It's "Cardio Saturday"! I really like using my Saturday mornings for long and/or hard cardio workouts. I have the time and it makes me feel refreshed so I can enjoy the rest of my weekend! Often, like this morning, I am so tired on Saturday morning, but a quick breakfast and cup of coffee can usually get me going. So, today, I dragged myself out of bed at 7:30, warmed up some leftover baked oatmeal, made a cup of pumpkin coffee, and hung out with my lonely cat for a little while. Then, I headed to the gym!
It's about a 1/2 mile walk to the gym (I consider this my warm up) and I stopped in my office in attempt to find my arm band for my Zune. No such luck! It may be gone forever! Then, jetted over to the gym and hopped on the treadmill. It's nice to be able to walk to the gym as then I don't have to spend my time warming up on the treadmill. I started by pounding out 3 miles in 42 minutes on the treadmill (including a one-mile run to start and inclines the rest of the time) and I finished my cardio morning with another 5 miles on the bike (20 minutes). Then, the walk home to cool off and 10 minutes of stretching out my achy muscles. I feel so good, endorphins rock!
So I mentioned that I ran. I was feeling really good this morning and really missing running so I decided to see what I could do. I only ran a mile so as to not aggravate my knees and hip any more than necessary. BUT, that mile was run in under 11 minutes! 10:30 to be exact! Heck yeah! I have never run a sub-12 minute mile. I know 10:30 is probably still pretty slow, but I'm super happy with that! I will say that my knees and hip are a little achy now but I am icing them so that they hopefully don't hurt too much later today and tomorrow.
I am really loving the stationary bike as well. I have never, ever been a cyclist (or casual biker) and have one heck of a time getting up hills. I was hoping to start road biking this summer and went on a few rides but I just couldn't get into it. Too many hills! So, I am dedicating my winter to using the stationary bike and building up my cycling muscles! Hopefully next spring I can put the rubber on the road and give cycling another try!
Have a happy Saturday!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Autumn CSA
Back in May, I started thinking about joining a CSA (community supported agriculture). I've wanted to do this for a couple of years but I never stay in one city all summer so I hadn't done it yet. This year, I found a CSA that offered Autumn only share, which is perfect because it starts today and runs through the end of October. Originally, I was going to sign up for a small box every other week but it was kind of pricey. So, I conned a friend into going into buying a full share with me, so we will each get a small box every other week but will save ~$11/week. Cool!
Today, I finished work a little early and walked downtown to the shop where I was to pick up my box. Now, first of all, it is mean that they make me go to my favorite health food market to pick up my box! I never make it out of there without baked lentil chips and lemon garlic hummus. Today was no exception!
Second, I went down into the basement of the store and was shocked by how many people in my tiny town are part of this CSA! Very proud of my fellow residents. Thirdly, I really did not realize that I would have that much to haul home. That was one long walk!
If you are a veggie lover, opening your CSA box feels a little like your birthday. Yes, I got an e-mail this week telling me what I can expect in my box, but until you open the box, it isn't all that exciting. I was super excited to see the selection and traded in a cucumber and a large kohlrabi for an extra head of broccoli and a tomato. Totally worth it! So, here's what I got this week for a SMALL box:
Today, I finished work a little early and walked downtown to the shop where I was to pick up my box. Now, first of all, it is mean that they make me go to my favorite health food market to pick up my box! I never make it out of there without baked lentil chips and lemon garlic hummus. Today was no exception!
If you are a veggie lover, opening your CSA box feels a little like your birthday. Yes, I got an e-mail this week telling me what I can expect in my box, but until you open the box, it isn't all that exciting. I was super excited to see the selection and traded in a cucumber and a large kohlrabi for an extra head of broccoli and a tomato. Totally worth it! So, here's what I got this week for a SMALL box:
2 small heads of garlic
2 giant leeks
huge pack of green onions
6 small to medium carrots
4 heads of broccoli
head of Boston lettuce
3 red bell peppers
pack of yellow cherry tomatoes
5 regular tomatoes
small kohlrabi
Wow. I have a lot of eating to do! Some things should keep for a little longer and I'll leave those to eat later next week while I polish off the more perishable items. I will say that I was unprepared to store these veggies. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking! My cat was kind of wondering what was up and hung out on the bar stool watching me unpack the veggies (and falling asleep apparently).
