Sweeet2th's Journal

This past weekend, I managed to make enough dinners for the week. But there's some good news and some bad news. The bad news is I'll be eating marinated mushroom & lentil salad and curried carrot, sweet potato, and butternut squash soup for the next FIVE days. The good news is they're both delicious! The soup turned out REALLY well, so I better make sure I get that recipe written down and cataloged for when I publish a healthy eating guide/cookbook. I'm super jazzed about building my health coaching business and I can't wait to launch it later this year. Building content for it has been eyeopening, for sure! Looking through old pictures, and seeing how sick and miserable I used to be was difficult. I suffered for such a long time, resigned to just being sick for the rest of my life. I had no idea how much processed foods and GMO's were making me really sick. I'm so excited about the prospect of helping others lead healthier, more vibrant lives.

On the half-marathon training front, I ran another 12 miles over the weekend (4 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday). Eight miles is the longest distance I've ever gone before, and it felt amazing! My pace was much faster than I thought it would be and I was smiling from ear-to-ear the entire time! My long Sunday runs are really helping to build my confidence for going the distance in 5 weeks from now. (OMG, is it really ONLY 5 weeks away?!?! EEEEK!) I have no doubt I can do this, but I'm still a littler nervous! I actually teared up yesterday after my run because I was so proud of how far I've come in the past year. Flash backwards to this past January, I was 50 pounds heavier, and gasping for air while I practically dragged myself 2 miles at a snail's pace. (I can now WALK faster than I could RUN back then!) I remember setting a personal goal to run a half-marathon by the end of the year while I was on the treadmill. A part of me didn't think I would actually follow through and do it. And an even larger part of me didn't think I COULD do it. Well, I've proven both of those parts wrong! The sky's the limit for me now. There really isn't much I can't accomplish if I really want to! (Well, maybe I'll never be a professional ballerina or an Olympic figure skater, but I can live with that!)

Kick ass and take names this week, Folks! I know I will! :)

Down another 0.9lbs? Wow. I'm surprised at how quickly these last few pounds are falling off. I'm nearing the weight I was when I was in high school! How strange is that?? The way I look at it is every little tenth of a pound I lose between now and race day means less weight I have to haul with me for 13.1 miles.

I did some gentle stretching this morning to test my hips, knees, etc. from yesterday's run and everything still seems to be A-OK! *happy dance*

Today is a "rest day" from the half-marathon training plan, so I think I might just bounce a little on my rebounder and do some yoga to keep things flexible. Only 37 days until the race!! I get a little nervous every time I look in my email inbox and see the confirmation email for my racing ticket. There's no backing out now!

Today is grocery shopping day, so I need to figure out what I want to eat this week. I'm thinking I might make another large batch of soup and "salad in a jar"s for the week, because that did make my week a lot easier (albeit a little more boring and predictable.) I'm thinking maybe I'll make a Kashmir Garam Masala curried carrot, sweet potato, ginger soup (that just feels so Autumnal to me and the perfect thing for this new-found chill in the air!) with some marinated mushrooms, onions and lentil salad with tons of leafy greens!

Oh, and thanks to a certain FS member, (thanks, twinnie!) I saw something on Greatist's website that really got me in the mood for Fall. Four words: Pumpkin. Spiced. Almond. Butter. It sounds so good to me right now, I could probably eat an entire jar of it. Maybe I'll have to pick up some pumpkin today and give it whirl.

Damn. I'm hungry now. Better get crackin' on my to-do list.
Have a spectacular weekend everyone! You deserve it. :)

Ugh. PMS rears its ugly head this week. For no particular reason, I was a miserable little poopie head yesterday. I think some of it had to do with the fact that I've had to take it easy for the last couple of days and ice my right hip after I took a tumble and banged it this past weekend. I have no idea how/why I fell. I'm such a graceful gazelle, after all! (HAHAHA!! I'm such an awkward nerd, really.) I just caught the edge of my new running shoes (maybe I'm not used to how they feel yet?) and I went down! I tucked and rolled like an armadillo, so I barely had a scratch on me, but I was left with a sore left foot, which feels perfectly peachy now, and a sore right hip, which may or may not let me continue my half-marathon training this afternoon. We shall see. I'd rather rest it another day than risk making it worse! I didn't realize how much running has been helping me mediate my mood/stress/hormone levels until I wasn't able to do it for two whole days! I turned into a giant whiny baby. It wasn't pretty folks. *insert super sad pouty face here* As I sit and type now, my hip feels perfectly fine, but we'll see if that changes once I hit the treadmill. I wasn't expecting this half-marathon training to go off without a hitch, so I've been preparing myself mentally for minor setbacks, etc. But I am shocked at how much running has changed my mood over the last few months. It's better than any happy pill in the world! I'm hoping I can get my "dose" of running happy juice this afternoon!

Stay tuned, you gorgeous creatures!

I woke up singing Macy Gray's "Beauty In The World" ironically on this grey Wednesday Autumnal (I love that word, for some reason) morning. It's a great song for the rebounder, Folks! I'm in love with my rebounder these days. (Is it possible to be in love with a piece of exercise equipment?) It's excellent for your lymphatic system (a commonly overlooked part of the body!), really helps those healing from chronic diseases and is super gentle on the joints! NASA said, “Rebound exercise is the most efficient, effective form of exercise yet devised by man.” and it's so much fun to boot!! I try to spend at least 20 minutes a day on mine (in addition to the other running/jumping/dancing etc.). I put on some fun, lighthearted pop music while I bounce around and have a blast! (Nicki Minaj works perfectly in this regard, FYI.)

Tonight, I feel like making my vegan bean "sausage" rolls in cabbage leaves with some portobello mushrooms and onions. They're amazing! I use a modified version of this recipe:

Spicy Vegan Gluten-Free Homemade Italian "Sausage" Recipe

I remove the nightshades because of my allergy (the paprika and chili peppers, tomatoes, etc.), the Worcestershire Sauce, liquid smoke and use arrowroot instead of xantham gum because I also avoid GMO's and substitute a bunch of fresh herbs instead. It's a great recipe if you're looking for something that can be substituted for sausage and is "meaty", but want to reduce the amount of processed meats in your diet. Most store-bought "fake meats" have so many harmful chemicals in them and are chock full of common allergens, thus making them a big no-no for those with food sensitivities. Instead of wrapping them in foil, I steam them in blanched cabbage leaves and they're awesome!

OK, that's all for today, my gorgeous friends! My to-do list isn't going to do itself, I'm afraid. I must get crackin'!

Ciao for now!

Hi, Everyone!
Today, I woke up singing "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas and I do have a feeling that today's going to be great. It made for an excellent 4-minute dance party this morning! I swear the attitude you have in the first 30 minutes of your day dictates how the rest of the day will go. I followed that up with a few minutes of meditation, setting a positive intention for the day and then working on my to-do list for the day.

To-Do List:
1) Check on FS notifications
2) Make yummy green smoothie with Swiss Chard from my garden, hemp seeds and dark cherries!
3) Half Marathon Training Plan: 3 miles, 3X(2:00, 2:30)Aerobic Intervals, then another 2 miles
4) 2 hours of studying time for trainer/health coach exams
5) Snack time (I think it's scheduled to be some sort of kidney bean salad with basil from the garden.)
6) Dinner prep (I can't decide if I want lentils or marinated tofu yet)
7) Begin next oil pastel drawing in the evening

That's about it, Folks. I never said I lead a terribly exciting life, but it sure feels amazing to me!

Make this day extraordinary, Folks! You deserve it.
Ciao for now!