I am still a runner..

We're just "on a break".

We were on a break too. (Source)

I decided not to do my 6 miles today, and just declare this whole week a running break. Instead I did Turbofire. I'm totally happy with that.



You know what this means, right? I don't get to eat that Snickers.

 

 

 

I'll be waiting for you in your gym bag..

We'll see what next week brings. I know I'll be spending time with these guys:

So, fellow runners: Do you have any races this weekend? Long runs? Or are you and running "on a break" as well?

Have a great one!

High Five 5 Things Blog Hopping Friday of Awesomeness!

Happy High Five Friday! Here's your High Five!

Seriously- I can't believe it's Friday again. This week went by fast. Time didn't pass this quickly when I was younger. You know, before the Internet. When we didn't have cell phones. Or DVR. (Wow, I think I just aged 10 years while writing that).

"And we liked it!"

I'm participating in some awesome Friday hops today, so check them out. If you're new WELCOME! Please comment so I can follow you back! If you're NOT new, WELCOME to you too! I love everyone ;-)








In the celebration of some horrifying foods I've recently learned about, I decided this weeks 5 things should be "5 Things You Should Probably Never Eat. Ever." You'll see:
1. Fried Butter

O.M.G.

So, this is the next new thing at the Iowa State Fair. I'm just horrified. 
2. The KFC Double Down/Krispy Kreme Sandwich

Source

So, the KFC Double Down is apparently two pieces of fried chicken (where bread would normally be), two different kinds of cheese, bacon, and the "special sauce"... In this monstrosity, a Krispy Kreme Donut is added to the outer layers (where bread should be... again). Holy moly. Please don't ever eat this.
3. Nutella Ice Cream Sandwiches

Really, I just included this one to make a point. Recently, a woman sued Nutella for not actually being as nutritious as the commercials would have you believe. I believe she lost. One of the points made was that you can spread a little Nutella on some whole grain bread and have a snack that's perfectly fine. It's just if you eat the entire jar or make Nutella Ice Cream Sandwiches- well, that's NOT healthy. So don't do it.
4. The Pork Parfait

The Pork Parfait consists of pulled pork, mashed potatoes and barbeque sauce. Ew.
5. Devil's Food Cake Mix

Now, I've got to admit: The rest of these were pretty disgusting to me. But this one, although it's outrageous, is a little tempting. Here are the details:
"A buttermilk cake using 2 Bags of Reeses topped with a frosting made from 1/2 cup of peanut butter, dark chocolate and heavy cream garnished with Reeses Peanut Butter Cups". (from here)
So, there you have it. 
Here's my question of the day: What is the most OUTRAGEOUS food item you've ever heard of? Should it be on this list?
Have a great weekend!

I have a strange aversion to long-distance running...

And by long-distance running, I mean "anything over 3 miles".

I have been bitten by the weight lifting bug.

After doing some research, I realized that running was not going to get me the body type I wanted.

Then, on Saturday, I had a sucky "I need David Boreanaz to hold me" kind of run.

Those two things combined made me never want to run again.

I'm totally loving lifting. I'm reading forums about it, learning the right nutrition, planning my meals and snacks... and have no desire to run.

Today I went to the gym to do my "heavyish" lifting routine. (Day 3 of the Total Body Routine I've been doing the past 2 week). Today I killed it. I totally did. I even brought my Iron Woody Band so I could rig up a way to do assisted pull ups.

And I looked super cool doing them..

After lifting, I went upstairs and ran 2 miles on the track. Oh, track. I love you. You're flat and indoors. I ran for 9:30, which was how long it took me to run 1 mile, then walked for a minute, then ran the rest. I ended up finishing 2 miles in 19:02. Here's proof:

I really have no desire to run longer than 30 (maybe 40) minutes. I realize I can't run a half marathon in 40 minutes, so this may be a problem...

I'm still going to run on Saturday (at least 6 miles), mainly because I want to be able to eat that Snickers before hand.

I've already bought the Snickers, so I *have* to run.

After my 2 miles, I went to shower so I could go back to work and not frighten people. I thought the locker room was a good place to take some pictures...

Did you know it's practically impossible to take a picture of your face AND your bicep at the same time? 

.... unless you do it this way...

My bicep. 

 This is kind of my starting place. Yes, I'm proud of that muscle, but I'm working on getting more muscular.

After I showered and went back to my office, I got to eat this:

YUM.

All in all, a good workout. I enjoyed running 2 miles. And I felt like I had run enough.

Thoughts?

What Would Buffy Do?

When faced with challenges, and- let's face it- we all have challenges, I find it helpful to look to some kind of role model. If I pretend I'm a person with super strength who is always successful, and imagine what that person would do when faced with my situation, I often become someone who is successful :-)

So, today, I'm offering some tips. I'll call this "What Would Buffy Do?"

1. FOCUS:

Source

Look at the problem. Focus on the problem. Think it through. What are the action steps that need to be taken? You may not have your very own librarian or computer genius hanging around waiting to help you solve a problem, but you can break it down yourself and see what needs to be done.

2. USE THE FEAR!

Sure. We all get scared. What if there's not enough money to pay the rent? What if I fail? What if I eat a box of crispy cremes? The key is to use the fear to make you strong. Fear can be a powerful ally. Rather than crippling you, it can empower you. But first you have to identify the thing that's scary.

