Hello you beautiful people out there :)
Mhmm, what a good weekend this one was! Time for runs, time for sleep, lots of quality skype time with my drop-dead gorgeous boyfriend, good food, family time! Life is delicious today :D
I am quite pleased with my slow, but steady progress. On Friday I ran 7k even though I was really in absolute NO mood to run (in German we have the term 'Innerer Schweinehund' which means 'one's weaker self' or literally 'the inner swinedog', haha) So I overcame that beast and went for one anyway - it was awesome!
I just thought I'd do a little 'jog around the block', but instead I decided to run a different path, without really having an idea where I'd end up (yes, believe it or not, but even after having lived 6 years in that town I don't know all corners), and I ended up doing a pretty awesome run - as I said: 7k - and it was more up- and downhill than I initially planned, forest-trails included. I even ran through the dark forest, maybe not that rational, but this additional thrill made me more focussed and eager to do this. I am becoming addicted to hills now...I love how much my body struggles, how my legs tighten and I just know that I have to own that hill - my boyfriend's terrific roommate keeps repeating the mantra "I eat hills for breakfast" and I totally love it by now :) So I am sometimes eating them for breakfast, sometimes for lunch, but mostly for dinner...and guess what?! They contain absolutely no calories...awesome! :D
And once I was home I was quite pleased how quickly a 'Not-in-this-mood'-mind turned into a 'Bring-it-on'-mind :) I am on a good track, I guess. So yeah...I was also quite sore from Thursdays workout...my bum, my thighs, my abs...daaaamn...I met up with a really good friend on Friday night and we laughed way more than my poor abs could take, I kindly asked him to make me stop laughing, but oh boy...didn't work ;) Sometimes it's good to be reminded that deep down there you've got some abs...they are just covered, haha...trust me, one day I'll see them! BOOM! :D
So yip, on Saturday I was half-dead...my legs, my abs, my bum...waaaah...whenever I sat down I must haved looked like an old lady...sloooowly, ever so sloooowly, hahaha - it didn't help much that I had to work the whole of Saturday. When I got back home I napped and watched a movie, after having had a lovely dinner. Lately I turn into a 'tv-cook' at any given chance - I get my ingredients out, turn up the music and then stand in my little kitchen-experimenting with what I've got, only rules: It must taste well, it must look good and it has to be healthy (e.g. lots of proteins, vitamins and fibre) - I am getting there ;)
Apart from that I didn't do much on Saturday, except taking some additional magnesium as well as devouring ginger (anti-inflammatory compounds and volatile oils help reducing the soreness) - I love my ginger, I am an addict! I must sheepishly add that I had lots of sushi with it *hihi* Yes, sorry...sushi is amazing! And trust me - as long as you pay attention to lots of raw fish like salmon it's not that bad...the only 'baddy' here is the white rice, but oh well...there could be worse than that.
I could have eaten a pizza...but interestingly I must mention: The more attention you pay to your food, your exercise etc. the less you want that food. I had 2 pieces of chocolate today (seriously...you would laugh, if you knew that there used to be times when I ate a WHOLE bar of chocolate within minutes...) but instead I just took 2 pieces, enjoyed them and left it at that. Maybe not such an extreme achievement, but I was surprised nontheless :)
Once I got home to my brothers (where I am staying) I went for a nice, relaxed 5k-jog - nothing too extreme, but very rewarding.
It rained the whole day, but fortunately no thunderstorm (not running in a thunderstorm again, scary stuff, haha) - so I put on my running gear and took off, my favourite music in my ears and a happy attitude (wow...when did THAT happen?!) I even smiled throughout the run...seriously...people might get creeped out ;)
I love the rain splashing in my face, washing away the sweat and cooling you down - I ran by the river, through the countryside and some fields that farmers prepared for harvest later this year...it was wonderful! The air was fresh and clean, the rain so gentle and the temperature was just right, not too cold, but not too warm to make it humid outside. I love these kind of runs. I am a bit worried about my runs in summer when it's above 20 degrees...might make it hard for me *uargh*
And once I got home I made myself some delicious food - a lovely salad with whole-grain pasta, eggs, radish, rocket salad, almonds, balsamico and olive oil and fish - SO good! And I am still full, although it's been 2 hours ago :) A glass of apple juice mixed halfway with water and the juice of one lemon and you're good to go - no chance for colds this spring!
