I’ve been home for a week now, and it’s been much better than I expected, workout-wise. The first day back I went on a four and a half mile run outside, and then ran a mile and a half of hills. That night I biked about 8-10 miles to get to a show, which was a lot of fun. The next day I ran hills. The day after that I went on a five hour walk all around the city, which was super fun and then did a long bike ride the next day. 

I’m excited to get back to the gym and be able to use equipment like that, but it’s been nice shaking things up. 

I went for a run on the beach this morning. It was windy and cool, and half way through my run it started to snow little pellets, that stung when they hit my face. It was actually pretty refreshing though. The tide started coming in on my way back, and I had to run through ankle deep freezing water at some points, but it made it fun. It felt like I was navigating an obstacle course, and it was just me and the waves and the sand and my music. I could get used to this! My knee and shin splints felt better on the sand, but when I had to run on the road for a brief period, my knee immediately started to twinge. Time to buy a brace!

Food intake:

coffee

apple

part of a grapefruit

I’ll eat some dinner later. I think I’m going to have some lentil soup (homemade) with lots of veggies.

Peace and Love!

I had a pretty good work out last night. I ran four miles at a speed 8 (7:30 min/mile), which felt really good. The pace is really comfortable for me, so I want to work towards a 8.5 pace (7:04 min/mile). I’m not out of breath when I stop at the pace I’m running now, and I want to slowly creep up to the 8.5. I get really competitive with myself, and with other people around me, so I’m always trying to push to the next level. Yesterday there was a guy running next to me who I see at the gym all the time. He’s in really good shape, and plays for a sports team at my school. I looked over, and realized I was running .5 paces head of him! It was a little personal victory that gave me an extra boost (and he stopped before me, hehe). I was disappointed the gym was closing so I couldn’t keep running to five or six miles, but it still felt really good!

Yesterday I had a great workout. I went to the gym in the evening, and did the elliptical for four miles. Then, because all of the treadmills were full, I moved onto weights. I did a difficult arm circuit, then did some leg work, and finally I did a huge ab workout. I am so sore today, and I haven’t felt this way in a while. I knew as I was doing the work out that I was going to feel it today because I got that deep burn. It was great! I did tuck-up crunches (25), then balance ball crunches (25) then side crunches (25/side) then bicycle crunches (50) and then plank hold (30 sec to 1 min). I repeated the whole thing four times. Then I headed back into the gym and ran a mile on the treadmill for a last little work out. I wasn’t trying for a good time, but ended up coming in at 6 min 52 seconds (which I know isn’t fast for a mile run) but at the end of the workout, without trying to get a good time, I was pleasantly surprised that it felt so effortless. Anyway, today I feel awful. I took a nap, but still can’t manage to pull myself together. I’m going to head to the gym a little later and hopefully I’ll be able to get something done. In the meantime, I have to work on some papers for tomorrow :( 

Happy Monday!

Yesterday was a really rough day, but I managed to get a really good work out in. 

My shin splints feel like hell, so I did a 30 minute elliptical work out (4 miles) and then a three and a half mile run afterward. It felt really good to run after I had warmed up my legs. There was a bounce in my step that I haven’t felt in a while, so I think I’m going to keep going with that strategy for as long as it feels okay!

Afterwards, I did four different arm strengthening weight exercises, and then some back extensions with a 25 pound weight, and leg press. I went at everything hard, with no breaks in between, and I was drenched in sweat when I walked out the door. That’s always such a good feeling, because I know that I worked hard. I was there for almost 2 hours. It was a much needed stress reliever in my day! 

Today I’m working on homework, and then headed to the gym later. I might have to go to Target and stock up on sweat pants and sweat shirts and maybe even footie pajamas because I haven’t been able to maintain a comfortable body temperature for a while. Brrrrrr I’m freezing right now! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Be inspired, and fall asleep feeling proud!

Good morning everyone (or afternoon/evening depending on where you are in the world)!

I hope everyone is having a great day. Just wanted to send out some good vibes. If you’re down on yourself, or think you’ve already screwed up for the day, remember it’s not over yet! You can still had to the gym, or do an exercise routine in your room. There are plenty of videos on youtube (yoga, ab work outs, aerobic work outs, etc) to guide you through if you need an extra boost. Or go for a walk/jog/run outside and enjoy yourself! Call a friend to go with you, and catch up! Eat a healthy dinner, maybe even find a new recipe that sounds fun that you can try!

I hope everyone has a wonderful, healthy day! 

Much love

So much pain!! I think the shin splints are beginning to set in, and my knees definitely need some outside support. I guess this is why you’re not supposed to train hard everyday, but it’s like an addiction for me! 

I ran five miles today, but it was a struggle. Then I did weights. 

I feel like I ate too much today. I had some fruit, a salad, and a potato medly (some sweet potatoes and things like that). I had about 3/4 cup of baked potato chunks. Then I had some more fruit for a snack, and later had an apple, tofu with cucumbers, sunflower seeds and kidney beans (1 cup, cold) and 1/2 cup of refriend beans with fresh salsa. I think I added too many things that were outside of my normal diet because I felt really slow at the gym and don’t feel that great right now. I feel weighed down. The good news is, tomorrow is a new day! More fruit and salad for me!!

Also, my Professor cancelled the one class that I have tomorrow, so I have a free day! I think I’ll probably just do some homework, and maybe hit the gym twice if my legs can handle it. 

Goodnight!

Yay for two-a-days!! 

I went back to the gym and ran two more miles in just under 14 minutes, and then did some arm, chest and ab work outs. I did a tiny bit of legs, but something is going on with my knee and I couldn’t handle it. I think I’m going to get a brace for it in the next couple of days if it doesn’t feel better. And maybe buy new running shoes, because there’re a lot of miles on the ones I have now. 

I ate some more fruit, and some more salad. Pretty late night eating, but I burned over a thousand calories at the gym today and I had eaten around 200 calories total. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to eat a little more. My boyfriend made a pizza after his workout (with tons of veggies, and vegan crust) and gave me some bites of the crust because I was craving carbs. I only ate a few bites, but it was weird having the “bread” sensation in my mouth. I realized that I’ve only been eating raw food the past few weeks with a couple of exceptions, so it’s really weird when I switch it up at all. I might go for some whole grain pasta tomorrow night with my own homemade tomato sauce (fresh tomatoes, reduced with 1/4 cup water, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and a tiny drop of olive oil). I sometimes mix some vegan pesto in with it to add some basil-y flavor. I haven’t had pasta since studying abroad last semester, though, and I don’t know if I want to break the routine I have going now. I think I’ll probably end up just getting a salad, but we’ll see. If I’m not absolutely craving something besides salad, I’ll just stick to it!

Nothing much more to report. I’m working on some homework tonight, and hoping to get to bed earlier than last night (3 am). I was tossing and turning and couldn’t fall asleep. I know that getting enough sleep is an integral part of losing weight, and lowering stress levels so I want to make sure that I’m covering all the bases. 

Work out for the day:

Today I ran four miles in a little under 30 minutes, and then did weights for another 45 minutes to an hour. My knee was bothering me, so I opted to do more weight training instead of pushing it on the treadmill. 

I ate two small salads today and some fruit. Not much eating going on, but I was really busy with school work. 

Goodnight world!