp Chia seed
Then, the book- Read half of Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo while the 4 year old watched Thomas, then Backyardigans
Next, prep for and run 20 milesCamelback- 50oz of water + 2 10oz water bottles with 1 Tbsp chia seed and 1 Tbsp pure cane sugar and water- also, included is some Clif shots with mostly organic ingredients
Run to Beer distributor in Tower City, then run to Division Street in Lykens then run back home
Eat 1 Cup of Greek yogurt with 1 Tbsp of Chia seed and 1/4 cup of Maple Syrup
Shower, cause no one wants to be around you
Cook Dinner
Tortilla
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 Egg
1 1/2 cup water
Mix together and spread out on an non-greased skillet (6 inch diameter- spread out on the skillet as the mixture will be thick)- flip until done
Beef, Quinoa and Sweet Peas
I did this from leftovers- but 1/2 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup of quinoa
1/2 cup of sweet peas
season like a crazy person- my favorites? Salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, garlic, onion, green chilies, etc. (have fun with your favorite seasonings).
Plating
Place one tortilla on plate put quinoa and beef mixture on top
1 slice or sprinkle cheese on top
Heat plate in microwave for 30 seconds
Put salsa on top
Place another tortilla on top
Put a little more salsa on top
Cut it up and enjoy!
Read the rest of the book- don't neglect the book
Blog- if you are really looking for what's important in life- read the book. Love your family. Enjoy your food. Seek God.
Have a great night!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Couch to the Lynn Spittle Memorial 5k
I have heard of couch to 5k plans, but have never actually read one, so if anything I suggest actually looks like a couch to 5k plan you've seen, I am not intentionally stealing from others. If what I am suggesting is not something you've ever seen before, then I am thrilled to add another idea into the mix of getting people started running.
This plan is intended to get anyone into running, so long as you don't have any specific medical condition that prevents you from running. If, however, you are more apt to walk than run, then I would say that this post is still applicable. Just adjust it to your needs and situation. The idea is to get you to the point that you can run or walk a sustained 3.1 miles to the best of your ability, and that when you are finished with this effort, you can honestly say that you left everything you had on the course.
If you would like to run the Lynn Spittle Memorial 5k on May 12, and if you start Sunday, February 5, then you will have exactly 14 weeks to be prepare to do your very best. See below a 14 week plan to get you to the starting line confident and ready to go.
Days 1, 3 and 5 (it's your choice whether that is M, W, F or Sun, T, Th or T, Th, Sat)
You'll see a ratio written like 5:1- that means you will walk 5 minutes, then run at a gentle pace for 1 minute
x 5 means that you will repeat this 5:1 walk to run ratio 5 times
Days 2, 4 and 7 (again, you decide)
XT- means cross training- ride a bike, do yoga, go to the gym or lift weights- anything that does work out the same muscles you work out while running (no stair master!). One thing I advise is to do squats, lunges, and other leg workouts, just nothing high impact
Speed
Warm up by jogging 5-10 minutes
Run hard 30 seconds, jog slow 30 seconds
Run hard 60 seconds, jog slow 60 seconds
Run hard 90 seconds, jog slow 90 seconds
Repeat this sequence
Cool down by jogging 5-10 minutes
Tempo
Run at a 10 minute mile for 30 minutes
Please feel free to ask any questions.
This plan is intended to get anyone into running, so long as you don't have any specific medical condition that prevents you from running. If, however, you are more apt to walk than run, then I would say that this post is still applicable. Just adjust it to your needs and situation. The idea is to get you to the point that you can run or walk a sustained 3.1 miles to the best of your ability, and that when you are finished with this effort, you can honestly say that you left everything you had on the course.
If you would like to run the Lynn Spittle Memorial 5k on May 12, and if you start Sunday, February 5, then you will have exactly 14 weeks to be prepare to do your very best. See below a 14 week plan to get you to the starting line confident and ready to go.
Days 1, 3 and 5 (it's your choice whether that is M, W, F or Sun, T, Th or T, Th, Sat)
You'll see a ratio written like 5:1- that means you will walk 5 minutes, then run at a gentle pace for 1 minute
x 5 means that you will repeat this 5:1 walk to run ratio 5 times
Days 2, 4 and 7 (again, you decide)
XT- means cross training- ride a bike, do yoga, go to the gym or lift weights- anything that does work out the same muscles you work out while running (no stair master!). One thing I advise is to do squats, lunges, and other leg workouts, just nothing high impact
Speed
Warm up by jogging 5-10 minutes
Run hard 30 seconds, jog slow 30 seconds
Run hard 60 seconds, jog slow 60 seconds
Run hard 90 seconds, jog slow 90 seconds
Repeat this sequence
Cool down by jogging 5-10 minutes
Tempo
Run at a 10 minute mile for 30 minutes
Please feel free to ask any questions.
| | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 |
| Week 1 | 5:1 x 5 | XT | 5:1 x 5 | XT | 5:1 x 5 | Rest | XT |
| Week 2 | 4:2 x 5 | XT | 4:2 x 5 | XT | 4:2 x 5 | Rest | XT |
| Week 3 | 3:3 x 5 | XT | 3:3 x 5 | XT | 3:3 x 5 | Rest | XT |
| Week 4 | 2:4 x 5 | XT | 2:4 x 5 | XT | 2:4 x 5 | Rest | XT |
| Week 5 | 1:5 x 5 | XT | 1:5 x 5 | XT | 1:5 x 5 | Rest | XT |
| Week 6 | Run 30 min | XT | Run 30 min | XT | Run 30 min | Rest | XT |
| Week 7 | Run 30 min | XT | Run 30 min | XT | Run 30 min | Rest | XT |
| Week 8 | Run 35 min | XT | Run 35 min | XT | Run 35 min | Rest | XT |
| Week 9 | Run 35 min | XT | Speed x 3 | XT | Run 35 min | Rest | XT |
| Week 10 | Run 40 min | XT | Speed x 4 | XT | Run 40 min | Rest | XT |
| Week 11 | Run 40 min | XT | Speed x 5 | XT | Run 40 min | Rest | XT |
| Week 12 | Run 45 min | XT | Speed x 6 | XT | Run 45 min | Rest | XT |
| Week 13 | Run 45 min | XT | Tempo 30 min | XT | Run 45 min | Rest | XT |
| Week 14 | Run 45 min | XT | Tempo 30 min | XT | Run 45 min | Rest | Race Day! |
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