Cucumber Smoothie Recipe

My morning smoothies come into existence from two main things:  time and available ingredients.
My hubby is the grocery shopper (can I get an Amen?!) so smoothie ingredients are not on the "regular" list unless I make a special request.  I've been a total slacker in the meals department lately and have been winging it with the bare essentials for weeks and weeks.  Luckily, my daughter has started some health kick with her friends and has been tagging along with dad on grocery nights.

She takes fruit infused water bottles to school every day and makes herself a healthy lunch and snacks.  Thankfully, I've been able to hijack some of her ingredients for my smoothies! Ha!  Unfortunately, the only green thing she bought this time was cucumbers and avocados.  But fortunately, I've learned that cucumbers are AWESOME.

I threw half of one in my smoothie earlier this week and really enjoyed the crisp, fresh taste.  This morning, I had a few extra minutes to throw another together and used up some more of her ingredients (shhh) plus a few of my own non perishable ones. It was delicious!

Cucumber Fruity Smoothie
1 banana
3/4 cucumber
few strawberries
few raspberries
1 cup of pineapple
2 figs
chia seeds
ice


I knew cucumbers had some healing anti inflammatory benefits.  I've seen them commonly at the spa sliced in water for drinking or heard of slices over the eyes to reduce swelling.  With all my exercise, I thought I could certainly use some of that anti-inflammatory action on my sore muscles.  Can't hurt right? Simultaneously yummy and healing?  Can't beat that!  

I decided to look them up and learn more about cucumbers and what else exactly they are known for. I found that they are a one of the world's healthiest foods! They're full of vitamins and minerals and are not only anti-inflammatories but also anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, great for skin and hair, aids good breath, rehydrates and even promotes joint health!  There are tons of articles out there (two of which I've linked) noting all of their wonderfulness.

I think I will keep these on the "regular" shopping list because in a pinch, they can make a refreshing smoothie or put a pep in a glass of water while reaping the rewards of all the benefits they have to offer.  I've found lots of easy recipes where we can quickly incorporate a summer salad with our dinners too!

Follow me on Pinterest if you've haven't yet to see what recipes I'll be pinning later to try out.

Happy Wednesday all and don't forget to keep moving!

Valerie :)

Creating a Virtual Workout Buddy System

The way last week started, it could have easily turned into a rest WEEK.  After the Tri on Saturday, I rested on Sunday and really had not set any gameplan on how the rest of the week would go.

Thankfully, my buddy Rox reached out late Sunday to ask about signing up for our indoor cycling class at PowerOne.  She and I always have a hard time syncing our schedules to workout together but we don't stop trying!  Our latest thing is to be each other's "virtual" workout buddy. We give each other a rough outlook of the workouts in the week ahead and then we keep tabs on each other daily to stay accountable and on track.  So if she tells me she's got bootcamp at 5, I'm getting a text at 4:30am telling me that she is on her way and waking me up for my barbell strength class.  I'll text in her return when I'm done with my class.  We never want to keep anyone hanging so getting a "text of shame" asking if you actually DID make it is a no-no.  ;)  It's been a week and so far, it's been working!  This Monday morning cycle class is the only one we seem to both be able to make and very unlikely for either of us to miss.  It is AWESOME.  I'll have to write up on that soon.

Monday's morning class and our induction of the buddy system was the catalyst needed to put the week on track.  This is how it played out:

Monday - PowerOne Cycling

Tuesday - Tested the "text of shame" theory (we both did)...missed my morning swim but made up for it with a late 4 mile run.

Wednesday - Procrastinated as I discussed on a different post but swam 1650M and regretted the hesitation.

Thursday - 5:30am Barbell Strength class at the gym (this was my first time and would prove to keep me sore for...um, well...still a little sore.)  :)

Friday - Planned to swim early but skipped the alarm since I was off from work and could get it in later in the day.  Hubby decided last minute to head to office.  My plan was toast.  Called it a reluctant rest day. 

