15 Best Foods For Runners

I'm going to try something new every week, reviewing fitness and health articles. I've recently started training for a 10K for the 4th of July and as I've been building my mileage I have been wondering if I am replenishing my body correctly. With that, today's article comes from Runner's World, The Best Food For Runners. One thing they mention, I totally agree with, "Most supermarkets stock more than 30,000 items, yet every time we race up and down the aisles of the grocery store, we toss into our carts the same 10 to 15 foods." Is this not totally true? Which isn't bad if you are getting the right items, but I think in my case I could use some diversifying of the diet. Here are the 15 Foods that they listed as must haves for runners: almonds, eggs, sweet potatoes, whole grain cereal with protein, oranges, canned black beans, mixed salad greens, salmon, whole grain bread, frozen stir-fry vegetables, whole grain pasta, chicken, frozen mixed berries, dark chocolate, low fat yogurt. Almonds: Almonds offer good source of Vitamin E, that most people supposedly do not get enough of. Eggs: Egg protein is the most complete food protein short of human breast milk! Wow, I certainly didn't know that. Sweet potatoes: Just a single 100-calorie sweet potato has over 250% of daily value of Vitamin A. They are also a good source of vitamin C. Whole grain cereal with protein: Look for cereals that offer at least 5 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein. Great balance of carbs and proteins for work-outs. Oranges: Oranges supply over 100 percent of the daily value for the antioxidant vitamin C, and a recent study from the University of North Carolina Greensboro showed that taking vitamin C supplements for two weeks prior to challenging arm exercises helped alleviate muscle soreness. Canned black beans: One cup of these provides 30 percent of the daily value for protein, almost 60 percent of the daily value for fiber, and 60 percent of the daily value for folate, a B vitamin that plays a key role in heart health and circulation. Mixed Salad Greens: Each variety offers a unique blend of phytonutrients that research suggests may fend off age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Salmon: Besides being an excellent source of high-quality protein (you get about 30 grams in a four-ounce serving), salmon is one of the best food sources of omega 3-fats. Whole grain bread: Runners need at least three to six one-ounce servings of whole grains per day, and eating 100 percent whole-grain bread (as opposed to just whole-grain bread, which may contain some refined grains and flours) is an easy way to meet this requirement since one slice equals one serving. Frozen stir-fry vegetables: Most ready-to-use stir-fry veggie combos offer a potent mix of antioxidants by including red and yellow peppers, onions, bok choy, and soy beans. And frozen vegetable mixes save lots of prepping time but still provide the same nutrition as their fresh counterparts. Whole grain pasta: Pasta has long been a runner's best friend because it contains easily digestible carbs that help you restock spent glycogen (energy) stores. Whole-grain versions are a must over refined pastas because they contain more fiber to fill you up, additional B vitamins that are crucial to energy metabolism. Chicken: Just one four-ounce serving of chicken can supply about half a runner's daily protein needs. Frozen mixed berries: The colorful compounds that make blueberries blue, blackberries deep purple, and raspberries a rich shade of red are called anthocyanins--a powerful group of antioxidants that may help stave off Alzheimer's disease and some cancers. Anthocyanins may also assist with post run recovery and muscle repair. Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate contains potent antioxidants called flavonols that can boost heart health. Wa-hoo! Low fat yogurt: Besides being a good source of protein and calcium (one cup provides 13 grams of protein and 40 percent of the daily value for calcium), low-fat yogurt with live cultures provides the healthy bacteria your digestive tract needs to function optimally.

I hope you enjoy this Review!!

Woke up to a simple piece of toast.
There's something about a small glass of orange juice in the morning that just feels right.
Just got some new cereal Kashi Honey Puffs.
After an afternoon nap I woke up to some crackers and Pellegrino.
Dinner was easy, breezy, beautiful; it was a Green Giant frozen meal. You stick in the skillet and it's done in about ten minutes. Do you see all those veggies? Can't go wrong with the Green Giant!
Dessert: my very own speciality;)

Work-out:
-Ran 4 miles with Gabe
I felt so strong today. It was exhilarating. Next run we are going to tack on another mile!

I hope my review was helpful. Let me know what you think. I'm afraid it was too long. Just trying to mix it up a bit!

When is summer break???

Is it just me or does it feel like it should be Thursday today? Every day lately has felt like at least the equivalent of 4 regular days all packed in one. I need a vacation! Please tell me, do you ever get over that feeling that you deserve the summer off??? I'm nervous that I will never overcome that feeling of, "it's summer so now work should be over!" Please, please tell me that it gets easier with time!!??

