a body

...therefore glorify God in your body...

~~1 Corinthians 6:20

I've been thinking about this scripture every since I heard it in General Conference in October. Granted most interpretations of this scripture talk about consecrating one's life to God and sanctifying the body and spirit in service to God.  However, when I heard this scripture my mind went in a bit of a different direction.

I had just finished two months of intense physical training and my body was in pretty darn good shape. I was tired, very tired, and wondering how I could maintain the shape I was in and not kill myself with every workout. When I heard, "...glorify God in your body..." I immediately thought of all the hard work I had put into strengthening my body and taking care of it during the training.  And I wondered if by maintaining a healthy and strong body was I glorifying God in my body. I think the answer is yes.

Our bodies are a gift from God. There are so many promises of strength and health, if we refrain from injuring ourselves with harmful substances and activities, and concentrate on healthy foods and activities. I know that many people struggle with health problems and physical limitations of all kinds and that sometimes it may not feel like a blessing from God to have that body.  I think that God just wants us to work with what we have and do our best. I think that God wants us to listen to ourselves and learn what our bodies need in order to feel the best we can.  When we do this and invite him to help, he will bless us.

I love how I feel when I'm out for a run, my lungs are expanding as I breath in and out, my leg muscles are burning from going up the hill and the endorphin high kicks in. It's a good feeling. It makes me happy, clears my head and makes me want to eat healthy, do some pushups and even some situps which I hate. The feeling of having worked hard and pushed myself a bit to do better on a run or other workout is a good one, and I think God feels a bit of glory when I seek to keep his gift to me healthy.

I'm having a hard time figuring out how to write what I'm trying to say.  So, here's the simple version:

Today I am very thankful for a healthy, strong body that pretty much does what I want it to do.  I am thankful I can use my body to run, sing, dance and have fun.  I am thankful for the body I have right now.

winning the battle

via: commons.wikimedia.org

Remember my weekly posts about Winning the Battle and my struggle to work on my weight and workout goals?  Well, those kind of got taken care of when I was selected for Chief earlier this summer and went through two months of training.

Being healthy and strong requires balance.  Like the woman in the Vermeer painting above, this balance can require attention and patience.  While the past two months of my life haven't been exactly the most balanced and healthy months of my life, I do feel that I learned some valuable lessons that will help me as I move forward with my goal of being physically strong and healthy.

I'm not sure how much weight total I lost or how many inches I lost either, because I have not gotten on a scale since mid-July.  I did have weigh-ins every couple of weeks during training, but I didn't really worry too much about them; I just trusted that I was doing everything I could to take care of my body and worked really hard to make sure I lost the needed weight.  I'm now in the best shape of my life and looking forward to maintaining it.  I learned a lot about what my body is capable of and just how strong I am.  I was quite surprised to find out that I can actually run five miles on after pulling an all nighter, that I can do pushups on command until I drop from exhaustion, and that I can actually function on very little sleep when needed.  That balance thing would have come in real handy at some points during my training.

I also found my breakfast of champions for days when I have the really hard workouts and need something that will stick with me through three hour workouts.  This combination worked really well for me: a banana (I buy the smaller ones), Activia vanilla yogurt and Kashi Go Lean or Kashi Go Lean Crunch.  When I ate this at 0330 in the morning, I had the energy I needed for my 0530 workouts which lasted for two to three hours at times.

I will be working hard to maintain my newly acquired strength and body.  I plan to continue sharing some of my tips and things I like.  Hopefully, something will help you out along the way.

Oh, I ran my first official race this weekend - the Navy 5 Miler.  It was great to be out running again and to do it because I like it and not because someone was yelling at me to get going.  I ran the race in 1:00:28, which is a 12 minute mile pace.  My goal was to simply have fun and I did.

One of the tools that helps me find balance is the Word of Wisdom which is the LDS code of health.  While it touches on the substances we avoid ingesting, the Word of Wisdom also outlines the ways we can be healthy in our diet.  I especially like where it says that the principles of the Word of Wisdom can be "adapted to the capacity of the weak" (D&C 89:3).  This means we can each find what works best for us and also that Heavenly Father will bless us to find this.  I also love that these promises are true:

And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive bhealth in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.  And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen. (D&C 89:18-21)

I was given strength when I needed it most and even found wisdom and great knowledge when I needed them as well.  God took good care of me.

