Focus

"You must remain focused on your journey to greatness"- Les Brown

I've been getting complacent lately.  Even Tuck, my trainer, commented on it yesterday.  A couple weeks have gone by now with very slow weight loss progress....about a pound in that time.  I'm so close to my goal. Only about 3.5 pounds away from reaching my original goal of 120.  At first, I kept telling myself that I've hit a plateau.  But really, that was just a convenient excuse.  I'm still doing great with my running....just today I got my best mile time (7:41!)  But the nutrition has been severely lacking.  A couple handfuls of sour patch kids, a stray french fry here or there, tortilla chips, sangria, etc.  These have all added up.   

I've heard that you should focus on how far you've come, not how far you have left to go....which I believe is excellent advice.  However, I would probably benefit more from doing the opposite at this point.  I've been getting all kinds of good attention from those around me...telling me how great I look, how I've inspired them to do this or that.  And I'm starting to get used to the idea that I now have to shop for shirts that are a small or extra small and that I can fit into size 4 jeans.  It's easy to get comfortable. 

Well, I've committed myself to refocusing this week.  I know I can get down into the teens by the end of the month.  It is nice to know that when I finally do reach my goal weight, I will be able to indulge myself every once in a while without gaining weight back...but I need to wait until I actually get myself to that point. 


In other news, I've found a new love: running skirts!!  Must have one in every color immediately.  They are so comfy and cute to run in. I don't know why it took me so long to try it out. 

Also, some time in the next week, I am going to try kale chips. I have heard nothing but great things about them. Stay tuned.

Cauliflower!

Cauliflower is not the most popular of vegetables. I know I never really enjoyed it much.  To me, it was a bland, boring vegetable that I would definitely pass over on any produce aisle.  But it has quickly become one of my most favorite things to eat! This recipe is super easy, fairly quick, and very delicious!

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
1.5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil OR several sprays of olive oil cooking spray
1.5 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cajun seasoning (or a pinch more if you like it extra spicy)

1. Preheat the oven to 425
2. Peel the green parts off the cauliflower and then cut head into 4
3. Break up the cauliflower (with your hands) into bite size pieces and put in a bowl

4. Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil and make sure it's coated evenly.  Recently, to save on calories, I've been using olive oil cooking spray and it ends up tasting the same.  Just make sure to coat evenly.
5. Mix all the spices in. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!
6. Arrange on a cookie sheet in a single layer
7. Put in oven for 20-25
8. Set to broil on high for about 2 minutes (for a little extra crispiness) and you're done!

This is seriously one of my favorite things! If I'm not careful, it's possible for me to eat the whole head of cauliflower in one sitting (I've done it before...)  I have even been known to put it in a ziploc bag to enjoy it at the movies as an alternative to popcorn.

Not only can it be delicious but there are several benefits of including cauliflower in your diet:
- It is a very low calorie/low fat food (about 25 calories & .1g of fat per cup!)
- Its 2.5g of fiber per cup aids in digestion
- It's a good source of protein as well (2g/cup)
- It's also packed with B-vitamins, vitamin C, and potassium
- And as if that's not enough, it fights cancer!

2nd 5k Complete

What a weekend! Saturday was quite a long day.  It started with an 8AM boot camp which was tough, as usual.  I unexpectedly ended up attending boot camp at 10AM as well.  There was a lot of sprinting, pushups and squats involved. Moreso than usual.  Needless to say I was sore before I even started my 10+ hour shift at work. 

I was nervous for Sunday's 5k.  I barely slept at all. I was mostly nervous that I was going to sleep through it.  A 6:45 alarm is an easy thing for me to ignore.  But I dragged myself out of bed, still very sore from the day before and not sure how I was going to run 3.1 miles. Rachel and Stephanie, the lovely ladies I was going with, actually ended up sleeping through their alarms.  But we all ended up somehow making it there on time and we were all at the start line before the gun went off.  It was a completely different experience than my first 5k a few weeks ago.  Fewer people, less confusion, a shadier/cooler course, and best of all a chip that actually worked! 

I forgot to set the timer on my phone when I started the race and I somehow missed the mile markers so I really had no idea what pace I was going.  My goal was to finish in about 27 minutes.  I was ecstatic when I got to the finish line in 26:43!!  I even beat my previous best 5k time (26:48) from my last post.  After re-hydrating, enjoying a post-race banana, registering as bone marrow donor, and taking a couple of pictures we all left to get lunch. 

