Expect the Unexpected! Daily Manna 8/21

Yay for finally having the time to write a Daily Manna post! I am so ready for bed right now, but I figured writing would help me unwind a bit before I sleep! Today had a wonderful unexpected turn of events, but before the day got too busy, I made sure to get my morning workout in! I woke up early, did my quiet time, and had half a Larabar before heading to the gym.

I had a good amount of energy this morning and was able to do a 4 mile run. I didn't have time to get my strength training in...but if you check out my post from earlier today about my workout schedule (http://thejoyfulharvest.com/2013/08/21/workouts-821-824/) , I had planned to go to Kickboxing this afternoon for a little toning workout...

I was wearing this shirt to the gym and for the first time, I wondered what people might think when they saw it. I was glad I wore it, but I also was convicted to think about whether or not I take God seriously. Gave me a lot to think and pray about, that's for sure! I want to be someone that takes God seriously at all times because, as our Lord and Savior, and the Creator of ALL things, He definitely deserves that much and more!

I got to work and had my usual veggie omelet, which was EXPLODING with vegetable goodness today!

The morning went by super fast, with a 2.5 hour meeting that lasted up until lunch. I opted for my usual Chicken Salad with Pico de Gallo dressing!

By the time the afternoon rolled around, I was ready for my snack! The cafeteria at the hospital I am interning at always has such a variety of fresh fruit! I grabbed a peach and ate it with my 100 calorie pack of almonds!

Right before I got off work, I spoke with my mom, and she surprised me by saying that my grandma and her were on their way to have dinner with me! I was so excited! I didn't care that I couldn't go to my kickboxing class because I was so grateful to be able to spend the evening with my family. This is one of the main reasons why I always try to get my workouts done in the morning. Expect the unexpected! You never know what the day will bring, and ensuring that you get your workout done early will increase the chances that you will actually work out!

We decided to go to Outback for dinner, and I got the Chicken on the Barbie (heart shaped!) with some Sweet potato fries. Unfortunately, these fries tasted horrible! So I had a few of my grandma's regular fries to make up for it :) We spent the evening packing up some of the stuff in my apartment as I prepare to finally move back home at the end of this month! I can't believe grad school and my time at my internship are almost over! It's all so exciting and I can't wait to finally move back home.

Before bed, I wanted to make sure I did some sort of toning workout, so I did 2 sets of 20 push ups and a 1 minute plank before bed. It felt so good to do a little quickie workout before bed! And I was glad I at least got some core work in.

As you can see, I still got to check SOMETHING off my list :) I just replaced kickboxing with push-ups (PU)/plank(P)!

Okay time for bed! Have a blessed evening, and make sure to always collect the manna that God provides every day :)

Workouts: 8/21-8/24

So I have definitely been slacking in planning out my workouts. I did well last week and actually did strength training willingly (YAY!), but this week has been pressed for time in the mornings. I have just been able to scrape by a 40ish minute cardio session before having to get ready for work! So, here I go planning again :) Hopefully I can execute this plan; but, as always, it is important to be flexible!  

Wednesday 8/21:

Just finished a 4 mile run and hoping to get to a Kickboxing class tonight if I am not too exhausted after work! The Kickboxing class at our school gym is more like a boot-camp, with 20 minute squatting sessions and a killer abdominal workout at the end! I haven't been able to go all summer so hopefully tonight will be the night!

Thursday 8/22:

4-5 mile run

Chest and Triceps: this is what I did last week...hoping to build on it this week!

I try to add a plank or push ups (or both) to most of my workouts to be able to build on these skills. I love doing arm and core exercises that depend on your own body weight. These exercises definitely work you hard and help you build up a sweat!

Friday 8/23:

6 mile run

Back and Biceps:

Saturday 8/24: 

6-7 mile run

Shoulders and Legs

This is my tentative plan for the week, and hopefully I can stick to it! I've come to learn that there are 3 basic things to always keep in mind when trying to stick to any workout regimen:

1.) Keep your eating on point. The better you fuel your body, the better your body will do what you want it to do!

2.) SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP! I cannot stress this enough. My workouts suffer BIG time if I don't get enough sleep. Make this a priority!

3.) Think about how accomplished you will feel when you carry out your plan!! I am someone who loves making lists and checking things off. Make a check list of each workout you want to complete this week, and give yourself checkmarks (or even stickers!) as you go. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and will motivate you to keep going! And who says stickers are just for kids :)

Here is my checklist for this week!

