My 2nd family - Arrichion Hot Yoga, massage Therapist Tim Hackett - 2013 Merry Christmas to all - looking forward to 2014

First of all- Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to everyone! I am very fortunate to have so many people who care and support me. If not for you, life is just not the same- thank you!

2013 for me was a hard year. It was a test of my mental strength and dealing with many health issues but now I am growing stronger both emotionally and physically and I am ready to start 2014 getting my ass kicked and me kicking ass (at least I hope so!).

Last 2 blog articles - I talked about my trainer and how she played an important role in my transformation both physically and emotionally.  Now, i want to dedicate this blog article to the studio, to the teachers, to the people at Arrichion Hot Yoga.

Three years ago,  I was in a lot of pain when I went running. My legs: glutes, hams, shins, calves would hurt so bad. I would just endure it thinking if I keep running it would get better. Finally I  did a search and found a massage therapist that deals with neuromuscular reprogramming. At this point, I was ready to try anything. I made an appt. to see Tim Hackett and after talking to me and did some muscle testing, he concluded that because of my knee surgery and other injuries, I was compensating muscle groups thereby causing a muscle imbalance. He said he will work with me on deep tissue work and trigger points massage and asked that I seek out a yoga studio preferrably in the heat. That is how I found Arrichion Hot Yoga - they had 45 mins, 60 mins classes which works better for me than 90 mins classes.

My first class there, I did the 10 for 10 not knowing what to expect. I was greeted by a very friendly instructor - and she helped me with placing my mat and explaining what to expect. The people in class were equally friendly. I remember my first class was Topaz - static poses. It was hard for me because I have attention and focus problems which I keep working on. Within 5 mins of class, I felt warm and limber and can go into the poses much easier than regular yoga classes. And above all, it felt pretty good.. My next class was Krystallos which is like yoga pilates - a core strength class. So I keep going to these 2 classes because the others intimated me and kept seeing my massage therapist and quickly became a member because I know it is helping. I went from running with pain for 1 mile to running 3 miles and then 7 miles.

In 2 months time, it was my half marathon. All I wanted to do is finish the race and hope not to stop too many times hurting and guess what? With the hot yoga and massage, I did not feel pain until mile 11 - this is a huge success for me. And also, my lower back did not hurt either.- that core strength truly helped

After my race, I continue with Hot Yoga  as well as massage. I got more confident and started taking Bloodstone and Black Opal - very difficult classes that includes Abs and pushups. I met Quinn who is the owner of the studio along with her brother Ty. She is my idol. She encourages and I just love her with all my heart. Many poses til this day I cannot do but I will keep remembering what Quinn says "It's all a process" so maybe some day. Ty on the other hand is a man of a few words, but if he does say something, he really means it. He, too is very encouraging.

I also brave my soul to trying Warrior which is a 45 mins class. It was tough since I had no upper body strength and lower body was not much better. Slowly, I progressed to trying out Tiger's Eye which is half yoga and half circuit. Let me tell you , this class is like running a 5K. And most recent, I tried Sparta which is Olympic lifting. Oh sure, very intimated with this class but noone judges you, nothing but encouragement!

It is a one stop shop, no other studio has something like this. You can get strong and limber all in the same place!

I love Arrichion Hot Yoga because  they have become my 2nd family - I am fortunate that they made their start in Raleigh, NC.

My first testimonial of my trainer back in May of 2013. I figure if you need weight loss and training,she is the ultimate bestest!

Last blog article, I talked about my trainer and how it is going for me and what I have accomplish thus far. Words cannot express what she has done for me.  There are many things I cannot do YET! Yes, it used to be I would give up, but no more.

So back in May, 2013, I was asked to put together a testimonial and I had started training with Jackie Jan, 2013. I am including the article here so even from day 1 - I knew I made the best decison in my life. There are many other people I need to thank as well and I will create a blog article as well, noted Arrichion Hot Yoga for encouraging and believing in me. They are my second family! I will soon have a third family in time.

Here goes:

Best Decision I ever made in my life! 

I must have been on every diet and weight loss program on earth in my 50+ years of existence. I would lose weight, gain it back and then some, it is a vicious  cycle that never ends.  I thought that the only way that I would see  progress was through the numbers on the scale. Happily to say, I have been wrong for a very long time.. 

I walked into Fitness Connection thinking I wanted to use the treadmill lose weight.  Unfortunately, I developed a stressed fracture in my foot that did not help my cause and I had to stop. 

I started my training with Jackie Adamo officially January, 2013.  We meet a few times in December to complete the assessment process. I still believe that this is the best decision I ever made for my well-being. I realize now that weight training is what I needed, what my body needed. When I first started my training with Jackie, I was at 150+ lbs , 48% body fat. At 5' tall and at my age...that is not good place to be  and probably related to  other health issues. 

The workouts with Jackie are intense, high intensity, non-stop. The 30 minute workout Jackie feels like 90 minutes.

The following day(s) after a workout I was so sore that I debated whether I want to do this again. My body and mind said to keep going, I came this far and I wanted to be committed to my goals. Jackie is a great listener but also is a no nonsense trainer. She does not take NO for an answer if she knows you can do it. She is very encouraging and you really want to try hard because of her and you keep going back. Now, I see her for 60 minute sessions which sometimes feel like 120 minutes, depending on what she has me do. Like I said, real intense! 

My total body feels a lot stronger. I know that my running will improve with the strengthening of my legs. My upper body is stronger as well, therefore,  swimming is now less taxing (I actually sink now while swimming). The transformation what I see within myself thus far is remarkable. I actually have a waistline now. 

My focus and goals are to get stronger and leaner. I was advised not to look at the scale anymore so I don't know how much I weigh and I have learned not to care. 

Weight training is not the only focus of my new venture, I have learn a great deal about proper nutrition, what to eat and when, to eat. Eating Clean is key! 

My stats then and now?  

Jan, 2013

150+lbs

5' tall

48% body fat

size 12 going towards 14

felt sluggish, tired, unhealthy and weak, fat and flabby, sick a lot 

May 2013

??Don't know how much I weigh

5'tall

last body fat check was 3/15 at 32%

size 6, some size 8

Felt a lot healthier, stronger and more energy 

My training with Jackie is by far not done,  there is still a lot of learning to be done.  When I reach my goal, I will want to continue my training with Jackie to keep me on the right path. 

So if you ever looking for a trainer with experience and someone who really cares about your success and working with you to meet your goals, you may want to meet Jackie.  

 

My trainer and how I became what I am now - Thank You!

If you read my profile, you will get a sense I have gone through many reiterations, trial and tribulations of myself , trying to change who I am, what I am. It has been a struggle for most of my life. My trainer asked how it all started and why now that the change is sinking in? I don't know there is not one answer to these questions. All I know is I am very fortunate to have met my trainer who works very hard to have me reach my goal and believes in me. She is not only my trainer but she has become my friend as well.

I had just finished my 5th or 6th half marathon and felt OK but something was missing. I did not feel good about myself. So I thought all I need is to focus on the running and joined a gym near work so I would have no excuse.  The gym's main purpose is to get you to sign up and also try to get you into personal training which at that time I was not interested since I was not into weight training and it was costly but I went for the assessment. Boy, was I surprised to find that I gained a whole bunch of weight and my body fat was a startling 48%. That is so hard to fathom since I ran 50 miles per week.
The stressed fracture was the deciding factor for me to do personal training. I am not good about self motivation and plus I would not know what to do.

While talking to this other trainer, I did an eye glance to this trainer and I said "Dang, I would like her to be my trainer"  The next day that trainer said I cannot train me but to introduce a different trainer and when I met her I said "Whoa" because she was the one I encounter the night before. How coincidental is that, so cosmic!

My first time with Jackie - it was only 20 mins. Oh man, I thought I was in shape. She beat me up. This is exactly what I needed for someone to push me. So I signed up and here I am. The sessions were real tough, at first it was totally high intensity to get my body moving and for me to go on that horrible stair master. I thought to myself, I am going to quit but I didn't. As the training continued, we talked about my diet, my other activities. I realize my macros were out of proportion, too many carbs, I adjusted that and was getting better results. Since I was also doing yoga, running and other activities. I was OK. She told me I am not allow to get on the scale because they lied and plus your weight would fluctuate and muscle weighs more. The last thing we talk and I have changed is EATING CLEAN, no processed foods, no bad stuff. I feel I am doing pretty good in this area since the food I make is trainer approved.

Besides my physical being changing, my emotional being is changing as well. 2013 has been a rough year for me emotionally. If it was not for my trainer, my friend, who is always there to listen, I would not know what to do. The things I used to do, I would do haphazardly but now I have a whole different mindset of trying harder, doing my best, put forth effort. So emotionally, I now feel a sense of self confidence and self esteem. I feel a lot better about myself. Thanks to Jackie! Are you listening Jackie?

Soon, it will be a year training with her. Those who know me I easily get totally bored but I think Jackie recognizes my ADHD and knows how to work it. Like I said I am so fortunate. I will continue in 2014.

A busy work week, back on schedule with training, and my anxiety attacks and recipes

For the past 2 cooking,I created 2 dishes that is totally new for me and a great challenge. My hopes is to create dishes that are healthy, nutritional, tasty and trainer approved. I am trying hard this year to stay on the path of eating clean. I always realize what I must do, it is just getting to do it. My trainer has taught me many things and I am very grateful and fortunate to have met her. She has physically and mentally transformed me. I am so feeling a sense of self confidence and higher self esteem that I never had. Thank You!