Off to a much better start today! Such a power house of a smoothie-banana, raspberries, mango, and a few peaches with some ice and almond milk. Absolute heaven. Gotta try it.
Doesn't this just look amazingly delicious??....It was:)
Left over spaghetti for lunch. I think I'm one of few out in the world that doesn't like my leftovers reheated. In my opinion reheating food just changes it and messes it all up. Much rather have it cold!
Dinner at what other then Chipotles!! Today I subtracted the medium salsa, it's been a bit too spicy for me lately. Tonight's mix was fab like always.
Rainbow Sherbet for dessert. This just makes me feel like a kid. It brings back good memories:)


Thought I'd add some more pictures of the casa for you all. Sorry if these pictures are way random. I just figure I share a lot of my life with my readers, might as well share my home! Check out the pictures of my puppy Reggie on our wall. Ridiculous, huh? We blew a picture of our dog up and we have it framed in our dining room. Out of control!

Carb Madness!

Wow, blogging what you eat is so informative! It really opens your eyes to what your dieting consists of. And sometimes that aint too great of a realization! Today I was severely carb crazy! Yikes. It's crazy how you deprive yourself of so many necessary nutrients when you're simply not paying attention. Due to a lack of planning today, here's my carbalishious eats....

Sorry, same pic from yesterday. Toast is all too easy for breakfast but not enough to make a healthy balanced meal to start your day.
Kashi Honey Toasty 7 Grain for morning snack.
Turkey sandwich for lunch. No fruits or veggies to accompany it. I'm embarrassed!
This snack I'm not so embarrassed by. It was just what I needed after staying at work late.
Spaghetti was actually the hubby's choice. At least he bought me some capellini noodles. They are really thin whole wheat noodles. They are delish!
Same ole, same ole. Don't fix it if it aint broke.
This particular flavor of Ritz Toasted Chips is comparable to crack/cocaine. I've never tried the drug but I'm pretty sure these chips are just as addicting. I literally can't stop putting them in my mouth. This was definitely a splurge snack.

Work-out:
-nadda:( should, woulda, coulda.

Reviewing your daily food journal really illustrates the weaknesses and strengths of your diet. It's so important to take good care of our amazing bodies. I feel like I owe myself more then eating like I did today. We all owe that to ourselves!

Sorry I went AWOL!

So sorry I've been MIA lately!! Life has been extremely hectic, I'm having a hard time finding a second to even watch last weeks episode of New Jersey Housewives. That's when you know I am for real busy! haha. Anyways, this weekend has been packed, trying to get the moving process started within our apartment. I think I am the only person in the world that doesn't mind packing up a house because it means I get to organize it all more thoroughly. Crazy! I know.
I was just feeling some whole wheat toast with a smidge of butter. I am in love with Bread!!! Pretty sure if I could have one food for the rest of my life it would be Great Harvest Honey Wheat Bread. Absolute heaven on earth:) I have missed Great Harvest so much while living in New York! Have any of you been there before?We were on a roll with packing and it took me till 3 to realize I haven't really eaten much today and that I am really hungry! We went down to the grocery store and picked up sandwiches. Nothing too fancy but it did the trick of tiding me over while we were packing the guest room today.

Dinner tonight was nothing short of A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Whole Foods buffet. I totally got more food then I should have though. Gabe and I spent $34 just on the buffet. Yikes! Word of warning: do not go to Whole Foods on an empty stomach!!!

Dessert was again my favorite mixture of fage, strawberries, and granola:)
We took some pictures of our living room before packing up. I love how Gabe has decorated it, so I just wanted to share it with you:)...usually we don't have that big vase of orange flowers sitting on our coffee table. That was just for the effect. Gabe does do a pretty good job at keeping fresh flowers around the house though:)

Work-out:
-Ran 4 miles, today my legs felt like lead! It was such a struggle to get through the run! I think stress is wearing down my body, hopefully I'll manage it better this week!

I hope everyone had a seriously relaxing and enjoyable weekend! Thank you again for always being there for me Olga, Ellie, and Katie and for all my readers that keep checking in day to day:) You are the best!!! Love you!

Happy Thursday!

