Veggie Slaw...

I made this today and was very impressed with its flavor!

Brussel sprouts
Broccoli
Red peppers
Red Onion
Tomatoes
For the dressing.....1 tbsp of Vegan Mayo, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and Chia seeds! VERY GOOD!!

Note : For the Vegan Mayo. I get mine from Whole foods. The Brand is Follow Your Heart and I get the Light version. 1 tbsp 45 calories and all clean ingredients, for a sweetener, agave nectar is used. All you need is 1 tbsp and this will yield several servings.

Just a little update....

It seems like it has been forever since my daily result blogs. Miss them! I am hoping soon I will get back to blogging as regular as I once did but for now the easy FB posting of my pics will do.

My April Challenge is still going on though it is not what I envisioned. It is far from it actually. My weight loss has slowed but that was expected. The inches are still coming off so I know I am doing something right! My runs are going well. Saturday's 10 miler was fantastic! Nice pace with a few hills - AP of 10:45.

We are leaving in a couple of weeks for our first international trip with our baby girl. This week is all about passports, id's, shots, packing list, shopping and everything else. We are very excited to show our little girl a new place one in which we love so very much.....Paris!!! She will also be traveling with us for a few days to Northern Ireland. I am sure that I will have many stories to share once we return!

And so as promised here are a few pics from the past few days of my food and a couple of the 3 of us...

At Whole Foods after my 10 miler 

The best way to start off the morning! Oats and Quinoa! 

Salmon salad with bulgur tabouli

Tilapia and shiitake mushrooms with butternut squash 

Bulgur wheat!! Love this in the morning! 

More Tilapia...my favorite! 

Salmon salad "sandwich" 

The two loves of my life! 

Family Fun at Whole Foods! 

8 Miles DONE! I am happy....

Stats for todays run - 8 miles

1 Mile - Warm up slow run - 11:21

2 mile run 18:56 - both miles @ 9:28

1 Mile - Easy walk - 21 mins

2 Mile run - 20:51 - Mile 1, 10:55 Mile 2 - 9:58

2 Mile Cool down walk - 33:27

I did well today, I started off VERY slow and there were times I almost just stopped, wanting to go home. My body felt very stiff the first 1/2 mile. I started getting into a stride and felt much better after the first mile. Now, my training had me doing a 5 mile tempo run today -- 2 miles slow and 3 miles @ 9:41. I was not sure if I could do this but I started off on my second mile aiming for the pace. Much to my surprise, my 2 miles where at 9:28, better than the tempo pace my plan had for me. After the 2 miles I started feeling my hamstring and shoulder really starting to hurt, so I stopped and walked for a mile. SLOW. After this I felt much better and did not want to stop. So I started off running again. I ran for another 2 miles, nice and easy with an AP of 10:26. After this l walked a good 2 miles as a cool down leaving me with 8 miles done for the day. Now, I do not know what to call this run. It was not an LSD, it was not speed work, nor was it a tempo run. I think I am just going to call it running according to how I feel.

I did my best and I am very happy with my paces. My glut is hurting and my shoulder stiff but nothing that ice, advil and rest will not cure! My next run is Saturday, an LSD, 10 miler with an AP of 11:18.

The Run, The Fall and the Pride that comes in FINISHING STRONG!

Finally, the blog about Saturday's eventful run......

First of all, my stats -  10 miles - 1:51 AP 11:07

Mile 1 - 10:50 
Mile 2 - 10:53 
Mile 3 - 10:48 
Mile 4 - 10:58 
Mile 5 - 11:22 
Mile 6 - 11:24 
Mile 7 -11:16 
Mile 8 - 11:33 
Mile 9 - 11:33 
Mile 10 - 10:36

Last Saturday I went out for my scheduled run of 10 miles. At the last minute we decided to drive into Houston and run around Memorial park and I would continue on to Allen Parkway and Downtown. They are now finished with the Bayou trails and I was curious to see the end result as for so many years that is where I ran when we lived back in Houston. It was a late start to my run as the drive down took awhile (we live north of Houston in The Woodlands). I started my run about 10 am and the sun was out, no clouds but a nice breeze.  I started around Memorial, a strong and stead pace, easy and right on target for my LSD run that was scheduled.  After running  half way around the park I continued down Memorial drive towards downtown. 