Of course, I have had major anxiety attacks when I have to go to gathering and parties. I believe it is from when I was growing up, I was left out of things, never got pick to be on a team, was outcast, was ridicule and make fun of. This is very hard for me but I am trying in baby steps how to deal with it.

I will have lots more to say how others have helped me but today I dedicated this blog write up to my trainer. 

My 2 recipes was stuffed flounder and herb, walnut crushed salmon

The stuffing mix that i made was with crushed walnuts and gluten free bread - I can only remember I added cumin, coriander, cinnamon, crushed garlic, onions, ginger, salt pepper, parsley, and some nutritional yeast to it. As for the fish, I used an egg white wash that had rosemary , garlic, sesame oil , cooking wine and little soy sauce. With the salmon, I soak the fish in the egg wash and then added the walnut crush on top and then roll it in the gluten bread and pan fried for 2 mins on each side. Rest was put into the oven to bake for 5 mins and  let cool to continue cooking on its own.

the stuffing for the flounder was similiar but I put in spinach from the garden, portebello mushrooms, omions, garlic all chopped up - stir fry in coconut oil and added the stuffing I made for the salmon, added some feta cheese and some sweetened soy sauce. Rolled the mixture between the flounder, pass it through some gluten free bread crumbs - Seared it for 2 mins and allowed to cool

I know this is much of recipes but they really are not recipes. Just condiments that I would throw in as I am cooking and creating.  The side dishes is usually a vegetable such as sauteed spinach, roasted brussel sprouts with pecans, or stir fry asparagus.

This week I am going to do a pecan,walnut, crab meat stuffing with tilapia. Side dish will be boy choy and asparagus, maybe rice medley or sweet potatoes.

I am so tired this week and I got tons of laundry to do. Clothes for yoga, for warrior, for training, for HIIT sure pile up and I could not fit everything in the washer.

Also this week, well, one day, I went and did a 1m walk/jog and it was very hard - my legs were not tired but the glutes and hamstrings sure hurt - which is good because at least I know those are the proper muscles firing. I also think this long distance running is not really for me. So long term, I might just do shorter distance.
We will see!

Enjoy the writeup and if you need some ideas, let me know. I already helped someone with stuffed peppers, and how to cook swiss chard and they said it was pretty good. So I guess I did good too

Until next time, stay healthy and eat well

Sue

Week of work and trying to get back to regular schedule

I was still fighting a cold after my trip from OBX. I was trying to fight the onset of bronchitis which I always get. So I need to stop fighting and accept the fact, getting cold eventually equals bronchitis. So I finally went to see my doctor and she confirm it was bronchitis and  a sinus infection. So hopefully the zpack will rid of it. Along with that was some strong cough medicine to stop the continuous coughing and to clear congestion. I  spoke with my doctor about the sleep study and what the sleep doctor said - from talking to me and from my fidgeting and constant distraction, she surmised I have ADHD and now I am being treated with that. I will see how that goes. I like the high energy I have but at times it is difficult at work to truly concentrate and I am not sure if it will help with my sleep since my brain is always racing.

So since coming back, I have gone training to training once since Wed I could not because I went to pick up Yoshi for the longest time - deer collided into me , a lot of damages or it is just very expensive. I went to Sparta and it was tough for me but my partners Poulomi and Bri made it fun. Sat I went to Warrior and Nancy kills it - but I also felt there were a lot of high energy people. Today I am going to noon Sparta.  My first day with the ADHD med was Sat - so we shall see what happens.

I also went to see my eye doctor because I was having trouble seeing out of my glasses. She told me I need to get the cataract surgery, it is growing fast now. So I am targeting this surgery for January of 2014

In as far as running, I am going to try it by doing a slow jog starting in December, a little at a time and see what happens. The foot seems to be much better with the accupuncture and the phosophous supplement. The massage therapist has been manipulating so I will see it gets even better. I'm happy to finally see results.

Last week, I did get a chance to cook. I made some pan fried flouder and snapper with garbanzo flour in egg mixture instead of bread crumbs - very good - and I made spinach and mashed sweet potatoes

This week I am making some herbed crusted salmon, I might blend gluten bread with walnuts- and see how that goes. Not sure what veggies I will make- as yet. Maybe I stop by BJs after Sparta and look around.

I will post recipe in another post. So stay tuned

Sue

Hate being sick, back from OBX, need to get back to normacy!

The last time I went to training was almost a month ago. Boy that is a long since not seeing my trainer. She was busy and kept rescheduling and then I was sick and then off to OBX for the week. Being sick sucks since it takes me about 2-3 weeks to feel 100% - just now starting to feel better.

I spent a week at the OBX and it was nice and relaxing time. My cooking was not as interesting but people seem to like it - next time I need to make more chicken wings and stuffed portabello mushrooms.

I did not race but got to go to the finish line and watch all my running buddies come in - so wonderful to be part of that running community. Of course while I was there, I did no exercise and did a lot of eating.

Now, I am home and need to put myself on a normal schedule of sleep, eating right and exercise. So Fri I went to Tiger's Eye at Arrichion Hot Yoga, it is the hardest class there. 45 mins is wicked but 60 mins is
horrendous but you leave with a good feeling.

Sat I decided to go to Crossfit since Sparta was doing their maxing out which I was not interested in doing and also I was just getting back into the swing of things. Crossfit was hard today - a circuit of 5 exercises done 7 times, 5 rounds - power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press again - whew! I am sore!

So far, it is good ending of a week, getting some chilled out time - and I heading back to work on Monday - which I actually like what i am doing -

So next week, I should be meeting with my trainer - I sure hope she does not kill me -

No recipes yet- but I think I will do some fish since my husband grilled a lot of lamb and chicken

More later!

Sue

Time Flies

Where did time go. The last time I posted was the day I was told I don't need the boot but the foot dr tells me I should get orthotics and I am not sure how this will hurt since those bone spurs don't go away. Went to see him this past Monday, he said don't run , jog but walking, biking, swim and weight training is OK. I am a bummed out by it since I was doing so well with my runs- and I was going to do OBX half again this year but this is not happening. So instead I will go as a spectator and enjoy the scenery.

So the past two weeks, I have not train with my trainer so I was left on my own to do my own thing which was OK. I used to freak out but now I have a different mindset on working out. I take things more seriously.

I got to go to Washington DC with a group of wonderful friends to support them in the Marine Corp marathon and now this weekend , I will go to the Outer Banks and support the same group of friends in the OBX.

So this week, I did not get a chance to cook anything special. We had some friends over for dinner and we stuck with the meat and potatoes idea - so now fish recipes this week. However we did go to Irregardless Friday night and had dinner. I was very disappointed with the vegetarian dish I ordered, not what I expected. Oh well! Then we stopped by Flander's Gallery to look at art and sculptures that Holly did - Joe's yoga teacher. Quite interesting! I don't know how to enjoy art but it was nice to be downtown to see how they are trying to revitalize it. We went out with our friend Pete and Sharon whom we have not seen in a long while.

My train ride back to Raleigh took longer than expected. We were to get in at 9pm and we did not get in til 3am basically Tues AM - the train was stuck - some track repairs. I was bouncing all over - but you know what, I would not trade it for anything - my bunch of crazy gallery friends were there- it made the trip so worthwhile.

I've been to Sparta 3 times this week which is the most I've gone. It is work in progress. I remember the first time I tried, I was so scared but my Arrichion family is the best- they encourage you and support you and help you. Of course, the rest, if u want to get better and stronger is up to you. Since it is my own challenge, I have to do it the best way for me so I am starting slow. I seem to remember that 45lb barbell was so heavy when I use that only for bench press, it is getting lighter. Those damn deadlifts are still hard but I'm still trying and those hang cleans- I wish there was a way I can do them and not bump into my collar bone.

Besides Sparta, there is Warrior which is much like bootcamp but you really go at your pace and your weights. 3 rounds of fast sets and at the end abs series. There is also yoga for stretching, yoga for the core, yoga for their cardio minded.

Of course, I like to expand my exercise repetore is include some swimming and spinning class - so I can more well rounded.

I like to continue with Crossfit as well - just started this not long ago. I like the idea of the High Intensity Hight Interval type training - it is like quick blast of energy and endurance required, You would do something like mucho burpees, mucho box step up, much kettlebell swings, mucho lunges with weight hold above head- many rounds and then some barbell strength - it is tiring and yet rewarding. Since I can't run - I like the feel of being breathless.

So in the event I stop training with my trainer which I do not hope that will happen- I got something to go to. I love my trainer. She is the one who has helped me mentally and physically that once I deem incapable of doing, I am now and have a whole different mindset.

I have a long way to go with my body transformation but one step at a time. It is a process!

Until next time

Freedom!

So Oct 14th, 2013 marks the day that I do not have to wear the boot anymore. For the past 6 weeks, it was just annoyance than anything else. But at least I was not totally immbolized. I was allow to do other exercise as long as there is not impact on the foot. So all is good in the big scheme of things.

I still continue my weight training with my trainer. I still go to Yoga. I still do sparta and Warrior and the latest now, I have join Crossfit. Oh, I read lots of stories how it is bad and that you can get hurt. Well, u can get hurt just standing there doing nothing. I wanted to become stronger because my shoulder, and back and knees are weak from injuries. Now it is the foot too - so I think these kind of exercise will strengthen the adjoining muscle groups. We will give it a try.

Personal Training is good and Jackie is getting me strong and toned and Sparta at Arrichion is getting me mentally strong so I have it good.

So all seems to be working well and shit happens. I was coming home from a workout - incidentally at one of the Crossfit box - and I was on Ray Rd and a deer came out and ram into my Prius- oh good lord, what a mess it made but fortunately it was not worst that I heard people dying when a deer goes through the windshield. So now, I am driving Rocko, my 1995 Subaru Legacy. In as much it is old - it is still a good car and great in the snow as well.