Once I returned home, I went online to see the results of the race.  I was absolutely floored when I saw that I was FIRST in my 20-29 age group!! Me? Seriously? This was only my second 5k. Granted this wasn't an exceptionally huge race. But still. Not only was I first for my age group but for overall women, I placed 10th!

I must say that this past weekend was definitely a huge success! When I told my trainer about the race he responded with "You're getting kinda good at this!"  I've only been running for a few months now and I can't even believe the progress I've made.  Definitely looking forward to my 10k coming up next month!!

10k Ready

I am not a morning person. At all. Never have been.  So, this morning when I woke up before the sun I was not in the best of spirits. However, I woke up with the intention of completing my long run for the week.  I have been doing several shorter runs.  In fact two days this past week I ran 7 miles but I broke it up and ran twice per day.  Today my goal was to run at least 5.5 miles straight (a 1/2 mile increase from my longest run).

Breakfast for me usually consists of just a protein shake. This is mostly due to my laziness combined with the fact that I'm always running late for everything.  However, today was a special day. Not only because of my run but I also managed to get the whole day off work!  So I broke out the frying pan and slaved over a hot stove for all of 10 minutes to make scrambled eggs using 4 egg whites (and a little salt and pepper), a banana, and unsweeted almond milk.  Fancy? No. Delicious and nutritious? Yes.    


I typically don't eat much fruit due to the sugars and carbs, but I knew I would need it.  Especially with my lack of sleep the night before.  So I had my route all mapped out.  I decided to take a scenic tour of my neighborhood past all the big gated houses.  A route I have never run before.  Not only did my run go fantastically but I set all kinds of personal records!

	Old Record	Today's Time
Dist in 12 min	1.43 miles	1.47 miles
1 Mile	8:06	8:00
3 Miles	26:58	25:47
5k	28:18	26:48

Plus I have a new record to beat as well! I ran a total of 6.2 miles (in 54:29)....which is a 10k.  I'm pretty excited about that since my first 10k race is still over a month away and I know I'm already able to do it!

In addition to my run today, I tried to go shopping for some new clothes...since nearly all of my clothes are falling off of me these days.  However, of course I came home with nothing except a new workout shirt.  It is quite cute though. A $20 extra small Nike shirt in my favorite workout colors? Yes, please. 

Also, anyone who knows me should know of my love for gummy candies.  So, when I came across these gummy bear earbuds at Urban Outfitters, I had to take a photo. Not sure how functional they are (which is why I opted not to buy them), but they are cute nonetheless. 

What's on the agenda for this weekend? For me, tomorrow morning is Beast Boot Camp! And then Sunday it's the Be The One Run (my 2nd 5k!!) Have a lovely weekend!

The Beginning

Back in November when I started out with my trainer, Tuck, I literally NEVER thought I'd be where I am today.  I originally figured I would lose a little weight, quit, and go right back to the lifestyle I had grown accustomed to. It is a cycle that has happened so many times.  I lost the weight, yes...even more than I thought I would. In fact, now I'm only a handful of pounds away from my goal weight of 120 (a number I never thought I would actually see).  But something else changed.  Besides the weight, something else changed inside of me.  The habits I began to form, started to change me.  Now, it feels so weird NOT working out for even a day.  I hate having to take rest days.  I LOVE eating vegetables.  I've hated almost everything green since I was a child...just ask my mother.  I have dreams about working out.  And on more than one occasion when I go to pull my key out for the gym, I accidentally grab my house key (a sign, no?).  A year ago, I couldn't even run a mile. Now I've fallen in love with it and am constantly competing with myself for my best times. I've even decided to start training for a half marathon...a distance that I used to not even fathom walking, let alone running.  I've had plenty of slip ups along the way. I am human, after all.  But I still kept moving.  I kept going the extra mile (get it?? haha).  I've already decided that I will never truly have an "after" picture....because I will never truly be finished.  

So this blog is intended to be for all those who think they can't do it.  I never thought I could either. Please join me as I compile healthy recipes, helpful tips, inspirational pictures/quotes, as well as my own struggles and accomplishments for your viewing pleasure.