An Autumn Tease…

Oh my, what a chilly morning and a chilly day! It feels like Fall and it’s not even Labor Day yet. The Midwest is headed into a cool couple of days, with highs in the high 60s to low 70s. Although I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to summer, I feel like I should do something Fall-ish, like apple picking.

After my morning run – which was awesome by the way because of the cool weather, I had a little breakfast.

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Cheerios Muligrain! If you’ve never been a Cheerios fan or have written-off Cheerios as old people cereal, I suggest you try this new kind. It’s higher in fiber than regular Cheerios, is made with whole grains, and has a great flavor. Today, I added about 1/3 of a banana and 1 tbsp of sliced almonds for added monounsaturated fat (MUFA).

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After breakfast, I had to run to Target to pick up a birthday present for my nephew, a task to which I was unsuccessful at completing. Target never seems to have the birthday gifts I need at the exact time I need them. Somehow, I still spent $30 and came out with things I had never intended on buying. Has this ever happened to you?

Next up was Trader Joe’s. I always have a great experience at Trader Joe’s, no matter what time of day or the day of the week. The people there seem to genuinely love their jobs – and you can’t beat the all-natural food products! I stocked up on Trader Joe’s Low-fat Greek  yogurt, as well as olive oil, walnuts, and jasmine rice. If you haven’t been to TJ’s in a while, they now sell these cool reusable shopping bags (Whole Foods has them too), that are made with 100% recycled materials. They’re way cool and they have the typical Trader Joe’s Caribbean themes. Plus, they are only 99 cents! I didn’t get one today because they were all out of the specific design I wanted, but I plan to get one next time.

After TJ’s my husband and I met for lunch at the local Red Robin. Not the fanciest place, but they have great sandwiches.

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I had the California chicken burger which was fantastic! It was really a burger, but rather a grilled chicken breast topped with provolone cheese, guacamole, and pickles – everything I love. Red Robin’s burgers are so huge that I only eat 1/2 and take the rest home. This is a great way to indulge in some great-tasting, but not-so-healthy, fun food, and not overdo it.

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It’s on the verge of raining right now, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do for the rest of the afternoon. Now that I think about it, a nap sounds like a great idea!

Have a great afternoon everyone and see you tonight.

Top 15 Foods Runner's Should Eat

Good morning! Yes – I’m actually at work right now and it’s only 8:15 AM! All the stars and planets seemed align this morning so that I could actually get to work early rather than late. It helped that it was raining this morning so I didn’t end up running. I’ll be out there tomorrow though – bright and early!

For breakfast, I changed things up a bit. I have been eating cereal quite a bit, mostly because we bought industrial size boxes of Cheerios and Kashi so I feel like once they’re open, I have to finish them before I open anything else. I decided to change things up today….

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I had a Thomas Multi-grain English muffin. These little muffins only have 100 calories and are packed with fiber – 8 g, that’s a LOT for a bread product. I topped my muffin with the last of my all-natural raspberry preserves and a couple dollops of all-natural creamy peanut butter. Too bad I didn’t run this morning, because this would have make an excellent post-run breakfast.

8.20 Breakfast

This got me thinking…as a runner, what exactly are the foods I should be eating to stay healthy and increase my performance? After doing a little research, I found 15 superfoods that Runner’s World recommends runners eat, at least on a weekly basis to improve performance and maintan overall health. I then assessed these superfoods to see if I was incorporating them into my overall diet. Let’s see how I’m doing….

