4 OF 100

Happy Thursday! I have decided to start blogging in two parts...so I'm going to post meal 1-3 from today and meals 4-5 from last night...it makes it easier, because when I get home, I'm sometimes not in the mood for what I posted...so here goes!

MELTDOWN YESTERDAY AROUND 2...SO I HAD 10 M&MS, A DIET COKE AND 2 TYLENOL...
MEAL 4- 4 OZ GROUND TURKEY, LETTUCE, SALSA, 2 PIECES BREAD W/ 1 T PB
MEAL 5- 1 TBS PB, TORTILLA, BANANA- FAV SNACK!

WORKOUT: BOSU CLASS 45 MIN, SWIM 50 MIN, LIFTING TONIGHT ALL OVER
MEAL 1- OATS AND EGGS
MEAL 2- RICE/CORN/PEA MIXTURE W/ 1/2 C GREEN BEANS, 5 OZ CHICKEN BREAST, APPLE, CHZ STICK
MEAL 3- DANNON YOGURT, 3/4 SCOOP PROTEIN POWDER, 1/2 BANANA, 10 G WALNUTS, ORANGE

Todays water intake so far is 66 oz...going for more, it's THIRSTY THURSDAY!

I feel soooo much better today. No headache and full of energy! I'm so happy...no more sugar saturated treats! That is
what gets me down!

SUBMITTED BY JEN

DAY 3 OF 100

Good morning! Well, almost afternoon in my world!

Well, yesterday afternoon around 2 I started getting this terrible nagging headache...and still have it, so after lifting with my friends, I came home and wanted comfort food. So I had breakfast for dinner...same thing as meal 1 yesterday, but meal 4 too! It hit the spot...oatmeal can really do that for me...

Here is my plan so far for today (I kind of spaced out my nut binge)
WORKOUT: 1.5 HOUR SPINNING, 10 MIN RUN- GREAT BRICK!
MEAL 1- OATS AND EGGS + 10 ALMONDS
MEAL 2- FINISHING OFF THE RICE/CORN MIX, 4 OZ CHICKEN BREAST, 1/2 C GREEN BEANS, APPLE, 12 PEANUTS
MEAL 3- (PLAN) 1/2 C RAISINS, RED PEPPER/CARROTS, 2 TB HUMMUS, ORANGE, YOGURT
MEAL 4- (PLAN) SWEET POTATO, 4 OZ GROUND TURKEY, LETTUCE, ONION, SALSA
MEAL 5- (PLAN) YOGURT PROTEIN SHAKE- I USE THE EAS VANILLA PROTIEN
WATER- SO FAR 66 OZ, I WILL PROBABLY HAVE ANOTHER 20 OZ AT LEAST TODAY

As I said at the top, I have a headache, not sure if that is from detoxing or what...thinking that is is...hopefully it will be gone tomorrow :)

Happy Wednesday!!!

SUBMITTED BY JEN

DAY 2 OF 100

Good morning blog world! Today has been a wonderful day! This morning I slept in for 10 more minutes, but really did feel great.

WORKOUT: TOTAL RUN 30 MIN/BOOT CAMP CLASS-45 MIN-TONIGHT ALL OVER LIFTING 45 MIN

MEAL 1- OATS AND EGGS (SEE FIRST DAY, THIS NEVER CHANGES)

MEAL 2- 1/4 C RICE/1/4 C CORN/4 OZ CHICKEN BREAST/1/2 C GREEN BEANS/APPLE

MEAL 3- 1 CHZ STICK/DANNON LITE YOGURT/ORANGE/TORTILLA BAKED INTO CHIPS/2 T HUMMUS/CARROTS/PEPPER

MEAL 4- (PLAN) 5 OZ CHICKEN/SWEET POTATO/1/2 C COTTAGE CHEESE

MEAL 5- MAYBE OATMEAL (I'M WANTING SOME WARMTH, IT'S COLD TODAY)

WATER INTAKE: SO FAR SO GOOD 50 OZ PLANNING ON 80!