I hope you all have a wonderful, and active, day!

Fear, Courage, and Love

These three words have been bouncing around in my head for the past few weeks. I have realized how much I live in fear and anxiety, crave courage, and desire to feel God's love at all times. These three words have also been the main themes of three songs I have been listening to over and over again these past few weeks...let me back up a little bit and explain. I love to work out to music, particularly worship music. It relaxes me and helps me start my day off focusing on the Lord and giving all the glory to Him. Music has always been a big part of my life. I am a very emotional person; however, when it comes to expressing my emotions and putting them into words, I have a really hard time. But when I listen to a song, sometimes the lyrics resonate with me to a point where I exclaim "That's it!!! That's how I feel!" When this happens, I usually listen to the song over and over again as a sort of release to help me sort through my thoughts and feelings. This happened the past few weeks with three songs in particular:

"Believer" by Audio Adrenaline

"Courageous" by Casting Crowns

"Your Love is Like a River" by Third Day

These songs have made a huge impact in my thought processes the past few weeks. "Believer" is a song that starts out by saying "I want to live my life unsafe, unsure, but not afraid." Whoa...really? The minute I heard those words I got to thinking...do I want to live my life that way? And if I do want to live unsafe and unsure, isn't "not afraid" kind of an oxymoron to those first two conditions? But then, the chorus came. And everything made sense:

"Cause I’m already out here, blind but I can see I see the way You’re moving God how I believe that

I can push back the mountains, can stand on the waves I can see through the darkness, I’ll hold up the flame Take me to the ocean I want to go deeper I’m not afraid no, I’m a believer"

I realized that yes, I can live my life unsafe, unsure, and NOT afraid because God is moving and I should believe that I can do all those things above such as "push back mountains" and "see through the darkness" because I am a BELIEVER in God and what He can accomplish through me. Why fear??

The second song "Courageous" got me by its first words as well, which state, "we were made to be courageous." Pretty simple, right? We weren't made to live in fear; we were made to be courageous! However, I really believe that courage is something that is fought in the mind. It's really a mind over matter type thing, which means that we have to guard our minds and remember that we were made to be courageous and unafraid. The song continues to say: "in the war of the mind I will make my stand, in the battle of the heart and the battle of the hand." This phrase definitely struck a chord with me, because there are many times when we have to make our stand and make a decision in our minds that we are going to be courageous, believe what God says about us and who He created us to be, and not be afraid. Why did God make us to be courageous? To not live in fear? It all comes down to love, which brings me to the next song.

"Your Love is Like a River" is a beautiful depiction of how God's love is alive and flows within us and to others. The lyrics express many different states that we as humans find ourselves in:

"When I am tired and so afraid Your love is like a fire that will light my way When darkness comes and my vision fades Your love is like a fire that will light my way And it's always burning and stirring my soul To know You and love You much more It never stops or ever fades Your love is like a fire that will light my way"

God's love is always there and within us whether we are scared, can't see where we are headed, or when "all our strength and hope is gone." God's love is always there and is the "rock that we are standing on!" See why I love this song so much?? :) No matter what situation we find ourselves in, God's love is never going to fail us or fade away. It will ALWAYS light our way.

So, in essence, we don't need to be afraid. We can live unsure, unsafe, and NOT in fear, because we were made to be courageous. We can take a stand in this war that we are constantly fighting, because we are filled with, and are standing on God's love. It never fails us, never fades, never stops.

When Hunger Strikes: Daily Manna 8/13

Today was a great day...but it was definitely all thanks to the Lord! I woke up early this morning to get my workout in before heading to my internship. Many people ask me how I wake up so early to get my run in. It actually has surprised me that I am able to get up early and run as early as I do! A few things motivate me to do this, and I'll share them with you now! 1.) I make sure to sleep early. Sleeping is key!!! Since I have an early shift at the hospital (7am-3:30pm), with an hour-long commute, I make sure to be in bed by 8:30/9pm. I know this sounds EXTRA early, but considering how early I wake up, it's perfect for me.

2.) Running and working out is a priority for me. It is something I look forward to when I crawl into bed at night and am excited for when my alarm goes off in the early morning. I make sure that my sleeping, meals, and schedules are all conductive to making sure that I can wake up feeling rested and ready to enjoy my workout!