I am hoping it gets fixed soon - with insurance and waiting game. Fortunately, my husband has been most helpful with this.

So this week is make up training session. I met with Jackie on Sunday and then now today. And besides that I did Sparta on Sat and Warrior on Sunday. I was beat so this morning, I actually slept til 7am and felt good.

Over the weekend I did some cooking which is the intent of the blog to share my cooking experience

I made snapper and flounder, collards, zucchini with mixed vegetables and rice medley

Snapper - I season with teryaki marinade, some hot pepper jelly , sesame oil, and I put that in the toaster oven to broil - it has a slightly sweet taste with a touch of heat

Flounder - i used egg beaters, rosemary garlic, onion powder, and then use garbanzo flour to bread it and pan fry it in coconut oil

The collards- I did not cook it to death, just until it is soft but still chewy - added sesame oil, some sugar, and some yoshi sauce

Zucchini, onions and carrots- stir fry and add soy sauce or brigg's aminos

Another 2 weeks of the boot

So I was hoping I would be out of this boot but after seeing the podiatrist, he said another 2 weeks. I was not sure what to make of it since at first he said it was the bone spur poking on the nerve and not it is capsulitis - joints pushing on the nerve. When I press on the injured spot it sends tingling feeling up the toe. So will see what happens after 2 weeks more of the boot. I am not sure this will be the final solution.

This has been my 5th visit to see the accupuncturist and so far my sleep has been improved - the sleep is deeper but I still wake up at the same time. So time will tell. The pain in the foot is slowly disappearing so hopefully with more treatment, the inflammation will subside enough so I can go back to my activities. So I am not allow to run, jog, walk, jump, impact to foot, no elliptical, no bike. So I actually don't miss running and waking up early morning on Sat to run with the group. I do miss my running buddies.

I am actually enjoying weight training so in as much I cannot run, I was OK - I will continue my training with my trainer, go to Warrior and Sparta classes at Arrichion Hot Yoga. And yoga that will help keep me stretchy and flexible and peaceful mind.

So October starts the challenge so I have started waking up for early classes. In as much it is very tiring, I do feel better after class. If you had not try yoga - come to Arrichion Hot Yoga - the classes leaves you rewarding because of the teachers there and also you become part of the family - puts a smile on your face.
Meanwhile Ty and Dunbar runs Warrior and Sparta like drill masters but they are the best- encouraging and pushes you.

This week I will making more snapper- have not figure out how to season it - I also made some brussel sprouts and eggplant - maybe some kale  and some sweet potatoes.

Stay tuned

Sue

Quinoa recipe - I am feeling the love - about my cooking!

So my last post, I am so bummed out with wearing this boot for the big part of the day. My understanding was  that I was allow to do weight training as long as I do not put impact on it - my take is no sprinting, running, jumping, jump rope, or box jumps which I have done none of those. So I am hoping I get a good clean bill of health on Monday.

This past week, I went all out and made me some baked stuffed lobster tails which is time consuming and I must say, I was pretty pleased with myself that it tasted as good as can be. I had to do a lot of modifications to it - since I cannot have dairy or gluten - so usually it is cream, bread crumbs, so I used coconut milk and gluten free bread.

Today, I wanted something simple but yet nutritional and a power house recipe. I made quinoa - Here is what I did: Mind you  - when I cook - I don't follow any recipe book or measure anything, so it is up to what you want it to taste like- I know it is a cop out but best I can do.

Quinoa Salad

- I cooked the quinoa with chicken broth  - you can use vegetable broth or just water- 1 c quinoa to 2 c liquid - medium heat - 20 mins - let it cool
- cut and diced onions, peppers, artichoke hearts, olives
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 can of black beans
- grapeseed oil
- sesame oil
- garlic
- salt
- pepper
- lemon juice
- red wine vinegar
- dash of bragg's aminos

ta da!

Pain in the foot and boot driving me crazy!

So from running a lousy 4 miles gave me a pain on the top of the foot. Ortho guy said no broken bones or stressed fracture but big time pain. Finally went to the podiatrist with xrays and MRI done - it was bone poking at a nerve causing the pain. So wearing this stupid boot for 3 weeks - I guess it is a way to not put impact and pain to subside and also inflammation to die down. What I don't get is that the bone spurs don't go away, so then what? I really don't want surgery - but I need to keep positive when I go back Monday. I would definitely seek a 2nd opinion if surgery is needed.

Meanwhile I went to an accupuncturist to see if she can help me with issues. I truly believe that the body when out of balance, something needs to be done. So I am seeking her help with my sleep problems, the pain in the foot and my allergies. I've only started seeing her this week. Even though it is too early to tell, I feel better, the foot pain is better and my sleep, amazingly, not cured but feel my sleep is more rested. So we shall see.

Meanwhile it has indeed been a long time since I cooked anything gourmet. So last night, I made stuffed lobster tails. I call it gourmet since the preparation time is more involved. Here is how i did the stuffing:

- cube the lobster tail meat
- cook diced onions, rosemary, garlic, parsley, white pepper,oregano, basil, with coconut oil
- Add marsala, nutritional yeast, coconut milk, gluten free bread breaked into cubes

Stuffed the tails and at 450 bake the tails-

Most stuffing uses cream, breadcrumbs and cheese in which I cannot have so I did some modification. I made it slightly spicy.

My trainer loves my cooking and I love the challenge. I try real hard to come up with ways to cook with not a lot of oil, salt, fat - and coconut oil is good fat so I think I am OK

This week, my training I felt sluggish and tired and I am thinking the boot is making my body so misaligned and hurt

Next week is the start of the 30 day Challenge at Arrichion Hot Yoga- time to get the game face on. Hot yoga is good for me I need to remember that.

I made a couple of goals for myself - to do a pull up without the bands, to do a rope climb, to do a snatch

That's it for now!

Enjoy!

BTW if you want me to come up with a recipe for you, let me know- A friend told me that I am not a cook but a chef. A cook is someone who follows instructions to recipes and a chef creates. I like that

Started off a sucky week but ended with lots of laughs, fun times and great cooking on my part - hee hee

So my last post I was so overwhelmed and besides myself with all the shit going on in my life. Sorry, did not want to post stuff like that and bored you with my life and details. But at times venting is your best friend and fortunately I can do that.

Since I have to wear this stupid boot to take care of the bone spurs in my foot, I cannot go run with the Galloway group. I really don't like the running but I like the friendship and the fact running is quite boring so to run it with others seems less torturous. I don't think I will be doing a half marathon this year as I do every year but I will still go to OBX and cheer people on and spent some quality time with friends.

So instead Sat I went to a yoga class at Athletica at the Crabtree Mall. I have never been there since those clothes are expensive and they would never fit me anyways. It is Nationa Yoga month and Arrichion is doing their duty of promoting yoga. It was the first time I went to an event like this. I thorougly enjoyed it. Some of the yogis from Arrichion were there, the teachers were there and some others. Hopefully, they will come join us at the studio. Cindy as always led a fantastic yoga class.  I am so glad my friend Jean was able to go, we had lots of fun being side by side.

After that, I had to do some major food shopping, over $200 worth of food. I went on a marathon cooking as I always do on a Sunday. I prepared everything and then went out and met up with Ivy at Starbucks so we can vent to each other. Lots of wierdos out on a Sunday but great people watching. I had her come over the house and she loved everything I cooked including fish, since she is not a fish person. So here is what I cooked and some of the spices and condiments I used

Fish Marinade - I used salmon and snapper - nice texture and cooks real good on the grill
- tahini
- cooking wine
- rosemary, garlic, onions, cumin, coriander, ginger,cinammon, white pepper, sesame seeds, asian seasoning mix, coconut oil, braggs aminos, honey or maple syrup, sesame oil, oregano , basil, seafood seasoning

Portabella mushrooms - stuffed
- stuffing - took the stems out and chopped it up with avocado, onions, carrots, spinach, artichoke hearts, kalmata olives, mustard, sesame oil, salt , pepper, tahini,nutritional yeast, marsala
-cooked the mushroom with olive oil, added to oil is garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil

Spinach and Aspargus - stir fry with garlic and just added a pinch of salt and pepper for taste - add sesame seeds to asparagus for finishing touches

Sweet potatoes - grilled

Everything tasted great. Thanks to hubby for grilling - he is the grill master. Ivy thinks I should do this on the beach trip.

Sucky week but things started to get better

As many of you know, I have trouble with sleep and the sleep dr was going to put me on anti-depressants for anxiety, or stress. And some of you may know I have some personal issues with my life that I am trying to figure out what to do. Then my sister emails me that she was in a car accident. I just felt my life fell apart and just started crying. Good thing my friend Ivy called so she vent I vent and we felt better. So lucky to have her. I think I started to feel a lot better when I met up with my trainer. She has a way to make you feel safe and feel better. So lucky to have her too.

Now, the big thing that is eating at me is this bone spur hitting nerve in my foot that is causing pain.Went for MRI and that is all was said and that I needed to wear this stupid boot and see what happens. Nothing conclusive. I need more answers. So what this means, I am not allow to run, do high impact to my foot so it means I cannot finish my training for doing my half marathon this year. I am a little bummed out but more so because I was making progress with my running and now will need to start all over again.


So good news is that my sister is OK, a little sore from the car being rammed from behind. And another good news, that I am not the only one suffering from who I am and fighting with my obesity. So I am not alone so at least something we can relate.

