Portion Control

After my running groups run a few nights ago we sat on the curb in front of our friend’s house as we pretended to stretch and talk. The discussion of weight loss was one topic of discussion. Calorie counting, sugar, butter, nuts, and wow was brought up.

I’ve noticed as some of my friends have as well, that even though we run consistently (3-6 miles 4 or more times a week) we haven’t lost any weight. Part of that I think is that as you run you tone your muscles and burn fat and we all know that muscle weighs more than fat. But, for me, I think it really comes down to portion control (and sugar, but we’ll discuss that in another post).

When I was training for my first marathon I found that I had to eat more to stay nourished, and as I have continued to run I have kept the same healthy appetite. But the thing that we (I) so often need to remember is that I’m not running as much or as often as I was during the marathon training.

Portion control comes down to balancing how much you exercise compared to how much you really NEED. We’re told that a healthy man should have about 2,000 calories per day and a healthy woman about 1,800. But this isn’t a one size fits all situation. You need to determine how many calories you actually burn during the day which will be different on days that you exercise or don’t.

There is a good way to figure out how many calories per day you need to consume by going to the Calorie Calculator. Put in how much you weigh now, and how much you exercise. This will determine how many calories to consume if you want to gain, maintain, or lose weight.

The amount of calories you consume is only one part of portion control. The other is the actual portion of your food. After the discussion last night we all agreed that a healthy diet comes down to moderation.

DON’T stop eating what you love, just eat less! – If you must.

Here are some ways to help control your portions while still being able to eat what you want, like bread, and pasta, the occasional fun size candy bar or two, or ice-cream pie – yum.

Don't Worry About Cleaning Your Plate

When dining out, some people will clear their plate no matter how big the portions. If you're one of them, try to eat a healthy portion, then stop. Ask your server to wrap up the leftovers immediately, so you're not tempted to keep nibbling. You'll save on calories and have another meal for the next day! – this is hard for me, I tell myself every time that I’ll ask the server to bring out a box with the food so I can put half away to begin with. I am going to try to work on this so the food in front of you is not a temptation.

Buy Individual-Sized Snacks

You may save money buying bulk foods at Costco or the other warehouse stores, but it's not helping you cut back on calories. Once that enormous bag of potato chips is opened, it's very tempting to continue snacking. Try buying individual-sized snacks and limit yourself to eating just one. Or, if you really don't want to spend the extra money, divide your bulk-sized snacks into small baggies when you get home from the store. This is a must because you know you won’t stop and just one. Make sure you set aside smaller groups of chips, or cookies and once they are gone, you're done.

Read the Labels Carefully

Many packaged foods and drinks look as if they provide one serving, but they're actually two or more. Yet the calories and other nutritional information on the label are for just one serving, so unless you read carefully, you may be consuming more calories than you think. Make sure you check the number of servings per container first and then eat or drink just one serving. This can be surprising, did you know that one package of Ramen is 2 servings! I had no idea, make sure to look at the packaging.

Use Smaller Dishes

Downsizing your dinnerware may help you consume fewer calories. Food psychologist Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating invited 85 food experts to an ice cream social for and gave them a small or large bowl and a small or large scoop. Even the experts, who should know better, served 31% more ice cream (127 more calories) in the large bowl and 15% more (60 calories) from the big spoon. Try using smaller plates, bowls, and glasses for your meals. Use small serving spoons to serve fattening topping like gravy, and large ones for low-calorie items like veggies.

Substitute Veggies

If you're trying to change your over-sized portion habits, you may find yourself craving more food with your meal. Round out your plate with low-calories veggies such as celery, carrots, or peppers. They'll help you feel fuller without adding too much to your total calories.

Wait Before You Reach for Seconds

If you're hungry for more, try waiting 10 minutes. Your stomach needs about that long to signal the brain that it's full. Instead of going for that second plate of pasta, distract yourself by talking to someone or reading, if you're dining alone. If you're truly hungry after 10 minutes, help yourself to more of a low-cal food.

Beat the Summer Heat

This post has been a long time coming. Busy work days and busy nights have taken place of blogging, but no longer! J Here in Lexington KY it has been HOT HOT HOT. With heat index up to 110 on average and humidity like no other it’s pretty unbearable walking to the mailbox let alone run. Along with heat advisories warning all to stay inside an air conditioned room it’s not only uncomfortable to run but unadvised.

I am now training for my 5^th half marathon in Indianapolis on November 6. I’m pretty excited for it and I’ve been training with a group of girls at night during the week and EARLY morning on Saturdays.

To beat the heat we make sure to stay out only when the sun is down. Last year on my second day in Lexington I was by myself (husband driving across the country with a truck full of our stuff) and looking for something fun to do on a Saturday night. Low and behold I found myself a Midsummer Night’s Run.