3.) I make sure to eat before I workout. I am one of those people that just does not function too well on fasting cardio. I usually eat a hard boiled egg, a protein muffin/bar (like my cocoa brownie muffins I baked last night!), or a banana before my workout for some extra energy and strength.

With that being said, this morning I woke up from a very restful night's sleep, spent some time with Jesus, and ate my cocoa brownie muffin before hitting the gym!

I did a 4 mile run at the gym, then did a quick 10 minute back and bicep workout. I use a heart rate monitor to track my workouts and make sure I am working my heart in a healthy cardio zone. I left my monitor on during my strength training session as well and was pleasantly surprised at how high my heart rate stayed during my workout! I think strength training after cardio is key to keeping your heart rate up and burning some of those extra calories!

My breakfast at work today was an egg and 3 egg whites, strawberries, and some tea. This is usually a pretty filling breakfast for me, but by the time 11:30am rolled around, I was starving!!! The Mexican special in the cafeteria today was Chili Lime Chicken Tacos, so I decided to just get the chicken taco meat and top it on a salad! It tasted great and was extra spicy!

Since I had lunch so early, I started feeling hunger pangs around 2:30pm. I usually like to distract myself from these because I tend to be a HUGE afternoon snacker and have a "once I start, I can't stop!" mentality. However, I've learned that if I prepack and preplan a snack, I am less likely to give in to that familiar snack attack feeling. I had packed a quest bar just in case this type of thing happened and decided to listen to my body and have my bar at my desk.

I got home from work around 4:30pm and was still feeling hungry. I knew it was too early to have dinner, but all I wanted was something to snack on! I decided to, again, listen to my body and have a small snack now instead of inevitably overindulging later on in the evening. I've learned that the longer I keep myself hungry, the more easily my brain and appetite will gravitate towards less healthy foods. I decided to have my special nut mix. I love trail mix but I am not a fan of dried fruit, so I tend to stay away from the store-bought mixes. I usually make my own mix by dry roasted almonds, cashews, and dark chocolate sea salt almonds I buy from Trader Joe's to get a little chocolate fix in there as well! I shake this all up in a tupperware and measure out about 1/4 cup of my trail mix as a snack!

That's a deep shot of my tupperware, since I ate my portion of nuts before snapping my picture :) This snack definitely did the trick for me and filled me up enough to keep my hunger feelings at bay throughout the rest of the afternoon! I decided to watch Grey's Anatomy while working on my resume. I don't know why but working in a hospital, even though I am not a doctor, makes me miss watching this show! Around 6:30pm, I decided to have dinner since I was meeting my cousin for tea at 7! I had my leftover Turkey Marinara and added some carrots and hummus for a side of extra veggies and healthy fat!

Side note, I LOVE these pre-portioned plates! My friend found them at Wal-Mart last year to use as a gift for the kids that participated in our fitness and nutrition camp! We had some plates left over and use them all the time as a fun way to portion out our meals. These plates have become more popular since last year and I have seen them sold at Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and many other stores!

The evening ended with a very much needed catch up session with my cousin! I just got home and am exhausted...so bed time for me so I can be up and running tomorrow!!!

Introducing...Daily Manna! 8/12/13

Welcome to this new section of my blog! I've decided to log my daily meals and workouts in the blog as a sort of journal for myself. I believe this will be a fun way for me to track my progress with some pictures and journaling! I'm calling it "Daily Manna" because of the significance this concept in the Bible has had on me. Exodus 16:4 states: 'Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions." '

I love this verse because it shows that God gives us His provision daily, but that it is our job to go out and collect it for ourselves! I apply this to healthy living and working out because God has blessed us with healthy bodies and has given us so many opportunities to live healthy lives. The food he has put on this earth, as well as the ability He has given us to move and do amazing things with our bodies are both blessings . It is our job to go out, do the work, and gather our daily manna in order to receive all that God has promised to us. With that being said, here is my first Daily Manna post!

This morning, I woke up feeling exhausted. I usually love working out  in the mornings, but because of my sleepless weekend (which was very worth it...one of my best friends got married...yay!), I decided to skip my morning workout and push it to the afternoon. I ended up having my first meal at work, which was an egg with 3 egg whites, a peach, and some tea!

