Today I find myself snowed in. While it wasn't
completely unexpected, I did after all read the weather report and get the call
that school would be closed, Somehow, I still had expectations of being the
sort of girl who would brave the ice and cover classes at the gym for those who
live too far to drive on the highways. But alas, at 28 degrees and iced over
roads, I am stuck inside.
For those of you who know me, you know that I
have been up since 6, which for me, is sleeping in. You probably envision me
bouncing around like an atomic particle about now, jumping from organizing my
pantry, to donating 4 bags of clothes to GRACE, to watching my dog run around
and bite sleet, to reading 2 chapters of 2 different books (The 21 Irrefutable
Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell and The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene'
Brown - thanks to suggestions from RV and TQ) and reading articles on fitness
and nutrition as well as planning a reading lesson I will be modeling for one
of my favorite growth-minded teachers.- Love you AK! Yes. I have done all
that.
Three loads of laundry and 3 cups of coffee later,
I find myself wanting to connect with you. Three really important thoughts are
roaming around in my head: nutrition, today's workout, and rest. I would like
to share:
Nutrition
I offered up a phytonutrient challenge - eat 1
cup of each of 5 groups of phytonutrients each day this week. I have been so
excited with the response I have received and the many who want to connect and
bond with others who have goals to feel better and live better through good
nutrition. I shopped. I planned.... And then came the ice. Immediately, I had
thoughts of warm comfort food ranging from processed garbage to healthy
comfort-food alternatives....like vegan chili, homemade soup, black beans and
quinoa....but yeah, okay, mostly thoughts of order-out pizza, nachos,
oreos, baked goods, and anything else you can imagine refined, processed and
loaded with fat and sugar. Okay so I am normal and I am keeping in real. But I
went back and read my blog. I paused. I thought about the commitment I made and
I took a deep breath and decided to honor my plan. I sliced up all my yummy,
healthy foods and started my day. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I am
forever content that I ate healthy. I have never once eaten healthy and
regretted it. I can't say the same about eating garbage food and having a
carbohydrate binge. I always feel terrible when I do that. One of the things I
love about eating fresh fruits and vegetables is the easy, quick prep time.
Seriously, only minutes to wash and slice and then eat. It is heaven!
Another benefit is a huge full plate of food to fill me up and not to mention,
all the color is SO enticing! Check it out for yourself:
A pretty setting is worth the effort!
So fast and easy just rinse and chop!
For later on today, I am making homemade lentil
soup: lentils, quinoa, onion, garlic, vegetable broth, sliced veges: carrots,
squash and sweet potato. I will top with a whole sliced avocado and fresh
tomato and likely have some whole grain pita chips. If you need soup that is easily prepared and portable, I like this boxed brand and for reference, I eat the whole box which is 2 servings. For that matter, I will eat a large bowl of lentil soup tonight which is nutritionally 2 1/2 servings.
For additional nutritional
reference: I started my day with a protein shake of 30g protein and banana
mixed with ice and almond milk. I will eat additional fruits and vegetables
(likely tuna and an apple at 3 p.m. which is a bit of a tradition) I will have my favorite green smoothie with spinach/kale, cucumber, orange, apple, celery, blueberries and plant protein powder, ice, and almond milk. When I give in to comfort carbohydrates later today, I am planning on steel cut oats with chunks of green apple and walnuts on top with almond milk. If all goes
well, I will not drink diet soda and plow through a half bag of girl scout
cookies:) Wish me luck!
Exercise
For many, a day without exercise is a scary
thought. For those who love the outdoors, not being able to run or cycle
outside today is frustrating, and for those who love group fitness classes, the
cancellation of classes is beyond a bummer. Some gyms are open if you feel like
braving the roads. However, with all the information available, it occurred to me that this is the PERFECT day to have a home workout!
I encourage you to learn more about HIIT (High
intensity interval training) and full body workouts (no equipment necessary)
and the benefits of a self-yoga practice (yes, you really can close your eyes
and breathe and flow in the privacy of your own home with amazing success and
deep mind-body connection) it occurred to me that this is the PERFECT day to
have a home workout!
I have some resources I would like to share:
YOGAGlow.com (Free trail)
Joseph@Josephstingley.com
(This local yoga king is now offering skype yoga! Contact him for more information.)
Rest
And now, for the craziest idea of all....REST! When is the last time you took a rest day? Do you know that elite athletes take not only rest days but rest periodizaions to take care of their bodies and improve performance. Not sold on the idea? Here are some bullet points to consider and articles with great information. While the gym rat thought process is more like the picture, consider what a rest day can do for you.
Why rest?
- Our bodies adjust to repetitive long endurance cardio workouts and become very efficient. Some experience a weight-loss plateau and become frustrated. After all, they are putting in hours and miles on endurance cardio equipment. You have likely seen these people at the gym...they are caught in a vicious cycle of outrunning a bad diet and while they are there morning, noon, and night, putting in verocious hours of steady state cardio, they never achieve transformation. There is possibly an easy explanation why...read more below. If you are tempted to fall prey to this vicious cycle, I encourage you to step away and balance out shorter, harder exercise bursts as well as REST.
- Workouts may happen at the gym and outdoors when we are sweating and pushing, but fitness is the body's response to the exercise stimulus and fitness occurs after the workout. Here is an excerpt: "The "getting
fitter" part -– the body's response to that stimulus -– comes afterward.
While you eat and rest, the body gets to work repairing tissue damage,
strengthening the heart and other muscles, restoring depleted fuel reserves and
getting better at transporting oxygen throughout the body, making itself a
little more efficient and stronger than before. Then we go out and do it again."
- Over training and adaptive energy: Here is an excerpt: "By training
carefully and modestly -– stressing the body to stimulate change, and then
letting it recover and adapt -– we stack up these little adaptations one on top
of the other until, lo and behold, we find ourselves fit enough to run a
marathon, lift a heavier weight, or play the best basketball of our adult
lives. The problem is that we usually don't completely recover between
workouts. Some of the fatigue stays with us, gradually accumulating during long
periods of intense training dedicated to our favorite sport. Even as we get
fitter and fitter, the mechanisms of recovery and adaptation begin faltering,
putting us at risk for chronic exhaustion, difficulty sleeping and loss of
motivation, evidenced in part by declining testosterone levels and increases in
creatine kinase and urea. Your body has only a certain bank account of adaptive
energy," says Alan Couzens, a cycling and triathlon coach with EnduranceCorner.com,
based in Boulder, Colorado. "It will keep responding to training for only
a certain period of time before that bank account goes into the red."
Wishing you an amazing snow day!
And if like me, you are likely to find a small portion of oreos (2) with a small glass of almond milk, well take heart, it is not a big deal. Enjoy!
Be Safe. Be Warm. Be Healthy!
Lisa
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