8 mile run

today i ran eight miles for the first time ever in one day and i kept up with everyone in my class.  granted we took lots of breaks, so that helped me to re-charge my batteries.  the weather was perfect for a long run today as well.

it was an awesome day.  lots of unexpected blessings at every turn.

this is just part of our run.

oh and i've discovered the secret to losing weight fast.

pt sessions at 0530 three days a week.

wtb-week 18

Holy cow, I hurt for a couple of days!  Last week I saw a yellow sign at Lincoln Park advertising bfitdc.com (read a WaPo review of the studio here).  For some reason I remembered the sign and checked it out when I got home.  A combination Pilates and ballet-barre workout developed by a dancer who was injured and wanted to get back in shape.  I was intrigued and convinved my friend KK to check it out with me at the basics class.

The workout wasn't quite what we expected--it was awesome.  We used the ballet-barre only as support during the different Pilates poses and as resistance during one of the ab sections.  I was sweating hard within the first ten minutes, much like I would be after a three-mile run.  I loved the concept of striking a dancer's pose, holding it and then isolating muscle groups in a surprisingly hard workout.  It worked my muscles on whole new levels way deep inside that I didn't even know I had.  I couldn't do every repetition or hold every pose.  I needed a lot of help finding the right pose and techniques.  I pushed and did as much as I could plus a little more.  It was satisfyingly exhausting in ways that only hard work can be.

It was the hardest workout I've had in a long time.  Turns out that we weren't at the basics class, we were at a regular class with one of the hardest instructors in the studio.  When KK and I found this out, we were impressed with ourselves and after seeing that we really could do more that we had to do more.  We'll be back next week.

Remember me writing about working out with my team before heading to Afghanistan, aahh, pyramid pushups--that's how my body feels now.  The feeling the next morning when I woke up and tried to move, that deep muscle soreness and burn that sticks around for days afterwards reminding me that I'm a bit of a wimp.  I have to say I love that feeling of having worked hard.

P.S. You can see some of the moves on this website.  It's not the same studio, and has more photos of the moves.

wtb - week 17

Ladies, y'all understand when it's that time of the month there's no way any of us want to get on a scale.  And you also know that there really is only one cure for PMS--Chocolate!!  M&M's are often my happy pills of choice. 

One of my favorite chocolate-food combinations is chocolate with pretzel.  The salty crunch of the pretzel with the creamy smoothness of the chocolate is heaven to my taste buds, but not the waistline.  When I saw the new Pretzel M&M's I had to try them.  The great news is that they taste great and each bag is only 150 calories! When compared to 240 calories for the Milk Chocolate M&M's or 250 calories for the Peanut M&M's, 150 calories is awesome news.  Who knew M&M's were counting calories too. 

Y'all know what this means?  I can eat a bag of Pretzel M&M's and spend a little less time on the ellyptical... or not.  Yay!

image via: m&ms.com

I ♥ M&M's.

wtb - week 16

"The best diet is the one you don't know you're on."  I like it.

This is the mantra of the the book Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink, PH.D.  So far, I've learned that eating in the U.S. is a mind game.  Every package, recipe, menu, serving presentation, plate size, grocery store and restaurant is designed to get us to eat more.  Typically, we use visual cues for how much to eat.  If we see that there is more, then we eat more.  If we have bigger plates, bowls and glasses then we eat more.  If we see that we've eaten alot, then often we will stop eating.  And even though we may say, I'm smart and have educated myself about food, we can still fall for the illusions of what we see rather than thinking seriously about how much and what we weat.  Wansink has lots of proof up his sleeve and cites the many interesting studies he has conducted or read.  Interesting food for thought.  Yes it's a pun, and a bad one.