For the first 4 miles I felt super strong, at ease and having a fantastic time. It was getting hot, but it did not bother me so much. I continued down the trails along the Bayou, it was lovely!!! They have repaved some of the trails which was nice as before they were pitted with holes and NOT fun to run on. Unfortunately all the trails where not finished and I found the course I was on to be VERY hard on my knees. I was running along the lower side of the Bayou at an angle, leaning towards my right which is my bad knee...NOT good! My ITB was hurting and it was very difficult to keep a good pace but I gave it my all. I continued going up and down from street level back down to the Bayou and the short but challenging hills where once again hard on my knees.

At one point I was going down hill, a very short hill but steep, the path was VERY uneven and I started to fall forward but at the last minute I caught myself, landing on my right knee....yes, that is the bad knee. This hurt my knee even more. But I continued on. Right before mile 8, I was heading up Memorial back to the park and I honestly do not know what happened. I was running on the sidewalk and I fell forward landing face forward towards my left side. I was in shock at first, then I slowly got up and had to make a decision. Do I keep running or call Micah to come and pick me up? Should I walk back? I did not know what to do but I felt as if I had to keep going. I was not seriously injured, just sore and banged up a bit. My hands where scuffed up and I was  hurting along my left side, limping as I was running but I kept going. I wanted to just cry. Here I was only a few weeks away from my next race and I was so worried that this would set me back. I started thinking of every motivational thing I could to keep me going. I remembered my friend CC, who recently just finished another HM barefoot after her feet were sore and bleeding. I was remembering a video of a track star who fell in competition only to come back and WIN at the last minute. And so I continued on -- SLOW but I did it. I was out of water, hot, sore and hurt and I felt it for the last 2 miles.

Mile 10,  I was trying my best to finish strong and as I turned a corner, there was my husband. I started to tear up just seeing him. I wanted to stop and hold him but I wanted to make him proud of me, so I started to run as fast as I could. As mile 10 hit, I stopped my watch, reached my hands to the sky and thanked God for giving me the strength to complete this run. I was so proud of myself for not throwing in the towel, I was proud that I continued and I did the best that I could.

I am not the first runner to fall and in the course of my lifetime of running I am bound to have other hard runs but I think what is important, is that we take away lessons from each run. I learned I am stronger than I give myself credit for and I can do anything if I set my mind to do it. I do not regret this run in any way. I am thankful that I am just sore and recovering as opposed to injured and out for this season.  There will be other runs, victorious ones! There will be many PR's in my future. This was not a set back but a beautiful experience where I learned so much about who I am as a runner. Yes, I finally said it. I am a RUNNER! I have tears as I write this. I never really thought of myself as a runner. How could I? I am not fast. I am not a BQ ( Boston Qualifier) and I am not a sub 2 hour half marathoner.....well as of now I am not :)...this will be my year to break that one! So for me to say publicly, I consider myself once and for all a runner, is a big deal for me.

I am no longer the fat girl remembering back to my glory days when I was in high school, thin, running and doing triathlons. I am no longer the girl who longs for the past, I am no longer the girl who hates looking in the mirror and I am no longer the girl who thought I could never regain who I once was....I am better than ever now. I am stronger, smarter and more fit than ever before.....I am a runner, a wife and a Mother, my greatest role yet. Life is just beginning for me and it is beautiful.

My first attempt at an herb and veggie garden!

Well I only have Roma tomatoes, basil, mint, thyme, sage and rosemary but it is a start! 

The Rick....VERY inspirational.

I recently had the privilege of meeting a wonderful runner on FB. His story is inspirational. He has a book out called "Heading Toward the Final Finish Line." I have just ordered my copy! You can find his blog on Amazon.

Here is a link to his blog and FB page!

http://www.therrrick.com/

http://www.facebook.com/rrrick.karampatsos?sk=info

Another yummy and healthy recipe! Salmon salad.....

Today's lunch.....

Salmon Salad...

Canned Salmon 
Cherub tomatoes 
Celery
Greek Yogurt
Hot sauce along with red chili flakes
Mrs Dash lemon pepper seasoning
Red bell pepper
Wasabi - Ginger ground mustard from Hubbell and Hudson....trust me it is to die for!
Light Vegan Mayo from Whole Foods

The best chicken salad ever!

