The off season came and went. I enjoyed it a bit too much and as a consequence I am left with some extra lbs; that I'd rather not be carrying. Before you ask, yes I still fit into my regular clothes, but I do see some differences in HOW they fit. Confession time: I am a bit of a scale slave.
I know that the sport we are involved with is a bit of a double edge sword. It can be conducive to changes in body composition, but in my experience it is a fine line. Food and I have a pretty good relationship... What kind of relationship? I love food.. maybe too much. My number one loves? Sugar and breads. Exactly the type of things one should be limiting when it pertains to trying to change body composition.
I figured I'd give you a little bit of background on my struggles before I flat out tell you my goals. They are not too daunting and they are more related to habits and making them healthy, attainable, and something I can carry on for years to come. So without further ado, here they are:
- Prepare lunch before the crazy work day begins. Since I work from home, I can always walk downstairs and "make lunch" when hunger strikes; this has proved counter productive... I am either on too much of a time crunch to make a healthy lunch OR I completely forget to eat! Missing a meal = bad athlete strategy.
- Nail down breakfast. I am still trying to figure out what type of food I like eating most in the morning. Most days I crave something starchy, like toast. So I think I need to start experimenting with other options... Perhaps more oatmeal or some overnight oats (I hear those are delicious).
- Have vegetables with EVERY dinner. I have a very "picky" eater family. And this will mean cooking different things for myself.
-Cut down my coffee consumption.. considerably. I am capable of drinking 10 cups (per the coffee maker marks) a day (this equals 4 cups in my IM mug). Goal is: 2 in the morning and NO coffee in the afternoon -- will have to experiment with hot tea. (what brands/flavors do you like?)
- No added sugar. If I want something sweet it has to be a fruit. I will allow myself dried fruit, but with moderation.
- Limit bread products. This will be the occasional toast or a healthy sandwich for lunch (with LOTS of veggies in it)
So, there it is.. My healthy eating habits goals for this year (say that 3 times fast ;-) )
Do you have any tips you can share with me??
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Sunday, January 12, 2014
It can only get better from here... Right?
I can't believe it has been almost 3 weeks since my last post... Ok, I can... Not exactly the most regular blogger around here.
A couple of challenging weeks can throw even the best of us for a loop. At a time when I am supposed to be settling into a rhythm with training and such, I find myself struggling to get it done. It is not because I do not want to train, but because of everything else that has been going on.
Between work, parenting (the one that has been the most challenging of all), outpatient surgery, and wifely duties... I find myself busy, stressed and extremely tired!
About 2 weeks ago I had surgery to remove a mass from my side/back, as it had grown quite big and it had become uncomfortable. Surgery went very well, lasted all of 28 minutes and about 4 hours after I left my house to head to the hospital, I was back home already recuperating. I got the pathology from it and it came negative (woohoo!) Of course, having this little surgery meant no strenuous activity for a while and definitely no swimming for 2 weeks. I thought I'd never say this... But I missed the pool!
The inactivity drove me crazy! I could only wait 3 days before I got on my trainer to spin the legs for a little while. I managed 30 minutes the first day back, as I did not want to "pull" anything. Slowly but surely I got my biking legs under me and I spent a lot of quality time with my bike on the trainer. High power intervals, slow recovery spins; you name it.. I did it!
Running... well, that is another story. I have not run a step since December 30th. After the surgery the jostling movement hurt my side, so running was put on hold until the doctor assured me that I would not hurt myself if I went out for some liberating miles. I got the all clear 2 days ago... and I still have not been able to run a single step! WTF?!?!
Friday was a very busy day at work. I am a business analyst for one of the software products my employer utilizes internally, and this weekend we had a release to "production" (meaning... we went live with our changes). A lot of last minute testing, fine tuning, etc; combined with parenting.. and I was stuck without a workout.
The weekend came around and here I sit; with a heating pad placed on my lower back. I can barely move without wincing in pain. I'll spare you the details, but I will say.. my 3 year old is strong, and "fighting" him (for his own good) is not an easy thing to do. The whole situation has made me cry more than I am willing to admit; the feelings of helplessness as you realize he is the reason why he is so uncomfortable and the fact that there isn't much you can do to help him... As a mother, it breaks my heart...
I think it is safe to say, January has not been the poster child for a "great year" start; but I still have high hopes for 2014. I am not defeated yet.. and it can only get better from here.. right?
A couple of challenging weeks can throw even the best of us for a loop. At a time when I am supposed to be settling into a rhythm with training and such, I find myself struggling to get it done. It is not because I do not want to train, but because of everything else that has been going on.
Between work, parenting (the one that has been the most challenging of all), outpatient surgery, and wifely duties... I find myself busy, stressed and extremely tired!
About 2 weeks ago I had surgery to remove a mass from my side/back, as it had grown quite big and it had become uncomfortable. Surgery went very well, lasted all of 28 minutes and about 4 hours after I left my house to head to the hospital, I was back home already recuperating. I got the pathology from it and it came negative (woohoo!) Of course, having this little surgery meant no strenuous activity for a while and definitely no swimming for 2 weeks. I thought I'd never say this... But I missed the pool!
 |
| The scar. |
 |
| The "thing" I got removed |
The inactivity drove me crazy! I could only wait 3 days before I got on my trainer to spin the legs for a little while. I managed 30 minutes the first day back, as I did not want to "pull" anything. Slowly but surely I got my biking legs under me and I spent a lot of quality time with my bike on the trainer. High power intervals, slow recovery spins; you name it.. I did it!
Running... well, that is another story. I have not run a step since December 30th. After the surgery the jostling movement hurt my side, so running was put on hold until the doctor assured me that I would not hurt myself if I went out for some liberating miles. I got the all clear 2 days ago... and I still have not been able to run a single step! WTF?!?!
Friday was a very busy day at work. I am a business analyst for one of the software products my employer utilizes internally, and this weekend we had a release to "production" (meaning... we went live with our changes). A lot of last minute testing, fine tuning, etc; combined with parenting.. and I was stuck without a workout.
The weekend came around and here I sit; with a heating pad placed on my lower back. I can barely move without wincing in pain. I'll spare you the details, but I will say.. my 3 year old is strong, and "fighting" him (for his own good) is not an easy thing to do. The whole situation has made me cry more than I am willing to admit; the feelings of helplessness as you realize he is the reason why he is so uncomfortable and the fact that there isn't much you can do to help him... As a mother, it breaks my heart...
I think it is safe to say, January has not been the poster child for a "great year" start; but I still have high hopes for 2014. I am not defeated yet.. and it can only get better from here.. right?
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