Happy Thursday! Not much interesting to report today, it was professional development day at work. A 7 Habits workshop facilitator came and it was pretty torturous-only because I've been through the entire workshop twice before! I'm all for Franklin Covey's 7 Habits, don't get me wrong. But having a loud mouthed guy scream in your face all day was not motivating. Some facilitators are just better then others and the guy who presented was certainly not the best Covey's got to offer! Have any of you read 7 Habits for Highly Effective People? What do you think about self-help type books?....
I tried some cinnamon raison granola with my fage this morning. It was a nice change. I love granola! It's so filling, I just wish it didn't have so many calories. Blah.
Lunch was catered at the school. Under this saucy mess is Parmesan chicken. Not the best. But at least it was free:)
I had to stay late tonight to interview new students for the upcoming school year. It was hard to get into it when I know I'll never get the chance to get to know them. It was actually pretty hard. But it's alright, I know everything will work out....I'm glad I had packed my peanut butter sandwich. I was starving after school.
Dinner was not the very best choice. I ate 3 pieces as well. I kind of threw in the towel with choosing Freshetta. What are you gonna do?
I had a little cup of rainbow sherbet for dessert. Delish! Only 120 calories per serving as well.
We walked our doggie, Reggie down to King Tomato-the produce sanctuary. We are ready for some more delicious smoothies! I tried to buy some more veggies to try out. We'll see how it goes!

Work-out:
-I didn't make time for it. When I have to stay late at work then I know ahead of time that in order to get a work out in I must go in the morning. This morning around 5:45am it just wasn't happening!

So happy for the weekend! Hope you all have fantastic plans!

Exercise=Sanity

It was a much better day today, thank goodness! I can say that exercising helped quite a bit as well. However hard it is to get yourself to work out, (especially when life is pure chaos), it is soooo worth it!! I feel healthier on every level after I get a work out in; emotionally, mentally, and obviously physically! I also feel like I'm more in control when I exercise, which is critical when you feel like your life is a falling apart. I truly believe in many ways that exercise=sanity, at least in my case....So there's my feelings about exercise;)
I was disappointed to be reminded that we ate up all our berries with all our smoothies. No strawberries for my morning fage and granola:( I forgot my camera at lunch. It was nothing special, Quizno's turkey, ranch and swiss sandwich and some baked bbq chips. I really adore Quizno's sandwiches and my lunch of choice only weighs in at around 400 cals. for a small sandwich.
Here's me being a weirdo taking pictures of my food in a busy subway station. I managed to get people to stare at me. Quite the feat in NYC!
The weather was so erratic here today! It was so muggy and hot and then right as I'm leaving work it starts to pour rain. Just my luck:P I still had a smile on my face though because we were eating at my fav, Chipotles.

Tonight's salad was actually a little bit TOO spicy for me. I think I need to go easy on the double salsa's next time!

I hit up my 3rd fast food restaurant at Wendy's for dessert. The simple, the perfectly satisfying, the classic Frosty.

Work-out:
-Fitness Club!
-Warm-up 1 mile run
-Leg work-out:
-lunges 30 reps, 2 sets
-lunges where you hold your leg out straight on the kick-back 30 reps, 2 sets
-umpa-lumpas 30 reps, 2 sets
-wall-sits, as long as possible, 2 sets. We did it contest style, and I won one of two times! Hey-oh!!

Hope your Wednesday was good to you all!

High Anxiety!

Sorry about the lack of post yesterday. Last night, literally right when I was sitting down to post, Gabe walks in from walking our dog with the downstairs neighbor in tow. Who he found locked out of her apartment. We invited her sleep on our couch. I am really glad she took up our offer-it was 12:30am and she looked exhausted. But I am actually kind of surprised she did because we've only met her once before in the year that we've lived here. New Yorkers seriously keep to themselves. Anyways, that's what kept me from the blogging world yesterday:)....Today was high anxiety in my world! Gabe and I have recently decided to move back to the west. The hubbie is going to back to school for his graduate degree. There is a long story behind it all and it's a quite emotionally exhausting, especially considering I am not totally ready to leave the madness that is NYC. But my priority is my family and this is what's best for us, so moving onward. The high anxiety part of my day comes with the fact that I put in my formal resignation at work. Not fun. At all. The Administrative staff was really supportive, which I am sooo grateful for. It's not an easy decision, what so ever! This post could go on forever and I don't want that! So I am going to keep moving along.......

Gabriel brought me home some flowers for high anxiety day. So sweet:)

Blackberries are smoothies greatest compliment. This smoothie mixture was our best yet.
This is all I ate today. I was stuck in the Principles office for most of the day. I didn't even realize I was hungry until like 5pm rolls around and at that point I bought some comfort food-bagel & cream cheese.
I fell asleep for a little bit when I got home. I was emotionally exhausted! I woke up to what was supposed to be my lunch, Lean Cuisine Mac & Cheese.
This day was all discombobulated so I thought it only fitting to eat my favorite breakfast for dessert.

Work-out:
-Does being really emotional count?? I feel more tired after crying then I do after running a half-marathon.

Sorry for the excess of explaining in this post! It is so therapeutic to work through your day like this. I'm just so grateful for everyones support:) I LOVE THE BLOGGING COMMUNITY!!!