Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Try Living a Cliche

You know I love me some Jillian.  As in Jillian Michaels.  Yes, the Biggest Loser trainer / yeller / motivator.

But I truly am beginning to subscribe to her way of thinking (more on that later).  I listen to her podcasts while commuting to and from work...and really loved this concept she talked about, "Try living a cliche" (the September 15th episode if you want to download it).

It got me thinking...what if we really did live out common cliches?  In a totally not ironic, not sarcastic, not cynical, not attitude-y way?  Just for a day?  Or a week?

Live each day like it's your last.

You get out what you put in.

Each day, each moment, is a choice.

This week, I'm going to hang up my snotty remarks, and try to be my better - MORE POSITIVE - self. 

Friday, January 25, 2013

The Dreaded Holiday Weight Gain

Well, I gained over the holidays.  I'm talking about the period from early December to mid-January...cuz who celebrates ONLY Christmas Day?

My gain was 6.4 lbs.  SHEESH.  That's a lot.  (I did swinging things with kettlebells yesterday and the 10-pounder was torture!)

My loss at my weigh in last night was 2.4 lbs. 

I've been back ON the wagon (mostly) since right after Christmas but for a variety of reasons have not been officially able to weigh in.  So it's possible my post-Christmas gain was even more...which makes my loss even more important!

So far this week I've been able to stick to my plans pretty well - working out over lunch, and eating ONLY what I have packed in my lunchbox (ahem, not sneaking my samples out of procrastination).  (But just LOOK at the temptation!)


This weekend will be cold (for Atlanta), so I'm looking forward to Zumba tomorrow morning, and a few naps with my kitty!!!  What are your plans?

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

My first 5K!

Many of you might know that I signed up before Christmas for the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K run in Atlanta.

Thinking it would be motivation to keep on track and work out over the holidays...was a good plan...

But I knew if nothing else, I could WALK IT!.  AND SO I DID!!!

It was so close.  On Saturday night, I nearly - NEARLY - chickened out.  I was so, so, so nervous...about driving, parking, logistics, getting there on time, being early, checking my gear, meeting up with friends, finding my corral, and getting done in my time allotted.

Actually, we went to bed and Jeff still wasn't sure if I would be up at 5AM for it.

But thanks to my great co-worker Kathy and her daughter Lola, I knew I would have walkers waiting with me to do it.

Aren't we excited!!  We were at like, mile 2.9 and at the top of the LAST HILL!!

Guess who else I knew was waiting for me?  ADPI girls!  They were all runners though...


The race started (and ended) at Turner Field, home of the Braves.  The 5K folks went first by corral (I was in G), with the 15K folks following.  As our corral approached the start line, I was so grateful to see my friends Elaine, Scott, and Matt cheering us on and high fived us as they waited to start the 15K.

When you crossed the start line, your bib registered your start time, so it was a bit of a mad dash but not too bad.  Then the first hill!  WOWZA!  I didn't train well enough for the hills...but got an amazing view I will never ever forget...looking up the hill and see this huge mass of 20,000 people of all shapes and sizes running under the Olympic rings.  Amazing.



The best part of the race - other than finishing - was this super yummy finishers mug!  Complete with lots of Ghirardelli melted chocolate, whole chocolate, chocolate in liquid form, and dipping stuff (marshmallows, rice krispie bar, pretzels, banana)...YUM.


I was nervous, excited, cold, anxious, sweaty, happy, and PROUD of myself for finishing!!!  I think I'm hooked!

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Chicken Puttanesca Style


YUMMMM!

I made a new recipe tonight that we BOTH liked!!!  It is a twist on a traditional chicken with marinara sauce, called Puttanesca Style.

It was super easy and super fast - both DEFINITELY required for my ability.  And it was a Weight Watchers recipe - so the points were automatically done for me!

The chicken & sauce are5 Points Plus.  I added a cup of whole wheat penne pasta for 5 Points Plus, topped with 1 Tbsp of grated parmesan cheese, plus a cup of steamed green beans.  The whole DELICIOUS meal was only 11 Points Plus!