Saturday - Morning swim...this time to finish the entire workout I had intended on Wed.  This particular workout looked appealing to me specifically because there were drills included that I had not tried before.  The link, from Triathlete Europe magazine, includes three different workouts.  I did the shortest which I have attached here, which by the way, is the longest ever swim for me! Descriptions of the drills are included and I found them incredibly helpful.  That No Walls drill was challenging and probably looked silly to get to the wall and suddenly stop, tread water and go again but I could tell it was working the endurance.  Give it a try and tell me what you think.

Thanks to  Tri Swim Coach for providing link to this on FB.

Sunday -  I was hoping to meet up with Rox sometime in the evening for a run after Easter plans but as it turned out, hubby offered to run with me!  I hadn't heard from her and it was getting late so we decided to just go.  I am happy to report that he 1) didn't leave me in his dust (cause he's fast and gifted to be so without TRYING :\  ) and/or 2) didn't slack and slow me down either haha.  Also happy to learn that the big kids not only babysat the littles while were out but ALSO bathed them AND cleaned and picked up the common areas too!! WHAT?!

The weather was perfect and the company even better...a solid 5 miles to finish the fly-by-the-seat week! :)

It wasn't exactly a "training" plan but it was a get your butt moving and blood pumping plan that worked.  Off to start a new week and set a game plan for this week (to share with Rox) with my breakfast in tow: Cucumber pineapple smoothie, yum!

Cucumber, Pineapple, Banana, Coconut Water, a lil honey & ice.

Happy Monday, all!!

Valerie

Set a date & get a move on.

Daily challenge. Race Date. Coach Schedule. Workout meetup. Without these things, I am sure I'd be a total bum. I KNOW this and because of it, I try to always have at least one on the list going.

Over the last few months, I've gone on several runs, one good bike ride, a couple of swims, done some P90X workouts and have gone on plenty of walks but I have done nothing with consistency or on a schedule.  I have had no end goal in sight (other than fitting into my pants & pencil skirts again). I was doing just enough to keep me moving but I knew that once I went back to work, some level of discipline would be required so that I can stay fit with my crazy schedule.

So, right before the new year, I started looking for challenges, planned on meeting up friends on their long training runs and looked into following a "Coach" schedule from the new update on my Nike app. Aren't I resourceful?! I figured these were all things that would get me "there".   But then again...what was "there"?

I started to think about races to sign up for that will give me more of a definitive finish line (pun intended). I have a few goals swirling in my head but nothing I am willing to commit to just yet (especially on an public forum like the interwebs). Will it be my first tri that comes first or a half marathon? Maybe just PR a 10k?

But then, something BIGGER hit me in the back of the head while I was looking at dates. Um. My birthday! I have a whopper of a milestone coming up and I have always said I wanted to be in the "best shape of my life" by then. Well, crap! I totally forgot about that and now I am what...a month away?! Aaaaahhhh!!! Where has the time gone?!

All this to say that my ho hum approach will have to be stepped up for the next few weeks if I want to meet that goal. I guess first things first though.  What does the "best shape of my life" really mean? Well, I guess this is where I can cheat some, huh? I define this based on me and my life? Because, technically, I am already pretty close to being in the best shape of my life. I have been the fittest I have ever been in the last 5-6 years and more importantly the HAPPIEST. So, I'm done right? Oh yea, I still have to get into those pants.

But seriously, I need to define this so that I can have something to put a tack on or write it on that post it on my monitor. To me, being in the BEST shape is feeling strong, being tone, living a healthy lifestyle and...being confident enough to wear shorts.

Yes, that's right. Confident to wear shorts.  I said it.  That may seem silly (and my husband thinks I'm crazy) but every one has that "area" on their body that just makes them cringe, right?  Okay, maybe not everyone...most people. Fine, I'll speak for myself.  Yes, I have that area.  For me, it's the lass. You know, the area between the back of your thigh and your ass? There. And upper thigh area altogether could use some toning up.

