Thursday, June 28, 2012

Bad Habits Kicked


Today I came to the fabulous realization that I have finally gotten over some of my bad habits.  Maybe this whole change to a healthy lifestyle is finally starting to click.  What an exciting thought.

First off, I woke up and had a delicious breakfast.  I normally don't think much of this, but after talking to some fellow bloggers about the importance of breakfast I realized this is one area I pretty much rock at.  First of all, I LOVE food, so I never miss a meal.  However, when I used to go through my crash dieting phases I'd skip breakfast to try and cut pounds.  I love being able to say that I am not now, nor will I ever be again, on a diet.  I am eating healthy because I am hoping that it turns into a way of life, and I start it off every morning with a great breakfast.  I used to eat the same thing every morning - slice of turkey and a slice of 2% cheese on a piece of toast, but I have been branching out lately.  I discovered Greek yogurt (Hello, where have you been all my life?) and how fabulous it is with a handful of berries thrown in and have also been trying other wonderful ideas to get my day going in the right direction. 
Made breakfast for dinner Sunday night so I'd have enough leftover egg cups for this week.
Take a 6 pack of eggs.  Wisk together with a crud ton (Great measurement right?) of veggies.  I used onions, green peppers, and tomatoes (which I know aren't technically a vegetable, but really...) to give them some great flavor.
Spray muffin pan, pour egg mixture in, cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
These reheat great.  I have them in the morning on top of a piece of toast with a splash of Frank's or Texas Pete.  Delicious and easy breakfast.
Also, I have learned to listen to my body more.  Yesterday I woke up feeling horrible (sore throat, headache, swollen lymph nodes) so I went for a very slow easy run and headed to bed in time to get a full eight hours of sleep.  It is amazing what this can do for the body.  I woke up today feeling much better.  I had a 5-6 mile bridge run scheduled with T, but I have learned my lesson about resting.  As much as I wanted to go run with her and even felt like I probably could, I canceled.  Instead I went for a super slow run around my neighborhood and will be in bed in time to get nine full hours of sleep tonight.  My marathon training has helped me to see that running isn't just about one day it's about the big picture so it is better to cut a run short and give yourself time to heal and get healthy than to push yourself too much and regret it later.  Okay, in all honesty, I probably learned that lesson the hard way.  Last winter when I was training for my first marathon I started to feel really crummy, but didn't want to miss a single day of marathon training so I kept plowing through.  The result?  I ended up with a case of bronchitis that lasted for almost two months.  It made it through two rounds of Z-packs, more steroids than the Jersey Shore, and an inhaler that gave me 5th and 6th grade flashbacks (Supposedly I had sports induced asthma, which I am sure some people do, but who are we kidding I was just a chubby out of shape kid, call it like it is doc.) before I finally kicked that bronchitis jerk and two entire months of running suffered because of my stubborn stupidity.  If I had just listened to my body and taken a day or two off in the first place that probably all could have been avoided.  Lesson learned.

What lesson or lessons have you learned along the way?  Any bad habits you've kicked? 
I'd love to hear it.   

Runner's World Summer Run Streak -  
Day 32 = 2.5 miles (nice and slow)
Total Miles Run = 125

LosingA Marathon Weight Loss Challenge Update -

Pretty sure this is the only time I've ever eaten under 1,500 calories.  My goal is always to eat between 1,500-1,600 because that is where I seem to function & feel the best.  However, I am about to go to bed and have only consumed 1,231.  Maybe I am slowly learning to make better food choices and by giving my body healthier, more nutritious foods I am able to feel full off of less.  This is quite an exciting revelation.  Maybe this will be my next lesson learned.  (Fingers crossed.) 

4 comments:

  1. I'm sure so many people can relate to this post! I'm also a HUGE breakfast fan - it's one I refuse to skip.

    I imagine it was really hard to take that rest. Thanks for owning up to an extra day off running - this is one I'll come back to when I'm feeling crappy.

    My bad habit is still eating chocolate in the morning...I don't know if I want to kick it :-D

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    1. Dark chocolate is one of my biggest weaknesses. I could eat in any time of day. Yum.

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  2. I used to skip breakfast just because I loved sleeping in :( But now I make sure I wake up on time to get something in me before I start the day!
    I <3 greek yogurt!

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    1. I am just discovering Greek yogurt. It is so tasty and really helps keep me full. As usual I am the last one on the boat.

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