So today I went to Sparta and it is a Sat- I actually enjoyed this class a lot - but then people are Arrichion are the best people around....no judgment, very encouraging, and has the best interest in your goals. I am not strong there but I am trying. So today , I wore a pair of running shorts and a red tighter tech shirt. After that, I went to bootcamp class run by my trainer. She comes up with the most unusual ways to make you bleed. It is never the same. That is a true sign of a great trainer. She complimented on my outfit. I am still trying to get used to this...I will keep trying to.

So tomorrow I will doing some cooking - Fish probably since it is hardest to make so it is a good challenge for me.

So more blogging to do

Sue

Holiday weekend rest and litle timeoff to regroup

I have not taken a long vacation with work projects being so busy. I suppose I can just go ahead and plan and just go and let others taken over and figure it out. But I guess I am not like that! Oh well, so I planned to take Fri and Tues off. I had to log into work to help out but fortunately all was good and I was done.

Having a busy week so far! Ran some errands on Fri. Foot was shouting at me but I felt responsible to show up at our Galloway run on Sat morning. I ran/walk/shuffle with the group and my buddy Crystal. We did 6+ miles and my foot said that is enough. Foot pain kept me up but also I guess I was so utterly tired that even though I toss and turn, I did not wake up until 8:30am this morning. I actually felt OK!

I went to a Sunday Sparta class which I try to do every Sunday. People there are intense but also friendly, helpful and full of life and smiles. In as much the class is hard, I would leave there utterly exhausted but sense of happiness.

Today I partnered with Kristine and Mary - (don't like using full names here since I do not know how people feel since this blog is public). These 2 ladies are very strong but a delight. They helped me out with my form, help me out with my mental being - that I can do this, push my limits a little bit. I actually got to do one chin up without bands - woo hoo! I can think back when I first started going - I could not even lift myself up on the orange band which was the heaviest and easiest to get up.

Sunday is also my day to creative in the kitchen. We after a while eat the same foods: chicken, fish, veggies, etc...but I try very hard to come up with different spices combined to create a different taste experience.

Today on the menu was:

- Mahi mahi - this is totally a different kind of fish - I had it the first time on my visit to Hawaii. In as much it was freshly caught, and done nicely, it was sorta bland.This is what I did -
- Marinade for fish - dash of grapeseed oil, coconut oil, rosemary, garlic, sesame seeds, tahini, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, sesame oil, maple syrup , tamari , black pepper. The fish was grilled and then I topped it with a fruit reduction of:
-Fruit reduction - fresh mango, fresh pineapple, onions - I carmalized the onions then add the fruit, added some marsale and cooked it down - this goes on top of the fish

Stuffed Portabella mushrooms-

- chopped up mushroom stems, avoacado, onions, mustard, wine,
- Brush mushrooms with oil, garlic pepper and salt
top each of the mushroom with mixture - 2 of them I threw feta cheese
and other two I put artichoke hearts, peppers and tomatoes

Brown rice- long and short grain and beans cooked in chicken broth

I surprised myself but I think it went ok

Enjoy!

Sue

More experimentation with cooking, Sparta with Sam at Arrichion, continuous training, running with hurt foot

It was a nice evening yesterday. I got out of work on time to do my training and so happy to see my trainer seeing that all is well with her. After that, been so long that I have taken an evening hot yoga class, I went and did Topaz last night. I knew I miss the people, the atmosphere and Titus but wow, it felt real good! Need to reevaluate that into my life once again.

Interestingly this past week - two of the yoga guys complimented on my weight loss and toning up. They said they can tell I've been working hard. I am struggling with this because I still see me as a fat person - in due time!

I was so totally exhausted that I actually slept to 8am on Sunday morning. I had hope to get to a
morning Warrior or Mystery circuit class and Topaz so good thing I got to a Sparta class. Sam, my partner in crime was back in town so we partner up with the supersets. These sparta classes kills me but my hopes is to get stronger and leaner from it.

Fri night I did a group training with my trainer and another lady who is getting ready for her show. It was intense but I know my trainer was bothered by things. I was so worry about her. In the long run, things worked out but can you imagine the stress? So I was worry and then could not get good sleep which I never do since I always have to wake up early Sat morning at 5am to do a Galloway run. I had contemplated of not going but I have responsibilities. I was happy that I went but after that my foot was hurting me again. I sure hope it stops so I can go back to my training so ready for my half in November. I was hoping for an uninjured rest of the year - but I have to go with the flow.

I experimented with my cooking. I know my trainer is going to get ready for her own competition and I don't know totally what she eats but apparently what I eat and what I share with her, she loves so now to take it one step further, less salt, less oil, no sugar

This week's menu on table was:

Flounder - I seasoned with sesame oil, ginger, tahini, cinnamom, cumin, coriander, white pepper, dash of grapeseed oil, splash of Bragg's Aminos - broiled in the oven at 450

Chicken Thighs - I seasoned that with garlic, rosemary, onion, black pepper, coconut oil, soy sauce, nutritional yeast - husband grilled those to perfection

Eggplant - did these differently - more of a dry rub - I used tahini and ginger dressing, along with a dash of rice wine, crushed red pepper, splash of chicken broth - and put that in the oven. Drier but I think it was tastier

Cabbage slaw stir fry - I had a big bag of coleslaw and decided to stir fry that - I used a combo of coconut and oil olive - heat the wok hot and added ginger, sesame oil, little bit of oyster sauce and xylitol (natural sweetner) and then a splash of dark soy sauce to carmelize

Quinoa with sweet potatoes and kale - I had some left over quinoa, and sweet potatoes and cooked some kale and just threw the whole thing together -easy as that.

My husband who is on one of those diets said it was good and my trainer loved it - So I think I am OK. When people are happy with my cooking I am happy!

Until next time, Enjoy these so to speak recipes. If you want me to create something for you - I will take the challenge.

Sue

Busy week, very tired, need to re-evaluate

I don't know where all the time goes! There is just not enough hours in the day! Especially not enough hours for rest and play and relax but then I don't know how to relax. I have to keep moving, just too much energy!

Work has been busy and will get more so which I am glad because I can't stand idleness- but then it can be exhausting.

This weekend, I still did not do the group runs but stuck with leading the Late Start Program runners. We did 4miles so this is great accomplishment for the group who struggles but is hanging in there.

Went for my x-ray at Wake Ortho and no stressed fracture so this is goodness so I can slowly get back to my runs now - hopefully get back into the main stream since I got a race coming up in November but I think I should be OK.

Did some more inventive cooking - trying to not use as much oils and salt in the cooking process. It is a challenge that I am willing to take. I am interested in what my trainer will eat to prepare herself for her show and for me to help her out if I can. I mean I am sure what she eats which is of the same type of foods, can be rather boring. If I can come up with foods that is enjoyable - and who knows I can market this for the future competitors of the sort.

This week I made:

Rice Medley - which contains different rice, legumes - I cooked it in vegetable broth instead of water - does not contain salt or oils

Snapper and Salmon - I marinated it with ginger root, rosemary, garlic, onions, sesame seeds, cumin, coriander, cinammon, oregano, dash of sesame oik and a tbsp of coconut oil, - the oil is needed to grill otherwise it will stick - no other salts except for salt and pepper

Asparagus - stir fry - garlic cloves, combo of olive and coconut oil - mainly to burn the garlic cloves so the little bit of oil can seep into the vegetable, topped with white sesame seeds, dash of bragg's aminos -

Oh - I got some winter melon from my niece Nancy and I made soup with it - that melon was sure hard to cut up - I used a combo of vegetable and chicken broth and added with it shitake mushrooms, red dates and dried oysters.

That's it for now! Enjoy! If you need some ideas or help with your cooking, let me know - I probably won't know how to blend these exotic ingredients but if you tell me what they do, I can experiment. And I think that is what cooking is about - experiementing.

Sue

My recipes, would it help others with eating clean, weight loss or just plain old taste good

So for those who don't know me, cooking is a passion, a hobby and therapy for me. I am also a giving person and moreso for those I truly care and love. I am also one who shows the utmost respect for people around me, people who help me and people I truly care about. So the only ways I know how to thank them is through my cooking. When I see a smile on their face and they say Wow to the tasting of my food - I am happy because they are.

I was at training this morning and my trainer - who loves my cooking said I should write my recipes down so to help other people. What I create thus far does not have addded sugars, salt and the only oils I used is coconut oil and at times sesame oil and olive oil - These recipes I feel can help people to stay eating clean, good for them and maybe weight loss.

This weekend, I made many foods - I made roasted brussel sprouts, green beans, chicken and salmon and wild rice/quinoa/black rice concoction.

This is from memory of the spices and condiments I used. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you how much of this and that - it's up to you and your taste buds - if you truly need a recipes per se- let me know and I see what I can do.

Grilled Chicken Breasts - I used organic Chicken Breasts. I pounded the chicken breasts - this way, it will absorb the spices better and it will be much more tender.
- condiments and spices used - fresh is best but dried is good too - rosemary, garlic, onion, poultry seasoning, bragg's amino, nutritional yeast, either coconut oil or olive oil - since chicken breasts don't have a whole lot of fat- need an agent that will keep it moist while grilling, some cooking wine - marinade and grill

Grilled Salmon or whatever fish you like - I use wild caught any kind of fish - since it is fish, it requires a balance of condiments such as sweet/salt , sweet/sour, hot/sweet, hot/sour - like that.
Ginger is a must( fresh is best but ground is good as well), garlice, rosemary, onion, coconut oil, marsala, salt, white pepper, soy sauce and little bit of honey

Green Beans - I found the french thinner style beans at Costco - I stir fry that in a combo of coconut and grapeseed oil - first adding minced garlic cloves and let it burn - and then throw in the beans - the garlic oozes into the oils - I add salt , pepper some crushed pepper flakes if u like little spicy and if you got other sauce , u can add - I threw in some agave nectar a dash just to off set the salt

Brussell sprouts - I believe I had a recipe in the other posts

Last week, I made a rice medley that had brown rice, beans, other grains and was quite tasty - trying this other recipe which I cooked in part vegetable broth

Enjoy,

Sue

Tiring week but feeling better!