Last night I stayed on track with my eating and like I said, feel great today! I'm excited to be on day 2 and am looking forward to the rest of the days :)

SUBMITTED BY JEN

100 DAYS OF ACTION

So today starts the day of my clean eating, kicking butt and balancing for the year. My workouts are ramping up for the tri season and I am addicted to the clean eating for fuel. Over the next 100 days I will be blogging about what I do, what I eat and how I feel.

The workouts will be intense and the eating will be super duper clean. I may have some bumps along the way, but I will post them and be completely honest.

I hope you enjoy my journey as much as I will!

day 1 workout: rest and recharge day

day 1 eating: 80 oz water

meal 1: 5 eggs whites w/ salsa--1/2 c oats, 1/2 c pumpkin, 1/2 c skim milk, 2 T splenda

meal 2: 1/4 c brown rice, 4 oz chicken breast, 1/2 c green beans, 1/4 c corn, apple

meal 3: 2 oranges, 2 skim mozz cheese stix, ww wrap, carrots/peppers, 2 T hummus

meal 4: 5 oz chicken breast, small sweet potato, 1/2 c green beans, 1/4 c black beans

meal 5: 1 cup 1% cottage cheese

day 1 feelings: feel great, recharged, ready to go!

SUBMITTED BY JEN

No, I am not a Bear...

and need to stop acting like one. I have been a bear to the kids and myself. Growly at them, but acting like I need to forage food for the long winter with myself. I cannot stop eating and it is the comfort stuff I am reaching out for.

I have not managed stress well lately and I blame a lot of factors. It is snowing again in Iowa. Evidently we are on our way to setting some global record. It is also birthday month at our house with Lucy and Megan having friend parties, family parties, school treats...Every year when February is over, I breathe a sigh of relief and vow "never again." They do need full blown blowouts.

Then 350 days later, I suffer from amnesia and want to give them memorable childhood birthdays. So as I plan their festivities (and I really enjoy doing that), I nosh on graham crackers and frosting and sugary cereal. Evidently I need to feel like a kid again.

I am recognizing the imbalance this month has been. Hibernation is over and I am getting back out there!
Sara

Balance In Nutrition

Sorry, we've been a little busy lately and behind on submissions.

Ran across this post on the Run To The Finish blog that discusses "nutrition balance" -

http://tinyurl.com/ya6l645.

There are all types of opinions available about balancing your food intake, but some of the information here makes sense.

It can be difficult to be disciplined about our food intake. It's especially difficult when many of us are penned up inside and unable to do some of our more vigorous fitness activities outdoors with snow and ice on the ground. But making that extra effort to monitor your eating, coupled with regular exercise will help. It's helped me lose 10 pounds since the first of the year!

Submitted by Joe Hrdlicka

BACK ON THE BOSU

So, I wanted to get back to you about my weekend goals and accomplishments. I definitely got everything done that I wanted to, but I was still in a funk, then came Monday!!! And I got back on the bosu!

Ever since I took a well needed nap yesterday and went to Hot Yoga (great workout, check it out) I have become the old me again! I no longer am only wanting donuts and cookies, but now wanting the good food that nourishes my body! I have started taking my womens 1 a Day vitamins again and today, the sun is out! I'm sporting a smile I haven't seen in a while :)

My foot has been bothering me lately, so I have been off of it for about 4 weeks. I'm sure this was creating a damper for me as well. I ran this weekend and this morning, and all feels right with the world. My endorphin levels are kicking in again...thank goodness!

I guess I have learned that if you are tired of the weather where you are and in a funk, let yourself go through the motions. Know that it WILL get better and that you need to go with the flow. If you have supportive friends, lean on them and the time will pass! I know I did and they are the best friends a girl could ever have!!!

OFF BALANCE

Well, it's true, I'm a little off balance this week. In my mission to keep the balance, I have fallen off the bosu (google that if you are confused). So today I am posting my goals for the weekend to get back on top and BALANCE.

I live in Iowa and right now, we have had snow on the ground since October. To some of you that may seem fun, but for me, it is making me SAD! I'm tired, unmotivated and hungry all the time for carbs and sweets. But I'm taking control and working through the issues this weekend.

