1 Pound = 4 Sticks of Butter

I have a confession to make. 

I step on my scale every. single. morning.  

I know you're only supposed to step on it once a week because weight can fluctuate.  I know that the number on the scale is not the most important factor in my quest to be the healthiest person I can be.  But knowing that I have to face the scale every morning reminds me that every day counts, that no work out or meal is unimportant and that everything I do (or don't do) accumulates in the end.   

And as of today, I've lost 13 pounds.

Which is huge for me.

It's hard sometimes to get excited these days about a "normal" amount of weight loss.  So much revolves around Biggest Loser-type numbers, but for us mere mortals losing 10 pounds in one week is not likely or healthy.  These 13 pounds have taken a month and a half to disappear, not 1 or 2 weeks.  But I've still worked hard for them.  I've replaced useless fat with lean muscle.  I've eaten healthy, natural foods and never EVER starved my body.  I've ran miles and miles.  

And the purpose of my weight loss is not "to get skinny".  It's to become the strongest, healthiest person I can be and improve my running PRs.

So for all of us working hard to lose "just" a couple of pounds, who feel that they aren't getting anywhere by losing "only" 1 or 2 pounds per week and who want to give up and dive back into their previously unhealthy lifestyle, remember this:

1 Pound = 4 Sticks of Butter

Picture it.  Or go to your fridge and take out that box of butter or margarine and look at it.  By losing 1 pound, that's the equivalent of the amount of weight you've removed from your body.  That's no small accomplishment.

By losing "just" 13 pounds, I've melted 52 sticks of butter from my body. 

Everyone's journey to fitness is different.  Just remember that no achievement is too small to celebrate! :)

"Happy" Meal?

Since Daddy & Thing 1 are gone to camp for the night and Thing 2 is not happy about being left at home with me I thought I'd treat him to a McDonalds Happy Meal for dinner tonight.

Let me clarify a few points before I go any further:

         1.  I personally do not eat McDonalds food, haven't in over 3(ish) months and quite honestly the thought of the grease completely grosses me out.

         2.  My kiddos do not eat McDonalds on a regular basis, they are fed home cooked, healthy foods most of the time.

         3.  Please do not tell me I'm a horrible parent for occasionally giving my kids an unhealthy meal, I know what the food at McDonalds consists of but I feel that it's better to let them have it once in a while than to have them binge on it when they are with friends, etc., because I know I can't shelter them forever.

Okay, so I ask Thing 2 if he wants a cheeseburger or chicken nuggets, he chooses a cheeseburger, we order through the drive through and take it home so Mommy can eat her dinner too.

I get home, open the bag and pulled out the french fries.  What there was of the french fries...10 fries in all.  I know, I counted.  There was a little bag of the fruit formerly known as apple dippers (now known as apple slices since we're not allowed to have caramel dipping sauce anymore either).  Thank goodness the cheeseburger and the toy he really, really wanted were there.

Reese's PB Cup used to show actual size of french fry packaging, more packaging than french fries!

Since I was then intrigued by the lack of french fries, I googled "Happy Meals changed" and found out that due to public outcry, McDonalds has reduced the calories in the Happy Meal by 20%.  Guess I've been under a rock since this was announced in July.

I totally and completely support any and all efforts to curb obesity in this country.  It's a terrible thing to walk around my sons' elementary school and see so many overweight children.  

What I don't support is that now I feel like, as a parent, my choices are being taken away from me.  The one little treat that I give the boys now makes me feel like a horrible parent for choosing it at all.  

The worst part is that I'm feeling bad about this but I'm supposed to be okay with letting my kids buy school lunch that consists of mozzarella sticks one day, "rib-b-que" (think McRib, no joke) the next, followed by corn dogs the next.  Seriously.  How does that make any sense?