This was my first experience with a night run (that I paid for), and it was great. Still a little hot but once you were done you weren’t hanging out in the heat but under a pretty night sky. The Midsummer Night’s Run in Lexington is this Saturday and I’m looking forward to the streets lined with people, bands and bananas.

I found an article on Active Runner that lists the top 7 Midsummer Night Runs but you can find these everywhere. I highly recommend signing up for one as summer is coming to a close but the heat is here to stay, at least for a little longer. Most of the runs from Active Runner are in August so you still have time!

Check them out, and if there isn’t one listed close to you make sure to find one that is.

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Night-Runs.htm?cmp=291&memberid=93971688&lyrisid=20860477

I grew up in Utah and I was so happy to see that there were 2 from Utah listed on the top 7! That place really has great scenery to run in, even at night.

Tip for Today

Here is the running tip for today... and I threw in some stats as well :)

Break it down: here are some tips from other runners on Active.com
Forget the big picture; think small.

"When things get tough, I know I can always run just one more mile," says Jess Norton of Seattle.

Adrienne Ramsey of Hingham, Massachusetts, tells herself, "You can do anything for one more minute."

Jeff Rothman of Los Angeles targets landmarks. "I say to myself, 'Get to that building 300 meters from here.' Then, 'Now get to that tree 200 meters ahead...'"

Harry Thompson of Charlotte, North Carolina, uses moving targets. "I make a game of trying to pick off people who are ahead of me one by one," he says.

I do all of these things when I have a tough run one day, or during the half and full marathons. Your can just think to yourself "If I came this far I can go another mile" or two and so on.

Here are some stats on tough runners. Are you one of them?

"The Tough Keep Going"
85% have never dropped out of a race
70% say a bad run doesn't ruin their day
63% would never take a pill to PR
46% say their brains give out before bodies on long runs
40% have never cried during or after a race - I came close my first marathon I'm not going to lie

Happy 4th of July Weekend

There is almost nothing better than a 3 day weekend filled with great food, an annual 10K, family and fireworks! I'm am ready to hit the road to Cincinnati then Ashland KY for fireworks on the river... first I have to finish the lat few hours of work though... can I make it?

I found some fun and easy recipes for a light snack and dessert for your holiday weekend. Let me know if you have any other ideas that will keep the pounds off but still satisfy the tummy (yes I said tummy :))

First... the snack/side/fruit dish:
Patriotic Fruit Salad. Gorgeous and so fun to create.

I would use:
Watermelon (cut out with star-shaped cookie-cutter)
Raspberries
Blackberries
Grapes
Bananas
Strawberries

Next... Dessert: small, yet satisfying.
Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches

Nilla Wafers: maybe try the chocolate flavor :)
Ice Cream: any flavor works great
Sprinkles: could be like fireworks, but for the 4th I would use red, white and blue

Happy 4th everyone!

You Know You're A Runner When...

You know you're a runner when you don't have to be drunk to pee in public...

You forgot that socks are sometimes made out of cotton...

You know you are a runner when your home stretch is two miles long...

When you have a debilitating knee injury and everyone tells you how bad running is for your knees but all you can think about is getting back out on the road!...

You know you're a runner when you start using handicap toilets the days after long runs. They're higher, and it just hurts so much less to stand back up...

You have an old pair of running shoes to cut the lawn, another pair to wash the car, another pair you wear when painting, etc...

You know you are a runner when you call 5 miles a "short run" and people look at you funny...

You know you're a runner when you buy Gatorade in bulk and you have tried every flavor...

For running beginners here are a few tips I found that may be helpful :)

1. Cotton socks will only lead to blisters; invest in socks designed for running.
2. Volunteer at a local race—meet runners support runners and connect with them. Also if you haven't run a race before this will put you in the mood and really motivate you, I promise.
3. Remember that you will have plateaus in your progress and tough days along the way.
4. It gets easier
5. Be prepared to remove the words “can’t” and “never” from your vocabulary.
6. Don’t expect every run to be better than the last one; some of them will hurt.
7. Do not compare yourself to others. Run within yourself and for yourself first.
8. Running is not an excuse to triple your intake of doughnuts (only some days :)) because runners gain weight too.
9. Buy the powdered sports drink mix instead of premixed. It’s cheaper and more similar to race drink mixes.
10. Each pound you lose makes running a little easier.
11. On long runs eat something every hour—whether you feel like it or not.
12. Make sure you cut your toenails short enough so they don’t jam into your Shoes! This will help prevent blisters under toe nails... oh yeah that happens
13. When you pick up drinking cups at aid stations, squeeze gently so it folds slightly and is easier to drink from it while you are moving.
14. A plastic garbage on race day is a very fashionable cheap disposable raincoat.
15. Lift weights.

