Tag: meal prep

Making the Effort to face our fears!

msdesertwellness

Hi All! First things first- Another busy, active week with temps reaching the three digits. What does that mean? It means I took that as an invitation to head up..up to Big Bear Lake again today. Last week my extra training was a run/hike with elevation gain (vert) and this week there needs to be some altitude. Palm Springs is just about 500 ft above sea level so basically I can drive anywhere to get to higher ground…lol! Big Bear Lake is just under 7,000 ft and so beautiful. I also will be heading up to the Tram- Mt San Jacinto soon but more about that later.

My training for this week included arm/leg weights, easy run (trying to keep my heart rate under 140), a long run ( 10 mile run) and then time spent running at higher altitude. Total miles was just under 25 , not much but happy with the effort I put forth.

As I was running this week thinking about Western States (of course!) I began thinking about my blog entry and knew I wanted to talk about Fear. My Fears and yours because yes we all have fears and we have the opportunity to conquer them.

FEAR

Noun/Verb

  1. an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.
  2. be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful or threatening.

Guess what we all have fears. You and I may have different fears due to many factors but they still are with us. I had many fears as a child and young adult but I credit Running for my growing up. The act of Running has given me the tools to have self confidence, courage to face my fears, discipline, work ethic, to have acceptance and to honor my self worth.

Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear and get a record of successful experiences behind you .

William Jennings Bryan

The inherent nature of life is constant change. To fear change is to fear life itself.

Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I still struggle with fear, whether it is as simple as trying to boulder up some rocks, going on a new trail, signing up for a college class or looking into my future but I will keep moving forward and so will you!

Meal Prep- Baked Chicken Breasts, Zucchini Pizza Boats, Broccoli Soup and I made up some Cherry snack bags to take to work.

Baked Chicken Breasts – Lemon Herb and Garlic

Make different flavors so that you will not feel like you are eating the same leftovers for days:) and to save money buy bulk and freeze what you cannot use now. I will be making the Lemon Herb Chicken into a cold Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts later in the week.

Zucchini Pizza Boats and Freeze some for smoothies. A dear friend gave me these Zucchini from her garden.

  • Steam Broccoli for about 4 min in Microwave . Blend with about 2 cups of water, and two tablespoons plain yogurt add salt to taste.
  • Keep and reuse glass bottles for easy work lunches.

Broccoli Soup – Broccoli is a very good source of Vit K, C and Fiber.

Kale …Schmale… Just Kidding!

Excited about some New Books…

Making the effort to be healthy.. let’s start there!

msdesertwellness

So it has been a week… and of course the “plan” I had for exercise had to be amended due to work, weather or in other words life. I am sure you have been there. The school year is wrapping up and much needs to be done even at the end of a school year. Employee evaluations, cleaning the kitchens, and preparing for Summer School all while putting a plan into place for next year. So that being said I have had to adjust my run/lifting schedule. I had to squeeze in time early (4:00 AM) on some days and drive to a cooler place for heat relief. But actually those are the days I enjoy most! Early hours at the gyms are rarely busy,

and early runs in the streets peaceful and invigorating (necessary precautions taken).

  • Early Morning Hill Workout

I am very lucky that living in California affords me the opportunity to be close to mountains, and to beaches within a couple hours drive. I enjoy driving up to Big Bear Lake and especially if I need some altitude training. Big Bear is at about 7,000ft and my favorite trail has about a 1000ft gain.

Big Bear Lake 2019

I had an awesome run on the trails, and definitely felt the elevation but with more time spent that will improve. I had planned an easy run today to complete my week but I found myself caught up in baking and doing some meal prep. I listen to by body, and trust me I push it when I have to but today decided to give myself a break.

Now let’s talk Meal Prep…. I am not one of those people that take the whole day on a Sunday and end up exhausted . I enjoy cooking and baking and take advantage when I feel inspired. Today I wanted to try a new recipe, Cashew Sandwich Bread by @lauraleabalanced. It is gluten free and made with cashew flour which I had never tried before. I am not a trained chef or baker but I do love to mess around in the kitchen especially with alternative products. My diet is not completely vegetarian, I just do not eat red meat, not gluten free but I have noticed the older I get my digestion is affected, this is why I enjoy trying out alternative ingredients. I also find this area of health just expanding so much and I am very interested in it. Meal Prep today :

  1. Cashew Bread
  2. Egg Cups w/Spinach & Tomato
  3. Baked Yams
  4. Almond Butter filled Dates

So now you are caught up on how this week I was “making the effort to be healthy”! To be Continued……..