If you haven't joined a CSA or have never heard of CSA's before, please check them out next spring! My CSA in particular provides all organic produce. And, it's locally grown (as in 9.5 miles away). This is so great for our environment and our bodies! I'm super excited!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Veggies for Breakfast
The last thing I want to eat for breakfast is veggies! However, I have been overloading on fruit and need to replace some of the fruit I eat with something. I usually can't stomach meat in the morning and am getting tired of oatmeal and eggs, so that leaves veggies! I have been told by a number of health nuts that eating veggies for breakfast is great for your body, so what do I have to lose right? Except...veggies first thing in the morning? No thanks. Now, I doubt I'll ever be able to handle steamed broccoli or sauteed kale in the morning like the health nuts assure me that I will. However, I can attempt to work veggies in creatively.
Yesterday I posted the juice concoction of carrot and apple juice mixed together. This is delicious and a good way to get extra vitamin A in the morning. I have a juicer but it's at my parent's house so I haven't been juicing my own carrots, instead I buy a bottle of carrot juice at the store.
I also have been eating a lot of pumpkin yogurt in the morning, though I think pumpkin is technically a fruit.
I have also been making a lot of "green monster" smoothies. These are also sometimes referred to as green machine smoothies (but are not the same thing as Naked Juice's Green Machine). There are some great recipes out there, try these sites:
http://greenmonstermovement.com/?page_id=39
http://annies-eats.net/2011/05/02/green-monster-smoothies/
http://thechiclife.com/2011/07/green-monster-smoothies-101-basic-recipe.html
In the morning, as I am always running late, I like to keep it simple. So, a simple green smoothie is perfect. So, here's what you do. Fill a blender with 1/2-3/4 full of kale, spinach, or a combo of both. This is a lot of greens here! More than most recipes call for but it works, trust me! I add a 1/2 cup of soy milk, a 1/2 cup of my dad's homemade apple cider (apple juice would probably be fine), a handful of blueberries, and a 1/2 of a banana.
Give it a whirl! Sometimes (like this morning) I won't have enough liquid to properly puree the mixture, so I just add in some water to get it going. I think it depends on how much liquid is in your other ingredients. When your mixture is completely smooth, pour away and drink!
Yes, it looks gross, I know! The blueberries and greens combo gives it a weird color. It is so good though! And a great way to add some veggies into your morning routine.
Yesterday I posted the juice concoction of carrot and apple juice mixed together. This is delicious and a good way to get extra vitamin A in the morning. I have a juicer but it's at my parent's house so I haven't been juicing my own carrots, instead I buy a bottle of carrot juice at the store.
I also have been eating a lot of pumpkin yogurt in the morning, though I think pumpkin is technically a fruit.
I have also been making a lot of "green monster" smoothies. These are also sometimes referred to as green machine smoothies (but are not the same thing as Naked Juice's Green Machine). There are some great recipes out there, try these sites:
http://greenmonstermovement.com/?page_id=39
http://annies-eats.net/2011/05/02/green-monster-smoothies/
http://thechiclife.com/2011/07/green-monster-smoothies-101-basic-recipe.html
In the morning, as I am always running late, I like to keep it simple. So, a simple green smoothie is perfect. So, here's what you do. Fill a blender with 1/2-3/4 full of kale, spinach, or a combo of both. This is a lot of greens here! More than most recipes call for but it works, trust me! I add a 1/2 cup of soy milk, a 1/2 cup of my dad's homemade apple cider (apple juice would probably be fine), a handful of blueberries, and a 1/2 of a banana.
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