May's Goal

Where is this year going? 

It's flying by, which means another monthly goal has come and gone and it's time for yet another one on my list.

April's goal of Insanity was put on hold about half-way through the month due to a foot injury. I'm finally 100% back to normal and have been incorporating more cardio into my daily routine. I'm so happy to get back into it. As much as I loved having an excuse to be lazy and go straight to my couch every day after work for 2 weeks, deep (deep) inside, I really wanted to go out for a run. 

While I originally planned for May to be month #2 of Insanity, I really have missed running and want to enjoy our last month of "Spring" and being outdoors while I can. So I've opted to save Insanity month #2 for June or July when it's unbearably hot outside and I can stay indoors to complete those workouts. 

Which leaves the big question (big for me at least)...what goal do I want to pursue for May? 

Yep - Vegetarian May. 

At least 90% Vegetarian. 

I'll be cutting out all animal meat (chicken, beef, pork, fish, etc.) and will not purposely drink milk, eat eggs, or consume cheese on it's own. 

HOWEVER, if I find myself with a piece of cake at my fingertips, I'm eating it. If a meal contains eggs, milk, honey, butter, etc. and is unavoidable to eat (i.e. a catered event, no other options, my lack of veggie education and knowledge), then there's a 50/50 chance it's going to wind up in my belly. But all animal flesh products will be off limits for the next 31 days. 

Wish me luck! I don't usually eat THAT much meat, but chicken does end up in my diet about 3-4 days a week. 

Here is an updated list of my monthly goals for 2014:

January – 30 days of Yoga and/or Pilates, Daily Meditation

February – Go Gluten Free 

March – Keep a Food Journal 

April – Do Insanity

May – Vegetarian

June – Do Insanity 

July – Water challenge (drink half my weight in ounces a day)

August – Alcohol Free

September – Paleo diet

October – No sweets or processed sugar

November – No eating out

December – Squat/Ab challenge

Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder

Happy Earth Day! My foot is finally better and I cannot wait to get back into my normal exercise routine. Although April is technically still "Insanity Month," I'm going to wait to restart the program for May's goal. While my foot is feeling 95% back to normal, I don't want to push it and re-injure anything, so I'd rather start back with some lower intensity workouts for the remainder of April while attempting to stick to a healthy diet (weekends have been killing me lately)! 

But have no fear, I have received some help in the healthy eating department. 

A few weeks ago, a rep from Kiss Me Organics reached out to me to sample their Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder. I'm a lover of normal green tea, and I had heard of Matcha before, but I still wasn't 100% sure what is was or what made it so great. After doing a little bit of research, I decided to give it a go.

Some of the benefits of their Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder include:

• ALL DAY ENERGY & FOCUS
• ALL-NATURAL CALORIE BURNING BOOSTER
• INCREASES BODY METABOLISM
• IMPROVES SKIN HEALTH
• 137x ANTIOXIDANTS OF BREWED GREEN TEA
• VARIETY AND FLEXIBILITY WITH RECIPES

"USDA Organic Matcha Green Tea can only be used in a powdered form because, unlike brewed green tea, it contains the entire tea leaf which dramatically increases the nutritional content." 

There are many ways you can consume Matcha. So far, I have only included it in my morning fruit smoothies, but apparently you can use it in baking, seasoning, cooking, or just drinking it with water/milk as you would normal tea. It's a great way to sneak in some healthy benefits without altering the taste too much. But fair warning, depending on the amount of powder you add, the color of your food might be green-ish (it's great for Christmas or St. Patrick's Day). 

Before adding it to my smoothie, I gave it a taste so I would know if it would alter the flavor at all. I assumed that it would be somewhat sweet (similar to a protein powder or shake mix), but it didn't have much of a taste at all...definitely not sweet! You only need 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per day to reap the listed benefits, so it doesn't take much. I incorporated a spoonful of the powder into my usual mix and enjoyed! 

The product is available exclusively thru Amazon.com and runs about $25.00 for a 4 oz supply. Depending on how much you use per day, that should last you anywhere from 24-48 days. 

I've only used it about 5 times so far, but I do notice having more energy throughout the day. I'll make sure and do an update on the other potential benefits after my first supply is gone! 

Matcha Green Tea Powder - ORGANIC

Insane Yet?

Today would have been the two-week mark for my April goal of doing Insanity. Everything was going great and I kept up with the schedule for 12 days! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do it for the past few days due to an injury.

It makes me very frustrated, angry, sad, annoyed, etc. that I haven't been able to workout due to something that is out of my control. 

I completed my 6th half marathon on Saturday and I believe that is what sparked the cause of my new injury. After the race, I felt fine and don't remember an exact point in time during the run where I may have injured my foot. The next day, I woke up and my body wasn't sore like usual - which was surprising. Instead, I felt like I had bruised the outer bone of my left foot. It wasn't extremely painful so I continued on with my Sunday and completed a few errands. By the end of the day, I was limping. 

I got up and went to work yesterday and did a little "self-diagnoses" thanks to Google (not always recommended, but I was curious if other people had experienced this after long runs). I came away with what I believe to be Peroneal Tendonitis. 

According to my "research"...

"The peroneal tendons run on the outside of the ankle just behind the bone called the fibula. The reality is that there is tendinosis, which means that there is enlargement and thickening with swelling of the tendon. This usually occurs in the setting of overuse, meaning a patient or athlete doing a repetitive activity which irritates inflames the tendon over long periods of time.​ People having peroneal tendinosis typically have either tried a new exercise or have markedly increased their activities. Characteristic activities include marathon running or others which require repetitive use of the ankle. ​As discussed above, improper training or rapid increases in training and poor shoewearshoe wear can lead to peroneal tendinosis."

So there you go - that describes my situation perfectly. Overuse and improper training (I hadn't ran in 3 weeks before Saturday). Thankfully, I don't believe it to be a severe case and it should hopefully heal on its own with some rest. If the pain continues, I will be going to see a doctor within the next few days, but I'm praying that staying off of it and taking some time off from leg exercises will do the trick (I'm pretty stubborn when it comes to seeing doctors...I do not like taking excessive medications just to mask the pain and not fix the real issue). However, I would be open to physical therapy. 

If my diagnosis is incorrect, this could very well be a stress fracture. But I'm not sure I'd be able to walk with that going on. There is no bruising or swelling, so I don't believe it to be the case. 

Hopefully this will subside soon so I can get back on track!