Archive for May, 2010

31
May
10

Bumpy start, strong finish

By Feerlessfood 4 Comments
Categories: Chicken, Dinners, fitness, Mexican, Nutrition, Peanut butter and Workouts
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Happy Memorial Day everyone!  I finally decided today to go on the bike ride I have been procrastinating about all weekend.  Saturday and Sunday I opted for sleep over early morning rides and just did hard workouts at the gym instead.  I got 31 miles running this week though, so happy with that.  Alas, no swims though.  I was going to go yesterday, Sunday, buy my boy, David, was in town visiting me so I just smashed with a lift and run and then we hit the beach.

Back today, I was hanging with a pretty quick group at around 20-21 miles an hour.  I goal was an out and back 62-miler.  At mile 24 I smashed a pothole and popped my tire.  The group kept riding (thanks a lot) but luckily another guy passing by had an extra tube and hooked me up.  I turned around at that point and made pretty good time home.  But on top of that, the grip tape on my left handlebar came off and I forgot my GPS so I couldn’t tell me pace!  Ha, oh well- it happens right?  I went home and took like a 4 hour nap, and then headed over to the gym and put in 7 miles of intervals since I didn’t brick the run with the bike.  I put some new grip tape on my handlebars though: 

New white grip tape

 

I like the way the white looked! 

Here is a workout I did yesterday that was tough but good: 

  • 5×5 Hang clean with 3×5 real overhand pull ups

Then 4×10 

  • DB bench on exercise ball
  • Medicine balls slams
  • Exercise ball leg curl
  • Explosive bench dips

Then 4×8: 

  • Low back row standing on Bosu ball
  • 1-arm standing DB military on the Bosu ball

The workout worked a lot of explosive muscles as well as a lot of my smaller stabilizer muscles.  So I came back and cooked up some tacos!  Just chicken on whole wheat tortillas with cheese, salsa, black bean dip. 

The first one, not toasted in the oven

 

Crisping in the oven

 

Yum- made with leftover bbq chicken

 

Fell apart, but it was crispy

 

Has anyone ever tried Quark cheese?  I had heard of it and found it in Wegmans last week so I figured I’d give it a try.  It tasted similar to a mix of greek yogurt and sour cream.  I don’t like sour cream, but I may have to try it, because the tanginess of the quark mixed with the salsa tasted great! 

Ever had Quark cheese?

 

Like sour cream

 

And in case anyone wanted to know, here’s an example of some of daily eats- snacks and lunch, and an “At-work-breakfast” (Normally I would make eggs and oatmeal at home) 

Lunch: Chicken Breast sandwich, apple, small piece of leftover sweet potato with cinnamon

 

I have been trying to include a “something else” in my lunch to give me more energy for my afternoon workouts.  I felt that just my sandwich and apple wasn’t very much and that I was acting on my eating disorder by restricting myself to only that. 

Here is my pre-workout snack: My “At-Work-Breakfast” is basically the same thing but probably with more granola and little more protein in the shake…but I forgot to take a picture 

Afternoon/Pre- workout: Small protein shake, 1.5 cup mix of Kashi cereal and Trader Joes Granola, banana

 

Let me know what you guys use for convenient snacks!  I try to stay away from processed foods, obviously, and only eat Power Bars etc, a few times a week.  Maybe more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?  I need to grow up and stop counting every gram of fat and understand that I’m eating healthy food, in fact, here’s more evidence give it a read! Carbs against Cardio: More Evidence that Refined Carbohydrates, not Fats, Threaten the Heart: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=carbs-against-cardio

25
May
10

Got it in – kickin back

By Feerlessfood 3 Comments
Categories: breakfast, Chicken, Dinners, Eggs, fitness, Side dishes and Workouts

It’s been a solid training week since last post–a lot of high quality workouts in some good weight lifting sessions too!  That being said, my body told me today was a recovery day, so I have a some time to catch up here…and hopefully write some on www.triathletefood.com which I have been neglecting to do! 

On Saturday I got a 62-mile bike ride in with a 4 mile run after.  Then I drove up to DC to surprise my little sister because she was actually home for a day- she got a day off from the Eating disorder clinic.  It was also my little brothers birthday, so I was the “good brother” this weekend.  The ride was really early so that I could get home as early as possible.  I tried to eat well, but not knowing what I would get to eat back at home, I definitely restricted a little bit.  I got all my carbs and protein, but avoided any fat.  I have an apple, protein shake, and Marshmallow fluff sandwich (no peanut butter…what was I thinking??)  I had in the fridge so I could grab it quick and eat in the car, but at some point my roommate moved it… 

Neal made my sandwich smushed

 

It made for a messy drive haha.  On Sunday, I had planned to do the same workout I did last weekend when I was in DC- a triathlon on my own, but when I woke up Sunday, I weighed the options between the workout and more sleep…the latter won out.  My plan, then, was to drive back to Norfolk and workout here- but I forgot the gym closed at eight!  This made the whole drive very uncomfortable because I had definitely planned to get something in that day.  However, I was able to get to the gym 32 minutes before closing and bang out a 5 mile run! 