I made this yesterday and I have to say I just LOVED it!! Everyone is different but to me, this spicy and healthy chicken salad hit the spot! I do not have the amounts of the ingredients used as I was tasting along the way for flavor etc...

Canned Chicken

Greek Yogurt

Dijon mustard 

Sriracha sauce 

Chili Lime Cholula sauce 

Apple 

Red Onion 

Grape tomatoes 

Turkish seasonings mix from Penzeys

Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning 

SOOOOO YUMMY!! Enjoy! 

The TRX talk and many food pics!

I have not been blogging my daily results here as I normally do. Ever since Michaela's first birthday which was April 4th, I  have been posting my food pics on FB but I have failed to post my normal blog results.

Now for the TRX talk.....

OK,  here is the deal. When I first made the challenge on April 1st to complete 12, 45 min TRX sessions this month I think I might have been slightly crazy. I have completed about 4 sessions, NONE of which have been 45 mins long.  This month will be one in which I do not meet the goals I set for myself and I am ok with this. In terms of weight loss I am doing fantastic, it is just the ST that  I am falling behind on. I will continue the challenge as planned BUT with one big exception. My TRX sessions will not be for any particular length of time. If I get in my 3 sets of 15 reps per exercise along with some push ups and so on, then that will count as one session. I will not be going for time as I am finding out a quick 20 mins on this thing and my back muscles are burning! Maybe next month I will aim for more but as of now, I need to ease into my workouts on this thing. It really is challenging! The pushups alone will kill your chest.....in the best possible way.

In the past 2 days I have done 217 push ups so I am pretty sore so I am taking today OFF!!! I have a long run on saturday as part of my training for my next race...May 7th, and I do not want to be so sore it affects my run.

Now onto food....

Here is a look at the food I have been eating.  I will work hard to get back to blogging my daily results, but for now, here is a look at what was on my plate these past few days.........

Another race completed.....slow, but I made it across that finish line!

Big D Half Marathon.....My 5th HM is DONE! It was slow but I did it.

It was hot, hilly and I had FUN! I walked quite a bit even walking with my husband a few times which was nice. I stopped mid race to talk with him so my overall pace was slow but still faster than the scheduled run on my training plan, which should have been 8 miles LSD @ 11:27 mm. 

There was one point in the race where I was just standing there talking to my husband. We were kissing and hugging, chatting away then I realized, I am in a race! So I said walk with me!! We walked for a bit and then he went to go and meet me at the next point. We met up several times, 3 of them walking and talking about the race....mostly about how slow I was going! He said it was the slowest race he has seen. EVERYONE was walking, sweating and not looking good. I passed by 3 runners who scared me to death. One girl was passed out on the ground, the other was sitting down with people all around her to help, and the third was leaning on a man just trying to stand and make it through the finish line. It was only in the 80's but the direct sun, mixed with heavy winds and humidity made for a tough race.  I did suffer however in one VERY important area, hydration! I did not hydrate properly and felt it came back to get me around mile 7 and post race as my stomach was cramping up really bad.  After getting some water and drinks in my system, I felt much better. 

Anyways, here are my slow splits....

Mile 1 - 10:20
Mile 2 - 10:26
Mile 3 - 10:36
Mile 4 - 10:31
Mile 5 - 10:39
Mile 6 - 10:28 

Starting at Mile 7 was when I started walking and running. 

Mile 7 - 11:39

Mile 8 - 12:33...stopped and talked with my husband for a bit 

Mile 9 - 11:31
Mile 10 - 11:38...walked with my husband
Mile 11 - 11:34
Mile 12 - 12:35...stopped to talk to my husband and take a photo, then we walked together
Mile 13 - Walked a good deal of this mile 12:13. My slowest finish EVER!
.27 - 10:20 mm

LuLuLemon Size 4 AND Size 4 Jeans from White House/Black Market...FINALLY!!!

I have been wanting these capris FOREVER but I did not want to get them in the size 6 which was right for me where I am now in my weight loss. The size 4 fit perfect in the legs but my problem area is my belly. I am bound and determined to melt my belly down!!! Well, my hard work has been paying off as yesterday I finally bought the size 4 capris that I wanted AND this last weekend got these super cute size 4 jeans from White House/Black Market. 

I need to post these around the house to motivate me to KEEP PRESSING ON!! I have a long road ahead of me but feel as if I am making great strides forward towards my dreams! 

