It’s a good day

Hey it’s the last day before spring! And even though its grey the lake is actually melting a little so I am a happy camper.

(See that melted part past the white arctic tundra? yay!)

For more then one reason today is a great day actually, I got a new job today yay! No need to go into details just that it is a good day that will be celebrated with some exercise and some Cheesecake Factory! That’s the best way right? Right.

Yesterday I did not exercise because I am a lazy pants. A big lazy pants. I actually don’t know why I just wish someone could tell me what this pain in my knee and my shin meant. I am very confused. Also my half marathon is in a month in a half and I have only done a 6 mile run one time SO I should start on that I guess. I have done shorter runs obvi but nothing over 3 miles. It wouldn’t be true Tayler fashion unless I did everything last minute. (One major flaw)

What I did do yesterday was eat some of these:

Those are macaroons from Trader Joe’s. I have never had a macaroon but they are Blair from Gossip Girl’s favorite dessert and I needed them when I saw them. They were delicious by the way and are doing a great job of reminding me that I am  hungry for lunch. See ya on the flip side!

My First Trip to Trader Joe’s and A Run

So today was a very exciting day. Mostly because A. I think it hit 50 degrees here in the Cleve and B. I went to Trader Joe’s for the first time ever!! My main man has been there multiple times, it’s right next to his work and gym, and it’s only like 15 minutes from me and I have never been. But all that changed today, and I have many opinions let me tell ya.

First of all I shouldn’t have been allowed to go alone, untimed. Good Lord I am a browser and also the worlds worst grocery shopper/ shopper in general. I either buy nothing or all of the things. Most of the time (like today) it’s all of the things. I have heard so much about the great prices, and man was I impressed! But that may have lead me to buy a bunch of super random stuff that I have seen on other blogs and what not so #fail. Price point wise I  still spent what I normally would for 2 weeks of groceries (I try to only go every 2 weeks because of how ya know I spend all of the money on all of things) BUT I do think I probably got more stuff? Yeah I definitely did. Plus the people were SUPER  nice and helpful. So for lunch today (late lunch I just got back) I had approximately one of everything I bought at TJ’s. It’s a;; healthy for you right? No additives? Sike. Oh well it was all delicious and it is getting me away from only eating quest bars for every meal which I did until I ran out yesterday and then swore them off! Ok for at least like a day or two..

Anyhoo so to recap yesterday I did actually go on a run, and guess what! The shin is still hurting in the one spot. So I just decided maybe it needs to be worked out. I am going to just keep icing and foam rolling and running and trying. Also compressing we all know I loveeee that. It was quite the miserable run though man. It was like no degrees outside for one, and the wind oh my the wind! So cold. The lake is beautiful to look at but that wind is a killer. I ran 1 mile. Don’t laugh. It was cold and I really just wanted to start the running party slowly. I feel successful regardless of opinions!

Anyways I am off to put this amazing hummus away so it doesn’t keep staring at me. I hate when food does that how rude..

Running Tomorrow

So I am definitely going to try running again tomorrow! There is still a part of my shin that hurts, but I am just going to start slow 2 miles with foam rolling, repeat. I think as long as I start low mileage with good care of my legs I’ll be ok, but I think rest was a good deal too. Plus in my boredness I find a great arm workout from another blogger that KILLED, I am still sore and I did it on Friday, ouch. So all in all pretty good! Interview tomorrow am then hopefully a run is in the works! 🙂

Maybe this week I will spend a little more time trying to figure out more about this blogging thing too. I like easing into it and just playing around. But we shall see, this week is looking more busy by the moment with wedding invitation ordering being a top priority, followed by more interviews/ jobs hunting, running again, spring cleaning the apartment for sure, and reading more books.

I am trying to read at least almost 50% through a book list I found online of 100 books that make you well read. Maybe 1 book a week (even though I already read some which I counting!) to try to open up my mind a little. I opened up a library card today (which was AWESOME 🙂 ) and picked up: Heart of Darkness, Things Fall Apart, and To Kill a Mockingbird (which no I never did read in school) so I am hoping to finish maybe 2 books this week to kick things off. I love to read and lately all I have been reading are books about running, not that there’s anything wrong with that! (Seinfeld reference) Now just gotta try to read and not feel sleepy. Hopefully with more experience comes overall success. Wish me luck!

Here comes my wedding dress

So the blizzard ended and that was fantastic… not so fantastic? My eating. Today was not a good day on that front. I also got a call that my wedding dress came in and I need to try that on soon and I have at least 5 more pounds to lose before that so this cannot be good I repeat THIS CANNOT BE GOOD. I am trying not to be too hard on myself because I try to stay happy with my balance with food and just try to eat to be healthy. I hate total restriction, it doesn’t work for me. And I find it much easier to be successful on my eating plan if I just accept that their are good days and bad days. I am not even going to workout formally today, just do a lot of burpees I think. I do them in sets of 10, and I am going to try to squeeze out 4 of those sets right here as soon as I am done. I thoroughly enjoy burpees actually because I feel they are a good test of my overall fitness. I remember this summer I couldn’t get through 7 without a LONG break and now I can really get through 10 no problem. Today was just an ugh day on all fronts. UGH.

