Monday, February 23, 2015

Earning My Wings :: Training Weeks 5 & 6

 aaaaand...
Yup, I'm combining the two.  Why?  Because I got lazy again?  Nope.

I simply forgot to blog last week.  Work was insanely busy (for all good reasons) and the three day weekend, plus special events.... sigh.  I just forgot.

That being said.  In a nutshell, the past two weeks have been learning experiences for me.  (Isn't every week?)  I've started to more closely follow the Tone It Up weekly fitness schedules.  I don't like having to think about what I need to do every day, so I let Katrina and Karena tell me what to do.  I modify their workouts to fit my running schedule but find them to be an excellent cross-training complement.

The past two weeks ultimately have been focused on what I put into my body.  One of my big goals for this year is to learn more about nutrition.  I eat well, but admittedly, I'm pretty uneducated on complete and incomplete proteins, "healthy" fats, "good" sugars... whaaaaat?  Aren't there just calories?  Apparently not.

I did some light research on the internet and tapped into some trusted sources to learn about how to balance meals and the difference between was good and better for my body.  Thankfully, I learned that my habits weren't too far off from "balanced" - I just had some firming up to do.

Now, let's be clear.  That doesn't mean I'm a "health" nut.  The empty box of Girl Scout cookies in my trash can proves otherwise.  But I'm happy to start developing healthier habits.

One small discovery that I'm very late to the game on is infusing my water.  I love the natural sweetness of fruits so why it took me so long to flavor my water with the simple techniques of infusing is really very silly.  I found the perfect infuser bottles on Amazon that are the perfect size for grab-n-go.  You can get them here:

I've been experimenting with different combinations.  So far, strawberry/mint and raspberry/cucumber are my favorites.

During the past week, I've focused on not kidding myself during my workouts.  This means truly working hard.  None of this "Oh, I'm tired so I'll only do 2 sets instead of 3."  Barring anything painful or dangerous, I've been honestly pushing myself.  Pushing through the burn.  Pushing through the crazy heartbeats.  Pushing through the shaking.  How did that work out for me?  I'm sore.  Very, very sore.  But it hurts so gooooood.

All in all, it's been two weeks of running, toning and learning about nutrition.  All good things.



Here's to looking forward....

Monday, February 9, 2015

Earning My Wings :: Training Week 4... ish

Well, well, well.  Fancy seeing you here again.  Training Week 4... ish... is a mash of a few weeks together.  As I referenced in my last posts, I started to experience some light knee pains.

Here's the deal....

I have weak ankles.

It felt silly writing that, but it's true.  I have weak ankles, which, given my ill-fitting shoes, could not support my high arches while running, which strained my knees.  Thankfully, I didn't tear or pull anything and stuck to doctor's orders by taking two weeks off.  I also went to a small local running store and got properly fitted for running shoes.
Armed with new kicks and a little bit of fear, I hit the pavement again.  I've also started following Tone It Up's workout plans.  Not faithfully - I tend to mix and match them, but I find them to be wonderfully complementary to my running.  Yoga and low-impact toning have kept me in shape in my downtime.

Thank goodness.... because yesterday, I ran a 5k... in record time too.
So unfortunately, this post is a culmination of a few weeks and I don't have day to day workout to share.  However, I really loved Tone It Up's KettleToning workout for today.  I don't have kettlebells, so I did the full routine with dumbbells, but beware!  This will kick your butt!

So what am I proud of this week?
Check in with you all next week!

To follow my every day adventures, follow me on Instagram @jen_evans_



Sunday, February 8, 2015

Book Review :: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

As much as I would like to give a properly analysis to this American classic, my reaction can be summed up best by this scene from Silver Linings Playbook.  *Spoiler Alert: He gives away the ending.*


Hemingway's writing style was new and different for me.  My mind took a while to adjust to the cadence and context of conversations versus thoughts.  One minute you're in Henry's mind.  The next you're reading dialogue - without the punctuation.  It was odd, but by mid-book I really enjoyed it.


I'm making my way on to The Sun Also Rises, which I've heard is a completely different feel.  We'll see if I want to throw that book out the window as well.

 
Blogging tips