Top 15 Foods Runner’s Should Eat

  1. Almonds – I definitely eat these on a weekly basis.
  2. Eggs – Hmm, I’m not much of an egg person, but I can try to eat more.
  3. Sweet Potatoes – Love these! But I don’t find them as convenient to make as other side dishes.
  4. Whole-grain cereal with protein – This is practically a staple for me!
  5. Oranges – Could definitely eat more of this, but oranges are so expensive so I find it a challenge to eat them every day.
  6. Canned Black Beans – Not a big fan of these unless they are part of another dish.
  7. Mixed salad greens – No problem in this area.
  8. Salmon – I do not eat seafood – so this is a big dilemma. 
  9. Whole-grain Bread – Yes, this is an every day food for me.
  10. Vegetables – Are you kidding me? I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t eat at least one vegetable.
  11. Whole-grain pasta – At least weekly, but I try not to overload on carbs.
  12. Chicken – This is a no brainer, I will likely turn into a chicken soon.
  13. Mixed Berries – Hmm, I definitely eat these when they are on sale, but I could use more.
  14. Dark Chocolate – At least weekly, if not daily. Now that I think about it, I probably eat a little too much of this!
  15. Low-fat Yogurt – Oh my – how could I not eat this weekly?

As far as the ideal runner’s diet, it seems that I’m not doing too bad. Although I do need to increase my intake of eggs, sweet potatoes (actually have these in the pantry right now!), oranges, and seafood (not gonna happen).

Whew, now that that’s out of the way, I’m going to make some Tazo Awake tea – too bad that’s not on the Runner’s World list!

Have a great day everyone!

New Look for Running With Cake!

RWC To Get New Theme!

I am so happy to be feeling better and to have my appetite back. But, I am even more thrilled to report that Running With Cake will be getting a new theme!! Yeah! I’m so excited. My husband, the technology guru (seriously, he had a story written about him in the newspaper that called him this), is going to be giving RWC a more updated and fresh look. I’m not sure when it will be finished, but look for it in the very near future.

As I mentioned above, I think I’ve finally kicked this flu bug that I’ve had for the last 3 days. So, when I woke up this morning, I decided to do my normal Sunday morning run. I started my run around 9:30 AM, which is nearly 3 hours after I usually start my run during the week. By that time of the morning, it was nearly 80 degrees outside. That was a big mistake. To add to my heat challenge, I felt like I had absolutely no energy – like I was running with a headwind, uphill, for the full 4 miles. I even had to walk about a minute to catch my breath. Some people would say that I should have skipped running today, until I was feeling 100% again. I rarely skip my run, even if I’m not feeling well. I have to be seriously ill – we’re talking swine flu, to have me not run. I don’t recommend this hard core running attitude for everyone. In most cases, it really is good to take a day off from running or other exercise when you’re really NOT feeling well. Maybe I should following this advice next time.

Anyway, by the time I pulled my sweaty self onto the doorstep, I was pretty exhausted and starving. So, for breakfast, I made a huge Greek yogurt parfait…

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I started with one container of Oikos nonfat Greek vanilla yogurt, and mixed in a whole nectarine, about a 1/2 cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, and a dollop of all-natural creamy peanut butter. I thought it would be a good combination because it was mix of all of my favorite things – yogurt, fruit, peanut butter, and crunchiness. Well, nectarines and peanut butter do not make the best flavor combination – lesson learned. It was still edible though.

After breakfast, it was little housecleaning and a discussion or two about my new blog theme. Then, it was time for lunch. Being gone last weekend really threw us off of our grocery shopping schedule – so our pantry is pretty bare. Thankfully, my husband whipped up a very simple but tasty lunch for us….

8.16 lunch

Trader Joe’s wheat penne pasta with Newman’s Own Organic Marinara. The sauce was a little bland – but that’s marinara for you, so I added a ton of parmesan cheese. Much better.

Now, I really must get to the grocery store or I will be eating cereal for dinner tonight. Have a great afternoon all!


The Runner's Headache

Hey everyone. I’m not having the greatest day today. I went to bed with headache, woke up at 5:30 AM with a headache, and still have one now. I did end up going running though and it was really rough. It almost felt like I was drained/dehydrated, but I don’t think I was. This feeling of having a dull (sometimes throbbing), constant headache, is what I refer to as The Runner’s Headache. This is because it always seems to start after a run and then continue on for days.