Actual school lunch menu

Can't make this stuff up...mozzarella sticks were on the October menu

At the end of the day, my kids' nutrition is my responsibility, just like every other parent out there.  These children can not buy themselves a Happy Meal unless Mommy or Daddy or some other adult in their life takes them to McDonalds and buys it for them.  I have an issue with being told that since others are "irresponsible", I need to be "punished" with everyone else.  

And you can't tell me that if a kid wants french fries, Mommy or Daddy won't order a larger fry to go with their healthier Happy Meal.  Should we just put McDonalds and every other restaurant out of business and be done with it? 

I took it in my stride when restaurants started posting calorie content on their menu and banned trans fat but this just seems out of control to me.  

When are we going to wake up and realize that we are responsible for our own choices, good and bad? 

Sometimes there's no one but ourselves to blame for where we are today.

Every choice you make matters, some more than others, but over time bad choices add up.  

Just don't forget that good choices add up too. :)

Octoberfest Costumed Prediction Run

Well, Halloween is officially over at our house now.  Pumpkins are extinguished, costumes put away, candy consumed and kids in bed.  Bring on Christmas Thanksgiving! I find it troubling that I saw a Glade ad for Christmas on TV this afternoon.  Halloween wasn't even over yet.  Sheesh.

This year the most exciting part of the Halloween festivities for me (other than Thing 1 & Thing 2 looking adorable as usual) was that Peak Sport Solutions was fortunate to be picked to time the 1st Annual Octoberfest Costumed Prediction Run that was put on by the United Helpers.

For those not from Northern NY, the United Helpers are an organization that's been in existence for 110 years  and provides services from independent living to long-term care for senior citizens, developmentally disabled and mentally ill patients.  They have beautiful facilities and are a wonderful group of people.

So Sunday morning we headed to Canton, NY.  Since it was a prediction run, we didn't know what the distance was until we got there and it ended up being about 4 miles.  Registration was so much fun, people were in great moods and just wanted to have fun plus the costumes were hilarious!

View from the Registration Table

We ended up with 57 registered folks.  For a first year event up in our neck of the woods, that's more than respectable.  The good news is that the race directors were so pleased that they're going to make this an annual event so it can only get better.  I was really excited to see a few of the local gals that I run with show up, it's fun to know some of the finishers when you're timing so you can really cheer them on.

Beautiful course but it did have a "Halloween-y" feel with leaves off the trees!

View of the Finish

I was hard at work, can you tell? :)

My incredible team (aka my hubby & mom-in-law)

A few pics of the great group of finishers!

All in all, a really great event!  I love competition, I love to race, but sometimes it's nice to go to a race were everyone is truly there to have fun.  The vibe is incredible.

If you live nearby, put this one on your race calendar for next year!

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! :)

Everyone thinks I'm crazy...

Well, maybe not everyone.  But I'm pretty sure most of the people in my life that I interact with on a daily basis think I've gone crazy.

I'm revamping my lifestyle.

I've thought for a long time about what I want to achieve but haven't gone out in the world and done the work that I needed to in order to achieve my goals.  Honestly, I never even told most people about some of my goals, mostly because I was afraid that I'd fail.  But I'm sick of being scared of failure.  I've decided that it's time to go after exactly what I want.

I want to run faster.  I want to compete at races.  I want to lose some weight.  I want to be fitter.  I want to be able to see my muscle tone in places other than my legs.  I want a sick set of abs.  I want to help people become fitter too.  I want to become a personal trainer.  I want to coach runners and teach people to learn to love running.  I want to plan and execute incredible racing events.  I want to be self employed and self sufficient.

Not asking for much, right?

But wanting and doing are two completely different things.  So I've stopped wanting and starting doing.

And that is what's making all the people in my life think I've gone nuts.

I'm increasing my weekly mileage.  I'm building back up my base.  This really doesn't strike people as odd since they're used to me running.  Plus it helps to have a husband, mother-in-law and lots of good friends who are runners too.

