April 2014 Currently...

So March was a little hectic and I neglected a March Currently, but remembered for this month!

• Reading:

• Gloating that I completed the Glass City Marathon on Sunday. Check out my related posts:
• Glass City Marathon: Just Do It!
• Glass City Marathon: Race Day Nutrition
• Glass City Marathon: Last Week of Training & The Expo
• Enjoying my first few days in Athens, OH home to Ohio University, Go Bobcats! My first impressions of the university - Wow!
• Getting sentimental that my days at our first home are coming to an end, but that is the life of a Coach's Family.
• Speaking of Coach's Family! I had such a fun time at the Final Four. Spending quality time with Coach Kemp, and visiting with other coaches' wives is always a good time. I am not sure if I will attend next year in Indianapolis; it is only a car drive away! Check out my three posts - Post 1, Post 2, and Post 3!
• Proud of my results from the Renegade 7 Week Challenge. Which leads me to...
• Forging ahead in my post-marathon workout and eating regimen. I will post more about this next week as well. 
• Excited that the 2013-14 school year is coming to an end which means Summer Break is only a few weeks away! 

February 2014 Currently

Michelyn

7 Week Recap & Preparing Myself for the Final Four

I can't believe that the Renegade 7 Week Challenge has ended! Our final, end of challenge, meeting is next Sunday, April 17th which I am pumped about. The goal of our last meeting is to revisit the transformations to our diet and exercise, to review how we can improve, and more importantly, to discuss how this new life-style (aka diet) can become more of a stable way of life. 

Well, I am wondering if any of you are wondering how I did? Well, Coach Kemp was dead-on on his guestimate of my new body fat percentage, which surprised me! Overall, I am very pleased with my results, realize I could have lost more body fat/weight, but am taking what I have learned and moving forward. So without further-ado...

In total, I loss 8 pounds, went from 22.4 to 18.0% body fat, and saw decreases in my point thickness in many areas. 

We leave tomorrow for Dallas, and I know that indulgences in the alcohol department will be had. I am aiming to eat healthy for all my meals, and then just have fun at night. I am bringing a plethora of Quest Bars, did you read my full review? And also sticking to the original diet plan that was established during our challenge. At about the half way mark, my diet plan changed, so maybe for three weeks. Jen and Chris altered my diet because I was not seeing as many changes. I will discuss my reformed diet after the Final Four. 

I have been doing a little research on the caloric content of many spirit beverages and I am torn between drinking Absolut Vodka (98 calories) + Club Soda with Extra Lime or a very light bear, for example, Miller 64, Bud Select (55 Calories). I am not a huge beer drinker, so that is my one deterrent from choosing that option. The Absolut Vodka options seems to be my first choice. I actually just thought of buying Crystal Light, and asking for water in the alcohol, and then adding a little to my glass.... Do I sound crazy? 

Via

Michelyn

What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW): 3.3.14

Public Service Announcement: Toledo Basketball Edition

Congratulations to the University of Toledo Men's Basketball program for winning their final away game last night verse Central Michigan. We still have one last home game of the regular season on Saturday, but we have already surpassed a school-record with 25 wins! We have also clenched either the 1st or 2nd seed in the upcoming MAC tourney! More about this after Saturday's game!

Breakfast

No, there is nothing wrong with your screen! Indeed, my oatmeal is green because of the Swanson's Green Food that has been included. And, before you turn up your nose, give it a try. There really is no flavor, at least in the plain green food that we have on hand currently. They also carry flavored kinds that you can find in many health stores, I will et you know what I think of those when I decide to get adventurous.

Not only does my oatmeal have 1Tbsp of "greens" but also a scoop of protein powder, and 1/2 c organic frozen mixed berries. I purchased a huge bag of the organic berry mix at Costco's. Yes, the same kind that was recalled back in June 2013 for a hepatitis recall. Oh how comforting; NOT, yikes not the thing you want to learn when googling a food item that you've been consuming for a few weeks now!

Has anyone else tried this creamer? It was eh, in my opinion. I do not think I enjoyed the cinnamon flavor in my coffee. And somehow I forgot to buy more creamer at TFM and have been drinking my coffee with almond milk which is not that great either, major fail on my part!

Snack

I got really creative for my Snack #1, just kidding. This is 1/2 C greek yogurt with 1 Tbsp "greens," my favorite WOW sweetener, and 1/2 C mixed berries. I keep a small container of the frozen berries in my fridge for easy access to my breakfast dishes and snacks!

Lunch

After a quick "lunch-break" run, I ate this yummy Red Pepper Soup, recipe later. I made the base of the soup, and then simply added 4 oz boiled chicken and 2oz (dry) quinoa noodles. (I did cook the noodles before putting in my ready-prepared broth. ) I figured this was the simplest way to monitor the amount of protein and then I can add the quinoa pasta when I consume the soup after workouts.

Dinner
After work I got my nails and eyebrows did, and I was simply not feeling the whole cooking idea. I was contemplating making some tilapia, its in the fridge, but I was lazy so I headed to TFM and got some carb-free sushi.

California sushi minus the rice, score! Pretty sure the imitation crab is not high on the clean-eating diet, but whatevs!

Snack / Dessert

OMG! If you have not tried a Quest bar, then you are missing out, and especially the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar baked in the oven!!!

I cut the bar into fourths and placed on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes. I accidentally burnt the bottoms a tad, but this was pretty darn dreamy. I also had 1/2 C almond milk to complete the whole effect! Yums!!!

Questions of the Day: What Quest recipes have you tried? Did you know you could "cook" them?

Michelyn

February 2014 Currently...

• Over the snow, rainy sleet, and any cold, wet-related weather! I know, I live in Ohio, but I am very hopeful that we have passed all the winter storms. Cold weather, at this point is not bothersome, but being wet + cold = OLD.

