One foot in front of the other...

Yesterday morning, I went with +Jimmy Ho to a middle school around our neighborhood to walk around the track while he ran. It was POURING rain the entire time. Jimmy had to run about 5 miles which took him about 40 minutes. So in that time I walk/jogged (mostly walked) 2 miles. I felt pretty good afterward. I was a little tired, but I didn't feel like I was going to die. I was completely soaked. My shoes are STILL soaked and sitting in the garage. It was so weird being in the rain because I loved and hated it at the same time. It was nice because it was cool, and I didn't feel like I was sweating. At the same time, getting hit in the face with rain totally sucked because it kind of hurt!  Here's a pic of me soaked post-working out.

When we got home we made breakfast. As you can tell from my last post, I'm kind of obsessed with avocados right now. So we made this! We baked a corn tortilla in the oven to make a tostada and topped with with some cheese, tomato, egg, and avocado. It was SO good! That recipe came from Pinterest, and I've been pinning a TON more so watch out. Here is a pic of our breakfast from yesterday!

After breakfast we just kind of hung out for a while around the house. Then we ran to the outlet mall in San Marcos and then to see the new Star Trek movie, which was actually pretty good! After that we spend a quiet night at home, which was nice since Jimmy was out of town last weekend.

I told Jimmy I kind of wanted to to go walk around Town Lake this weekend, and we decided we would go Sunday, AFTER walking 2 miles on Saturday. I don't think I have ever, EVER walked 2 miles one day and then walked the next day as well. Town Lake is really pretty. It is close to downtown Austin, and there is 10 mile loop trail that goes around parts of it. There are smaller loops along the way that go from 1.5 miles all the way up to the 10 mile loop. Since I did pretty well with 2 yesterday, we decided 2 would be good today too. Obviously I am still alive, but today was tough. We did not wake up until 10:00 a.m. (which was awesome), but in Austin, that means it is already hot! And since we got so much rain the past 2 days, it was also really humid, especially down on the trail by the water. So we get out to the trail around 11. At first it was cloudy and breezy. It felt pretty nice! That didn't last long though. The sun came out, and it became harder for me to breathe as the humidity was rising. Walking in the trail was a little stressful for me because it is really popular, and Austin is a really active city so tons of people are always there. I am super self-conscious so that doesn't help! In my entire time of living in Austin, I have never walked a loop around town lake! I have gone there and walked a little bit to an area where Bentley could play, but never gone there for a workout. It is very different from walking in my neighborhood or on a track. There are places that incline, places you have to go up and down stairs, and you have to watch out for other walkers/runners/bikers/and dogs. With all of that going on, it made it hard for me to focus on you know.. breathing.. trying to walk... things that come naturally to everyone else it seems! With the heat, humidity, the trail, and doing 2 miles 2 days in a row, when it got toward the end, I honestly thought I would not make it. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Sounds easy, but it isn't, and that is what I had to keep telling myself. I kept taking steps, and eventually, I made it around to the loop and back to the car 2.33 miles later!!! It is kind of sad because I remember back in 2008 or 2009 when I was probably my heaviest, sometimes we would take Bentley to Auditorium Shores at Town Lake to play. We would probably walk about 1/2 mile from our car to the place he played, and I would be exhausted. EXHAUSTED! I walked almost 2 miles farther than that today, and I'm okay. It is so easy to not realize what kind of shape you are in until you try to change. The good thing is, it isn't too late.

I have not sweat that much in so long. I think I swelled up, and I looked like a tomato. It was not cute, but I took a pic anyway because I was really proud of myself.

 After the walk, we ran by my office to drop some things off, went to lunch, went to Randall's (grocery store), Costco, and another store. We ran around until 5:00 p.m. after walking 2.33 miles today and 2 miles the day before. There is no way in the world I could have done that a few months ago, and that makes me happy.

I have to say that I'm really thankful for Jimmy. He is able to run marathons, and he makes it look easy. I'm very lucky because he is so supportive of me, and he will go out and walk 2 miles with me even though in the same time he could run 5, and he doesn't complain. It means a lot to have some support you. If you can think of anyone you could support in making a life change, do it! I can't tell you how much it means to me when I get comments, emails, and texts from you guys that support and encourage me.

Well, time for some much needed rest. Hope you all have a fun and relaxing Memorial Day tomorrow.   