I could not have done this without all your support and above all, my source of strength, my Lord and Savior. 

 

 

3 nutritional changes I have recently made...

Hello all. Still here and going stronger than ever before! I have not blogged all week as it was Michaela's first birthday and so things have been busy! We are leaving tomorrow for another party with the family up in Dallas. I am losing and doing GREAT! Now at 27 lbs lost since Jan 1st!! I was so surprised how well things are going, in the past 10 days alone I have lost 5.2 lbs! See what clean eating can do!!!! IT WORKS!!!! 

I was asked today by a friend what are the 3 nutritional changes I have made recently which has helped me shed the pounds... 

 

1. Fiber! My favorite blend is shown in the picture above, Garden for Life Raw Fiber and Super seed. I have always had a high fiber diet but ever since December I started really focusing on the sources of my fiber. Instead of buying high fiber things I switched to plant and legume based sources. Some of the ingredients of these are....Garbanzo bean sprouts, Quinoa sprouts, Adzuki sprouts, Chia seeds, Flax seeds, Amaranth sprouts, Lentil sprouts....and so on. I use these two on my oatmeal, yogurt with berries and of course my shakes! 

2. My trio I have grown to LOVE! Raw Cacao, Maca root and Goji berries. Do these have a direct effect on my weight, we may never know. All I know is that I have been adding these daily and have seen a HUGE difference in my energy levels, hunger and overall well being. So I say, if it is working, don't change a thing! Whatever they are doing, I love it!!! 

3. TEA, TEA and more TEA!!! I drink about a gallon of water a day along with around 64 oz or so of tea. My go to teas are Yerba Mate, Oolong and Double Matcha. I know for a fact that these have made a HUGE difference for me during the day. Forget juice, diet soda and drink tea! 

I of course have more but these are a few of the things I have changed. I am always learning and reading more, trying to further this journey I am currently on. I have a long way to go and I pray I never stop striving for more! 

April Challenge. The TRX 12, Day 1 Results

April Challenge Results - Starting April 1st 
Weight Loss - 0 pounds 
Inches Lost - 0 inches 
Miles - 0 
TRX workouts - 0/12 
Pushups - 50 
Squats - 30 

Wellness totals for the year - Starting January 1st 
Weight Loss - 24.6 pounds 
Inches Lost - 10.5 inches 
Miles - 212.59 

Daily Goals for April - 

1. Read the Bible every morning - DONE! But did not do it first thing. 

2. Drink my gallon of water - DONE! 

3. Take my vitamins and supplements - DONE! 

4. Take photos of my food for my blog - DONE! 

5. Make sure and get at least 5 cups of tea per day - DONE! 

6. EVERY morning wake up and drink my usual lemon drink - DONE! 

7. STRETCH! Use my foam roller every day - DONE! 

8. Squat Challenge - DONE! 30 reps for the day. 30/1200 

9. Complete 12 TRX training sessions - did TRX but only for a short time, does not count. 

10. Pushup Challenge - 50 reps DONE for the day! 50/1200 

11. Do what it takes everyday to make another step forward towards my weight loss goal - YES! I made wise choices all day and felt I really did well - DONE! 

12. Complete scheduled run/walk for the day - HM training - Today was a rest day for me. 

Meals for the day...... 

Morning routine. Several of you have asked what I put into my lemon drink. I first heard about this from the company My Fit Foods and began to read more into this method of cleansing first thing in the morning. Several books recommend doing this, and I have found it to be a great start to my day. I simply take 1 lemon, though you can use just 1/2, and i add it to warm water, and then a few dashes of cayenne pepper along with 1 tbsp of Braggs Apple cider vinegar. To this I sometimes will then add R.W.K Just Cranberry juice and there you have it! The vinegar is hard to take at first but now I am used to it. 

 

Breakfast - Water and a Ginger Snap Larabar (eating on the go while heading into town to have lunch with my husband and go to Whole Foods!) 

 

Lunch - Field of Greens Restaurant....LOVE IT! Salad with a grilled falafel burger with vegan mayo and sprouts on Ezekiel bread. I only ate half though, my precious husband ate the rest with complete joy! LOL 

 

 

Snack - Whole Foods Motor Oil drink with added Ginger root. 

 

Michaela wanted to have some of my drink! 

