Dropping my yoga excuses

Good morning! Hope your Thursday is off to a good start. After over-doing the snackage last night, I woke up ready to run and restart.

Half Marathon Training

warm up. 20 minutes alternating between 30 sec. at 20 sec. per mile faster than 5k pace = 6:27 and 30 sec. at goal half marathon pace = 7:23. cool down.

Instead of one 20-minute segment of this, I did two 15-minute segments, with a 5 minute slow jog between the two. I did not expect 30 minutes to be so tough! I am (and I think most of us are) used to doing speed intervals that alternate between a hard pace and an easy pace. This was alternating between a hard and a harder pace! I definitely needed a 5 minute jog after 15 minutes of this just to catch my breath. But man, did I feel great afterward.

Breakfast

One of my favorite parts about a great workout is coming home to a warm shower, and then making a delicious meal to refuel. I opened the fridge and saw the last of the leftover canned pumpkin, I knew what I wanted.

Refuel Pumpkin Pancake

(makes 1 giant pancake)

• 1/2 c. rolled oats
• 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• 1/3 c. egg beaters or egg whites
  
• 1/4 c. pumpkin
• 1 Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• cinnamon to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Heat up a skillet sprayed well with cooking spray to medium heat. Spread the batter in the shape of a pancake. Cook about 3-5 minutes (until the bottom is browning), flip and cook another 1-2 minutes.

Toppings: Almond Butter (that blob in the middle), Banana slices, Maple Syrup

This picture makes it look small, but let me assure you this is a large dinner plate and the pancake was gigantic and wonderful! This is a perfect post-workout meal – carb/protein/healthy fat balance.

Lunch at the Desk (Preview)

I am determined to get a walk in during today’s work day (I didn’t yesterday – grrr). I try to eat lunch at my desk so that I can use my lunch break time to take a walk.

Ham & cheese sandwich – with hummus, mustard, spinach

Fruits + veggies

Yogurt for the anticipated 3 pm stomach growl.

It’s already obvious that I did NOT stretch well enough after my speed workout. My plan (if I can leave work in time) is to go to Power Yoga tonight, which always makes me feel so good. Sometimes I find it a lot easier to just skip it and go home, but I’m really trying to take a little more initiative and JUST DO IT, as Nike says.

I need to drop my yoga excuses…

• I’m too tired. (Sometimes my body really is too tired for yoga, but most of the time I just use this as a reason to be lazy take the easy route and plop on the couch).
• I already ran today so I don’t really need to go to yoga. (FALSE – yoga provides me with amazing strength training and stretching, not to mention a sense of peace and calmness that I need in my life. I love running but I don’t want it to be my one thing).
• I have too much to do. (Maybe some nights I do have things I really need to do that day, but if I have time to watch TV and bake and blog, I have time to go to yoga).
• My (fill in the blank) hurts. (Hamstring, knee, foot, quad, etc. Many times yoga actually helps me work out the little kinks, and any instructor is able to help me modify poses to avoid making anything worse).
• It’s just one class – no big deal if I skip. (True, but using this excuse again and again when there’s no good reason to skip is just not okay with me! I’d rather just be real with myself and admit I’m looking for an excuse.)

I will go to yoga today! Hold me to it!