Chipotle

I try to make my own food so I know exactly what’s in it. But sometimes you’re on the go and need to stop, or you just want someone else to do the cooking!

Today was one of those days and we went to Chipotle for lunch. It was fairly simple to eat well there and they have nutrition info online which is great. And the site is actually usable unlike a lot of other restaurants I’ve tried. I had a delicious lunch, and didn’t feel icky after it.

Here you go…salad with chicken, black beans, fajita vegetables, tomatillo salsa and guacamole. From their site, 505 calories. Not excellent, but I hadn’t eaten much in my day (weird day today!) and was looking for 500 cals. Without the black beans it would have been under 400 which would still be filling and reasonable.

Insanity Fit Test

I did the Insanity fit test yesterday to get ready for tomorrow’s start to the rest of the workouts. This post isn’t about my results, though I did better than I thought I would!

I wanted to talk about a misconception about the fit test. It is not a judge of if you are fit enough to handle the workouts. You can’t fail the fit test! It is a measuring tool to add to your arsenal. Taking the fit test is recommended every two weeks and at the end of the program. This way you can see your improvement.

So now you have the scale (ugh. Worst measurement tool!), taking measurements, fit of clothing, pictures and the fit test to show your results! Get to it!

Tomorrow, We Jog

We being baby and me.  The first run with the jogging stroller was supposed to be a while ago but was postponed to get to the bottom of the leg situation.  Next week, we’ll be doing a 5k. Probably not all running since I’ve barely trained but I still didn’t want it to be the first time using the jogging stroller!

Hopefully all goes well and Zoe likes it.  Have you run with a jogging stroller? Any tips for a first timer?

The long leg story

This is the story of my leg. Something I’ve mentioned a bit, but not extensively since it has started bothering me. Definitely not much since starting my round of doctors to figure out what was going on. I wanted to share, but never felt I had enough information to warrant the time to type it all out.

I broke my leg in 1994. Xrays showed an abnormality in the bone, about the size and shape of an egg. They took my cast off early to see if it would break again. I was told that I’d need bone grafting if I broke it again. Also that impact would be a bad idea so I used it as an excuse to sit on the couch for 6ish years.

The fitness bug bit me in 2000 but I would not run and made some lower impact modifications when I took classes. I got less and less worried about it and eventually stopped modifying and started running. When I found out I was pregnant last year, I was training for a half marathon (while knowing I might need to quit) and had run 7 miles 2 days before I knew. With no pain.

I ran a bit while pregnant but my leg started to bother me. While sitting. Completely randomly! I googled and it seemed like hormones could cause old injuries to bother you as a symptom (one of the many glamorous pregnancy symptoms!). I stopped running and started again earlier this year using the Couch to 5K program.

The day I ran 20 minutes non stop, it hurt. Again next time. I got new sneakers and limped a minute before giving in. And started my doctor’s appointments. I was told not to run for a bit, but luckily could do most things with little to no pain. Now I have seen my regular doctor, orthopedist, had an MRI and saw an orthopedic oncologist.

An oncologist! Scary word. But I had a benign bone tumor that no longer looked like it was in the bone, but looked like it (like me) had grown up a bit. But the bone had grown around the tumor, which means that I do not need surgery at this time. Or need restrictions.

So I’m going to be smart about it. I went running today in the new sneakers that have barely been worn and felt okay. I’m going to start Insanity now that I’m finishing up Les Mills Pump. I’ll take it easy when and if I need to and change the plan if I have to.

So welcome back me. And welcome to my new sneakers.

Excuses

Everyone has excuses. Some of these are valid, some not so much, but I’m trying to not let mine get in my way. I’ve gone fairly silent though and anything I have wanted to post has been short and seemed silly to write without some explanation. Right now, I can’t sleep but the baby can so I figured is get in that.