I'm hoping to learn to re-program my mind when it comes to food and not fall for the gimmicks. 

via: missiongettinghealthy.blogspot.com

Which serving size do you want?

wtb - week 15

okay, so after 15 weeks i feel as though i don't have much to show for myself.  this week, i'm going back to square one where i write everything down that i eat and drink, what time i do this and how i feel afterwards, i.e., starving, hungry, satisfied.  next week, i might even share my notes with you.

i'm also reading a book called Mindless Eating.  the title alone got me thinking about my eating, and i decided to start off the book by writing it down, so my eating isn't mindless for me anymore.

on a side note, all my fresh veggies froze in the vegetable and fruit drawers in my fridge this weekend.  i had to throw out quite a bit of stuff.  here's a photo of what i managed to rescue.  zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes and onion topped with olive oil, salt and pepper, and italian seasoning under the oven broiler until the edges are browned.  it's all absolutely divine!  veggies are yummy.

winning the battle - week 13

not much to report this week.

didn't get on the scale this morning.

not feeling so hot this week.  i am running again.

sometimes you feel it and sometimes you don't i guess.

my new favorite treat for under 100 calories:

edy's fruit bars in pomegranate have caught my taste buds.

just the right amount of sweet and tart.  oh yum!

winning the battle - week 12

I've been at the same weight for two weeks now.  This is encouraging, because I'm maintaining, but I would like to lose a few more pounds.  I'm hoping that this week with my resumed workouts and better food choices, I'll make a dent in things.  I'll let you know.

I love three-day holiday weekends.  Sleep is so important and I got to play, or rather sleep catch up this weekend.  It was nice.  I've definitely noticed that when I get close to eight hours of sleep that my body is happier.  I'm happier.  My brain is happier.  My appetite is also happier and more settled.  I don't feel like I'm compensating for a lack of sleep with more eating. 

When I'm well rested, I crave more healthy foods.  Fruits and veggies with the right amounts of proteins and grains, and a good solid sleep all serve to make me a happy girl.  Plus I really do need my beauty sleep.

via

winning the battle - week 11

I didn't step on the scale this morning.

Cravings.  And feeling like I can't get enough food.  Yep, it's that time of the month.  Seriously, I can't get enough food.  For instance, today at lunch I eat a great salad with tuna and crackers, and an hour later I'm starving again.  A snack of an apple with peanut butter and an hour later I'm starving again.  Yogurt and an hour later I'm starving again.  And this has been going on for the past three days.  Ya gotta love the hormones.  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrgh!

The good news is I can actually run again.  I'm taking it easy to see how I do, but it feels good.

So goes the battle...

via diabeticlivingonline.com with tips on how to control your cravings

applicable to everyone

winning the battle - week 10

1 pound lost this week.  I lost that pound I gained last week.

I think I've turned a corner in my relationship with my body.  I'm much more comfortable listening to it and hearing what I really need in order to be my strongest and healthiest.  Lately, I've been eating what I want, when I want. 

What sounds good to me lately are salad greens with a combination of the following: shredded carrots, red pepper, cherry tomatoes, avocado, English cucumber, snap peas, baby squash, spinach, swiss chard, green beans, etc.  And when I eat this stuff it's as though my body sighs in contentment.  Even though I spent a week eating chocolate when I needed "drugs" for my back pain (see last week), I also ate lots of green stuff and I think that was the trick to being able to stay on track with my weight loss.  It also made it easy to make wise choices while I was traveling last week, so I could stay on track with my goal of becoming stronger.

Good food is easy to eat and it's even better when it's the healthy, fresh food that my body craves.

P.S. Chocolate still is gooood.

winning the battle - week 9

0 pounds lost this week, in fact, 1 pound gained.

I injured my back last week and was unable to work out.  It was hard to wrap my head around stopping this week and letting my back and body rest.  My head didn't like it so much.

I learned once again that I am a total emotional eater.
And my drug of choice when I hurt is chocolate. 
Not exactly the wisest of food choices.
I needed to get my endorphine high somehow.
(Yep, that's the not-so-logical logic that I used.)
And chocolate seemed to me a good way to do this.