So this week is killing me. For some reason, I feel exhausted, and lacking energy. The element that I have left out is doing my weekly 2 short runs and that I could not do because of my hurt foot. Did pay a visit to the Ortho guy, did x-rays, cannot determine if it is a stressed fracture or not, have to wait 2 weeks but he said just continue doing whatever but nothing that will hurt the foot.  So I guess that is good news. So last Sat, I did not run with the Galloway group and I was so besides myself but fortunately, I was able to do other exercise so going to Sparta on a Sat morning at Arrichion Hot Yoga was rather enjoyable (Sadistically speaking).

I had a horrible migraine on Sunday in which my total body just shut down and Monday I was still trying to recover from a migraine hangover - it is worst than a regular hangover. So yes, I actually took a day of rest. My trainer would be proud.

The rest of the week went back to normal. I have been reading many different articles, thank goodness, they are short - about intermittent fasting, glycogen depletion. I know what I am doing is helping to reduce my body fat percentage but I also I got lots more fat to lose - and reading these articles - some say you need to eat less but then you lose muscle mass, you eat more, you have muscle mass but you may gain fat- Doh! Totally Confused! So whoever is reading my post - if you can give me some insight, that would be great.

I am also so happy so see how my cooking has put smiles on people's face and stomach. Cooking for me is a passion and a hobby and therapeutic so I do not think much of it and I don't cook to impress upon my skills. I just do it.

This year, we got a crop of eggplant, tomatoes, and soon peppers. I've been grilling the vegetables in the oven and seasoning with different spices. This is what I did this time:

coconut oil, rosemary, garlic, sesame seeds, crushed red pepper, cinammon, onions, nutritional yeast, some vegetable broth

I also did some chicken and lamb kabobs - in which I used more or less the same ingredients above except I added tahini, marsala, cumin and coriander. I screwed it with olives, tomatoes, artichoke hearts , avocado.

I need to be mindful what spices I used at least with the meat - I think I excluded the crushed hot peppers since my husband cannot have that.

I also made red snapper -as well.

I took some of that to my trainer - I am so happy to see her happy eating and enjoying. That tells me I did a good job and also to know that my trainer trusts what I eat, she will eat - since she is a very clean eater. Kudos to me!

The training with my trainer is going well. She keeps changing up on my exercises focusing of different parts of my body that needs the extra work- don't I know it with my mid section. Flab city!

I like the 1 hr sessions but I also liked the half hour ones where it is like High Intensity Interval Training where she has me go from one exercise to another -  but I think the 1 hr are to focus on muslce groups. She's the boss!

This weekend, I am not going to run , but I will participate in helping out the Late Start Galloway run - help with the walking - that I know I can do.

That's it for now, thanks for reading my blog -

If there is anything in terms of cooking you want me to investigate in, let me know.

I am trying to eat as clean as possible but I have alter recipes for people with soy intolerances, no fat, no sugar, - so so far, none of my cooking is high in sugar, or salt.

Sue

Not happy this weekend but all turn out OK

Someone said to me "Sue, you are some athlete" and I never recognize this about myself since I do not have an athletic body, or strong limbs or muscles to show for it, but I certainly got the KT tape to show for it. KT tape on my shoulder for a shoulder injury and KT tape on my leg- shin splints and hurt foot.

I was not a happy camper this weekend. Tues night, my foot was in pain for no reason at all - it is like old injury coming back and come Fri, it was not better so regrettably, I had to skip my long run with the Galloway folks. Boo! But I could not sit on my fat ass and do nothing so I texted Ty at Arrichion and asked if I can come to Sparta on Sat morning and off I went. You know, I rather enjoyed that class at that time. You get done early, not as many people and the whole supersets get done quickly and then you have the rest of the day. So all is not lost.

This morning I contemplated on either going to a Warrior/Mystery circuit class or Sparta, I chose Warrior since I had things to do and have not taken this class in a long while. When I used to take warrior, I would go through the motions, do the weights that are not hard, forgo things that I was too afraid to do but now, ever since I am doing training with a trainer and I am taking Sparta, my whole mindset is so different. I want to do more, I want to do harder, I want to do my best, I want to challenge me and you know, it is the greatest feeling you have after- you are dead tired but you have that big smile on your face :-)

Oh did I do any cooking this weekend...oh sure! We got some eggplant, tomatoes coming in and I did some grilled eggplant, I did some chicken and lamb kabobs  - I created a concoction marinade which turn out pretty tasty

Marinade:

1. coconut oil
2. sesame oil
3. marsala
4. rosemary, garlic, onion, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, tahini, salt , pepper, ginger, nutritional yeast,

Probably a couple of other spices I forgot - Sorry, I don't have recipes written. At the moment I would look at the food item and say this is what I am going to do.

After that I skewered the meat with different veggies and the husband grill them
tastes better on the grill

Tomorrow morning, going to see the ortho guy to check my foot- let's hope it is not another stressed fracture. Wish me luck!

Enjoy -
If there is anything you want me to help you with -as far as cooking, let me know

Busy, tired and rewarding as well and about my profile picture. how it all started with my weight loss!

My work has been extremely busy this week but most rewarding because things got done and everyone is happy, I think.

Someone told me that I really should put together a side by side comparison of me before and now so that I, myself can see my progress. We tend to be very critical of oneself so I did that. I sent it to my trainer, I sent it to FB and I got a lot of compliments. I thank everyone for that. I am still working on this phase of my life both physically and emotionally. I feel 2013 is I can do this slowly and in healthy ways. I have to thank my trainer for opening my eyes to weight training and eating clean and pushing me. I don't think I can do it without her. And because of this new mindset, going to Arrichion Hot Yoga and doing the Tiger's Eye, Warrior and Sparta - I am trying harder and doing my best rather than going through the motions. The coaches there are wonderful and encouraging. With both trainer and Arrichion - I am on my way...thanks so much. IT'S A PROCESS, YOU CAN DO IT! YOU GOT THIS! These are the words of encouragement

I have been on numerous crash diets in my life. I even went on a liquid diet and a intense diet of no carbs as well. Oh, truly, if you basically eat little and exercise like a fiend, you will lose weight. The trick is how you make it stay off. The picture of me on the left (which you should be able to see it on my profile) was in 2008 when I was 200+ lbs. I went on an intense diet and exercise program and did lose a bunch of weight but felt very tired, sick and unhealthy and got down to 110 lbs in 2010. I have to thank the boxing gym is helping me though but I knew it was not the way to go long term. Going forward to 2011 and 2012, I had a series of setbacks of eating and exercise. I was getting injured and felt lousy and gaining the weight back up to 150+lbs. OMG, I said, I just don't want to start over again. So I do have a picture of me end of 2012 after my buds and I finished our half marathon - I can see how puffy and fat I was and yup, that BMI calculator at the gym said so too. So that is how 2013 started.  So why am I telling you this? To say, don't give up on yourself! You know when the time is right and YOU, YOURSELF will do something about it. Until you are ready, it is not going to happen.

Other news is that I will truly miss my swim instructor, Ed. We started together about 2.5 years ago when I was so deeply afraid of the water but I could float and now, I can swim the 50 yards and I sink now. I am going to try to keep practicing. Good thing the YMCA has the Swim Fit program which will keep me honest.

Yesterday, Galloway group run was 8m with a magic mile instead of 6. Magic mile is when you measured how long it takes to do that mile. You should be running it harder but not that you drop dead. I do not run fast but I can run far. I sense I am getting stronger though - with the weight training I am doing so yesterday that magic mile felt good - knock down my time 30 secs.

So it is Sunday now...what am I cooking?

Well, I made some:

Roasted brussell sprouts which the recipe is in some earlier post
Going to do more asparagus - in earlier post - that one seems to disappear fast
Going to do a brown rice pasta with some chicken and veggies

Enjoy,

Sue

What? No recipes? Still a fear factor if I did not exercise - Training, Swim, Arrichion - Gotta do it!

So last posting I was talking about exercising, running, and why I do what I do. I would say growing up, girls did not exercise. We suppose to sit there and look pretty and graceful so some guy can sweep you off your feet. Being of woman of size and being Asian, that did not happen. So growing up in the environment was rough. I think I am finally realzing that I need to do what is right for me and noone else. I guess that rock hit me.

So during the week, I would exercise twice a day and I have a feeling this is tiring me out too too much and that is why my sleep is suffering. I thought if I was dead tired, but I think I am thinking too much into it. So today, I visit a sleep doctor and he has given me some homework to do. I think it is total bullshit but I will give it a try for 2 months.

This week has many changes. My swim instructor of 2.5 years is moving away. I will truly miss him. When I first started lessons with him, I was so fearful of the deep end and anywhere where I cannot touch. Now, today, I can acutally swim all the way down and back - a full 50. I will need to be diligent and practice on my own.

My personal training is going well. I love my trainer and I am seeing a new me, not just the physical but as well as the emotional. With that mindset to push myself, I have taken that to doing my best, trying my hardest - Classes like Sparta, Tiger's Eye and Warrior and any of their Vinyasa at ARRICHION HOT YOGA is hard as shit. I am starting to notice results more than ever - perhaps it is a more confident me coming out. I actually said THANK YOU when someone complimented me - Wow!

