One thing I have missed since getting heavy into marathon training is enjoying exercise. For me, a prescribed exercise regimen is kind of like a diet. It’s okay at first but then I get bored with the monotony and the “have to”.
I “have to” run 16 miles on Saturday because it’s on my training plan.
I want to run today, but I just ran 8 miles yesterday, so I “have to” skip a day so I don’t overdo it.
I’m ready to exercise how, when, and for how long I want to exercise.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m so glad I signed up for this marathon. It’s something I’ve wanted to do and wondered if I could do for a long time. But, I’m ready for exercise to be fun again.
So, that being said, in the spirit of the new year, I’m going to give myself a challenge for the month of January to exercise every day.
There is no regimen. I just plan to do something active for at least 30 minutes every day. This includes walking and believe you me, the day before and after my marathon, this is all that I will be doing. Exercise makes me feel so good, no matter how crappy I felt before I did it. I want to feel that good everyday. Most of the time, I work out pretty hard. But sometimes I have this all or nothing mentality that unless I’m doing a serious workout, it’s not really counting. The goal of this challenge is to learn to love exercise again, for what it does for me, for how it makes me feel. By setting a minimum that is completely achievable every single day, I’m giving up the all or nothing mentality and embracing exercise for what it is: an enjoyable healthy activity; not a punishment or a way to rid myself of the calories I ate earlier in the day.
As part of my challenge, I’m going to also try to participate in more of a variety of exercises. I’m off to a good start because I’m meeting Jen for yoga in the morning (my mat thinks I died, it’s been so long) and Diana for Zumba on Monday.
Today, I got started on the right foot. My nap earlier did not last very long. I really have not had a enough sleep in the past 24 hours and although I’m tired, I just can’t sleep. But I wanted to be active anyway, so I did two quick circuits twice after warming up with some jumping jacks.
I also did about 3-4 minutes of ab work. I like to choose four different exercises and do them over and over again for 15-20 reps for the entirety of one song. Usually basic crunches are one of these moves to give me a little break. Sometimes I do two songs and choose four more exercises. It’s not much, but if you choose challenging exercises (bicycles, reverse crunches, scissors, etc.) it burns. I hate ab work and this is sometimes the only way I can talk myself into it.
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Brad had a great run this afternoon. I’m so glad he had this boost of confidence right before his half marathon. Running is 80% mental and just like I needed to finish that 20 mile run last week successfully, I could tell he wanted one last good long run.
I had planned to make a salad for dinner, but Brad was cold and damp from getting caught out in the rain, so I changed my dinner plans to soup.
Thai Green Curry Chicken Soup (makes 3 large dinner-size servings)
adapted from O magazine
4 cups chicken stock
8 oz. chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup jasmine rice
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ginger powder
1 Tbsp. Thai green curry paste
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
4 Dorat frozen cilantro cubes (can substitute 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro)
1 16 oz. can light coconut milk
1 large thinly sliced shallot
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup fresh spinach (tightly packed)
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
juice of one lime
salt to taste
In a large pot I combined chicken broth, herbs (except curry), rice, and shallots. Bring to a boil and add mushrooms and spinach. Allow to boil for 5-10 minutes. Lower heat to a simmer. Add chicken and remaining ingredients (coconut milk, curry, fish sauce, lime, and salt). Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes on low heat.
I served our soup with celery, carrots, and Sabra hummus. It was delicious, warm, and filling. Definitely a soup I will be making again. Brad doesn’t call me the soup Nazi for nothing. 😉