After this I came home and made some Honey Mustard chicken.  Very, very easy…mix honey with mustard, slather on the chicken and bake.  Delicious! 

Mustard, honey, chicken

 

Glazed before going in the oven

 

Honey Mustard Chicken (my version)

 

Here are some pictures from another day last week: 

Oatmeal with protein powder and pumpkin-- Power breakfast!

 

Here is also my attempt at the omelet I have failed at multiple times now.  If I’m having eggs, I really want to enjoy the yolk, hence I like my eggs over easy.  So when I make my omelets, I try to make most of it with Egg Beaters, then add the eggs on top late in the game and let them sort of poach on top.  However, I always overcook the yolk which is worse than just scrambling them in like a normal omelet.  Oh well, haha 

Attempting to make an "over-easy omlete"

 

And served with some baked sweet potato and butternut squash fries 

Half sweet potato half butternut squash

 

I think this time the omelet sort of ended up working! 

Ta da

 

It was good.  For anyone interested, here is the workout I did yesterday that was a lot more brutal than expected! 

4x 1.55 mile run (10 minutes) with 10 minutes hard on the bike between sets 

Vicious! 

Leave something!

20
May
10

Feeling it!

By Feerlessfood 3 Comments
Categories: fitness, Motivation, Reviews and Workouts
Tags: , , , ,

3 great workouts so far this week and I am really feeling it!  

Yesterday I did a heavy lift (first time I’ve done legs in while because of all my races!)  I did:  

  • 6 sets of 3 reps on front squat/ 4×8 floor DB press
  • 4×10 wide grip pulls ups, dips, and DB stiff leg dead lifts (my aching hamstrings!)
  • 4×10 DB swings, heavy shrugs, 1 arm tricep extension, and bent-over bicep curls (so that it worked my back too)

Then I did a 5.5 mile interval run (about 37 minutes total), 20 minutes of cross trainer elliptical, and 30 minutes interval with tabata on the bike.  Then abs.  

Today called for more intervals.  I started with a 60 minute spin class that was really heavy on sprint work today.  Then I hit the treadmill and did:  

  • 5 minutes all out, 1 minute recovery
  • 3x 30 sec on 30 sec off
  • 2 minutes ALL out

I did this through twice which was about 26 minutes, and then I kicked out another 10 minutes to reach 5 miles plus to make up for the 3 minutes of recovery I took over the first intervals.  Now my legs and hamstrings are crying….I really need a massage!  

So I think calls for some…  

Cookies and Brownies from Lenny and Larry!

…some delicious and nutritious protein cookies and brownies from Lenny and Larry’s!  These are awesome nutrition products that Lenny and Larry’s sent me.  Not only do they taste great but they are full of protein and healthy calories.  I have been using them to refuel after workouts, as nutrition during my long training rides on the bike, and just as awesome anytime snacks!  I’ve tried the cookies and the chocolate peanut butter brownies so far….but that Cookies & Cream brownie is getting devoured realllll soon!  You can check them out and order them from here: www.lennylarry.com.  Let me know if you try them!  

Thanks for all the responses you guys left on your goals!  Here are some that people left:  

Here are April’s from www.Foodsofapril.com:  

1. Keep lifting and gaining muscle
2. Not care what anyone thinks of me
3. Pray more  

And here are some from Em at homecookedem.wordpress.com
1. Eat healthy and workout for no reason other than MY HEALTH!
2. Volunteer at least once this summer
3. Pray more and attend church more regularly
4. Spend more time with my family
5. Inspire others to love and accept themselves just as they are  

—

From Hedda:

Some of my goals :
- Always love my body. Not just for how it looks, but for who it is. My body is my opportunity to live and experience beautiful things. My body is wonderful, and deserves love and respect.
- Learn from experiences. Some people call the three years I have suffered from anorexia for “a waste of time”. I disagree. Today I am a secure, confident and thankful person, and I have learned so much about both myself and life because of my battle.
I am proud of myself for my past, there is nothing to be ashamed over.
- Show respect to other, and to myself.
- Dive into the social world once again.
- Keep challenging myself when it comes to food and strenghtening my new-found love for food.
- Take one subject at the University after summer. I miss my Polish!

Thanks for the responses yall and I wish you the best!

18
May
10

Tri-umph

By Feerlessfood 3 Comments
Categories: Eating disorders/ recovery, Motivation and Uncategorized
Tags: , , ,

I want to take a minute and talk a little about inspiration and success.   What is success to you?  What is achieving your goals, being the best you can be, or knowing that you have given your all and you are happy about what you have accomplished and how you feel about yourself.

First off, don’t let anyone else tell you what your goals are and when you have achieved them.  Not your parents, your boy friend or girl friend, your friends, or even the people you may PAY to set goals for you like a personal trainer or nutritionist.  Goals should come from inside you and you should be the only one who can determine whether or not you have achieved them.  If someone else thinks “you should get in better shape” or “lose a few pounds” who cares?  As long as you are happy with yourself, that is what matters.

