This’ll be a quick post—
I first wanted to say thanks for all your comments over the last week—keep ‘em coming! Welcome to my 2nd weekly course round-up, where I talk in more detail about the things I’ve been doing this week, along with the Fab and Not-So-Fab aspects. What has really struck me this week is how completely exercising, cooking, and blogging has filled my free time. Here are some (brief) highs and lows:
The Lows:
Personal Training Session
You can read all about it in my last post.
Shin splints & gnocchi
I don't want these to be my shins. Especially since a man's shins would look funny on me. (Image via KinadyFamily on Flickr)
A couple hours after doing my running program yesterday, it was clear that I was going to have minor shin splints in my left leg for some reason. It was noticeable enough today that I took another day off of exercising, even though I didn’t want to because I just took a rest day on the day before last. I am hearing John Bingham’s voice in my head reminding me that people enthusiastically starting new fitness programs tend to ignore their bodies and train too hard, resulting in injuries. My minor anxiety about having another rest day is unwarranted, and I know that I’m being wise.
I combined the mild anxiety my exercise-free day with a food slip that caused me more anxiety (after the fact)—I made the mindless decision to have gnocchi Bolognese during a business lunch today. Granted, I only ate half of the giant plate, but it’s still a lunch of starchy potatoes, sugary tomato sauce, and factory-farmed beef. Not the wisest decision I’ve made in two weeks, especially given that I just finished the “factory-farmed beef” section of Omnivore’s Dilemma, but old habits die hard. At least I had the good grace to recognize the hypocrisy after the fact. I had to remind myself not to get worried about myself, that it’s the changes I can sustain over the long-term that matter, not what happens on any given day. I am not derailed. This is also a good reminder of the next exam I have coming: in October, I am not eating a single meal out.
The Highs:
Boot camp
I loved me some Boot Camp this week. Although it required more plank position, the magical combo of three friends in the class and being taught by the world’s best instructor made it satisfying. I’m going to try to go every Saturday. This week, I also did my couch to 5K running program, had the personal training session, played tennis, and observed (but did not take) an Aikido class.
Cooking with friends
I guess it’s no surprise that cooking with friends turns out to be way more fun too! I cooked with friends on 2 out of the 4 nights this week in which I tried new recipes. In both cases, I was cooking with friends who knew more than I about it and could show me a few tricks.
While cooking with one friend on Thursday, we both learned how to properly deglaze a pan and make a crazy-tasty wine and lemon sauce in 4-step chicken, which we ate with Swiss Chard (yum) and brown rice. It was our first time making and eating swiss chard, which turned out to be the Incredible Shrinking Vegetable. We cooked it in the microwave following a spinach recipe calling for putting it in a dish with few tablespoons of water, and it shrunk from a gallon-sized bag of green leaves to a soggy (but delicious) pile the size of about three tablespoons. Super spooky! Clearly, I didn’t cook it the optimal way—it’ll have to be sautéed next time. Other Chard suggestions are welcome—I got some more from the farmer’s market this week.
Saturday night I cooked with a friend who led us in a ratatouille recipe and also made chicken with mushrooms. At her direction, we cooked the mushrooms in Vermouth, thyme, and rosemary, and it was so stinkin’ good!
I like Omnivore’s Dilemma so much that I am going to have to write a separate post about it—look for that later this week! It’s a good preview to my two Local Food-related activities coming this next week: a local cooking class and a food preservation class. More soon.
Overall Course Progress from Week 2:
Participation points:
√ Went to farmer’s market & created a meal plan for the week
√ Tried 3+ new recipes: 4 step chicken, vegetable ratatouille, healthy eggplant parmesan, and sundried and fresh tomato pasta.
√ Spent time daily setting and reviewing goals
√ Spent time daily writing and working on my writing
√ Did 265 minutes of exercise this week! (a month early)
Exams in progress:
√ No television
Assignments completed:
√ Attended a training session at my gym
√ Finished reading: How to Write a Lot