Work was busy and stressful today. I call it "work" but it is actually my dietetic internship that I am completing! I am three weeks away from being done with my clinical rotation in the hospital and being able to study, take, and hopefully pass the board exam to become a registered dietitian! I am so excited! It's been quite a journey and I can't believe it is coming to an end.

For lunch I had a salad with a black bean burger patty. I usually ask for grilled chicken breast for my salads, but they didn't have any ready, and since I only get a 30 minute lunch, I opted for the black bean burger patty. I don't know why but it felt SO heavy for me, I barely finished half of it. I topped my salad with some shredded cheese and pico de gallo for a yummy Mexican variation!

Since I am NOT an afternoon worker-outer, I knew I would need a snack around 3pm before hitting the gym. I packed a chocolate chip quest bar with me to eat before I got to the gym for some added energy!

This definitely did the trick! I had tons of energy while doing my 40 minute elliptical workout with some added incline and resistance. I really wanted to run, but since I have a blister the size of a golf ball on my foot (thanks to my cute, but PAINFUL bridesmaids shoes from the wedding), I decided to go easy on my feet and do the elliptical. I also did some strength training and focused on my chest and triceps. I got a new cute and fun workout journal to track my workouts in to have a more detailed record of my strength training:

As I've mentioned before in a previous post ("The Strength Training Woes of a Cardio Queen"), I have a hard time being motivated to do toning workouts. I'm hoping keeping track of my strength training will motivate me to actually DO strength training...we shall see!

For dinner, I cooked some Turkey Marinara, which is so easy to prepare and tastes great! I posted the recipe in my "Recipes" section if anyone is interested!

After dinner, I decided to experiment with a baking recipe I have been brainstorming for a while. I love baking, but I also love trying healthy alternatives to some of my favorite baked goods so I can enjoy them guilt-free. I finally was able to try a Cocoa Brownie Muffin recipe that I created, and they turned out amazing!! I will be sharing the recipe soon on the blog, but here is a picture as a teaser for you all :)

These turned out so yummy and are high in protein, gluten free, and are a great pre-workout snack before hitting the gym! Which is precisely how I plan to use them tomorrow morning!

That concludes my first Daily Manna post! I am so glad I made healthy food choices and was able to work out today, even though there were many things (exhaustion, aching feet) to stand in my way. Thank God for His strength and grace daily! :)

Do More of What Makes You Happy

I have always had a weakness for journals. Ever since I was a little girl, I would always want a new, pretty journal with smooth pages to write my thoughts, plans, and dreams in. To this day, I can't let a good journal just pass me up! Last week, I found this journal while perusing at Barnes and Nobles and just had to buy it...

The previous Sunday, our topic during our Sunday School class was how we find joy in our lives, whether it is from time with family, friends, work, or even how we enjoy and find joy in our relationship with God. I loved talking about this with the rest of our Sunday School class, and that conversation got me thinking about joy and happiness when I purchased this journal. To me, happiness is something that is momentary and can easily be taken away from you as well as given to you depending on the people, circumstances, or events going on in your life. But joy is a much more difficult concept to grapple with for me. Joy is something that can only come from the Lord, regardless of people, events, or even myself. I know that my only source of joy is from the Lord, which makes it different than just mere happiness. I'm not saying happiness is a bad thing; not at all! I love being happy and being surrounded by people and things that make me happy. However, these things come and go. But joy is something that can be and should be felt every day, no matter what the circumstances, if we stay tuned in to what God has for us.

Psalm 118:24 says "This is the day that the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it." I love this verse because it doesn't say "I feel like rejoicing" or "I'll think about rejoicing." This verse implies that, no matter what your day brings, it is the Lord's day and we will rejoice; it will be a conscious effort, and we will decide to find our joy in the Lord. I have to confess, I am a very emotionally-driven person and cannot be fake for the life of me. I have a hard time choosing joy over so many of the other emotions that compete for my attention. However, I have to remember that being joyful in all circumstances does not mean pasting a smile on your face and ignoring the troubles life can and will bring! It means knowing Who's hands your life is in. When I remember that God is the one who holds me in His hands and He is the one taking care of me, this fills me with sincere and genuine joy because I realize...what more could I possibly want!