I was also reminded how important it is to listen to my body.  It really does know best and if I stop to listen for a moment, it tells me what it really wants and needs.  Try it some time, you'll be surprised what you hear.

more on these homemade, hand-dipped beauties to come

winning the battle - week 8

1 more pound down.  10 pounds altogether!  i'm almost halfway there.

this week's topic is motivation.  what motivates me?  'tis a good question.

i've thought a lot about this lately.  why do i really want to lose the weight?  what is it that will keep me from returning to my old habits?  what will i do to maintain my new weight and my new habits?  i don't have all the answers yet, but i'm getting there.

one of the things that excites me about losing the weight is the thought of not having the little bulge around the waistband of my jeans.  i remember when i returned home from afghanistan, my jeans fit awesome and my curvy silhouette was smooth in all the right places.  i want that body back again.  that's one motivation.

my core has always been my weakest link.  i want to be strong in my core.  i think that's one of the keys to feeling stronger period.  that's another motivation.

i have two dresses in my closet that i want to wear.  one is red and looks amazing on.  it will only look better later.  the other dress is a cute little, deep purple, cotton, peasant number that i found when i started the diet and fell in love with.  more motivation.

my sister and i have been talking about running a marathon together for several years now.  i want to be strong enough to do this, so me losing weight and changing my habits are steps towards running a marathon with my sister.  another motivation.

most important, i want to do this.  i want to feel better, stronger, healthier.  i want to be my best self.  that's the true motivation.

image here

winning the battle - week 7

1 pound down this week.  slow and steady wins the race.  right?

sometimes, i feel like i'm getting nowhere with this.  last week every work out was a battle with myself to keep going.  i would start my run and immediately bounce off that brick wall.  i would get on the ellyptical and boom!  there was that wall again.  i just wanted to get over that wall last week.  i had to push and pull myself to keep going to get over that wall.  i did my workouts, but they just didn't feel as good as they have been.

i have a confession to make.  it's a pretty shameful, dirty, little secret.  i love whopper jr.  i love the smaller size, the grilled flavor, the onion and pickle, and the sauce.  oh, i love whopper jr.  in fact, i crave whopper jr, fries and a diet coke.  i drove by whopper jr this afternoon.  it would have been so easy to stop, but i kept right right on going.  i didn't give into that little voice in my ear.  instead i thought about how much work i would have to do to undo whopper jr, and to be honest i'm just too tired right now to do all that work right now.  salad and jenny entree here i come! 

image from: wikimedia.org

winning the battle - week 6

I lost 1 pound this week.

It would have been more, but as I am once again learning there are consequences to what I choose to put in my body.  As my Jenny consultant said to me today, "You would have lost three pounds last week, if you had stuck to the diet."  It's true, I would have.  Oh, the consequences of such indiscretions with food.

My friend, A.B. and I rode our bikes to a Nats baseball game Friday, and of course we stopped by the famous Ben's Chili Bowl stand for a half smoke with chili, which is seriously awesome stuff.  Then with my cousins here on Saturday, the clincher was the Afghan dinner we had, which was sooooooo goooooood.  I probably ate four days worth of calories in two days.  Not even logging 15 miles of run/walks and bike rides last week can put a dent in that detour off the diet, but the good news is I still lost a little weight.

So, this week it's time to get serious again.  I have no plans to eat out, lots of plans for my workouts this week, a plan to smuggle my diet food into the baseball game on Thursday and a goal of three pounds lost this week.  I'm looking forward to it.

Little Miss Squirrel is so gonna be regretting that chocolate chip cookie,

when she weighs in next week.

I found her eating her dessert down on the Mall this past weekend.

How do I know she's a she?

She's eating chocolate, 'nuff said.

photo by me

winning the battle - week five

1 pound down this week.

So, I'm learning I can't just wing this.  It's hard work to stick to a diet and a workout routine.  I knew this, but I feel like I'm learning it again.  Funny how that works.  And when I don't stick to the diet, I sure do know it on Monday morning when I step on the scale.  So, this week I will stick to the diet, which means really thinking about portions and choosing the foods which are on the diet.

On the upside, my clothes are starting to fit differently.  For instance, I wore one of my favorite shirts today and instead of pulling around my belly and waist, it totally hung really nice and cute.  I felt like I looked skinnier, because the shirt was hanging right.