Here are my list of suggestions for those of you in the same unbalanced boat:

1. spend time with family- I'm going out to eat with my mom tonight and visiting my mother in law on Sunday to give her some valentines day treats!

2. spend time with friends-this weekend I have filled about 6 hours of working out/socializing with friends.

3. get outside- one of my dates with a friend is going for a walk on one of our out of the city trails or if I can talk her into it, SLEDDING.

4. do something nice for myself- I am going to hot yoga tomorrow and I have a massage scheduled afterwards :)

4. cereal sunday! I'm buying a box of D fortified cereal (because we are missing the sun) and reliving my childhood.

I will let you know how all of this works out on Monday! I'm hoping I can have a little fun this weekend and let my light shine again!!!!!

submitted by Jen

Little Stress Busters

In my quest to find "balance", I often find myself stressing out over the silliest things.

Is it really worth it to get overly upset over spilled milk, something one of your children did to anger you or that ever-popular favorite - heavy traffic? The answer is "no", but sometimes some strategies to help put this into perspective are helpful.

Pause - Sometimes just stopping and taking a "mini-break" pause is a great way to quickly get things put back into perspective and alleviate stress.

Deep Breaths - I'm a big believer in the "deep breaths, deep breaths" mantra. Chances are that pause for a deep breath will keep you from reacting to a situation in a way you may regret later.

Laugh - Sometimes situations are just funny. Take that mandatory pause and it may just enable you to see some humor in the situation. Laughter is one of nature's great stress relievers.

For longer term stress relief - great workouts really help. Yoga, a nice run outdoors or a swim are great ways for me to "take the edge away"!

Submitted by Joe Hrdlicka

GETTING BACK ON TRACK

Yes, I'm a good nutritious eater. I try to eat healthy meals and find time for yummy snacks...however, the yummy snacks have become more than the healthy meals. As of Jan 31st, I'm back on track. I have devised a plan that will work by having the best of both worlds.

I have created "fun" days for each day of the week...

MEAT FREE MONDAY - try it, you might like it...if you like eggs and edamame :)

TALL GRASS TUESDAY- eat at least 5 servings of veggies

WACKY WEDNESDAY- a treat of 400 cal or less (today it was a luna bar and a kind bar, both completely natural)

THIRSTY THURSDAY- drink at least 90 oz of clean water (make sure your close to the bathroom)

FRUIT FILLED FRIDAY- eat at least 3-5 servings of fruit

SASSY SATURDAY- another 400 cal treat day (thinking a big oatmeal raisin cookie from Gateway Market)

SLOWDOWN SUNDAY- take 30 minutes to eat your meals

This is such a fun way to have daily goals. In addition to my clean eating, this works well with my food balance. Not only do I have "treat" days, but I also have healthy eating days.

Feel free to incorporate 1 or more of these into your weekly habits...it gets the creative juices flowing!

Balancing the Beam of Life

Balance. That word can bring to mind a gauntlet of definitions and interpretations. While my fellow bloggy cohorts, Jen and Joe, have done well with finding a balance with healthful foods, I am going to strike out on a different tangent.

Balance is something I am continually trying to find. As many of you can relate, it is a challenge with a house, husband, kids, work and trying to manage it all. I love my family having varied interests, but sometimes I feel like we are going too many different directions with practices, playdates, lessons, clubs, work, school---and that is not even mentioning the weekly drudge of errands and chores.

Don’t get me wrong. We love being busy. I love the opportunities that my children have to get to try so many different things. They are lucky to be able to do that and I am appreciative.

Our family solution is that when the kids are involved in something, my husband and I are involved too. I don’t just mean showing up on time to pick them up from piano lessons or bringing cupcakes after a basketball game. We are truly involved. It could be coaching, volunteering in their classrooms, or learning how to play the piano with them. It doesn’t need to be a lengthy commitment, but at least we are spending time with our kids and maximizing our time. Plus kids have all the fun, why not have it with them?!

--Sara