But yesterday! Yesterday was more ok. I have to post about yesterday because I actually have a picture in incorporate. I had a bagel craving like no other yesterday so I drove over in a break from the blizzard to grab one from Starbucks. Then I went all “health food  blogger” on it as I say. Hopefully someone understands what I mean when they see this bad boy.

 

So first I put almond butter down (food blogger essential, even though I stress I AM NOT ONE OH MY) then some reduced fat cream cheese. Followed by a nice sliced up banana and some cinnamon on top. Hey at least I made my bagel craving a meal right? If there is anything that healthy living blogs have taught me, its that you mix all of the flavors together. Seriously, all of them. Check check. 

Injury report: not feeling my shin/calf pain anymore, still compressing and taking time off. The lack of running seriously effects my overall fitness happiness. I guess you could say I am officially hooked. I did do some bike and then my leg workout at the gym yesterday where I temporarily hurt my knee. I was being all  dramatic and sad, and then some smart guy I know was all like “hey Tayler, take some ibuprofen” and then I did and since then it has been all better. Go smart guys, they are seriously the best. Long post signing off for the night!

 

Hey there blizzard!

So incase anyone was curious, there is suddenly a blizzard here in the northeast (Cleveland)

For instance here is the view from my window (try and look past the snow on the window itself)

There is the pool of my apartment building and right past that would be beautiful Lake Erie! Oh wait I mean frozen tundra. Full on white out in mid March. When will this winter end! Also it doesn’t look like a lot of snow because the wind is blowing the snow sideways. But I can assure you it is there.

But in other news at least I am not currently missing any lovely outdoor runs due to my injury today! I don’t know if I can even make my way to the gym. I am new to Cleveland and am not quite the awesome snow driver everyone is up here, but I am working on it. I was supposed to do lunch with a friend today, but when my guy told me they were shutting down his work and he was coming home I said mk probably not. All I want is a bagel for the past two days. Is that too much to ask? Apparently in this winter storm it is.

Anyways the shins are feeling fantastic today so it looks like this week off is probably for the best. I went for a 2 mile walk yesterday to enjoy the last bits of non snow, and I felt a little bit of pain but not too much at all. I will still be wearing my compression socks everyday just to be sure. I got some new ones the other day and now that I have followers (thanks guys!) I will post a pic of the sock of the month I purchased.

Pro Compression sock of the month! They are where it is at. I love them and all things fun colored or even the least bit pink. But I should probably be off now to try and find some sort of food for lunch, I only had a Quest bar for breakfast (also love those things) and am a little hungry. Maybe I will venture out into the blizzard for my bagel, who knows!

 

 

This blogging thing..

So I think I am going to dare to take this blogging thing more forreal and not just as a blog to my friend Megan about losing weight for my wedding. The only problem is, I have absolutely no idea what to do. Also I need a better name, I mean couch to run? Because I like the couch? I have no idea what I was thinking. Also I kind of want to take this more seriously because it will encourage me to take pictures of myself/ life which I NEVER  do, and it has always been a dream that I would! I feel like I miss so much because I am uncomfortable in pictures and bleh bleh. So I will start out with one photo I suppose, the only great picture of my fiancé and I together.

And there we are. Looking like we like each other and everything.

Anywhooo, in running (or I like to say jogging because I am sooo slow) news my shins/calves feel better today! I am still taking time off, because the last time they hurt like that a week ago I took 3 days off and they still hurt when I ran again. I think a week should be sufficient. In the mean time, I am just wearing compression socks, foam rolling, and icing like I am some sort of marathoner or something. I swear it helps. So I guess that does it for today, I won’t tell anyone how my elliptical/arm workout yesterday went, because it wasn’t jogging and doesn’t make me sweat and also it was pretty out and I didn’t get to enjoy it so I am definitely grumpy about it. Life goes on!

 

Probably injured

So this weekend I  ran 3 miles on Saturday and 2 yesterday anddddd I think I am injured. The minute I put my foot down on the ground, I feel a shin splint pain. I was literally going to run 8 miles this morning and push through then take the rest of the week off, but then I read about how I could get a stress fracture andddd no bueno. I secretly think I might have a little one anyway, because there is one specific spot that hurts. But as the idiot that I am I am going to pretend that I don’t, just wear compression socks all the time ( I currently have two on my left foot, oh so tight ) and cross train at least until next Monday. To say I am sad panda would be an understatement. I would love to be outside running. Also in a month in a half I have a half marathon, and I cannot risk being more injured for that. So I will just eat well this week, foam roll, compress, and cry I suppose. Actually I will be ok.

I have completed a lot of wedding stuff today with invitiations as the next big deal. There are approx. 50,000,000 invitation options and they are all too expensive. I also think I sent out the last save the dates today so that’s awesome! The wedding is in about 3 months.. and I am just finishing those… man am I the worst. But I will be ahead from now on!

