Fitness Update March 23rd Eat Plants First

March 23, 2017 by Zucchini Runner in Life, Running | Comments Off

Before we get to the fitness update, I have something SO EXCITING to share with you! Today is the grand opening of my Etsy shop! Wait. What? Your Etsy shop? I know, I know… just bear with me here. I have been working on a way to provide valuable information to people seeking change in their nutrition. The number one concern I was hearing, was “how do I get more plants in my daily life?” So, I created a downloadable and printable quick start guide called, “Eat Plants First”. Go check it out here, I’ll wait. I’m so excited!

Eat Plants First

What do you think?! I made it super colorful, because I’m all about “eating the rainbow”. The more colors we eat, the more variety of beneficial nutrients and antioxidants we get.

If you didn’t head over to the shop to read more about the quick guide, it’s ok, I understand! We are all busy and have many tasks going on all at once, every day. Above is a little preview of the fun logo I created for the quick start guide. My goal was to keep the guide as simple and straightforward as possible. Page one covers why it’s beneficial to switch to plant-based, or simply just add more plants to your daily nutrition. I also talk about some easy changes you can make to your kitchen to help with the transition. Page two is an 8.5 x 11 page you can print and attach to your fridge or pantry door, which will guide you in making the best choice possible for each meal. Page three gives some more details, for those who like to read the fine print. The number one goal? EAT PLANTS FIRST. If you can remember that, you are already taking steps to improve your health.

In the upcoming months I hope to add more items to my Etsy shop, which will be more tools and guides to help you maintain or switch to a plant-based lifestyle. Your support will make it grow, so please share with anyone you know who is interested in plant-based nutrition.

Fitness Update

Below are the workouts I did over the past week:

Friday
Butt & Thigh workout online through Fitness Blender

Saturday
8.5 miles run with some moderate hills

Sunday
Rest Day

Monday
Upper body weights + 3 trail miles

Tuesday
Yoga Stretch + 30 burpees later in the day (Day 1 of 15, thanks for the inspiration Amy!)

Wednesday
5 mile run at an easy pace, listened to Rich Roll Podcast (interview with Conor Dwyer)

Thursday
4 mile run, with 7×800 in the mix.

Here is a quick visual of my training calendar for March so far. It has felt really good to be back on track this week.

training calendar

WEEEEEEEE! I got my new Be Well Fitness log in the mail, so as soon as this week is up, I’m going to start in my new journal.

be well fitness log

Until next week!

Sleep hard.
Get moving.
Trust Your Gut.

Fitness Update March 16th and One Thing You Should Never Do

March 16, 2017 by Zucchini Runner in Fitness, Running | Comments Off

No recipe post last night, and if you are subscribed to my email list or follow me on social media, you know why. It has been kinda crazy the past couple weeks in our household. As a result, this week’s fitness update is a bit lacking in the fitness department, but I will definitely still share my week, because this is real life. I have some nutrition tips for traveling, and a “don’t ever do this” moment to share.

Below are the workouts I did over the past week:

Friday
Moving day for Mr. Zucchini Runner’s mom from Seattle, WA to AZ; so lots of lifting heavy boxes, climbing stairs and walking. I walked 5.6 miles – 3 were probably related to the moving. This is the day the “don’t ever do this” moment occurred, but we’ll get to that soon.

Saturday
Rest Day – on the road with the moving truck loaded down and her car in tow.

Sunday
Rest Day #2 – final day on the road with moving truck and car in tow. I had high hopes of starting each morning in the hotels with a little 30 minute workout, but it took all I had to just get out of bed. Moving is hard. Moving is exhausting.

Monday
Boom. Another rest day! I was EXHAUSTED. Also had our chiropractic visit this day; much needed.

Tuesday
3 mile trail run, felt amazing.

Wednesday
5 mile road run, with the second half at a quicker pace.

Thursday
4 mile road run, nice and easy pace + amazing massage from my LMT, Barb

running 4 miles

If you’ve missed any of the previous Fitness Updates, and are interested in the pattern (or lack thereof) here you go!

March 9th

March 2nd (Mesa-Phoenix Half Marathon Race Recap)

Nutrition Talk

Considering I was on the road for 3 of the above 7 days — I think I did pretty well with my food. As you saw with last week’s post, I was able to find a green juice and salad in the LAX airport. Over the years I’ve learned that when traveling, especially stressful traveling, I need to keep my nutrition on point the best I can. Because no matter what I do, it won’t be as good as what I cook at home – in terms of nutritional value.

fresh produce natural grocers boise idaho

I snapped the whole road trip via Snapchat. 🙂 I was a little relieved to say the least when we found a Natural Grocers in Boise, ID.

If I don’t eat well while traveling, there’s a 50% chance I will get sick. So finding a Natural Grocers in Boise, ID was a little slice of heaven for me.

The grocery haul for the remainder of our trip to AZ.

It’s not all amazing food, but FAR better than what the gas stations had offered us so far.

Below is a snapshot of yesterday and today’s journal entries for my Be Well Fitness log. I kept on track during the trip, once we got on the road. There wasn’t much else to do but eat and stare at the scenery.

be well fitness log

Fun Fact

In the image below, you can see my resting heart rate (blue) and high/active heart rate (red). You can see a direct connection between sitting and doing nothing all day on the road (circled in yellow) and actually getting back home and working out again, last three dots. So even though I was not working out, my resting heart rate was actually higher. Kind of a no brainer that exercise is directly connected to heart health. Just further proof to keep moving. <3

heart rate daily

Lastly, don’t ever do this.

Don’t ever ever ever stand over a tow dolly as someone is driving a vehicle onto it. Even if you think it is secure, and you’ve checked it 10 times. Don’t put yourself in that position – literally. We learned this the hard way on Friday. It was a dumb move on my part, especially given the fear-laden, “what if…” personality I have.

As I was straddled over the beam, I thought, “I shouldn’t be doing this.” No sooner than 30 seconds later, and that beam unhooked from the tow hitch, due to the weight of the car, and swiftly lifted me up in the air – teeter-totter style, and I fell to the ground screaming in pain and fear.

Not a moment I want to relive or have anyone experience… ever.

The good news is, no broken bones. It hit my inner thigh first, so I have a beautiful purple bruise and a nice little complimentary red scrape. It tore a hole in my FAVORITE pants, but I already repaired them. 🙂 {looks down} I’m actually wearing them now! hahahaha So yeah, DON’T EVER DO THIS. Not a great way to start a 1,400 mile road trip that will take you 27 hours.

Until next week!

Sleep hard.
Get moving.
Trust Your Gut.

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Fitness Update March 23rd Eat Plants First