Not-so-lazy Saturday
Thank you so much for all the running and stretching suggestions!! Here’s a collage of some of your fave stretches (ps, I always link the pictures themselves to the source page from Google images)
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I honestly love all of these stretches too. Okay, I just love stretching. I can’t stand yoga flows, but put me in a stationary pose for a couple minutes and I’m happy as a clam :)
As for the running situation, some great recommendations for my ankle problem! I have had my gait looked at, and the running store clerk told me I’m a “neutral runner with a sturdy arch.” Whatever that means. I do run on soft trails, but I’m thinking maybe I should switch it up? I can’t stand running on city streets, but maybe the trails are too uneven or something to be constantly running on. I don’t have a video camera to examine my stride (or a treadmill for that matter) but my instinct tells me the pain is coming from my running form. And yes, it still hurts today. Maybe I’m just not a long distance runner…
Moving on to some EATS! It was an office day, which included a little of this…
And a little of that…
i.e. breakfast cookie and egg white pillows.
I had an odd snack when I got home, but I was just going with my mooood.
Half a small butternut squash, cubed and cooked in the microwave, stirred up with half a tbsp peanut butter. Then I had a frozen deep chocolate VitaMuffin. Yeah, I like it frozen. It’s denser that way, kinda reminds me of fudge :)
[insert MTV watching and random prune and grape snackings here]
Then it was gym time! I’ve been taking Saturdays off from working out because I’m so damn tired from being up at 4:30am. But I’m also extremely bored in the afternoon if I don’t have plans. So I opted for some light activity. I did…
- 15 minutes HIIT on the elliptical (the elliptical is growing on me!)
- 15 minutes “MIIT” on the rowing machine
- alternating sets of the one-armed dumbbell snatch and cable horizontal row
- alternating sets of the wide-grip lat pulldown and back extension
- One 90-second plank (yeah, I got lazy with the rest of the ab stuff. It was a solid 90 seconds though :P )
Overall, a great workout! Kept it easy on the lower body stuff so my muscles aren’t too sore for the 60km I want to bike tomorrow. I’ve been focusing a lot on my core and back muscles lately, and I’m finally starting to notice a difference. From everything I’ve read, every activity requires a strong back and core, so I figure it can’t hurt!
I had one of my protein cocktails for maximum muscle recovery when I got home.
It was a mix of the cran-raspberry and peach PVL whey coolers. Extra ice, it’s HOT in the apartment today!
I can’t bring myself to buy an air conditioner when I’m moving to a basement apartment in four (gasp!) weeks.
Dinner was inspired by Janetha, who’s been raving about a chickpea/cottage cheese/ranch combo. I don’t have any ranch, so I used a new dip I bought.
I think it’s a “cooler,” less garlicky version of tzatziki. Similar ingredients, but tastes more like dill than cucumber. Strangely, there is no dill in it.
Also half the calories of tzatziki, which means more generous slathering on my part ;)
Of course, I put the mixture in a pita!
It’s just hiding behind all the spinach…
Mmm… this was messy but sooooo gooood. Cottage cheese always moistens the pita bread so it falls apart more easily. Oh, and those carrots are organic ones I bought on sale. Hands down, the best carrots I’ve ever had. I don’t normally buy organic root vegetables, but I may start buying these at regular price because they are that much better.
Okie doke folks, I’m off to shower and prepare for another day of work tomorrow. Don’t forget to check out my Things I Learned post from earlier today! Hope you had a great Saturday!
Posted on August 1, 2009, in Health, Workouts and tagged breakfast cookies, butternut squash, cottage cheese, egg whites, garbanzo beans. vitamuffin, Indian raita, pita, PVL whey cooler, strength training, stretching, tzatzkiki, Weight Lifting. Bookmark the permalink. 11 Comments.
mmmm that dip looks good! that pres choice brand has so much good stuff, i see it on your blog and kristies blog and wish we had it here! caught watching TV on the job! haha. i love the cocktail photo, love the little stirrer. makes it so tropical! i am going to go read your list now because i read this first!
yummy pix! what’s the first snack? also….HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR EGG WHITE PILLOWS?! I tried to make eggwhites in the microwave, and they just stuck to my bowl. Also, how do you nuke your butternut squash? it looks steamy and delish. I steam my kabocha in a flavorful broth. and devour. does butternut squash taste better with pb? can you taste it? lucky re: your arch- i have flat feet, which means i got orthotics…they hurt! hugs!
Haha, Tra, I put them in a small bowl that I cover with cooking spray first. The key is to use lots of egg whites (I usually use 4-6) that way there’s lots of them to fluff up! And for the butternut squash, I just cook the cubes it in a tupperware container for 5-6 minutes. I don’t seal the lid though, so some of the steam can escape. You can add some water to the bottom too if you want more steam.
Everything tastes better with PB!!! :P
hey, messy foods are the best to eat! You can lick your fingers!
And yeah, I love stretching too. I’m stretching every 1/2 hour!
that smoothie looks so yummy and tropical :)
and those egg whites are so fluffy! like clouds!!
Ive really started to love stretching too..i only started doing it last month when i injured myself and now i do stretches twice a day and it feels great!
The whole thing about core strength affecting everything is so true, i think i need to work on mine!
Have a great saturday night!
I swear I can taste the difference with organic carrots, too! We can’t afford to buy every single thing organic, but carrots taste so much better and since they’re a root I do feel better with organic ;)
I am going to go do some strength + stretching myself now! :)
Your snack looks awesome! Squash and pb is always appropriate :D
And nice workout! I hear planks are the best ab exercises so at least you picked a good one!
Hello Gorgeous! That whey smoothie is almost as gorgeous as the lady drinking it!
It was so cool opening up your blog to see all of my favorite poses!!!
Your neutral pronation is good- that means you don’t tend to favor one side of your foot over the other. Favoring one part can lead to strain on the connected muscles in your ankle/shin area…
A sturdy arch probably means your arch isn’t flat or super high- which is also a good thing as well- flat arches can be super painful on shins without proper shoe support. Same for high arches.
Both those indicate that you would be a great long distance runner!!! If it is a matter of technique, that can be worked on and learned! You can’t learn your way to a new foot!
Are you leaning forward when you run, Are you leaning backward ? Swinging your arms? Do you rotate your legs all the way , i.e are you using your hamstring just as much as your quadricep or are you not following all the way through the stride with your hamstring?
good job on the saturday workout! i had the same thought yesterday but didnt actually make it out of the house LOL. your protein drink after sounds delicious!
Ahh I so wish I liked eggs and cottege cheese! It’d make my new diet plan so much easier…instead I’m going through Greek yogurt like nobody’s business. Maybe I’ll force myself to eat egg whites…but something about the smell/consistency of cottege cheese just freaks me out :-)
those egg white pillows are sooooo cute!