Don’t get me wrong, goals are great to have, but you should be the one setting them.  They should also be SMART- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.  This means that at some point, you are able to evaluate your goals and check your progress on them.  Here are a few of my goals:

Exercise, fitness, performance based:

  • Finish my next Olympic Triathlon faster than any previously
  • Get faster at every Half Ironman I do for the rest of the year
  • Qualify for the Halfmax Regional Championships (Half Ironman) in October
  • Increase my muscular strength and re-work my schedule to allow for more days of quality resistance training
  • Get in the pool for swim workouts at least twice a week
  • Maintain a healthy body weight and body fat level that will increase my performance and help my body be healthier mentally, physically, and hormonally

But here are some other goals, goals that can fit into any ones life and should:

  • Rethink everything in a positive light, be optimistic
  • Take time every day to reflect on the good things I did in that day
  • Let the people I love know how much I appreciate them every day
  • Eat a healthy diet that helps me perform better physically and mentally, and to include more sources of healthy fat
  • Enjoy the foods I eat and to not restrict myself
  • Sleep more!
  • Smile at and say hello to someone new everyday
  • Not think negatively about anyone, no matter how hard this may be
  • Thank God for everything I have been blessed with
  • Let all unnecessary anxieties go
  • Be an inspiration and source of knowledge to other people who have dealt with or are currently battling eating disorders like mine

So what are your goals?  If you guys leave comments I will post your goals so everyone can see them and know that you have support.

I want to give a special shout out to my sister, Tracy, who is currently in the in-patient hospital for eating disorders at Sheppard Pratt hospital in Maryland.  This is the same hospital I was in when I was in-patient for my eating disorder.  I can’t help but feel partially to blame for her being in there–all the years she watched what I did and my struggles with eating, weight, and exercise.  But I wanted to ask everyone to keep her in your thoughts she is doing awesome!  She has been trying all kinds of new foods she used to never eat and she is in such a better place mentally.  I have nothing but high hopes for her for when she gets out!

Leave your thoughts…thanks everybody!

16
May
10

GUR and I Tri by myself!

By Feerlessfood 3 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized, Dinners, Workouts, Chicken, sweet potato, Nutrition, fitness and beef
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Hey guys!  This has been another long week–I wasn’t as smoked from the Half Ironman as I honestly thought I would be.  But then again, many of my weekend training sessions were around those distances, so I did prepare well.  Now it’s time to recover and then start to train better and smarter and get faster…and recover better!  That means, more sleep! 

Today was a good day- I decided to do a little triathlon at the gym:  I swam 3150m as a sprint pyramid, then bike the longest course on the “Expresso Bike” (which is like a real bike simulation), and then ran 6.5 miles.  It was tough!  The bike was a 20 mile course, but it was pure hills…I was drenched.  It took me like 1 hour 12 minutes, so that proves how “virtually” hilly it was.  The run was tough too since it was on a treadmill I wasn’t used to and that ran harder than what I usually run on.  After this I drove back to Norfolk.  I ran to the gym here and got a great core-centric lift using an exercise band and exercise balls and then did a long stretch. 

I realized last Thursday that I lifted maybe twice in the last 2 weeks…scary!  With all the races I either haven’t had time or have avoided it as part of my peak and taper cycle.  So after a hard run and bike Thursday I realized I had to do something, and in doing so, came up with a great circuit.  I did 4 rounds of the following: 

  • 6 Heavy DB bench press
  • 12 Leg curls using the exercise ball
  • 10 Dips
  • 10 DB Bicep curls into an Overhead military press
  • 10 Seated cable lat rows

Done with minimal rest between exercises and a quick breath between rounds.  Try it out–hits everything except really your quadriceps, but mine were done from the hard bike and run. 

On Saturday I went home up to DC and my cousin and I did the Great Urban Race with cousin Jason.  It’s basically a giant scavenger hunt throughout the city that requires solving some clues as well as a thorough knowledge of the city.  For example, one of the clues was, “go to the location of George Washington University and take a picture of both teammates performing the good luck tradition.”   We didn’t win, but it was a lot of fun- I’ll post pictures when my cousin sends them.  Oh, and our team name was, Newt Gingrich and the Salamanders. 

Afterward we celebrated out loss at my house on the Weber grill.  My dad, the grillmaster, grilled some great London Broil steaks.  As a note, lean steak is nearly as lean as chicken breast and contains essential amino acids, proteins, and Iron!  Not that we should fear eating fat!  But just wanted to express my support of eating a well balanced diet and including all food types.  We ate this vegetables, 12-grain bread from Whole Foods, and sweet potatoes with real butter!  I found some “I can’t believe it’s not butter” that was in our fridge it had partially AND fully hydrogenated oil in it.  Gross.  Here’s the beautiful steak! 

Perfect London Broils on the Weber!

 

Here are some pictures of what I made tonight when I got back from the 3 hour drive back to Norfolk.  Leftover steak, with a chicken breast and baked sweet potato with cream cheese and diced pecans…one of my favorite meals! 

Leftover steak with BBQ chicken (Almost ate all the steak before I took the picture)

 

Sweet potato with cream cheese and diced pecans

 

Enjoy guys!  Remember to leave your health, exercise, and nutrition questions for me!

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