Chicken Breast Sauté Puttanesca-Style

1-4 sprays Pam cooking spray
1 pound uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s)
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 tsp unsalted butter
3 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
10 medium olive(s), black, sliced
1 Tbsp capers, rinsed and drained, chopped
14 oz canned diced tomatoes


Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Slip the chicken into the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and continue cooking just until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Melt the butter in the same skillet and add the garlic and red pepper flakes; stir over the heat for 30-60 seconds.

Stir in the olives and capers; pour in the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly until just slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet; cook until just warmed through, about 2 minutes. Yields 1 chicken breast and about 1/3 cup sauce per serving.

Notes
For the best taste, don’t gray the chicken breasts in the skillet. Be patient and brown them (don't stir), giving them enough time over the heat and not over-crowding the pan. That caramelized flavor will permeate the meat — and will lie in little burned bits on the skillet’s bottom, waiting to be lifted off with this simple sauce of tomatoes, olives and capers.

Friday, January 4, 2013

How to Develop Goals (ENTJ edition)

I'm an ENTJ so I LOVE big-picture stuff and HATE details.  So, typically I prefer the work-backwards approach to goal setting - I'll set my big picture goals for the year and then fill in the blanks of "how" to get there.

Which is exactly how I came up with the list below.  I have heard that ~5% of the population shares my personality type, so I thought I would share my thought process around setting goals for the other 95% whose brain works differently than mine.

Here are my questions I asked myself to get the big-picture list started.
1.  What is really, truly important to me?  And to my family unit this year?
2.  What do I "wish" I had done already? 
3.  What do others do that inspire me?
4.  How do I envision my life in 5 years?  and what do I need to do to get there?
5.  What will set my family up for success instead of struggle?

So, here is it is, my Top 5 Goals for 2013:

1.  Work towards becoming as debt-free as possible.

2.  Cook "clean" dinners at home 5 nights a week.  (And continue brown-bagging breakfast and lunch.)

3.  Go to the gym 4 times per week.

4.  Get to MAINTENANCE on my allergy shots.

5.  Find a church community.

And like any good ENTJ - I know my weaknesses.  These are LOFTY goals, but achievable.  I just need to break down into smaller steps...which I will do later.  Or delegate.  (Seriously, it's just a part of who I am to function this way.)  Look for an upcoming post that will get to the PLAN of HOW to ACHIEVE!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

So SICK of being SICK

I'm a complainer.  I have plenty of awesome traits, but one of my faults is I complain.

Sorry.

I'm going to do it anyway.

Although I am usually a trouper when it comes to health things (hello, have you heard me complain about asthma recently?) I cannot BELIEVE I am sick again.

Jeff and I spent the week after Thanksgiving through the week of Christmas being sick - first with sore throats and colds, then sinus infections, then other "issues" caused by antibiotics (ugh)...I FINALLY felt good when it was time to leave to go home for Christmas.

So, approximately 20 days of being sick.

That was 20 days of being off-track from working out and eating off-plan because I felt crappy.  Then a 10-day hiatus of family and holiday time.

TIME TO GET BACK ON TRACK!!!  FOCUS ON ME AND HEALTHY-NESS!!!  YIPPEE!!!

Wrong.

Either my cousin gave me the flu, or my dad, or my uncle...or my super cute nephews and niece...or everyone sitting in Concourse G in MSP...or the guy honking his nose behind me in 44E...or most likely, RANDOM HUMANITY...

But I can't stop sleeping and it hurts to swallow and my nose is dripping and I'm nauseous-nauseous-nauseous...

DAMN YOU GERMS!  Wahhhhhh, I just want to cry. 

And finally, since you all know I love pictoral representations of emotions, here's how I feel:

I'm outta here.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Happy New Year

Jeff and I hope you all had a wonderful and enjoyable holiday season!

We traveled back to SD to celebrate first with my family, then with Jeff's family.  It was COLD and SNOWY and full of fun memories.

We spent the New Year with Ryan Seacrest and the rest of the gang on the late night tv shows as Jeff had to work bright and early New Year's Day.

I love this time of year - time for reflection and analysis.

I am super excited to continue on the healthiness journey this year, with re-committed goals of cooking more at home, while continuing with Weight Watchers.  I also want to amp up my workouts this year - adding strength training to burn more fat!

Finally, I want to share with you our 2012 Year in Review - hope you enjoy it!