The running feels good.  On Saturday, T.T. and I ran the Swamp Trail at Theodore Roosevelt Island, which is part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.  I loved it.  The Swamp Trail is part dirt/mud/rock/log trail and part wooden bridge through the swampy part of the island.  It's beautiful and has great views of Georgetown, the Kennedy Center and DC.  We ran the loop twice and finished in 35 minutes.

So the battle continues, one pound and one step at a time.

swamp trail image from: nps.gov

winning the battle - week 4

this week 0 pounds lost, but none gained either.

it was easter and we had a picnic potluck.  the food was amazing and all homemade:  carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, croissants (yes, homemade) with chicken salad, guacamole and chips, hummus and pita, couscous with roasted peppers, fruit salad, chocolate chip cookies, easter eggs, angel food cake, sweet sticky rice with mango and coconut milk, carrot sticks, vegetarian salad nicoise and lime-ginger macaroons. oh yeah, i ate the food.

the good news is that i ran three times last week and felt great.  my running partner and i are a good team.  she's good at getting us started and i'm good at keeping us going when we want to stop.  we are having fun.

i'm enjoying being on this diet, because i'm learning really how to make up menus and pay attention to quantities.  it really does help to follow a menu and track everything i eat.  it makes it easier for me to eat right and well.  planning menus in advance also helps me know what to eat and when, and takes the guess work out of it.  plus, at the end of the day when i'm tired and just come in from running, i don't have to decide what to eat, the decision is already made for me.  i like that.

this week i have my work cut out for me, but then i knew i would after eating all that lovely food on sunday.  life is short and dessert should be eaten first.

me, out for a run.

we can call this a before shot.

funny story about this photo.

two guys with heavy accents stopped me during my run for directions.

in exchange, i asked one to take my photo.

he took the photo and as he handed me back my camera said,

"you don't look as hot as you think you are."

i wasn't sure whether to be offended or laugh,

or if he was referring to the fact that my face was bright red

from the heat.

so i just started running again and laughed.

whatever . . .

photo taken by, quite possibly a very rude, random tourist

winning the battle - week 3

another 3 pounds down. 

i'm a little in shock, but starting to get excited at how much weight i've already lost. 

i feel like i really can do this.  i can feel myself starting to let go of some cravings and habits, and starting to create new ones.  i'm glad i started this when i did, because in the midst of spring's changes and rebirth it feels easier somehow to be making changes right now than it did in january when i first set my goals.

i'm still running and enjoying it.  i feel stronger, greener, more alive.  yay!

image from: commons.wickimedia.org

winning the battle - week two

i lost 4 pounds this week.

i'm definitely not starving myself, so i was a bit shocked yesterday morning when i got on the scale and saw the change in the numbers.  i'm eating between 1200 to 1300 calories a day, and concentrating on eating the right number of servings of fruits and vegetables.

my zealousness in dieting last until sunday when i made four dozen cupcakes for work.  they were the promised prize for a contest we had at work.  of course, i had to test the cupcakes and the new frosting recipe i tried out as well.  i ended up eating three of those little buggers, and they were good too.

i also went running twice last week.  this is huge, because last year whenever i tried to run, my calves were in so much pain i just couldn't keep going.  this year, it's just the normal aches and pains.  i'm loving running again, and can't wait to get back in the groove.


not on the diet:
oh, and if you're looking for the best frosting recipe ever, then try this one here at pioneerwoman.com.  it's seriously good.  i even made my own version of this frosting by adding 3 tablespoons of hershey's special dark cacao and a teaspoon of cinnamon.  yummy!

winning the battle - week one

week one has come and gone of the battle. 

thankfully, even though i was on vacation and didn't always stay true to the diet, i maintained and didn't gain any weight.  i worked out every day.  i took my food plan with me, but i was on vacation.

i planned to eat some real food.  south carolina is known for its barbecue and we found a really good place, we also found a really good place for mexican and went out for birthday dessert one night.  so, yeah, i didn't stay true to the diet while on vacation, but i'm okay with that.

i'm feeling pretty good about the first official week of the battle.