Like I said, I exercise like a fiend because 1) I can't sleep 2) I am afraid of getting fucking fat all over again.

This week, I did something that I felt good - I helped my friend again. I am always there for her to hear her vent, to listen to her, to bullshit with her and I am cool with that- I ask nothing in return.

This past weekend I did a dish that was real simple with very little ingredients and it was perfect:

BAKED CORNISH HENS with carrots, and onions with sweet potatoes side dish.

- Went to BJ's and got 2 cornish hens - half them -
- Cut up carrots, I actually used baby carrots
- Cut up onions - I used the purple onions

I made a mixture of:

- dark soy sauce
- agave nectar - maybe I left this out -
- fresh garlic crushed and minced
- fresh ginger minced
- fresh rosemary that has been dried
- sesame oil - dash
- coconut oil - 1 tsp

I laid everything in a casserole dish - and pour the mixture and now to think of it , there was no added sugar or salt, and oils were used so sparringly and it was more for flavor

Baked it at 400 - with foil on - and then lifted the foil to brown - I don't know timeframe - until it is done - but not dry.

Sliced sweet potatoes as side dish

Simple as that.

I went to Bone Fish Grill last night and you know from my last few posting - I made a kick ass red snapper dish. Well, the fish was good at Bone Fish - but I said to myself- Hey , I cook better than this - I guess like with my exercise, I am finally becoming braver at realizing my skills as a cook. I had so many people say they love my food and I would just say = Oh it is not good! Maybe it is.

Thanks for reading my blog!

If you ever want some recipe creation let me know - I can give it a try

I reproduced szchuan green beans and my friend liked it

Take care until next time

Sue

Weekend busy - ness - Fun times and hurt - Galloway, Arrichion, Bootcamp

I grew up in an environment where I go to school 6 days a week and only spend time with our parents on a Sunday afternoon. Later on, that changed since I would work 7 days in the week to pay for my tuition and books so I guess in a nutshell - weekend were all meshed  together. At least now, my weekends are a little different.

I spend the weekdays being at work, getting my mid day exercises and the weekend, I would get up 4:30am to get ready to run with the Galloway group - at times 10 miles. I often wonder why I do this and it certainly is not for the love of running but for the friends I have met through the years. In as much it is tough getting up so early while others sleep, I do it because I am a people person and I love being with people. I would not know what to do if I was not with someone or somebody or some place.

Oh totally, after runs - I am exhausted but I would not have it any other way. So now, today is Sunday, I used to partake in Warrior and topaz classes and I wish I can do all of them on a given Sunday but I have chosen to do Sparta - because this class kicks my butt, it messes with me mentally and physically and with a new mindset of how I would like to train - I am trying harder because I don't want to get fat or out of shape ever again and also, I want to get stronger and leaner for health reasons and someday I want to climb that rope, do those pull ups, chin ups without the bands. There are others but I will set tiny goals.

My mindset on how I train now has changed since doing weight training with my trainer, Jackie - I am not a motivated type person to do things on my own so having Jackie kick my butt was somewhat a wake up call for me. I realize that the only person who can make a difference is yourself and she has made me realize what my potentials are and what my strengths and weaknesses are.

With both my trainer and Sparta - my goals are to become stronger, leaner, healthier , run more efficiently and not get hurt - and never to become fucking fat again - Gee I may even want to revisit another Sprint TRI next year - not sure about the FULL marathon but a HALF is a doable race -it would be my 6th I think!

So after Sparta today, I went go to bootcamp -

Where do I get my energy - I never sleep, I never rest!

Holiday and rest time - no recipes as yet but an interesting drink concoction - thanks to trainer and coaches, friends at Arrichion

My friend said I do not know how to rest and that I am always bouncing around but I guess it is all relative like when people who are thin say they are  gaining weight but then it is all relative. So my rest days are like: just hanging out at home, or taking a walk or watching a movie and just getting up later. So for the past few days, I got up later, take my time and just enjoy the moment of life. After all life is rather short!

For the 4th, I went to holiday class, the only one - so great for some of the teachers who are so dedicated to even have class on a holiday. Jen and Sarah, sisters are splendid teachers. It was a bloodstone class. For those who know nothing about hot yoga at Arrichion - those classes are both meditating and physical - bloodstone is vinyasa plus pushups, plus abs , plus boat series all in the 100+ degrees heat. So all the sweat pouring out and it was packed - so totally drenched but a good feeling.

Someone told me that watermelon rind is good for psorasis which I do not have but sure worth a try. We cut up the watermelon which is very refreshing fruit and we took the rind -we cut the green stuff off and blend it with mango, pineapple and spinach - ya know it was quite tasty - gotta make some more of it. Just think I am helping with the environment as well, less waste!

Since starting my weight training program, I have learn to even eat better, more clean and also eliminated some of the foods are bad for me since I have asthma. So far, I feel pretty good - I feel stronger and leaner and I am going to keep doing this even when I reach my goals. First, because I am loving my trainer and second, I need to be held accountable for my actions and third - I am not a self motivator, I need someone to kick my ass

Also since doing the weight training, and changed how I eat - I am trying to incorporate that same food group into my runs when I do long runs on the weekends. My friends who run quite fast don't eat anything but for us slow runners, we are out there longer so it seems we expend more energy out there. So now instead of carrying sugary or starchy eats like pretzels, and jelly beans - I carry bonk breakers and dried fruit so to replace my glycogen levels - Of course it is not as yummy but I do not wish to be getting fatter as I run longer like I did last year- it was not a good feeling even though the longer runs helped me be strong when I did my half last year. But I like to test my theory of my half this year with my new eating and new self

I have been getting lots of compliments about me losing so much weight which is very nice. I grew up being traumatized by being called fat so I am not used to it but I am finally being able to say Thank You!

I have to thank my trainer, Jackie for pushing me. I like to thank my friends and coaches at Arrichion for offfering some great classes in which I can be a more well rounded and stronger person in body and mind.

I don't have any stats to report- all I can say the clothes I wore when I was 115 or less back in 2010 when I lost a ton of weight fits and I know I did not 40 lbs. Yes, yes, do the math!  I am actually doing OK, I was 200+ lbs at one point - at least I did not gain that back -it used to happen but when I saw the numbers on the scale keep going up , I knew I had to do something and hence this is 2013 how it started AGAIN!

Enjoy!

Sue

Busy Week, busy weekend, finally felt real tired! And cooking up a storm!

I was wondering when I was going to crash and I think this week did it! Finally, I got some decent sleep even though it is only 5 hrs that I actually got out of bed at 8:30 Sunday morning. Woo hoo! I know it is short lived but I felt a lot better today.

Yesterday, Sat was my typical Galloway run. I was late getting there so never got a chance to get to the bathroom but because it was so freaking humid and hot, I did not have to go pee. That is a first! No, a second, I remember biking in temps of 106 and did not know it even got that hot - I am talking about upstate New York where it never gets this hot!

The 13 pace group in which we run 2 mins slower and even slower on hot/humid days did wonderfully. We completed our Ron Wahula 10 miles( means it is more than 10). Everyone did great and was so ectastic since it is their first time into double digits. I am so proud of them. My legs and butt were still sore from a combination of training with Jackie and Sparta so the first 3 miles were pretty sore and uncomfortable but after that, it was OK.

Sunday was Sparta at Arrichion and you never know what the coaches will throw at you. Sparks had us do the Hardcore 64 which this time is a series of 8 exercises, each one with certain number of reps, done within the min for 8 mins - hence forth the 64. We did things like burpees, chin ups, pullups, suitcase abs (killers), toes to bar (another killer) and so forth. I was tired and drenched and sore but this is typical of Circuit classes at Arrichion because it is designed by wrestlers - and they are super strong. And you think only guys take these classes? No way, some of the girls here, they are super power houses. I wouldn't mess with them.

After that, went on a cooking spree for the short week. I did a series of stir fry green beans, asparagus and red snapper.

Red Snapper - grill and brush with a glaze
- created a concoction of eggs, rosemary, garlic, black and white sesame seeds, onion powder, and coconut milk and white pepper as marinade, then coat it with almond flour - grilled that -
- brushed the fish with mixture of gluten free tamari, ginger, cactus honey sugar, sesame oil
so it almost looks like blackened fish ala Sue

Asparagus - I believe I included the recipe last post- this seems to be a big hit - there is never anything left

Green beans szechuan style- well at least my rendition
- cooked the green beans with a mix of olive and coconut oil - then put them to the side
- minced up a mixture of scallions, ginger and garlic - heat up the wok with little bit of olive oil -dry frying - add the mixture, let it turn brown - add the beans,
- once the beans look pretty ready - season with soy sauce, sugar, pepper

After my cooking, I went to Jackie's bootcamp class which she introduce some new exercises which I like a lot. It is very similar to Tabata at least to me - short intervals but what she does it is many exercises that will last 1 hr and we used kettlebells- so we did swings, shoulder press, one hand swings - and we ended with a serious of ab workout. Enjoyed the class thoroughly

Enjoy the post,

Sue

Lack of sleep sucks but I must be operating on adrenaline - so good to get back to training, running has taken a different form and thanks Arrichion

For those of you who can sleep through the night, I am envious. For as long as I can remember I would go to sleep, wake up in 3 hrs and take a while to get to sleep and wake up in another 3 - so I never get a full night sleep. Been through the sleep study, they say I have a mild case of sleep apnea but no CPAC machine needed. So I should be happy but still don't know why- next step is to see the pulmonary dr and he will conduct a day time sleep study to determine if and when I dose off and go from there. Wish me luck!