I also ate like poo this weekend, but I don’t feel bad about it anymore. That is because I long to eat better as I am eating badly. So today I COULD NOT WAIT to slam some fruit and stay healthy. Probably the rest of the week. I think I am starting to change for good and that makes me happy. Also I think I am going to change the name of this blog, to something else. Maybe I will make this the real deal. Who knows.

Overpronation, supronation wha?

So basically I have been reading a lot about shoes and running and bleh bleh, and how I land on the outside of my foot which is called overpronation even though the lady at the running store told me I had supronation? Anyway, after reading I kind of decided that I think my shoes are fine, and I just need to heal my calves ( which are getting much better I think I will run tomorrow ) and say forget all this crap. I feel like people run around all over the place and don’t think about their feet this much haha! Yesterday was my first gym workout without running or sprints I did the bike and man was it boring. I barely even broke a sweat. I miss it! Also it is supposed to be getting warmer this week so maybe an outdoor run is in order. I bought a foam roller, because supposedly runners are supposed to have those. Man, when people advertise they must be advertising directly to me. I am such an easy sell!

Diet wise, I am slowly coming down those weird 5 pounds I gained over the weekend. I think I just get SO BLOATED from eating out, so I imagine I will be back to my weight loss self in no time. Instructions for continuing: do not eat out two days in a row! I wasn’t even eating that many calories I think it’s just all the salt and stuff that’s in the food. I like eating better and feeling more in control anyway.

I am currently in the process of hopefully narrowing down which advocare products I think are really fab, and which I might not have to buy anymore. It’s kinda hard, but basically I know two of them that I really like, and two of them that I cannot decide what the benefits or if they are helping. But I know the spark (energy drink) which is like the cornerstone of their whole company I do not like haha I guess I just like coffee better, and I don’t feel anything from it.

Keep on keeping on!

Progressss

So basically I think I hurt my shins real bad. I got excited about being able to run more and faster, as well as new shoes, and I hurt myself. I think I just need rest as well as compression socks and ice. BUT  STILL I is sad cause I would like to run a lot please. Also Drew told me that the weather might be starting to get consistently warmer (FINALLY) and I want to run outside, so I should probably just chill out and ice. I am going to the gym though, I think today I will just ride the bike, and then maybe do my leg workout cause my arms are still sore from my arm workout on Saturday. Maybe throw in some abs.

Also, fun fact, supposedly I gained 5 pounds? I was down 11 pounds, did a “whatever I’m not really dieting” weekend like always, and supposedly I gained 5 pounds. I am choosing to believe that is not true. Because I am so excited because when I was down 11 pounds I only had like 7 pounds left until my wedding weight!!! Also I love lifting, my arms always looked fat and awful, and I am FINALLY  starting to get more confident about them thanks to lifting. DO IT!

Another fun fact: I have been reading a lot about these Quest bars online on my many many many blogs that I read. They are the new hot protein bar. So I bought some (you can get them at GNC) and they are pretty good! Also I may or may not be eating them as meals which probably isn’t healthy, so I made a decision that if I eat one I have to eat some sort of fruit or veggie with it. But I think you should get them and keep them in your purse or whatever, because they seriously keep me full for what feels like forever.

Work it out

Hey Megan! So I told you I would tell you all my workouts because I am a good friend like that. Also I have an infinite amount of time now to focus on working out, and you don’t, so it’s the right thing for me to do. Now my workout days go like this (this works for me maybe you should switch up to do whatever works for you idkkk) anyway: Legs, arms, cardio, legs, arms, cardio (6 sections for the 6 days of the week I try to work out)

Leg workout (put together by my dearest Drew)

Ok so basically every day I do a form of sprints, and this is them: Crank the treadmill up to a 5 incline, turn it up to as fast as you can and sprint for 20 seconds, rest for 40 seconds. Repeat a minimum of ten times, and each week increase to no more then 15. (slow and steady, it took me a long time to power through these) You will be sweating by the end man!

Hamstring curls 3 sets of 8 reps

Squats with weight 3 sets of 10 reps

Lunges with weight 3 sets of 15 reps per leg

Finish with: one minute straight of squats, then two minutes straight of lunges, then one minute straight of squats

Just remember to push push push!

Arm workout (pulled from a blog I read)

First the cardio listed above

Then I do the arms workout listed here http://www.mamalaughlin.com/2014/01/push-day-workout.html

She already listed it all out with nice pictures and stuff. It’s not too complicated, and allows you to keep upping weight. I do my pushups on my knees, hoping to do regulars soon. I also do 15 tricep dips each set instead of 10, and 15 pushups each set instead of 10 (per Drew’s recommendation)

Cardio Day

This basically just consists off running as long as I can on the treadmill, maybe throwing in some sprints. I’ve been really throwing in some hills or upping speed to help fight boredom. Also I try to do some planks or something when I am done to help with core strength. I usually go between 40 and 45 minutes, hoping to take that up for me personally because I have my half marathon in May. But you’re such a speed demon so I am sure this cardio won’t be hard for you!!!

And those are my workouts!! They keep me going, the importance of strength training for women’s bodies is really overlooked, but it really has been changing the way my body looks I am super pleased 🙂

Talk to you soon!