What's really causing people to be concerned or, in some cases, feel sorry for me, is my diet changes.  I've decided that the reason that I've never been as successful as I want to be is because I never truly changed my diet.  I lied to myself and pretended I did but never really committed.  And we all know that you can exercise forever but if you eat junk no progress will be made.

The thing that I've found hardest about changing my diet to eat natural, clean foods is that it goes against what so many people consider "normal".  I'm not becoming a vegetarian but I've cut out a lot of meat.  I've cut out highly processed foods and anything where I can't pronounce an ingredient on the label.  I've cut out foods that I don't feel give me enough nutritional value.  I've added more natural foods, quinoa being one of my new favorites.

Another thing I've found is that everyone wants to give me advice about the food I eat.  I realize they mean well but I assure everyone, I've done my homework, I eat plenty of calories, protein, carbs, whatever.  If you know nothing about nutrition, please don't offer unsolicited advice.  I don't go around lecturing people about eating McDonald's or drinking gallons of soda. (Exception to this my mom, she's a nutritionist therefore her opinion counts...plus she's my mom, so duh, her opinion always counts!)

I guess the reason everyone thinks I'm crazy to eat like this is because it's far from the "normal" way our society eats.  That's kind of sad to me.  Why do people think it's so insane to eat healthy?  To eat food that hasn't been over processed?

I know since I've made a true effort to eat cleanly I feel so much better.  I have a ton more energy.  I just plain feel good.  I know I'm doing the right thing for me.

I feel like I can accomplish anything right now and that I can reach all the goals I've set for myself.

So that's exactly what I'm going to do! :)

Determined to Make Positive Choices

I love this picture.  My aunt sent it to me in an email and I love the message it conveys.

We're a culture of instant gratification...we want whatever we want RIGHT NOW!

This need for instant gratification is what often shapes the choices that we make in life.  People say all the time that they would love to start running, lose weight or attain some kind of fitness goal.  The problem is that so many times we aren't willing to do whatever we need to do to reach where we want to be in life.  We get bored and distracted and go off the course that we had originally planned to follow.  And then we just can't understand what we did wrong and why we didn't succeed.

I read a post from a blog (Amanda @ Run To The Finish) I recently started following that really struck a chord with me this morning.  I really, really, really like this blog...plus it doesn't hurt that she lives in Miami, which always gets sentimental points in my book!  So follow it, Amanda writes really great things!!

Anyway, she writes about choices that she has made in advance of a trip she is taking next week.  What I love most about it is that she has taken the time in advance to plan and made these choices before temptation has been put in front of her.  Awesome idea!  It's much harder to turn down the donut when it's under your nose but if you make your choice in advance, it doesn't seem so hard.

So I'm going to follow her lead and write out the choices that I'm making in advance for the next week:

• I choose to focus on building my business or getting nothing accomplished
• I choose to follow through with my entire exercise plan for the week or not see any improvement to my running
• I choose to keep eating the healthy, clean diet I've been enjoying or eat high fat, processed foods and feel sick

I love this!  Self affirmation is awesome and I already feel mentally stronger to take on the week.  Try it for yourself, you'll be amazed what positive thinking can do! 

Yes, this is as happy as I felt when I heard I could run again! :)

In other news, I'm cleared to run!!!  Yippee!!  My lovely surgeon has decided that I heal extraordinarily well and has given me the green light to run.  I enjoyed a super duper 2.5 mile treadmill run this morning, it was heavenly. 

And it looks like I'm going to be able to run the Hobble Gobble!  This is my most favorite local race of the year and it was killing me to think that I might not be able to run with all of my friends.  Not sure if I'm running the 5k or the 10k yet, I'm going to take the next few weeks to decide what my body thinks of the idea.

Run happy!  I know I will! :)

See, I can cook!

In my quest to eat healthier and cleaner, I'm trying to expand my horizons when it comes to trying something new.  So I had to share the awesome dinner that I made tonight!