Sitting down in shorts with confidence is a pretty solid goal.  In my mind.  Sitting down is the key piece of the goal though.  I am totally okay with standing, walking and running around in shorts (if they are not too short) but sitting? That's a different animal.  Tightening up the ab area where baby left squishy I'm throwing on to the goal too because...what the heck, I could use a fall back of success if this lass thing doesn't work out. (I hope you all have picked up on my sarcasm and sense of humor by now)

Anywaaaay....I have a few things going for me that will make this endeavor a little less painful and perhaps even achievable. For starters, these are the things that I am already doing (yay, me!):

~ 30 Day Yoga Challenge - keeps me practicing and engages my core daily (Abs!)
~ 10K Coach Challenge on Nike Ap - keeps me running MORE often (fat burning & some leg definition)
~ Green smoothie daily - I admit, I am addicted.  I've been doing it since pre baby and when I go without it, I crave it.  This keeps my nutrition in check by getting all my daily fruits and veggies (and then some).
~ Meet ups - I've been also meeting up with friends on Sunday mornings for long runs. The Nike coach would disapprove as I would be considered as "over training" but...it's motivated me to push the pace and distance.
~ Weekly Aerial Fabric class.  Good overall body workout but lots of core work. (more abs!)

My abs seem to be heading in the right direction but my lass was not mentioned in any of those things.  This is where the rubber meets the road. I'll be looking for some glute workouts on pinterest so pardon all the butt pics coming through on the board below, this mama needs to get squatting!

Now I have a fast approaching date to work towards.  I also will have measurable results which will be before and after pictures (that will never see the light of day).  My first goal for 2014 is set and I know it's going to be tough but my motivation is not only to wear those shorts but to wear them (and a bikini) on that birthday beach trip my hubby will be taking me on. (wink, wink - hi, honey!)

Stay tuned for progress reports.  I gotta go...I have some lunges to do.

~V

Week 28 update and a shift in gears

This week marks the start of the third trimester and as important as exercise and fitness has been thus far in keeping in tip-top shape ready for baby (and after), drinking plenty of water, nutrition and sleep are equally important.  I've successfully added plenty of water to my daily intake (thankful for the crushed ice machine at work that makes it so much easier) and this week I experimented for the first time with making smoothies and trying KALE! I've been trying to be more cognizant of what exactly I eat and don't eat and am working on getting a routine on that too.  More on that later...

My first Kale smoothie!

The summer months have always been bittersweet for me.  Having the kids out of school and working full time during these short and sometimes long 2.5 months is a difficult thing to balance.  I want them to have all the fun in the world but I am limited to certain hours of the day that I can do those things with them.  Mainly, in the evening after work.  Our bedtimes have been nothing less than midnight as a result and I found that only sleeping 6 hours a night for several weeks straight (when you are use to 7-8) has a way of creeping up on you.  That endless amount of energy seems to suddenly tap out and it kind of feels like hitting a brick wall. The Saturday morning Masters class is hard to make when you wake up after it's over! Whoops!

My exercise regimen slowed a little this week not just because I needed to catch up on my Zzzzz's some but also because some of my options have been pulled from play.  For starters, my evening Aerial Tone class has been temporarily moved to a night that conflicts with Masters Swim.  Secondly, I've cut out running for the time being because it has been so dreadfully hot at the times when I can run.  Not to mention that the lack of sleep has made me too tired to have the desire to lace up when it's that miserable outside as well.  Thirdly, since I had that flat on my bike, I noticed a few days later that the tire is flat again which means that there must be something still stuck in the tire that I must have missed. To add to that, I had some accident filled visions when I started riding last time...you know, the what if scenarios that run through your head in quick second pictures in you brain (or is that just me?) that cause you to be EXTRA cautious? After warming up though, these thoughts go away and the ride is fine but still, you can't ignore that a bike sitting with a flat in the garage combined with these images is not some sort of sign that long distance solo cycling should come off of the list as things to do at 28 weeks pregnant.  I feel perfectly okay while riding in fact I LOVE IT but I am erring on the side of safety for fear of having a freak wreck because my tire gets stuck in a crack or a crazy squirrel runs out in front of me and I lose control.  Better safe than sorry.