But other than that, it has been a busy week at work but I like to keep it that way otherwise I get bored real easily.

So good to see my trainer this week. I really miss her. Initially, when I first started training with her, it was pure agony. I would be so sore that I would curse her out and wonder if I should go back but I do because I know there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is all good. Results are starting to show and I feel a lot better and stronger. The weight training has made me stronger in my running believe it or not.

My running coach has put together a running plan for me. I am in the basics phase and I am to run twice a week about 4-6 miles each time. I used to hate this since it takes me forever to run this distance and it still does. But it is the mental thinking that - how much more I have to go, oh man, I hurt, am I there yet?

Well, for the first morning, I went out on my 4m run - I put on my headphones and said "here I go" and as I started my run, I just zoned out and kept going. The 4m was done and that feeling was strange but felt really good. I like this.

So besides the weight training with Jackie, I go do Sparta and Warrior at Arrichion, the hot yoga studio. Warrior is a circuit class with cardio included in that 45 mins. Really good class. Sparta is lot harder and more weights to get you stronger. Sparta was one I could not do at all because of shoulder injury. Now I am given a second chance in life - One would think if I can get this training here at Arrichion for free - why am I doing personal training.

Well, in general, I am very good about exercise but I tend to get lax and need someone to kick my in the butt to get me going. That is what Jackie is here for , to kick my ass and Arrichion is here to kick my own ass.

Even since the start of my weight training with Jackie - I have a different mindset when I go to Warrior and/or Sparta - I am going to try harder and do my best instead of going through the motions. The fact now, that Ty, Sparks, Dunbar, and others pushes me and people like Nancy, Kristen, Kelli, Casi, whom I look up to - it just makes me try harder to better myself - Thanks guys!

To quote Quinn once again "IT IS A PROCESS" and for the other coaches at Arrichion "YOU CAN DO IT" and for my trainer, Jackie "GREAT JOB, WELL DONE" With all this positive motivation which I never had, it is indeed a great feeling!

Treating my blog as my journal - more cooking, more experiementaiton, helping a friend

My last entry was last week. I was thinking about my blog and what I should talk about. At first, I wanted to just write my recipes, what I think we should eat that is nutritional, where I travel if any but I think I am changing this somewhat.  I grew up not having many friends, many people to talk to so I tend to bottle my emotions. Perhaps by writing about it, I will feel better and I do! So, if my blog bores you, then oh well, but if you find it of interest, please continue to read on.

I really miss the past few days of not being able to do weight training with my trainer. Sadistic as it sounds, I like the pain. Working out seems to take my mind off things and I do feel better. Besides weight training with Jackie that causes pain, I love my trainer. I go to Sparta at Arrichion which is more pain and I love every minute of it. That group of people are like my family. I love their words of encouragement, I just love them.

So Sunday, I went to Sparta and some of those supersets were quite hard for me. I have not master the rope climb or the pull up on the bar without a band or the box jumps, or the bench press but that is OK. It is a process as Quinn would say. And Ty, Sparks and Dunbar would say - just keep at it, you will get it. Oh my! Monday, I was real sore that I did not want to get out of bed for my early run.

I also did some more experimenting with seasonings for food. This time I made some seassoned chicken breasts, seasoned fish cooked in foil instead of parchment, stir fry asparagus. Well, folks , once again, these foods don't last too long in the house but I did manage to snap some pics which I will upload at a later time.

I now have 2 new cooking challenges. A friend asked me how to cook schuan green beans and for another - I need to come up for recipes for her gentle tummy.

Oh my friend in need, poor friend, her dog passed away so I cooked and brought her dinner. So yes, there is a picture of that which will upload.

But here are the seasonings for the 3 dishes. Please remember, I have no recipes just what I thought at the time would go together:

Chicken breasts seasonings;
- fresh rosemary
- fresh garlic
- fresh basil
- fresh ginger
- cooking wine
- sesame oil
- coconut oil or grapeseed oil
- gluten free tamari

Fish seasoning:
- agave nectar
- braggs aminos
- white pepper
- olive oil
- ginger
- julienne zucchini, carrots or whatever vegetables - I seasoned that with black pepper, and sesame oil

Stir Fry Asparagus
- garlic cloves smashed
- heat oil til hot - throw in garlic - let it brown or burn
- throw in asparagus
- salt, pepper, to taste
- only stir fry at high heat for 2 mins or so
- add some vegetable broth or chicken broth
- put a lid on it and let liquid evaporate - steams the vegetables and maintains texture and taste
- finish off with sesame seeds or not

Enjoy!

Took Friday off, much to do but had a pleasant day- more cooking to share!

So today I took the day off - places to go, people to see, things to do so the saying goes. I was supposed to do training Thursday but my poor trainer did not feel good- I sure hope she is OK. As I was sitting at my desk and talking to someone about my college days - I started to get very depressed because those times were not happy. I had to clear my head so when I got all my work done - I dashed over to Shelley to do a run. I would never thought this would happen. I totally hated running and I just do it for the friendship and the comaraderie of it all. It actually felt good.

Today, I felt better and went to Tiger's Eye at Arrichion. I love this place, the people and the classes - you can get flexible, strength and strong all in one. After I got home, I was thinking of cooking again and this time it was fish and some cucumber salad to go with it.

Here is the seasoning for the fish:

Pecan crusted Red Snapper, Covina, Tilapia, or whatever white fish you like;
- I mixed a concoction of dried ingredients - ginger power, rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder,
- I mixed a concoction of wet ingredients - sesame oil, coconut oil, cooking wine
- I had Joe crusted some pecans in the food processor
- Rub the fish with the wet ingredients -
- Sprinkle with dry
- Rub the fish again with wet
- Roll the crushed pecans
you can choose to pan fry it or grill it

Cucumber salad
- cucumbers sliced up
- carrots sliced up
- apples sliced up
- cactus sugar or xylitol - anything but refined sugar
-apple cider vinegar
- you can add lemon or lime juice if you like

We also had brown rice and sweet potato for dinner

Arrichion Sparta workout was tough and new chicken recipe

So I was bitching about our Galloway 9m run because of the hills, but I did recover from that. Thanks goodness for my massage therapist, Tim Hackett who worked my legs.

Sunday, I was suppose to go to Jackie(my trainer), bootcamp class but it got changed to Monday instead. Good thing since I already signed up for Sparta at Arrichion Hot Yoga. These classes are intense and you feel tired and promise yourself, you would never do it again but you go back for more. There were a series of 6 supersets and the one I remember the most was the last one - which we did a series of sled runs, ball thrusters and running up the hills. I was so tired and sore Monday that I forgo the bootcamp class. Today I feel a lot better and went training with Jackie - totally great stuff she had me do. I know I will be sore tomorrow.

My last posting was the recipe for the brown rice pasta with mixed vegetables. I hope Claudia sees this recipe. I was trying to come up with recipes where it has little oil and little salt - I know my trainer is going to be on a strict diet and anything I can help her out with especially in the cooking. Both her and my friend, the other Jacqui told me I should do journaling, do blogs to write down how I feel or whatever comes into mind.

I have totally forgotten about this blog. I have totally forgo my passion of cooking. I have totally forgo many things in life - just because I was not feeling it anymore. These two friends have made me feel a sense of self importance. And plus, I got my Arrichion Hot yoga family and my buddy Ivy whom I can talk about anything. So life is good!

So my recipe for Marinated Chicken breasts or Thighs - was having my trainer Jackie in mind: So here are the ingredients. Now how much, I don't know...you just have to feel your food:

Marinated Chicken Breasts or Thighs
- 2 packages of 3 of the Chicken - I got organic chicken from Costco
- Seasonings:
rosemary/garlic
onion powder
oregano
basil
ginger powder
black pepper
nutritional yeast
sesame seeds
The below 3 ingredients - I would say I did a dash of sesame oil and a dash of the Braggs
and about a tbsp of coconut oil to bind the seasonings to the chcken
--sesame oil
--coconut oil
--braggs amino

I threw everything together and put them in a ziploc bags and let it seep - maybe lik3 30 mins. Joe, my husband grilled it but you can pan fry it. I did a sampling of it and it was good.

Sorry I could not supply pictures. First I have to figure out this blog how to do it and plus the noodles were gone - just like that.

If you ever want me to come up with a recipe for something. Let me know I will try to put my creative juices to use.

Enjoy,

Sue

A recipe for the vegetarian minded

Yesterday, Sat was a tough run where we started at Oak Park - at the New Balance store in Raleigh, NC - hills coming back were rough for me - my butt, hamstrings and psoas were tight but at least this is a good thing since those are firing whereas it was not before.

One of the girls in the pace group said she liked my blog and posting and will be looking for recipes because she wants to become a vegetarian. I got some recipes in the blog that she can try, but here I am adding another one. This one is gluten free, less oil, less sodium. You can always add eggs, tofu or beans to it for added protein.

Brown Rice Spaghetti with mixed vegetables
- I brought this gluten free pasta from Whole Foods - cook it for 15 mins approx. - you want it al dente
- mixed vegetables - zucchini squash from my garden, carrots, broccili florets, red onions, garlic but you can add anything you want.
- added a little oil for stir frying - onions and garlic first, then the carrots and broccili since they take longer to cook -
- then add the pasta -
- the the zucchini since this does not take long to cook
- you can add any sauce you want to it, I added sesame oil, some cooking wine, Braggs Aminos, some oyster sauce, black pepper, if you like you can throw in the hot sauce
- Toss everything and ta da - you got a beautiful looking pasta dish

Enjoy!

Food Intolerances - new recipe.