I got the original recipe from the Wannabe Athlete blog who got it from the Daily Garnish blog.  It looked so good that I had to try it.

After searching all over my little town for millet, I concluded that I needed to be a little creative if I wanted to eat since millet is not something easy to find.  Honestly I didn't even really know what millet looked like until today.

Uncooked Millet

I keep hearing how fabulous quinoa is for health and all sorts of other reasons.  It is a complete protein source, has all essential amino acids, gluten free and easy to digest.  Best of all it is delicious with a slightly nutty flavor.

Uncooked quinoa - see where I might get confused??

The other issue I had is that I obviously need to brush up on my winter squash types.  The recipe called for a butternut squash and I apparently purchased an acorn squash.

Well duh, now I see the difference! 

So here it is...the PeakFit take on Quinoa with Maple Acorn Squash & Cranberries:
Serves about 4 people

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 acorn squash, peeled & cubed
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the acorn squash with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Roast in oven for about 20 -30 minutes, flipping the squash a few times.  Keep an eye on it so it doesn't get too brown.


While the squash is cooking, cook the quinoa.  Put water and quinoa in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 10 -15 minutes until the water is absorbed. (Or use directions on package if you want to use microwave or rice cooker)


Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.


Once everything is cooked, combine squash, quinoa and cranberries in a large bowl.  Add dressing and stir well to combine all ingredients.

Enjoy!  I know that I did and that quinoa will be a new staple in my cupboard since the web is full of awesome recipes to try! 

Friday Favorites: An Obsession with Coffee Creamer

I try to eat healthy but it doesn't always work out exactly how I plan.  Between my husband and I working different hours and shifts, somewhat picky kids, tons of sports and other types of commitments and our training schedules easy sometimes trumps healthy.

Since I was diagnosed with a low functioning gallbladder, I pretty much had to cut all the fat and processed foods out of my diet until the surgery to avoid pain.  It was hard at first but when french fries = bent over painful agony, you'll condition yourself to choose an apple every time!

Why do you taunt me, sweet pink cupcake??

Now that I'm recovered from my surgery, I've started adding healthy fats back into my diet but I've decided that since I'm over the craving stages, the processed foods can stay gone.  Especially since the "experimental" pink frosted birthday cupcake I ate last night made me feel sick, it's just not worth it to me right now.

The one thing that I refused to compromise on though was my morning coffee creamer.  I only drink one cup of coffee per day, made with my Keurig.  And it must be light and sweet.  Up until this week, International Delights Caramel Macchiato non-dairy creamer was the go-to for my sweet fix.  But even though it tastes delicious, I know chemically modified non-dairy creamer isn't going to help in my clean(er) eating quest.

I was discussing my dilemma last weekend with my mom-in-law and she asked if I'd seen the Natural Bliss Creamers that Coffee Mate is making now.  And that they had Caramel flavor!  Score!!

So I tracked it down at my local Price Chopper grocery store (I saw they have it at Walmart too) and took it home to try.  And promptly fell in love!

Mmmm....caramel!

Now if you avoid dairy, stay away because this definitely has all sorts of real dairy goodness in it!  It's creamy and fabulous and I can pronounce all the words on the label so feel no guilt about enjoying it every morning!  Yippee!

Things I actually recognize as food!

They have vanilla and sweet cream flavors too, for those of you who don't love caramel. (But really, who doesn't love caramel??)

In other news - I get my stitches out this afternoon and will get the verdict on when I'm allowed to run and strength train again.  Keep your fingers crossed for me and my sanity that it is soon!

Also, check out the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge 2011 that my fellow blogger Amanda at RunToTheFinish is hosting!  It starts November 19 and runs through January 6, just enough time to make sure your festivities don't derail your fitness goals!  She also has some incredible prizes and it's open to all levels of fitness...make sure you take a look!!  Of course, I intend to kick butt and win so enter at your own competitive risk!! :)

Hope your Friday is a fabulous one! :)