 

Late afternoon snack - Garden of Life super seed blend, wheat germ and greek yogurt with raspberries along with Goji berry and Oolong tea. 

 

DInner - Tofu, asparagus stir fry with Kimchi and my Raw Cacao, Maca and Chia seed shake 

 

 

A new month, a new challenge and a new ME!! The TRX 12 starts today....

The totals are in and trust me, I am just as shocked as you are!! I literally MELTED this past month! I give God all the glory, for without Him, I have nothing! 

March Meltdown Challenge Results - Starting March 1st 
Weight Loss - 9.2 pounds...my highest one month lost to date!! WOW!! 
Inches Lost - 2.75 inches 
Miles - 83.85 

Wellness totals for the year - Starting January 1st 
Weight Loss - 24.6 pounds 
Inches Lost - 10.5 inches 
Miles - 212.59 


I really do not know what to say. I stepped on the scale this morning with my husband next to me and I think we both were in total SHOCK! I was a bit worried as my dinner had sodium.....my seared Ahi tuna and avocado had sea salt added and on top of this the salad I had for lunch....well, the dressing was full of sodium, so I was wondering what would happen. All I can say is my husband KNOWS my body. :) He always tells me that after a race, I hold onto water for a few days and then like clockwork, the scale just DROPS like crazy!!! This last week was particularly hard as mother nature decided to pay me a visit before my race and so I was bloated like mad. I guess everything I am doing is helping and now the scale is leveling out. 

I am sitting here seriously IN TOTAL SHOCK!!!! What a fantastic start to this month! 

And so it begins, my next challenge, The TRX 12. 

For those who may be wondering what on earth I am talking about, TRX is suspension training and frankly.....IT ROCKS! A total body workout along with a great cardio burn. For this month my goal is to complete the TRX 12. What does this mean? Well, I am aiming to complete 12 TRX sessions, each lasting a MINIMUM of 45 mins. This may sound as if I have thrown in the towel and I am taking it easy this month but this will be my hardest challenge to date. TRX IS HARD! 45 mins on this bad boy is NO JOKE! I am talking about 45 mins of straight high intensity lifting with cardio, no rest, moving from one exercise to another. That is hard, but I feel I am up to the challenge. 

In addition to the TRX 12. I will be aiming to complete 12 personal goals each day. Why 12? Well it goes along with my TRX 12 for one but the real reason is for my daughter. On April 4th she will be 12 months. This month is for her, and so I am celebrating everything in 12's this month! LOL! 

My daily goals for the month of April are as follows........ 

1. Read the Bible every morning. Before emails, blogging, FB or Spark, I need to spend time where it matters most, in God's word. I need to make this the FIRST thing I read every morning. Whether through devotionals or scripture, this should be my priority for without God, everything else in this life is meaningless. 

2. Drink my gallon of water daily, Ok, for those who know me well, you are probably laughing right now. This is by far the easiest goal ever for me. I am a water NUT! I do not drink juice or soda, for me it is all about the H20! But I still need to make it a goal to ensure I stay on track. 

3. Take my vitamins and supplements daily. Again, this is an easy one for me. 

4. Take photos of my food for my blog. THIS IS KEY! I am telling you now, you will make smarter choices if everyone and their Grandma can see your food! 

5. Make sure and get at least 5 cups of tea per day. Oolong, Matcha, Yerba Mate, Roobios. 

6. EVERY morning wake up and drink my usual lemon, acv, and cayenne pepper drink...along with RWK just cranberry juice as a extra add in if needed. 

7. STRETCH! Use my foam roller every day! This is a hard one for me! 

8. Squat Challenge - My goal for this month is to complete 1,200 squats. 

9. Complete 12 TRX training sessions, each lasting 45 mins. Time can be broken up into segments IF needed, but the goal is to get AT LEAST 45 mins of ST on the TRX. 

10. Complete 1,200 pushups this month! Remember my pushup challenges....well, they are back! LOVE IT! Here is the thing....ALL OF THEM must be military, NO KNEES! I can do incline or decline, balance ball pushups, TRX atomic, or other types but NO knees. 

11. Weight loss goal - to lose another 5 lbs this month. 

12. Run and walk a total of 100 miles for the month of April. 

There you have it! I am going to work harder than ever this month and I cannot wait to see the NEW ME that will be reveled at the end of this glorious month!