"This is not what it looks like".

3. WALK THE WALK:

Source

It may seem silly, but look at Buffy's hair. It looks great. She's saving the world, and has great hair. I used to believe that all that mattered was what was inside, and that caring about looks was superficial. Well, I've changed my mind on that. Have you had a bad hair day? Can you ever say a bad hair day was one of your all time favorite days, ever? I can't. 

If you dress like the person you want to be, whether it's a successful student, business person, athlete, or even the cute mom that has it all together (which is a myth, by the way), you start to act like it. So, take a little extra time to make yourself pretty (or handsome. Don't want to leave the boys out).

4. DON'T GIVE UP

Source

Look at Buffy above. She's been through a lot. Cuts, bruises (but still great hair, if you'll notice)... But she's not giving up.

Do you have struggles along the way? Of course. Do you some times feel like you've just been through enough? Of course. But don't give up. You never know when you're about to have a success. It could be 5 minutes after you almost quit.

5. DON'T EAT THAT!

Source

Well, you know, everything in moderation... but the point I'm trying to make is this: Sometimes eating "badly" is it's own punishment. Try to make the choices that will make you feel better. As you're considering eating something, ask yourself:

- Will this get me closer or further away from my goal?

- How will I feel 10 minutes after I eat this? 30 minutes after? Tomorrow?

After you've honestly answered those questions, you're ready to make a choice...

6. MAKE A FRESH START!

Source

Did yesterday not go so well? Did you eat something you shouldn't? Did you eat something that is normally considered healthy, but you ate too much of it? Did you say something to someone that you wish you could take back? Did you make a mistake? Here's the good news: It's another day! Do what you can to make it right, but then know when to let go. You have the power to start over today! You can make the choices to get you where you need to be. Isn't that exciting?

I hope this helps, or at least gave you a little laugh.

Have a great day!

Motivational Monday!

I've had a little trouble getting inspired lately. Sure, I can workout until the cows come home...

Leave me out of this. (Source)

But sticking to my nutrition plan is another story.

So, I've decided to post some folks whose physiques inspire me.

Girls:

Source

Source

(I don't remember where I found this. Sorry).

Find out more about Jenny here. She rocks so much!

And just so you guys aren't left out...

Source

Source

You're welcome.

By the way, I took another round of "Before" Pics today. No, I will not post them until I have some pretty impressive afters. Yes, I look pretty good for someone who had a baby 11 months ago (my husband even said so. Bless him). But, I would like to see more progress before I go public...

And here are some quotes for today:

"You don't realize how strong a person really is until you see them at their weakest moment."~Unknown

"Your goals minus your doubts equals your reality." ~ Ralph Marston

"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be."~David Viscott

So... have a great and wonderful Monday!

(P.S. We are almost at 400 at Sarah Fitness. If you haven't stopped by and clicked "Like" yet, come on over!)

The Plan... this week...

I love planning.

I completed last week's planned workouts *pretty* well. I did take a *complete* day off on Friday, instead of making it a yoga day. Honestly, instead of doing my 30 minutes of yoga I had planned, I snuggled with my son on the couch watching The Wiggles. I think it was worth it.

I am a fan of the "Greg-era" Wiggles. No offense, Sam.

The weight workouts were intense.

I didn't eat as great as I could have.

I didn't run as much as I planned, but I did get 3 runs in, including the "long" run (which made me hate running).

Here's what's coming up this week:

Sunday:

Full Body Program, Day 1:
Full Squats
Flat Bench Press
Romanian Deadlifts
Barbell Rows
Pull Ups (assisted)

All done 4 X 6 with 120 seconds rest

Abs

Monday:

3 mile run


Tuesday:
Full Body Routine, Day 2

Pull throughs
Lunges
Flat Dumbbell Press
Seated Cable Rows
Incline Hammer Curls
Lying Triceps Extensions

All done for 2 X 15 with 30 seconds rest.

Abs

Wednesday:
Run 3 miles


Thursday:

Full Body Routine, Day 3:
Incline Dumbbell Press
Incline Dumbbell Rows
Dumbbell Splits Squats
SHELC (Supine Hip Extensions with Leg Curl)
Lat Pulldowns (underhand)

All done for 4 X 8 with 60 seconds rest.

Abs

Friday:

Rest/Yoga

Saturday:
Run 10K
Abs

What are your workout plans this week? 

Duh

Thoughts while running...

This is my generic running failure pic...

I guess it could've been worse..

These are the thoughts I had during today's painful, awful, I hated-every-second-of-it run:

-This sucks.
- Why did I think this was a good idea?
- Help me, David Boreanaz, you're my only hope.

"I got you, baby. Running, don't make me go all Angelus on you..."

- My side hurts.
- I hate running.
- If Cely can run 13 miles on the stupid dreadmill, why I can't I manage a measly 8 miles?
- If I hadn't already registered for those 2 stupid half marathons I would just quit running.
- I'll just run those 2 stupid half marathons, then quit running. I hate it so much.

So, I had planned to run 8 miles. I ran 2.75 and went inside to eat a banana because of crippling side stitches. Then I ran another 2.75 and decided I was done.

It's so much harder outside than on the indoor track.

Maybe things will be better next time.

I will always be here for you..