Changing Up the Routine

So, over the past few months, I have felt like my body has stopped responding the way it has in the past to my daily 6-mile runs and mostly healthy eating {with the exception of that killer sweet tooth}.  I think it's time to trick my body, whether it's by doing more intervals at the gym {which will not only fool my metabolism but will also make me a better runner}, lifting more weights {the worst, but a necessary evil}, and trying desperately to cut down on my sugar intake.

I have been gradually adding intervals in to my workout over the past month or so, and let me tell you, those workouts are exhausting! I did a 6-mile interval run this morning where I kicked up the pace every mile for 1/4-mile, and it felt REALLY good.  Next, I know I need to start adding in more cross-training, both to avoid all of my pesky running injuries and, again, trick my body, while also adding strength.  I have been pinning easy at-home workouts on Pinterest, so now it's about consolidating all of them.  I'm thinking that, on my off-days from running {maybe 2x/week?}, I would like to do some combination of: rowing {well, using the erg in our gym}, sprints outside, spin bike, and lifting with light free weights.  Hopefully, this change in routine will be something that my body responds to.

On the food side, I have decided {so now you all have to hold me to this} to give up sweets after Valentine's Day and until the end of Lent, so we're talking slightly more than two months without the hard stuff.  I think this will be a necessary way to cleanse my body, especially as I'm heading into a race season.  Another goal of mine has been to take my time when I eat.  I know that I will get full faster if I take my time and chew my food, perhaps pausing for a few more sips of water throughout the meal.  It isn't a race to see who can finish!  Lastly, I noticed a few weeks ago that my fridge was depressingly devoid of fruits and veggies for snacking {which only makes me reach for baked goods more when I want a snack}.  I have been stocking up on those things so that, when I am snacking during the day, it's at least healthy snacking.

I was also just reading a great Cup of Jo post where she linked a Michael Pollan video.  He is essentially arguing that you can eat the things you like, as long as they're homemade, rather than made by a corporation.  I would love to hear what all of you think about that statement, because I'm on the fence about it.  On the one hand, I absolutely agree that it is better to eat home-cooked food than restaurant- or corporation-processed foods, but, as my baking habit proves, I am still getting the bad stuff, even though I am making it myself {however much I do sub in better-for-me ingredients}.

We'll see how this little experiment goes! I promise to post about the weekend soon!

So That Happened: Polar Vortex

I'm not really sure what has been going on in the weather-sphere lately, but the past few days have been bananas.  We got some snow on Thursday night/Friday morning, which warmed my little New England heart, and then it was pretty normal chilly {but not crazily so} winter weather over the weekend and on Monday.  Flash forward to yesterday and it feels like -1 {although it could have been colder at some points}.  Ummm…

I truly looked like a freak show yesterday on my walk to work {Dan obviously scolded me for walking, but I explained him that I needed to stop at the grocery store to pick up dinner, because really, who likes going to the grocery store after work?! Not this girl}: picture a marshmallow-like creature waddling down the street, wearing fleece socks under her boots, a heavy Irish sweater {which, although warm as all get out, and, thus, incredibly practical for that day, slightly resembles a muumuu} under her down coat, a hat on under her hood, two pairs of gloves and a rosy-red nose buried in a scarf.  That was me in a nutshell.  And I was still cold {however, I will say that the Irish sweater was my best call of the day}.

It is again quite chilly today {it was 4 degrees when I watched the news at the gym this morning}, and will get up to the high 50s by the weekend.  SAY WHAT?!??? Get it together, D.C., and figure out whether you want it to be winter or spring!!! You're worse than a post-New Year's yo-yo dieter! Make up your mind and commit either way!

That was a convenient little segue to the fact that, as someone who exercises approximately 360 days a year, I HATE the post-New Year gym rush.  There are only 5 treadmills in our 20-floor building, and you can only imagine the death glares I give to the resolutioners who take one of those precious treadmills at 5 a.m.  Seriously people, get out.  K thanks.

In other news, we watched Jim Gaffigan's "Mr. Universe" on Netflix last night, and seriously, people, tears were rolling down my face from how hard I was laughing, and I was on the verge of getting sick to my stomach.  Truly hilarious stuff {and from a Georgetown grad to boot!}, and I found it so refreshing to watch an improv act that was not completely lewd the entire time.  So now we're all pumped up to see him live this weekend!

Happy Wednesday, friends! Stay warm wherever you are!!!

The Fast is Over!

My darling readers, I am happy to announce that, as of today, I can eat gluten again!!!!!! I have not actually eaten any gluten yet, because I still have about four boxes of Cinnamon Chex left, and will force myself to eat them until they're gone, and a bowl of homemade, gluten-free veg chili seemed like the perfect lunch.  However, I fully plan on noshing on either pizza or pasta for dinner :-) Luckily, Dan is more than willing to be my accomplice in breaking my gluten-free fast diet.

If you're doing the mental math an are thinking to yourself that it has been a mere month, rather than six weeks, since I went off of gluten, I decided that I was miserable enough that a month was going to be sufficient for me.  I gave it my all, but the gluten-free lifestyle isn't for me.  I am your classic type-A, routine-driven, slightly obsessive-compulsive gal, so giving up on things is never an option for me.  However, I felt like this diet was jeopardizing my health and happiness, so, once I made it past the month marker, I had to make the decision that was the best for my mental and physical health.  Maybe someday I will make a career out of concocting gluten-free recipes that are actually tasty {and, in particular, developing palatable gluten-free alternatives to things like pizza and pasta}.  But, for now, I am back on the stuff.

That being said, the one lesson that I am taking away from this monthlong adventure is that I do want to be more conscious of the amount of gluten that I am ingesting, because I think that there can be too much of a good thing {especially since my metabolism will eventually slow down}.  While this gluten-free diet was NEVER about losing weight and, on the contrary, aimed to find a solution to some long-undiagnosed stomach issues, it did make me take pause to consider my food choices. I want to make a more conscious effort to build better lifelong eating habits {i.e. not binge-eating sugar as frequently, cooking more, hydrating} so that, when combined with my love for exercise, I never feel like I need to go on a crash diet.  When we first discussed the realities of living together, I told Dan that it was my sincere goal that living together would drive us to cook more often.  While it may be difficult to find recipes that appeal to both my beloved omnivore and myself, the veg-head, I am committed to doing that.  That's what Pinterest is for, people!!!

I am already about 1,000 times happier now that I will not spend my days wanting to eat my own fist- can you tell?!? ;)