With that being said, this journal I bought still made me brainstorm about things that make me happy. Sometimes, I feel like we as people have a fear of being happy. We are afraid that if everything is going well, something is bound to go wrong. However, I came to the recent conclusion that bad things are going to happen whether we are happy and things are going well, or whether life is miserable to begin with. I decided that I'd much rather ENJOY life and take part in the things that make me happy rather than mope and decide that I might as well not be happy since bad things will happen anyway. Boy, am I glad I came to this decision! I made a short list in my new pretty journal about the different things that bring me happiness, and I am going to strive to at least do some of these things every day. I know life is busy, tiresome, and filled with a million to do lists already. However, I also know that God gave us life and wants us to enjoy it to the full. He wants us to glorify Him with our gifts and talents and not hide under a rock and refuse to show the world how great our God is. Here is my happiness list, and I hope this encourages you to make one as well and strive to at least do a few things on that list every day! :)

What makes me happy?

1.) Jesus. Spending time with the Lord and sharing what I've learned about Him with other people.

2.) Spending time with the people in my life (family, boyfriend, friends, etc).

3.) Running and worshiping the Lord during this time.

4.) Cooking!

5.) Fellowship, being in Sunday school and church

6.) Taking care of my body/eating healthy and nutritious foods

7.) Art, painting, and singing

8.) Reading on the beach!

9) Swimming

10.) Blogging, writing, and sharing!

Coming Out of a Salad Rut!

I love salads. No really. I do.

But I've been catching myself stuck in a food rut lately. Every single day at work, I go straight to the salad bar and make a salad. Now, don't get me wrong...I LOVE salads!!! But, I'm feeling myself getting sick of them. My salads are usually the same every day: romaine+tomatoes+olive oil. No fun.

Which brings me to...why we shouldn't get stuck in a food rut! I hope someone relates to me here. I tend to find a food I love, and then proceed to eat it every day for 20 days. Then, I get so sick of this food that I don't eat it again for a good long while! When it comes to peanut butter or tortilla chips, I can afford to get sick of these foods and stay away from them for a while. But I would hate to see this happen with salads! Which is why I've decided to brainstorm some reasons why I love salads and how to make them more exciting for myself!

1.) You can fit so many vegetables into a salad! Up to 4-5 servings!

2.) They are so colorful and pretty! All the different veggies have a unique crunch, taste, and texture that adds so much depth to your plate! And I've always been a sucker for pretty food :)

3.) You can make them spicy (sriacha dressing anyone?) or sweet (adding a chopped apple is my favorite!)

4.) You can smother them in guacamole instead of using dressing. Seriously, I do this all the time. Creamy avocado or a chunky guacamole can replace a salad's dressing any day in my book!

5.) You can use raw AND cooked veggies! I promise! Steamed broccoli or sauteed peppers and onions are so tasty on a bed of raw spinach or romaine. I even add some roasted sweet potatoes sometimes for a little mushy goodness! There are really no rules here...warm salads taste great and add variety to your meal!

6.) You can add different kinds of protein on them. The hospital I am interning at always has grilled chicken, but they also have carne asada, grilled tilapia, and teriyaki salmon that taste really great on a salad!

7.) Salads are filling. I don't care what anyone says, all that fiber in the veggies has to be good for something! Fiber keeps you full, so combined with the chicken, meat, or whatever protein source you add to your salad, plus a healthy fat like avocado, olives, or olive oil for dressing, you've got yourself a well-rounded meal that will be high in nutrients, taste, and will keep you full for a while!

These reasons just got me so excited to eat salad tomorrow at lunch! I think a salad is always a great option, whether it is on the side or the star of the meal. I think the best way I am going to get out of my salad rut is to try a different salad every day. No more romaine+tomatoes+olive oil for me! I have to spice things up and add variety if I want to stay excited to my meals and not get bored, which often leads to turning to other "fun" less nutritious choices.

This definitely helped me get out of my salad rut, and I hope it can help you too! And now for the best part...some pictures of salads I've had recently!

