Low Low Mileage

Last week was the worst running week I’ve had in my short (8 months) running career. Instead of “worst”, I should say “lowest mileage by a bunch” running week because I definitely had some awful, horrible weeks when I was at the end of my weight loss and forcing myself to run 4 miles per day 7X a week… I didn’t like running at that point.

Last week I ran just shy of 4 miles… total! I ran more miles in my morning run Monday (6.7 miles) than I did in total last week. And I ran 3X last week… try not to laugh. Between the heat (I usually run after work at about 5:30pm) and moving my runs to the treadmill (we’re not really friends anymore) – it was a bad running week. I also got sick the day of my planned long run with a friend. Then the movie Twister replayed itself on our town Friday night (okay not quite, but seriously bad storm), so that cancelled my Saturday morning run. #Excuses. #Excuses.

But the good news is (unless my scale is broken) I did not suddenly gain 10lbs from a poor week of running. Even with some unhealthy eating (4^th of July picnic)… I couldn’t refuse those lemon bars! 

I also ate some of this awesome cake...

Oops, I ate this yummy cookie too!

Eating Healthier in a Busy World

One of the hardest parts of a healthy healthier lifestyle is time. Time to workout. Time for food prep. Time for rest. I know everyone is busy and summertime means it’s even busier! Here are some of my go to healthier foods in a hurry (in no particular order):

Edamame

1. Frozen Edamame
   Microwave for 3 minutes and ta-da, a healthy snack or lunch side! I buy mine from Costco.
   
2. Yogurt (Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla or Plain Greek Yogurt)
   The Dannon Light & Fit is my go-to in a hurry. Scoop it in a bowl and go! If I didn’t mix cinnamom & a pack of stevia in my greek yogurt, it’d be just as quick.
   
3. Cereal Snack Bags
   Yes, this requires a little bit of prep time, but it’s quick and you can make a bunch at once. Grab a healthy cereal (fiber one and cheerios are my favorites), a measuring cup and snack size zip loc baggies. Scoop a serving into each baggie and zip. I keep these in my drawer at work (along with number 4 & 5) – I haven’t hit the snack machine in the last year. 
   
4. Granola Bars (Fiber One, Archer Farms, Quaker Oats, Kellog)
   Usually 100 calorie, hungry curbing, bars of goodness. Lots of brands available, so find your favorite (always read nutritional information). Also great for the sweet tooth are the chocolate chip or peanut butter varieties, like a candy bar but healthier!
   
5. Oatmeal
   Forget breakfast? All you need is oatmeal, water and a bowl (I do not add the salt that the oatmeal container calls for). You can buy the plain packets or buy the large container and make a bunch of pre-portioned baggies ready when you need them (this is what I do).

Just a few ways to avoid grabbing a bag of chips or a candy bar when you’re in a hurry (#dietdownfalls for sure!).

2 Months Ago...

Just 2 months ago I blogged about my Honeymoon, then disappeared off the face-of-the-earth blog.

Sorry about that gals (and guys? if you're out there)!

Summer is truly one of the busiest times for us. We always have a summer full of plans + spontaneous trips, walks, projects and more. So I'm trying to get back in the swing of blogging amongst the crazy thing called life.

So let's go through a bit of the last two months:

I continue to love life in the Valley, especially when creatures are outside of my house (where they belong). Like this little guy I saw on my way home from my mom's one day:

Or my friends I see almost daily at work:

Taken from inside our office

Andy & I acted like kids again and went to the caverns w/ my parents (for their work picnic):

I also planned the biggest event of my career so far: an event hosting the Governor to announce our expansion. There were lots tons millions of details to be covered...and luckily it went great! Here is a shot of the tent going up the weekend before the event:

We continue to enjoy our fur-kids as normal:

 

We bought a new dishwasher! Yay!!! 

We attended a beautiful wedding & celebrated all night with awesome friends & family:

Babe at the wedding!

Us!

Andy dancing w/ his Aunt

The beautiful bride dancing with her dad!

ESE! aka Mark

We enjoyed a day in C'ville shopping and visiting vineyards & breweries...

Finishing off nachos & a beer tasting

We enjoyed fireworks at the Waynesboro extravaganza... after dinner with great friends (an annual tradition):

I started making my favorite summertime treat - Stuffed Peppers, with peppers from my nephew's garden:

And we've done so, so much more! I went for my first ride-along with Andy (amazing!), turned 24 (wow! I'm growing up too fast), went to SML with my parents & good friends (pictures to come), and many, many other things! Summer flies by tooooo fast! I'll try to do better updating. 

xoxo