LUNCH

I received an email from active.com not too long ago about suggestions for lunch time meals. Here is what they had to say: (they focus a lot on salads and let me tell you that if you don't load up on salad dressing a salad is a great meal. Full of dark greens, veggies, protein, and maybe the occasional fruit, that salad is a delish meal!)

"Your midday meal is the parachute ripcord for the rest of your afternoon: If you don't pull it, you'll go splat. The nutritionist's perfect lunch contains plenty of protein, fiber, and water to fill you up, averages about 500 calories, and can be easily packed for work or ordered as take-out. Getting all of that in a single dish sounds about as likely as Kim Kardashian winning a Pulitzer Prize. But there's one offering that fits the bill: a gourmet salad."

If you work all day then make sure to make your lunch at home when you can. It will save you time, money and calories! through together a salad and put the dressing in a separate container so you don't make your salad soggy before you're ready to enjoy.

Here are some fast and yummy ideas for healthy salads:

• Spinach, artichoke hearts, goat cheese, pecans, and dried cranberries
• Romaine, tomato, salsa, black beans, avocado, and cheddar cheese
• Mesclun, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, feta cheese, and grilled chicken
• Iceberg and arugula, tomatoes, avocado, hard-boiled egg, and grilled chicken breast

And another yummy salad that I just LOVE is:

Apple, Dried Cherry, and Walnut Salad with Maple dressing!
(Again just watch how much dressing you put in it and you will be fine with the calories)

Dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or other white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salad:
1 5-ounce bag mixed baby greens (about 10 cups lightly packed)
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into matchstick-size strips (I use one apple and one pear)
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
I also add some fresh sliced Parmesan cheese - not too much though, just enough to taste
Adding some grilled chicken would be more than great too

Update on Warrior Dash

First an update of the Warrior Dash last Saturday. This race is insane in the membrane, but the most fun I've had at a race in a long time. I got muddy and loved it. I climbed over junk cars, scaled a cargo net, jumped over fire, and crawled under barbed wire.

The entire race is ran wither on hay, grass, or thick clay mud with everyone sliding around. It went a little too fast for me I was having such a good time. My husband was waiting for me at the end with muddy hands that he held my cheeks with the moment I got to him. What a loving husband :)

When we were walking up to the buses to go to the race I saw a bunch of people coming back to their cars, and I was a little disappointed because these people were not as muddy as I had hoped. Well I came to find out that it was because at the end of the race they have 3 fire hoses spraying groups of people to wash off. I loved that part too, so cold and refreshing.

Jared saved his mud for our friends whose house we were staying at and ultimately their mater bathroom shower.

At the end they served Turkey legs, and tons of muddy hands were holding one. We didn't get to eat one so I thought that would be a perfect recipe to share.

Turkey meat is great protein. It has about half the amount of saturated fat that red meat has, and had B vitamins for energy. Turkey helps turn your body's proteins, fats, and carbs into usable energy, which is a little funny because people are known to fall asleep on Thanksgiving because of the turkey, or is that the football? Just kidding :)

If you have a smoker this recipe would be fantastic, but I think a grill would work too. I found this recipe on Food Network and it looks delish.

Turkey Legs:
6 Turkey Legs
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon Veg. Oil
Dry Rub Recipe (follows)
Mob Recipe (follows)
Your Favorite BBQ Sauce

Dry Rub Recipe:
1/4 cup chipotle seasoning
1 to 2 tablespoons mild dried ground red chili or paprika
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Mop Recipe:
1 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon BBQ Sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Several hours before planning on barbecuing, loosen the skin on the turkey legs by running your fingers under it as far as possible without tearing the skin.

Combine the Worcestershire sauce and the oil. Coat your fingers with the mixture and rub really well into the turkey legs, getting as much as you can under the skin. Sprinkle the dry rub over the skin, liberally rubbing into the turkey legs and under the skin. Place the legs in plastic bags and refrigerate.

Prepare the smoker for barbecuing, bringing the temperature to 200 to 220 degrees F. Remove the turkey legs from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Re-warm the mop mixture over low heat.

Transfer the turkey legs to the smoker. Cook until the legs are very tender and the juices run clear, about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Mop the legs at 45-minute intervals in a wood-burning pit, or as appropriate for your style of smoker. Serve the legs hot, to be eaten with your fingers, with a side of barbecue sauce.

For a bit healthier meal I think you could leave the BBQ/Mop off and only use the dry rub which I like more anyway. But hey its only a Tablespoon just go for it.