Having prefaced this update with all that I'll say that I do intend to maybe add treadmill runs (although I hate those), spin classes or even ride on the trainer (hate that too) as well breaking away and getting the Aerial class in during lunch.  We'll see how I manage that.

Here is the update for week 28:

M- 1500M Masters Swim:
200 Easy Free
200 Pull
200 Kick
200 1 arm drill
200 Breast (a first for me...awkward but different is good)
400 timed free
2 x 50 25breast 25 free
Yoga challenge Day 8 - Kneeling Crescent (an easy one and a great shoulder, back & quad stretch post swim)
T- Yoga Challenges for Day 9 & 10
Revolved Downward Dog & Head to Knee Forward Bend
These both took a lot of warming up and stretching and I'd say we were doing Yoga for a good hour.

 

W- 1500M Masters Swim:
200 free
200 pull
200 kick
200 1 arm drill
100 alternating 25s 3, 5
10 x 25 kick 45RI (full class race) Ahh!!!
6 x 25 alternating 4,5 20RI (the rest of the class was at 8x @ 4,5,6,7,8,7,6,5)
200 easy free
Yoga Challenge - Rooster (I thought this was going to be easy...doing it post swim at a late hour I realized just how hard it was.  I felt like a pretzel most of the time practicing and am absolutely amazed I was able to get off the ground)

TH- Easy stretching and Day 12 Yoga Challenge - Half Bound Extended Side Angle Pose
F- Did some serious Salsa & Merengue dancing at a birthday party with 4" heels. If you don't think dancing is a workout, I'll tell you my quads were still sore from it the next morning.  So yes, it counts!! (plus, waaaaay fun!)
S- Missed Masters Swim but got plenty of sleep.  Hooray! Spent a good amount of time working on Day 13 of our Yoga Challenge - Extended Leg Wheel Pose.  Wow.  What a doozy.  I think I will be coming back to this one quite a bit post baby just so that I can compare improvements.  I got the leg up but only in a headstand position.  I felt like I was pulling a calf muscle so I didn't stay there very long.  (This is likely due to that kick race in swim class).  I was not happy with my regular wheel so I left it for later.

We also got a bike ride in on the new downtown trails later... no one took the mountain bike off the table, right? :)  Side note: I thought this was going to be a leisurely ride but I found that pushing that heavy bike was a heck of a workout especially on my calves (oh, yea...NOW I see a pattern. I didn't realize it at the time, just now as I type it out. Ha!).
Worked on wheel again.  Killing my calves here and hammies too.  Almost felt them pulling while trying to do this again but finally happy with the result (all things considered). I practiced day 14 momentarily - tucked leg Headstand and realized that I was just not into it.  I have zero core control so pushing up and having the wall "save" me was fine by me.  I thought I'd try it again on Sunday.

A little "acroyoga" with the babe while working on the extended leg wheel early in the day and finally happy with a regular handstand Wheel post bike ride. 

S- Slept in and ran errands - complete much needed OFF day. Didn't even bother with the Yoga Challenge. But I did come close to cracking my kid's Fruit Ninja score! Haha! This a challenge that they put upon me the day before that I am DETERMINED not only to beat but also to set a new high score for THEM. :p

Stay tuned for week 29 updates as well as the results of my smoothie experimentation.  I found some yummy and healthy ingredients and recipes I can't wait to share!  Also, stay tuned to find out how this whole Fruit Ninja thing works out.  ;)

Happy Monday!

~V