Food!

So I thought I would post a blog about the types of things I eat on a a decent day. This day that I'm posting did not have enough fruits or veggies, but there weren't any "bad" foods either.

So on Monday, I woke up super early, around 4:45 a.m. I had breakfast around 5:30. I ate cottage cheese with some apples and cinnamon. I saw it on a guy's Instagram and knew I had to try it. I'm a huge fan of cottage cheese, so I loved it. Cottage cheese is a great source of protein!

Because I ate my breakfast so early, I was starving around 9 and had some multi-grain waffles. I didn't take a pic because they aren't that exciting.

I've been kind of obsessed with avocados lately and started looking up things I could do with them. I found an interesting recipe that calls for avocado instead of mayo in making egg salad. I thought.. why not? 

If someone asked you how to boil an egg, what would you say? I mean sure, you boil water with eggs... but how long do you boil it? When do you know if it is ready? Do you REALLY know how to boil an egg? Enough to explain it to someone else? I found out an easy way to make a perfect boiled egg every time. So.. you put water in the pan. I always add a little oil because I've heard it helps the shell come off easier. I put the eggs in and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, remove the pan from heat, and let it sit there for 15 minutes. Then you have a perfectly boiled, delicious egg!

So I boiled my egg, chopped up some tomato, green onion, and mixed them all together with salt, pepper, and paprika. I was creamy and delicious.

Before, even though I loved avocados, I was hesitant to buy or cut into them because I felt like I had to eat the entire thing so it would not go bad. I mean... eating an entire avocado is pretty easy to do, but even foods that are good for you should be limited, right? It seems like as soon as you cut into them, they start to brown. Well I read somewhere that if you cut an avocado in half, if you leave the pit in, it won't brown as rapidly. I decided to put it to the test! I cut an avocado, and put the rest with the pit still in, in a zip-lock bag overnight. To my surprise, there was very little brown! I tested it again and left half of an avocado in the fridge for 24 hours, and again, there was not that much brown! I was so excited!!! I will definitely start eating avocado more frequently now that I know how to keep them fresh.

After 12 hours

After 24 hours

Since Monday was Meatless Monday, for dinner I had a veggie burger with a piece of jalapeno jack cheese, avocado, and some jalapenos. For a meatless, at-home, burger, it was SO good, and I'll be making that again. The avocado gives you enough fat and creaminess that you could do without the cheese and not really miss it. You should try this out!

This week was an off week from Camp Gladiator, but it all starts back up next week. Last week in Camp Gladiator was SO hard! The last week of each month is always tough, but that last week, there was so much running. So many of my friends are runners, and I just don't understand how they do it. The hardest thing for me is trying to control my breathing. I CAN'T BREATHE! I feel like I'm breathing so fast, but I'm not getting any air. Any advice?

Just thought I would share the tidbits about the eggs and avocados I learned this week. If you have any avocado recipes or running tips, feel free to share. Hope you all have a nice Memorial Day Weekend! 

Oh, hi. Remember me?

Hey you guys! It has been FOREVER since my last blog, I know. There are a lot of reasons why, but the main one is I have not been working as hard as I need to be! It is not called a weight loss straight shot; it is a weight loss journey. I veered off the path a bit, but I'm back on track.

It all started with my trip to Lubbock a couple of weeks ago. I had SO much fun. I got to see my cousin get married, hang out with my aunt and uncle that I consider to be a second set of parents, see my sweet Granny, got to spend time with my best friend, and I got to meet her new twins!! It was an amazing weekend, and I was sad to see it end (kind of). I learned that it is HARD (for me for sure) to eat well/healthy in Lubbock unless you cook all of your meals at home. Yeah, you can get a salad when you go out, but it has iceberg lettuce. No thank you. I'm sure I could have made healthy choices, but all of my favorite restaurants (read: Taco Villa and Rosas) don't have super healthy options, or at least the things I order are not healthy, ha! I had an off weekend when it came to food, but my visit was wonderful. I love and miss my friends and family in Lubbock, but I'm thankful to live in Austin. It is just easier to be healthy here. I don't know if it is all of the food options we have, or that so many people here try to be healthy. I'm not sure, but it is good for me. Time for pics!

Aren't they all beautiful?! So happy for my cousin, Bryce, and his new wife Jana. I just love them.