So for those who don't know - I have sleep issues so basically I am always tired but then with my ADHD 'condition' my body and brain and always in full gear. So I can be so tired, I can't fall asleep -and who knows perhaps this causes my mood changes.

I had to make some changes in the types of foods I eat because I am trying to figure what foods triggers inflammation that causes me not to breathe so nicely. Have asthma sucks but if I can help to deal with it better...well, at least that is my plan.

So besides this, my husband tells me he needs to be on a special diet for his ailments - no tomatoes, eggplant , peppers. So I was thinking what I can make that both of us can eat.

I was on a "Selective Not Eating Certain Foods and see what happens" diet. I eliminated soy, corn, eggs, dairy, gluten, refined sugars, peanuts and then added them one by one to see which ones causes inflammation. So since then, I have added eggs, peanuts, and corn back on my diet. The others I realize was causing reaction to my body. Going dairy free which I am ok with since I developed an allergy to it but gluten is all new. So no pasta, breads, etc...of that nature.

My recipe for today is: Rice Noodles with chicken, spinach, mushrooms and chinese cloud's ears (fungus)

- Rice Noodles you can buy from the Asian market  - now there is a difference between the vermicelli and rice noodles - so pick the right one. Vermicelli is used for vegetarian dishes such as Buddah's Delight
- Mushrooms - I happen to have some Shitake mushrooms so I soak that and the cloud's ears in water to soften it up. Cloud's Ears is the black fungus you eat if you eat Hot and Sour Soup
- Chicken - u can either select breast or thigh - just sliced it up thin - trick is to coated prior to stir fry - so a little bit of salt and pepper, some sesame oil, and cornstarch to bind and coat - stir fry that alone until it is semi - cook - You don't want to throw it into the noodles - first the noodles will get mushy and the chicken will get tough.
- I forgot you can add onions or scallions - I like the latter since the flavoring is nice and it gives it a different color to the dish itself.
- Stir fry , mushroom and fungus - throw in the rice noodles - and keep tossing until warm and noodles start to soften a little , add the chicken - add some of the water from the mushroom mixture
-Condiments I used are sesame oil, cooking wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and little bit of sugar- I used the cactus sugar - I do not know how much so your taste
- you can add hot sauce as well - then I toss the scallions on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds

Vioila all done!

Probably at some point - I will make fried rice or my rendition of Korean dish - called Bulgogi - but I will use chicken instead

Sunday was a bad day however...

Sunday was not a good day for me. For some reason, felt depressed for whatever reasons at all. However, got myself up went to circuit/yoga class at Arrichion and got to see Analisa who moved away. Good to see her.

Cooking is my mental therapy. I seem to feel better when I am in the kitchen creating. So I had this bag of of brussell sprouts and what to do with them. Whatever I created, it seems it was a big hit. Say it this way, when my husband likes them. I was trying to come up with dishes that he can eat since he is on some special diet so no tomatoes, no eggplant, no peppers which is pretty hard for him being Italian growing up on eating those.

I was also pleasantly surprised that a co-worker read my blog and was totally impressed with some of the recipes I had written down and that he was going to try. He said I should get together with his wife - Oh totally great since I would love to experiment with Thai spices and condiments.

So here is what I did with the brussell sprouts - I called them Roasted Brussell Sprouts ala Sue

- Coconut oil - unrefined, which I found at Costco
- Rosemary
- garlic or garlic powder
- ginger powder
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- sesame oil

-Tossed these ingredients with the brussell sprouts - put them on a baking sheet and set the oven to 450 and baked them til they look done and roasted color - Then I sprinkle them with sesame seeds -

Give it a try or just wait until next time I make it again and I can bring some in for the lucky ones who knows me to try. Just kidding!

Training this morning and was asked do I have a blog? - a simple quinoa summer salad

So this morning I went to training session and Jackie asked if I had a blog and I said NO - and then as I was driving home - I really do but have not updated in a long long time. We were talking our hobbies and loves and I love to cook because it is therapy for me to create in the kitchen. And also for me, seeing objects, and colors and blending of objects I believe I was good at. So I learn how to cook from my father - I mean that man can flip at whole fish in a wok with a pair of chopsticks and the foods he would create - you will never get that in a local Chinese restaurant for that matter a classy Chinese place at that. I have to thank my father for teaching me the techniques and the blending of condiments. I have to thank my mom for blending exotic condiments to create sweet/sour, hot/sour, spicy dishes. When I was young, I had wanted to become a gourmet chef and go to CIA (Culinary Institute of Arts in Hyde Park, NY) but...that was then this is now.
 I do not know how good of a cook I am - but I do get compliments about my cooking. So I guess it is good.

There was one time my friend insisted she knows the recipe - she loved my fried rice. Every year, Monica would invite Neka, Aimee, and myself over her house in Durham, NC and we would literally trash her kitchen cooking. There, her daughter Alexa would have a pen and notebook in hand watching carefully what and when I put the ingredients together - timing and what goes in when is crucial - I would sprinkle, pour, throw , and Neka would say - yeah about 2 tbsp, oh about 1/2 c - I guess if they can repeat my so to speak recipe, plagerism is a form of compliment. I sure miss that group of friends.

 So while I was training, Jackie said I should create a blog and put my thoughts of the food I make - ya never know she said - Hmmph, sure why not! So today I post an easy recipe with the use of quinoa.

Quinoa is a superfood, a complete protein, very versatile - for breakfast, lunch, side dish. Today would be a simple quinoa summer salad - sorry I have no measurement of what I throw in - so guess so see what your palate likes

 Quinoa summer salad - what you need
-cucumbers - baby ones are nice, and crispy - you can totally peel the skin or leave some one and dice them - cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes - I usually cut them in half
 - sweet onion or purple onions or green onions - peppers - red, orange - I don't like the green ones -first they are boring in taste and they are bitter
- cooked quinoa - the best way to cook quinoa is 1 c of quinoa to 2 c water- rinse the quinoa ow it will taste bitter
 -condiments - simply something sweet- I used agave nectar or brown sugar; something sour- I used apple cider vinegar

Happenings in 2013 continuation of last post (Been a long time...but I am back - got lots to cover- but broard overview of missing time)

So continuing on with my life for 2013 - I decided to join a local gym near work to continue my running and build up speed and do another race. Perhaps it is karma, perhaps it is coincidence, perhaps it is timing. I joined Fitness Connection so I can continue with my runs on the treadmill during the winter months. I thought with all this running, I was in good healthy shape - they did an assessment and shockingly - I was at 48% bodyfat -and over 150 lbs - how is this possible with all the running I did?

 But personal training was out of the question since it was quite expensive so I decline at the moment - but when I went back to run - I heard something popped- my foot hurt, I could not bend it, I could not run - it was a stressed fracture - and like I said - it must be karma.

 I met up with one trainer who was going to train me but then she could not and I met up with Jackie Adamo who gave me a free session of what is to come. Karma is that I met her the night before and just said hi and said to myself - I would love to have this person train me. Weird huh?

 But back to the assessment, OMG, I thought I was in good aerobic shape - I knew then that this is what I have to do and want to do. I was going to give weight training a try with wanting to get leaner and stronger.

 I was ready to make changes in my life- at least right now - physically for now.This I started in January , 2013. It is the best decision I made. It keeps me focused, it keeps me out of trouble, it keeps me sane, it keeps me happy,and keeps me not thinking about my problems at the moment and above all - I met some new friends and my trainer has become my friend. How great is that?

 Training is tough - I go home and next day whatever body groups are work, i am so sore that at times I can't even sit down or lift a fork to eat. But it is totally worth it in a sadistic sort of way.

  I was really worry that not running at all until the Galloway run season began was going to hurt me. In fact our first run on May 18th, I was totally OK, my legs felt strong from the training. And even though it was only a 3 m run, I was not tired or hurting.

So now I can truly say I love the weight training, I love the aspects of it, I love what it is doing for me and I love my trainer-she is the greatest - and she truly cares that you succeed and reach your goal - remember her name Jackie Adamo More on next blog post

Been a long time...but I am back - got lots to cover- but broard overview of missing time

So I have totally forgotten I created this blog way back when when my friends asked me many questions about nutrition of what I ate to lose weight. This was when I started with Box-2b-fit -in 2008 when I was over 200 lbs -my all time low of how I saw myself physically, mentally, and emotionally. It was a difficult time for me but thank goodness for my 2 friend Neka and Aimee that we struggle through the workouts.

Unfortunately I had to stop going to the gym because of cost and I was suffering from injuries that I had to totally stop doing any form of physical activity. This was in 2010.

 Since then, I have been taking hot yoga and also paying visits to a massage therapist - Tim Hackett- who have been working on my muscle imbalances. Every time I would go run, like 1 mile I would be in extreme pain.

As I said in my other posts, 2010 was my first half marathon and with hot yoga at Arrichion and Tim - I was able to complete my first half marathon in 2010.

 Since then I have done more half marathons and even done a Sprint triathlon. It sure looks like things were getting better but I was having personal issues and more injuries and lack of interest in anything I did. I gained back not all my weight back but a significant amount that my once smaller clothes no longer fit and I just did not care anymore.

 Then in 2012 I decided to once again do something of self worth with my life- I asked a friend at work to help me come out with a training plan for me so to enable me to run injury free and not hurt if and when I would do another race. This I did 40 miles/week and I started to feel better about myself at least this part. I was still a total mess with ongoing personal issues but I put that aside. So in 2012 I did my 6th half marathon and I managed to PR my time by 40 mins.

 A triumphant moment for me that I thought I should continue because alas it was something I can do and my only competition was within myself - at least what I thought. Please continue reading the next blog post with most recent happenings for 2013