Here are some of my food experiments in the past:
1) Ciabatta bread with avocado, kiwis and black pepper - yes you may laugh, it sounds disgusting...but this combination is terrific! Good fats, lots of vitamin C and we all know that black pepper is a goody ;) I added the bananas for a little dessert :) Good one! Easy and filling :)
2) Boiled potatoes (with skin of course, best nutrition is in the skin, don't peel it because you'll lose the best part of it!) Chicken breast with spring onions, onions, lemon juice, garlic and courgette - delicious! Really enjoyed this one - you may add some salt to the potatoes when boiling, especially after a workout it gives you some lost minerals back.
3) Tonight's salad, as I already described! Whole-grain pasta, eggs, radish, rocket salad, almonds, balsamico and olive oil and fish - I am quite pleased that half of it is still left, so I can have it again *yipieh* :) Good lunch-option for tomorrow!
4) Glass noodles, broccoli, shrimp, pickled corn, garlic, onions, fish, lemon juice and lemon grass - This was absolutely fantastic! Will do this again sometime soon, mhmmm!
5) Lovely salad with kiwi and strawberries...and as all my salads: Sprinkled with lemon juice! Om nom nom :)6) Broccoli and brown rice with 2 nice pieces of wild salmon *mhmm* I can't remember exactly how I prepared the rice and broccoli, I am sure I added lots of garlic and onions as well (like I always do, I LOVE garlic!)
7) Shrimps, rocket salad, courgette and lots of other goodies - this one has been a while ago so I can't remember much of it, but yeah, I guess you've got the pics to check it out yourself ;)
So as you can see: Lots of yummi-ness, vitamin-ness and healthy-ness :) Maybe it inspired you to cook some good stuff as well!
So tomorrow I'll have a break again... although I might do another yoga-session - as much as strength and stamina are important to me, but you shouldn't neglect your flexibility... it's so useful, plus you just feel better within as well. On You Tube you can find a lot of useful videos - some gurus and some kind people put their stuff online and explain step by step what to do. Of course it doesn't replace a proper yoga- class and it's not the same feeling - but it's for free and it's a start.
So tomorrow I'll have a break again... although I might do another yoga-session - as much as strength and stamina are important to me, but you shouldn't neglect your flexibility... it's so useful, plus you just feel better within as well. On You Tube you can find a lot of useful videos - some gurus and some kind people put their stuff online and explain step by step what to do. Of course it doesn't replace a proper yoga- class and it's not the same feeling - but it's for free and it's a start.
My first yoga-class I did back in the States, in the community centre in Redlands and I loved it. The best part: One guy was so relaxed he even farted. Yeah, you can laugh ;) But honestly...THAT's how relieving it was, haha. You can relax, strengthen your muscles as well (depending on the kind of yoga you're doing) and you can stretch...streeeetch, mhmm, stretching is awesome, I love it! I never understand how people don't warm up and stretch a bit before they work out, as well as stretching after a workout, it's so important...but it's also AMAZING...your muscles go like "Uhhhh yeaaaah, that's gooood" ;) Love it! - So yeah - I would love to be able to wrap my entire hands around my feet, lean over with stretched legs and kiss the floor...these kind of things...a long way to go, but I just know how good it is for your body.
As I read in a nice article today "Yoga is the quieting of your mind" - and everybody who knows me, knows that my mind is a complete chaos. I would say I have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder...yeah, I get freaked out when things are not exactly in its order, even to an amount that I can't start any other project until I sorted out that 'mess' etc.) and I once explained my boyfriend that it's just the balance to my inner chaos. A control freak from the outside, but a chaotic lunatic on the inside...happens to the best of us ;) So yes, listening to meditation music, finding my inner self and quieting all these billions and billions of thoughts give me so much pleasure. It's wonderful! 
I hope you all had a lovely weekend as well - I am not sure who is following this blog (if any at all), but it's accessible to people all over the world. So in that case there must be a diversity of things, different time zones, different climates and weather conditions, different backgrounds and cultures...but we all have this one thing in common: We all have only one body to take care of, one spirit to guide us and one enemy to challenge (our own self!) - so it feels good that we are all connected in this kind of way - if you're working towards a better health right now, just be aware that you are not alone with this - it's inspiring to know that we all have the same potential to achieve something once we set our mind to it - so go and grab that opportunity! We all live in the now :)
With that I'll finish today's post and hope you will all have a fabulous start into the next week! Sending you some calm and balanced thoughts,
your Janners!
No comments:
Post a Comment