Source

• Reading: 
  

• Gloating with the University of Toledo's Mens Basketball season thus far! As of 2/21/2014, our record is 22/4 with five more games before the tip-off the MAC Conference Tournament. Stay tuned to my Tuesday, Toledo Tough Review and Preview posts to stay abreast to last few games in the regular season! 

• Looking forward to my Tampa trip in early March. I am so excited to announce that I will be the emcee for the inaugural Miss Sun Coast and Miss Nature Coast pageant, preliminary to Miss Florida! 

•  Getting sentimental that Mr. Prince is growing and maturing. He is now raising his leg to pee, lol. He's growing into a dog, no longer a puppy; only 4 months until he turns 1 year! Where has the time gone? We did adopt him at the age of 2 months, and he weighed barely 5lbs, now he weighs 13lbs. He is our growing boy, and we love him to pieces! 

• Forging ahead in my 7-week challenge. You can follow my daily eats in WIAW (2.11.2014 & 2.18.2014) posts from the month, as well as my weekly workouts here and here. 

Michelyn

Workouts in Review Week II

Feb. 9-15

Sunday
8 miles (outside)

This run was "scheduled" to be 10 miles, but it seems like the running gods were not in my favor on this Sunday morning. I left the house in a rush, which should have been my signal that this was not going to go as planned. When I arrived at the parking lot for the trail, I realized that my earbud was missing the portion that goes around your ear, for security! The drive to my house is maybe 5 minutes, so I could have returned home but I did not want to agitate Prince, our 8 month old dog, who despises being left home alone (Coach Kemp was in the office with the rest of crew, very typical for an in-season Sunday.) Well, I am happy to report and highly recommend Yurbuds Sport Headphones. They are marketed and guaranteed to "never fall out" and those boogers lived up to their hype, even without the behind-the-ear contraption part.

Monday
Renegade Strength

Tuesday
Renegade Anabolic

Wednesday
Renegade Strength
7 miles (outside)

Actually, I really enjoyed the run, the weather was bearable and I saw many runners along the way which is always comforting. Then, it happened for the second time in less than 5 days, I saw yet another herd of deer. I too saw about 3-4 deer on Sunday on my return route and yet again I saw them in about the same area. This time my phone was handy (I wasn't so worried about fidgeting with my hone since my earbuds were 100% intact) so I took a picture for proof!

Ok, so you only see one in the picture, but there were more. What freaked me out this time, is that they "allowed" me to get closer before they skivvied into the bushes. I was actually scared to death, to be honest. What the heck does one do when encountered with a deer?!?! You can find a ton of suggestions on the internet on how to deter hitting a deer (Probably should have researched that PRIOR to living in Fargo! Hey, only the car was damaged, not the precious cargo inside). I then did a quick search on Runner's World, and they did not have any great suggestions either, they simply listed deer as a "dangerous" animal for a runner. Well no shit, I could have told them that!

OK, so I ended up walking very slowly past the area that I knew they had gathered. I tried to look completely forward to eliminate any signs of domination or impeding threat! Not sure if that is the best advice, but it has worked now twice, so I am sticking to it. What got me frustrated was that a "premier runner," you know one of those people that flies by you and your envious of their speed, running apparel, etc.  just kept running by! I was like "hello" we got animals lurking around, please stop and be cautious it's not a race. So rude! LoL

Thursday
Renegade Anabolic

Friday
Renegade Strength
5 miles (treadmill indoors)

I think this may be my official last treadmill run for some time. I had purchased a monthly pass at an area gym to get me through January, and accidentally they did not cancel my key-fob until yesterday (Sunday). Lucky for me, I did get a few extra free days without anyone noticing, including myself.

Saturday
Rest Day!

Mileage This Week: 20 miles
Renegade Classes This Week: 4

Overall, I did not get in nearly enough mileage as I would like. I am truly hoping to log closer to 25-30 miles/week. I am still adjusting to the increase in Renegade classes, as I typically took classes 2-3 times/week, prior to the 7-week challenge. Hoping for more mileage and maybe only 3 classes at Renegade!

Michelyn

Portion Sizes & Citrus Tilapia Recipe

Now that I am really cognizant of every food item I place in my mouth, I have really been monitoring my portion sizes, especially for those things that can easily sabotage one's diet. I've got to be honest, I am one of those cooks that approximates when it comes to measuring. I follow recipes, and prefer to have a recipe than developing an entire dish from scratch, but I am not great, overall, at measuring things like salt, oils, and my condiments.

On the top is a great example of my "heavy" hand with fresh-ground nut butter, which is growing on me, then compared to 1 tbsp., bottom picture, that was measured out.

Welp, there you have it! I officially diagnosed myself as a "heavy hander," and have relegated myself to measuring everything. I am even on the quest to purchase a food scale, as I am somewhat frightened to learn about my potion sizes when it comes to my meats/fish. At our first session, they shared the "palm" tip, but I don't even trust myself with that one.

Sticking to this topic, I typically saute my vegetables in EVOO which is good, right? Well yes, but again portion sizes. I figured it was time to change it up a few notches so this morning I used organic tomato sauce to sauté some spinach, about 2 full handfuls. I also added some fresh oregano, a sprigs worth, paired this with my 2 eggs, and it was absolutely delicious.

At this point, I am monitoring my oil intake and portion sizes with proteins. In another few weeks I will begin to analyze my salt intake. At this time, trying to monitor everything may drive this woman batty!

On Wednesday, I promised the citrus tilapia recipe. Well, at that time I did not read the dispersal disclaimer on our 7-week manual. So, I searched the web for another great looking recipe.

Sweet & Spicy Citrus Tilapia

 Michelyn