Here are some pics of my best friend, Ginger's, kids. We got to see Hunter play baseball while hanging out with Miss Harper. And finally, there are the new sweet little twins, Hudson, and then Hagan! I got to hold and feed them. It was so special. Love Ginger and her family.

Hudson

Hagan

The day we got back into town, Jimmy's sister, Julie, and her husband, Ben, were in town from New York City and asked us to come over to Ben's parent's house for dinner. It seems like every time Julie comes in town she has us over and cooks for us. She is an AMAZING cook, and I'm always blown away watching the things she makes. The food is always delicious. Through her I've tried quinoa, lamb, and couscous, and I've really like all 3. Julie calls our dogs the kids, and we refer to Ben and Julie as their Aunt and Uncle. Since none of us have any children, I think that is totally acceptable. Here a pic of our brother and sister-in-law. Love them!!

After that things just seemed to be so busy. We went to Chris' going away party, we had a farewell dinner with him and his friends, and then he stayed with us the night before he left to head to Peru on his first stop of his year long trip around the world. I'm really excited and happy for him since he made a lifelong dream come true, but after dropping him off at the airport, I was pretty bummed for the rest of the day. Miss him already. Stay safe, friend!

So the day Chris left also happened to be my 31st birthday! I'm OLD!!!!! Jimmy and I went and got cupcakes and had coffee on South Congress to hang out and people watch. Then we went to happy hour with a close group of friends pictured below. [Not pictured is +Jimmy Ho  because he took the picture, Rob because Jimmy is not a great panoramic photographer, and Brad, Nicole, and Raye since they had already left.]

I had a wonderful birthday. Thanks to all my sweet friends who came to celebrate. And no, I had not had too much to drink in the picture directly above. HA. I didn't drive!

Jimmy and I have resumed our cooking at home! The last week or so we have embraced Asian foods! We made spring rolls and vermicelli bowls. Jimmy did most of the work on these. I just helped put things together. They were surprisingly pretty easy to make, and very good. We'll probably be making these things more frequently. They were fresh and healthy other than the noodles.. but moderation is key. Check it out.

This past Sunday, I got back out there and walked a mile and a half. It was HARD. It insane how long it takes to get strong, but how quickly you can lose it. I was pretty afterward, but I was glad I did it. One step in front of the other, and one small step at a time is the way I'll get through this. Sunday was such a beautiful day I decided to use the +Vitamix to make some real fruit margaritas! The Vitamix blended it so well! I was really impressed at the consistency. The orange I used was a little large, so the color looks a little orange. Next time I think I'll use half an orange and another lime.

Random, but in one of my hanging plants, a bird built a nest. In the pic below you can see some of the fuzz used. That fuzz is from Bentley and Lily's toys they have destroyed in the backyard. I left it alone, and there are now 4 (I think) little baby birds in the nest! I took a secret pic.

Tonight I went back to Camp Gladiator! The last time I was there (which was a little over a week ago), I hurt myself!! I was doing bicycles, and I hurt what my trainer called a hip flexer. It is where your hip and leg meet. It hurt SO bad I could barely get into my car because I could not bend my leg at the hip. I know this is crazy, but I kind of felt cool for having an injury from working out rather than just falling down like I usually do. Whud up.

Tonight Camp Gladiator KICKED MY BUTT. We had to run so much! I have made a friend at Camp Gladiator, Jen, and she really pushes me. I don't run full laps when we have to run because the trainer told me run a shorter distance due to being slow and it being hard on me (he didn't say that, but that's why). But today, Jen made me run the full distance each time we had to run. It SUUUUUCKED. But, when I got home I felt like I had nothing left to give, and that felt awesome. Jen also invited me to go to Zumba with her so I may start doing that.

I'm feeling motivated again because of some pics I looked at today. People on Instagram always put up transformation photos. I get a lot of inspiration from pictures I see on there. I decided to compare pictures of myself. I took a picture from last April, around 4/20/12 when Jimmy and I saw The Black Keys (amazing!!) and this year around 4/12/13. Below, the picture on the left is last year, and the picture on the right is this year. CHECK ME OUT! I know I still have a long way to go, but seeing these small changes is going to keep me going.

So that's my story for the last few weeks. I'm back!!! Heart all of your faces.