After my not so great run, I made a huge bowl of energizing oatmeal.

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I started with 1/2 cup rolled oats (not the quick kind) and added 1 cup of skim milk. I popped that in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes then added 2 big strawberries and a dollop of all-natural creamy peanut butter. I think this was the first time I’ve added peanut butter to oatmeal and it was awesome. I am so glad that peanut butter is good for you because I absolutely love the stuff.

After my hearty, fiber- and protein-filled breakfast, I ran a few errands. The whole time, I still could not shake the headache, even though I drank at least 2 water bottles full of water. I thought a little caffeine might help, so I stopped at Starbuck’s for a mocha frap. It tasted great, but still did nothing for my headache.

I headed home and contemplated lunch. I really wasn’t that hungry because I didn’t feel well, but I knew I had to eat something. I pulled out some of the homemade split-pea soup I made a few weeks ago ….

8.14 lunch

My husband questioned whether or not the soup would really taste good after being frozen, but honestly, it tasted like it was just made today!

Now I’m off to take a nap, which I rarely do (only when I’m sick). But, I’m hoping it will do the trick to zap my headache away. See you all at dinner.

I Am So Over Bagels…

Hey all! Hope your morning is going well so far. My 4-mile run was awesome today – my foggy head from yesterday is all clear today, thank goodness. 

After my run, I recharged with a protein-packed breakfast…

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About a cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal topped with two very plump and ripe strawberries. So yum! 

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When I arrived at work, I walked into the staff lounge/kitchen and saw a huge assortment of jumbo-size bagels. There must have been about 50 bagels and 7-8 tubs of flavored cream cheese. About 10 years ago, I would have jumped on those bagels without a second thought. I used to love bagels and ate them a ton in college and graduate school. They were so filling and cheap, which is necessity for a graduate student’s budget. I ate them so much that I became bageled-out after graduation. And, in recent years, I’ve realized that bagels just don’t sit well in my stomach anymore. They are so full of carbs/starch (not to mention meaningless calories) that they leave me feeling super full and nearly bloated after I eat them. So now when I see these massive, and I mean massive – they are as big or bigger than a CD, I just walk away knowing that I’ll be better off. 

Today, I have a very important afternoon meeting and a business dinner at a local winery (cool!). I’m pretty sure I will not be taking pictures of my dinner this evening. How weird would that look to my business guests if I was snapping pics of my entree? 

Well, I’m off to prepare for my meeting. Wish me luck!

Running in a Fog…

Good morning! It’s a busy, busy day and a busy, busy week for me. I’m really hoping to take the afternoon off on Thursday so that I can either lay by the pool or go see Julie & Julia, a movie chronicling the life of a food blogger who experimented with Julia Child’s recipes for a whole year, calling it the Julie/Julia Project. It looks so cute! So I guess I have to be extra focused from Mon-Wed this week, in order to leave early on Thursday!

I had a great 4-mile run this morning! I was sweating like crazy though because the heat and humidity were extremely high. I also seemed to be running in my own bit of hazy fog. I seriously was zoning out the whole time I was running. I guess I’m still trying to recuperate from my jam-packed weekend.

It was slim pickins for breakfast. I did find a blueberry yogurt (regular, not Greek) in the far back of the fridge that was still good to eat.

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So I had the yogurt mixed with a few walnuts and some Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal. It tasted sooo good! Especially because I had barely eaten anything from about 2 PM on yesterday.

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Just look at all of that creamy, crunchy goodness? After eating the yogurt, I did remember why I prefer Greek yogurt over regular. There’s nothing wrong with the taste of regular yogurt, but the Greek version is so much thicker and creamier. I’m sure I’ll be making a Trader Joe’s run very soon to stock up on my Greek favorites. 

Have to sign off for now. Have a great day everyone!