Carne Asada salad with Pico de Gallo dressing

Mediterreanean Chicken Salad with Roasted Eggplant, Squash, and Feta Cheese

Scottish Salmon Salad with Mandarin Oranges

I hope this gives you a few more ideas on how to make salads more interesting and not to get bored of the-best-way-to-eat-veggies ever! :)

The Strength Training Woes of a Cardio Queen

As I have mentioned before, I really want to incorporate some strength training into my exercise routine. I am a cardio queen when it comes to exercise. I will run 8-10 miles with ease, but won’t even want to touch the weights. To me, weight lifting is boring. I’m sorry…I’ve tried many different things. Body Pump classes, Cross fit, and nothing has excited me! But, like many things in life, I’ve come to the conclusion that even though it is not my favorite thing in the world, it is necessary as part of a healthy workout routine, and will very likely make me a better and faster runner! I’ve been looking into various strength-training routines that will be attainable for me. I’ve come up with this tentative plan for my week: Tuesday July 30^th

Chest fly with 8 lb dumbbells: 3 sets of 10 reps

Bicep curls with 5 lb dumbbells: 3 sets of 15 reps

Tricep press with 8 lb dumbbell: 3 sets of 10 reps

Squats with 8 lb dumbbells: 3 sets of 15 reps

Wednesday July 31^st

Seated Lat Row with 8 lb dumbbells: 2 sets of 15 reps (on each side)

Shoulder press with 5 lb dumbbells: 3 sets of 15 reps

Lunges with 8 lb dumbbells: 2 sets of 10 reps (on each side)

Plank for 1 minute

Thursday August 1^st

Seated bicep curls with 8 lb dumbbells: 3 sets of 15 reps (on each side)

Chest press with 8 lb dumbbells: 3 sets of 15 reps

Lateral deltoid raise with 5 lb dumbbells: 3 sets of 10 reps

Squats with 8 lb dumbbells: 3 sets of 15 reps

Friday, August 2^nd

Shoulder press with 5 lb dumbbells: 3 sets of 15 reps

Bicep curls with 8 lb dumbbells: 3 sets of 15 reps

Tricep extensions with 5 lb dumbbells: 3 sets of 10 reps (on each side)

Plank for 1 minute

Saturday, August 3rd:  10K!!!!!!!!!!

Again, this is a tentative plan depending on how my week goes. I am including the option of incorporating some yoga in the evenings as well. I am also part of a community called “Tone It Up” and get a lot of workouts from their site! Here it is for reference:

http://www.toneitup.com/

They post a ton of free, printable workout routines that work wonders and make toning exercises a bit more fun for me! I will likely follow my schedule or switch out some TIU workouts for my own. I also have a Nike Training Club app, which has great 15-30 minute circuit workouts which I might use as well! This gives me a ton of options so I won't get bored!!!

Most importantly, I will make sure I am listening to MUSIC during these workouts! I can’t do anything without some music in the background…so this will definitely help my motivation as well!

I’m hoping this plan works and motivates me to try some more strength training and tone up!

My Plan for the Week! 7/29-8/3

If you read my post from last week, I am determined to do a better job of planning out my meals and workouts this week! I am usually a great planner, but last week, I was so tired from my internship and not feeling well, so I did not make the best choices when it came to my nutrition! This week, I am motivated to get started on the right foot starting right now to set the tone for the rest of the week! This plan is obviously tentative as things could pop up last minute! But as long as I have some kind of plan or schedule, I should still be able to make good food and workout choices along the way!

7/29/13

Pre-workout: ½ quest bar

AM workout: I did a 45-minute elliptical workout this morning, felt so good!

Breakfast: I plan on having eggs and fruit at the hospital before work!

Lunch: Salad with some kind of protein on top. This will be my lunch all week! The cafeteria at the hospital has a nice salad bar and always has some healthy protein such as grilled tilapia or chicken.

Dinner: Armenian Beef and Broccoli (recipe coming soon) with baked sweet potato fries! I also plan on baking a new creation I have been working on…hot cocoa mini muffins (recipe coming soon too! If they turn out yummy...haha)

*Yoga or Tone It Up (TIU) workout (tentatively planned depending on how I feel tonight. My evening workouts are usually optional if I get to workout in the mornings)

7/30/13

Pre-workout: hot cocoa muffin or other ½ of my quest bar

AM workout: 3 mile run, 20 minutes elliptical. I need to incorporate some sort of strength training routine. I am still working on this and will post what I come up with soon!

Breakfast: veggie omelet with fruit

Lunch: Same as above!

Dinner: Leftover Armenian Beef and Broccoli with baked sweet potato fries

*Yoga or TIU workout

7/31/13

Pre-workout: cocoa muffin

AM workout: 5 mile run

Breakfast: hard boiled eggs, granola, fruit

Lunch: Same as above! Or I may take my leftover Beef and Broccoli dish if I still have some. Wouldn’t want it to go to waste!

