Monday, March 28, 2011

The expense of being healthy

What is up with being healthy being so darn expenisive? Why is it so much more expenisive to go to the store and buy whole, healthy foods than it is to buy processed crap? And don't get me started on organics....

Now that we are settled into our new home and our new routine I am working on menu planning and making whole, healthy food for our meals again. I am going to spend some time today planning a grocery list and then going shopping tonight. The real point of this post was to talk about the money spent on running. You would think that running would be the cheapest activity one could do. However, not in my case. Getting back into running is proving to be an expensive endevour. First of all there is the issue that the majority of my runs happen long before daylight. I don't feel comfortable running outside in the dark, so a gym membership was the answer. That was $600 (I paid for the entire year at once). Second my shoes. My feet changed sizes during my pregnancy and I found that my running shoes no longer fit. I overpronate so I have to have special (i.e. expensive) running shoes. I went to the shoe store and dished out $120 for them. But man, they make a HUGE difference. There is no way my knees could take running without.
Third, the ladies. Along with my feet, my boobs also changed size during pregnancy. While this is a welcome addition to many women - I was a DD BEFORE getting pregnant. I won't even go into what I am now, but lets just say that a good sportsbra is not a luxery but a requirement in my situation. I have found that the Enell bra is amazing, though expensive. I bit the bullet and bought a new one. There went another $60.

And then for some reason I have been starving all day long after my morning workouts. I hit the nutrition store and bought some protein to try to stave off the all day munchies. Bye, bye $25.

So in the past two weeks I have spent $815 just to get back into running. And being a typical mom, I feel guilty about spending that much money on me. But you know what? It is worth every,single penny. That little block of time when it is just me and my ipod lets me recharge. It lets my brain wonder and process the different events and situations happening daily. It reminds to appreciate what my body can do and it is getting healthier with each run.

So - Where will your feet take you this year? Any plans for a big hike, race, or just a lot of walking? I have big plans for my feet this year. My feet are getting me back in shape. I am going to run a 5K in a few months and then a 10K after that. I am going to go hiking in the Smoky Mountains as much as possible this spring and summer. I would love to try some Earthfootwear to help me on the journey this year! Congrats to all the Mamavation Mom applicants and finalists. I look forward to cheering you ladies along your journey!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Getting into the swing of things

I have found that I am an all or nothing type of person. Meaning, when I make big life changes (i.e. new job, moving) I need to go ahead and make other changes at the same time before I get into the routine of the new situation. So I started working out of my new office in Knoxville two weeks ago and I went ahead and joined a gym. I did some soul and time searching and realized that the only time I could faithfully go to the gym was first thing in the morning before work on days that my husband can get Fisher up and to daycare. So this past week I woke up at 5:15 and headed to the gym on Monday and Tuesday. And.it.was.awesome. I was shocked at how great I felt afterwards and all day! I am sold on the morning workouts once again (I used to work out first thing in the morning pre childbirth) and I am already looking forward to it this week.
I think part of it is waking up before anyone in my house, quitely getting dressed, and then slipping out of the door unnoticed. And once I am out the door, I am FREE! I go to the gym, work out, take a shower, grab some coffee, and then head to work. I feel refreshed, awake and ready to knock out the day.
In not so good news, my son got the flu this week. I have never had the flu, but I can tell you that the flu in a 1.5 year old is not fun. I feel so bad for him, he has been sick with a high temperature since Wednesday. I took Wed, Thurs, and Fri off work to stay home with him because my husband was out of town teaching. However, when my husband got back Friday - I hit the gym! And I also worked out Saturday. I am proud to say that I got four, hour long workouts in the week even while playing single mom and dealing with the flu. Go me.
I started the Couch to 10K program. I have done the Couch to 5K before, and it was awesome. I went from barely running 1 minute to being able to run a 5K, and then I went on and was able to run for an hour straight! I don't run fast, I enjoy jogging, so jogging an hour is my goal.
So this is my workout plan for this week -
Sunday - Couch to 10K, Week 2, day 1
Monday - Couch to 10K, Week 2, day 2
Tuesday- Weight lifting
Wednesday - Couch 10 10 K, Week 3, day 3
Thursday - Weight lifting
Friday- day off
Saturday- traveling, will try to walk

One of the bad things about getting up at 5:15 to workout is that I have been in bed by 9 most nights! Which makes getting to Mamavation TV difficult on Mondays as I am long asleep by the time it starts :( I hate it, but if I am up I will try to make it!
Are you a sweet or savory snacker? What do you look for in a healthy snack?
I am a sweet and savory snacker! It depends on the time of day. I like savory stuff during the day and sweet at night. For a healthy snack, I try to find things that are super filling and won't leave me looking for more!
Thanks to Orville Redenbacher's Gormet Popcorn for sponsering this week's Mamavation Monday!
I hope you all have a great week!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

New city, new house, new office, new leaf

Moving sucks. I don't need to go into details, because if you have ever moved you need no explanation. So on to the next topic.
We are settled in and I LOVE living in Knoxville again. There is so much to do! The zoo, hiking, bike trails, jogging trails, parks, lakes, rivers, fishing, canoeing, play dates, friends, family ahhhhhh I am a happy woman right now.
Unfortunately, I am not happy with my eating habits of late. Not pretty. However, tomorrow is a new day, right? And it also happens that tomorrow I start working out of my new office in Knoxville. I worked out of a home office in Kentucky and there are some definite pros and cons about switching from a home office to a traditional office setting. One of the things I look forward to is not having access to my kitchen all the time! I will be taking a healthy lunch and a few healthy snacks and not have the temptation of what lurks in my cupboards. Another benefit of working from an office is that I will have the structure of more normal office hours and days. I thrive on structure so I think this is a good thing for me.
I am really wanting to join a gym here, however it looks like the only time I will have to go to the gym is after my son goes to bed (thank goodness he goes to bed early - by 7!) I am a little worried about that because I have always been more faithful to working out when I go first thing in the morning, but I don't think that is feasable here. Working out at night is going to be an adjustment for me, but I am sure if I can kick my butt and make myself go I will quickly get used to it and look forward to it.

Question: What are your strategies to fit everything into your busy life? Any areas you need to work on?
The question this week is very timely as you probably notice from my post. Life is BUSY and just seems to get busier! I feel like I do a good job of fitting in household chores. Since my son sleeps so much and is in daycare a big chunk of the day - I spend all the time that he is awake and not in daycare with him. While he eats in his high chair I clean the kitchen, he "helps" me with laundry, etc. On weekends when he is napping I am one efficient mama! I run around like a crazy person doing all the things that I can't get to with a shadow. For the most part the household stuff works.
However - I desperately need to work on fitting in exercise into my life! Like I said - I try to spend the time my son is home from daycare and awake with him so that leaves early morning or after he goes to bed. I am much better when I exercise at a gym, so I need to fit gym time into my life!
I am hoping to make it to Mamavation TV Monday night! I really need to learn some tips about fitting everything in, and of course I would LOVE to win some Earth Footwear!!
“This post is sponsored by Earth Footwear and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway.”