Monthly Archives: July 2012
The Wonders of a Weekly Plan
One month ago, I was hitting my peak mileage and running more than I have in my life. I was following my college cross country training plan, and logging 75 miles in one week. In addition to daily and twice-daily runs, I went to the gym every other day to keep up my strength training with either free weights or a group fitness class. I was in the best shape of my life, working extra hard because I knew what was coming: time off. The surgery would take me out of training for about 3-4 weeks, and the timing was unfortunate. Right in the middle of summer training is where we runners build our base and endurance. I know that 3 weeks of zero exercise will put me at a huge disadvantage when I am able to return to the sport, but I am doing everything my doctor will allow me to do in the recovery time.
One thing that I have found helps me with sticking to my workout is writing out a weekly plan and committing to it. It’s so easy to wake up in the morning and let your pre-coffee laziness lower your expectations for the day’s workout and hit the snooze button. But something about having the calendar sitting on my night stand (reminding me what I have already set out to do today) is really a motivating factor in completing every workout I planned or my coach planned for me.
Here is a look at a pre-surgery vs. current exercise plan:
Obviously another factor in the drastic change in physical activity is my diet. I went from burning about 1000 calories a day to closer to 200. Therefore, I really needed to cut out extra desserts and snacks that I could get away with before. Even though my exercise has decreased, my appetite has not so I will definitely have to be diligent about squashing snack attacks.
Writing out your training plan is also a great way to look back at what you accomplished and helps motivate you to continue your success. If you see what you’ve accomplished already, it will boost your confidence that you can do it again.
Summer Seafood: Shrimp Burgers with Peachy Salsa
Recently, Pinterest has inspired a lot of my cooking experiments including this dinner over the weekend: Shrimp Burgers with Peachy Salsa from HowSweetTreats. I hardly ever cook with raw meat so this was out of my comfort zone. I have to admit – chopping up the shrimp meat in a food processor had me a little skeptical about these things. But after adding in the mustard, spices and breadcrumbs – HOLY YUM! Totally worth the mess. Seafood Perfection.
When it comes to burgers, go big or go home. I topped the patties with Lily Light Sour Cream (15 calories per Tablespoon) mixed with lime juice and pepper. Sliced Avocado. Homemade Peach Salsa. And Whole Wheat buns. The Perfect Mid-Summer Meal.
Shrimp Burgers:
1 pound raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp
2/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbs dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
6 Tbs sour cream (light)
1 lime
salt & pepper to taste
1 avocado, sliced for topping
6 Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
In a food processor, pulse the shrimp until chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl and combine with bread crumbs, egg, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder and basil. Divide into six handfuls and shape into flattened round patties. Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 Tbs of olive oil. Cook the patties for about 4-5 minutes on each side (they will be more pink and crispy).
Mix your sour cream with the juice of one lime and a dash of salt and pepper. Use as a condiment over the patties.
Peachy Salsa:
2 RIPE peaches, diced
2 Tbs red onion, diced
2 Tbs cilantro
Juice of 1 Lime
salt and pepper
Assemble and enjoy!
Vacation & Exercise
Most people look at vacation as just that: a time away from responsibilities which includes daily workouts. It’s usually a time of relaxation, where the calories don’t count and you stay far far away from any treadmills. But you pay for it the day you come home, unhappy with the number on the scale and a little rusty the first time back in the gym. I think exercise should be a part of any vacation and it really can be a fun point of the trip! If you are anywhere in nature, all you have to do is seek out a trail and explore with a hike. You don’t even have to think of it as “working out” – it’s sightseeing on foot which will benefit you more than just keep calories at bay. You might end up seeing some pretty great views you would otherwise have missed out on.
But if you are going somewhere less natural (say… New York City) you’ll have to get a bit more creative. We were in the city for 17 days this July. My surgical procedures did not begin until Day 5, so we had a few “play days” and you bet we hit up Central Park. The place is AMAZING! It goes for blocks and blocks with a ton of paths leading in different directions. There are baseball fields and bike paths and fitness classes on the lawns. It’s an impressive place to totally take advantage on for getting active.
My family rented bikes and made a lap around the park which has some incline. Then I found a running path around a gorgeous lake, about 1.75 miles, and got in a few laps with the locals. It was actually a highlight of the trip, and I really enjoyed getting to work out in such a new and unfamiliar but fabulous place. Vacation isn’t really an excuse to be completely lazy; it should inspire you to get creative with a workout and find a new way to be active. I’m lucky enough to have my Photographer/Mom to capture the moments.