Dinner: My grandma and aunt might visit me tonight for dinner! Woo! So I will probably go out with them! If not, I will do a curry chicken dish that I have all the ingredients for.

8/1/13

Pre-workout: Hard boiled egg

AM workout: 6 mile run, strength training TBD

Breakfast: veggie omelet with fruit

Lunch: Salad + protein at work!

Dinner: grilled chicken wraps with hummus and veggies

*Yoga or TIU workout

8/2/13

Pre-workout: Hard boiled egg

AM workout: 3 mile run, 20 minutes elliptical (my boyfriend and I are doing a 10K on the 3^rd…so today will be my light day!)

Breakfast: hard boiled eggs, granola, fruit

Lunch: same as above!!

Dinner: I will be home Friday night for dinner! So this will most likely be a last minute decision!

8/3/13:

10K day!!! Usually before my races, I eat a banana with a hard-boiled egg or some oatmeal. So we will see what I have that morning!

I will try to write more updates as the week goes on. I am hoping this plan will set a nice healthy tone for my week!

Meal Planning and Multi-Tasking

Meal planning is a huge part of making healthy choices and sticking to them. This week, I learned just how important prepping food and planning is! As I've mentioned before, I am doing an internship this summer in Palm Springs. Most of my shifts are 7am-3:30pm, which means I have to leave the house at 6am! By the time I get home in the afternoons, I am exhausted and usually end up eating out. I like to make healthy choices when I eat out; however, I do miss cooking and actually knowing what is in my food! This week, I was not a great planner. I ended up eating out frequently and spending a lot of money! Even though I made pretty healthy choices while eating out, it was nothing compared to how I feel when I cook and prep my own food with whole ingredients! Luckily, today, I have a 9am-5:30 shift, which gave me some time to plan out some pre-workout meals and snacks for the day so I don't get hungry, cranky, or tired midday! I woke up this morning, had a peanut butter wrap before my workout, and headed to the gym for 3 miles on the elliptical. I usually would rather have an egg in the morning because it gives me great fuel (protein + fat= ideal!) But I did not have any boiled eggs ready, so the wrap was my only option.

I came home from the gym, showered, and decided to boil some eggs for the next couple of days so I would have them on hand and ready! This little step motivated me even further. I decided to cook my own breakfast since I have been waiting to get to the hospital to eat and I have just gotten too hungry on my hour-long drive!

I also packed some veggies (I love carrots and snap peas!) along with a 100 calorie pack of almonds for a healthy midday snack since I have a longer shift today!

I already have plans to meet with a friend tonight, which I am so happy about! We are checking out a vegan/gluten free cafe in Palm Springs. Should be great! But I am so glad I was able to multitask and prep my meals/snacks for the day! I already have a plan stirring up in my head for next week, which I will share in the next few days! Here are a few things that have worked for me in the past regarding meal planning and following through with healthy intentions:

*Go grocery shopping at the beginning of the week! Buy veggies, healthy and lean chicken and meats, and seasonal fruits to stock up and always have options in the house! I know that I for one feel guilty eating out when there is a whole fridge stocked with healthy food waiting for me at home!

*Cook 2-3 healthy meals on Sunday or Monday night, when energy and motivation are still high for the week! Cook in big batches, then individually store them in the fridge for quick and easy reheating and eating! I love making a chicken or meat dish with veggies, and a side of sweet potatoes (reheating sweet potatoes is basically fool-proof!)

*Don't let yourself get too hungry. This is why I made sure to pack a satiating snack of crunchy and fibrous veggies and almonds so I will stay full today and not resort to quick fixes when hunger strikes! This hunger will make you more prone to abandon your good food intentions and turn to not-so-healthy options.

*BE FLEXIBLE! Sometimes, plans don't always go the way you wanted them to. Last minute things come up, but this doesn't mean you just throw your good intentions out the window! Healthy choices can be made at any time, and any place. I always make sure to have some almonds or some kind of healthy snack on hand so, when plans do change, I have a back up healthy snack to keep me going!

So there you go! I plan on coming back to my apartment after my weekend and home and cooking a meal Monday night to last me a few days! I get such joy out of cooking and it actually energizes me, while allowing me to make healthy choices! Making it a win-win...win? Look out for some healthy recipes coming next week and a more detailed outline of my meal plan!

God bless!