Not an excuse, but maybe an explanation…a day in the life of me as of the past few weeks:
By 5:40am – baby and mommy awake. Often earlier
Then-6:50-feed baby and get her ready for day care, play a bit with extra time. My husband takes her to day care, so before this he exercises and gets ready for work. And makes is both Shakeology otherwise I’m so hungry by the time he leaves!
6:50-8:15-I exercise, shower, and get ready for work
8:15-5-work work work. During work I also pump pump pump, which really takes up any extra time I might have had in the past to do something crazy like put a load of laundry in the dryer from the washing machine. I used to be able to manage at least that during my day and then could just fold it in the evening.
5-7-hang with the baby and get anything absolutely necessary done…may be food shopping, a quick errand, definitely dinner.
7-bed. A new development is that Zoe and I are both in bed at 7. She has been having difficulty with waking if I’m not there. Everyone is getting more sleep now. But this used to be my productive time.

Weekends are catching up plus anything planned. This weekend was super busy and hopefully now that I’ve put this out there, I will feel better with some quick updates. Breaking down that barrier of silence!

Today, I’m off from work. Doctor’s appointments for both of us and some fun and errands. But right now I’m going to run around the house and get some things put away while I’m still the only one awake. Shhhhhh…

Yawn…from Monday morning!

6 months!

She’s 6 months old! I can’t believe it.

Pump Review

Okay, this might be less in depth than I planned but I want to get it down. I’m loving Les Mills Pump. I’m almost finished with the calendar (though I messed up in the first month and somehow skipped a week). I get a really good workout and I have added a little more weight to my bar since starting…I’m getting to a point of experimenting with more on some tracks. It really has been perfect for me…when I feel like I’m spent, it’s just about time to switch tracks (and body parts). They use the music really well…I notice it most on the clean and presses and biceps. And I love how the workouts are a few different lengths. I am currently trying to do the program as written, but as I move on from that schedule and start working it in with other things, I think that will be helpful. I can choose how long I can do on a day.

I also love that you can do your own cardio. I like the flexibility that it gives. I started with mostly running and TurboFire/TurboKick, but it has been walking instead of running now with my leg bothering me. When I do other programs, I have a tough time because there are other workouts I enjoy so much. This lets me do it all!

The workouts use high repetitions and lighter weights for what they call “The Rep Effect”. Basically, you are doing 70-100 reps per body part. I definitely feel it! I’m sore the day after most workouts, even though I used to lift heavy at the gym. It is different…light weight/high reps vs heavy weight/low reps. I think they are both good for you and can give results. But with the light weight, you still need to challenge yourself! I decided early on to buy extra weights than what comes in the box. The weights it came with (10 and 5 lb plates) were perfect to start, but I didn’t want to not up my weights just because I didn’t have the extra plates. So I purchased an extra set of 5s and a set of 2.5s.

Pump uses body part tracks…squats, chest, legs/back, biceps, triceps, lunges, shoulders, abs. Some of the shorter workouts do not contain all tracks, but I still think they are great workouts. Just like if you had to do a short workout, you’d hit the big muscles with some moves that also engage smaller ones. The two long workouts (Pump Revolution and Pump Extreme, both almost an hour) include them all. There are also 20, 30 and 45 minute weight workouts. In the pack as well is Hardcore Abs, which lives up to its name! Also is Flow, a stretching workout that is about 20 minutes. If you order from a coach (like me!) you also get Les Mills Core, another ab workout.

Now, one of my favorite things…the instructors! I love the accents and their interactions are amusing. They are very personable and motivating. I definitely recommend the program to anyone looking for a weight workout to do at home.

Sugar free Update

Well, sugar free – ish for 5 days.  I did use some stevia, mostly in Shakeology and protein powder.  And I ended a little early on Friday.  I lost a pound!

Mostly, I noticed that not a lot was different!  I didn’t have any coffee drinks or snack bars (I keep Clif Z bars in the house), but otherwise it was fairly similar to my usual.  I think I’ll keep trying to stick to low sugar.

Les Mills Pump review tomorrow!