Exercise Alone Won't Help You Lose Weight

Hello All, 

I just read a fabulous article in TIME magazine how exercise alone might not help people lose weight. Yoga Ball

The article reviews several studies that show exercise alone does not lead to weight loss and may actually lead to weight gain, and here’s why:

TIME, August 2009: 

“The basic problem is that while it’s true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can stimulate hunger. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate the weight-loss benefits we just accrued. Exercise, in other words, isn’t necessarily helping us lose weight. It may even be making it harder.”

This is known as The Compensation Problem. You workout 5-7 days a week and feel that you are either 1) entitled to having that quart of ice cream a night or a few donuts each day or 2) So hungry from your hardcore workout that you eat everything in site. In reality, the calories that you are consuming greatly exceed those that you are burning. This is why cardio fanatics might have a hard time losing weight. 

I won’t get into all of the details of the article, but I will tell you that from experience, this article does have some very interesting points. I for one have seen how too much exercising, followed by too much eating, can backfire on you, either making me gain weight or taking a toll on my overall health.

Runner

A few years ago, when I was training for a marathon, I followed a marathon training program to the letter for probably 3 months. Even though I had already been running for several years, I had never done a marathon. After doing a little research, I kept coming across two main tips for marathon training: 1) follow a marathon training program, and 2) increase your carbohydrate in take. I followed both of these tips. 

Right around the third month of training, I had a few family photos taken at a wedding. When I finally got the pictures developed (back when digital cameras weren’t very popular) I was absolutely shocked at how puffy, bloated, and heavy I looked. How could this be? I was running a ton – so wasn’t I burning a ton of calories too? I realize now that in addition to the massive amounts of carbs I was consuming, I was also so ravenous during my training that I was eating gigantic portions of food. Point Blank – I was taking in way more calories than I was expending, and most of those calories were from carbs.

Pasta: www.flickr.com/photos/22198928@N00/2437917039

After running a 1/2 marathon (as part of the full marathon training program) I decided not to run the full marathon. For me, that was the best decision I could make at the time. I still continued to run, but decreased my milage dramatically and went back to eating a normal diet and a normal amount of carbs. Low and behold, my appetite went back to normal, I was less tired and cranky, AND I lost weight. I had another picture taken (actually my engagement picture) taken a couple months later and was so happy that I looked normal again, no bloat, no puffiness, just a thinner and healthier me.

Although I do still hope to run a marathon some day, for now I’m content with running my 20 miles a week with the occasional 5 or 10K thrown in.

I personally don’t advocate forgoing exercise and relying on calorie intake alone for weight loss or maintenance. Your body needs exercise, especially for cardiovascular health. And, it’s really all about balance. Just like the saying goes, too much of a good thing – whether it’s exercise or food –  can hurt you…or at least not help you.

If you can find a balance between regular exercise and healthy and proportional eating (based on height, weight, calorie expenditure) you should be able to reach your healthy weight and fitness goals without having to resort to excessive measures.

To Stretch or Not To Stretch

Morning everyone! I have to make this post quick because I am really running behind today.

I had a great morning run even though the wind was pushing at me head on! I always seem to push a little harder when it’s windy, maybe it’s because I want to get finished faster.

After my run, I did some stretching and strength exercises (squats, lunges, abs, etc.). I rarely stretch before my run, I just walk for about 5 minutes then get right into my run. But I always stretch after my run, when my muscles have been warmed up quite a bit. Some experts may argue that you should always stretch before exercising, but this method of stretching has been working for me for years so I’ve kept with it. Also, just last year, researchers from the University of Nevada found that static stretching (stretching before exercising) may actually hinder athletic performance.

After my run, I wasn’t very hungry but wanted to eat a little something before I headed off to work.

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I had a perfectly ripe pear. So sweet and juicy, and just the right amount of food for my not-so-hungry tummy. I did not have any protein to speak of this morning, but I did bring some Dr. Kracker flatbreads to munch on in case I need a protein fix before lunch.

Alright, gotta scoot for now. Have a great morning.