Vlog: Ramblings about food, bread, and misconceptions

Morning Running Fail

This summer I decided I wanted to keep running, which means doing it in the morning.  I am not a morning person, never have been, and highly doubt I ever will be.  Mornings should be eased into with plenty of coffee, internetting, and social media.  There is no jumping out of bed bright eyed and bushy tailed for me even with a full nights sleep.

This is what I keep repeating to myself as I stagger out the door.

So you may have guessed getting my butt out of bed and running first thing is a bit of a challenge for me. Morning running started out in a fasted state which ruined me for the rest of the day. It was bad.  I was cranky, tired, and awful for the rest of the day.  Now I am eating a granola bar before I head out which has helped with my moods.  I am no longer a crab for the rest of the day, still tired though.

When does all  that energy which is supposed to come from morning exercise kick in?  I sure do not have it.  I get up around the same time everyday so its not like I get up earlier to go running. Afternoon run or exercise I feel energetic afterwards, morning not so much.

As for consistency in the morning, so far that is not going to well either.  I boot the computer up and don’t do it or eat my granola bar, roll over and go back to sleep.  Afternoon or evening I am fine with. Afternoon seems to be my time for exercise in general. I am going to struggle through getting up and running two or three days a week as it is important to me and I keep hoping to find the awesome that turns a mourning run into a morning run. Yes, I have been referring to them as mourning runs. Is it autumn yet?

Blackberry and Lime Green Smoothie

Blackberry and lime are one of my favorite combinations.  I found some blackberries lurking the freezer and decided to use them up.  I used spinach but kale, chard etc. will work just fine.  Spinach is what I happen to have on hand at them moment.  This can run a tad tart so use a little honey if needed.  

Blackberry and Lime Green Smoothie

1 to 2 handfuls roughly 2 cups spinach fresh or frozen

2 cups blackberries fresh or frozen

2 cups almond milk

juice of 1/2 a lime

1 cup water if needed

1 to 2 tablespoons honey (optional)

Add almond milk, spinach, black berries, and lime juice and blitz for two minutes.  My spinach and blackberries were frozen it needed some extra liquid to blend properly.  If you find it is too tart add some honey.  This made about a quart of smoothie.

Chin Up Goal Update

In April I announced my goal to do a chin up.  I have yet to do one but I am working on it and am a quarter of the way there which means I have improved and that means I am stronger than I was which is very cool.  Sometimes I worked directly on this goal and others indirectly, either way it is always in the back of my mind when picking out exercise for New Rules of Lifting Supercharged (NROLS).

In August I decided to do NROLS two times a week and instead of a vanity or beachbody day I’d have chin up day. This workout is going to be repeated in variations over the next few months.  For this month one of my main considerations was time I did not want this session going over thirty minutes and it clocked in at twenty so I added in the Turkish get ups (TGU), just because I love them.

Here is what I am doing.  I am not a personal trainer just an enthusiast.

Bicep curls 1x15

Lat. pull down 1x15

Suspended row 1x15

Assisted chin up 1x as many as possible

Reverse Chin up 1x as many as possible

Chin up attempts 1x as many as possible

TGU 1x5 each side

I did this last Wednesday and liked how it flowed and felt about right for with weight choices.  I am hoping to be halfway there by the end of September. 

Managing Breakfast Tips

Do you eat breakfast?  I do. There were years and years where my breakfast consisted of a big glass of juice and coffee.  Breakfast can be one of the meals we have the least time to prepare and consume while getting ready for our day.  There is a lot that goes on in the morning.

One thing I learned about breakfast is to have several items at hand that are easy.  I started out with pre-packaged oatmeal but it is really hard to find one that is not super sweet or that does not include apple cinnamon which I am not a fan of.  The apple tastes fake and weird to me even with organic brands.  Smoothies never keep me full so I tend not to have those as a breakfast.

So how do you make breakfast fast and healthy?  Here are a few of my top tips.

1. Big batches of grain porridge: Irish (steel cut) oats, rolled oats, barley, quinoa, multi-grain hot cereals. I freeze them in bags, I like to put two cups in a bag that is two days of brekkie.

2. Yogurt, fruit, and granola.  Simple and easy just make sure your yogurt and granola are not sugar bombs. I like this granola paired with unsweetened yogurt.  You could also use nuts if you are off grains.

3. Egg bakes they reheat well. Kalyn's Kitchen has some great recipes for them.  I linked my favorite.

4. This is a more recent addition to my breakfast repertoire Chia seed pudding with fruit.  Make the night before to make it really easy.

5. Leftovers, soup, and other savoury foods.  Don’t limit yourself to what we think of as breakfast food.

Do you have other ways to make breakfast easy and fast?  Leave a comment if you do, I love new ideas!

A Brilliant Week Vlog

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